This has no name right now. Let me know what you think. Or not. Ill go back through it to edit as needed so when I do I will let anyone interested in it know.
She was standing there leaning against her car looking down at the heart killed dust grass. Pushing a stone off with the toe of the boots she just bought for this trip.
She was cursing herself for this trap as well as thanking for it. She needed to get away and the conversation that drove her to it was still clear as if it was just now.
Her friends egging her on to get out. Leave town for a few days and forget about the events of the past month and a half.
She had been married to a soldier off in Iraq. Fighting for the freedom of the Iraqi people. Well thats what they were telling the world.
She she had just spoken to him on the phone the day before she found out she was pregnant. That means that the weekend in L.A. was the place she conceived her first child and was going to call it Angel if it was a girl and Angelo if a boy.
Then the next day she got the visit. The base commanders wife made it her mission to bring other wives along for the, "Dear Mrs." visits to tell wives that their husbands wives were killed.
She had taken it pretty well. At first. That night she woke up with crying and feeling very sick. She knew she was having a miscarriage and from that day until she left on her little vacation she had been so depressed she stopped taking care of herself.
But now here she was on a dirt road in the middle of no where. No one knew where she was. She had seen the winding dirt path snaking its way around the mountain from the blacktop and saw that it looked like it was heading to a very pretty lake.
She checked her phone again. No service. She tried the key in the ignition again. All she got for the effort was a sickly sounding grinding noise and a backfire.
It was hot and dry here but she could see no shade for a very long time with the sun high above.
Then she heard a noise. Not sure from which direction. The low hills all around her bounced the sound all over. There..she heard it again. And it sounded like a voice too. Emma decided to walk to the closest hill and see if she could get high enough to see farther around her.
As she tried to work her way up the hill she realised that the boots she had on were not climbing boots. She thought to her self, "How did all those cowboys do this? It looks so easy when they do it!"
She made it up about ten feet when she lost her footing and slipped down, sliding on her backside.
After a few more moments she made it back where she had gone before. Another few feet...and down she comes, sliding again on her back side.
Sitting down where she landed, head on her knees on the verge of crying she freezes cold.
A shadow had passed over her and was blocking the sun.
She startled, jerked her head up to look into the face of a dappled grey faced horse.
It sniffed and then snorted lifting its head and whinnying.
Emma could only stare. Then a man's voice," Leeroy, yer gonna scare that poor woman to death, get over here.
Emma crab crawls back a few feet when she looks over at the person the voice belonged to.
The was this man, from boots to hat, a cowboy out of the westerns her father had been fond of.
He was busy sitting in the shade of a tree, hat pulled down over his eyes and booted feet crossed out in front of him.
First thing Emma thinks is that she has lost her mind. She could have sworn that there was no tree there before. There COULDN'T have been! She remembers NO tree with in 1000 yards and no shade and definitely NO cowboy or a horse anywhere near it.
Then it occurred to her. He was just sitting there in the shade, probably even dozing off and she was stuck. Now that just couldn't stand.
Emma marched right over to where this cowboy was lounging and promptly and properly gave him her best, Hands on her hips and harumph" move that always got her the attention she needed.
Nothing.
She does it again but a little louder this time...
Nothing.
The horse whinnied and the man stirred, lifting the brim of his hat just enough to look up at the horse, then at the lady.
He had light green eyes, a Van Dyke type facial hair and stubble from a few days of not shaving. He was very tan and a solid jaw. She swore she could see a twinkle or a grin in those eyes but he pulled his hat back again before she could fully investigate.
The man said," You might want to get out of that sun. It's really hot out here and no water for at least a mile."
Emma was getting a little aggravated at this whole situation. He wasn't offering to help her in the least bit. Just advice. Lousy advice.
Emma then says, :Sir, if you don't mind would you be so kind as to fix my truck? It wont start or something and I don't even know where I am!"
The horse whinnies again.
Lady you don't know where you are? Why, your in the desert! The first rule of the desert is knowing where you came from. From there you can figure where you have been, and then from there work out how the get back.
Emma was dumbstruck. This dirty dusty man isn't lifting a hand to help her. She walks back to her truck thoroughly angry and sits in the drivers seat turning the key and trying to start the engine.
