InsaneJournal

Reunion
Who: Eli and Jenny Donovan
Where: Stagecoach Drop Off Point and then Eli's place
When: May 17, 1867, afternoon
Status: Written and completed on Google Docs


Jenny leaned over to poke her head out of the stagecoach to get her first glimpse of the town of New Shelby as the driver reined in to slow the horses to a stop. The ride had been far from a smooth one. It seemed to Jenny that the driver quite intentionally hit ever dip in the road to keep his passengers bumping around with the carriage of the stage. And more then once a complaint was shouted out from the interior of the coach, though it most likely hadn't caught the attention of the stage driver. The man probably didn't even hear the shouted words.

Not waiting for the door to be opened from the outside, Jenny pushed the door open and stepped slowly down, hands smoothing out the front of her dress once she found herself on solid ground. Her baggage could wait as the Irish woman was more interested in checking on the condition of her horse. She was sure, even with Beauregard having been hitched to the back of the stage by a length of tethering, that the beast had kept up quite well with the pace set by the driver, but Jenny wanted an instant reassurance that her mount had made the trip unscathed. And while the driver climbed up to the roof of the stage to collect her bags, Jenny busied herself with giving her horse quite the close looking over.

Eli had left the new colt in his mother's care for the afternoon, while he made his way into town for a few supplies. Now that they had another young mouth to feed, he wanted to have more oats in ready supply for supplementing Trixie's diet, and Miz Lewis always kept plenty of feed and tack on hand. The little one was nursing well, and it would likely be several more weeks before it was time to start weaning him onto hay and oats, but Trixie's feed would need to be adjusted for both of them.

He rarely paid any attention to the stagecoach when he was in town, since its passengers usually didn't have any need for his services right away. The sight of a young woman unhitching a horse from the stage train made him pause, however -- stage passengers didn't often bring their own horses, and if she needed directions to the nearest stable...

Eli hadn't seen his family in over eight years, so he would have to be forgiven for not immediately recognizing his little sister, from across the street and without a clear view of her face, at that. After all, she'd been barely past twenty-one when he left home. "Afternoon, ma'am," he called cheerfully as he approached behind her. "Need a hand?"

"Well. You seem none the worse for the wear after such a long trip." Jennifer murmured softly to the horse, giving him a light, gentle pat to his neck after slowly and carefully checking the animal over for even the slightest discoloration. He seemed to have suffered not even the slightest injury during the lengthy trip to New Shelby. And she had just been about to set to untying her horse from the stage when she heard that unmistakable, and ever so familiar voice sounding from behind her. Hearing it had her stiffening almost as a reflective action. But it wasn't in a bad way cause hearing the voice had a grin creeping slowly across her features, one that brought out her trademark dimples to cause little valleys to punctuate her cheeks.

"Why yes, Sir." She started in a voice that was just a slight decibel higher then her own voice and masked with the best Irish accent she could muster. "Could you possibly direct me toward the local stable?" Not turning around to face him just quite yet, Jennifer continued with her unfastening of her horse's tether from the stagecoach she had arrived in.

"Oh, that's simple enough," Eli answered mildly, a smile tugging at his mouth at the familiarity of the Irish lilt. The sound of it always made him a bit homesick, even years later. "You'll be wanting Donovan's place. I'm heading in that direction myself, if you're needing any help carrying your things."

"Why I do believe you are right, Sir. I hear tell he has the finest beasts within a 100 miles." Wrapping the tether around a gloved hand a couple times Jenny finally made the move to turn and face her unsuspecting brother. "And I surely hope he has room for one more in his stables."

Eli's attention was momentarily pulled to the horse, as he inspected the painted coat and obvious care she paid to him, and he grinned slightly. "I'm sure that can be arranged," he told her, and broke off as he turned his attention back toward her and blinked in shock.

It was rare enough for Elijah Donovan to be shocked speechless, but the amusement in her familiar blue-gray eyes -- very familiar, since they matched his own -- blanked out whatever he had been about to add.

"Jennybee?" he murmured, forgetting all about the horse in his surprise.

"Surprise." She grinned widely with a hint of mischief dancing behind those blue-gray eyes of hers. Yes, this definitely had been the reaction she had been hoping for from her brother, and seeing it in plain view, and with her own eyes, made the terribly discomforting trip well worth it.

With a huff of startled laughter, Eli dropped the canvas satchel with his supplies and caught his sister up in an impulsive hug. "Jennifer Donovan, what are you doing here?" he demanded. "Your fingers aren't broken, so I'm assuming you still know how to write your brother a letter to warn him you're coming in on the afternoon coach," he chided her affectionately.

"Now Eli, where would the fun be in me having done that?" She tossed back with a playful grin upon finding herself drawn into a hug. "And besides I kind of got corralled into making sure these were hand delivered." A hand dipped into the pocket of the dress she wore to extract a thin pile of letters tied together with a small length of string to offer over to him. They were letters from family back home. Their father, mother, Annie, Annabelle and Abigail.

