Chapter Text
Cowboys ain't easy to love and they're harder to hold.
They'd rather give you a song than diamonds or gold.
The corn and wheat fields were one of Coco’s favourite places to run around in. The feeling of threading past the green and yellow of corn, or the beige wheat, felt freeing. But that was a lifetime ago, when her father was there to stand strong like a pillar. She was sixteen now, and this farm and its fields had become more than just a place to run around in; they were her responsibility now.
Gone was the little girl who ran around in the wheat, giggling and stumbling over herself. In its place was a young woman gathering the produce of her lands, just in time for harvest season. She gathered the wheat into bundles and let out a wistful sigh as she brought the wheat into the crooks of her arms.
Her green and white dress flowed in the calm wind along with the rustling wheat.
They would need to hire more workers at this rate. Could the profits from the next sale give them enough funds for a few more hires?
The farmer was too deep into her thoughts to notice the way the wheat began to thrash violently. Then the sounds go closer, the ground felt like it was shaking with the intensity, then she heard erratic huffing, her heel pivoted, turning her enough to come face to face with a cow charging straight at her.
Run.
Without any thought whatsoever, Coco ran; she ran as much as her legs could take her and her two bundles of wheat. She could feel the cow racing to her at the same time. Her vision narrowed, and she focused only on what was ahead. “Mom!” She shouted at the top of her lungs.
Her foot dug into the ground too hard, bringing the green-haired farmer onto the soil; the wheat felt her hold, flinging somewhere in front of her. She flailed, trying to bring herself back up. “Mom!” She cried hoarsely, desperation filling her words.
Was this really how she would die? At the age of sixteen, getting trampled over by some angry cow?
“Mom!” She could hear the cow getting closer, her foot was stuck in the dirt, and the rest of her limbs were busy trying to dig themself up.
Then she heard it.
The sound of hooves galloping upon soil entered the cacophony of chaos, then the sound of rope swinging through the air.
Coco turned around to find the cow, then behind them was a horse and a person, their lasso swinging steadily.
Then, in a blink, the rope came and looped itself around the cow’s neck. The animal snorted and began prancing around to free themself from the rope. Then the brown cow slowly began to ease.
The farmer was stuck in the middle of it all, grounded to where she had stumbled while she watched with fascination.
“Whoa…” Coco mumbled out, completely dazed.
It wasn’t long until the cow had given up the fight, walking plainly along the area of ruined wheat. Then Coco watched as a black stallion came up to her. Upon the horse was the rider in a black gambler hat and a pair of spurred boots.
Her green eyes met the purple eyes that were hidden beneath the hat minutes before.
She felt like her breath was taken away in that moment.
The stranger dismounted from the horse, and in their hand was the lasso they had used to stop the cow. They wore a purple pinstripe shirt with the collar undone, a black vest and a bandana on their neck.
They slowly walked towards Coco, their free hand coming forward, offering to help the girl up. The farmer didn’t hesitate and accepted the offer, their hands meeting as she was brought back to stand.
“I apologise, ma’am,” The stranger’s accent sounded off. She could feel the western pronunciation that almost everyone here had, but there was a level of class that no wrangler normally had. “Somethin’ spooked her real good. She ran from our ranch all the way out to your farm.”
Coco chuckled softly, shaking her head. “It’s alright. Just glad neither of us was hurt is all.”
The stranger let out a sigh, “Name’s Agott." She tipped her hat and held it against her chest. “I work over on Mister Qifrey’s ranch. I’m real sorry ‘bout this.”
No wonder her mother never let her see the cowboys, who knew they could be this dreamy.
“You’re a cowboy…” She was arguably the most handsome person Coco had ever seen. From the short curly raven locks to the way her eyes met her own, that, and how she looked like she was just Coco’s age. Her hand moved automatically, grabbing Agott’s hand once more to shake it aggressively. “Well, Agott, I’m Coco!” She could catch the way her eyes widened from the suddenness. “And I’m—”
“You’re the farmer’s daughter.”
“Yes, that’s me!”
She could feel their hands slip from the handshake’s hold — unfortunately.
Agott could feel herself pale at the realisation of not only letting the cow wreck a piece of the farm, but also nearly getting the farmer’s daughter killed. “… That was careless of me, I can make it right—”
“Coco?!” The sound of her mother rushing through the field broke the two out of their trance. Soon, she appeared through the wheat, her face filled with deep worry when she saw the ruined fields. “I heard you screaming, are you—”
She then came across the sight in front of her.
Her daughter, her sweet, beloved Coco, standing closely — too closely — beside a stranger with a hat, boots and a horse just nearby.
Her face soured in that very instant.
“What’d I tell you about dating?!”
Coco’s face was red like the tomatoes that they grew together. “N-no, Mom, it’s not like that!”
“Good,” Her arms folded, her expression immediately softening. “‘Cause you ain’t dating no cowboy.”
“Mom!”
Agott blinked, looking between the mother-daughter duo before her like it was some foreign concept. “…Ma’am.”
Coco sighed, her muddied hands coming up to rub her aching temples. “The cows from Mister Qifrey’s ranch got loose here.”
The name caught her mother’s intrigue, her face perking up in absolute surprise. “Mister Qifrey?” She murmured, turning to Agott slowly, eyeing her up and down as if figuring something out. “You one of Qifrey’s?”
