A Rancher's Touch
Chapter 8
The next morning, I woke up to the feeling of a hand on my head, the person's fingers stroking my hair softly. I groaned faintly, before turning over, finding Slim sitting there in one of the chairs.
"Slim?" I whispered, trying to sit up.
"How's your head doin?" he asked, his head tilted to the side slightly.
"Sore," I groaned, pinching my eyes shut for a moment.
My head was pounding, worse than it was last night. It hurt like hell, like my head was a drum and someone was pounding on it with a heavy stick.
"Here," he said, offering me a glass of water and a couple pills.
I took them graciously, popping them into my mouth, before swallowing them with the water. I sighed after that, resting my head on my knees.
"What time is it?" I asked, looking down into the cup.
"Around lunch time," he told me.
"What?" I choked out, turning my head to look at him.
"You've been asleep all afternoon," he explained, brushing my hair back a bit when it fell in my face. "The boys are outside right now if you wanna see 'em," he said, hitching a finger behind him.
I sighed for a moment, and then nodded my head, throwing my feet over the side of the bunk. Slim immediately stood up and grabbed my arm, making sure that I had no chance of falling.
"Thanks, Slim," I smiled softly, leaning my head against his shoulder as we walked outside, the sun burning my eyes making me squint.
From where I stood, I could see George and Lennie at one of the table eating their food. George stopped though when he saw me, quietly standing up from his seat. I caught Slim smiling out of the corner of my eye when he saw this, before gently pushing me forward.
"Go on now, go get somethin to eat," he said, making his way back to the bunk house. "I'll grab your hat," he called over his shoulder, the sound of the door sounding behind him.
I just smiled as George came over, leading me over to the table.
"How ya feelin?" he asked, sitting down beside me, Lennie on his other side.
"Well, my head feels like a drum, and someone's keeps beating on it with a stick," I grimaced, hearing a faint chuckle from George.
"It'll do that to you," he said, handing me an apple.
"Thanks," I whispered, taking a bite.
It felt good to have some food in my system, even if it was much at the moment. After a few minutes though, Slim came back over, placing my hat on my head. It made me feel better having my head covered, shielding it from the sun and heat.
"After this, I'm gonna go back out with you guys," I told him, taking another bite out of my apple.
"I don't think so little missy. You're setting things out today," Slim told me, pointing a finger at me.
"I never said I had to do much," I argued, looking elsewhere. "I just don't need another reason for the old man to can me," I said quietly, before looking down at the table. "It's already bad enough that I'm a woman. I'm not as strong as you guys are. It'd give him an easy reason to can me if he found me slackin off in the bunk house."
"She can stick with me and Lennie," George said. "After all, we still got a good pill of sacks by that tree, so she can just sit there in the shade," he explained, looking over at me for a moment.
"Alright," Slim agreed, nodding his head. "But you take it easy, you hear?"
"I will, I promise," I said, a small smile on my face.
T
The sound of the cultivator and others were driving me nuts, the sounds stabbing at my eardrums. It was only multiplied because of my head, but it still drove me nuts. That was another reason why I was glad I was out of the way with George and Lennie, leaving me sitting against a tree far away from the rest of the team.
"You doin alright?" George asked, stopping for a moment in his work with Lennie.
"Yeah, I'm just hot…" I said quietly, closing my eyes.
That wasn't exactly true though. I mean it was, but it wasn't the whole truth. I was hot, but it wasn't exactly from the sun. At this point, I probably had a fever, and it was making me weak. Even the wet bandana around my neck wasn't doing much for me.
"You know, you don't look so good," George said carefully, crouching down in front of me.
I then felt him place the back of his hand against my forehead, feeling it. He then placed it against the side of my neck before finally pulling his hand back.
"You know, you're kinda hot," he pointed out, locking his eyes with mine.
"Tell me somethin I don't know," I said, trying to look elsewhere.
"You need some more rest," he told me, his gaze never wavering.
"I'll get some rest when we get back," I said quietly, resting my head on my knees.
"That and some aspirin," he added.
"I will, don't worry."
It wasn't too much longer after that when Curley's wife came around, twiddling her fingers and dabbing her forehead with a handkerchief.
