A Rancher's Touch
Chapter 5
The day just flew by as everyone worked out in the fields and before we knew it, it was time to head in.
From the moment that we had gotten back, Lennie had gone back to the barn, laying down in the hay with his puppy. I'd even followed him, standing there and watching him as he played.
He reminded me of a small child, always happy and cheerful. He had the kindest smile and he just seemed so innocent. He actually reminded me of my kid brother when I was little. He'd found a dog once and brought him home. How he loved it so. The kid had always had a smile on his face, going outside to play with it. Before too long though, my brother had come down with a fever. It held strong and after two weeks of fighting he passed away. Our family was never the after that, even the dog had run off after his death.
"Hey there Lennie," I greeted, moving a bit closer.
His head shot up when he saw me, seeming slightly uncomfortable.
"Don't worry, I didn't come in here to cause no trouble," I said, holding my hands up in defense. "I just came in to check on the pups," I told him, offering him a smile as I sat down near him.
I could hear as the puppies whimpered and whined, wanting to find warmth by their mother. This made me smile as I reached over, picking one up in my hands. It was such a small little thing, but it was still bigger than Lennie's and moving around on it's own. It seemed friendly enough though as it licked at my hand, trying to gnaw on it at the same time.
"I like this one," Lennie said, holding his puppy in his arms.
"I can see why," I smiled, my eyes softening at the sight.
"He feels nice," he said, stroking the back of its neck.
For a big guy, he sure was gentle, a gentle giant.
T
Once it got a bit darker, I let the barn, telling Lennie to come in when he was done. He just smiled at me and nodded, going back to petting his puppy.
It wasn't too dark yet, so I could still see my way back, making my way over to the bunk house.
George and Slim were seated outside talking about nothing in particular really as I drew close, climbing up the steps.
"Lennie should be in before too long," I said, my eyes locking with George's.
"Thanks for watchin him," George nodded, offering me a grateful smile.
"No problem. He's a pretty nice guy anyway," I smiled, thinking back to my brother, before heading in.
After that, I just laid down on my bed, curling up on the mattress. It'd been years since I'd thought of my brother and yet here I was, doing it again. There was just something about Lennie that reminded me of him, even though he never got the chance to become a man. If he had, I probably wouldn't be where I was now, but that was neither here nor there.
By the time night had completely fallen on us though, I was dozing off, facing George and Lennie's bunks on my side. George and Slim had finally come in after sending Lennie back on his way, puppy in his arms.
I woke back up when I heard the faint creaking of George's bed, pealing my eyes open for a moment to glance at him.
Our eyes met as we set there, him on his bunk, me on mine. Once again, there was a current calmness in his eyes, his gaze putting me at ease. He then gave me a small nod as he pulled a magazine from his shelf, flipping it open to read it. My eyes just watched though, the feeling of sleep slowly taking over me again as I laid there. Before I knew it, my eyes were closed again, leaving me laying there in a half sedated slumber. I could still hear everything going on around me, my body not quite willing to surrender to full sleep just yet.
T
George watched as Chris laid there, her eyes trained on him though obviously wary from fatigue. He merely gave her a small smile as she stared, watching as her body seemed to relax a bit more. She was comfortable around him and he wanted to keep it that way, making it easier on both of them. He then watched as her eyes finally started to droop, the blue green orbs that were her eyes clouding over, before finally closing. By looking at her she seemed so fragile, but George knew otherwise. She was a strong woman who stood on her own and tried not to rely on anyone, but for some reason seemed to find comfort in his presence, similar to how she did with Slim.
"I swear, that girl never seems to get enough sleep," Carlson commented, earning him a curious look from George.
Slim knew what Carlson said was true though. Chris always worked so hard, trying harder than most of the guys. Then, she'd be up late doing other things around the ranch at times, whether it was helping Candy out or Crooks even. Either that or she'd be up sitting outside thinking about things. What he didn't know, but he knew that she was.
