Cowgirls Don't Cry

Ch 6

It was a small tattoo, no more than 4 inches long. It was a 3 small horseshoes running just under the curve of her right shoulder blade. I stand up to get a closer look at it. It looked good, clean lines, obviously a good artist.

"When did you get this?" I ask, tempted to touch it.

She laughs slightly and looks over her shoulder, shyly, "The day I got to Oklahoma."

I laugh, "You really couldn't wait?"

"I told myself it was 'cause I was gonna' miss the ranch," she laughs again, pulling up her shirt and smiling at me. "But really, I wanted a tattoo since I was 12."

"your old man's gonna' kill you." I laugh

"Only if you tell him," she laughs, shoving my shoulder, causing me to wince. She gasps and her hand flies to her mouth "Sorry!"

I can't help but smile. It really hadn't hurt that bad, mostly just a sting, "you're fine, Lynn"

She's blushing slightly, giving her whole face this cute pink tint. She looks out the loft window, which was really a double door that was put in back when they use to store hay up here. I watch as she bites her lip. She always use to do that when she was about to say something she didn't know the answer to/ she looks back at me and her eyes sparkle, but she looks slightly scared.

"What's wrong?" I ask and she laughs.

"How can you always read me?" she shakes her head, "I'm just scared about daddy."

I sit back on the bed, touching her arm, signaling her to do the same. She does, with a heavy sigh.

"Talk to me, Lynn."

She does this little scrunchy-thing with her face for a few seconds before working up the nerve to talk. "I don't wanna lose him, Kip."

"What makes you think your gonna lose him?" I ask, "your daddy may be sick but he's a stubborn fool, he aint leaving till he's ready, and no cancers gonna change that"

She laughs softly, but then that laugh turns into a sob. She hides her face in her hands and cry's. I start rubbing her back, slow circles like my momma always did to me. A lump instantly forms in my throat making it hard to breath.

Lynn has already lost a parent.

With all of this happening I never thought about that, I knew she lost her mother but it never hit me, she feels like she's losing everyone. Who would she have left? I pull her into a hug, holding her to me. She clutches at my bare shoulders, trying to hold on to me. We stay like this for a while, even after the sky turns dark with storm clouds. It isn't until it starts pouring that she sits up.

"We should get the horses in," she says whipping her eyes.

Lynn makes us dinner that night, chicken and rice. I sat on the sofa with her and we watched some weird reality show she liked, bear snoring by the fire I made. Before dinner Lynn disappeared, and came back soaking wet carrying the rat. Claiming it was too cold for him in the barn. I rolled my eyes as I watched her towel dry the dog, letting her own hair drip all over the floor. Once she was content the dog was comfortable, she ran upstairs to change.

Now, she's curled up on the couch, wrapped in an afghan that's always on the couch. I'm sitting on her dad's lazy boy, trying to stay awake. My head keeps bobbing up and down as sleep tries to take me.

"Kip," Lynn's voice is sweet, and wakes me from the sleep I didn't realize I was under. "Maybe you should go to sleep,"

"No," I stretch, and crack my back, "I'm good"

"No, your passing out," she giggles, "just go to sleep, I'm fine. I don't need a babysitter."

I smile at her, she read me just right. I was staying with her to make sure she was ok. I stand up, stretching again, wincing from a sharp pain in my side. I try and hide it but I know she saw it.

I walk behind the couch towards the back door, pausing to touch her shoulder in way of saying bye. I pause again in the doorway.

"Come on Bear!" I call to the little dog lounging in front of the fireplace. He looks up at me, then lays right back down. Lynn giggles, and I glare at the dog. "You're ruining my dog Lynn" I half joke and she giggles again.

I leave the dog with Lynn, secretly happy he's there to keep her company, but making a mental note to start training him again. I had let his training slip since Lynn got back. It takes a little effort to climb the steep steps to the barn loft. I hold on to the rail the whole way up. The loft is stuffy, I closed the window when it started to rain, but now the sky was clear, the full moon chasing the summer storm away. I open the window and look up into the sky, the stars blanket sky looking like marbles thrown across the floor. I loved the big Montana skies; they always have a way of reminding me that I'm only a small piece in this world. I get lost looking at the sky until I see headlights coming up the drive. On instinct I start reaching for the shot gun I keep by my bed. I keep telling Lynn's daddy that he should put a gate in the front, require a pass code to open it or have to buzz to the main house to be let in but he hated the idea. He said it wasn't the country way. He liked having visitors and he said that wasn't possible if he had a gate keeping them out. I watch the headlights bouncing up the drive, waiting for the vehicle to get closer, trying to see if I recognized the driver. It wasn't until he was right by the main house that I could clearly see the vehicle, a red F250 with a decal on the side reading "Clement Veterinary Clinic" It was Colt. I glance at my phone, 20:06, what was he doing here so late? I'm about to head down to see what he's here for when my phone vibrates in my hand.

Lizzy. Lizzy was a bartender at this club I go to. We had this... thing. Nothing serious, just having fun. I know she's off work early today, she probably wants to me to come over. I look down at Colt who is now walking up to the front door.I sigh and hit answer.

"Hey, Lizzy."