Lunch at the Ranch

[beth]

It was about mid day at the ranch and Elle had a hankering for a nice meaty sandwich. So she took the loaf of bread out and cut herself off a couple of slices. Then she looked around for the meat and some cheese. Carefully Elle went about preparing the sandwich to her specifications.

As she finished preparing the sandwich she went over to the table and sat down to eat. She knew that with her luck she would have someone coming to join her in no time, even if it wasn't so much to eat but to talk instead.

While she ate she smoothed out her dress some, especially the skirt of it. Elle was not the biggest fan of dresses. Just the same she knew that she had to wear them when there were other people present. It was only when she was truly alone that she sometimes wore a man's shirt and pants, for comfort reasons. That was a rare occurrence now that she was a little older, wiser, and mature however.

At the age of twenty-two she knew she had to try to become more of a suitable choice for someone to make her their wife. After all she could not run the ranch on her own and one day her father would not be around to be in charge of it any longer. Part of her still had that need for adventure though, but she tried to keep it at bay the best she could. Elle just hoped that guys would like her how she was through and through. Or at least that one of them would.

[Sojourner]

While Elle settled down to enjoy her sandwich, the sheriff was riding. He spent a good part of each day riding out and about, frequently checking in on the mustang herd and frequently stopping by the nearby ranches to see how things were going. When he wasn't astride his beautiful bay mare's back, he was typically found either in the jail house tending to bothersome paperwork or in the Crazy Wolf. It was uncanny, the cooling influence he had on the patrons of the bar. Tempers didn't seem to get nearly as ruffled when the sheriff was there at one of the tables enjoying the cook's famed stew.

Speaking of food, he hadn't bothered to eat much yet today. A bit of somewhat stale bread and some beans, but that had been it. Jake was many things, but he wasn't a cook. Nor did he have a wife or a mother to constantly shove warm fresh meals into his lanky frame with the insistence that he needed a bit more meat on his bones. Cooking wasn't something he liked to bother with, particularly when there were things he felt more important to be done. As a result, he subsisted mostly on the things that the townswomen would occasionally bring by the jail house and whatever was the most quick and convenient.

Hunger aside, he had come to the Iron Star for a reason. An older gelding trotted along behind the sheriff as he rode Blaze through the gate, led in Jake's free hand. He rode up to the hitching post near the ranch house and dismounted fluidly. It was as easy for him as taking a breath. After making sure that both horses were secure, he stepped up onto the porch and rapped on the door jamb twice.

[beth]

Elle looked over at the door as she heard someone rapping on the door jam. She knew it was probably someone that was from around town. Most outsiders did not come up to the door like that when most of the men were out and about. As she finished up her sandwich she got up from the chair she had been sitting in and walked over to the door. She smoothed out her dress some again. For some reason today she was kind of anxious about how her dress looked. She just could not quite place why.

Slowly and cautiously she opened the door a crack knowing that there was a riffle near by that she could grab in a hurry if she needed to. When she saw that it was the Jake she opened it the rest of the way. "Good day, Sheriff," she forced herself to say. Mainly because it seemed so formal to her. Elle was still trying to get use to being a little more of a proper lady. She just hoped that it did not make people think something was wrong with her however.

After all Elle hardly ever actually thought of his as 'the Sheriff.' In her mind he was Jake. At that she kind of found him rather pleasing to look at and easy to get along with. In general though she found a lot of the guys rather good looking. She had never been all that peculiar about how a guy looked. Personality was more important to her, that and how she got along with them.

"What brings you out this way today?" In her defense she really did not just want to assume things. That and she was a little nervous about talking with him, which for her was rather odd. Lately though she had been becoming rather anxious around men.

[Sojourner]

It wasn't long after Jake had knocked that the door opened just enough for Elle to see that it was him before opening the door further. "Miss Elizabeth," he said in the same slightly stilted manner, touching the brim of his hat, then removing it entirely out of courtesy. He reached up to tousle his somewhat flattened short hair back into life. He also found it strange to address her somewhat formally, though arguably he was taking a bit more of a liberty just by using her first name after the title rather than 'Miss Emerson'. He still thought of her as Elle, the girl he'd pestered when he was still a cheeky and mischievous boy.

The reality was that they were both grown now, not kids. Jake in particular was well seasoned with harsh experience now, after spending time beyond the town making his own way. The underlying tension between a young unmarried man and woman had slipped almost imperceptibly into their way of seeing one another. There were certain necessary manners, just to maintain a socially acceptable distance from one another.

"I've brought Talisman by," he said after a moment, gesturing to the gelding that had been tied near Blaze. "He must've gotten out somehow. I saw him out not far from the mustang herd. Of course, they wanted nothin' of him. Roman might well have threatened to harm him if he got too close." Jake paused. "I managed to catch him, I knew your father would want him back." Talisman was an older gelding that Tom Emerson had bred and trained himself. The pair of them had spent many a year together serving the town much as Jake and Blaze did these days. The gelding had been retired from most work at about the same time that Old Tom himself had retired. They had lived and grown older together. Jake knew that Tom cared a great deal for the loyal gelding.

OOC: Apologies for the delay!

[beth]

When Jake told her that he had brought back Talisman back, it did not come as much of a surprise to her. The horse gelding had probably gotten bored or something and found a way to escape. She listened rather carefully to what Jake was telling her. Elle had never really been too interested in all the things that went wrong behind the scenes. No, she was more of the type that liked to ride around on the horses around for fun, groom them, and the very basics. Most of the rest of it escaped her. Although she was trying to learn as much as she could because it was the family business and therefor she needed to know about it.