"That girl works way too much," Slim said, shaking his head lightly as he glanced over at her, finding George staring quietly at her.
After a moment, Slim turned away, laying another card down on the table. Candy came walking in about 15 minutes later, his dog following behind him.
"Either you guys got a slug of whiskey?" Candy asked as he walked toward the table, hat in hand. "I got a gut ache."
"I ain't," Slim voiced, eyes locked onto his cards. "I'd drink it myself if I had…and I ain't got no gut ache," he said, laying down another card.
George still sat there reading his magazine, his left leg bent with his other lain across his bunk, and his back against the metal barred head board. Candy merely sat down on his own bed, patting his leg at the dog who whined at him. Then, Carlson finally spoke up again.
"God almighty, that dog of yours stinks, Candy," he said, his nose wrinkling slightly.
At this, Chris shifted a bit, her shoulder rolling as she laid there listening as Carlson talking.
"He's got no teeth. He's all stiff from rheumatism," he continued, placing a card down on the table. "He ain't no good to you," he turned his head to look at Candy, before his eyes went back to his cards. "Hell, he ain't no good to hisself."
Slim looked over his cards, leaning back a bit more in his chair for a moment.
"Why don't you just shoot him, Candy?"
Everyone eyes Carlson when he said this. Even Chris opened her eyes, catching George's attention. She didn't move though as she laid there, just opened her eyes.
"I couldn't do that. I had him too long," Candy said, his eyes staring down at his loveable old friend. "I herded sheep with him," he added, smiling down at the dog at the wonderful memories.
"That poor old dog just suffers hisself all the time," Carlson said, turning to stand up when Candy disagreed. "Look…" he breathed quietly, standing up and walking toward the old man. "Take him out and shoot him right in the back of the head. Right there," he said, placing his finger at the back of the dog's head.
Everyone was silent as they watched, Chris laying there, her eyes staring in concentration at the back of George's magazine as she continued to listen to Carlson's words. George could tell that it was bothering her.
"Hell, he'd never even know what hit him," Carlson assured him.
Candy just shook his head.
"I couldn't do that. I had him too long," Candy said once more, petting him the dog behind the ears and rubbing his fur.
Carlson was starting to get frustrated at this point.
"Tell you what, I'll shoot him for you. Then it won't be you that done it," he offered.
Once again, Candy said no, keeping his eyes on his dog.
"Slim's bitch has got a litter right now. I bet you Slim would give you one of her pups to raise," Carlson said, looking back over at Slim for confirmation.
"Sure," Slim shrugged. "You can have any one of them pups you want," he told him, tapping his cards against the palm of his hand.
Candy shook his head again. He didn't want to have his dog put down, there were too many memories, too many good times. That dog was his best friend, he couldn't just go and kill him, just put an end to it.
"Carlson's right, Candy," Slim spoke up, putting his cards down as he leaned forward in his chair. "That dog ain't no good to hisself."
It was silent again, no one said a word, but their eyes said different. In fact, it wasn't until Carlson walked back over to his bunk and pulled his gun out that Chris sat up, hearing the sound of it clicking while Whit came over and had Slim read aloud from a magazine.
The others tried not to watch as Carlson got his gun, loading a bullet into it, but Chris couldn't take it. She knew what was coming and see didn't want to sit around anymore and listen to it. So without a word, she got up and walked outside, the screen door closing behind her. Carlson saw this, but didn't seem too bothered by it as he came back over to Candy, gun in hand.
"Candy, if you want me to, I'll put that old dog out of his misery right now," he said as gently as possible. "Won't hurt him at all," he assured him.
Again things went silent, Candy looking around the room for a moment.
"Let's wait till tomorrow," there was a pleading tone in Candy's voice.
"I don't see no reason for it. Let's get it over with," Carlson pressured him. "We can't sleep with that stinking dog in here."
