Sapphic Cowboi (2 page)

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, 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
and they crowded around as she hugged them and patted them in thanx
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, prepared to come to
her ‘defense’ that 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
have accepted 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.

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 and 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 and said
“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.

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 and I’ll read this over
carefully” she indicated the papers he had handed her.

Cecil nodded not sure about this
unprecedented procedure, most people when presented with an
opportunity such as this jumped at the chance. Not much money was
to be had with the depression in full force but they made do with
the money they made through their various acts and the crowds they
drew, people still needed entertainment. He was curious that she
would delay but he didn’t want to jeopardize the deal as he
remembered how excellently they had behaved for her. They had been
very impressive and he knew his father and brother would slap him
on the back for finding this act. “Um okay, I’ll be at the Baxter
Boarding House in town when you are ready” he told her as he
realized he was dismissed.

Maggie nodded and watched with several horses
looking on curiously as well as he climbed into an ancient and well
used Model T and drove away from the farm, he saw the odd looking
dogs watching him silently again and wondered that they hadn’t
barked. As soon as he was out of sight she sprinted onto the back
of the nearest horse and sped away from the farm through the woods.
She made better time than he did by sticking to the road and she
soon found herself at an adjoining farm long before he even hit the
town.

“
Whoa Maggie” a tall blonde
man called as she came running up barebacked on her black
horse.

She grinned unashamedly as she brushed back
her short hair from her eyes with her hand and showed him the
papers “Can you read these to me?”

“
What have you got here my
Maggie?” he said with a hint of a Norwegian accent but over riding
it all a Southern twang and began to read the contracts aloud to
her.

Maggie listened intently and nodded as
everything she had discussed with Cecil was read aloud to her. It
took a while with the legal words mixed in but she understood it
completely by the time her friend finished reading to her.

“
Are you really going to do
this Maggie?” he asked curiously as he realized what the contracts
were for.

She nodded “I’ve got to Peter; I need more
money for the farm and my babies.”

“
You should sell more of
those hay burners” he teased knowing it would annoy her as he
tweaked her nose.

Maggie pulled back from his playful gesture,
a habit of long standing and didn’t see the disappointment in his
cool blue eyes. “I want to work out a deal with you for my crops
and horses while I’m gone” she began and they spent the next half
hour talking about him working on shares for what she had already
planted and taking care of the horses she would be leaving behind.
It took a while about the horses and he understood what a wrench it
was to leave any of them behind, they were her whole life and her
babies, he promised to take care of them as well as she did knowing
he would probably not be able to lavish the affection on them that
she did, she had the ‘touch.’

By the time the sun began to
go down Maggie had painfully signed her name where Peter indicated
and was on her way into town to the Baxter Boarding House. With her
was ten of her horses, none of them had halters or saddles and
trotted obediently around her in a herd only occasionally jostling
each other for space or position. She was out front on one of her
favorite mounts named Sampson but any of them would have proudly
allowed her on their backs and the one she was riding was showing
off perhaps prouder than the rest at the privilege of
carrying
their
Maggie. She didn’t own them, they owned
her
. It was an impressive display of
black horses that trotted in perfect synchronicity into the small
town. The townspeople stopped whatever they were doing to watch the
woman riding bareback among her noble steeds, the thunder of their
hooves announcing their arrival across a wooden bridge. No one else
had such control over horses and hers did it willingly, not out of
fear but out of their love for the woman who rode so nobly in her
own right, her back ramrod straight, and her legs effortlessly
holding onto the sides of her horse. Maggie O’Malley was an odd
woman and the townsfolk gossiped about her and her strange family
over the years but she was ‘their’ oddity and they knew her to be a
good woman, a chaste woman, and an honest one.

Maggie pulled up in front of the Baxter
Boarding House, her horses ranging out as though they had invisible
bridles and were tied up to an invisible hitching post in front of
the white picket fence, ranging out naturally so they could all get
a look as Maggie slipped from the horse she had ridden and opened
the gate. She looked up at the large Victorian house with plenty of
rooms and a large wrap around porch, its cupola badly in need of a
new roof and its walls badly in a need of paint. She saw the Model
T that Cecil had driven parked in the driveway as she walked up the
walk towards the front door. Before she could raise her hand to
knock the door was opened by Mrs. Baxter.

“
Why Maggie, this is a nice
surprise!” she looked up at the line of ten horses at the fence
line and shook her head “that’s going to make a mess” she commented
wryly.

Maggie grinned knowing she was being teased,
horse plops in the street were a common occurrence but ten horses,
all black and shining, and waiting patiently for her were not so
common a sight. “I’m looking for Cecil Bigelow? I believe he is
staying with you?” she asked politely with a grin.

“
Why yes he is, we just
finished up dinner, are you hungry?” Mrs. Baxter asked and was
immediately curious as any townie would be in this small
town.

“
Well is that peach pie I
smell?” Maggie asked her grin widening at the thought, a bonus with
someone else making the pie. Cooking wasn’t Maggie’s specialty and
any food she didn’t have to cook herself was a good
thing.

Maggie was welcomed into the Baxter dining
room and saw several people she was acquainted with, regulars who
paid Mrs. Baxter for meals or lived there year round as she rented
out rooms in her large house. Maggie greeted those she knew and was
introduced to a few who she hadn’t met before. Cecil was pleased to
see her and the contract in her hand as she handed him the papers.
He looked them over and saw her neat if childish signature in the
appropriate places. He pulled out the copies that were hers and
handed them back explaining she was entitled to her own copies.
Everyone listened as Mrs. Baxter served hot peach pie and home-made
ice cream and they dug in appreciatively.

“
You’re going to work for
the circus Maggie?” Mrs. Baxter asked surprised.

Maggie nodded “yep” but didn’t elaborate as
Cecil jumped in.

He was a born salesman and having pride in
his ‘family’ businesses had the ability to tell tales that
enthralled his listeners and intrigued them. “Maybe we will perform
hereabouts and you can see Maggie perform with her amazing horses”
he offered generously.

“
You’d do better to get over
to Jackson with that and get more people” Maggie told him and
several people agreed with him. “You should travel through the
south during your winter months.”

Cecil was surprised that she offered that up
so easily, he would have thought she’d want her friends and family
around town to come see her. Her thought though that a bigger town
and through the south was a good idea, they could do the southern
route instead of taking off during the winter months and disbanding
until spring. It was something that other groups had started doing
and Bigelow Circus was innovative; he would have to discuss it with
his father and brother.