scurlock | oom: barlow estate (2)

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oom: barlow estate (2)

He sleeps well enough, curled on his side (after he manages to fall asleep, of course, nerves in his belly twisting at him for a while after the drink and conversation) and wakes with the first sounds of someone moving around the bunkhouse.

It's Jim.

Doc gives the older hand a few minutes of head start before he hauls himself out of bed and begins getting ready for the day. He notices that Jim, and the rest of the boys, all wear their guns, so once he's dressed himself, he settles his at his hip.

It's not dawn, yet, not by a longshot, when he makes his way over to the stables and barn in order to check on his horse - and see if Jim wants a hand in getting things taken care of. Might as well offer, after all.

"Hey, Jim...don't forget t'mind your hat," he mentions, quietly, as he enters the barn. His own is hanging around his neck by the cord, where he'll keep it out of reach of the horse as best he can. "You need a hand with anything?"

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"What else would you have expected? The boss just invited the new boy in for drinks with his two heads of estate, 'cuz he likes 'im?"

He arches an eyebrow at Jay, but his tone isn't overly harsh or cruel.

"Boss knows how to watch out for his affairs. And for what he misses, he got the rest of us all to keep an eye open."

And, on that note...

"You have a nice chat with Miss Barlow?" he mutters, voice low, as he leans against the wall near Jay, arms crossed.

He glances up, at that question.

"I just came out t'ask if y'needed help and she said you'd gone in to fetch your coffee. Never got no farther in than the doorway," he nods his head in the direction. "She asked 'bout Cortez and I told her 'bout him, then I headed in t'fetch my own."

A beat.

"I ain't gonna try t'pull nothin'. I ain't stupid."

He watches his face for a moment, before snorting a soft laugh, shaking his head.

"No, I don't think you is," he mutters, amusement clear in his voice. "And it's damned near impossible to avoid her, especially out here.

"She's of the curious sort, too, I think y'might have noticed. But--"

And he leans in, then, expression becoming a bit serious.

"I'd still caution you t'be careful. Lots of us 'round here love that girl to bits. Stupid or not, you're gonna have eyes on you everywhere you go."

He nods. "I'm well 'ware of that," he says. "I honestly don't expect nothin' less," he admits.

They're loyal to her father which means that they're loyal to her. It's not hard to see how that could become a problem if he got too close to her. He'll keep his distance...and it's not like he's in love with this girl.

She's just a girl.

"She is awful curious," he continues. "Smart, though. Figured out I'd named him for the explorer 'fore I even had to mention it."

Jim nods, and there is a genuine smile on his face.

"She and her daddy love their books somethin' fierce," he remarks, straightening and moving back to his work. "Says she's gonna teach, just as soon as she's done with scoolin'."

The conversation steadily works its way back to stable matters, as Jim watches him finish with his own horse and asks his help with a few others.

Dawn is creeping over the horizon, and others are joining them in the stables now.

Cortez is ready and set before the sunlight breaks over the horizon, and he moves as Jim directs him, helping get things taken care of.

(This reminds him of Milliways, and the day she came and woke him up before the dawn, sky still grey and cold...)

It's easy enough work, for him, since he knows what he's doing - and he's determined to make a good impression.

It's not the easiest thing in the world, making a good impression on Jim. But he certainly isn't disappointed in the young man's skill around the stables.

It's not long before Samuel appears in the doorway, pack and rifle slung over his shoulder as he greets his hands. "Mornin', son," he nods to Jay as he passes, heading to where a starred gray has been pulled from his stall, and tied off to a rail.

"Boys, there are hot grits and butter inside, 'long with the usual trimmings. Jay--" he turns back to the young man, after securing his rifle to the horse's saddle. "I suggest you go eat, son. Take your time."

He keeps his deep blue eyes trained on him steadily, for a moment. Then, with a short nod, he goes back to his mount.

In his opinion, 'not disappointed' is a very good first step. When her father enters the barn, however, and tells him to eat, his attention goes to him.

