Disclaimer: Frank T does not belong to me. I am just giving him a new
story with some new characters.
He heard her breath hitch as she woke. She turned her head away to cough.
"That ain't getting' no better, is it?" he asked, concerned.
She looked up at him when she got her breath back.
"It's just a cough. You look tired," she said, putting her feet on the floor. "What time is it?"
"Only four o'clock. Too early to go back to bed. I feel like I slept a week out."
"Wonder where that fever came from. You still cool?" She held a hand to his forehead and he resisted pulling away from her. She rewarded his patience with a smile. "I guess you're all right."
He wasn't sure how she meant that. He took a chance. "I guess you're all right too, ma'am. Lilian. You want me to pick you out a new horse tomorrow?"
At last she smiled with a real joy in her eyes. "Mr.Watson's put three in the corral. I don't know how to pick between them – do I take the prettiest one, the stubborn one or the one that looks like she could be a friend?" She laughed and looked at him, and he couldn't help but wonder what she was driving at. He casually moved to put his hand on her shoulder.
"Depends what you need the horse to do. I'll look at them tomorrow, help you decide," he said.
"Will you need to ride them?" she asked, the smile suddenly shadowed.
"Maybe. I'll make sure there's people around. You can watch too, make sure I don't break my fool neck." He allowed himself to smile back, feeling more relaxed than he had in a long time.
"Well, I'll get some tea – or some coffee? You want something?"
Yes, he wanted something. But he couldn't say what he wanted, not out loud. "Coffee would be good. I want to stay awake a while longer."
"All right." She stood and brushed out her skirt with her hand. "Then you can tell me a bit about yourself? You know just about everything there is to know about me."
"Oh, I think there's more to you than you're saying," he ventured, well aware he was going to have to give some truths about himself, if he was going to keep her friendship. He spoke to her receding back but she looked over her shoulder, her smile gone.
"Maybe just a few things," she said. "You get some rest. Maybe some food would be better than coffee?"
"Whatever you say, ma'am."
"I do believe you're making fun of me, Frank T."
He grinned. "Just getting my own back for you callin' me old."
She snorted and yet, as she turned away, he could have sworn she was blushing.
He stretched out his legs and re-settled his arm in the cloth sling around his neck. The hollowness he had felt earlier was receding. He was still physically hungry but something inside him was being fed.
As it turned out, he waited a good hour for her to come back, and he was impatient and a little disconcerted when Mr.Watson finally appeared.
"You still here, son?" he said. "Lilian said to tell you she was real sorry, but she was tired and went to her room. She's been up a couple of nights now."
He was deeply disappointed; she had not come back even to tell him she was going to sleep and he had almost made up his mind to talk to her about some of things that were on his mind. "Her cough troublin' her?"
"Yeah – that was it. Her cough. You want somethin' to eat? I got eggs, and some soup and biscuits, maybe something like that?"
Frank nodded and shuffled forward, preparing to stand. "That'd be good. I thought I'd look at the horses, tomorrow – pick one for her, if that's all right with you?" He stood, fought light-headedness for a moment, then headed off after the old man, more than ready for something to eat.
He didn't see her again that evening. He heard her, though, somewhere in the other wing of the ranch house, and he wanted to go and – well, go and help her some way, return the favour she had done him. Instead, he sat in the great room, talking with the family, reading, listening for her.
He retired early, back to his comfortable bed. He was very quickly getting used to being cared for. Sleep came quickly.
Once he'd been assisted to get up, he went immediately to see if Lilian was dressed and ready to go look at horses. He wanted to see if Hidalgo missed him, wanted to give his horse some care, maybe brush him down if he could. It was beginning to dawn on him that being temporarily without the use of his right arm might be a boon, not a disaster. Time to stop and think, regroup, that's what he needed.
She was not in the great room but he could hear chatter from the kitchen and found her there, talking to Mrs.Watson and helping to cook something which smelled real good. Hunger like no hunger he'd felt since he was a small child drove him towards the stove.
"Go sit down, Frank. Bacon, eggs and biscuits. Coffee in the pot." She smiled at him and though she looked pale, she also looked rested and there was more strength in her voice.
"Mornin'," he said to both ladies, pushing a hand back through his hair and going to sit at the wooden table which stood in the window. A fresh gingham tablecloth, good quality crockery and cutlery and a large cup marked his place. There was butter on the table, too, and preserves, and his stomach rumbled so loud, he reckoned he'd be waking anyone in the house still asleep.
He poured himself some coffee, carefully, and managed not to spill a drop. It was lifeblood, strong and black, and he gave it his undivided attention for a couple of minutes.
