Post by vee3 on Oct 4, 2012 21:36:05 GMT -8
She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair as she adjusted herself in her saddle. Her horse shifted beneath her, more alert than he usually was. They were watching a few men that worked on the ranch as they raced. She knew Tobie wanted to join in on the action. She wanted to as well. It was a nagging sensation that pulled at her and drew her closer, tempting her to challenge the men. The competition didn't seem that difficult to her, but she knew how a man's pride worked.
She had been raised, for all intents and purposes, as a man. Her father had wanted a son and got a daughter instead. Instead of moping, he banished all things girly from his home and raised her the way he intended to raise his son if ever wound up with one, which he didn't, not to her knowledge. Chewing thoughtfully on the piece of straw between her lips, she chuckled to herself and pulled her curly blonde hair into a ponytail. She knew domestic duties because of her aunt. By day, she was a man and by night, she was the epitome of the perfect housewife, minus the husband. Instead of one mouth to feed or a family of mouths to feed, she helped feed a bunch of hungry men that had worked their fingers to the bone.
When the men neared, grinning from ear to ear, she smirked at them. "Ya'll willin' to up the anty?" She drawled, her pale gaze alight with mischief as she leaned forward in her saddle. "Ya ain't got no place 'ere, why don't ya just go back to the kitchen where ya belong?" One of the men drawled, and she just rolled her eyes and snorted, not caring how unladylike it seemed. "Well, if that's the case, ya shouldn't have anything to fret about, should ya?" She responded calmly.
A chorus of snickers arose, and she gained a sense of satisfaction as the man's face turned a light shade of pink. It was probably more frustration than anything else. "Fine, have it yer way." He snapped, moving his horse to stand beside her buckskin. Oh, this would be fun, a race against a hotheaded man that would probably wind up exhausting his horse before the race was nearly over. Luckily, she knew how to pace herself and her horse. When the cloth dropped, as expected, the man and his horse blew away from the starting point like the hounds of hell were on their heels.
Cora opted for an easy lope as her starting pace and as they neared the final turn, she let her horse have his head and before she knew it, they had blown past the man and his horse, whom was already exhausted. The others were roaring with laughter and slapping their hats against their knees. Giggling, she pulled her horse to a stop and looked around triumphantly. "Girl got spunk." One of the men chuckled, wiping a tear from his eye. Just when she was about to fire off a catty remark of some sort, somebody else joined their jolly, little band and informed her that Weldon Campbell wanted to see her. She certainly couldn't refuse him, could she?
He paid her, gave her a place to stay, and allowed her to shelter her precious Tobie. It was almost like home, only her father wasn't here. Shaking her head, she pushed the thought from her mind and bit her lip until she tasted the iron tang of blood. "O-Okay." She murmured, nodding faintly as she nudged the buckskin's sides gently, sending him into a lope. "It can't be too bad, can it, Tobie?" She whispered, watching as the buckskin's ears flicked toward her, trying to take in every word that tumbled past her lips.
Swinging out of the saddle, she pulled the tack from her horse and put him in the barn. "I don't have time to rub ya down, boy, but I'll do it soon as Mister Campbell is done." She promised, adjusting his forelock as she pressed her face briefly against his cheek. "If yer good, I'll bring you back a little somethin'." She murmured before leaving the barn. She pushed her hair away from her face as she picked her way carefully toward the hat. Before entering the house, she took off her hat and looked around for a moment.
She rested her hands in front of her, clasping them together. "Mister Campbell?" She queried, trying to make her normally quiet voice loud enough to be heard. Why was she so bad at projecting herself? About the only time she wasn't was when she, Tobie, or somebody else she cared about were being threatened. "It's Cora, Cora Samuels." Ugh, that was smooth, who else would it have been?
She had been raised, for all intents and purposes, as a man. Her father had wanted a son and got a daughter instead. Instead of moping, he banished all things girly from his home and raised her the way he intended to raise his son if ever wound up with one, which he didn't, not to her knowledge. Chewing thoughtfully on the piece of straw between her lips, she chuckled to herself and pulled her curly blonde hair into a ponytail. She knew domestic duties because of her aunt. By day, she was a man and by night, she was the epitome of the perfect housewife, minus the husband. Instead of one mouth to feed or a family of mouths to feed, she helped feed a bunch of hungry men that had worked their fingers to the bone.
When the men neared, grinning from ear to ear, she smirked at them. "Ya'll willin' to up the anty?" She drawled, her pale gaze alight with mischief as she leaned forward in her saddle. "Ya ain't got no place 'ere, why don't ya just go back to the kitchen where ya belong?" One of the men drawled, and she just rolled her eyes and snorted, not caring how unladylike it seemed. "Well, if that's the case, ya shouldn't have anything to fret about, should ya?" She responded calmly.
A chorus of snickers arose, and she gained a sense of satisfaction as the man's face turned a light shade of pink. It was probably more frustration than anything else. "Fine, have it yer way." He snapped, moving his horse to stand beside her buckskin. Oh, this would be fun, a race against a hotheaded man that would probably wind up exhausting his horse before the race was nearly over. Luckily, she knew how to pace herself and her horse. When the cloth dropped, as expected, the man and his horse blew away from the starting point like the hounds of hell were on their heels.
Cora opted for an easy lope as her starting pace and as they neared the final turn, she let her horse have his head and before she knew it, they had blown past the man and his horse, whom was already exhausted. The others were roaring with laughter and slapping their hats against their knees. Giggling, she pulled her horse to a stop and looked around triumphantly. "Girl got spunk." One of the men chuckled, wiping a tear from his eye. Just when she was about to fire off a catty remark of some sort, somebody else joined their jolly, little band and informed her that Weldon Campbell wanted to see her. She certainly couldn't refuse him, could she?
He paid her, gave her a place to stay, and allowed her to shelter her precious Tobie. It was almost like home, only her father wasn't here. Shaking her head, she pushed the thought from her mind and bit her lip until she tasted the iron tang of blood. "O-Okay." She murmured, nodding faintly as she nudged the buckskin's sides gently, sending him into a lope. "It can't be too bad, can it, Tobie?" She whispered, watching as the buckskin's ears flicked toward her, trying to take in every word that tumbled past her lips.
Swinging out of the saddle, she pulled the tack from her horse and put him in the barn. "I don't have time to rub ya down, boy, but I'll do it soon as Mister Campbell is done." She promised, adjusting his forelock as she pressed her face briefly against his cheek. "If yer good, I'll bring you back a little somethin'." She murmured before leaving the barn. She pushed her hair away from her face as she picked her way carefully toward the hat. Before entering the house, she took off her hat and looked around for a moment.
She rested her hands in front of her, clasping them together. "Mister Campbell?" She queried, trying to make her normally quiet voice loud enough to be heard. Why was she so bad at projecting herself? About the only time she wasn't was when she, Tobie, or somebody else she cared about were being threatened. "It's Cora, Cora Samuels." Ugh, that was smooth, who else would it have been?