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Post by Kiersten on Jul 4, 2023 14:57:05 GMT -6
Cosette stared at him with a pained look on her face, wondering if he found it funny that she’d fallen. “Uh huh, I’m sure you don’t mean my ego,” She sighed, shaking her head, but she was smiling. “So, is that what you do during the summer? Run a ranch?” She asked, finding it impressive h had time to work here at the school and his own ranch.
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Post by Bri on Jul 4, 2023 16:45:32 GMT -6
Silas grimaced a little, hoping she understood what he was saying, "I meant that I'm glad you're okay but I'm sorry if you're embarrassed, I'm just glad you're okay." He said a bit quickly and was glad when she changed the subject. "I do run a ranch, it's all year round but in the summer all my time goes to the ranch." He explained as he drove along the stretch of down town and turned into a parking lot. He cut the engine and hopped out, going over to Cosette's side and opening the door, holding out his hand to her.
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Post by Kiersten on Jul 4, 2023 18:38:09 GMT -6
Cosette laughed, “Don’t worry, I’m only a little embarrassed,” Though she knew better than to feel that way. She didn’t think Silas would be mean, didn’t think he was the type to judge or make fun of her for it. “Do you raise more than cattle?” she asked, wondering if he farmed his own vegetables or had other farm animals. When he parked at the restaurant, she unbuckled herself and was ready for the long way down, when he surprised her by opening her door and holding out his hand to her. She swallowed the lump in her throat, her thoughts briefly flashing to Henri doing something similar. With worry creeping up her spine, she hesitated only a second before taking his hand and letting him help her down.
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Post by Bri on Jul 4, 2023 19:05:20 GMT -6
"I have a couple pigs and goats for fun but the cattle take up most of my time." Silas explained, he had the room and liked what the extra animals added to his ranch but the cattle were what made him money. He carefully helped her down, pulling back his hand once she was stable on the ground and closed her door. "At least getting down is easier than getting up." He joked a little as he locked the truck and started to walk towards the main street of town, "the restaurant is just around the corner."
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Post by Kiersten on Jul 4, 2023 20:00:41 GMT -6
Cosette let out a breath of relief when she reached the ground, laughing at the truth, “Maybe, but I feel like I might fall flat on my face if I’m not careful.” She could imagine herself doing just that if Silas hadn’t been there to help her down. “So, goats for fun?” she asked, wondering what was fun about them, other than being cute.
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Post by Bri on Jul 4, 2023 20:42:55 GMT -6
Silas grimaced, "yeah, let's try to avoid that from happening." He said with a bit of worry in his voice. "Oh yeah, they're funny and help keep the weeds down," he explained about the goats, "I only have a couple and let them wander around to their own devices for the most part." He said as they got to the restaurant and he opened the door for her into a retro style Chinese restaurant but the decorations were definitely from the time the restaurant had first opened and not designed like this on purpose.
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Post by Kiersten on Jul 4, 2023 21:20:54 GMT -6
Once inside the restaurant, Cosette looked around, taking a deep breath, and enjoying what she smelled. The food smelled delicious, her stomach grumbling at the sudden need to eat. “Do you make goat cheese from them?” She asked as hostess walked them to a table, placing the menu down before walking away. She took a seat and picked up the menu, eager to know what was delicious and what possibly to avoid.
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Post by Bri on Jul 4, 2023 21:50:43 GMT -6
"Oh, no, I have no idea how to even do that." Silas's brow furrowed as he wondered if his mom knew how to do that, but then again he could probably just Google how to do it. He followed the hostess to the table and sat down, flipping open the menu. "Everything on the menu is pretty great so there really isn't anything I wouldn't recommend."
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Post by Kiersten on Jul 4, 2023 22:22:56 GMT -6
“It’s not hard to do, fairly easy,” Cosette thought about her grandfather’s farm back in France, it was where she learned how to ride a horse for the first time. He made a living on his small farm, making goat cheese, milk, among other things like soap. She looked over the menu carefully, figuring he wouldn’t lie about everything tasting pretty good.
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Post by Bri on Jul 4, 2023 22:47:15 GMT -6
"Huh, well maybe you'll have to show me sometime." He chuckled a little, not thinking she actually would but figured it would be a friendly thing to say, but then again he rarely thought before he spoke. He looked through the menu for a little longer before closing it and setting it to the side, "do you want to get an appetizer?"