Then the food appeared. Lilian sat down with him to eat, her plate half- filled, his piled with good home cooked fare.
"You sure you give me enough here?" he laughed.
"Your stomach was frightening the horses. Had to keep it quiet somehow," she quipped back, her mouth twitching into a curious little smile.
"I'd better eat then, hadn't I?"
She nodded, poured herself some coffee and put some preserves on the fresh- baked biscuit. She wasn't coughing and he was glad of it.
They ate quietly, with Mrs. Watson there, making a pie with some preserved peaches. The bacon and eggs were satisfying but the pie made his mouth water.
"You're goin' to spoil me, ladies."
"That's the general idea," said Lil, picking up her plate and carrying it to the sink. She had barely eaten anything. He looked at her suspiciously, but then went back to clearing his own plate. It felt so good to be full, though his pants were still loose on him. He patted his stomach with a contented sigh. "I sure am grateful, ma'am," he said, this time talking to Mrs.Watson.
"Have you had enough, Mr.Hopkins? More coffee?"
He shook his head, glancing outside. It was sunny and calm – no wind blowing the grasses, no frost or snow on the ground. "Thank you, but I think I ought to be doing somethin' about earnin' my keep. Is it warm enough out there, for Lilian, I mean?"
Lilian had left the kitchen and he wanted to ask Mrs.Watson some questions before she came back.
"She'll borrow my fur coat – she'll be fine. Make sure she stands in the lee of the barn. I swear, that girl has no idea how to look after herself. You – you look after her, you hear me? She may have made a few mistakes but she's picked a good man this time. You are a good man, aren't you, Mr.Hopkins?"
He narrowed his eyes. The implications of what the kindly old lady was saying was not lost on him. He was not ready to look as far forward as she was, and looking back he saw nothing that did him any favours.
"I try, ma'am."
"Can't ask for more than that. Now, I think she's trying to find your coat. I put it by the fire in the great room to warm but she may not think of looking there. You want to go give her a hand?"
Feeling somewhat like a small boy who'd been patted on the backside and sent to play, he went through into the great room.
She had his coat in her hands and was stroking the soft fur of the collar. She stopped as soon as he walked in, then held out the coat for him.
"You think you could hold it for me?" He held out his left hand and she slipped the sleeve up over his arm and brought the coat round his back, walking round him as she did so. Then she brought the edges of the coat together. She looked up at him, holding his coat and grinning. She looked so small. He felt he could have pulled the coat round the two of them.
"Frank? How d'you fasten this? There's no buttons or ties or anything."
"Belt. I think it's over there," he said, pointing to a hat stand by the door.
She fetched the wide belt and cinched it round his waist. She had to fasten it looser than he would have done normally, to accommodate his arm, but it was comfortable enough. He walked to the door and picked up his hat, settling that firmly on his unruly hair. She followed along after him, grabbing a fur coat that was there.
They went out together and stood on the top step. She had fastened her borrowed coat, which fell below the split skirt she was wearing, and had jammed a little fur cap over her brown hair. She coughed, but cold air did that to you, and she looked bright-eyed and happy to him. He held out his good arm and she took it, hanging on and keeping up easily with his slow pace. They didn't say anything. It was enough.
The three horses were bunched together, standing in a pool of sunshine. His practised eye picked out the stubborn one, the pretty one – and, by elimination, the one who looked like it could be her friend. He wanted to see Hidalgo but he wanted a first look at the horses, to begin to see what they were made of.
He went to stand right by the fence and took off his hat, hooshing the horses gently into a walk. He noted musculature, legs, the power in the hindquarters, the depth of the chest and the length of the back in each horse, making mental notes. They all looked like sound, decent animals, not much to choose between them in conformation. So it would be down to temperament, and he needed to ride them, or let her ride them, to get a feel for that.
One of the horses, the friendliest, came over to stand by them as they both rested against the corral fence. Lilian put her hand through the fence and rubbed the horse's nose.
"Don't choose yet," he warned. "Friendly don't mean a thing if you need a steady horse. Might make 'em easier to catch when you want them saddled, though." He looked down at her, watching her pet the horse, and knew she'd half made up her mind already. But he waited. He had to be sure. It was his responsibility now, to pick the right one for her.
Away to his right, far off across the river, a lone figure trotted towards the ranch house. He squinted against the sun, trying to see who it might be. In this country, it paid to know who was around.
"What are looking at?" she asked, pulling back from the horse.