Candy tried to say something, looking up at Carlson for a moment, his eyes starting to water slightly. He looked around the room at everyone as if looking for help, but no one said a thing. Not Slim, not Whit, not George, not Jake, no one.
"Alright," Candy finally said, a brokenness in his voice as he looked dog at his old friend, rubbing his face gently. "Take him."
T
I tried to ignore their words as I sat outside, my arms wrapped around myself. I didn't like death, I didn't like talking about it, I didn't like seeing it, I didn't like hearing it. It bothered me to say the least. Then when I heard the shot ring out, I felt tears sting my eyes, my foot lashing out and kicking one of the chairs. It fell over, clattering on the boards of the porch, while I sat there with my head in my hands.
A few minutes later, I heard hurried footsteps. When I looked up, I found Lennie coming toward me, a scared look on his face.
"Lennie?" I called, my brows furrowing together.
"I-I heard a loud bang," he stammered, looking around at the darkness around him.
It was obvious that he was startled, so I motioned for him to sit down. Surprisingly enough, he listened, taking a seat next to me on the steps of the porch.
"Don't worry, your fine," I assured him, carefully patting him on the back.
He jumped for a moment at the contact, but relaxed a moment later and started playing with the front of his overalls.
I just sighed and tried wiping at my eyes, running a hand through my hair at the same time. Lennie took notice of this and looked up, catching the tears on my face.
"Why you cryin?" he asked, a curious look on his face.
"It's because I'm sad," I told him, wiping my nose on my sleeve.
"Why you sad?" he asked, tilting his head to the side slightly.
I couldn't help, but to choke on a few tears as I sat there, pinching the bridge of my nose. Lord this bothered me, especially, since I knew how bad it hurt Candy. Candy was a good man and he didn't deserve this.
"You want I go get George?" he asked, making to get up.
I just grabbed hold of his hand, stopping him before he could go get George. There was no need to bother him, I was a big girl.
"No, just sit here with me for a while, alright?" I asked, still gripping his hand.
As he sat back down, I realized how much bigger his hand was than mine. His looked gigantic compared to my small little hand. Then again, he was much bigger than me in every aspect of things.
"You're tiny," he snickered.
I looked up at him as I sat there, feeling the corners of my lips twitching upwards.
"I guess I am, aren't I," I laughed faintly, before looking out at the land.
It was so dark, the dark of night blanketing the land. The only natural light came from the moon, giving the ground a faint glow, the light glistening off of our eyes. As I looked over at Lennie, I saw where the moon shone on his face, lighting his eyes with an almost ethereal feeling.
I jumped when I felt him reach out and touch my hair though, pulling back slightly. He kept his hand there though, touching it gently, feeling it. It was slightly awkward for me, but I knew that he meant no harm in it, he was merely curious I guess. When I didn't say anything, he kept touching it, stroking it lightly.
"It's soft," he smiled.
I could only imagine if he ever did that to Curly's wife, she's probably end up complaining that he was messing it up. Personally though, I didn't care if he messed my hair up or not. If he did, he did. If he didn't, he didn't, it was as simple as that.
"Lennie, what is it with you and touching things?" I asked, looking up at him.
"I like touching nice things. I like stroking them with the fingers," he said.
He was so child like, so innocent.
"So I guess my hair is nice then?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
He nodded at this, raising his hand again to place it on my head. After a few more minutes of this though, George's voice met our ears, the sound of the door opening following after.
"Lennie," he said sharply, a warning tone in his voice.
"It's alright George, he hasn't done nothin wrong," I said softly, looking back out at the land once more.
I could see the slight look of shock on his face out of the side of my eye as he stood there, blinking a few times. I guess he didn't expect that.
"It's time for bed Lennie," he said softly, motioning with his head toward the inside.
Lennie whined in response as he sat there, his hand curling around my shirt sleeve.
"Just a bit longer George?" he pleaded, finding joy in my company since I had let him feel my hair to his hearts content.
George stood there, blinking a few more times before finally responding, a look of defeat on his face.