"Hi boys," she smiled, walking toward George and Lennie.
George kept his eye on her as him and Lennie picked up another barley bag, carrying it over to the wagon and tossing it in. George was a bit apprehensive about the whole thing by the look on his face.
"It's hot out here," she said, dabbling at her forehead. "Not cool, like in the barn."
They just went and got another bag and brought it over, heaving it up and onto the wagon. George struggled with his end a bit, but still got it in, tugging it up a bit further. She didn't like being ignored, so when they when he went to go grab another bag, she decided to yell.
"I said, it's hot out here!"
The sound of her voice caused me to groan, covering my ears with my hands.
"Why don't you go back to your house now? We don't want no trouble," George said, moving back up to the wagon with Lennie, grain bag in their hands.
"I ain't givin you no trouble," she said, arms crossed over her chest.
They just threw the bag in, lining it up with the others.
"Think I don't like to talk to somebody every once in a while?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"You got a husband. Go talk to him," he said, lifting another bag up. "Or you could always talk to Chris, that way it'd keep us outta trouble," George pointed out.
"Sure, I got a husband alright," she laughed. "Swell guy, ain't he?"
Lennie went back over to the pile, his eyes glancing over at her, before he stared at me. George stood there by the wagon, pulling the bag up a bit more to the front.
"Say, what happened to Curley's hand?" she asked smoothly, walking up to George, the only thing between them being the wagon.
"He got his hand caught in a machine," George answered, leaning forward a bit, his hands gripping the edge of the wagon.
"Baloney!" she laughed, pushing back away. "What you think you're sellin me?" she asked, a smile on her face.
She didn't believe a word that he'd said. She then tried taking it up with Lennie, walking toward him a bit as he stood there with a grain bag in his arms, hugging it to his body.
"How'd you get them bruises on your face?" she inquired.
"Who, me?" he asked, avoiding eye contact with her.
This time, he kept his eyes on me, avoid contact with her.
"Yeah, you," she giggled, standing there by the wagon awaiting her answer.
Lennie stood there for a minute, licking his lip as he shifted his feet, pulling his bag up to hide his face from her view.
"He got his hand caught in a machine," he said quietly, saying exactly the same thing that George had said, saying it word for word.
"Yeah, okay," she said softly, before walking off back toward the house, finally leaving us alone.
"It's alright Lennie, she's gone now," I told him, offering up a small smile.
It was obvious that he was uncomfortable having her around and I really couldn't blame him. A lot of the guys didn't like having her around them because that meant having to deal with Curley or taking the risk of being canned as a result. There were still a few though that enjoyed her presence, merely for the fact of staring at her.
"It's alright Lennie, just put the bag in the wagon," George said, walking over beside me and leaning against the tree.
I just lifted my head up and looked at him, finding him staring down at me. He pulled my hat off my head a moment later, leaving a curious look on my face.
"What?"
"Nothin," he said, shaking his head slightly.
He didn't give me my hat back though, just holding it in his hand as he stared out at the land. I still gave him a curious look though as I watched him, his eyes staring out at the mountains. It was a beautiful sight to be honest, one that I'd miss whenever I finally decided to leave. To be honest, Slim was probably the only thing that'd kept me here this long. Now, I found myself leaning toward George, wanting to know more about him. Him and Lennie both actually.
"Hey, George?"
"Yeah?"
"How…how long do you think you'll stay here?" I asked, looking up at him.
He seemed to hesitate for a moment before answering, his body slightly stiff.
"I don't know, maybe a month," he said, chancing a glance at me.
"Oh…"
I had to say, I was a bit disappointed, even though I knew the chances of him leaving after a moment due to the conversation that I'd heard last night.
"I've never really stayed in one place for too long," he told me, watching as Lennie continued to pile bags into the bag of the wagon.
"Haven't you ever wanted to stay in one place for a while?" I asked.
"Maybe," he shrugged, his hand curling around the rim of my hat a bit more.
"You know, I've never told this to anyone before, but Slim is really the only thing keeping me here," I said quietly.
"Why's that?" George inquired, looking down at me with curiosity.
"He's like you," I said, catching his attention.
"How so?"
"He makes me feel safe."
