Yeah! Finally a new chapter! I Sincerely apologize for taking so long, but college and work don't always allow for time to think. I hope you all enjoy this chapter and PLEASE REVIEW AND MESSAGE ME! I'd like to see where everyone would like this to go. I also apologize if my writing style has changed a bit, but it seems to vary from chapter to chapter sometimes depending on how long I've been away from my stories.
A Rancher's Touch
Chapter 15
By the time that I woke up, it was close to mid afternoon. The light of the sun had been flooding into the room for the past few hours. It was the warmth and the intensity of it that pulled me further from my sleep, drawing my eyes open sluggishly.
"Where…"
It took me a moment until my mind caught up with me, images floating to the forefront of my mind. Blinking, I yawned, looking around me. I was in a small room, a bed beneath me. It wasn't until now that I finally took in the entirety of the room, truly looking at it for the first time as I tried to rub the sleep from my eyes. I'd been here for a few days.
Despite its size, the room was spacious, only a few things sitting out on display. It was simple like the man that normally inhabited it. Well, simple wasn't quite the word that I'd use to describe George. He was simple in the fact that he didn't want much. Squinting, I realized that there was a small oil lamp in the corner, the flame already snuffed out from the earlier hours of the morning. This told me that George had checked on me at some point earlier in the morning. Blinking, I stared out at the small mirror that was hung on the wall across the room. With how George was, I knew that it must have been from the previous owners, the elderly couple no doubt leaving behind a large portion of their household belongings.
Seeing my image in the mirror made me frown though, slowly sliding my legs to the side of the bed. It'd been a while since I'd truly looked in a mirror. I didn't like what I saw. My hair was trimmed short, nearly as short as George's own. Although, over the last couple years, George had gotten lazy with his hair. His hair easily touched the bottom of his ears on any given place. I also had bags under my eyes, the color now dull in my opinion. My face was thinner than it was before we took our separate ways. Pausing, I pressed a hand to my ribs, my breasts barely pressing against the fabric of my borrowed shirt as I slowly peeled the fabric away. My ribs seemed to ripple against my skin, poking out almost uncomfortably. It made me wonder if he'd taken notice to it when dressing me. For a moment, I felt disgusted at my reflection, the image of myself staring back at me. No man would ever want a woman as thin as I was. I was no where near good enough for baring children, the thing that seemed most important.
Frowning, I pressed my fingers into my hips, bone resting just beneath the surface. I was too thin. It was something that I'd slowly started noticing after I'd left the Tyler Ranch. Moving around like I had, it wasn't conducive to a healthy life. With little money, it left me without food on more than one occasion, Curly's obnoxious rants of a 'useless woman parading around in men's clothing', having reached from county to county. It made it hard to get a job.
Fed up with my own thoughts, I shook my head, my toes skimming the cool wooden floor beneath me. I couldn't think about that stuff right now, it wouldn't do me any good. Breathing through my nose and out my mouth, I made to stand. I could feel my muscles tense, the pressure slowly building as it began to radiate from below the knee and suddenly up through my thighs. I nearly cried out, legs failing as I reached out, grabbing the closest thing that I could. The pull of the sheets was barely enough to cushion me as I fell.
T
Much like the previous couple of days, George had found himself outside at the break of dawn. He'd spent the morning away from the house to work on a handful of repairs around the property. By doing this, he lessened his chances of waking his guest, allowing him to get on with the day's work as he should be.
It was just before noon when George went back to the house the first time, taking a few minutes to grab a small bite to eat. At that point, he found Christ still fast asleep in his bed, her head to one side as she slept and her leg curl up near her side. He'd left her alone though, closing the door behind him. She still wasn't feeling well, sleeping on and off the last two days as she tried to get her strength back.
When George came back the second time, it was nearly half passed two. He'd spent his time hammering away at the side of the barn, a section of wood falling apart. It was previous rot that had set in when he'd bought the place, not having had the time to fix it right away. His main issues had been fixing the leaks in the house and the roof of the barn itself in order to keep the growth of bacteria down in the barn. He didn't need his animals getting sick. Today, he had figured that he'd get part of the job done since the weather was mostly dry, not sure when the rain would be back. He didn't care much for working in the rain, but he'd do it if necessary.
Once back inside his little house, George hung his work belt up on its hook by the back door. His shoes were next to follow, finding their place on an old ratty mat along the wall, this hat being placed on its own little hook up and out of the way. He had three hats now, a black one, a brown one, and one made of straw. The old brown hat was still his favorite though. He'd had it for years.
No sooner had he gotten settled, he realized that someone was calling his name.