"Him," he said, nodding. The stranger was splashing a large, black horse across the river. They waited while he disappeared under the bluff.
"Let's go see Hidalgo, Frank. He's not here to see either of us."
But somehow he had to find out who the stranger was. The man rode up over the edge of the bluff and trotted over to them.
He was a big man, tall, easy in the saddle and confident in his manner. Frank stood waiting, feeling uneasy with no right hand to protect himself and her.
"You the foreman?" the man said, his voice a deep baritone.
"Nope," Frank said, stepping forward, shielding Lil from the stranger.
"Work here?"
"Nope."
"Who owns this spread?"
"Mr.Watson. Up at the house." Frank took hold of the reins in his left hand, holding them firmly as the man dismounted. "I'll stable your horse for you if you want to go talk to him."
"Thanks," said the man, "but I ain't stayin' long." He took the reins from Frank. He was taller by a couple of inches, and bigger built, and his eyes were hard and unfriendly. Frank didn't back down.
"Cold, ain't it? Your horse come aways – wouldn't be no trouble to take him in there. I'm goin' to see to my horse – could easy give yours a rub down."
The man looked at him. He hadn't introduced himself but then, neither had Frank. He took a moment to make his decision. "All right. Business should take no more than an hour. Be obliged if he was saddled and ready then."
"No trouble."
One more long, steady look passed between them. Then the man turned away and headed for the house.
Frank started to lead the black to the barn, Lilian following.
"You know that man?" he asked.
"No. Never seen him before. Don't like the look of him, either."
"Me neither. Come on, let's get this boy inside. Maybe he can tell us something about the man who owns him."
Inside the barn it was a little warmer, and Hidalgo nickered his greeting immediately. But it was Lilian who had all his attention. She was coughing again, smiling apologetically as she tried to catch her breath, tears starting in her eyes.
He quickly led the black horse into a stall and went back to her. He wrapped his arm round her and held her as her breathing calmed. She wiped her face.
"Stupid cough," she grumbled. "I wanted it to be better this morning. I wanted this morning to be perfect." She leaned against him, her forehead pressed against his chest. She muttered something else but it was muffled in his coat.
He held her, knowing she was upset and tired, and he chose not to do more than just hold her until she looked up at him. The little fur cap framed a face which was flushed and damp with tears. She overwhelmed his defences without even trying. There was no other option but to kiss her.
He heard her breath hitch as she woke. She turned her head away to cough.
"That ain't getting' no better, is it?" he asked, concerned.
She looked up at him when she got her breath back.
"It's just a cough. You look tired," she said, putting her feet on the floor. "What time is it?"
"Only four o'clock. Too early to go back to bed. I feel like I slept a week out."
"Wonder where that fever came from. You still cool?" She held a hand to his forehead and he resisted pulling away from her. She rewarded his patience with a smile. "I guess you're all right."
He wasn't sure how she meant that. He took a chance. "I guess you're all right too, ma'am. Lilian. You want me to pick you out a new horse tomorrow?"
At last she smiled with a real joy in her eyes. "Mr.Watson's put three in the corral. I don't know how to pick between them – do I take the prettiest one, the stubborn one or the one that looks like she could be a friend?" She laughed and looked at him, and he couldn't help but wonder what she was driving at. He casually moved to put his hand on her shoulder.
"Depends what you need the horse to do. I'll look at them tomorrow, help you decide," he said.
"Will you need to ride them?" she asked, the smile suddenly shadowed.
"Maybe. I'll make sure there's people around. You can watch too, make sure I don't break my fool neck." He allowed himself to smile back, feeling more relaxed than he had in a long time.
"Well, I'll get some tea – or some coffee? You want something?"
Yes, he wanted something. But he couldn't say what he wanted, not out loud. "Coffee would be good. I want to stay awake a while longer."
"All right." She stood and brushed out her skirt with her hand. "Then you can tell me a bit about yourself? You know just about everything there is to know about me."
"Oh, I think there's more to you than you're saying," he ventured, well aware he was going to have to give some truths about himself, if he was going to keep her friendship. He spoke to her receding back but she looked over her shoulder, her smile gone.
"Maybe just a few things," she said. "You get some rest. Maybe some food would be better than coffee?"
"Whatever you say, ma'am."
"I do believe you're making fun of me, Frank T."
He grinned. "Just getting my own back for you callin' me old."
She snorted and yet, as she turned away, he could have sworn she was blushing.
He stretched out his legs and re-settled his arm in the cloth sling around his neck. The hollowness he had felt earlier was receding. He was still physically hungry but something inside him was being fed.