"Yes sir," he replies, nodding in response before he finishes up what he was doing (never leave a job unfinished) and then heads into the main house for breakfast.

When he gets there, he's instantly made aware of where Katherine's habit of ensuring he eats proper comes from.

At least he's not the only one?

It's not as big an affair as dinner, but there are people milling about the kitchen and dining room, loading their plates and chowing down quickly before the morning's chores begin.

Katherine is in the kitchen, helping with eggs and bacon and grits, fresh, warm bread and butter made from goat's milk (made fresh on the premises), potatoes and cornbread. There's quite the spread laid out, and plenty to choose from.

It's important to Mr. Barlow that his men are fed well in the mornings, so they stay healthy and happy throughout the day's work. Some of them won't get a midday meal.

He makes his way through the kitchen and loads himself a plate full of food, knowing that he's going to want the energy later so that he doesn't hit a wall during the middle of the day - especially since he's going to be out working with the boss himself.

Jay...feels a need to impress the man, today.

Make up for lyin' to him 'bout what you've been doin' these last few years.

He takes his time eating - but doesn't tip-toe around it. Making idle conversation with a few of the other hands between bites of the meal, he drinks a second cup of coffee, while he's at it. By the time he's finished, he's fed, awake, and ready to go.

Samuel and Jim come in together, laughing and looking relatively jovial, given the hour (see, Jim does have more than one emotion!). Jim grabs himself a plate, while Samuel reaches over Katherine to get to the hashed potatoes she's currently frying up. She scolds him halfheartedly, threatening to beat his knuckles, and the older man laughs, kissing the crown of her head as he runs a gentle hand across her back.

"You get to your lessons early today, you hear?" he murmurs lowly, peering down at his small daughter. "You do a fine job with the house and the stables, but they'll survive without you."

She murmurs a submissive "okay," smiling up at him, but she is dedicated to not letting the potatoes burn, so he doesn't hold her attention long.

(He steals another pinch, and this time she does thwack him, both laughing as he backs further into the kitchen.)

He grabs some bacon and a slice of bread, finishing off his cup of coffee and leaving it in the sink, then he turns to the dining hall and motions to Jay and John.

It's time to go.

Jay finishes his last swallow of coffee before he rises from the table, clears his dishes and leaves them in the sink.

(He also thanks both the women for cooking, manners and all.)

Then he heads out of the house, following after Samuel as they make their way to the stables. His gloves are tucked into his back pocket, and he pulls them out as they walk, smacking them against his leg a time or two so that he works the dust off.

Samuel's pace is fairly quick. One might describe it as being lively. Excited.

He makes quick work of the 'bacon sandwich' he grabbed from the kitchen. Before he's even to his horse, he's already dusting off his hands.

"We'll ride on up the west side of the property line from the gate. Make ourselves a proper rotation, ending in the southwest corner by sundown. Shouldn't be too much work, but I'll want to be sure to give the northeast field a good sweep before we head on down," he informs the two men, mounting up.

His horse steps impatiently, and he hushes him calmly, tugging on his leather gloves.

"Easy, Dusty. Easy. Soon enough, boy."

Cortez is eager too, shaking his head a bit against the lead while Jay works to untie him after pulling on his gloves. The horse catches the brim of his hat and tugs him backwards, choking him a bit before he reaches up and pulls the hat back onto his head.

"M'gonna have t'train you outta that, rascal," he mutters, righting his hat before he hauls himself up into the saddle and takes up the reins, then shifts his gun belt on his hips a little so that he's comfortable.

The sun is just breaking up over the horizon, the clear sky turning into that proper, endless Texas blue.

The two men laugh -- I mean, honestly -- as Jay and his mount commune.

"Shucks, I think it gives 'im personality," John teases.

"Eh, he's just a colt," Samuel smirks, shaking his head. "Kinda suits you well, Jay."

