A Rancher's Touch

Chapter 10

It was hard to sit there with everyone staring at us, but before too long they went, leaving behind only three. It was just me, Slim, and George.

"So, what are you goin to do now," Slim asked quietly, looking back over at George.

He was standing now, about a foot between us.

"I…I don't know," he whispered, his eyes cast down toward the ground.

I felt for him, I really did.

"I can't go back there now," he said, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"No, you can't," I whispered quietly, letting my hand touch his arm, my fingers brushing the material of his jacket.

That much was true, a sad realization. He wouldn't be welcomed back. He'd likely be canned on the spot upon return.

"Curley would try to have you thrown in the slammer if you went back," I said sadly. "I won't let him do that to you."

"She's right George. You can't stay here any longer," Slim announced, giving us both a sympathetic look.

George just nodded his head slowly, licking his bottom lip for a moment, his eyes turning toward the trees. I felt a tug at my heart as we stood there, urging myself to speak. I could hear one of the dogs in the distance.

"I guess…this is it then," he said, looking between me and Slim.

I could feel my bottom lip quiver slightly.

"Yeah…" Slim nodded, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Well, before you go, I brought your stuff," I said, catching his attention.

He obviously hadn't expected it, making me smile a bit.

"I…I had a feeling something would happen, so I brought it with me," I explained, walking back through the water toward me horse, the water splashing around my feet as I clicked my tongue.

He came trotting forward, rearing his head for a moment, before I took his reigns in my hand. I brought him over to George. Again, my hands shook as I stood there, holding the reigns out to George.

"Chris?" he gave me a curious look.

"Take him, he'll get you into Soledad safely," I told him, looking him in his eyes.

They were still watery, blinking as he stood there, but something had been cut away. Lennie.

"Here," I pushed them into his hand as I took in a breath, trying to hold myself together.

"Chris, we should go before they get suspicious," Slim said reluctantly.

I held my breath for a moment as I stood there, running a hand through my hair. I then found myself turning back to George as he stood by the horse, wrapping my arms around him. I felt him return the gesture after a moment, his eyes gazing down at me with an unknown affection.

"I'm sorry, George," I whispered, pulling back after a moment.

I then took his hand in mine, pressing a handful of bills into his palm. The shock on his face was visible as I stared up at him, tugging a small smile onto my face.

"I want you to take this, alright," I told him, closing his hand. "Take this and take care of yourself," I told him.

"Why are you…why are you doing this?" he asked, his brows furrowing in question.

"I don't know," I laughed, my smile falling a bit. "Maybe that knock to the head did more than I thought," I joked.

That wasn't true though, I knew exactly what I was doing. I just wanted to keep him safe any way that I could. I wanted to give him a chance at a future, at happiness, even if I couldn't stand by him and watch.

"I can't accept this," he said, shaking his head as he tried to give it back.

"N-no, George. I know what I'm doing," I told him, shaking my head. "I want you to take this and use it," I said, gently placing a hand on his cheek, gazing into those stunning blue eyes of his. "Take it and don't give up on that dream of yours," I whispered.

"What?"

I didn't give him the chance to say much though as I leaned up and pressed my lips to the corner of his mouth for a brief moment, feeling his lips part slightly. I felt my eyes water as I pulled away, giving him the best smile I could muster up.

"Don't forget about me?" I whispered.

"Chris, we gotta go," Slim pushed, dogs barking in the background.

They were coming back again, coming back for George.

"I won't forget," George whispered, gripping my hand lightly.

"Take care, George," I nodded, turning back around to face Slim. "Let's go," I swallowed, biting my lip.

He nodded, taking my hand in his as he led me back up into the clearing and to his horse, pulling me up with him.

"Chris?" George called, causing me to turn my head back, eyes longing for one last glance. "Thank you."

"Take care, George," I smiled, gripping Slim's waist as he kicked off, driving the horse back toward the ranch.

I felt tears fall from my eyes though as I pressed my face into his back, sniffling a bit. I didn't like death, he knew that as well as anyone because we'd talked about it before. I didn't like gun either. Worst of all, I hated goodbyes and unfortunately, this was goodbye.

T

George stood there, a frown on his face as he watched her walk away. He wished he could ask her to come with him, but he knew it wasn't possible. After all, he had nothing to give her, nothing at all. He was just another man. She's undoubtedly find someone else, but that thought hurt for reasons he wasn't sure that he wanted to admit. Besides, it's wasn't possible to care about someone after only knowing them a week.

He shook his head at this. That wasn't exactly true because she wasn't like everyone else. No, Chris was different. She was a kind woman with a big heart. She was caring, not spiteful. She was special. Then, there was also the kiss.

"Chris," he whispered, watching her mount Slim's horse, her arms wrapping around his waist.

How he wished to have her arms back around him again, holding him to her, his head buried against her skin. He could still feel her lips on his, even if it wasn't straight on, her lips had still touched his. They'd been soft against his skin, so soft and gentle. He wished he could feel it once more, one more time.

"Chris?" he called out quickly, before they could go.

He watched her head whip around quickly, a fleeting hope floating in her eyes. He wasn't sure what to say. He wished to tell her how he felt, to thank her properly. He couldn't seem to get the right words out though.

"Thank you," he said, his hand curling at his side.

He could have sworn that he saw a tear fall as she sat there on the horse behind Slim, her bottom lip quivering. She looked like she was about to break down in tears.

"Take care, George," she choked out, a smile on her face.

He then watched as she tightened her grip around Slim's waist, while he kicked off, steering the horse back to the ranch. This left him standing there, an even greater emptiness gnawing away at him. Lennie was dead and now Chris was gone. He'd likely never see her smile again. With that in his mind, he shoved the money into his pocket, and mounted the horse she'd left for him. Then, with one finally look, he rode off up and through the field. He was headed for Soledad. After that, not even he knew.

Okay, that was chapter 10. I hope everyone liked it, even if it was a bit short. Chapter 11 will be out soon as well. Anyway don't forget to REVIEW and MESSAGE me with your thoughts, opinions, ideas, and feelings on this chapter/story. I love hearing FEEDBACK. It helps me write. Anyway, thanks for reading everyone!