"Looks real fine," Justus commented as he approached with an arm-full of wood, turning just in time to see her start slipping off her stockings. "Oh, um..." Turning away, he dropped the twigs on the ground and started arranging them on a patch of dirt that he had cleared. "I'm about famished," he said, concentrating on the low structure he was building, "rescuin' baby mooses an' all that, makes a man build up a real good appetite!"
Pulling a flint from his pocket, he struck it a few times over dried pine needles, glad that it wasn't so wet that it wouldn't make some sparks. In a few moments, there was a small fire started, and with the addition of wood, it was glowing brightly.
But...well, short of just laying clothes in the dirt, there wasn't a way to put the clothes down. Unless...well, he could drag some rocks over so Constance's dress wasn't right on the ground. This was turning out to be more work than work! Still, he didn't want her pretty dress to get all messed up, so he started rolling over a few of the more manageable rocks. He would be happy just draping his shirt and pants over some of the larger boulders that were right in the sun.
Justus found himself some firewood then commenced on making the fire. He even used a flint to start it, impressive. She had forgotten to buy some matches at the general store the other day, fortunately they were not needed. There was the issue of how to spread out the clothing for drying. She realized there was no good way of doing it but added her suggestion.
"Maybe cut off a few long branches from the trees over there and then throw at least the lighter stuff over them and we could take turns holding them over the fire. They'll smell like smoke when they're done but oh well?"
As he worked she methodically went about removing her wardrobe until she was down to her chemise and drawers. Then she hesitated, despite her earlier confident assertions. The wet chemise already clearly outlined her breasts as the material clung to her body.
"Justus, I honestly have no desire to offend you. Tell me now if you'd rather have me not.........you know," she put it to him straight, he already seeing her legs.
Constance had a good idea about the sticks, so Justus moved to hack some fairly stout branches and gather more dry wood while he was there. "I think this'll work right good," he declared, going back to the fire and jamming the stakes into the ground. Now the trick was to make sure they didn't set the clothes on fire!
"Justus, I honestly have no desire to offend you. Tell me now if you'd rather have me not.........you know,"
He shrugged, sitting in the dirt so he didn't get the blanket wet as he pulled off his boots and socks, happy to not be slogging around anymore. If he said he'd prefer she not go naked, then he'd seem like a prude, but then, if he wanted that, he'd be with Sally, for a whole other purpose, and that wasn't why he was here.
But if the agreed to her being all nikked, well, he'd be all flustered and discomboobalated, and it would...well, change things.
"Prefer not," he muttered, taking off his shirt. He'd go down to his union suit, but that was it. "But...ya gotta be comfortable, right?"
She'd given him the choice. She had her own preference of course, the soaked garment clung to her. He started removing some of his clothing.
"Prefer not," he muttered, taking off his shirt. He'd go down to his union suit, but that was it. "But...ya gotta be comfortable, right?"
Constance frowned, there it was. He didn't want her to do it. She would be good to her word. Nevermind her discomfort.
"Very well then," she sighed and since there was nothing more to remove, she sat down then on the dry blanket. Time to have their picnic lunch.
"Hope you like what I brought, nothing fancy but it's good solid food," she reached for a corn dodger to munch on it.
"It looks real good," Justus declared as he sat cross-legged across from Constance, wiggling his bare toes. "Don't particularly care 'bout fancy, an' I'm starvin'!"
From there, he wasn't sure if he should ask if she had made them, since there was a possibility she'd gotten them from the Lickskillet, and he didn't want to offend her, not that he was sure how a simple question might be offensive.
He took a bite of one and grinned. "These really are good!" he exclaimed, "a little like cornbread. Is there bacon in 'em? Cookie makes pretty good pan cornbread, but nothin' like this."
Hopefully maybe she wasn't as mad as she seemed, but Justus really didn't know much about women, and even now wasn't sure if she was mad because he'd let her help rescue the mooseling, or because he didn't want to see her all nikked!
Well, he'd got his way of things, like most men tend to get in her opinion but Constance saw no sense in being open about her annoyance. In his favor, he did seem a genuinely nice sort of fellow. Anyways the original goal was to eat a picnic lunch and uncomfortable or not, the young woman wanted to get at it. She was hungry, probably all the excitement and use of muscles she didn't know she had pushing on that moose. If nothing else their outing had saved a life. A baby at that. She couldn't wait to tell her uncle and yes, Clara too. Yes, Clara was her boss but the two young women had become good friends too.
"It looks real good," Justus declared as he sat cross-legged across from Constance, wiggling his bare toes. "Don't particularly care 'bout fancy, an' I'm starvin'!"
"Anyone who does care about fancy probably shouldn't be going on picnic lunches in the wild," Constance pointed out then taking a good bite of the dodger.
He took a bite of one and grinned. "These really are good!" he exclaimed, "a little like cornbread. Is there bacon in 'em? Cookie makes pretty good pan cornbread, but nothin' like this."
Constance laughed, "That's because they're made out of cornmeal, same as corn bread - which in effect they are. We put some pork fat in em, maybe why you think there's bacon but that might be something worth trying out."
"When I say 'we', it's because I made them but in the diner and Clara...sorry, Mrs. Lutz taught me the recipe. Some brown sugar, pinch of salt, and oil then mix and fry it up. They're great for trips too because they last a long time and Clara even said horses like them as snacks."
"So ya'd deprive a poor cowboy of his horse?" Justus looked at her with a pout. "Ya know, a cowboy's gotta have his horse ta chase cows an' whatnot. Can't do his job without it."
Well, most spreads had remudas, a pool of horses to choose from, but he was having too much fun with this! He munched on another corn dodger. "Ya feed him one'a these an' he'll follow you around like a love-sick cow, battin' them long eyelashes'a his. He'd follow ya right home, an' then fer sure ya'd have no room in yer room fer a horse an' a moose."
"So ya'd deprive a poor cowboy of his horse?" Justus looked at her with a pout. "Ya know, a cowboy's gotta have his horse ta chase cows an' whatnot. Can't do his job without it."
What was he going on about? Constance blinked.
"I said nothing of the kind. Horses like corn dodgers, they aren't poisoned by them," she pointed out what she thought should be obvious.
He munched on another corn dodger. "Ya feed him one'a these an' he'll follow you around like a love-sick cow, battin' them long eyelashes'a his. He'd follow ya right home, an' then fer sure ya'd have no room in yer room fer a horse an' a moose."
"Ohhhhh, really? I highly doubt that would happen. Besides, I don't want a horse. I cannot afford a horse. And don't you bring up that crazy moose idea of yours either," she responded then took another bite of her own cornbread treat.
"I brought more than these, I roasted a chicken and cut it up for us. Do I need worry you will be accusing of stealing your horse for some chicken?"
"Ah, no," Justus deadpanned, still trying to figure out if Constance as mad or not. But for now, he'd cover his uncertainty with humor. If he could at least get her to crack a smile...
"He don't like chicken, th' feathers get all stuck in his teeth, then he gets all embarrassed when th' girl horses come around." He shrugged. "Wouldn't be a problem if ya'd let him live with you...he don't care what no moose think's'a him."
"He don't like chicken, th' feathers get all stuck in his teeth, then he gets all embarrassed when th' girl horses come around."
"I plucked all the feathers off the chicken," Constance gave him a look. She couldn't help but tack on, "Well then, he and you have that much in common."
Justus shrugged. "Wouldn't be a problem if ya'd let him live with you...he don't care what no moose think's'a him."
"Sooo, you just aren't gonna let that go then?" she raised one eyebrow.
Shaking her head a little she reached for a drumstick and took a bite.