Cowboy Like Me

f i v e

The brunette smiled and clasped her hands together in her lap, intimidated by the cowboy who had slowly walked into the kitchen to see what she had prepared for the both of them.

"Hi." Augustine muttered shyly.

Taylor stood in silence, holding her hat by her side, not knowing what to say.

"I hope you don't mind that I used some of your stuff, but I wanted to do something nice to thank you for-"

"I'm not hungry."

Augustine averted her eyes, looking at the floor in embarrassment, her cheeks reddening. "Oh. That's okay."

Taylor walked towards the table and inspected what the girl had cooked. Augustine took a step back and allowed her to admire her work. She had found the placemats Taylor had stashed away in a drawer and situated accordingly where each woman would sit. On her floral plate was macaroni and cheese, along with a small piece of steak. Perhaps cooked for a bit too long. "I'm sorry if it's not to your liking, I'm not a cook and I just wanted to show some gratitude for letting me stay with you, Taylor."

Taylor leaned against the dinner chair, the wood creaking under her and slightly moving it forward, being pushed by her weight. She needed to make sure the brunette didn't get the wrong idea about what this was, and maybe Taylor needed to hear it for herself too.

"Please stop saying that. You have nothing to thank me for, I'm not doing this for you."

Silence engulfed them both, Taylor immediately regretted the way in which she had directed herself towards the girl. But she thought back to Bill's lecture and didn't want to jeopardize Jane, nor her found family further. "You and I are not playing house, you're a liability. I'm just doing what I was told, don't expect anything else."

Without looking up at the cowboy, Augustine walked over to her seat at the table, rolling her eyes as she sat down.

"Someone didn't have a good day at work."

Taylor turned towards her, giving her a side eye in order to contain herself from smiling. She tossed her hat onto the table and pulled her chair back, causing its legs to scratch the old floor. Looking down at her plate, she realized she really didn't have an appetite, the heat outside made it hard for her to crave much other than a cold drink. Although finally inside where it was cool, she needed a moment to collect herself from her encounter with Joe, and what Bill had told her. The blonde pulled her hair back, grabbing her hair tie that she carried on her right wrist, and fixed it up into a ponytail. The cool air inside the house instantly bringing relief to her bare neck. Taylor laid her hands on her lap and closed her eyes whilst taking deep breaths, attempting to process the past 24 hours.

Watching her intently was Augustine, this was the first time following their meeting in which she got to get a good look at the woman. She liked the way her hair had a slight wave, including her bangs. She wondered if it always looked like that or if it was simply from the heat and humidity outside. Augustine liked the way a few strands remained astray from the updo, framing the sides of Taylor's face, complimenting her jawline.

The brunette picked up her fork and began picking at her food, attempting to convince the cowboy that she was eating and not staring like she actually was.

Her eyes wandered from the woman's hair to her face. Her eyes were closed and she was taking breaths, and she seemed pretty at peace, something Augustine already hoped for Taylor after all the trouble she had caused her so far. She felt guilty in a way, for coming through her town and disrupting her life, but Augustine was also worried for her own, had she not ran away or tried her luck against Kane's pawn, she'd be dead. A certain dread creeped up onto her chest and she wondered if he'd survived her attack. After she had struck him, she didn't bother to check for a pulse, and she simply ran for as long and as far as she could.