DISCLAIMER:

I don't own any part of Inuyasha.

But I do own this computer, and this printer, and the cables attaching them together... this lamp, not this desk though that's not mine either... and that ruler, that's mine, so is this hat, and this shirt...and the word googlibumpkins, yep that's mine.

.¤¤ Thick Throaty Molasses ¤¤

¤ By: Telpelindewen ¤

lol did anyone notice that I called the driver in chapter one (in the letter) Ivan? It was a random impulse but I think I changed it without knowing it later on in the chapter... psh whatev

A¤¤ recap ¤¤A.

After the meal was over all the hands retired to the lounge area in the other room. Miroku saw Kagome fill up another plate and walk out the door towards the barn. While Kaede and Hojo finished cleaning the plates and putting leftovers into containers he walked into the kitchen hoping to find Sango there.

¤ Chapter Three ¤

Hojo watched as Kagome walked out the door towards the barn and he called after her suddenly having her stop in her tracks, "Ah Kagome-sama!!" Very eagerly running after her.

"I noticed you were taking food off to the barn, are you going to visit Inuyasha then because he usually comes in later to grab leftovers so he doesn't have to sit with all of us at the dinner table and if you want I can come with you cause sometimes he isn't the most friendly of sorts and if you..."

"That's really kind of you Hojo but I can handle a measly plate of food and a hungry cowboy." She smiled kindly at him which made him blush a little.

"Well you know after your finished with delivering Inuyasha's food I have a few goo-good movies on my shelf in your interested in watching it with me later, well I mean not just me but everyone else too, and in the living room, not like alone in my bedroom, you know I wou"

"Well maybe, I was hoping to talk to Inuyasha for a little while but we'll see, okay?" Kagome's eye twitched a tad.

"Okay then," dejected sigh and kicked a pebble, "but if you need any help just let me know. Yash usually likes to stay in the loft above the barn at night if you can't find him." Kagome nodded her thanks and happily headed still in the directions towards the barn.

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Sango was busy cleaning up some of the white mashed potatoes that she splattered over the floor and table from Miroku's wandering hands mistake, and as she took the bounty paper towels and cleaned off the floor she heard Kaede's footsteps coming towards her, and the door to the kitchen opening into the dining room.

"Hey I got most of the potatoes off the floor but I'm sorry I wasted such of your precious cooking Kaede, and don't worry about cleaning the dishes, I'll get Miroku or Inuyasha to do it later on." She stood up from her crouched position and looking up wiping the stray hair out of her face with a breath of exasperation and through the strand she saw a figured in the doorway, "Well, you're not Kaede." She said and glared at Miroku.

"Indeed." He smirked and leaned against the door frame in the famous cowboy fashion. He was freshly showered and in his worn jeans with a black shirt on, his wet hair and the absence of his black cowboy hat with a small towel around his neck, "Whatcha doing?"

"What's it look like leacher? I'm cleaning up your mess." She placed her hands on her hips when turning towards him in the doorframe and then stubborn strand of hair fell in her path of vision once again.

"It's my mess now is it? He teased and walked up to Sango and brushed the strand of hand behind her ear which made her brush a pretty pink, and had him smiling, "As I recall you were the one who decided to overturn Kaede's delightful white, fluffy, yummy, fantastic mashed potatoes over my lovely locks," and gestured to the floor and table, "which of course resulted in the mess which you have just finished cleaning up and then volunteering me to do the rest of the plates, and after such a relaxing shower too."

Sango swatted his hand away when he tried to brush at her hair again, and to quell the butterflies in her stomach she walked through the doorframe and back into the kitchen hoping to find Hojo and Kaede there, but instead she found it empty with a pile of dishes.

"Well here are the dishes, have fun." Sango started towards the main part of the house at Miroku's open mouth but he reached out and grabbed her wrist as she went by.

Sango looked down at her arm which was latched onto by a perverted cowboy, but it made her heart flutter anyway, "Miroku, you are keeping me from getting my work done before bed."

He raised his eyebrow in a suggestive manor at the word bed, which had her glaring at him some more and him a sheepish grin, "But Sango, my darling," and he pulled her wrist fast so that she had no choice but to stumble almost on top of him. She grabbed at the ends of the towel around his neck to keep from falling.

"What other work is there to be done besides the dishes, which I would rather have you, a lovely, fine..." He started to lean towards her face and cupped her cheek with his hand as his other arm propped Sango up by her back.

"For your information," but it was becoming too tempting to ignore her other work and looked at Miroku's ever nearing lips, "I... have... uhh..."

Miroku smirked when he saw a won battle in his favor at her loss of words, "So much to do so little time...Sango." And they were a mere millimeter away when the rest of the household heard the resounding slap, followed by a "PERVERT!".

Bankotsu who was looking over feed ordering sheets from the local cattle supply store sighed at the oak desk and looked up over at Jakotsu who was on the sofa in the same room reading a silly romance novel with a dashing hero and beautiful heroine on the cover. Jakotsu giggled, "They are so romantic! Don't you think so Ba-chan?"

"You've been reading too many girly novels Jack. And Jak..." He looked up from his engrossing novel and over at Bankotsu, "Don't call me that."

"Whatever you say...Ba-chan." He giggled at his glare.

"Keep that up and I'll castrate you with all the cows in the spring."

"Eep!" He snapped his legs shut, and stuck out his tongue.

