This one was based on something Vaughn says when you talk to him when he has either a black or purple heart. I forget which...Anyway, takes place sometime in Year 1. Enjoy!
The door creaked as it slowly opened, and Vaughn glanced up just in time to see the cheerful young brunette enter the Animal Store. Her name escaped him at the moment, but it didn't really matter much to him anyway. All he knew of her was that she owned the ranch just a little up north, and that most of the people in town seemed fond of her.
"Morning, Mirabelle!" the rancher said as she walked up to the store counter.
"Good morning, Chelsea," the elder woman returned, and Vaughn made a quick mental note. "What brings you in so early this morning?"
Placing her rucksack on the counter, Chelsea smiled. "I just needed to buy some more fodder, if it's not too much trouble."
"Of course not!" Mirabelle retorted, surprised the young woman could even think such a thing. "But you certainly are going through a lot of fodder. Is your calf all right?"
Chelsea nodded as she pulled out some gold pieces from her rucksack. "I'm pretty sure she's okay. She's just growing, I guess."
"Ah, of course." Mirabelle accepted the coins from the rancher and placed it in the store reserves. "So where shall I put all this?"
"Um…you wouldn't mind sending it to my barn feed dispenser, would you?"
Mirabelle laughed softly and shook her head. "I'll send it right over." The elder woman took a moment to scribble something down on a sheet of paper before returning her attention to Chelsea. "Anything else I can do for you today?"
Pulling out two white boxes from her rucksack, Chelsea then slipped it back on and handed one of the white boxes to Mirabelle. "Well, I think I'm all done for now. But here…"
Mirabelle, looking pleasantly surprised, took the parcel. "Oh, a gift for me?" she asked, a grin spreading over her face. "Thank you very much, Chelsea!"
"You're welcome," Chelsea replied with a somewhat embarrassed smile.
Vaughn frowned slightly, pulling his hat down a bit to conceal the fact he was eavesdropping. It wasn't really any of his business, but he was more than a little suspicious of the rancher's reasons for giving Mirabelle a gift. It certainly couldn't be for no reason, could it? Perhaps she wanted something from Mirabelle? Giving gifts is a good way to get on a person's good side, especially if that person owned a store where you frequently bought required items.
His thoughts were interrupted as Julia suddenly entered his field of vision and approached the rancher. "Good morning, Chelsea," Julia greeted behind a stifled yawn. "Wow, it's before breakfast and you're already up? I'll try to work hard today, too!"
The brunette giggled softly. "Morning, Julia," she said. "I'm sure you'll do your best, but it always helps to have a little pick-me-up to get through the day…" As she spoke, she held out the other box to the other.
With a small, delighted squeal, Julia took the gift from her peer. "I'm happy I have such a good friend!" she exclaimed, pulling Chelsea into an embrace. "Thank you!"
The trader frowned again as he watched this exchange, though this time from confusion. Though Julia did help her mother around the store, Mirabelle still made the decisions around the place, far as he could tell. Winning Julia over wouldn't do much good in securing any kind of benefits…except being on good terms with Julia undoubtedly meant being on the same scale with Mirabelle…
"Morning, Vaughn." The rancher's voice cut through his thoughts, and he tipped his hat up slightly to glance at her. Though his face betrayed nothing, he was a little surprised that she remembered his name. After all, they didn't talk too much.
"What's up?" he said.
She smiled shyly, averting her gaze to the floor. "Nothing much…" she replied softly.
He watched her silently for a moment, wondering if she had anything else to say. Though she was facing him as if wanting to keep his attention, she kept her eyes to the ground and fidgeted as if itching to leave. It didn't really matter to him, though; he wasn't much of a conversationalist anyway, so if she wanted to leave it suited him fine.
"Hmph…" With a shrug, he began to turn away from her.
"How are things going with you?" she suddenly asked, calling him back again. "With…work, I mean…"
He shrugged again. "It can be hard transporting animals," he said, "but it's my job, so I deal with it."
Chelsea nodded. "You travel a lot, huh? That's why you aren't here most of the week."
"I guess so," he replied. He wasn't sure where this discussion was going, but he really needed to get back to work.
"Well, that's too bad," Chelsea said. "You don't get to see what it's like on the island during the rest of the time, and you don't really get a chance to talk with everyone."
He scoffed and turned away slightly. "That's fine with me." He closed his eyes as he sighed, "Many people get in the way of my business on this island."