"We'll have to have the guys check around and how he might of gotten out." At that point she really did not know what else to really say to Jake. Well without saying something that others would frown upon. She anxiously shifted her weight from one side to the other. "Thanks for bringing him back... Sheriff." Elle really had to get use to calling him that. It was harder than she thought though to stop thinking of him as Jake. Of course now that she thought back on when he use to pester her it kind of made her happy. It was then that she felt a smile come about her face. As the realization crossed her mind it caused her to blush.

"Again thanks, I'm sure my father will be happy to hear that you found him and brought him home." Elle's nerves had started to get the best of her. Part of her just wanted him to leave out of sheer embarrassment. While the other part of Elle wanted him to stay and talk. Although she had no idea what they could really talk about that would be appropriate and be something that they were both at least somewhat highly interested in.

[Matt Sabre]

Noon. That term was incredibly stoic. Not only was it the time when the animal population was to be snoozing in the dirt it was also the time of day that Matt hated the most and being so close to the dang sun didn't help matters much as he slowly made his way around the exterior of the grain silo accompanied by three other men intent on keeping the greedy little black scavengers from stealing their month's grain. Matt risked a single gaze upward past the higher rafters to locate the source that hickawed back through the slight cracks filtering grainy sunlight and to add equal measure to the harsh sunlight his thumbed his right eyebrow flicking the sweat from his fingertip over the railing and bent forward, one foot placed causally on the step in front of him he pressed his back to the silo's oval exterior. Them crows..

It was always something. They needed to make ample time in scaling this monster. With his back pressed to the initial wooden structure behind him he could sense the agitation the men exerted. They were antsy to move on and go about their natural lives rather than chase down crows circling up above. Matt didn't blame them. In face he couldn't. Grabbing the banister in front of him he dipped his face over the side peering straight down seemingly lost in the sudden vortex he was feeling and the snap whistle brought him back from his subdued reverie almost immediately. "C'mon boys.", Matt said flatly leaving no room for friendly negotiations commenting the height of their problem. Matt led the rest of the way to the top, floorboards squeaking ominously underneath every shaking step. Round and round they climbed in relative silence keeping the crows' hungry chorus close.

With every step it seemed the crows grew closer and with every bated breath Matt could sense the ranch-hands behind him, climbing close, reaching for the longs arms waiting to take their shots. Matt, huddled over and breathing heavily, concluded that there would be no shot fired. Upon reaching the upper platform Matt pressed up against the last quadrant of steps keeping the platform between him and them and peering up through the cracks he could just make out the dark blotch acting as the buffer between the sun. "Listen closely, I ain't gonna repeat my dang self." Matt heaved a sigh settling himself down on the step pulling his brown hat free and with that same hand wiping his forehead with his arm before bringing the hat in front of him twirling between his fingers thinking madly on their next step. He could sense those exhausted eyes..

His entire body ached and dancing his in an upward fashion to meet that of his crew they too appeared demanding. "No shooting.", Matt waved his finger before him much to the crew's garbled protest some even hanging their heads in mock sorrow their shoulders almost immediately sagging. Which assured Matt that they wouldn't partake to any more lecturing. My feet hoss Matt replaced his hat slapping one knee. "Let's get on then." Swaying his arm up the stairs ushering little boys into the kitchen the notion was ill-advised as Matt took to the steps again after one man who had slipped past him. Breaching the platform felt thrilling. Except for the murderous birds and while Matt scrambled up onto the platform, standing to his feet and brushing his hands off he spotted the glint of a sidearm. "I hope you get a plan to go along with that pea shooter." Matt sounded bloated.

His protest resulted with retention. "Well, dang. How else am I gonna get these here birds away?" The man was out of options. Matt pulled his sidearm from the waist and without warning fired up into the air and with the resulting echo cries from just beneath the platform resounded. Another shot was fired this time from Matt's platform compatriot who took the hint, firing once and then twice. Both men shook their heads and in unison aimed their sidearms up high above their heads, blinking one eye to shield the sun, and fired until a thick white veil separated the two. Matt slapped his partner on the shoulder while the resulting crows scattered disappearing into the blue sky. "Harry, I think we saved the day." Matt said, finding himself looking at the man and slapping his shoulder. His face scrunched from the heat. His smile was evident while he turned and descended.

Once back on the ground and plotting his course for the house, behind him the shrilled voices of those that didn't get to partake in the adventure were moaning like banshees. Matt flexed his fingers feeling the nasty feeling of arthritis build between the crevasses. Scanning his gaze from side to side taking in every beautiful detail the ranch had to offer many men were about loading wagons to be shipped off, others arguing for no reason at all. Off duty.[/] Matt's mind turned him off to approaching the belittlement. Besides he wasn't no shrink the magnum at his side told him different and while he approached the balcony around the front of the house he could make a figure in the doorway and as he drew closer the voices became realization. Matt would be extra careful. As he stepped up onto the base step he found himself surprised that it didn't squeak and while he climbed, hands pressing against his thighs, the image of the house loomed in his view.

Their voices were now crystal clear. Everything was in order, in other words. Matt was no hoarder, neither an intruder and finding that his way was hampered he decided to twist his waist so that he may find room while slowly placing his hand down softly upon the sheriff's closest shoulder to let him know he was there. "Sheriff. Ma'am." Matt slipped through the doorway tugging on his hat in respect and crossing into the threshold which seemed more pleasant than being out in the torturous sun.