Eli lit up at the sight of the packet of letters, and released Jenny to accept them. "Mum not trusting the post again, hmmm?" he teased. "How long are you here for, then? I've got an extra room I can get set up for you, as long as you're here -- and a new colt, foaled just last night," he grinned.

"Has there been a time mum has ever trusted the post?" A little shake of her head came with the response regarding their mother. The fact that more then one letter had been lost en route was more the enough to cause Teresa Donovan to be leery of letters sent her son's way actually finding their way into his hand.

"For as long as you're able to tolerate me? And Elijah Donovan I can't believe you've kept me standing here with idle chatter when you've have a newly foaled colt at the stables." Hands went to her hips with a mock look of disapproval sweeping across her features. The only giveaway that she wasn't totally sincere in her words was the light glimmer that her blue-gray eyes reflected.

"Begging your pardon, Miss High-and-mighty Donovan," Eli said wryly, and caught up his bag of supplies again. "Just you point me toward the rest of your things and we'll get you all settled back at the house." He grinned down at her happily. "Then you can take a look at the new colt, make sure I didn't ruin him somewhere along the way."

"I want the full, complete tour of your place." Jenny said matter-of-factly as she took a couple steps toward the front of the stage to collect one of the two bags she had brought with her that the driver had deposited beside the front left wheel. "So. What's its coloring?" she inquired while waiting for her brother to collect the second bag and then lead her to his house and stables.

"Bay, like his mum," Eli answered, and hefted her second bag over his other shoulder. "Though he's got a bit of red in his coat from his sire." He reached over to give her own horse a rub. "You'll like Trixie, she's a sweet one. Her foal's the first since I opened this place," he added, a touch of pride in his voice.

"That's great, Eli." Jenny casting a look her brother's way that was all brightness and smiles with a voice beaming with pride of her brother. She knew he'd do nothing but succeed in this venture, and it seemed he was on the slow road to there with his first successful foaling. "So, how many horses does that bring your count up to now?" She asked.

"I'm at an even twenty now," Eli replied. "Three mares, two stallions, the new colt, and the rest geldings." He gave a good natured shrug. "Now that Trixie's come through all right, I'll need to start looking into another mare or two, and some more stallions for stud." He shook his head. "New Shelby's growing again, so I might need to think about expanding the stables before the year's out," he added with a smile.

"Expanding? You know with that comes the need for more hired hands, more work around the place. Sounds like you may be needing someone to help you run the place." Not exactly the greatest way to bring the subject up, not that she was offering to help run the stable area of her brother's place, it's just with more mouths that would likely need to be fed, and then with the up keep of his house alone. Well that just plain was a giant chore in itself. But the door had been opened and Jenny felt herself jumping right on through. He'd learn soon enough the reason behind her "visit" and no time like the present to get it all out in the open.

"True enough, I suppose." Eli shot her a sidelong look. "Long as I can tolerate you, hmmm?" he echoed skeptically. "This isn't just a pleasure visit, is it, Jen?"

"What? I couldn't have just been missing my only brother and thought a visit was in order." She answered back pretty much side stepping the truth about her coming to New Shelby.

"Hmmm," Eli hummed, not fully satisfied. He had to admit, she had a point about him needing more help. He had the hands to handle the horses now, but if he stepped up breeding and expanded the stables, he'd never have a moment's peace. The thought of it brought to mind his conversation with Doc MacKenzie's sister earlier that morning -- he hadn't had the time to just go riding for fun or relaxation since before he came to New Shelby over a year ago. If business picked up, he'd have even less free time than ever.

"Well, I can't say I'm not glad to see you," he told her. "You're welcome as long as you care to stay." He grinned slightly. "And if you're of a mind to pick up a few of the household chores, I'll not object," he chuckled.

"Good. Then it's settled then." Jenny stated with a smug little grin. "I'm staying." Getting a firmer grip on Beauregard's reins, Jennifer started away from the stage with really no clue which direction she should be heading.

Eli fell into step with her, subtly steering her toward the stables. "You'll be needing to know your way around town a bit," he told her. He gestured toward the low fence around the paddock, easily visible just down the street. "The stables are pretty central, out of necessity, but the house and the pastures are set further back from the main road." He nodded to some of the buildings as they passed, pointing out the general store, saloon, jailhouse and inn as needed. "Town's growing up a bit more every year," he added. "We've even got us an animal doctor, just outside of town," he chuckled. "Doc MacKenzie -- you'll probably meet him before too long, he's out to check on the horses every now and then."

"Give me a couple of days and I'll the town like the back of my own hand." Jenny offered softly in return as she walked with her brother toward the direction in which the stables were in. Jenny listening to every word that fell from her brother's mouth as a glance was cast around to take in her surroundings. "Growth is a good thing, and having an animal doctor among the general population is a good thing. And I'm sure you will be keeping the man quite busy."

