A/N: this story is my tribute to John Wayne movies. Now it shares a title with a John Wayne movie, but this is by no means a recycled plot. This is an original story that's loosely based on different aspects of various John Wayne westerns. And obviously it's AU, lol. I hope you guys like it! Enjoy!

McLintock

By angellwings

Chapter One

Two refined ladies stepped off the train at the station in McLintock. They didn't appear to belong, but in their sophisticated air a crack could clearly be seen. It was a crack that resembled the rough landscape they'd grown up in.

The vast amounts of land and arid landscape made for a tough but valuable life. Both women knew better than most that hard work earned the best reward. Only they'd been away at a refinement school learning how to manage a household. They'd also been learning about the ways of city society, and had become accustomed to much gentler men.

City men smelled freshly clean and wore hats that barely showed a spec of dirt. Spurs were never seen in polite society, and horses were rarely ridden.

None of this applied to the men of McLintock.

Stella's nose wrinkled at the site of the ranch hands walking the dirt streets. "Remind me why we decided to come home?"

"Because for better or worse, it's home. And according to daddy his current group of workers wouldn't be able to break a horse if their lives depended on it. He said he needed my help," Macy said with a sigh. "And, well, I kind of missed the old town. Didn't you?"

"I can safely say that I didn't."

Macy rolled her eyes. "You can pretend to hate it here all you want, but I know deep down you missed it."

"Deep deep down, Macy."

"Ms. Macy!" A jovial voice called as arms wrapped her in a crushing hug.

She squeaked in surprise and squirmed out of the hug. "Toby. What a…surprise. I thought daddy was picking me up himself?"

The dirty, hairy, chubby little man turned to Stella with a friendly smile. "Why Ms. Stella you certainly look fetchin'. You look a might bit better than you did when you left. You'se all arms and legs if I recall."

Stella took a deep breath and kept a hold of her cool demeanor. "Well, you haven't changed at all, Toby. You're exactly as I remember you."

"The wife says I've lost a little weight, but I think she's just trying to butter me up," Toby said with a laugh.

"W-wife?" Stella asked as she gave Macy a concerned look. "You mean you're married?"

"One year last Tuesday," Toby said proudly. Toby turned and began to load the girls' luggage into the cart and Stella leaned toward Macy to whisper.

"That should tell you how desperate women are for company in this town."

Macy gave her a silencing glance. "Stella!"

"What? It's true."

"Your Pa sends his apologies," Toby told Macy. "He wanted to be here, but we had a few hands just up and desert in the middle of the night. He's trainin' up their replacements. So, I came instead. You ladies want to sit up front with me or in the back with your trunks?"

"In the back with our—excuse me?" Stella asked in an offended tone.

"The seat in the front's rather small. We'd all be awfully squished."

"I'll sit in the back," Macy volunteered.

"I'll join you," Stella said quickly as she leaned toward Macy again. "I don't want to be left in the front seat with him. Are you crazy? He smells—well, to put it politely, he smells like the color brown."

They dropped Stella off at her home on the Misa-Lucas property line. Stella's father owned the general store and her mother was the town seamstress. They weren't the richest family in town but they ran a close third to the Misas and the Lucases. Macy was a Misa. Their money was a bit newer than the Lucases, and their ranch was smaller. But what the Lucases had in land the Misas made up for in profits.

Macy hadn't actually seen a Lucas since she was about 16. She'd been sent to live with her aunt for a time and then from there she'd been sent to a refinement school. A lot had changed in the last three years. She had changed. The last time she'd seen any of the Lucas boys they'd been fawning over Maria Williams. They'd all looked sort of awkward and clumsy at the time. She would bet her father's stable that none of them even remembered her.

She had spent most of her time in McLintock with Stella and her father's horses. Though, unlike Stella, Macy had always chosen to skip the barn raisings and parties held in town. If she was going to inherit her father's farm then she needed to spend her time learning all she could about it. That was her opinion anyway.

An opinion her mother didn't share. Macy needed to be "a proper lady" so her mother sent her away. It had been far too long since Macy had been home. Things were going to change now. She was 19 and in control of her own destiny.

And she was convinced that her destiny was here, in McLintock.

The long driveway was exactly how she remembered it. The ranch grew the closer they came. She was surprised by how much was still the same. Her father even had some of the same workers she remembered from three years earlier. Her eyes narrowed and she spotted three hands she didn't recognize leaning against one of the fences.