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Post by Kiersten on Jul 5, 2023 7:34:20 GMT -6
Cosette sat up a little when he suggested she show him how. It was a chance to get a little bit of her old life back, something she felt was stolen when Henri decided to start acting crazy. “I’d love to show you, but I can’t give you any of the recipes.” She teased, though knew her grandfather would scold her if she did. “Ummm, sure. I don’t know what would be good.” Though everything sounded delicious.
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Post by Bri on Jul 5, 2023 9:02:15 GMT -6
Silas hasn’t thought that she would take him up on the offer but her interest made him smile, “well then it seems like we’d have to make our own recipes then.” He joked but briefly thought about what it would be like if she did come to the ranch, even if it was for the goats. If his mom saw it would definitely warrant the third degree. “As for what’s good….you can’t go wrong with the tempura shrimp or orange chicken and their pork fried rice is probably the best side. Their sweet and sour chicken is also really good.” He tried to help her out.
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Post by Kiersten on Jul 5, 2023 13:36:26 GMT -6
Cosette tried not to read too much into the ‘we’ part of what he said, guessing he meant his family, since it was probably a family farm like hers was. “Where is your ranch? If you don’t mind asking.” She was curious how far outside of town it was, she didn’t see any farms on her way in, but it could be hidden for all she knew.
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Post by Bri on Jul 5, 2023 15:30:29 GMT -6
“Oh it’s like ten miles out North of town.” Silas explained, it was nice not being too far away but just far enough to maintain the privacy he liked. The waitress appeared and he gave his order, passing over his menu and looking over to Cosette.
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Post by Kiersten on Jul 5, 2023 17:17:21 GMT -6
“That makes sense why I didn’t see a farm on my way this morning,” Cosette wondered what else was out there, near the town that she didn’t know about. She gave her order to the waitress and hoped she liked what she picked out. “So,” She said after the waitress took their menus, “Do you do dairy or beef cattle?” She knew dairy farms well enough, their neighbor back in France still had his business going, she liked watching the cows scratch on the big brushes they had brought in.
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Post by Bri on Jul 5, 2023 18:09:26 GMT -6
Silas smiled a little, "there aren't many farms around here but the ones that are are pretty much North, I think that end of town has the best soil." He explained and took a sip from his water before answering her next question, "beef, I don't have a lot of time to dedicate to dairy farming." He told her, at least with beef he took care of them and then they got sent off to the slaughter house, but it was a little sad sometimes when he thought about raising something that would end up being harvested, but it was part of life and if he didn't do it someone else would.
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Post by Kiersten on Jul 5, 2023 18:43:01 GMT -6
Cosette nodded his head, but perked up when he mentioned it was beef cattle. “Are the cattle as mean as I’ve heard they are?” She had read and heard that beef cattle weren’t as friendly because they just leave them be most of the time. “Do you ever get attached to them?” That would be hard for her, even though she’d dealt with what happened when a goat got old, it still stung.
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Post by Bri on Jul 5, 2023 19:41:51 GMT -6
Silas quickly shook his head, "no, I mean some can be, but that depends on the animal, but most of them are pretty docile." He said with a slight smile but it turned a little somber when she asked if he got attached, "sometimes," he admitted. "Obviously I raise them from calves and seeing something you've had for its entire life go to the slaughter is hard but it's the way of life, but there are a few cows that are keepers." He smiled as he thought of a small herd he kept out in a separate pasture, all animals that somehow wormed their way into his heart.
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Post by Kiersten on Jul 5, 2023 20:44:53 GMT -6
Part of Cosette wondered just how nice the beef cows were but had a feeling it wouldn’t be exactly like dairy cattle. She grew sad at the idea of raising an animal from a baby, only to send it off, even if it was for business or food. “What makes them keepers?” She was curious to know how he would decide such a thing.
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Post by Bri on Jul 5, 2023 21:25:12 GMT -6
Silas could almost see the bit of sadness in her eyes at the talk about the cows and smiled a little, wishing he could soften the reality of it all but there was no use in sugar coating. "The ones that are keepers are the ones that...had a little harder time coming in to the world," he said as he rubbed his jaw, "for example one of the keepers is Juniper, her birth was real hard, her mom didn't make it so I stayed with her and nursed her until she was big enough, then there's Daisy, she learned how to open her stall every morning so she could run laps around the barn until I caught her." He couldn't help but smile as he thought of those cows who had too much personality and fight and found their way into his heart...and permanent pasture.
