Disclaimer: Not mine, dangit.
A/N: Thanks to everyone who has reviewed my other posts. This one will take awhile cause I am trying to do it right so it will take awhile to bring it out the way I want it to go.
Claire Twist stood in the kitchen staring out the window deep in thought. Her husband, John, was out on the back forty while her little boy, Jack, was herding sheep up on Brokeback Mountain. He'd heard about the job through the usual rancher grapevine and he'd headed down there ostensibly because it was a well paying job, but, Claire knew the truth. He took the job just to get away from his father for awhile. She was suddenly pulled from her reverie when she noticed a man walking up the driveway. She knew right away he was a cowboy looking for work just by his clothes alone and the sack he carried, but, she wondered, how in the world did he find his way out here to the middle of nowhere?
Walking over to the open door, Claire watched as the young man walked up to the house. With a mother's eye she could see he was underfed and looked about to dead on his feet. She could also sense the loneliness that surrounded him. Already figuring out what to tell her husband, she invited the stranger in and sat him at the table while she went and poured him a cup of coffee and made him a turkey sandwich. Sitting down across from the stranger with her own cup of coffee, she gave him a good looking over. She put his height at that of her Jack, but, skinnier. He had chocolate eyes with a touch of honey to them, short blond hair what curled around his ears and neck, work roughened hands and skin the had seen quite a bit of sun. After he'd finished eating, she sent him out to the bunkhouse to take a nap, promising to wake him up for dinner as her husband would wanna talk to him concerning any work needing done. He quietly thanked her and walked out to the bunkhouse intending to take that nap.
Later that afternoon, while she was preparing dinner, she heard her husband walk in grumbling as usual. Taking his coffee to the table, she sat down and waited for John to return to the kitchen after washing up. A few minutes later, John returned to the table and sat down to drink his coffee. Looking up from his first sip of coffee, he could see by the look on her face that she had news, but, wasn't sure how he'd take it. He knew if he sat there long enough she'd tell him what was on her mind. Finally, she looked up and met his eyes.
"We had a visitor today," she said.
Not expecting this to be the topic, he just looked at her for a second. "Oh? And who might that have been?" he asked. A visitor was a rare occurrence out here unless it was her brother and his wife or one of their kids.
"Just a young man looking for work," she replied. "Now I know you said we don't need no more help after all the riff-raff that've passed through here, but, I think we should give him a try. I have a good feeling about him. I think he's what we've been looking for. I've looked him over and can see he's no stranger to hard work."
Trusting in his wife's judgment, except when it cam to his lazy, no-account son, he thought about what she'd said. Finally, he looked at her and said, "Well? Where is he?"
"I fed him and sent him out to the bunkhouse to take a nap. He was dead on his feet when he showed up. Seemed mighty hungry, too, like he hadn't eaten in awhile. Told him I'd wake him up for dinner."
Thinking about it for a minute, John stood up from the table and walked out to the bunkhouse telling her he'd wake him up instead. Looking in the bunkhouse, which consisted of one room with three bunks in it, he didn't see the stranger in there. Wandering where he could have gotten off to, he decided to check the stables first as they were closer. Walking into the stables, John stopped dead in his tracks at the sight before him not quite believing his eyes. The stranger was standing there messing with the meanest horse it had been John's displeasure to ever own. The strangest part was the horse wasn't even putting up a fight like he did with everyone else that had come near him with the exception of Jack. Jack seemed to be the only one to be able to get near him without being half killed. The horse was a beautiful stallion with jet black hair and white stockings. After studying the stranger for a bit, John got to thinking that maybe he could use this stranger's help around the place. He'd at least try him out before sending him on his way.
The stranger had sensed he was being watched, but, didn't wanna take his attention from the stallion just yet. After a few minutes he looked up at the man standing there watching him. After whispering a few more nonsense words to the horse, he walked over to the man stopping just a couple feet away from him. Taking his hat off and studying the floor, he waited for the man to speak.
"So. Wife says your looking fer work, huh?"
"Yes, sir."
"Well, what can ya do? What kind experience ya got?"
"Well, sir, I can do anything dealing with ranch work. Been working ranches since I was 12. Also I got a way with horses"
"Can see that. What's yer name, son?"
"Ennis Del Mar, sir."
"Well, Ennis Del Mar, I'm John Twist. Can let ya work fer a couple days fer room and board. Bout all I can afford fer ya fer now. After that we'll see. Meanwhile, come on up to the house fer supper." With that, John Twist turned and headed for the house hearing Ennis fall into step behind him.