The men had all come down from the fields early today.
They sat around the corral in the shade, their boots resting on the rails.
They truly had a lot of work that needed to be done, but they were all curious to get a look at the boss's new nephew.
"Will you get a gander at that?" Black star moaned as he saw Soul and the new kid pulling into the yard.
They did double takes, then openly stared for a long count.
Disbelief painted their features, and disgust followed close behind.
Stein had warned them his nephew had been reared in London's high society and probably knew nothing about hard living, but that scarcely prepared them for the fop who was perched on the buckseat.
"I saw an organ grinder once at the circus." Ox spat a wad of tobacco off a few respectable yards.
"His monkey wore a jacket just like that."
Everyone chortled at that.
The new kid's attire said more about him than anything else might.
After all, no man worth his boots would be caught dead in a Christmas tree green jacket with glittering gold braid and gold buttons.
Stein would shoot any idiot who dared trying to work on clothes like that, then burn the offensive piece of trash . . . after salvaging those gold buttons, of course.
"I remeber that circus monkey danced real silly. Held a cup in his hand and begged. Wasn't good for anything else." Ox scratched his belly and went on with his musing. "Coulda' passed as this one's twin brother."
"I bet that monkey would have been more useful that this kid." Blackstar squinted at the strange sight.
"Stein didn't really saddle us with that, did he?" Tad wiped his hand across his dust streaked shirt.
"He probably didn't known it'd be this bad. Drunk as a skunk, no one could ever imagine this sight." Black star cackled.
Soul eyed them all critically as he swung down from the wagon.
They were supposed to be in the back 40 today, mending fences.
"Get over here you lazy cow punchers." He barked.
Soul wasn't looking forward to introducing the kid to them, but he wanted to see how they interacted.
Watching how the kid got along with the men would give him a better idea what kind of person he was.
The men complied, but they grumbled and drug their feet as they left the shaded area.
The kid swept his gangly legs over the edge of the wagon, lost his balance and went tumbling to the ground, disturbing a small dust cloud around him.
The men looked about to die with laughter, but his swift glare of warning didn't go unoticed.
They muffled their laughter with loud coughing and grunts.
The kid bounced right back up though, not the least bit hurt.
Soul cleared his throat, already feeling awkward.
"These are the ranch hands. Forsaken's best cow punchers."
"Good day gentlemen!" The kid smiled brightly.
"Ho!" The men replied in a shout of disbelief. The kid's accent was odd to the ear.
Mistaking their volume for enthusiasm, the Kid beamed.
"What a wonderful greeting! I'm Lord Albarn, but you can call me Maka. It isn't necessary to use my formal title. I've noticed Americans don't often do so."
"Lord help us." Someone muttered in the silence that followed.
Soul grimaced, but the kid didn't seem to notice the comment.
"I know I'm new, but I truly hope to be a great help to all or you and my uncle while here, and I hope I can live up to his expectations."
Despite Soul's warning glare all the men began to howl with laughter.
Jutting out his chin, the kid asked, "I don't understand what's so funny?"
"Living up to Stein's expectations might be a little hard considering you've set the bar so low kid." Some one laughed from the group.
The Kid swept the men with a haughty gaze.
"I might not know how things in America work, but at least I exercise the civility to introduce myself before I make fun of someone else."
The men had the good grace to look a bit ashamed.
They shuffled around uncomfortably until a short looking cowboy with blue spikey hair stepped forward to introduce himself.
"I'm Black Star, the greatest cowboy to ever walk this earth."
Maka noticed that everyone rolled their eyes heavenward at his proclamation.
"That's Ox Ford, Harvar Eclair, Justin Law, Sid Barrett and the little half-pint is Tadpole Jackson."
The shortest of the the group straightened his spine and glared at Blackstar.
"I'm still growing! And my name is Tad, not Tadpole."
All the men laughed and patted him on the head and ruffled his blonde hair.
The kid just bristled even more.
Maka nodded curtly to each of the men.
They were grimey, rude, and rather loud, but she kind of liked them already.
"It's a pleasure to meet all of you. My uncle is lucky to have such wonderful staff."
Staff?
Soul bit back a moan.
The kid's shortcomings could fill a catalogue, and he hadn't been here for two minutes yet.
The men just stared.
Soul finally broke the silence.
"Get busy! You're not paid to jaw with the Albarn kid."
The men scattered, and disappeared without a trace.
