After a Hard Day's Work... [[Open]]

[ricochet]

8:45 PM

Eager to get out of town and off the ranch for a moment, just to breathe, after he had finished with all the tasks assigned to him by Mr. Collins, Clint had set out for some fresh air. Not that he didn't like his current prospects, it had felt as if a wonderful weight had been lifted from his shoulders when Red Bronc ranch had hired him. He smiled up at the dark sky, feeling wonderfully at peace...until he thought about her.

His thoughts were betraying him, yet he couldn't help but to wonder if Mrs. Marshall had gotten that job as a school teacher or not. Hopefully along with that would come a better place for her to stay than that tavern had been. Looking down at the trail, he frowned at the thought of a woman like her staying in that place a second night, for any reason. He didn't like it and felt the sudden urge to be there with her, to protect her. Quickly he stuffed that thought aside, knowing she was a strong woman and able to care for herself, and certainly had a better place to stay now...

Clint halted Wildfire upon their coming to a little spring, and dismounted. He had to hold on an extra moment to the saddle horn after dismounting - his body was tired and he did not particularly want to wind up face-fist in the mud. Standing close to Wildfire and having an arm under and around her head, he glanced from the heavens to her.

"What'cha think, girl? Should we stay here a little while?" He questioned the mare, having seen the way Collins had been looking at her and not too fond of it. Wildfire was his horse, and if Collins thought...well, to the man's credit, a word had not yet been spoken about that. Uttering a little sigh, Clint even in the dark found himself a little boulder to sit upon and enjoy the light music of the spring as his eyes were glued to the stars above.

[bwavobunny]

Outfit:[x]

A bath always made Rose feel better; washing away the grim of the day was almost therapeutic, cleaning her mind as well as her body. So as she walked down the path to the Lavender Springs, she lamented that she hadn't had enough money for one back at the inn. Pausing at a tree, she rested her hand against it with a loud exhale. "Oh, Lord...I just want to wash my hair..."

Though she had rested wonderfully, gotten her tangled hair to look perfect, and was in a fresh outfit, that morning had been frustrating. And all because a certain cowboy had left without so much as a note. It had been disheartening to learn he had left from the bartender and learn he had not left any message. "...it is not as if we are close or anything..." she muttered, one of the many things she had been telling herself to keep from getting angry.

When she finally reached the spring, it was getting dark and she was having trouble seeing. In fact she didn't realize she was there until she slipped down the bank into it. Letting out a yelp when she hit the ground, Rose sat in the shallow water for several seconds before attempting to stand. "Of course I would fall in. Why shouldn't I? Everything else is going wrong in my bloody life, so why not get my last clean outfit muddy? Thank you VERY much!" Throwing her hands up to the sky, she glared above her, hoping it pierced the heavens.

Huffing, she stood where she was, the bottom of her skirt and her shoes thoroughly soaked. Reaching up she began to angrily pull the bobby pins out of her hair, curls slowly beginning to frame her face. "You know...a lesser woman would have cried. MmHmm, they would have. But not me. Nooo, not Rosealye Thomas Marshall. She is far too strong for that. She can take anything you want to bloody throw at her!" Furiously she started tossing the small pins on the bank, ignoring the small tugs of pain as she pulled on her hair. "Even...even...." Even seeing Mr. Allen again, which is a low blow![/font][/size]

[ricochet]

Clint had almost been dozing off, enjoying the quiet evening so, when suddenly the air was split by a woman's yelp. And it had sounded close. Jumping up and nearly falling, he grabbed onto Wildfire to steady himself before at once going to investigate. It had sounded as if it had come from a little further on down the spring, so Clint started to head that way. Once he got there though, the person was already well on her way to standing. He stood there quietly watching the person, receiving a strange thrill as he recognized the voice, and then, well...and then the name. As, she was talking to herself, about herself.

"You know...a lesser woman would have cried. MmHmm, they would have. But not me. Nooo, not Rosealye Thomas Marshall. She is far too strong for that. She can take anything you want to bloody throw at her!" She seemed to be in quite a fury, and this amused the silent man greatly. He folded his arms across his chest, a very ill-hidden smile on his face. ... There was that awful side of him, that just wanted to stay and watch in silence. But he knew she would be horrified if she found out at all about it, and may never want to see him again, and as he didn't feel like getting struck by her either...he decided to speak up.

"...You usually talk t' yerself, Mrs. Marshall...?" Clint asked, still keeping that same stance and facial expression, even if she could see him at all in this dim lighting. His eyes lighted upon a curl that had fallen out of place, and with a sudden shock he realized she was letting her hair down...his smile started to slip. Heat quickly rose to his cheeks; he had never seen her with her hair down before...

