Who was Addy? Didn't everyone know Addy? Well, Jane was sort of new in town, after all.
"Addy's my...Mom. She adopted me after my Ma was killed in the big blizzard in Whitefish," he explained, leaving out the rest of the story, that Addy had been looking after him for a few years before that, even when his mom was still around.
He led the way to the stall where Milan was and clicked softly with his tongue, catching the pinto's attention. "She drives freight wagons," he continued proudly, "and killed a big bear that killed one of her horses, and shot some bandits!"
The horse put his head over the gate and sniffed Weedy's hand, then smacked his lips, making the boy laugh. "He wants a treat! Do you want to give him a lemondrop?" Digging one of the lint-covered treats out of his pocket, he offered it to Jane. "Just hold your hand open, flat. It'll tickle a little!"
Oh dear, we're all of a flutter!
"Addy's my...Mom. She adopted me after my Ma was killed in the big blizzard in Whitefish," he explained, leaving out the rest of the story, that Addy had been looking after him for a few years before that, even when his mom was still around.
Jane's face fell and she struggled to know what to decently say. Yes, Arabella had been right, talking about dead folk on a first date was a bit of a conversation killer. Not that this was a date... more of a Machiavellian ambush.
"Oh... sorry." she finally managed.
"She drives freight wagons," he continued proudly, "and killed a big bear that killed one of her horses, and shot some bandits!"
Presumably this was the new Mama he was talking about, not the old one, and her antics clearly had the boy enthralled. Jane didn't see herself being able to do anything remotely so interesting... in fact she jumped and shied away even when Weedy called his horse to him and Milan put his head over the stall gate.
The horse put his head over the gate and sniffed Weedy's hand, then smacked his lips, making the boy laugh. "He wants a treat! Do you want to give him a lemondrop?"
"Oh, er, alright..." she was terrified but determined not to show it.
Digging one of the lint-covered treats out of his pocket, he offered it to Jane. "Just hold your hand open, flat. It'll tickle a little!"
She held out a trembling hand as instructed, vaguely wondered if horses only liked furry sweets, and eyes screwed tightly shut and a grimace on her face, she held it out for the pinto to take.
She felt the horse's breath on her wrist and a sort of hairy-rubbery feeling just over her hand. Then she opened her eyes: her hand was still there, the lemon drop was gone, and she was still on her feet, not having fainted.
As Milan chewed the sweet, he tossed his head and smacked his lips, making Weedy laugh. "See, he likes it! And he likes you, too!"
Opening the stall door, he slipped a halter onto the horse then led him into the barn's breezeway. "He's real tame," Weedy explained, holding up hand so the horse could rub his forehead. "The Indians raise them from foals, handle them so they don't need to be broken, they're already friends. Look at this!"
Dropping the lead, he crawled under the horse's belly, then stuck his head between its front legs. "See here? He's real gentle!" Grinning, he scooted back out and patted Milan's shoulder. "Do you want to help me brush him?"
Oh dear, we're all of a flutter!
As Milan chewed the sweet, he tossed his head and smacked his lips, making Weedy laugh. "See, he likes it! And he likes you, too!"
"Really?!" Jane had a sneaking suspicion that Milan would like Satan himself if he sauntered into the stables with a lemon drop in his fiendish hand.
Opening the stall door, he slipped a halter onto the horse then led him into the barn's breezeway.
Jane stumbled back a little, still scared - it would take more than a sweetie treat to erase the memory of her sister's tragic trampling.
"He's real tame," Weedy explained, holding up hand so the horse could rub his forehead. "The Indians raise them from foals, handle them so they don't need to be broken, they're already friends. Look at this!"
Jane's mouth dropped as Weedy climbed under the horse, her heart started to thump, hard, blood rushed into her ears, almost deafening her.
Dropping the lead, he crawled under the horse's belly, then stuck his head between its front legs. "See here? He's real gentle!"
Spots twinkled before Jane's eyes... she must keep on her feet... what would her heart-throb think of her if she...?
Grinning, he scooted back out and patted Milan's shoulder. "Do you want to help me brush him?"
Jane managed to utter one word: "Clemmy...", before she dropped like a stone in a dead faint in the dust.
Weedy's eyes opened wide in surprise as Jane clunked to the floor, landing in a 'POOF!' of dust and hay stubble.
"Jane?" As he surged forward toward her, Milan shuffled back in alarm, so Weedy was soon free of the horse and standing over the swooned girl.