The raven-haired cowboy nodded carefully, her hand still on the lasso and the hat that kept its place against her chest. “Yes, ma’am.”
“No wonder you’re polite.” She mused, her gaze went to the ruins of their wheat fields and the roped cow that lay in the middle of it all. “And one of your cows did this?”
“Yes, ma’am. I can work it off, if that helps.” Agott replied, her voice calm and in a way determined.
The older woman studied Agott for a long time. If this were any other ranch hand, they’d be fighting to avoid having to deal with this at all costs. But, she was one of Qifrey’s cowboys; she supposes they all take after the ranch’s owner after all. She sighed and looked at Agott with narrowed eyes. “How about I discuss this with Mister Qifrey, then we’ll decide.”
“Mom, do we have to do this?” Coco deadpanned, turning to her mother.
She shrugged at her daughter, her attention focused on her too. “We could use the extra set of hands, and it’ll keep you from stressing over making job offers.”
The younger woman softened from that. “Mom.” She breathed out weakly, “You don’t have to worry.”
“I’m your mother, Coco.” Her hand came to Coco’s shoulder. “It’s my job to worry about you.”
To the side, Agott pondered the offer for a long minute, “Okay.” She replied calmly, snapping the mother-daughter duo out of their trance.
“Good.” She heard the sigh come out of the mother. She stepped forward and gently patted Agott’s shoulder. “It’s gettin’ late, you should get headin’ out before Mister Qifrey worries ‘bout you.”
“Of course, ma’am.” Agott gave a curt nod, tipping her black hat back on, and she stepped back towards her horse. She swung herself onto the saddle with practised ease. “Thank you, we’ll see you tomorrow.” A gentle spur on the boots and a tug on the lasso got both the horse and the cow moving through the thrashed fields the cow had made. Just before the cowboy got out of earshot, she made a glance back towards Coco, purple looking for green for a split second, which was then followed by her turning back to the cow and soil before her.
Once out of earshot, Coco’s mother hummed thoughtfully, looking at her daughter.
Coco felt like her face had heated up like a hot summer day. “She’s not—”
“Oh, so it’s a she.”
“Mom!” Coco squeaked when her mother’s arm suddenly wrapped around her shoulder and pulled her to her side. “I know you were thinking of it!”
Her mother laughed freely, “Really? Because I think she’s a hard worker.”
Coco groaned into her mother’s shoulder. “Mom.”
She continued to laugh; there was just something adorable about seeing her daughter so red and blushy. “I’m just glad it was one of Qifrey’s Cowboys.” She sighed and gently pulled Coco closer. “Them cowboys over there still got some manners left in ‘em.”
The farmer felt her eyes roll as she leaned into her mother. No wonder why she was calmer about the cowboy. She had heard rumours from the older woman and her friends that the best cowboys they’d rather have their daughters date would be one of Mister Qifrey’s. Something about them being the most polite ones around.
“But ya still not dating a cowboy.”
“I know!” Coco chuckled, leaning her head on her mother’s shoulder with a heavy breath. “I didn’t plan to anyway.”
The mother-daughter pair let silence fill the space left from their conversation when Coco finally looked at the ruined fields before her. “Were you hurt?” Her mother whispered, looking at the younger farmer with that familiar worry.
Coco shook her head, sensing her mother’s concern. “I’m fine,” her eyes came to look upon her ageing mother. “The cow just scared me, that’s all.”
She sighed and pulled Coco into a hug, like she was trying to mould her daughter. “That’s good, as long as you’re okay.”
“What about the wheat?” Coco stammered into the older woman’s clothes, her green eyes studying the ruined field, feeling her mind panic about the setback. “That’s going to make us lose some money!”
“Oh, Coco…” Her mother whispered, pressing a gentle kiss into green hair. “You’re just like your father.” Her head stayed there, on top of Coco’s own, for a long while. “Stubborn like a mule, and always fretting on everyone but yourselves.”
“But mom—” She mumbled out when she felt her mother pull back.
Coco felt her mother’s gentle hands cup her face; she could feel the calluses from her long, exhausting labours. Her left hand was taking more precautions with the scar on her cheek.
“We can always get more wheat.” Her thumb went to gently rub the space where the tears were forming below Coco’s eye. “But I can never get you back.”
“You’re all I have now.”
The farmer’s face crumpled into softness after that. She let herself look at her mother for a second or two.
She shot forward, her arms moving to embrace her mother by the waist, while she buried herself in her dress. She felt like a little kid again; it was silly. It wasn’t long before the older woman’s arms came up to reciprocate the hug with a long hum.
“I love you, Mom.” She mumbled out weakly, not wanting to pull away.
Her mother chuckled softly. “I love you too.”
They stayed stuck there, hugging until the sun started to set lower. That was when they pulled back. The older woman hummed. “Come on, let’s have supper.”
The pair broke off the hug, picking up the fallen bundles of wheat, “We've got to get you a bath, then an early rest.”
“Why?” Her footsteps matched her mother’s as the wooden house came into view.
“We’re visiting Mister Qifrey’s ranch tomorrow.” The older farmer replied, and she looked at Coco with a more relaxed but smug look. “Gotta make sure you’re fresh for your girlfriend, no?”
Coco came to an immediate halt, her face red, her mother walking on ahead with a knowing look.
“Mom!”