As it turned out, he waited a good hour for her to come back, and he was impatient and a little disconcerted when Mr.Watson finally appeared.
"You still here, son?" he said. "Lilian said to tell you she was real sorry, but she was tired and went to her room. She's been up a couple of nights now."
He was deeply disappointed; she had not come back even to tell him she was going to sleep and he had almost made up his mind to talk to her about some of things that were on his mind. "Her cough troublin' her?"
"Yeah – that was it. Her cough. You want somethin' to eat? I got eggs, and some soup and biscuits, maybe something like that?"
Frank nodded and shuffled forward, preparing to stand. "That'd be good. I thought I'd look at the horses, tomorrow – pick one for her, if that's all right with you?" He stood, fought light-headedness for a moment, then headed off after the old man, more than ready for something to eat.
He didn't see her again that evening. He heard her, though, somewhere in the other wing of the ranch house, and he wanted to go and – well, go and help her some way, return the favour she had done him. Instead, he sat in the great room, talking with the family, reading, listening for her.
He retired early, back to his comfortable bed. He was very quickly getting used to being cared for. Sleep came quickly.
Once he'd been assisted to get up, he went immediately to see if Lilian was dressed and ready to go look at horses. He wanted to see if Hidalgo missed him, wanted to give his horse some care, maybe brush him down if he could. It was beginning to dawn on him that being temporarily without the use of his right arm might be a boon, not a disaster. Time to stop and think, regroup, that's what he needed.
She was not in the great room but he could hear chatter from the kitchen and found her there, talking to Mrs.Watson and helping to cook something which smelled real good. Hunger like no hunger he'd felt since he was a small child drove him towards the stove.
"Go sit down, Frank. Bacon, eggs and biscuits. Coffee in the pot." She smiled at him and though she looked pale, she also looked rested and there was more strength in her voice.
"Mornin'," he said to both ladies, pushing a hand back through his hair and going to sit at the wooden table which stood in the window. A fresh gingham tablecloth, good quality crockery and cutlery and a large cup marked his place. There was butter on the table, too, and preserves, and his stomach rumbled so loud, he reckoned he'd be waking anyone in the house still asleep.
He poured himself some coffee, carefully, and managed not to spill a drop. It was lifeblood, strong and black, and he gave it his undivided attention for a couple of minutes.
Then the food appeared. Lilian sat down with him to eat, her plate half- filled, his piled with good home cooked fare.
"You sure you give me enough here?" he laughed.
"Your stomach was frightening the horses. Had to keep it quiet somehow," she quipped back, her mouth twitching into a curious little smile.
"I'd better eat then, hadn't I?"
She nodded, poured herself some coffee and put some preserves on the fresh- baked biscuit. She wasn't coughing and he was glad of it.
They ate quietly, with Mrs. Watson there, making a pie with some preserved peaches. The bacon and eggs were satisfying but the pie made his mouth water.
"You're goin' to spoil me, ladies."
"That's the general idea," said Lil, picking up her plate and carrying it to the sink. She had barely eaten anything. He looked at her suspiciously, but then went back to clearing his own plate. It felt so good to be full, though his pants were still loose on him. He patted his stomach with a contented sigh. "I sure am grateful, ma'am," he said, this time talking to Mrs.Watson.
"Have you had enough, Mr.Hopkins? More coffee?"
He shook his head, glancing outside. It was sunny and calm – no wind blowing the grasses, no frost or snow on the ground. "Thank you, but I think I ought to be doing somethin' about earnin' my keep. Is it warm enough out there, for Lilian, I mean?"
Lilian had left the kitchen and he wanted to ask Mrs.Watson some questions before she came back.
"She'll borrow my fur coat – she'll be fine. Make sure she stands in the lee of the barn. I swear, that girl has no idea how to look after herself. You – you look after her, you hear me? She may have made a few mistakes but she's picked a good man this time. You are a good man, aren't you, Mr.Hopkins?"
He narrowed his eyes. The implications of what the kindly old lady was saying was not lost on him. He was not ready to look as far forward as she was, and looking back he saw nothing that did him any favours.
"I try, ma'am."
"Can't ask for more than that. Now, I think she's trying to find your coat. I put it by the fire in the great room to warm but she may not think of looking there. You want to go give her a hand?"
Feeling somewhat like a small boy who'd been patted on the backside and sent to play, he went through into the great room.
She had his coat in her hands and was stroking the soft fur of the collar. She stopped as soon as he walked in, then held out the coat for him.