Still only getting a grinding noise she slams the door closed and turns around to walk back to the man when she runs face first into his chest, his arm on her shoulders holding her from falling back.
She pushes his hands off, starting to say that she doesn't appreciate him putting his hands on her when she sees his face.
He could be her husbands twin brother. A bit taller, a little more wiry but felt very strong. The eyes looked like they had seen a great many things. He had the crows feet around his eyes that came from a lot of smiling, like he was doing right now, and a lot of squinting in the desert sun looking out over the horizon. And that smile. It looked just like a little boys smile. Just like her husband. That adorable little boys smile.
All he said was, "Easy now. No need to get riled up. I just want to ask if you needed any help with that machine."
Well of course I do! It wont start. Something is wrong with it.
The man looks at the truck and says easily,"Well your first problem is that it isn't a Ford. I can't fix that. Second, it sounds like you have a lot of electrical garbage going on under that hood to be fixed with a knife and bailing wire.
Why don't you come with me and ill get you out of this desert back to some one that might be able to fix this tin can.
Emma at first didn't think she heard him right. "Are you saying you have a vehicle? You can take me back to town?"
No ma'am, but I have ol' Leeroy over there and we can ride you down the main road where you might find someone you can flag down.
You want me to ride on a horse? With you? It has to be at least a hundred miles to the nearest road! Emma says.
More like a hundred and fifty but yes that's the idea. Move it lady its a long ride and it will take a few days on foot.
At that the horse Leeroy slowly walks up to the cowboy and nudges his hand.
This here is Leeroy. We have been friends for a long time. Out of the saddle bag the cowboy pulls an apple and gives it to Leeroy, scratching the horses ears and the beast munches noisily on the treat.
The man then asks, "Ever sat a horse? It's easy and you wont have to do a thing..just sit."
Emma contemplates the animal warily. Not sure if this is a good idea or not. She had never been on a horse. Ever. They frightened her and she wasn't ever sure if she could but as she was thinking she feels the steel hard strong hands of the cowboy grab her and hoist her up to the saddle like she was no more than a load of flour.
Ok lady here is the one and only time I am going to tell you this. Do not hesitate. It doesn't matter if you are afraid or unsure. If I tell you to do something you do it and think about it after your done doing. If I ask you something I don't care how personal you may think it is you answer me honestly. You can expect the same from me.
When sitting on ol Leeroy you let him do the walking and me do the leading. If he starts to run you just hold on because he has a reason to run and you should stay on it.
If you listened to me you will be fine. If not then you are going to be dust on someones boots and I wont worry about it none.
The cowboy looked up at her with a straight face. No emotion at all. He was speaking to her so matter of factually that he could have been telling someone that the sky is blue and the sun is hot.
That was something she wasn't used to. Not ever has any one ever been so plainly spoken, so straight forward. So.... Honest. It kinda turned her on. This cowboy look pretty handsome. His face was familiar. He didnt look at her like she was a piece of meat to be had then left.
As the day wore on the cowboy began to whistle. Not a tune. Almost bird like. Every 50 or so steps he would let out a trilling whistle. He would look up at his horse almost like he was watching for a reaction. Almost like... was he talking to the horse?
Just as that thought crossed her mind one of the most rangy, raggedy old mutt dogs Emma has ever seen comes tearing through the brush right at them. The cowboy didn't move, didn't react. The horse whinnied but didn't try to run.
Emma screamed when the dog was about to leap into the air at her but the dog landed near the cowboy, spun around a few times and then ran up him. The man with the green eyes reached down and scratched the mutts ears.
This is insane. This is a nightmare. It's a clip taken right out of some bad western horror tv show and she is trapped in it. Crazed wild dogs, talking to a horse, who or what is this guy?
Lady this here is my friend Rut. Not my dog in a way most folks think of having a dog. He lives in this part of the desert and comes to see me when I am walking through. He wont bite you especially if you dont mess with him none.
At that the cowboy throws a stick into the brush and the dog runs after it. After a few moments of rustling noises in the brush the dog comes back with a rabbit in its mouth.
He trots over to the man and drops it in his hand. As a reward the dog gets a big piece of something leathery looking from the saddle bags on the back of the horse.