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Inuyasha was finished with cleaning the rest of his tack and, as a favor, cleaning Sesshoumaru's tack, but he would never tell him that he did him the favor because he was taking Rin out for the night for some time alone. He sat on the roof of the barn where the loft met the window, which is why he liked staying in the barn in the first place, because it had the best view out of all the rooms even in the big house, the view from the roof. He leaned against the frame of the window and threw his tan-hide hat back through the window. The moon had finally shown itself and the sun was set, the stars had yet to come out but he enjoyed sitting there listening to the music coming from inside and the cool fresh air. He smiled when he saw the dark figure walking towards the barn.

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Kagome walked into the barn into the light. There were scuffled feet of the horses and a bah or two from goats nearby. The bulls were kept in outside pastures, and the chickens in a coop nearby. She held the plate with the plastic wrap on top. She walked towards one of the horses, a large gray with his ears perked at the plate.

She laughed and reached for his long face, "This isn't for you pal, where is your friend about now?" She turned back around and started to look for some sign of stairs where she could find this loft. There was a feed room filled with large silver tins of feed and hay bales stacked against one wall, and there was a room full of saddles, bridles, halters, and such other equipment.

She turned towards one of the stalls and swore she heard music coming out of it. She looked inside a bay's stall and saw a speaker in the corner of the stall near the ceiling, she looked at the other stalls and each one had a white plastic speaker in the corner playing what seemed to be...classical music?

"Well that's something I wouldn't have expected. A cowboy who listens to the cello." She smiled and wandered back to searching for the stairs. She went back to another door and opened it, this room was also filled with tack gear but also a set of steps to one side which led up to an open aired room, she grinned with accomplishment and while balancing the plate she walked slowly up the stairs.

"Hey Inuyasha? It's Kagome, I brought food from the kitchen and I'm coming up." She said ahead of time, "Please be descent," she whispered that last part under her breath.

She peaked over the edge of the floor and glanced around the loft. There was a small kitchen with minimal appliances, a few doors, a bed, some small tables including the kitchen table, and a few windows, one large one near the bed. His had was on the desk in the room so she knew he had to be near, she glanced at one of the doors hoping he wasn't showering and walked into the room. There were a few photo frames. One striking photo of a black haired woman with a white haired man, it was a wedding photo and the gown the woman wore was gorgeous with dotted pearls. But the most beautiful thing about the photo was the way the couple were looking at each other with love. Kagome touched the frame briefly before moving on to a few others.

There were a few ribbons and trophies around with bronc and bull riding topped small sculptures. There were a few photographs and newspaper clippings of his wins or near misses.

"Well apparently they don't just ride for fun then." Kagome looked at one more photo which had who she was guessing Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha and a young girl with black hair, but it couldn't be Rin, could it? Inuyasha and this girl had their arms slug about each other's shoulder's as if they were best friends as Sesshoumaru just stood next to them without a smile, but with the first place trophy, "Hmm, I wonder who that is."

Kagome jumped. "You know it's rude to snoop." A voice said from behind her, and through a window.

She turned around and saw why Inuyasha had been so hard to find, he wasn't in the barn at all but on the roof! She glanced at him like he was crazy.

"Jeez you scared me Inuyasha. WHAT are you doing out there? You'll fall come back in." Kagome walked over towards the window where he leaned inside.

"You think I'm that clumsy? I do this all the time, besides it's got the best view. You should come out and see for yourself." He smirked when she shrank back away from the height.

"I'm set thanks." She grabbed the plate of food and held it up towards him, "Here I brought leftovers so you won't have to come to the house for food."

"Thanks wench." He smiled and then turned back towards the view.

"Oh it's no... WENCH?!" She formed an angry cross and leaned outside the window frame in order to talk to him directly, "I am not a wench! I have a name you know."

But Inuyasha wasn't really listening, he could hear the classical music with his excellent hearing and wanted nothing more than for her to be silent, so you know what they say, if you want something done you've got to do it yourself. He turned towards her and pulled her arm which was supporting her from coming outside and yanked it so that she fell forwards. she screamed, backfire on that- he thought, but caught her, she winced as her bruised rib brushed his arm. He noticed her wince earlier today and then now, and remembered something about an abusive boyfriend. She shrank back against the side of the wall outside at the fear of the height on the flat roof.

"Um I'm afraid of..." But she didn't finish because Inuyasha shushed her.

"Just be quiet for a minute wench." She fumed at this and was about to turn around and give him a piece of her mind when he sighed and spoke again, "Just listen for a minute will you?" Kagome shut her mouth and tried to hear whatever had him so entranced. She heard the cello music from earlier, but it was very dim and so she tried to strain to hear the music more clearly.

And I guess she started to make strange faces because Inuyasha said a moment later, "You look like you're gonna pop a vein there." She glared at him and then backed up against the other side of the window frame so she could relax too, "I never thought a cowboy like you would appreciate classical music."

"I play it for the horses, it gives them a sense of peace." He said with a shrug, he looked over at her. She seemed very insecure sitting with her legs up and arms wrapped around them.

"You know this isn't so bad, and you really do have a great view." There were mountains in the distance as well as a lake shining with the moonlight. He nodded in agreement.

"Why didn't you eat dinner with the rest of the crew? Do you like living in the barn?" She asked him.

"You've never won the quiet game have you?" She glared at this remark.

"I'm just asking."

"You ask too many questions then."

"But why won't..."

"See what did I tell you..."

"Ugh why are you such a pri..."

"Why won't you shut..."

"You are such a..."

"Watch it wench."

"UGH!" Kagome had enough and was tired from her traveling. She lauched herself through the window and back into the loft and brushed herself off.

"Hey where are you going?" He was having fun teasing her but it seemed like she was mad or something and he didn't know where he went wrong.

"Who's the one asking too many questions now? Have a nice dinner." She walked back the stairs in a huff and slammed the door of the tack room, making some of the nearby horses jump and headed for the house.