It wasn't the red checked shirt that caught her eye that afternoon as she slung a saddle over the metal rail, nor was it the long blonde hair blowing in the wind that had sprung up a few hours ago. It was the look in her eyes that caught and held her attention for a moment in time, there was a hint of longing, a quiet desperation that reminded her of home. Her childhood hometown brought in tourists by the hundred every summer and the women preened themselves, hoping that somewhere amongst the men there was a potential Prince Charming or even just an ordinary man looking for an ordinary woman.
Wendy leaned on the corral and studied the woman for a moment, she looked to be about twenty five but it was hard to tell from this distance, but she had been noticed for the woman was walking towards her, a brown bag dangling from her shoulder. The shirt was tied off above her pierced navel and she had to have been poured into those skin tight Levis. Wendy smiled, sometimes she was glad she kept in her closet, it gave her a chance to study the women without them realizing they were being studied. Texan women had a distinctive walk, and this particular woman was no different. Wendy pulled herself back from the brink and fluffed out her hair.
"Hiya," she grinned, "you come to look over my babies?"
"Yeah," she looked past her at the horses hobbled nearby, "nice horses."
"Yeah," she glanced over her shoulder, "they're my babies and my only means of income, name's Wendy Dawson, we're the wild west contingent of this traveling fair."
"Samantha McLeary," she nodded, "you riding in the show tonight?"
"Me?" she tapped her breast, "nope, this sport is hard on you, I pulled a tendon a few years back and decided to retire but then Frank, the owner of this show made me an offer I couldn't refuse and the rest is history. He's the boss but I run this part of it and we do all right."
"You don't look so old," Samantha looked her up and down, "you're what, thirty?"
"Why thank you," she smiled, "but you can add another six years to that number and you win the grand prize."
"You don't say," Samantha studied her, "so you do this full time?"
"Six months of the year, the other six I stay with my brother and his wife in Montana."
"No man?" her eyes widened.
"A man?" Wendy smirked, "now what would I be wanting with a man and all? I've been done with men a long long time ago."
"Oh," Samantha's eyes widened, "so you're like into women?"
"Yeah," she turned back to her, "I like women on account they don't leave dirty socks lying around and no women yet has ever made me miss my period."
Samantha chuckled.
"Yeah I'm with ya there," she squinted at the striped tent off to her right, "the men here are much the same although I haven't tried the women yet," she flicked at her hair.
"Well it ain't all beer and skittles, honey," she cocked an eyebrow, "we got our dark side too."
"I guess," she squinted, "so do you think I could meet your babies?"
"Yeah, why not," she ran an eye over her sandals, "we might have to find you a pair of boots though. I'd hate one of them to step on those toes."
"Oh I'll be careful," she grinned, "my mom and her boyfriend have horses back on the ranch."
"And where are they?"
"Mom is outside of El Paso on a ranch, she's been with her boyfriend since I was a year old. I never knew my real dad, so I guess Bob is my dad," she moved towards the gate, "I moved here with my man but he lit out for the big city and never came back."
"Well that's a damn shame," Wendy managed a moment later.
"No it ain't," she murmured, "there's no doubt that Eddie's engine was running but there wasn't nobody driving, we're better off apart. Mama always said I could do better," she handed over her bag and fluffed out her hair.
"So, you got kids?"
Wendy bit her lip, "nope, I came close once but I miscarried, a boy."
"What was his name?" she pushed her hair over her ear as she handed over the second sandal.
"Josh," she swallowed the memory, "he's buried back home in West Virginia, well he's got a gravestone out in my parent's yard, nothing under it, just dirt. They had him out in half an hour and disposed of, not many people ask his name."
"I ain't most people," she moved towards the horses, "they say that no good thing ever dies, it just gets reborn as something else," she held out her hand and cooed.
"That's a boy, you got nothing to be scared of," she tickled a horse's head, "yes ma'am, your boy ain't gone, he's still with you," she moved through the herd and Wendy held her breath. Her bare feet were totally unprotected but she skipped nimbly past the horses. Wendy bit back the memory, how long had it been since she'd mentioned that and more to the point, why had she mentioned it?
She wasn't aware of Jake's presence until he coughed.
"She wearing shoes?"
"Nope," she shook her head, "you wanna do me a favor and fetch me a first aid kit, I got the feeling we gonna need it."
"Call her back," he stepped forward.
"Too late," she fell into step beside him as Samantha reappeared leading a horse by the head, her hand was just under its head and her other hand had hold of the mane.
"You reckon I can ride her around here? I'll pay you for it."
Wendy looked down at her painted toenails and sighed.
"Honey, you walked in amongst fifteen horses, in bare feet and came out without a scratch, you can ride for free," she nodded at Jake, "fetch me a bridle and saddle and try and find her some boots."
"No need for a saddle or boots," she replied, "just a bridle."
It was poetry in motion she murmured to Jake a few minutes later as the young woman cantered around the corral, the dress riding high up her perfectly tanned thighs.
"I'll bet she's got nice legs too," he put his elbow on her shoulder.
"I ain't talking about the legs," she frowned, "but now you mention it, the girl has got rhythm, you'd almost think she was part horse."
It was true, the woman was almost fused to the bay mare and Wendy found herself drawn to the look on her face, it was as if she was in a different world. Gone was the hungry look she'd had worn a few minutes ago to be replaced with a satisfied smirk as she circled the herd, cutting in and out rising and falling in perfect rhythm. The mare settled into an easy pace as she cantered past Wendy and Jake and she shot her a sly grin.
"She's got an easy gait," she turned suddenly and drove the horse around the outskirts, a couple of horses whinnied and followed her as she circled the corral a couple of times before drawing to a halt. She stared at Wendy and grinned.
"Beautiful horse, what's her name?"
"Crackling Rosie," she called out.
Samantha eased the mare through the herd her hands swept over their coats as she murmured something under her breath and when she broke through to the other she turned and slid off Crackling's back and put her forehead to the mare's head.