T
"We're gonna go into town, you wanna come Chris?" Whitt asked, fixing his shirt.
"I think I'll pass," I said flatly, laying my jacket on top of myself like a cover.
"Aw, come on Chris, have a bit of fun," he whined.
"Whitt, I don't drink, and you know that," I said.
"Come on, just a few," he said, trying to persuade me.
"Whitt," Slim warned. "Leave her alone."
Whitt finally sighed in defeat as he grabbed his jacket.
"Party pooper," he muttered, before walking out.
I just stuck my tongue out at him, earning a chuckle from George and Slim.
"We'll be back after a while," Slim told me, walking over and ruffling the front of my hair. "Come on George, let's go," Slim said.
"I don't know," he said hesitantly.
"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on Lennie for you until you get back," I told him, sitting up in my bed.
"You sure Chris?" George asked, ready to stay if I wasn't sure.
"Yeah, I'm sure. Now, get outta here and have some fun," I said quietly, stretching my arm out.
"Well, if you're sure…"
"Go on," I smiled, letting out a small yawn.
"Come on, George, let's go," Slim said, grabbing him by the jacket and pulling him out of the room.
I couldn't help, but to laugh at this, watching as they left. George was so reluctant, almost as if he'd rather not go. It put me at ease though, knowing that he likely wouldn't do much of anything. Sure, he'd probably have a drink or two, but that'd be away it.
It was about a hour later that Lennie finally came in, looking around and finding everyone gone.
"Why don't you come over here and sit down," I suggested, pulling my legs up and patting the spot next to me on the bed.
"Okay," he said, walking over and sat down.
Even though he was a big guy, he was just like a little kid.
"Look at me for a second," I said, reaching out and placing my hands on the sides of his face.
He stared at me as I did this, sitting there quietly as I ran my fingertips lightly over the cuts and bruises. Curley had definitely done a number on him, that was for sure. His lip was busted and he had cuts on his forehead and cheeks, right below his eyes.
"He never should of hit you," I whispered, my thumb rubbing back and forth over his cheek.
He seemed astonished to a degree, not used to what I was doing, but he seemed to like it.
"That feels nice," he snickered softly, before closing his eyes.
I just smiled at this, though it soon turned sad as I thought about my brother. I'd done that to him many times before, but that was so long ago. I'd even run my hand through his hair at times when he was upset or scared, even when he was sick. Even when he'd ask me too, but that was so very long ago.
"So, how's that puppy of yours?" I asked.
"I like that pup," he smiled, making my laugh.
"I'm sure you do."
Unfortunately, I knew that I couldn't ask him much in the way of questions because he likely wouldn't know how to answer. Apparently, I didn't have to though once he started talking.
"We, we gonna get a like place and I get to tend the rabbits," he said happily.
"Really now?"
"Mmhm. I get to tend them rabbits and feel them with the fingers," he said.
"Why don't you tell me about it?" I asked, leaning back into my pillow.
"We going to get a little place and live off the fat of the land," he started, making a few gestures with his hands. "We gonna have a little stove and the rabbits and the garden," he said, counting each thing off on his fingers. "We gonna have stuff in the garden and cream on the milk."
He just kept listing things off as I laid there, smiling at him. In my head, I could see everything.
"We going to have a room to ourselves and a little stove. George even said we could have them different colored rabbits," he said happily, a large smile on his face.
"That sounds wonderful Lennie," I smiled. "I used to have a little place of my own too," I told him, catching his attention.
"Tell about that place?" he asked, staring at me expectantly.
"Well, we had about five acres and a two story house," I started, thinking back to the last time that I'd been there. "We have a little stove too and a bunch of cabinets," I said, remembering everything. "There was plenty of room. Outside, we had chickens and a cow," I said.
"What kind of cow?"
"A big spotted one," I smiled, watching the excitement on his face.
"You have rabbits?"
"No, we didn't have any rabbits, but we had a couple cats. We had a dog once too," I said sadly.
"What kind of dog?" he asked.
I paused for a moment as I sat there, thinking things through.
"It was a big dog," I started, looking down at my hands. "It was dark brown, like chocolate."
"I like chocolate."
