I'd Do Anything For Love - Young guns Fanfiction

Something Out Of The....Cows Mouth

Once we all got back to the house we started the days chores. Tunstall had left a note saying I didn't have to work for the first day that way I could get into the swing of things but if I really wanted to do something then I could work with the cattle. He knows I'm good with cattle.

The only thing that needed to be done was to get the cows away from the east fence so the fence could be repaired. Apparently during the storm parts of the fences broke or needed regrounding.

I stayed on Ulysses and headed out to where the cows were somewhat bunched. The eyes of the others burned through my back as we got closer.

With a sharp whistle and Ulysses and I trotting back and forth from one side of the herd to the other the herd noticed. More whistles and more trotting and the herd got moving. They all followed close behind as we went to the western area of the pasture.

The others watched in slight amusement. It always amused me. How cattle responded to Ulysses and I. There was a reason why I named Ulysses his name. He seemed like a great leader. Like Ulysses from The Adventures of Ulysses.

We trotted up to the fence as Charlie and Dick rushed in on horseback to fix the fence. I got a nod and smile from Steve. Chavez just nodded and turned to do whatever his chores were.

The rest of the day was mostly uneventful. Dick shouted at me a couple of times but left my past out of it. Chavez finally talked to me. He had talked about something someone in his family said.

Later on in the day I had been sitting on a fence post with Ulysses standing beside me. Everyone had been fucking around. At some point I heard Dick say that Tunstall and Doc was back with another person.

"I hope its not another Mexican." I heard Steve say. I gave him a dirty look and he glanced away.

"Mexican-Indian, son of a bitch!" Chavez retorted. Dick had told everyone to pipe down. I looked off in the distance and saw Tunstall, Doc, and the horses coming down the path with a young boy in the back. I wonder who he is.

Everyone was sitting inside. It was late and Tunstall was having everyone read a passage from a paper. Tunstall knew I knew how to read so he left me alone. Still, I read. I sat on the couch I slept on with the window open so Ulysses could see. He can't read but I whisper the story to him. Ironically, I'm reading the story he's named after.

Everyone sputtered put their part of the passage. That's something I admire about Tunstall. He's a caring educator. The story got passed around and it landed on the new kid who I now learned the name of: Billy.

He read flawlessly. Damn, its been awhile since I heard someone that young read flawlessly. I glanced at him in amusement and chuckled. Everyone sort of glanced at me.

"What?"

Everyone had continued reading and what not and once everyone finished we had said good night to Tunstall.

"Colleen, the guest room is open for you. You don't have to sleep in the bunk house with the others if you don't want to." He had the familiar soft look in his eyes.

"Thank you, Mr. Tunstall. I'm okay with sleeping in the bunk house with the others." I smiled at him and got off the couch and ran to the guest room to grab my bags. After that I followed everyone into the bunk house.

Billy walked up to me.

"So what do they call you, miss?" He seemed charming. I sat on the cot and sat my bag down underneath.

"Colleen Andrew Flanagan. I'd like it for ya to call me Andy." He smiled and nodded then quickly looked back to me.

"Did you say 'Flanagan'? Any relations to Molly 'Bridge Setter' Flanagan?" He questioned me. I laughed deeply and looked over to Steve and Dick. The only two in the bunk house that know. I looked back to Billy.

"Maybe. But that sounds like something out of the cows mouth!" Billy gave me a confused smile.

"That ain't how the saying goes!" He said with a hearty laugh.

"Not where you're from maybe but I'm best with cattle. Both caring for and riding! Ask any of these fins gentlemen and they'll tell ya!"