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"YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND." Florence stood inside the barn, it was early morning and the rooster was still having a fit, making sure that everyone who occupied the ranch was awake and wide-eyed. Her boots sinking into the muck of a mess that the rain left behind from the night before. "You wouldn't want anyone picking on you."
"Even if I did, it happened anyways, Miss Florence. Remember Dick when I first arrived?" Charley pointed out, reminiscing on the times when he first showed up on Tunstall's property.
Steve nodded his head eagerly while chewing loudly on a wad of tobacco, "You even hacked on me, but we're buddies now."
Florence sighed heavily while rolling her eyes. She loves these two, just as much as she loves everyone else, but sometimes she wishes she could just slap them both across their faces with a shovel. Almost instantly she felt protective once Chavez appeared within her vision, and as quiet as he is now, she wouldn't want him to stay that way forever.
She dug the heel of her left boot into the mud, contemplating on what she should argue next, but she couldn't come up with a single thing.
"We can't help it, Darling. It's just too fun." Charley chuckled, causing Steve to join in. Florence looked on as the two fell into contempt.
"It's what we do best!" Steve snorted as he pet every cow that moved past him. "We gotta work him in!"
Florence rolled her eyes once more, "I get that, but maybe it's time for you to dial it down."
Charley smirked devilishly as if he was in the makings of some evil scheme. "Now why's that, Ma'am?" He continued to smile slyly and focus on carving his way through Miss Tunstalls mind, making sure that no matter how long he would stand there for amongst the muck, he would eventually make her blush and shy away. "You fancy Chavez?"
Steve's eyes shot open with surprise and he was instantly sent flying backwards off of the wooden fence that divided the cow pen from the horse's stables. Charley burst out with laughter as Florence giggled on awkwardly. "Don't be so delusional." Florence scowled.
It had only been less than a night and she could feel an ongoing energy that drew her into Chavez, as if she always needed to be around him just to see if he was alright or if he needed anything in particular. Maybe she was being delusional herself or overly polite, but she couldn't help herself from glancing at him occasionally. She adored him.
Then again, it could also just be the fact that she's so young and there are so many more things to see in the world that she desires to seek them out with someone special, and something told her that Chavez was that person but she chooses to believe she's being far too naive. She is an adolescent after all, any child her age can believe at love at first sight, that does not mean it may last.
If her heart longs to travel to the ends of the desert with Chavez, then so be it. She wouldn't mind getting to know the young fellow. She couldn't stop thinking about how things would be if she was allowed on her own horse out into town and beyond. Florence would never turn back.
"Oh, that's not delusional. I know so, Ma'am." Steve made it back to his feet and Charley motioned for him to let the last cow out of the barn and into the pasture.
"You best get lost, now." She smiles, teasingly throwing her hands into her hips, "I don't wanna hear none of your foolishness."
Charley shakes his head in amusement, "Sure thing, Little Darling."
Steve also thought it would be appropriate to chime in, "Go chase after your Chavez!"
Florence stuck her tongue out, wiggling her fingers affront of her nose as the boys ran off into the fields where the cows graze. She seated herself upon the fencing on the insides of the barn and placing her hands in her lap, shutting her eyes and exhaling deeply.
There weren't many sweeter smells than the foods that she cooked, but the scents of outside held a different value that she just couldn't get her head around. There wasn't much grass, but with the bit that they obtained, it refreshed the entire area. No matter how desperately she wanted to get away, she couldn't bring herself to leave the feelings of home behind.
Florence hasn't left the ranch in a total of thirteen days in counting, she knew it was bound to come up in a conversation with her father soon, possibly about going out to the market for some more spices. Not only is her father fairly rude most of the time, he also isn't big in spending the money that he has. They grew their own vegetables and fruits in the garden that Florence tends to, but sometimes the plants don't blossom properly and she has to basically beg for a few mere pieces of currency to purchase some from town.
"Pardon me—" Florence gasped and nearly fell off of the fence the way Steve did prior. She peered over her shoulder to see her father standing in the doorway of the barn. "Lost in train of thought?"
"I am." She replied, not moving from her position, "What are you doing out here?"
Tunstall interlaced his fingers and paced towards his daughter peacefully, almost as if without a care in the world. Always placing himself upon the pedestal that he believes he stands on. "I've come to apologize once more and question you and the authority that you believe you have over me."
Florence rolled her eyes and ran a soft hand over her face, rubbing her eyes in disbelief. "I'm not having this conversation, you know the answer exactly." The lady huffed as she removed herself from the barn, brushing past her father in anger.
"That is the final—"
"The Final what, Father? What may that be? What do you plan on accomplishing with this?" She spoke threw her teeth as she had no choice but to turn around and confront him. "Punishing me by locking me away in my room? Who would look after the boys? You would have no idea of what to do, what to say, what to cook. Goodness, you don't even know their last names!"
Tunstall's jaw was clenched and his hands now at his sides, tense. "It's so upsetting. The way you treat them." She cried, "I do things myself around here, and I intend to keep it that way. You don't do anything anyways."
"Florence!" The woman spun on her heel, with no intentions of turning around as his argument rambled on. She wouldn't mind leaving the feelings of home behind as long as she had her boys with her.
ミ☆ AUTHOR'S NOTE i told you i'd get another chapter up by the end of the night. well, technically it's morning because it is 2:50am, but anyways. as i said before, wow, i'm actually writing chapters. it's a fucking miracle.
if you haven't already, be sure to check out my author's note that i posted earlier today and help me decide on what picture i should use for this books new cover! love you guys!