"Jane?" Had he killed her somehow? What was he going to say when people started asking questions? Were they going to blame him? Was Arabeller going to want to take dead pictures with her?
As he pondered this, Milan moved up beside him and started nibbling gently on the girl's cheek with his lips.
Oh dear, we're all of a flutter!
Jane's eyelids fluttered as she felt the lips on her cheek and started to come out of her swoon.
"Oh Porter, no, this is too sudden..." she murmured, not realising it was the wrong feller nibbling on her. She was understandably dazed and confused, not to mention feeling rather sick. Oddly, she was so lightheaded that upon opening her eyes and seeing Milan towering above her supine form, she neither screamed nor fainted again, but accepted her imminent trampling to death as an unavoidable fate and consigned herself to it.
Then, all of a sudden, nothing happened.
And continued to happen.
She looked about, there was Weedy, looking worried.
Worried! Her spirits immediately were buoyed: she must remember to faint more often.
She stayed where she was, and brought up her hand and gently rubbed the horse's nose when he nudged her hand with it to show he was willing to be touched there.
"You won't kill me, will you boy?" she asked Milan quietly.
A nicker and a shake of a well groomed head was the reply.
Jane's eyelids fluttered as she felt the lips on her cheek and started to come out of her swoon.
Letting out a sigh of relief, Weedy sat back on his heels, glad that he didn't have to dig a huge hole somewhere to hide the body!
"Oh Porter, no, this is too sudden..."
"Huh? You passin' out?" Didn't that sort of thing usually happen pretty suddenly?
"You won't kill me, will you boy?" she asked Milan quietly.
"Why would he kill you?" Weedy asked, "he's a real nice horse, and they don't like eating people anyway." He reached to scratch the horse's chin. "Are you feeling all right? You need some water? The trough is right out front."
Oh dear, we're all of a flutter!
"You won't kill me, will you boy?" she asked Milan quietly.
"Why would he kill you?" Weedy asked, "he's a real nice horse, and they don't like eating people anyway." He reached to scratch the horse's chin.
"Oh, I just though the might." replied Jane, matter-of-factly. Now wasn't the time to talk about Clemmy. In fact, she tried to put her dead twin sister right out of her mind; this was her time, her life, her first meeting with the boy she'd taken a shine to.
Not that it was going too well. And it wasn't just the falling over in a dead faint and being terrified of the young fellow's favourite horse that was the trouble: she hadn't really known what to expect after the initial hurdle of actually talking to him and getting to spend some time with him. She'd sort of expected to be frozen in time like a pair of happy romantic flies trapped in amber (one of her sisters had a brooch like that) she never considered that they'd have to talk to each other and actually do things together.
She clambered to her feet, and swayed a little.
"Are you feeling all right? You need some water? The trough is right out front."
The trough!
"Er, isn't that for horses? I'm a people!" she said. That didn't sound right. She though she heard Clemmy laughing somewhere. No, forget Clemmy. Clemmy was a Gooseberry.
"Do you think I could have a glass of water at your house?" she asked. Oh dear, was that forward? She decided that being forward was better than drinking from a horse trough.
"Oh, sure." Of course girls wouldn't want to drink from the trough, because they were...well, girls. He was about to explain that Addy changed the water at least three times a week, but he figured that wouldn't make a difference, because...girl.
"It's a block over and a block down." He stood and brushed dirt from his pants, then belatedly held a hand to her as Jane scrambled to her feet. "Can you make it that far or I can help you onto Milan and he can carry you." That made the most sense. But then...girl!
Oh dear, we're all of a flutter!
"It's a block over and a block down."
"Oh" Jane replied, she still felt a little woozy.
He stood and brushed dirt from his pants, then belatedly held a hand to her as Jane scrambled to her feet. "Can you make it that far or I can help you onto Milan and he can carry you." That made the most sense. But then...girl!
The touch of his hand on hers sent a thrill of excitement right down Janey's arm, it buzzed around her heart area for a second, then made her tummy do somersaults, before radiating out through her suddenly very red cheeks.
"Oh I... I think I can walk it on my own feet if... if you take my arm..." she said coyly.
The idea of walking along the streets of Kalispell on Weedy Chappel's arm was vastly appealing... especially if some of the other boys and girls from school saw them! That would make them sorta official 'Sweethearts'!!
She was only slightly bothered by the thought that all of this was making her a... she hardly dared think of the word... it was so unlike her, and yet - yes! She realised with thrill of horror what she had become in her mad infatuation with the cute lad. She was acting like a COQUETTE!!!!
She put her arm out for him to take... coquettishly.