[bwavobunny]

"...You usually talk t' yerself, Mrs. Marshall...?" Letting out a startled noise, Rose jumped, half of her hair tumbling down her shoulders. Staring into the gloom, she recognized the voice and hoped he couldn't see how red her face was; as it was, she could see him but his expression was shrouded in the dark. "Only when there's no one better to have a conversation with."

Running her fingers through her hair, she did her best to make it presentable, though she knew the tangled, unwashed mess was...well, a mess. "And you, Mr. Allen, do you often sneak up on ladies?" Though he probably couldn't see it, she smiled; somehow the darkness gave Rose more freedom than she had during the daylight.[/font][/size]

[ricochet]

"Only when there's no one better to have a conversation with." Laughing quietly he took a step forward, glancing from the earth back up to the shadowy outline of Mrs. Marshall. He could now see that part of her hair had indeed fallen loose, and, blushing, he forced himself to look away.

"And you, Mr. Allen, do you often sneak up on ladies?" "Only when I hear'm cry out...you all right?" He paused, glancing back at her with a little smirk undoubtedly lost in the darkness. "Fell in, didn't'cha?" He looked away again, idly wondering if she may need help in getting out. The thought filled him with dread as well as made his heart race, the thought of getting so close to her...like that. He shook his head, and again gave her her privacy by looking away.

[bwavobunny]

At his question, she racked her brain for a moment on how to respond; telling him she had fallen into the river would be far too embarrassing. Nodding, she replied lightly, "Yes, I am quite alrigh--" "Fell in, didn't'cha?" Cheeks heating up from embarrassment, she was speechless for a moment. Huffing softly, she raked her hands through her hair, detangling it. "...I slid in some, but I am fine. Just a bit muddier than before."

Maybe she could wash her skirt at the church. I might say here but it's outside...not to mention Mr. Allen is right there. Her head got light just thinking about such an awkward and humiliating situation. No...it can wait. It will be easier once it's dried anyways.

Finally getting the last tangle out, she didn't know what to do with her hands; it felt strange taking her hair down with Clint so close, even if they couldn't see each other very well. Tucking the loose part behind her ear, Rose gazed at Clint, seeing him looking away from her. Blinking, it hit her that he was being polite. A smile spreading across her face, she shook her head some, "You are a better gentleman than most men, Mr. Allen."[/font][/size]

[ricochet]

"...S' a slippery bank." Clint said sagely, nodding his head. He was, of course, poking fun at her, though all in good humor. He was attempting at backing up her story, weak as it was. He'd known her before, and he didn't figure her to let out a yelp like that with jus' any lil' old slide. ... Still, he supposed so long as she was okay and with no twisted ankles or nothing, then it was all right.

"You are a better gentleman than most men, Mr. Allen." She'd said that like she knew him...and, well, for whatever reason that kind of irked him, just a little bit. Inhaling sharply, he slowly loosed the breath and returned his gaze to the form of her outline.

"...S'rry that I 'ave t'disagree with ya, Mrs. Marshall. But thank you." He spoke quietly, but with a veiled passion. Then, unfolding his arms, he looked away from her and started to walk away. He would give her a moment's peace, mostly because he wished to fetch his horse. Wildfire was indeed where he had left her, and grabbing the lead, he, without ever speaking, made his way back over to where Rose was. The only sound to be heard was the clip-clop of her hooves. But yet again he wasn't looking at her, instead his gaze was on his horse's hooves, though he'd stopped almost on the bank this time.

[bwavobunny]

"...S' a slippery bank." Rose could tell he was teasing her, but she bit her tongue. Shaking her head she breathed out a laugh. "Indeed." But the good humor between them vanished as he responded to what she had thought was a nice compliment, in a heated voice, "...S'rry that I 'ave t'disagree with ya, Mrs. Marshall. But thank you." Watching his form as he turned, walking away she wondered what had just happened; was he angry? What had she said? It was a compliment...if he has a poor view of himself, you'd think that would be nice to hear.