"Hey!" Toby yelled as he passed them. "You Lane boys better get to work! Those fences don't repair themselves, you know!"

Two of them nodded and immediately got back to work while one glared at Toby and muttered something under his breath before shoving off the fence.

"Lane boys?" Macy asked as Toby helped her down off the cart.

"The replacements for those deserters I mentioned. They got a long way to go, but I will say they show some natural talent for ranchin'," Toby said with a wink. "Now, come on, Ms. Macy. Let's get you to your pa."

Toby turned to the boys repairing the fences. "Where's Mr. Misa?"

"Readin' over a telegram in the office," The tallest one answered. He gave Macy a small smile as he dug out a hole for the next post. She blushed and swallowed nervously.

"Fine, I'll go see what that's about and you take Ms. Misa and her things up to her room," Toby instructed. He glared at the other two as they paused in their task. "Not you two. Just him." Toby started to walk away but turned back quickly. "No funny business. You take that trunk upstairs and then come right back down here. Understood?"

The tall one nodded and motioned for Macy to follow him back to the cart.

"I'm Kevin," He said as he lifted her trunk. "You are?"

"M-macy," she stuttered. She tried to look away from his arms as he held her large trunk, but she couldn't seem to do it.

"No kiddin', you're Mr. Misa's daughter? From the way everyone talked I was expecting a kid, but you're…well you're—"

"I'm what?"

"I don't really know, but you're certainly not a kid," Kevin said as he gave her a quick once over.

The look he gave her caused goose bumps to rise on her arms. She didn't have much experience with this kind of man. Stella called men like this Kevin "forward" and had often said the best solution to "forward" was a slap to the face. But he hadn't really said anything bad had he? In fact, she was actually relieved he didn't think she was a "kid".

Still, she supposed she ought to slap him out of principle. But then, well, he was holding her trunk, and it wouldn't do for it to fall on his head. That would merely leave her father short one worker. She would just wait until her trunk was safely back on the ground then she would slap him.

Macy watched nervously as Kevin walked with the trunk. He was fine as long as the ground was flat, but she thought he was going to drop her things for sure when they reached the porch steps. Luckily he made it inside, but there were still more stairs to go. Her room was on the second floor of the main house.

"Are you sure you can make it up the stairs? Because I don't think daddy would mind taking it himse—"

"No, no. I can do it," Kevin promised.

"It's fine if you can't. Really. Maybe I could take a few things out and lighten the load. You don't have to—"

He ignored her and started up the stairs. She sighed and crossed her arms over her chest as she watched him. His foot slipped on the third step and the trunk went flying. As he fell he blindly grabbed onto her and they both went tumbling to the ground. That was fortunate for Macy, though, as the trunk landed right where she would have been standing.

Macy had closed her eyes during the commotion and when she opened them she found Kevin's arms wrapped tightly around her middle and her head pressed firmly into his chest.

It felt sort of…nice. Kevin felt strong and sturdy. Not to mention he smelled like sweat and dirt. It made her think of work. Hard, rewarding work. Oddly enough, she felt safe in this stranger's arms. His throat cleared and he pulled back to look at her.

"Are you alright, Macy?"

Stranger. She'd forgotten he was a stranger. She didn't know this man. She blinked at him for a moment. Macy? He was calling her Macy? He barely knew her. She squirmed out of his arms and stood up quickly.

"It's Ms. Misa to you. And I told you that trunk was too heavy. If any of my things are broken, I swear—"

"You swear, what?" Kevin asked with an amused smirk.

"I'll—I'll throw you in with the rest of daddy's mustangs. That's not a place you want to be, Mr. Lane. Wild horses are dangerous," Macy threatened. "Now, I'm going to take a few things out of that trunk and then you are going to take it up the stairs and go back to work."

She ripped the trunk open and pulled out a lamp, several books, and a rug before closing the lid and staring at him expectantly.

"Shall I take your things to your room, your Grace?" Kevin asked in an exaggerated British accent. "And then shall I get your afternoon tea as well?"

She glared at him. "I really don't like you."

He grinned and leaned close to her ear. "I'd watch that pretty little mouth of yours, Ms. Misa. Words like that might tempt a man to do all sorts of things."

"You try anything and I'll scream."

Kevin looked offended before he smiled half heartedly. "Trust me, ma'am. I'm not that kind of man."

"And what kind of man are you exactly?" Macy asked as he took a step back from him.

That infuriating grin was back as he leaned close to her once again. "The kind that knows what he wants, and usually gets it."

