Cowboy Like Me

f o u r

Augustine. Augustine. Augustine.

The name of the girl back home echoed in her mind as she made her way through the town. It had been since the night before, then in the shower, once she got into bed, and again as soon as she opened her eyes in the morning. Taylor was sure this could only have been because of the fact that once one of Kane's minions found out about Augustine, she'd be good for dead.

Or maybe because her name was the only thing that could take her mind off of the burning feeling on her neck, today the sun burned hotter than any other day, it seemed. She'd slept in too late and now not a single cloud in the sky, or any breeze that could relieve the cowboy of the heat; So intense that it made the sand a few feet away from her appear as if it was melting when she focused her gaze hard enough. Despite having worn a t-shirt, the way the cloth hung on her skin was driving her mad. The fabric only insulating the warmth of her skin despite its thinness. She felt a lone drop of sweat creep from her hairline, through her curled bangs and onto her brow, she brushed it off with a bruteness that left her skin stinging for a bit. Today, she was not in the mood.

She replayed last night as she kicked dirt on her way to John and Joe, hoping to let her anger out on the blonde boy, and perhaps letting him know that although warned by Bill, she was going to make sure he remembered her, and ultimately, send Kane a message.

Augustine had been asleep when she left, Taylor had agreed to let her take the couch after much of the brunette's insisting that she did not want to take the bed. It seemed to her that she felt guilty for burdening her with the responsibility of hiding her out for the time being, but in true Taylor style, she reminded Augustine that she was not doing this for her, but for Bill, and frankly, her reputation as a Cowboy.

Although she didn't personally care for the girl, she couldn't help but sneak glances at her hair when she wasn't looking. The way Augustine had pushed her hair back out of her face while finally cleaning out her wounds captured Taylor's interest. While Augustine was standing over the sink in her bathroom facing the mirror, Taylor stood by the doorway and watched intently.

To make sure you don't get into any of my things, she had told Augustine. And that was true, she didn't want the brunette creeping around certain things she kept under the sink,  as she didn't know how she'd react to finding out Taylor liked women. The last thing she needed was a ignorant crook in her home rummaging through her stash of things she employed when in bed with the occasional stray woman that accepted a few drinks.

As she watched the girl dab her wound over her right eyebrow with water, she became entranced by the way the droplets trickled down her cheek, and fell down onto her shoulder. The droplet would stream down past the edge of her shoulder and onto her arm, getting smaller and smaller as it slowly ran it's course. Suddenly, Taylor noticed the slightly red skin that adorned Augustine from her days out in the wilderness, and how it surrounded her cheeks, perfectly hugging the skin under her dark eyes. Another thing Taylor had taken  note of. The single bulb hung over her bathroom sink intensified the color of Augustine's eyes, making them appear brighter than before. For a moment she wondered what it would be like if they relived this moment under different circumstances. Perhaps after a night out at the bar, Taylor feeling much freer, and braver than usual. Would she have helped her clean her wounds and taken the opportunity to let her know she was open to the possibility of spending the night together. Maybe. But what if she was married, or had somebody else waiting for her back home. Someone that would kill her for thinking Augustine could ever be a person she could lay next to.

You're just lonely, she thought to herself. In no other time would she ever feel the need to think so much about someone that she felt more of a caretaker too than...something else. Taylor had a long day and missing out on having an extra drink to lull her to sleep had thinking all sorts of things but what she was supposed to do; hide the girl, and help yourself in order to avoid certain death.