He holds it up and proclaims, "Diner!"
She was standing there leaning against her car looking down at the heart killed dust grass. Pushing a stone off with the toe of the boots she just bought for this trip.
She was cursing herself for this trap as well as thanking for it. She needed to get away and the conversation that drove her to it was still clear as if it was just now.
Her friends egging her on to get out. Leave town for a few days and forget about the events of the past month and a half.
She had been married to a soldier off in Iraq. Fighting for the freedom of the Iraqi people. Well thats what they were telling the world.
She she had just spoken to him on the phone the day before she found out she was pregnant. That means that the weekend in L.A. was the place she conceived her first child and was going to call it Angel if it was a girl and Angelo if a boy.
Then the next day she got the visit. The base commanders wife made it her mission to bring other wives along for the, "Dear Mrs." visits to tell wives that their husbands wives were killed.
She had taken it pretty well. At first. That night she woke up with crying and feeling very sick. She knew she was having a miscarriage and from that day until she left on her little vacation she had been so depressed she stopped taking care of herself.
But now here she was on a dirt road in the middle of no where. No one knew where she was. She had seen the winding dirt path snaking its way around the mountain from the blacktop and saw that it looked like it was heading to a very pretty lake.
She checked her phone again. No service. She tried the key in the ignition again. All she got for the effort was a sickly sounding grinding noise and a backfire.
It was hot and dry here but she could see no shade for a very long time with the sun high above.
Then she heard a noise. Not sure from which direction. The low hills all around her bounced the sound all over. There..she heard it again. And it sounded like a voice too. Emma decided to walk to the closest hill and see if she could get high enough to see farther around her.
As she tried to work her way up the hill she realised that the boots she had on were not climbing boots. She thought to her self, "How did all those cowboys do this? It looks so easy when they do it!"
She made it up about ten feet when she lost her footing and slipped down, sliding on her backside.
After a few more moments she made it back where she had gone before. Another few feet...and down she comes, sliding again on her back side.
Sitting down where she landed, head on her knees on the verge of crying she freezes cold.
A shadow had passed over her and was blocking the sun.
She startled, jerked her head up to look into the face of a dappled grey faced horse.
It sniffed and then snorted lifting its head and whinnying.
Emma could only stare. Then a man's voice," Leeroy, yer gonna scare that poor woman to death, get over here.
Emma crab crawls back a few feet when she looks over at the person the voice belonged to.
The was this man, from boots to hat, a cowboy out of the westerns her father had been fond of.
He was busy sitting in the shade of a tree, hat pulled down over his eyes and booted feet crossed out in front of him.
First thing Emma thinks is that she has lost her mind. She could have sworn that there was no tree there before. There COULDN'T have been! She remembers NO tree with in 1000 yards and no shade and definitely NO cowboy or a horse anywhere near it.
Then it occurred to her. He was just sitting there in the shade, probably even dozing off and she was stuck. Now that just couldn't stand.
Emma marched right over to where this cowboy was lounging and promptly and properly gave him her best, Hands on her hips and harumph" move that always got her the attention she needed.
Nothing.
She does it again but a little louder this time...
Nothing.
The horse whinnied and the man stirred, lifting the brim of his hat just enough to look up at the horse, then at the lady.
He had light green eyes, a Van Dyke type facial hair and stubble from a few days of not shaving. He was very tan and a solid jaw. She swore she could see a twinkle or a grin in those eyes but he pulled his hat back again before she could fully investigate.
The man said," You might want to get out of that sun. It's really hot out here and no water for at least a mile."
Emma was getting a little aggravated at this whole situation. He wasn't offering to help her in the least bit. Just advice. Lousy advice.
Emma then says, :Sir, if you don't mind would you be so kind as to fix my truck? It wont start or something and I don't even know where I am!"
The horse whinnies again.
Lady you don't know where you are? Why, your in the desert! The first rule of the desert is knowing where you came from. From there you can figure where you have been, and then from there work out how the get back.
Emma was dumbstruck. This dirty dusty man isn't lifting a hand to help her. She walks back to her truck thoroughly angry and sits in the drivers seat turning the key and trying to start the engine.
Still only getting a grinding noise she slams the door closed and turns around to walk back to the man when she runs face first into his chest, his arm on her shoulders holding her from falling back.