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Post by Kiersten on Jul 5, 2023 21:43:01 GMT -6
Cosette laughed when he mentioned Juniper and Daisy. “They sound adorable,” She thought about the cows back on her grandfathers farm, “My grandma, when I was like, five, took care of a calf that lost her momma too,” she thought back to how her grandma had kept it in the guest bathroom tub at first. “Cherie is spoiled rotten, lives partially in the house, and will still food out of your hand.” She laughed again, though sadness flashed across her face when she realized how much she missed her family.
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Post by Bri on Jul 5, 2023 22:07:00 GMT -6
Silas smiled, "they're pretty good cows." He agreed and listened to her talk about her cow, his smile broadening but he did not the bit of sadness that was so quick to cross her face, his gaze softening. "Sounds like the best life for a cow, heck I wouldn't mind living like that." He joked, hoping to cheer her up, even if it was just a little bit.
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Post by Kiersten on Jul 5, 2023 22:23:09 GMT -6
“Oh, for a cow, it’s pretty much living a royal life in a palace compared to the barn.” Cosette said before launching into the story of how her grandpa and her dad tried to get the cow to live in the barn with the rest of the herd, only to find out she was good at becoming dead weight. “She just stuck her hooves into the ground, and they tried for hours to get her to move.” The only thing that did was when her grandma called her into the house to eat.
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Post by Bri on Jul 5, 2023 22:54:44 GMT -6
Silas chuckled softly, she wasn't wrong about that. He leaned in, resting his arms on the table as he listened to her story but as she poke he couldn't help but take in her features. Cosette was extremely pretty, he couldn't deny that but seeing the way her face lit up when talking about her family made him admire her more. He chuckled at the end of her story, just as their food arrived, "she sounds like a lady who knows exactly what she wants."
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Post by Kiersten on Jul 6, 2023 7:09:30 GMT -6
Cosette laughed, “she definitely does know what she wants.” She nodded, thinking about what’s going to happen when she gets too old to take the stairs up to the porch. She looked down at all the food and felt marveled. “This is more than I was expecting.” She laughed, guessing she was going to have dinner for the night too, which worked for her since she figured she wouldn’t want to cook. “Has your family always been cattle… cattlemen?” She asked about the word, tilting her head as she started digging into her food.
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Post by Bri on Jul 6, 2023 7:53:42 GMT -6
"Ranchers," Silas clarified with a chuckle before digging into his food, sighing a little from how good it was...and how hungry he didn't realize he was. "But yeah, my family has always been ranchers, even my sister married a rancher from out of state." He smiled softly as he thought of his sister and his nephews, who he was going to have to look out for this year. "And rodeo, lots of the family compete in the rodeo."
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Post by Kiersten on Jul 6, 2023 10:09:24 GMT -6
“Ah,” Cosette couldn’t think of the word in English, thankful that he wasn’t laughing at her about that fact. She raised an eyebrow when he sighed, guessing the food was good and took a bite. “Alright, that’s good.” She said as she covered her mouth with her hand, but she needed to say that before she stuffed her face with more. “Did you ever compete?” She asked, feeling the thrum at the idea of competing again herself, but she knew better than to step into the spotlight while trying to keep a low profile from Henri.
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Post by Bri on Jul 6, 2023 10:40:09 GMT -6
"Told you." Silas chuckled, glad she likes the food, sometimes you never really knew what someone would like and would hate if he ended up steering her wrong. "Did I ever compete?" He asked with a bit of a crooked smile, "rodeo was my entire life, I was in the circuit and competing across the country until my son." He said naturally referring to Samuel without a second thought.
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Post by Kiersten on Jul 6, 2023 11:11:22 GMT -6
Cosette giggled when he gave her a crooked smile and seemed excited she had asked, “Wow, were you any good?” She teased, though it sounded like he had been good enough, especially if he had competed for so long. “Did you travel a lot?” She guessed that was probably why he stopped competing, needing to be home for his kid was more important.
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Post by Bri on Jul 6, 2023 12:35:16 GMT -6
"Was I any good?" He couldn't stop himself from chuckling, "if I was full of myself I'd tell you to Google me but yeah, I made a bit of a name for myself in the professional rounds of rodeo, got a couple buckles and awards in my office at school and back home." He said a bit fondly, thinking back to those times that were full of adrenaline and the rush of doing your best while working with a massive animal. "I traveled almost all the time except for in the off season."
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