"Oh, I have been of late, what with Trixie's foaling," Eli admitted wryly. "And if I manage to expand, he'll be busier than me, I'd wager." He reached for the latch to the stable gate, pulling it wide for her to lead her horse into the enclosed stable area. "Trixie's be separated with her colt in the back, we should have free stalls up front if you'd like to claim one of those. What's his name?" he asked curiously, gesturing to her own horse.

"This fine looking beast here is Beauregard. A product of Da's lot from about three years back. He was of the mind to sell him, and at a good price, but I refused to allow him to do it." Jenny smiled. "Isn't that right, boy." The younger Donovan giving a light, gentle tug on the reins she held giving a gentle whispering of breath to caress the Stallion's nuzzle. An action that caused the animal to give a light shake of his head with the surrounding breath of her scent.

"And a nice, clean stall would be fine." She said. "And maybe once we are both settled I can have a little look around town." Jenny added as she turned to face her brother once more.

Eli pulled open the low gate to one of the front stalls and held it open. "That can be arranged," he agreed with a smile. "I can try to free up some time to show you around, if you like, or you can have a look around on your own, if you'd prefer that." He grinned at her impishly. "I don't suppose you could get into too much trouble by yourself, if it comes to that," he teased her lightly.

"Little ole me? Get into trouble? Now where would you have ever come up with that thought, Eli." Jenny flashed him a knowing smile once she had guided her mount into the stall and freed Beauregard of his tetherings.

"Years of experience," he countered, with a wry twist of his mouth. "I grew up with you, Jen, don't think I don't know exactly what you can get yourself into when you've a mind to." He set aside his bag of supplies where it would be out of the way and ducked into the stall to lend a hand. The sooner she and her horse were settled, the sooner she could explore her surroundings, and Eli had no doubt she'd have the lay of the land in a matter of days, with or without his help.

"Well, seeing as you were right there beside me a good portion of the time it's not surprising that you know exactly the kind of trouble you are able to lead me into." Hey, she didn't always get into trouble all on her own. She seemed to have had a bit of help in that department when they were younger.

"I'll not deny it," Eli said amiably. "I've grown out of most of my trouble-making impulses now, though, so you're on your own if you're thinking about stirring things up," he told her with a brotherly wink. "I'm a respectable member of the community now, see," he added with a laugh.

"Never thought I'd hear your name and respectability used in the same sentence." Jen said letting the tone of her voice turn just a bit serious. Just a small bit. "Have to say you've done well for yourself Eli. Don't have to tell you Da'd be proud to see what you've accomplished instead of just reading about it in your letters,"

"It's been a long time in the planning, I have to admit," Eli replied. "I told Da when I was sixteen that I meant to have my own stables and farm, and I never intended to let him down on that count." He smiled as he started to put away Beauregard's tack. "I can't say as I expected to succeed at it, sometimes -- it's been a rough go of it, now and again," he murmured, a bare touch of regret tinging his voice. "Still -- I can't complain, as it's all working out, now."

"Glad to hear you say that, because I really would have hated to make the long, rough and rugged trip only to be finding myself turning in a couple days to head back home." She stated. "So now that we've gotten Beau here settled think I can have a tour of the house to see just what I've gotten myself into." Not like anyone was twisting her arm to stay or pretty much take over the running over her brother's house. That had been all her decision, and her choice alone.

"That might be the most accurate way to describe it," Eli said dryly. He wasn't a slob by any means, but the tidiness of his living quarters too often ended up coming second to the needs of the horses. As far as he could remember, it shouldn't be too much of a mess, at least -- but then again, he was a confirmed widower, and his standards of cleanliness might not live up to his sister's standards.

"I'll need to air out the extra room while you're exploring," he told her, and held the stall gate open for her to precede him out. He waved one hand toward the rear exit of the stables, and the path that led back to the main house. "I don't get many guests, after all, and most of the hands live in town or just outside." The grin he gave his sister was a bit sheepish. "I'm not really a recluse, I promise, so you needn't tell Mum I'm some kind of cranky old hermit," he said drolly.

"And add to the gray hairs she's already getting? I'll just write her that you've turned into a cranky recluse." She grinned back playfully. She knew full well that living on a place this size and having as many hands as her brother must have, Jen thought it highly unlikely that her brother would come anywhere near close to becoming a recluse or hermit. And if he should attempt such a feat, well she'd put a halt to that quick enough.

"If I go off exploring can you manage getting my bags to the room on your own?" Offering a sweet little smile. She knew he was well capable of doing just that, but Jen just couldn't resist teasing.

"Go on with you," Eli scoffed, and hefted both of her bags, since his own satchel of supplies would be needed here in the stables. "Just because I'm older than you doesn't make me feeble just yet. I'll manage just fine, Miss Cheek."

"Ok. OK." Soft, gentle laughter accompanied her words before Jen continued. "I'll leave you to getting my room ready and go get myself acquainted with your place here." Really wasn't much trouble she could find in that, was there? Of course with one Jennifer Teresa Donovan, one could never be all too sure.