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Chapter Two
[Vaughn POV]
The first time I met her I wasn't impressed.
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Mirabelle had insisted I head up the road to meet the new farmer — shooed me out of the shop the second the chores were done. I walked up the path, dirt soon fading away to grasses, weeds, and wild plants. How long had it been since this path was last clear? I'd never known it, and I'd worked around the island for three years.
It took longer than I remembered to wade the mile up the hill through the grass; though I could count the number of times I'd come this way on one hand. Several times I had to stop and untangle my boots. As I neared the top, the sound of pounding reached my ears. It was steady and dull for a few seconds before stopping and then starting again. The farmer must be hammering away fixing something. What exactly was anyone's guess with all the repairs the place needed.
The old rusted gates stood open, dangling precariously from their hinges. They hadn't kept anything in or out of the farm for a long time. Tilting my hat back, I gazed around the area I could see. Everything was just as rundown as I recalled from previous visits, but there were a few changes. A small plot of field looked to be cleared, and it seemed a trail had been trampled down in the long grass from the field to the farmhouse.
"Ouch!"
My head jerked towards the roof of the farmhouse where the distinctly feminine shout had come from. Mirabelle hadn't informed me the new farmer was a woman, but there she was on the roof, gripping a hand that had no doubt been smashed by the hammer I'd been hearing.
Pulling down on the brim of my hat I sighed. Might as well get this over with. It's all pointless anyways — there's no way she'll last out the month, and the farm will go back to how it's been. Trudging up closer to the house, I called out, "Hullo, the house!"
"Just a second!" her voice called back. I listened to some shuffling before her head popped over the edge of the roof. "Hi there, I'll be right down."
"No need." My voice stopped her in her tracks. "I just came to introduce myself. Name's Vaughn Callahan. I'm the animal dealer round these parts. You ever reach the point of owning livestock you'll go through me. I'm here Wednesdays and Thursdays."
"Vaughn?" The woman readjusted herself so she was sitting with her legs over the edge. It wasn't my fault if the idiot fell off. "I think Ms. Mirabelle mentioned you when I met her." I held back a snort. Miss? Well, wasn't she a polite one. Tilting her head to the side she smiled down at me, the hair not secured back by her bandana falling in her face. "Well, it's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Callahan. I'm Chelsea. It may take a little bit to get there, but I look forward to working with you."
I rolled my eyes, not that she could see beneath the brim of my hat. "Just Vaughn is fine. I'm leaving now." It would take me awhile to make it back to town. This entire trip was stupid.
"Oh… alright. Thanks for stopping by, Mr. Vaughn." I didn't bother acknowledging her as I walked away. Probably won't be seeing her again. Just like all the other would-be ranchers. By the time I reached the gates the sound of hammering had resumed.
The bell to the animal shop tinkled as I entered, keen on the idea of heading up to my room to nap the afternoon away.
"Vaughn, is that you?" Or not. I'd already done all the chores involving the animals until evening. What did Mirabelle want? Unlike the other places I worked, Sunshine Islands had so little for me to do it was more like having an extra two days off a week.
"It's me."
"Oh good, did you meet Chelsea?" Mirabelle came out from the back, wiping her hands on her apron.
"Yeah." If this was all she wanted, I was going upstairs.
"And?"
I raise a quiet eyebrow at her. And what? Mirabelle let out a loud sigh. "Did you like her? What did you think? Does she need any help? You know I wouldn't have minded if you stayed to help her for awhile."
"She got herself into that mess, she can get herself out. More likely she'll quit." I pulled my hat down lower. I wasn't about to waste my time helping an idiot on a fool's errand; especially not for free.
"Vaughn!" I'd known Mirabelle long enough to know that she wasn't angry at me, just exasperated. I'd heard stories from Julia of what happened when she actually got mad, and it didn't sound like something I wanted to experience in person.
"It's the truth." I head for the stairs.
"Chelsea seems like a really nice girl, Vaughn. You shouldn't write her off before you get to know her." I snorted. More like the island was so desperate that anyone would do. The last few 'ranchers' had been 'tough' guys and they'd all run with their tails between their legs giving various excuses from what I'd heard.
"She won't last long enough for anyone to get to know her. That farm is a lost cause." I shut the door behind me before Mirabelle could respond. I hate talking about pointless things. Kicking my boots off I settle down on top of the bed, placing my hat on the corner post of the headboard.
When I woke up it was to the sound of Julia knocking on the door telling me dinner was ready. Getting up with a groan I put my hat and boots back on before trudging down to the dining room. The smell of food made my mouth water the entire way there. Julia's cooking was a lost cause, but Mirabelle had some of the best home cooking I'd ever tasted.
"Mom says you met Chelsea today." I gave a quiet grunt as I took a seat at the table. Is that girl the only thing anyone was going to talk about today? It's not any better than hearing about Julia's boyfriend, that nervous pink haired kid who does the deliveries. "I've only talked to her once since she got here last week, but she seems really sweet."
I filled my plate, ignoring Julia for the most part. "What was she doing when you got there?" Putting some gravy on my potatoes I shrugged. "Something on the roof." Not my business anyway.
"Oh dear," Mirabelle said as she dished up her own dinner. "I wonder if she found a leak in the roof after last night's rainstorm. She should have Gannon fix that rather than crawling around on the roof by herself."
Everything was still hot, but I ate quickly anyways. I'd rather be out doing the evening chores with the animals than sitting here listening to the women talk about the farmer. They seemed hopeful that this one would actually stick around, something about a contract. Rinsing off my plate I set it in the sink and headed out to the barn.
Mirabelle kept a few head of cattle and sheep around, and about three dozen chickens at any given time. Taking care of them was a quick task compared to the other places my work contracted out with. Without a rancher, there just wasn't the need for more, and Mirabelle didn't want the extra work — a lot of her profit came from the good breeding stock she had when other farmers and ranchers were looking to better their own stock lines. She also supplied limited farm goods to the local eateries.
Brushing all the animals down, I mucked out the stalls, put fresh feed in the troughs, milked the cows, and fed the chickens. An hour later it was all done. Not ready to head back into the shop I made myself comfortable on the top of a bale of hay, watching the cows lazily chew their cud.
This was the life. If I ever saved up enough and decided to settle down I'd find a remote ranch somewhere that could handle several dozen head and spend my days taking care of them. The nearest neighbor would be miles away.
Smiling at the thought, I tipped my hat back to gaze up at the evening's first stars.
...
Vaughn is a member of the island, but he's also an outsider at the same time.
I think this gives him a unique perspective on the island's events and inhabitants, and it allows him to come to conclusions that no one else would.
Combined with his frankness, it makes for easily misunderstood social situations.
At least, that's how I see it.