"Fine, but just 10 more minutes," he said, sitting down in one of the chairs to watch us.
He didn't say anything after that, merely letting Lennie touch and play with my hair some more. To be honest, I wasn't quite sure why he liked it so much, but he did. To him, it was like it was the best thing ever.
"George, you feel," Lennie said, smiling over at him.
"Not now Lennie," George said, turning his eyes toward the land.
"George, you feel," Lennie said once more. "You feel, you feel," he persisted.
George sighed, looking over at me for a moment for permission. I nodded of course, giving him the go ahead.
"You feel, you feel," Lennie pushed, grinning when George knelt down beside me.
I drew in a breath as he placed his hand on my head, gently stroking my hair. To be honest, it gave me a calming feeling, relaxing me. George was even more gentle than Lennie's, his touch almost putting me to sleep.
"See George, it's nice," Lennie grinned.
"Yes, it is nice," George nodded, carefully drawing back his hand.
A strange feeling of disappointment struck me when he pulled away, standing up a moment later.
"It's time for bed now Lennie," George told him.
"Alright George, time for bed," Lennie nodded, standing up and walking inside.
I sat there as George followed him inside, just looking up at the stars. It was a beautiful sight, especially with the moon out, but it also felt lonely somehow. Then again, you'd think I'd be used to that feeling by now. No, I still longed for companionship of some sort.
"I'm sorry about all that," I heard George say softly as he came back out, sitting down beside me where Lennie had.
I just shook my head, putting on a small smile.
"It's alright George, honest," I said, pushing a bit of hair out of my face.
"But I-"
I didn't let him finish as I placed a finger to his lips, shutting him up real quick.
"Really, it's fine," I assured him, pulling my hand back a moment later.
He still seemed a bit shocked though as he sat there, his eyes staring into mine.
"You shouldn't worry so much George, otherwise, you'll be gray before you know it," I giggled softly, referring to his hair.
I swear, his face went slightly red as I said this, making him all the more handsome in my opinion.
"That reminds me, I'll be doin haircuts tomorrow. I'd be willin to do yours if you like?" I offered, sending a smile his way.
"I don't see why not," he shrugged, running a hand through his hair as if to inspect it.
His hair was a little on the long side, but I'd seen longer. It looked good on him though, helping to define his face a bit more. It also gave him a kinder look I suppose or at least that was my opinion anyway. I mean, even Slim wore his hair a bit longer and he looked just fine with it. In fact, I'd tease him every time, saying that I'd still left it long enough for the girls to run their hands through it. That was another reason why I was cutting hair tomorrow, all the guys would be going into town the day after tomorrow so they had to look good for the ladies.
"I have a question though," George spoke up after a moment.
"Alright, shoot."
"Why…why exactly were you…" he stopped for a moment, thinking how to word things properly.
"Why was I sitting out here with Lennie and letting him mess with my hair?" I supplied, earning a nod in return.
"Yeah…"
I sat there for a moment, rubbing my arms a bit, before finally speaking.
"Honestly?"
George nodded his head once more, keeping his on me.
"He…he reminds me of my brother," I breathed, closing my eyes for a moment.
It had always been hard to talk about him. He'd been such a good kid.
"Your brother?" George asked, giving me a curious look.
"Yeah…" I whispered. "He was a good kid."
"You guys comin in?" Slim asked, coming to stand by the door as he covered a yawn.
"Yeah," George nodded, standing up and stretching.
He then held a hand out to me, easily pulling me up when I took it.
"Thanks George," I smiled.
"After you," he said, gesturing with his arm for me to go first.
He really was something else, that was for sure.
Okay, that was chapter 5. I really hope that everyone liked it? Remember, don't forget to REVIEW and MESSAGE me on your thoughts, ideas, opinions and feelings on this chapter/story. I love hearing feedback. Also, you DON'T have to have an account to post a REVIEW. Remember that. Anyway, thanks for reading everyone! REVIEW! :)