Soul slowly walked over to where his Stetson sat in the dirt, grumbling the whole time.
He smacked it against his thigh, then wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve before he put it back on.
He was hungry and grumpy. He hoped the kid would take the hint and leave him alone.
Even after grabbing his hat the kid's position didn't change.
If anything, the kid looked sillier with every passing minute.
He stood there, grinning like a fool, in his ridiculous clothing.
He eyes Soul expectantly.
"Well?"
"Well what?"
"Well don't just stand there like an idiot. Go on to the house kid."
The kid's back stiffened and his chin rose a notch.
"I don't like being bossed around Mr. Evans."
Accustomed to men following his orders, Soul stared back in silence until the kid finally looked away.
The only great perk to having monster eyes was people rarely won a starting contest against him.
The kid stooped, lifted the bag, and nodded.
"Very well, I'll show myself in."
Though he decided to obey, the kid had to have the last word.
His lack of size, strength, and knowledge were huge liabilities; but the attitude..
Soul shook his head.
A kink like that could get someone killed.
The first order of business was going to be setting this Fancy Pants kid in his place.
Soul watched the boy lollygag up the steps and dissapear through the door.
Black star shuffled over. He must have been hiding close by.
"What the hell was that?"
"That," Soul said in a funereal tone, "is Stein's kin."
"How in the devil did Stein happen to get saddled with a nephew like that?"
The long time cow puncher shook his blue head from side to side in disbelief.
"He's prissier than any of the Thompsons' daughters!"
Soul grimaced.
"His chin is still smooth as a baby's tail."
"I noticed."
"Get a stiff wind going, and he'll be teacup over toenails. I got a look at his hands. Smooth as silk, not a callus on 'em. I'll bet he ain't never done a lick of work either." Black star chuckled.
"Well, I suppose he's still young. His voice still cracks. He probably won't even start shaving for another year or two. There's still time to correct his upbringing."
Black star laughed at his optimism.
"The kid should have been a preacher. Knows fancy words and fine manners and such. That'd make him a natural for that callin'. Much better than a cowboy dandy."
Soul shot Black star a wry look, but didn't verbalize his thoughts.
As much as he wanted to agree with his friend, it wasn't right.
After all, that pathetic pup was his boss's nephew.
This called for loyalty and discretion.
"I can't let Stein come home to that pitiful excuse of a kid. We have to whip him into shape."
"Miracles take more time than that." Blackstar mused.
"I don't know about miracles, but I do know about men."
"Boss, you're gonna have to look long and hard to find enough material in that kid to scrape together anything manly. I've seen women who looked more like a man than he does!"
"Soul broke into a fleeting smile, then glanced back at the house and grimaced.
"When Stein gets back and catches sight of his new nephew, my promotion is gonna fly right out the window."
"That's not going to happen boss, nobody deserves this job more than you."
Soul's voice took on deadly resolve. "Whatever needs to be done will get done. I'll make a man out of him yet. It's going to be mighty unpleasant, though."
"All the luck to ya boss, "I've seen two-bit chippies with more taste in their clothes."
"Clothes can be changed."
There were times when life just handed you nothing better than a blister on the backside when you had to ride all day, and this was one such time.
It galled him, but Soul Evans wasn't a man to shirk his responsibilities or abandon his friends.
He wouldn't fail Stein. He owned that man more than he cared to admit.
He muffled a groan at the thought of what the next months would bring.
"I know you don't want to fail Stien, but someone's likely to get hurt, the kid don't know squat about ranchin."
"I'm painfully aware of that possibility." Soul's voice didn't betray the acid churning in his belly over that very fact.
"It'll fall to me to work with the kid until Stein shows back up."
Black star let out a bark of a laugh. "Should I take wagers with the men on which of you folds fastest?"
"Try, and I'll see to it that you're on stall cleaning duty for a month."
Black star grinned, but didn't hedge it further.
"Don't you have work to do?" Soul asked, wondering how Black star had kept his job for this long.
"Fine, fine. I'm leaving. You have fun with baby sitting boss!"
Soul scowled after Black star as he lazily turned towards the corral.
"I won't be baby sitting for long. I'm going to start training the kid first thing in the morning!"
"And I don't envy that Kid one lick!" Black star yelled over his shoulder as he trotted out of sight.
Now alone, Soul stared at the porch with great apprehension.
He would have to go inside eventually.
Heaven help me. Soul silently pleaded.