She pushes his hands off, starting to say that she doesn't appreciate him putting his hands on her when she sees his face.
He could be her husbands twin brother. A bit taller, a little more wiry but felt very strong. The eyes looked like they had seen a great many things. He had the crows feet around his eyes that came from a lot of smiling, like he was doing right now, and a lot of squinting in the desert sun looking out over the horizon. And that smile. It looked just like a little boys smile. Just like her husband. That adorable little boys smile.
All he said was, "Easy now. No need to get riled up. I just want to ask if you needed any help with that machine."
Well of course I do! It wont start. Something is wrong with it.
The man looks at the truck and says easily,"Well your first problem is that it isn't a Ford. I can't fix that. Second, it sounds like you have a lot of electrical garbage going on under that hood to be fixed with a knife and bailing wire.
Why don't you come with me and ill get you out of this desert back to some one that might be able to fix this tin can.
Emma at first didn't think she heard him right. "Are you saying you have a vehicle? You can take me back to town?"
No ma'am, but I have ol' Leeroy over there and we can ride you down the main road where you might find someone you can flag down.
You want me to ride on a horse? With you? It has to be at least a hundred miles to the nearest road! Emma says.
More like a hundred and fifty but yes that's the idea. Move it lady its a long ride and it will take a few days on foot.
At that the horse Leeroy slowly walks up to the cowboy and nudges his hand.
This here is Leeroy. We have been friends for a long time. Out of the saddle bag the cowboy pulls an apple and gives it to Leeroy, scratching the horses ears and the beast munches noisily on the treat.
The man then asks, "Ever sat a horse? It's easy and you wont have to do a thing..just sit."
Emma contemplates the animal warily. Not sure if this is a good idea or not. She had never been on a horse. Ever. They frightened her and she wasn't ever sure if she could but as she was thinking she feels the steel hard strong hands of the cowboy grab her and hoist her up to the saddle like she was no more than a load of flour.
Ok lady here is the one and only time I am going to tell you this. Do not hesitate. It doesn't matter if you are afraid or unsure. If I tell you to do something you do it and think about it after your done doing. If I ask you something I don't care how personal you may think it is you answer me honestly. You can expect the same from me.
When sitting on ol Leeroy you let him do the walking and me do the leading. If he starts to run you just hold on because he has a reason to run and you should stay on it.
If you listened to me you will be fine. If not then you are going to be dust on someones boots and I wont worry about it none.
The cowboy looked up at her with a straight face. No emotion at all. He was speaking to her so matter of factually that he could have been telling someone that the sky is blue and the sun is hot.
That was something she wasn't used to. Not ever has any one ever been so plainly spoken, so straight forward. So.... Honest. It kinda turned her on. This cowboy look pretty handsome. His face was familiar. He didnt look at her like she was a piece of meat to be had then left.
As the day wore on the cowboy began to whistle. Not a tune. Almost bird like. Every 50 or so steps he would let out a trilling whistle. He would look up at his horse almost like he was watching for a reaction. Almost like... was he talking to the horse?
Just as that thought crossed her mind one of the most rangy, raggedy old mutt dogs Emma has ever seen comes tearing through the brush right at them. The cowboy didn't move, didn't react. The horse whinnied but didn't try to run.
Emma screamed when the dog was about to leap into the air at her but the dog landed near the cowboy, spun around a few times and then ran up him. The man with the green eyes reached down and scratched the mutts ears.
This is insane. This is a nightmare. It's a clip taken right out of some bad western horror tv show and she is trapped in it. Crazed wild dogs, talking to a horse, who or what is this guy?
Lady this here is my friend Rut. Not my dog in a way most folks think of having a dog. He lives in this part of the desert and comes to see me when I am walking through. He wont bite you especially if you dont mess with him none.
At that the cowboy throws a stick into the brush and the dog runs after it. After a few moments of rustling noises in the brush the dog comes back with a rabbit in its mouth.
He trots over to the man and drops it in his hand. As a reward the dog gets a big piece of something leathery looking from the saddle bags on the back of the horse.
He holds it up and proclaims, "Diner!"
1 comment:
Very good start, I'm excited to read the whole thing.
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