Sapphic Cowboi

CHAPTER ONE

As he watched from the corner of the barn, he was amazed as the six horses played and gallivanted around the woman.  They were pawing at the ground, snorting and making mock challenges against each other and her, pretending to charge her only to pull up at the last minute, ever conscious of the human’s frailty compared to their massive strength.  It was enchanting, it was a dance, and it was silly and beautiful all at the same time.  The man watched as the horses, despite their vast size, behaved like puppy dogs.

He knew the minute they sensed him or saw him, because one by one, they pulled up and looked at him suspiciously, sentinels protecting their human.  They were magnificent with their heads held high and their nostrils flaring, trying to catch his scent on the wind, black guardians with the sun reflecting off their sweaty and shiny flanks.  She only became aware of him as her six steeds stopped their playing and all stood guard around her, an intimidating spectacle if he hadn’t seen them cavorting minutes ago.

Can I help you? she called from between the massive beasts as she wove between them and looked over their backs to see him clearly.

I’m looking for Maggie?  Maggie O’Malley? he called in return across the paddock and approached the fence.  The horses shifted marginally.  He felt sure if he made any gesture they found offensive towards the woman, they would come to her defense in a heartbeat.  He studied the woman, sure he had found who he had been told about.  She was dressed in masculine dungarees, a button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up on the arms, the sweat visible in the V of the shirt, and well-worn, down-at-the-heel boots.  Her hair was cut unwomanly short like a man’s and was as black as her horses’ long manes.  He supposed it was easier to work with when working with such large animals.  She wouldn’t be perfect for his plan, but her horses would, and he could work around the fact that she didn’t look very womanly or feminine.

You’ve found her, she called back as she got around the last horse and gave it a loving slap on the rump to move it out of her way.  She walked toward the man who had asked for her.  She studied him, he was short and in a cheap, ill-fitting suit.  He looked like he had been perspiring, and she could tell he was balding under his fedora, probably wearing wool in the hot summer’s sun.  As she thought of this, he removed a white handkerchief from his pocket, wiped it across his forehead, knocking his hat back to confirm he was balding, wiping the sweat on his florid and rounding face.

He smiled, showing uneven and tobacco-stained teeth.  That’s a relief.  You are a hard woman to track down, he tried to compliment her.

Maggie was on her guard.  First of all, he was a stranger, but a man as well, and she was a woman, alone.  She trusted few, if anyone.  What can I do for you? she asked carefully.

He nodded.  She was all business, and he was grateful for that.  Most women in his experience were flighty, and he tended to be condescending to them.  I’m looking for a horse trainer, and I heard about your horses.  He nodded towards the six who had followed behind her at a respectful distance but were curious as they watched him.  He found it a bit intimidating, these beasts, but they were beautiful, too.

My horses aren’t for sale, she said immediately and very coldly.

He shook his head.  No, I’m not looking to buy them, although they are beauties, he tried to compliment her again to put her at ease, women liked compliments.  I’m looking to put together an act.  Let me explain.  He gestured to the fence line they were both walking towards.  The horses plodded along behind her, following and still watching the strange man.

Maggie stopped well short of the fence, far from arm’s reach, but with six horses at her back, she had nothing to worry about.  An act?

I work for Bigelow’s Circus, and I’ve been authorized to hire you for the season with a contract that can be renewed at the end of the season for you and your horses, he told her, attempting to smile reassuringly as he gestured towards the six waiting beasts.  They looked at him curiously, their eyes dark and penetrating, their ears flicking at flies, but seeming to offer expression at the same time.

She glanced at him to see if he was serious.  No one offered a job in this day and age.  The depression was deep, especially in the hard south for a woman all alone.  If Maggie’s father hadn’t left her the farm and such fine stock as well as some securities to draw from, she wouldn’t have been able to keep the herd intact.  Her babies would have had to of been sold off, and she would have not only have missed them, but their unique personalities and brilliance.  She loved her horses.  It was a lonely life, but she kept to herself and trained her babies for herself and appeared regularly in the parades in town as well as used two of them constantly for any funerals people hired her to pull the hearse wagon.  Completely black horses such as hers were rare, and she had been offered cash money for them time and again, but she didn’t want nor need to sell them, yet.  It was, however, slowly becoming tight money-wise to feed her herd, and she wondered at this job offer.

I’m Cecil Bigelow.  My father started Bigelow’s Circus.  Maybe you’ve heard of us? he asked, hoping to put her at ease.  He could see the suspicion in her eyes, he knew circus or carney people were viewed as thieves and racketeers.  He also knew this act would be a wonderful addition to their line up if he could get her to agree.

She shook her head.  Everyone had heard of Barnum and Bailey Circus, but there were a lot of other smaller companies that treated their animals horribly as she had seen from time to time when they came through town or the adjoining towns.