"Well, 'usually' won't be now. So, if you'll please pick up my trunk and take it to my room we can both go about our own—"

Before she knew what he was about his lips were firmly covering her own. His arms went around her again and she tried to keep her hands and arms away from him, but the more his lips moved against her own the more she felt herself melting. Her arms fell limp at her sides and then slowly began to make their way to his shoulders. What kind of man had the audacity to kiss a woman he'd just met? It was maddening and yet…irresistible. But this wasn't the way things were supposed to happen. It wasn't proper to kiss a stranger.

There was that word again. Her body immediately stiffened. Stranger. She pushed away from him. Now she really was going to slap him. She brought her hand back but he swiftly caught her wrist.

"Now, now, Ms. Misa. You wouldn't want to hurt that delicate hand of yours," He said softly with a smirk as he kissed her palm. "What do you say we get that trunk up to your room?"

She glared at him. "Just to the top of the stairs, please. I don't want you anywhere near my room."

"That's fair, I suppose," Kevin said as he kept his smirk and nodded. He lifted the trunk and carried up the stairs where he set it down and then returned to Macy's side. "Should I carry you up the stairs too or can you handle that on your own?"

She glared at him. "Don't you have a fence to repair or something?"

He chuckled. "I certainly do. I should probably go finish that. It was very nice to meet you, ma'am." He tipped his hat and turned to walk away. "I'll see you around."

"I hope not," Macy fumed.

"Don't lie, Ms. Misa," Kevin called over his shoulder. "It's not very attractive."

Macy glared at the doorway Kevin had just vacated for several moments before Toby walked through it and pulled her back to the present.

"Everything alright, Ms. Macy?" He asked.

This was the moment. The moment she could turn that scoundrel in. He would be fired and she would never have to look at his ridiculous face ever again. She opened her mouth to tell Toby exactly what had happened, but she discovered that she couldn't make her mouth speak the words. They died on her lips every time she tried. "Y-yes, everything is fine. Did you speak to daddy?"

"He's on his way. The telegram was from your mother. She's coming in a couple of days with a friend of yours from the city."

"A friend? Do you know who?"

"A boy by the way your father reacted," Toby laughed.

Macy groaned. "Probably, Randolph."

"Randolph?" Toby asked.

"This boy mother keeps trying to pawn me off to. He's nice enough, but there's just no spark. Of course, all that matters to mother is that he's rich and 'established' in society," Macy said with a roll of her eyes.

"Your ma is awfully concerned with society," Toby chuckled. "Always has been."

"She just wants to make sure our Macy has everything that she didn't."

Macy turned and beamed at the man behind her. "Daddy!"

She wrapped her arms around him tightly as he laughed and kissed her cheek. "My, Macy, you've grown up. I think I may have to learn to be more intimidating."

She tilted her head to the side as she pulled away. "Why?"

"I've got to be intimidating if I want to keep the men in town from going after your hand," Mr. Misa smirked. "After all, you're still my little girl, and I'm going to make sure the man that gets you truly deserves you."

Macy smiled softly at her father. "He'll have to if he wants me to fall for him."

Mr. Misa chuckled again. "That's my girl. Now, what are you wearing?" He took a step back and observed his daughter's dress. "Is that bustle you're wearing? Now that just won't do. You can't do rancher's work in those kinds of clothes."

Macy grinned at her father in amusement. "I don't have any other kind of clothes, daddy. Mother made sure of that."

"You haven't been up to your room yet have you?" He asked mischievously. "Let's just say, what your mother doesn't know won't hurt her."

Her eyes and smile widened and she raced up the stairs to her room. She jumped over her trunk as it still sat at the top of the stairs and shrieked in delight at the sight of a pair of trousers. Lovely tan trousers. There was a plain white shirt, suspenders, boots, and a hat as well. She peeked her head out the door and smiled down the stairs at her father.

"They're beautiful! Thank you so much! I'm putting them on right now!"

She closed her door tightly behind her and changed out of her many layers of clothes as quickly as she could. She came back down the stairs ten times more comfortable than before.

Mr. Misa chuckled as Macy presented herself proudly. "You look wonderful, daughter."

"Do I look like a rancher?" Macy asked him with a smile.

Toby chuckled. "Not like any rancher I've ever seen."

Mr. Misa shook his head. "No, she's better. C'mon, girl, why don't you show my men a thing or two? You feel like breakin' yourself a new horse?"

"It's what I came here to do, isn't it?" Macy asked with a smirk.