Grew up in a mansion? Well, that would certainly explain why she didn't know how to ride. He never would have guessed, though, that she'd had a fancy upbringing, she seemed so...well, normal!
"Well, I can teach ya some drivin', too, if ya like. Might be more useful than just ridin', but not nearly as fun!" He really did relish being in the saddle, the feeling of freedom...well, at least for the first ten hours or so!
"So, what brung ya here, if ya don't mind?"
"Everybody can feather their nest, but it's not just anybody that can lay an egg!"
"You're a Southerner, Mr McVey, you know what I mean!" she assured him.
"I am, and I do. In fact, I had the honor of serving in the Third Virginia Cavalry, and then the Army of Tennessee under General Nathan Bedford Forrest, and followed him in his commands as Forrest's Cavalry Corps." Phin stated proudly.
“Oh, Mr McVey, you served under the ‘Wizard of the Saddle’ himself! Oh, that’s wonderful!” gasped Arabella in admiration. The Northerner Astin, who always avoided trouble if he could help it, kept his mouth shut. He knew that the former general had become a Wizard of another sort, since the end of the war, and a pretty grand one at that.
"Now Forrest had him several fire and brimstone preachers with his commands over time. Men who preached as well as fought. It was a time, I'll tell you that."
“Oooh, I bet you were at some famous Battles, Mr McVey…” Arabella cooed.
Like Fort Pillow, Astin ruminated.
“… though I know real life war heroes don’t like to talk about it.” She smiled genuinely, patting him on the arm “Just like Mr Flandry at the saloon… I mean, he was on the wrong side and all, but I think that all our boys on both sides were just soooo brave.” She gave a sort of sigh. “It’s just a pity I was too young to serve, I think I’d have made a good spy, you know, hiding secret cypher messages in my petticoats and what-not.”
“Anyway, back to General Forrest, you know he has been doing sterling work in Washington, trying to make sure dear Senator Tilden got his due, before those rascally Republicans swindled us out of the Presidency!”
“Oh Lord, here we go…” muttered Astin.
"Every town needs a newspaper."
"The time spent with the General in that war was not glamorous, nor something one relishes to talk about, in fact other than admitting that yes, I rode with the man and did my duty, to live in that particular past is not somewhere I care to be. I lost far too many friends. And I don't mean to be condescending about this. Not at all, the war was lost and the country is being rebuilt, though some believe it is rebuilt already, that is far from accurate." Phin explained, "The re-United States of America still has its detractors, and they are many, though most do not see that, nor are those who do, willing to admit it."
"Just a newspaperman's observations, and a soldier's reflections. War is not glamorous by any stretch of the imagination. It is brutal, plain, and simple." Then he smiled, "But here in Montana, we are far removed from all that transpires in Washington, being none of our concern at the present time. They will get around to us for statehood in time, be it this year, or five years away, Montana will become a state."
"Well, I can teach ya some drivin', too, if ya like. Might be more useful than just ridin', but not nearly as fun!" Justus now offered.
"Frankly I can not imagine me ever purchasing a carriage or wagon let alone the horses to pull it," Constance pointed out, "Let me think on your kind offer about learning to ride."
The last thing she needed was to fall off one of those beasts and get injured badly enough to miss work.
"So, what brung ya here, if ya don't mind?" he now asked.
"A stagecoach," she grinned but then continued, "But yes, not what you meant. Matters came to a head back east that warranted me going out to seek my fortune here out west. I needed a job and saw the advertisement. That's it, in a nutshell."
She was not about to tell him all about the extent of family drama and bickering which exiled her out in this wilderness frontier.
"Everybody can feather their nest, but it's not just anybody that can lay an egg!"
Arabella made such cow eyes at Phin that Astin expected a bell to appear around her neck and a ring through her nose.
"Oh, Mr McVey, I could listen to your stories all day long... so interesting and wise!"
Jesus, pondered Astin, she really did want good reviews in the Union this coming season! Still, good reviews for her usually also reflected well on him, he usually played the romantic 'Juvenile Lead' against her Ingénue.