The silence that followed was a beat too long. He opened his eyes slowly, and as he looked at the rancher, there was something in her eyes that sent a pang of guilt through his heart. He couldn't quite describe it, but he felt it wasn't something that belonged on her face.
"I see…" she finally said. Clearing her throat, she gave a weak smile. "Well, uh…sorry to bother you then. I guess you've got a lot of work to do, huh?"
For some reason, Vaughn felt the need to say something as he watched her backing up towards the door. But he couldn't figure out what to say.
"Hey, Chelsea," Julia piped up. "You don't have to go…"
"It's okay," the rancher replied, giving the blonde animal-taker a carefree wave. "I've got a bunch of work to do, anyway, so I probably should go. I'll see you later, Julia." Locking eyes with the cowboy once more, she smiled, braver than just a few seconds ago. "Bye, Vaughn."
Vaughn didn't say anything as she shut the door behind her. But as soon as she was gone, Julia turned to him.
"Wonderful, Vaughn!" she said crossly. "She was just trying to be friendly! Would it kill you to be nice to people every once in a while?"
He scoffed, pulling his hat so it shadowed his eyes. "Whatever."
With a huff, Julia stomped back into the kitchen. He turned away, trying once more not to care about what just happened. But it was harder to do when he caught the disappointed expression in Mirabelle's eyes.
She said nothing about it, though, and the Animal Store silently returned to work.
Vaughn sighed softly as he pulled his bag over his shoulder, making his way to the beach. Silence filled the summer night air, save the sounds of the crickets and the crunching of ground beneath his boots. It was getting late, and his boat would arrive soon to take him off the island.
As he headed for the docks, however, he was surprised when he noticed a movement through the darkness. He figured most of the townspeople were already home, getting ready to turn in for the night. So who would still be out now?
When he was close enough to the docks, he figured out just who it was.
"It's a little late to be so far from your ranch, isn't it?" he asked as he stopped next to Chelsea.
The brunette shrugged, and Vaughn could now see the fishing rod she held in her hands. "Unfortunately, work never seems to sleep," she replied. Glancing at him, she grinned. "You, of all people, would know that."
"Hmph…" he replied, though he had to admit he was impressed by how hard she was willing to work. "Maybe, but it'll be hard to work without taking a break once in a while…"
"Yeah, yeah," she said, reeling in her line. "I was just finishing up here, anyway." She paused for a minute, looking towards him once again. "You getting ready to go?"
He nodded. "I need to get to Sun Valley tomorrow."
Chelsea frowned slightly, brushing back her hair from her shoulder. "That's a pretty long trip."
Vaughn shrugged. "It's my job, so I don't really care."
He felt her eyes studying him for a minute. Then she suddenly placed her fishing rod on the ground and removed her rucksack. Before he could ask what she was doing, she held out a silver canister to him. "Here," she said.
Hesitantly he took it from her, trying to get a better look at it in the darkness. "What's this?" he wondered.
"It's…uh…milk," Chelsea replied softly, glancing away from him.
He looked up at her, taken aback. "Milk?"
"Yeah…it's the first time my calf has given milk before, so I don't know how it is, but…well…"
Vaughn looked at the canister in his hand. "For me?"
Somehow, in the dark, he could tell that she was blushing. "I guess I shouldn't have assumed that you'd like it," she said, rubbing her arm, "since you're around animals all the time. But you said transporting animals can be hard work, so I wanted to give you something that might help. And you know what they say about milk…strong bones and all that…" She laughed softly, though it had an edge of anxiety. "Anyway, if you don't want it, it's okay…"
A smile tugged the corners of his mouth, and he shook his head. "Thanks," he said, tipping his hat to her. "I'll take it."
Looking up at him, Chelsea blinked in disbelief. Then she smiled. "You're welcome."
With a sudden laugh, the rancher grabbed her fishing rod. "I better get going," she said, resting the rod on her shoulder. "But I'll see you next week, right?"
Vaughn shrugged. "Sure, I guess."
Chelsea smiled and nodded vigorously. "Okay." With a wave, she ran up the beach and back toward West Town. "See ya next week!"
Vaughn frowned slightly as he watched her disappear into the darkness. No one had ever looked forward to seeing him before, and he wondered what she could possibly mean by that. But then he shrugged again, and turned out towards the sea to wait for his boat. It wasn't his concern anyway, and Sunny Island was just business.
Still, as he remembered the canister of milk he still held and began putting it away in his bag, he couldn't help but smile a little. It might be nice when he returned next week.
The island was interesting, at any rate…