He sighed, disappointed.  Bigelow Circus wasn’t very large, but they had started with a good group of people who wanted to showcase their unique talents.  With millions of people out of work, there were a surplus of other circus troops to deal with, not all of them with the best reputation.  Well, my father started Bigelow’s Circus twenty-five years ago.  We aren’t the largest by far, but we are one of the best.  We aren’t like the rest, we respect our people and performers and pay them after each show.  He didn’t know if she knew anything about the ‘circuit,’ but a lot of circus’ ripped their people off regularly and then closed down and left in the night, leaving their people high and dry and subject to the whims of townies who had no idea what to do with these ‘circus people’ and often times the animals.  The people were then left with a huge debt that townies didn’t know how they could repay.  People had been known to carve up the unique circus animals to feed the poor and out of work and put the circus people to work at things they were inept at.

What did you have in mind? she asked, curious.  It wasn’t every day someone walked into her yard to inquire about hiring her or her horses.  She could hear them breathing heavily through their noses around her, catching his scent and cataloging it.  They would remember him and his actions, she knew, filing it away in their pea-sized brains.  They might have small brains, but they had hearts the size of a grapefruit and were loving, loyal, and a helluva lot more ‘personable’ than most people.

Cecil explained what he had in mind, the showmanship, showing off their ‘tricks’ and anything else she thought that would wow the audience.

You want me in one of those outfits? she asked, horrified at the thought of what she had seen displayed and looking down at her stained dungarees and shirt as well as her scuffed boots.  The thought of her in a womanly outfit almost made her laugh.  She had worn men’s clothes for so long, many people made the mistake of calling her ‘sir’ before they saw her lovely face.  Despite the masculine haircut they saw that she was indeed a woman.

He grinned in spite of himself.  He wished she had ‘the look’ they would use.  That would be great with her skills at controlling the horses, but she was far too ‘manly’ for the exotic looks they were planning for such an act.  No, no, he shook his head.  I’m hoping to find someone willing to put on those flowing costumes, and maybe you can help me find someone, but we want you to train the horses and take care of them for us.

Maggie was relieved.  She hadn’t worn a dress since her father’s death and that had been painful as well as awkward.  She was more at home in slacks and a shirt.  She had another set besides the one she was wearing that she washed frequently, but she had to admit a job might be in order.  Most of her money went to the horses, and during this economy, she hadn’t been making much.  Things were getting a little tight.  She had sold off any horse born that didn’t ‘conform’ to her black beauties, but if it had been up to her, she would have kept every one.  That wasn’t practical or good business sense, but she loved her babies, and every one she had sold had caused her heart a wrench she didn’t recover from.  She remembered all of them and missed them sorely, but she couldn’t have dozens of hay burners on the place, despite the temptation to keep them all.

He explained roughly what he wanted in the act and assured her it would be up to her and the horses abilities.  Can you train them to do some of the things I outlined? he asked worriedly. 

She smiled, showing even, white teeth.  She was a handsome woman despite her masculine attire and unwomanly short hair.  He appreciated it on a purely male level.  Would you like to see them play? she asked.

Well, when I got here I saw them playing... he began, but she held up a hand.

That was just ‘horsing around.’  She grinned at the word play.  Let me show you what they can do? she asked.

He nodded and was intrigued, hoping she was as good as he had been told.  He had counted on this as he had seen several trainers over the past weeks he had been looking but found nothing that he would offer a contract to.  There was always something missing, and he was getting desperate.  They needed a good horse act, and the few they had weren’t drawing the crowds they hoped to.  He was disappointed that Maggie wasn’t the girly girl he hoped she would be, but if she could train these beasts....

Maggie turned and clapped her hands over her head, sending the horses snorting and stamping to the far end of the large paddock and turned back to see what she would do.  Maggie crouched down, and the horses turned as one in perfect synchronicity as they began to charge her, intent on running her down with six sets of thundering hooves.

Cecil watched, amazed as the beasts, with mayhem in their eyes, snorted and plunged in apparent disregard towards their trainer.  They were a beautiful sight as they flashed their black manes and tales in the sunlight, glistening flanks and coats creating a beautiful show of incredible muscles.  As they approached Maggie, it looked like they were going to trample her, and then he watched in awe as they lined up effortlessly and one by one jumped over her in a magnificent display.  That wasn’t the end of her ‘show’ as they ran in circles around her in seeming disarray and perfect synchronicity at the same time.  She rarely spoke but instead controlled them with signals that were lost on Cecil, and he watched the superb display for half an hour.  He shook himself and realized how lost in the moment he had been and hoped it would be the same for their audiences.  She had effortlessly grabbed at manes and bounded onto their backs.  She had stood up on one and then two with a leg on each beast, all while galloping around the paddock.  His heart was thundering in his chest, this was the act he had been looking for, this was the trainer, and he was relieved.  If he could just get her to sign a contract, he would do his father proud, and Cecil was above all his father’s son.  He spent the ‘off’ season searching for acts and other oddities for the family circus.  This year he had taken off the summer, their prime show season, to look for other acts they needed around the country.  He had thought a woman trainer might be an oddity, and he had been prepared to be disappointed, but at this moment, he was so excited, he was nearly shaking.  They could hire a looker to work with this woman, and between them, the act they could build would be astounding and wow the audiences who came to see the circus.