Instead of asking or following him, she hiked up her skirt, and stomped out of the creek. "If anyone should be angry, it should be me..." she muttered. Squeezing the water out of the bottom of her skirt, Rose's eyes caught sight of a bobby pin. Several in fact, strewn over the bank. Groaning, she kneeled down and started grabbing them, scolding herself for being so foolish in throwing them around like that. "This is what happens when you let emoti--"

The clip clop of Wildfire's hoofs cut her off, and she sat back on her heels, looking up as Clint walked back over with his mare close behind him. Gazing at Clint unblinking, she let out a deep breath, then went back to searching the mud for her hair pins. "I thought you had left again, Mr. Allen. You do not have to stay if you do not wish to." She didn't want to be mad at him; he hadn't even really done anything wrong. But she couldn't help but feel irritated at the dark eyed man who hovered nearby. He had left without a word and now he was upset for...some reason Rose was too tired to figure out.
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[ricochet]

"...I don't usu'lly leave without sayin' somethin' first," He spoke evenly, and this was the truth. It didn't necessarily have to be 'goodbye,' was (at least in situations like this) more often along the lines of, 'good night,' but it was still spoken words. His gaze was drawn to her form on the ground, and he wondered what she was doing. Looking for something, apparently. Dropping the rope, he took a small step forward, about to offer his assistance, when the moonlight reflected off her curls and he realized she still had her hair down. He stopped.

"I wasn't gonna leave without first makin' sure you was really all right...a, slide, like that an' you coulda twisted an ankle, or...somethin'. An' I ain't lettin' you walk all 'way back t'town by yerself... ... What're you doin' now?" He questioned a little curiously, raising a brow as he leaned forward a bit and tried to focus his eyes on the mud there, trying to see what she was collecting. He was a little irritated with her, even he didn't really know why, but he still wished to escort her back to the town. The sun had set and nighttime in places such as this could be hazardous for a lovely young woman such as the one he was currently in company with.

[bwavobunny]

"...I don't usu'lly leave without sayin' somethin' first," Pausing in her search for a moment, she let out a small sigh. "...I believe you," she replied quietly, being honest. It was a silly thing to get upset over anyways; he was simply a man who used to work for her husband. The fact that they had met up multiple times over the last few days was mere coincidence. And his helpfulness steamed from his own gentlemanly nature, nothing else. Plucking another hairpin from the mud, Rose wished life wasn't so complicated.

"I wasn't gonna leave without first makin' sure you was really all right...a, slide, like that an' you coulda twisted an ankle, or...somethin'. An' I ain't lettin' you walk all 'way back t'town by yerself... ... What're you doin' now?" Turning her gaze towards him, she straightened her back, her hand full of muddy bobby pins. His kindness towards her was touching...and her negative feelings from earlier lessened; hard to stay mad at someone who was so worried about you.

"I can assure you that my ankles are fine. I...did fall, but it is not anything worse than the bumps and bruises I have had before, Mr. Allen. I do not break easily." Brushing hair our of her face, she silently cursed herself as mud was smeared across her cheek. Ugh...just ignore it, maybe he can't see it. Not like you could wipe it off anyhow... "...right now I am searching for the rest of the bobby pins I had to hold up my hair. They ended up in the mud...and unfortunately for me it is dark. But I think I have most of them," holding up her palm full, she smiled lightly. "And as for walking me back to town...thank you. It was silly of me to come out here in alone in the first place."

She wasn't sure if she truly believed it though, that it had been a 'silly idea.' Of course, her walking alone at night in the woods was totally new to her and something that would cause her mother to faint. Yet Rose remained unafraid, whether from courage or naivety, Rose wasn't sure. Still...maybe Mr. Allen and I can become less annoyed at each other on our walk back...[/font][/size]

[ricochet]

"...I believe you," He heard her say, just after having let out a small sigh. Clint paused and looked at her, then nodded even though she couldn't see him, glad that he had gotten that across, that she did seem to believe him. He could tell her was doing something, perhaps moving a little bit now with light glinting off her hair, but he couldn't tell exactly what.

"I can assure you that my ankles are fine. I...did fall," Here he gave a small snort; so, she finally admitted it! "but it is not anything worse than the bumps and bruises I have had before, Mr. Allen. I do not break easily." Clint snickered a little at this one, but forced himself to into a more neutral state, and the replied with,

"I don't doubt that, but sometimes even the toughest of hides c'n get a scratch." He said, looking away then, but quickly looking back when he heard her speak. "...right now I am searching for the rest of the bobby pins I had to hold up my hair." At the mention again of her hair being down, Clint felt heat rise up to cheeks, and he knew he was blushing...but then he forced himself to listen as she continued, though he made a mental note to try and get over here in the daylight and see if he could find any extras, maybe. "And as for walking me back to town...thank you. It was silly of me to come out here in alone in the first place."

"Yeah, it was." He spoke, a little harshly as he tried to combat the blush still all over his face. He was glad for the darkness. Then, to let her know he wasn't overly mad at her, he added, "...An' next time ya wanna come way out t' a place like this...at night 'specially...let me know first, a'ight? I'll come with you." He told her, taking a step towards her, and meant every word, his gaze on hers even though he was sure she couldn't see.