"He had these bright blue eyes and black tipped ears. His tail was long and bushy, but he was so soft," I whispered. "He was my brother's dog."
"Was it a nice dog?" he asked.
"Yeah…he was," I smiled, scratching the back of my neck.
"What you have in your garden?" he asked.
"Well, we had carrots, cabbage, tomatoes, and pumpkins. We had corn, green bean, and wheat in the fields. We grew a lot of stuff," I told him, letting out a small yawn.
"You tired?"
"A bit."
He tilted his head to the side, staring at me, before gripping the bottom of my sleeve. He seemed to be making a habit of that, but I didn't really mind that much to be honest. It kind of made me feel like I was needed.
T
Before long, Lennie's talking had lulled Chris to sleep, allowing her to lay there and relax on her bed. The redness in her face had gone away now for the most part, but there was still a trace of it hiding there on her face. Lennie sat with her though for about another hour, touching and stroking her hair. He thought that it was soft, so he couldn't help it. After he was done though, he decided to get up, stepping outside. George wasn't back yet, so Lennie had nothing to do. That was, until he saw a light in the barn and decided to investigate.
T
"Lennie?" George called, walking into the bunk house.
He was nowhere to be seen though, merely leaving Chris and Candy as the only occupants.
"Chris?" George called, walking over to her bed. "Chris," he tried, shaking her shoulder lightly.
She groaned after a minute, cracking her eyes open tiredly.
"George?" she whispered, squinting her eyes for a moment. "I thought you were out with the guys," she said quietly, her eyes wandering for a moment.
"I was, but I'm back now," he told her, sitting down beside her on the bed.
"Did you have fun?"
"I guess," he shrugged, although it was obvious that he was lying.
He really hadn't done much though, save for sit around and watch everyone else. Yeah, he'd had a woman try to get to get it on with him, but he had turned her down. That had left a few guys staring at him in disbelief, but he didn't really care. For some reason, it just didn't feel right. So, all he really did was have a single beer as he sat around, his mind wandering back to Lennie and Chris as they had stayed behind. Maybe if Chris had come along with them, then he'd have had a bit more fun, but that was neither here nor there. She wasn't feeling well and she needed rest, he knew that and so did the others, even if they didn't say much about it.
"How are you feelin?" he asked, placing the back of his hand to her forehead like he had done earlier that day.
Her fevered had broken considerably, but her face was still slightly red. At this point though, it could probably pass off as blush if she actually wore makeup, but she wasn't like Curley's wife. No, she preferred to be herself, and that's what George found most beautiful. She tried hard, working hard, and played hard to a degree. She wasn't afraid to be herself, even if she got criticized for it, she wasn't going to hide.
"A bit better, but my head still hurts," she admitted, looking up at him.
He gave her a small smile, gently reaching out and pushing a bit of hair out of her face. She still looked so tired and worn out. In fact, it didn't even look like she was fully awake.
"Have you seen Lennie?" he asked.
"Lennie?" she asked, looking around the room. "He was just here," she murmured, her eyes drooping a bit.
"He must have gone back to the barn," George concluded in annoyance, running a hand through his hair.
"I'm sorry," she yawned, giving him an apologetic look.
"Don't worry about," he said, grabbing her canteen and a bottle of aspirin. "Here, take this," he said, unscrewing the top of her canteen and handing her a few pills.
She took them from his hand and popped them into her mouth, before taking a drink of water, swallowing them. She let out a sigh afterward, before letting out another yawn. She was trying so hard to stay awake and he admired that, but he knew she should go back to sleep so he stood up, taking the bottle of pills and setting them down on the shelf between their bunks.
"Why don't you go back to sleep now," he suggested.
"But what about Lennie?"
"Don't you worry about that, I'll take care of it," he assured her, walking over toward the door. "Now, get some sleep," he finished, before walking out of the bunk house and toward the barn.
Alright, that was chapter 8. I hope that everyone enjoyed it. Please, let me know what you think? I'd love to hear feedback. Don't forget to REVIEW and MESSAGE me with your thoughts, opinions, ideas, and feelings on this chapter/story. Reviews keep me happy and writing. Thanks everyone! And don't forget to check out my PROFILE for other stories that you might like.