Maggie was just ‘playing’ with her horses and wasn’t even aware of the ‘act’ she had put together with her babies.  Other horses had called from the barn, hoping to get in on the play.  They all knew Maggie and adored her.  What they did for her and with her was out of love, and she knew each and every one of them intimately.  She had been there at their births, and trained them from day one with their mothers looking on indulgently and knowingly.  They knew they could trust Maggie, that she was gentle and loving, and adored them as much as they came to adore her.  She shared all her thoughts and feelings with the horses, and they responded with loyalty and compassion and a friendship that was unequaled.  She treated their hurts, their jealousies, and knew each one of them as well as they knew themselves.  They were her whole life, but then she was their whole life, and each of them grew up in the unique atmosphere of the farm and knew only good things.

When Maggie was apparently done playing with the horses, finishing with them all standing on their hind legs with their front legs waving dangerously and threatening over her head, a thrilling performance and perfectly controlled, she went to each of the horses as they returned all four hooves to the ground.  They crowded around as she hugged them and patted them in thanks for their ‘play,’ talking to them in words they only understood, their ears flickering in response, their eyes showing their love for this woman.

Cecil was astonished.  This was more, much, much more than he had hoped for.  He couldn’t wait to talk to her and called her over to the fence.  The horses went further out into the paddock to graze, seemingly unconcerned now that their play was over, but he could see they were also watching.  They were prepared to come to her ‘defense.’  He didn’t doubt for a moment they would do splendidly as perfectly trained as they were.  That was incredible, he said complimenting her and meaning every word of it.  He outlined what the contract would entail, how much she could expect, promising vet care and feed of the highest quality, doing his best to sell the premise and idea to her, anything to get her to sign.

I’ll want all that in writing, she said dryly, knowing that some of what he was promising was a bit far-fetched and not trusting everything she was being told.  It would be a shame to be so far from home and unable to leave if they had her and her horses at their mercy.  She may be from the country, but she wasn’t naive.

Cecil agreed readily, sure his father would accept anything he put in the contract.  I’ll contact an attorney and get it drawn up, he promised.  As he turned to return to his car, he saw a dog watching him intently.  He had been unaware of it as it hadn’t made a sound the entire time he had been watching the woman and her horses.  It made no gesture, but something about the look in its eyes unnerved him as it watched him carefully as he headed for the car.  That’s when he saw the second dog who looked almost exactly like the first.  They were both as black as the horses and as intent.  He didn’t doubt they would have attacked him had he any designs on the woman.

* * * * *

Maggie put the horses she had put through their paces in a far paddock to take advantage of the longer and fresh grass growing there, but only after she had brushed each of their coats to their normal sheen.  The ebony coats glistened when she was done rubbing and brushing them, and the horses were anxious to go.  They had played all morning with her and didn’t realize she had been controlling them and training them.  That was how Maggie had been so successful, horses liked to play as much as any other pet, and she treated all her horses like that.  They obeyed her.  Very rarely had she raised a horse she couldn’t control.  Leaving these out in the far paddock, she brought out a couple more horses, and then a couple more until she had another six to work with.  She spent her day working with her horses, wondering if this unexpected job offer was legitimate and a good idea.  Circuses were notoriously brutal to their animals.  She had been disgusted by what she had seen in the past, but a job was a job, and she needed something to be coming in instead of going out.  She doctored her own horses, having been taught by her father and his father before him.  There was little she didn’t know about horses, but that was about all.  She hadn’t been far from the farm except for the jobs that paid cash in the surrounding towns.  The farm was paid for and basically self-sufficient, but growing enough feed for her babies was a constant struggle.  She had two dozen horses in various growth stages, and she wondered if they would let her bring at least half of them for this job.  She hadn’t discussed that with Cecil.

CHAPTER TWO

Cecil was as good as his word.  He found a lawyer and outlined exactly what he wanted in the contracts based on one he had in his briefcase and altered for this particular act.  The more he thought about Maggie and her horses, the more potential he saw in drawing crowds to their act.  He had signed an elephant act, even a zebra act, but something ‘basic’ like a horse act had eluded him.  He was very excited about Maggie O’Malley and her blacks.

Okay, this is everything we agreed to, he assured her as he handed her the contract a few days later.

Maggie accepted the folded papers.  Okay, I’ll look these over, and if they are in order, I’ll sign them, she drawled in her distinctive southern twang.

Cecil was startled.  He had thought she would jump at signing them, and he would be on his way.  He hadn’t planned on staying around this small town another day.  Have you changed your mind? he asked, worried.

She smiled and shook her head.  He was only sorry she didn’t look more feminine.  She had a nice smile and face, but not exactly a looker that would help sell tickets.  He could, however, imagine her in a tuxedo with tails and a top hat, controlling the magnificent beasts.  Maybe they could pass her off as a man—that was something to consider.  No, I didn’t change my mind, but you understand these are my babies.  I’ll read this over carefully.  She indicated the papers he had handed her.

Cecil nodded, not sure about this