"You think you could hold it for me?" He held out his left hand and she slipped the sleeve up over his arm and brought the coat round his back, walking round him as she did so. Then she brought the edges of the coat together. She looked up at him, holding his coat and grinning. She looked so small. He felt he could have pulled the coat round the two of them.
"Frank? How d'you fasten this? There's no buttons or ties or anything."
"Belt. I think it's over there," he said, pointing to a hat stand by the door.
She fetched the wide belt and cinched it round his waist. She had to fasten it looser than he would have done normally, to accommodate his arm, but it was comfortable enough. He walked to the door and picked up his hat, settling that firmly on his unruly hair. She followed along after him, grabbing a fur coat that was there.
They went out together and stood on the top step. She had fastened her borrowed coat, which fell below the split skirt she was wearing, and had jammed a little fur cap over her brown hair. She coughed, but cold air did that to you, and she looked bright-eyed and happy to him. He held out his good arm and she took it, hanging on and keeping up easily with his slow pace. They didn't say anything. It was enough.
The three horses were bunched together, standing in a pool of sunshine. His practised eye picked out the stubborn one, the pretty one – and, by elimination, the one who looked like it could be her friend. He wanted to see Hidalgo but he wanted a first look at the horses, to begin to see what they were made of.
He went to stand right by the fence and took off his hat, hooshing the horses gently into a walk. He noted musculature, legs, the power in the hindquarters, the depth of the chest and the length of the back in each horse, making mental notes. They all looked like sound, decent animals, not much to choose between them in conformation. So it would be down to temperament, and he needed to ride them, or let her ride them, to get a feel for that.
One of the horses, the friendliest, came over to stand by them as they both rested against the corral fence. Lilian put her hand through the fence and rubbed the horse's nose.
"Don't choose yet," he warned. "Friendly don't mean a thing if you need a steady horse. Might make 'em easier to catch when you want them saddled, though." He looked down at her, watching her pet the horse, and knew she'd half made up her mind already. But he waited. He had to be sure. It was his responsibility now, to pick the right one for her.
Away to his right, far off across the river, a lone figure trotted towards the ranch house. He squinted against the sun, trying to see who it might be. In this country, it paid to know who was around.
"What are looking at?" she asked, pulling back from the horse.
"Him," he said, nodding. The stranger was splashing a large, black horse across the river. They waited while he disappeared under the bluff.
"Let's go see Hidalgo, Frank. He's not here to see either of us."
But somehow he had to find out who the stranger was. The man rode up over the edge of the bluff and trotted over to them.
He was a big man, tall, easy in the saddle and confident in his manner. Frank stood waiting, feeling uneasy with no right hand to protect himself and her.
"You the foreman?" the man said, his voice a deep baritone.
"Nope," Frank said, stepping forward, shielding Lil from the stranger.
"Work here?"
"Nope."
"Who owns this spread?"
"Mr.Watson. Up at the house." Frank took hold of the reins in his left hand, holding them firmly as the man dismounted. "I'll stable your horse for you if you want to go talk to him."
"Thanks," said the man, "but I ain't stayin' long." He took the reins from Frank. He was taller by a couple of inches, and bigger built, and his eyes were hard and unfriendly. Frank didn't back down.
"Cold, ain't it? Your horse come aways – wouldn't be no trouble to take him in there. I'm goin' to see to my horse – could easy give yours a rub down."
The man looked at him. He hadn't introduced himself but then, neither had Frank. He took a moment to make his decision. "All right. Business should take no more than an hour. Be obliged if he was saddled and ready then."
"No trouble."
One more long, steady look passed between them. Then the man turned away and headed for the house.
Frank started to lead the black to the barn, Lilian following.
"You know that man?" he asked.
"No. Never seen him before. Don't like the look of him, either."
"Me neither. Come on, let's get this boy inside. Maybe he can tell us something about the man who owns him."
Inside the barn it was a little warmer, and Hidalgo nickered his greeting immediately. But it was Lilian who had all his attention. She was coughing again, smiling apologetically as she tried to catch her breath, tears starting in her eyes.
He quickly led the black horse into a stall and went back to her. He wrapped his arm round her and held her as her breathing calmed. She wiped her face.
"Stupid cough," she grumbled. "I wanted it to be better this morning. I wanted this morning to be perfect." She leaned against him, her forehead pressed against his chest. She muttered something else but it was muffled in his coat.
He held her, knowing she was upset and tired, and he chose not to do more than just hold her until she looked up at him. The little fur cap framed a face which was flushed and damp with tears. She overwhelmed his defences without even trying. There was no other option but to kiss her.