(Open)Not that Gal

[britt]

The little bell rung as a woman stepped inside the general store, wearing the typical t-shirt and jeans as she always did. This, of course, was topped off with a cowboy hat and some boots, as it should be. Though she was thin and frail looking like a citygirl, no one would have doubted that Gabrielle Cline had been borned and raised here. There was no nail polish on her nails, no make-up on her face, her hair just brushed plain, but no one would have guessed it. Elle was the type of girl that just looked pretty without trying, even if she didn't want to. She smiled warmly at the woman at the counter, nodding to show she had acknowledged the lady. She'd spent six years in Oregon but that felt like no time at all. She'd been married, she'd had a family, and now she was back on page one with none of that. She was sure people remembered how she had eloped and runaway, but everyone knew her so well(at least those that had been there before) that no one seemed to care.

After giving her one last smile, Gabe moved down one of the aisles where you could find your basic medicines. Pain relievers, cold medicines, the usual. She grabbed a huge bottle of motrin, the kind that will last you a year at least, and began heading towards where some bottled drinks. Fourteen years she'd known Vendetta and still she was bucked off. Sure, this was the first time in several years, and Vendetta had been spooked, but Gabe sure wasn't used to it, at least not from her mare. An amateur probably would have freaked out and gone to the doctor's first thing after being bucked off and hitting a post, but Elle wasn't that type of girl. Instead, she squinted as she looked at the available drinks, always having had bad eyesight. She heard footsteps behind her but still kept debating which drink to buy.

[wildthing]

Matt was new in town. A drifter and usually a loner, he rarely stayed in one cow town more than a year or so, through round-up season anyway. He'd needed money and a place to stay and had found work at the biggest and only ranch around this beat up little town. He could and had lived out of his truck quite well, but there were a few things he wanted to pick up for his little corner of the bunkhouse. He quickly found his way around the little store, grabbing a basket and tossing in a new razor, vitamins, peppermints for his horse, a pack of heavy duty work socks, and a pair of toenail clippers to replace the pair he'd lost. He didn't have many needs, but a six pack might not be bad either. There was a pretty female form in front of the cold drinks and he rested his weight on one foot while he waited for her to make her decision. He was a patient man.

[britt]

A small hand reached out and grabbed a bottle of water, though as she pulled it out she hesitated. Maybe she should get a six pack just for later, when she would be stuck inside with her mother to spend quality time. Then she sighed, knowing that Mrs. Erickson would never let her walk out with a six pack. But, if Mr. Erickson happened to be manning the register, she'd be good to go, so she moved out of the guy's way to glance down the aisle. Mrs. Erickson spotted her immediately and pointed as Elle dashed to get out of sight. "Gabrielle Elizabeth Cline! You are not buying beer from me!"

Gabe groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose between her forefinger and thumb. She was legal, she had been for five years(not that that had stopped her before), and if she pulled the 'your daddy would kill me' excuse, then there was no logic in that. Her mother just plain didn't care anymore, so why on earth did Mrs. Erickson care? "And why not?"

"Because your daddy would kill me." Elle rolled her hazel eyes. Her daddy couldn't kill anyone, he was gone, and so why did it matter what her father would think if she bought beer? It wouldn't even if she was alive, because she wasn't a child. She was 26, she'd had a child for chrissakes, and she was more of an adult than some people even older than her. She turned around quickly to grabbed a coke too, having completely forgotten about the guy, and ran smack into him. Being very a petite woman, Gabe stumbled back a bit. "I am soooo sorry. You alright?"

[wildthing]

Matt couldn't help but overhear the exchange. She didn't look underage to him. Early twenties maybe, but he'd never been much at guessing ages. Gabrielle. Pretty name. As she moved down the aisle and out of his way, he scanned the available beers, deciding on Corona. He wasn't very picky and wasn't a heavy drinker, but a cold one was nice at the end of a long day. He was about to reach for his selection when the petite woman was suddenly propelled into his arms. He kept her from falling and took a step back.

His dark features broke into a grin at her questioning if he was okay. He was a range rugged cowboy, towering several inches above her and made up of hard, lean muscle. "No harm done." Matt wasn't much good at conversation, didn't talk much as a rule, but even he wasn't resistant to a pretty girl. "Couldn't help but hear, want me to buy you that beer?"

[britt]

As she finally got a proper look at him, she really doubted he wouldn't be okay from her running into him. In fact, Gabe started to think of how cute he was, but halted those thoughts because he did look pretty young to her. Not like, underage young, but certainly not her age. Besides, she wasn't hear to run right into cute guys and then fall head over heels. She laughed as he confirmed that nothing was hurt, and she nodded. "Yeah, now I can see that."

Hearing the offer, she bit her lip and took a half step back, peering down the aisle again at Mrs. Erickson before quickly stepping back into place. However large the part of Elle that wanted to say yes was, she knew enough to say no, and not just because Mrs. Erickson would go all Mt. Vesuvius on them. "No, no, really. I can't ask you to do that. It's fine, really."

[wildthing]

Matt was a pretty young guy, but people tended to grow up fast in Texas. He'd been working on his grandfather's ranch since he was just a little ankle biter. There hadn't been much time for girls and partying and he wasn't the kind to raise hell on the weekends after payday. Not to say that there hadn't been time for a little fun, just not much. But he was a man now, not like those punk kids back east, still acting like high school idiots. He chuckled a little as she realized her silly question. It had a rusty, unused sound. The half breed Apache pretty much kept to himself, working hard on water ranch had hired him for the round up season, and then moving on to the next.

He didn't miss her glance at the proprietor. He wasn't surprised at her turning down his offer, but maybe a little disappointed. He just shrugged. "Your call. No strings though." He didn't expect anything just because he bought her a couple bottle of beer and he needed to be getting back to the ranch pretty soon anyway.

[britt]

One eyebrow raised at the no strings part. A stranger offering to buy her some beer with no strings attached to it. Now, she would have expected that from someone she'd met in town before, but not a total stranger who she had managed to run into. It was really generous of him, and she wondered if he was upset that she hadn't said yes. It was nothing personal, she just didn't want him in trouble. Still, she did want a beer. "Alright, but I owe you, and I don't take no for an answer. I just hope you know what you're getting yourself into..."

She chuckled softly, sincerely hoping that the lady didn't realize what was going on. Gabe would feel extremely guilty if this generous stranger got in trouble and yelled at because she wanted some beer.

[wildthing]

Matt was a male, he appreciated a pretty woman, but it wasn't all he thought about. If a girl was interested in him, he wouldn't say no, but he wasn't one to press a girl. He could buy her a beer and walk away, or she could agree to a date or something. Either way, Matt had got what he needed from the store. As for trouble, Matt never sidestepped it. He could fight with his fists, boxing or dirty. And as for how the towns people saw him, he really didn't give a damn. He spent most of his time working on the ranch, he wouldn't have to put up with them much.

Matt just shrugged and grinned. "Pick your pleasure and then give me five minutes. No problem. And you don't owe me nothin', except maybe the cost of the beer." He grabbed a six pack of Corona and waited for her to make her choice.