"Just a newspaperman's observations, and a soldier's reflections. War is not glamorous by any stretch of the imagination. It is brutal, plain, and simple." Then he smiled, "But here in Montana, we are far removed from all that transpires in Washington, being none of our concern at the present time. They will get around to us for statehood in time, be it this year, or five years away, Montana will become a state."
Arabella wanted to explode into an counter argument around how a Democratic President would have sent a Democratic Governor out here and he would kick all those no good Republicans out, but she bit her tongue, patted Phin's hand and cooed "You are sooooo right."
"A stagecoach," she grinned but then continued, "But yes, not what you meant. Matters came to a head back east that warranted me going out to seek my fortune here out west. I needed a job and saw the advertisement. That's it, in a nutshell."
"Stagecoach!" Justus chuckled and rolled his eyes. "Well, can't say much for Kalispell since I'm just arrived from Texas myself, but so far I like it. More rain than I'm used to, but it's a real pretty place."
With more than just trees as scenery!
"An' ya don't gotta own a wagon ta know how ta drive one." He shrugged. "I don't own a wagon, but here I am. Never know when ya might have cause ta drive out to th' ranch or somewhere. Don't wanna be stuck here in town all th' time, do ya?" There was so much to see 'out there', and he couldn't imagine never leaving town. "There's a real pretty waterfall out at th' ranch, ya oughta see it sometime."
He liked her stagecoach quip. Unlike her father and brother who thought girls should be serious and proper. He was also quite new to Kalispell.
"Yes, so far I am content here in Kalispell. I have found the people quite friendly," Constance easily admitted.
Talk drifted back to horses, seemed the cowboy was really pumping for her to learn to do something involving horses.
An' ya don't gotta own a wagon ta know how ta drive one." He shrugged. "I don't own a wagon, but here I am. Never know when ya might have cause ta drive out to th' ranch or somewhere. Don't wanna be stuck here in town all th' time, do ya?"
"Well, I have been here since I arrived, in town that is but when the weather gets nicer, you might have a point," she conceded.
"There's a real pretty waterfall out at th' ranch, ya oughta see it sometime," he announced.
"Oh, sounds nice. Back home there was a small one, not natural, man-made near our neighborhood and my sisters and I would go swimming in the pond it made. Until father found out. He ended that right off," she recalled disgustedly.
"Alright, tell you what, Justus... when we get some nice warmer weather out, and you and I can get free at the same time, you can show me how to ride a horse. But you provide me a gentle one, understand?"
"Of course, th' most gentle horse on th' ranch." If they were going to do this, the last thing Justus would want was for Constance to have a bad experience and not want to try anything again. "That'd be Mule...he's a horse, not a mule, but I just call him that 'cause he's lazy as th' day is long! He'd be more'n happy ta just plod along."
He'd feel better anyway with her on Mule, since he knew the horse well, knew how the animal would react, which was basically not at all!
"Feed him a carrot or two, an' you'll be his friend fer life! Reckon he'd like pie, too...anything sweet."
Well, well, he even had a horse picked out for her first lessons? One with the name of another species but who cared as long as it didn't throw her or trample her.
"Mule huh? Very well," she nodded.
"Feed him a carrot or two, an' you'll be his friend fer life! Reckon he'd like pie, too...anything sweet," he suggested.
"Oh gosh! Was that a hint? I'm so sorry, I forgot about your pie and coffee. Just wait right here," with that she picked up her skirts and rushed back into the kitchen, cut a very generous slice of pie and heaped it on a plate, put a fork on the plate, then poured some coffee into a cup. Placing the items on a tray out she went with them for his enjoyment.
"Here you go! On the house, Justus," she presented it to the young man.
As he took his first forkful, she blurted out, "Sugar!"
Then clarified that with, "Sugar cubes, my sisters and I used to sneak father's coach horses some sugar cubes from the dining table. So I do know horses like sweet things."
"Then I imagine they all like you." Justus quickly realized what he'd just said and was suddenly very invested in the pie. "This is real good, just like I remember from here!"
His cheeks were hot, likely bright red, and he avoided her gaze. "Coffee's good, too." Although he hadn't even tried it yet! "Yeah, they like sugar cubes, too, an' Mule likes lemon drops an' pepermints, too." Grinning, he finally looked at her. "Me, too!"