"George?" her voice sounded, the sound strained as it came out.
Without thinking, he started up the stairs, taking them two at a time despite his height.
"Chris, you alright?" he asked, pushing the door open once he reached the top of the stairs.
He stopped in his tracks for just a moment. She was sat on the floor, her legs sprawled out. She had a hand on her lower leg, rubbing it as she looked up at him, face slightly red in embarrassment.
"What happened?" he asked.
She was quiet for a moment as he bent down in front of her, his eyes taking everything in. She looked a bit disheveled, her eyes tired and her face pained. She was still rubbing at her leg as he reached his hand forward, lightly brushing it against her leg.
"I just…" she swallowed, wincing as she tried stretching her leg out.
The muscles were still tight, a knot no doubt having formed along the underside of her leg from the magnitude of the cramp she'd suffered. She couldn't remember the last time that she'd had on take hold so severely as it had.
"My legs," she finally conceded, bowing her head slightly in frustration and moderate embarrassment.
George was careful in his approach, hesitant almost, his touch soft and gentle as he pulled her legs to him. One at a time, he stretched them out, sliding his arm beneath her legs. Her breath hitched as he leaned in, his arm wrapping around her lower back. She wrapped her arms around his neck and she was weightless. The feeling was gone in moments as he sat her on the bed.
"Didn't hurt yerself did ya?" he asked.
Chris shook her head. Her face was still a bit red.
Frowning, George pressed a hand to her forehead. Her temperature had gone down. She was close to normal.
"Ya feelin' okay?" he asked.
"I'm fine," she said quietly. "Just sore."
George nodded his head and bit down on his lip. He wasn't getting anywhere.
"So…" he started, trying to take her mind off of the embarrassment. "When was it you decided to head out this way?" he asked, looking her in the eyes, before glancing back to her legs.
"Well," she swallowed. "It was a long time comin' I guess."
T
I sat there against the headboard as George pulled a chair by the bed. He looked tired as if he'd been working outside for a while. He probably had been. His question had caught me off guard. I mean, I'd told him that I'd visit eventually. Granted, I never told him when. I'd been meaning to for a while, but at some point, I suppose I got it in my head that he may not want me here. After a few months with no response, I'd assumed that maybe he'd finally moved on with his life and just didn't want to bother with me anymore.
"I…" we both started, stopping as we looked at one another.
I laughed nervous, playing with the hem of the shirt I was wearing.
"You first," I said, biting lightly at the edge up my upper lip.
The skin pulled between my teeth, I could feel outer most layer tearing, a habit that I'd picked up a few months after leaving the Tyler ranch.
"I was beginning to wonder," he started, pausing as he looked back at me again.
"About?" I asked, raising a brow in question.
"Well, the letters stopped, so I just assumed…"
He didn't finish his sentence, looking elsewhere for a moment, hands pausing.
"What? That I forgot?" I questioned, a little put off now.
"That you finally moved on," he corrected.
I was quiet for a moment, eyes blinking before it came. The sound was almost strangled, the noise almost foreign to me after all this time. I didn't even realize that I was laughing at first, my chest rumbling as I pressed my palm to my mouth, head slightly bowed as my shoulders began to shake. When was the last time I'd laughed?
"Chris?"
His voice met my ears. He looked confused at first, brows furrowed.
"You thought…"
I couldn't even get it out without laughing, the corners of my eyes watering a bit, smile on my face. A spark of clarity slowly made its way to his face as he realized the truth of the matter. His eyes shined brighter almost as he let loose a chuckle of his own, the sound low as he leaned back on his hands.
"I…I thought the same as you…when I didn't get a reply," I said between laughter, wiping my eyes with the tips of my fingers.
"Lord, no!" he snorted. "Have you seen the women around here?"
I snickered as he said this, recalling the local cathouse that I'd passed on my way here, various women standing outside on the porch out of the rain. They'd beckoned me forth when I'd walked by, unable to tell the difference at first due to my short hair and masculine clothing.
"I… Ow," I whined, smiled still on my face as I held my side.
I couldn't remember the last time that I'd laughed so hard. My cheeks hurt even, smile high on my face. I could still see the smile on his, lips turned upward as he stared at me. It was a sight I wasn't sure that I'd see again, given circumstances. Still, I was seated in front of him, staring back all the same.
"I…" I almost wheezed as I sat there, trying to calm down.
The sickness was trying to catch up to me now, something that I'd tried to push down as I'd laughed with him. It could only last so long, before I couldn't laugh anymore.
"All jokes aside," I heaved, breathing in as deep as I could.
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