Hiring On

By Donna and Abby

Tom Booker rolled over onto his side and yawned.  He was an early riser, but Calista had been beating him these days. She was due soon, with full-blooded Lycines, and she was very antsy.

She was in the ranch house's kitchen now, arguing with the stove.  Finally giving up, she blew out a curl of flame that caught and started a fire burning.  "There," she snorted.  Tom heard and snickered.  But then he heard something else. Whinnies, from the men outside.

As he looked out his bedroom window, he saw some of his hired help, the Equinne Studs that could switch back and forth from horse to human form, flirting shamelessly with his broodmares! Most of them were heavy in foal, so they weren’t interested in responding to the playful antics of the males.

After awhile, some of them switched back to human form and came up to the house. "Booker? Can we speak with you?" one of them called out from the porch.

The rancher got up and pulled on his pants.  He knew what this was about.  It was that time again.  And close to term or not, Calista was part mare.

As he opened the door, Booker saw one of the older Equinne men, a 17-year-old named Latigo. "It is time," he said, shifting his weight nervously. "We have waited as long as we could."

"I thought your season started in March," said Booker, sure it was still February.

"February is almost over with,” Latigo said with a grin. “It will take us some time to get there, and we don't want to miss any of the early ones this time."

"You'll be having a good crop of babies, then!" smiled Booker.  But Latigo shook his head.

"Unlike the newcomers to Edan, we are not overly fertile," he said.  "We are lucky to get one or two a year, even with a full season."

"I just wish you didn't have to go now, when my mares are about ready to be in season," Booker said, now serious.  "I need your help.  Can't do it alone!"

"Perhaps some of the Riders at the Livery would be willing to come help you," one of the other Equinnes suggested.

"Yes," he sighed. "They have been using owls to send the mail lately," he shook his head, "instead of letters."

"Then they should be glad to have work," Latigo told the Horse Whisperer. "But we won’t leave until you find someone. We would like to leave in the next day or two, if at all possible."

Booker nodded.  He would have to go to town, as soon as he had breakfast. The wranglers really were desperate, if they were trying to impress the already bred mares!

Latigo tipped his hat, and then turned to go get the others busy on the day’s chores.

Booker ate and went off to town.  He only hoped some of the Riders were available to help him with his own stock's breeding.

As he rode up to the Livery, he spotted a crowd of cowboys gathered around the front of it, all wearing confused faces.

He looked for a familiar face, but found none.  Finally he saw Con Madigan, and asked him what was going on.

"We just got invaded by a whole bunch of new folk," Con chuckled. "What can I do fer you?"

"Do these new folk need work, by any chance?" asked Booker, wondering just how much coincidence there could be in this new world.

"Sure," Con said. "Ah was thinkin’ of hirin’ them out to the farms around here.  Any that ain’t workin’, ah can put them up in the bunkhouse, but it would be tight quarters. How many yah need?"

"However many want work," laughed the rancher.  "All my boys are heading west for the Equinne breeding season, which coincides, not unnaturally, with the breeding season of horses."

"Ah believe all these new folk are good with horses. That big fella over there is Hoss Cartwright. Came in with his younger brother, but I think Little Joe is already off in search of making acquaintances with the females here in town. Rowdy Yates over there is a good one too."

"I'll go ask them, then," said Booker, who was quite blunt and to the point.  Walking up to the men, he said, "I have a ranch east of here.  It is almost foaling time for my horses and then the mares will need to be rebred, and I need help.  Any takers?" To his surprise, all the newcomers volunteered! They were cowboys all, and knew that sort of work!

The stage driver told him that at last count, there were over a dozen of them. Booker had had about nine workers before, since one of the ten Studs had stayed behind with the mares during the off-season as a protector.   "Do you all have mounts?" he asked up front.  "You can all come back to the ranch, and perhaps we can split you into two shifts, half staying out there and half here in town."  That would solve the housing issue.

There were murmurs of agreement, and the men all went to fetch their mounts. By this time, Little Joe had returned, along with another newcomer, Heath Barkley and a youngster named Colorado Ryan.

Booker could not believe how lucky he was.  He had enough help until the studs returned, and even beyond that!

***

Here is a list of the new guys.. they can be seen on this web page: Wild West

 Hoss Cartwright and Little Joe Cartwright (Bonanza)

Heath Barkley from The Big Valley (Lee Majors)

Manolito Montoya from High Chaparral (Henry Darrow)

Trampas from the Virginian (Doug MacClure)

Rowdy Yates from Rawhide...(Clint Eastwood)

Cooper Smith from Wagon Train (Robert Fuller)

Colorado Ryan from Rio Bravo (Ricky Nelson)

~Magnificent 7 Guys~

Chris Larabee (leader)

Vin Tanner (sharpshooter)

Buck Wilmington (scoundrel)

Joshua Sanchez (preacher)

Nathan Jackson (healer)

Ezra Standish (gambler)