Wrapped around your finger - Post Malone

10

Back at the hogpens, Hazel peeps over the wall. She can see the shelters have been locked and can hear the occasional snort from behind the locked doors. Ok, she can do this then she will have the pleasure of rubbing her success in Austin's smug cowboy face. "Ok Christmas Dinner, you stand guard and sound the alarm if any of those murderous hogs get out," she says helping the turkey hop up some wood and then onto the hogpen wall. She looks around and sees Austin had dumped the contents of the wheelbarrow in a pile of garden junk so she fetches it and grabs the shovel that's leaning on the wall near Lucy-Lue's gate. It's fucking hot, she looks up at the sky - it's a deep blue without a cloud in sight, the sun almost blinding. There is no shade anywhere. She looks around and sees she is alone so she whips off her shirt. Half the ranch has seen her nipples the other half has seen her bra in her hand - it just is what it is at this point.

"Ok, Christmas Dinner - murder hogs or assholes. Don't let me down," she says going into   Lucy-Lue's pen and starts shoveling shit and mud. Once done she moves on to the next one and then the next until she has finished all six pens. Once she is finished shoveling she gets the hose pipe and washes the wheelbarrow and shovel down making sure to wet herself too. Taking her shirt off did nothing to ward off the heat and now her skin feels tight and her hands are painful in Mr. Post's gloves. But she does not stop. She takes a long drink from the hosepipe and then starts spraying down and washing out the hogpens and troughs. By the time she is done she looks up at the sky and sees the sun has shifted all across the sky. She has been here all day. She feels a little light-headed and drinks more water. Fucking Utah. She misses her cool temperature-controlled apartment in New York. She looks back at the hogpens and is pretty pleased with how clean they look. That will show him - he won't be so smug now. All she has to do is put some hay down and unlock the gates. Easy.

She jumps on the back of the truck and tries to lift the hay bale. But it weighs a ton and after all she has done today her arms feel like jelly. She tries again but she can't get them to move even an inch. Then she hears horse hoves clopping lazily in the distance. She stands and looks over at the road. She can see Austin on his horse walking slowly up the road, but then they stop abruptly as she sees him turning his head to look at her. He looks for a few seconds then she sees him flick the reins and propel his horse forward in an Almighty gallop. His horse is as fast as lightning and he is coming directly toward Hazel at one hell of a pace. Good, he can see how well she has done. She will win this little spat. As Austin gets closer she can feel the vibrations from how hard his horse hoves hit the ground and even closer she can see his face. It's red with anger, his eyes wide with fury. He lost and he is pissed about it. Good.

He halts his horse, jumps off, and comes running up to the truck then puts his arms out for her to jump down onto. "What have you done, you stupid girl? Come here!" he demands. The anger in his voice makes Hazel react immediately, she leans down and jumps into his arms. He holds her like she is made of glass. He moves her into the truck's shadow, puts her down, and then turns her around. "Oh my fucking...fuck!" he groans then unbuttons his shirt and takes it off, dipping it into one of the water troughs she had filled up. He comes back to her and gives her a pointed look. "This may burn at first but trust me you will want this," he says giving her a weary look and then very carefully draping his shirt around her shoulders and back. At first, the wet shirt feels amazing, cooling her hot skin then as the shirt bares down on her skin it starts burning. Her hands shoot up on instinct to remove the offending shirt but Austin stops her. "Don't do that darlin'. Your skin is burnt pretty bad from the sun," he mumbles. "My hands, they hurt pretty bad," she says. Austin looks down at them carefully and slowly removes the gloves. Both hands have big angry red blisters on her palms.

"Fuck. Stupid, stupid girl," Austin says under his breath. Then he leads her to the passenger side of the truck and helps her get into the truck. Running around he opens the driver's side, throws the bag of seeds onto the back set, and pushes the seat back. He climbs in starts the engine and turns on the aircon - full blast. Then he gets out again and slams the door behind him. Hazel watches him jump on the back of the truck and throw off the hay bales. He picked them up like they are made of air. Once they are all off he jumps down and throws one in each pen then gets to work cutting the ropes and pulling them apart. He is working ten times as fast as any man she has ever seen and he has not even broken a sweat. In no time at all he is finished and unlocks the hog shelter doors. Then he jumps over the wall and stalks back to the truck and opens the door. Before he climbs in he pats his horse. "Go home, boy," he says. The horse bolts toward the house.

Austin gets in the truck, backs it up, and drives to the house. Hazel would say something but she can't she is holding back tears and she knows if she tries to talk she will cry. She will cry because she is in a lot of pain from working unprotected in the hot Utah sun all day and because she feels stupid - how silly was she? She was so focused on proving a point to Austin she did not think about what she was doing. Austin parks the truck at the kitchen steps and gets Hazel into the house and sits her down on a chair in the kitchen. Then he rummages around in a cupboard eventually pulling out a spray bottle. "I need to take this shirt off, darlin', just stay still ok," he says. "I am fine. Stop fussing," she says. Austin ignores her and takes off the shirt carefully. "Heavens to Betsy!" Linda screeches as she comes into the kitchen. "What on earth happened?" Linda asks looking over Hazel's back. "Calm your tits, Linda," Austin says under his breath and then starts spraying her back. It stings a little but it's more soothing than anything else. "White vinegar - one of my mother's secrets. It takes the pain away...somewhat," Austin explains as he continues to spray.

"The Utah sun is no joke, Hazel. There is a reason we wear big hats and cover our limbs. How could you be so stupid?" Austin chastises her. She fucking knows. "I think I am just going to go and lie down," Hazel says standing. Linda shoo's Austin away and follows Hazel to her room. Hazel lays face down on her bed and falls asleep almost immediately.