It takes about twenty minutes for them to get to the west gate, going along at an easy trot. They pass a small garden of summer vegetables as they go, a small row of peach trees, and grassy knolls full of blooming weeds.

Samuel has himself several acres of land -- some rich, some not-so-much -- but everywhere you look there's something to see.

"I gotta admit, I kinda think it's funny myself," he quips, patting the horse a few times on the neck as they set off for the west gate, heading across the property.

He's putting it all down to memory as they ride past, thinking about the notebook that's tucked away in his bag back in the bunkhouse. He didn't get a chance to write last night, but he'll try to get a few pages of first impressions in tonight, after dinner.

"Ya'll got peaches all over the county," he comments, idly. "Noticed that ridin' in."

"Land near Green Lake is better suited for growing them," Samuel nods, eyes out toward the fence-line. "What with the water an' all. They were my wife's favorite, so I had a few planted some ten years ago."

"The little Miss makes a hell of a pie, though," John murmurs, smirking. "And them jarred peaches, with the spices?"

An appreciative 'mmm' can be heard.

Samuel doesn't say anything in reply, but he does grin.

"How long you had the property, if you don't mind me askin', sir?"

Jay glances over at her father as the horses clop along quietly.

(He wonders if he can manage to take a peach back to Milliways and get someone to help him plant it from the pit, maybe give it a bit of magic persuasion to help it sprout. His room could use something living...)

He chews on his cheek quietly as he thinks back, brow furrowed.

"'Bout... fourteen years? Came out this way after the war ended in '65. Met Katie's momma up in Oklahoma, and we came down this way for land. Guess it was '67. Katie was about a year old by that point," he recalls, his soft accent rich and wandering as he works through the memories.

He nods slightly as Samuel speaks, listening.

"I don't remember how long we'd had ours, 'fore I was born," he admits. He's a bit young to remember the war - he remembers being hungry, and both his pa and his brother being gone away, and his brother never coming back. "It wasn't that long before the war, though. Handful of years."

Samuel nods, turning to look at Jay, then glancing over his shoulder at John.

"War hit lots of places pretty hard," he says, gently. "I was lucky to get this place, as cheap as I got it. The land wasn't much back then. It'd gone to waste, years the boys were off fighting. This is likely the best harvest we've ever had, to be completely honest."

His eyes stay on the fence-line, as they come upon their first sign of repair.

"I'm sorry you lost yours."

"It was comin' back and tryin' to get things in order again that didn't help," he admits. "Cane's a hell of a crop, y'gotta burn the field out and then cut it all."

He gently pulls up on the reins to slow the horse to a stop as they near the section of fence that needs fixing. "War took a few of our hands, an' my older brother."

He swings himself out of the saddle and drops quietly to the ground, moving to tie the horse so he'll stay put while they repair the busted patch.

John cusses under his breath, and Samuel shakes his head, already moving towards Jay.

"And for that I'm especially sorry," he murmurs. "Losin' family isn't easy."

Jay gets a gentle hand on his shoulder, before the man crouches to examine the fence.

They all talk some, but for the most part they do the work in relative silence. When the fence is looking pretty good again, John picks his hat off his head to wipe the sweat from his brow, and squints down at Jay.

"You make it sound like you still got some family left yet. How come you to leave them an' come all the way out here on your lonesome?"

Jay nods slightly, looking down. "Thanks," he murmurs, before he goes about helping with the fence.

(This he knows how to do, given that they had to do it on Tunstall's ranch all the time.)

"My parents are both still livin'," he says. "Daddy works goin' for coal, and my mama takes care'a the house. They got a little place in town, south Alabama - land's cheaper, and there was work in the mines for him. I got another brother, older'n me, he works on the river. My sister's younger. Probably gonna go off t'school in a year or two."

He shakes his head.

"I just...went lookin' for work and...kept goin', I guess."

It's common enough. John just nods his head.

Samuel, however, glances up, arms resting on his knees as he hovers in that crouch a moment longer.

"Don't have no sweetheart waiting on you?"

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