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Post by Carla Adams on Aug 13, 2010 6:51:03 GMT -8
Carla woke, paid for her room, and went to the stables. She paid for Boomer's stall, saddled him, and rode through town. She wanted to find a ranch- preferably one that wouldn't mind a woman lending a hand. Even if she was just hired to cook or clean for the owner, she would be happy. Being a housekeeper wouldn't be ideal, but if she got to know the owner, and slowly worked her way into doing ranch work... Well, she'd just have to see. Before she knew it, she had arrived at Red Bronc Ranch. Dismounting, she walked with Boomer up to the house. Looking around, she noticed that the door was wide open. "Well," she thought, "That's practically asking someone to come in. " As she came closer to the house, she noticed a pen with a beautiful palomino inside. The horse was panicked, running around and giving the occasional buck. Hmm... She thought. Someone's got a wild one on there hands.The thought of wild horses excited her. She had always been one for an adventure, and what could be more adventurous than breaking a wild horse? Then she thought again. Could that really be a mustang? Not just a crazed Quarter Horse? She hadn't thought to ask what people did around here to survive, but a mustang herd could certainly turn a profit. Shaking her head, she got back on task. She tied Boomer to the post in front of the house, and cautiously stepped inside. "Hello? Anyone home?"
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misszeke
New Member
Red Bronc Owner
Posts: 24
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Post by misszeke on Aug 13, 2010 9:54:00 GMT -8
OOC: I'm on my iPhone so please excuse me changing how I make Rob's spoken words stand out haha.
Robert walked up behind the young girl standing in his doorway. He'd already been out feeding horses that morning and was surprised to hear her voice. "Well hello there. How was your stay at the lovely Crazy Wolf?" Collins stepped past the girl into his home and immediately poured himself a cup of coffee. As he took a seat at the kitchen table he gestured to the seat across from him and then spoke again "What brings you all the way out here?"
The kitchen, like the rest of the house, was big and obviously all built years ago. There was a thin layer of dust on everything due to the wind blowing through the open entry ways everywhere. Collins was still quite proud of it though. He'd built it with his father not too long before he passed away. Thick wooden boards made up the structure of the house and gave it a warm feel. Other then that though it was sparsely filled, Collins only had the essentials.
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Post by Carla Adams on Aug 13, 2010 12:03:10 GMT -8
"Hello yourself. It was...alright. I suspect I'm the first guest there in a long while- why does this whole town seem deserted?" Carla asked, following the man into his house. "I came this way to see if you perhaps needed a hired hand. I know I'm a woman, but I'm smart and strong- I can do whatever you need done." Praying he would say yes, she dropped into the seat across from him. "But first, I'd rather like to know your name. I'm Carla Adams."
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misszeke
New Member
Red Bronc Owner
Posts: 24
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Post by misszeke on Aug 13, 2010 17:00:46 GMT -8
"The name is Robert Collins. Seeing as I really need the help, I guess I could give you a try." He looked from her face down to her hands as she sat in front of him. Looked like she could pull her weight, but he wondered if she could ride to his standards.
"The town is a quiet one...I don't go into it much but it hit a little bit of hard times. People wil start coming around again soom." Collins paused a moment thinking about what to say to Carla next, socializing isn't normally something he did. "Well when can you start? You ok riding a race horse?"He leaned forward onto his forearms and his gray eyes looked into the girl's.
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Post by Carla Adams on Aug 13, 2010 19:33:28 GMT -8
Carla stared right back into Robert's eyes. "Yessir. Although I mostly ride endurance type, I could try my hand at your fancy Thoroughbreds." Her eyes sparkled as she stuck her hand out. "I'm Carla Adams. You got yourself a frisky mare out there, doncha Robert?"
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misszeke
New Member
Red Bronc Owner
Posts: 24
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Post by misszeke on Aug 13, 2010 21:07:40 GMT -8
Collins shook the girls hand then turned his head to the window where he saw out of the corner of his eye the new palomino mustang trotting around the pasture."Ah, yes...she's something huh? His eyes moved to meet Carla's "She's something you don't touch...at least, not yet." He let go of her hand and stood. "You'll learn quick I don't joke around with rules. You'll be starting with ranch chores and excerising the broodmares if you'd like. Then you can do more."
He pushed away from the table and headed back towards the door, blindly expecting the girl to follow. "So what's it you expect in exchange for your efforts? He squinted his eyes as he headed out into the sun and began walking towards the barn.
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Post by Carla Adams on Aug 14, 2010 4:57:40 GMT -8
As Robert stood up, Carla followed as they walked outside. "Well, I suppose if you have a place to stay, that'd be a start. Food is another thing I'll be needing- I have some money, but not enough to survive on alone." This was a blatant lie- she had plenty of money, probably enough to buy a ranch of her own- but she was eager to live life as a normal person would, and that meant no longer relying on her dead father's money.
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misszeke
New Member
Red Bronc Owner
Posts: 24
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Post by misszeke on Aug 14, 2010 14:31:50 GMT -8
"Well, I'm sure there's a room in the back of the house you could use. As for food...I don't cook much so I guess we'll have to work somthing out." To be honest he wasn't even sure if the stove could light and he certainly hadn't had any ice in the ice box in awhile. He mostly scrouged at the ressturant in town and ate bread at home.
Collins walked into the barn and stopped in front of a towering gray horse who had it's behind facing them. Without saying a word he slid the heavy wooden door open and slipped a beat up leather halter over the horse's nose. Quietly the horse turned and followed Collins to a tye rack near the tack room.
"There is a jockey's saddle on the back wall with a bridle hanging beneath it. That there,"He pointed a thick knuckled finger at the horse, "is Steele. He's a character. Meet me at the track outside in five minutes."With that he walked back outside to see what Carla could do.
Collins found his favorite bench under the oak tree by his private track. The breeze blew the back of his shirt as he stared out to the centerfield. Maybe when more people made it into town he would have a race again, his horses needed it.
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Post by Carla Adams on Aug 15, 2010 11:42:35 GMT -8
Carla watched Robert leave, then turned her attention to Steele. "A character, huh?" she murmered. Reaching out to pet his neck, Carla was surprised when Steele turned and nipped at her fingers. "Hey," she told him, bopping his nose. "None of that." She gathered up the saddle and bridle and began to tack him up. However, the moment she began tightening the girth, Steele reached back and attempted to bite her. "I'm beginning to see why you're called a character," she grumbled, rubbing her arm where he had managed to get her. However, the saddle was on, the girth was tightened, and now she could bridle him. Steele had other plans. He refused to take the bit, no matter what she did. Nothing short of prying his mouth open was going to work. Finally, she dug into her pockets, pulled out a carrot, and held it up for Steele to see. A sparkle came into the horse's eye, and he excitedly snatched at the treat. As his mouth came open, Carla stuck the bit in and pulled the bridle over his ears. "There we go," she said, rather pleased with herself. "Was that so hard?" Clearly, for Steele it had been. Taking up the reins, she walked him outside and mounted up. Compared to her stocky Quarter Horse, Steele felt paper-thin. Knowing that her five minutes to get to the track were long up, she urged him into a bumpy trot, and then a collected canter as they went along. Finally getting to the track, she eased him to a stop in front of Robert. "He's a character all right," she said dryly.
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