"Anytime, Cowgirl." : Arthur Morgan X OC

Chapter 3

For the first part of the day, Jane was responsible for washing clothes. The task was simple, but time consuming. She scrubbed each shirt on the soapy washboard, then clipped them up on the clothes line. Her pruney fingers were sore as she clipped a blue shirt on the line.

The one good thing about this job, though, is that some people would leave coins, and occasionally, dollar bills in their pockets. Jane would claim them as her own. So far, she had found $5.26.

Although there was a nice morning breeze, the hot sun beat down, and she had just about sweat through her shirt. The thick skirt wasn't giving her much ventilation either. She had fifteen dollars in her sock from her father, so maybe she would invest in a pair of pants when Arthur and her went into town.

Over the course of the day, she had also met a few new people as they dropped off their dirty clothes. She had met an older man, named Hosea. He appeared gentle and kind, and she immediately knew that she liked him. A young woman with a strong southern accent also introduced herself. Jane discovered that her name Sadie, or Mrs. Adler, and Jane liked her a lot too.

Dutch visited her too.

"How are you settling in?" He asked. His loud voice disrupted the peace, but Jane didn't mind the company.

"Fine," she answered. "Of course, I want to do more than wash clothes, but I like it here."

He laughed. "Oh, don't worry, Miss O'Hare, you'll move up. We just don't want to throw you into a shootout on your first day."

She smiled. "Well, that makes sense. Arthur said that he's going to take me to get a horse after he gets back from Emerald Ranch."

Dutch nodded and rolled back on his heels. "That's a good idea." He paused, the tilted his head. "So, do you have an idea of what you want to do? You're welcome to stay here, but we won't keep you here if you don't want to."

She fiddled with the button on the shirt she was washing. "Um, well, I guess I'll stay for now."

Dutch grinned. "Well, then, Jane O'Hare, welcome to the family!"

She smiled and clipped the shirt on the line. "Thank you,"

He nodded and turned the other way. "Well, I've got work to attend to. Oh, and it appears that Arthur just got back."

Jane glanced to where Dutch was looking. Arthur rode his horse into the camp, then dismounted and headed over to a man, handing him a bag of money.

She then remembered that she was staring. Quickly adverting her gaze, she continued to work on her seemingly endless pile of clothes.

She found two dollars in the pants pocket. It isn't quite stealing, she thought. If they really wanted it, they wouldn't have left it there. And, it's kind of like payment for washing their clothes.

As she stuffed it in her sock, Arthur approached her.

"You okay there, Jane?" He asked, looking confused.

She hopped, trying to catch her balance. "Yes, I just- I just found money in these pants, so I figured I'd pocket it, or put it in my sock, since they don't make skirts with pockets. I'm sure they won't care, right? It's not like-" She suddenly cut herself off. Massaging her nose, she said, "I'm talking too much, aren't I?"

A flicker of amusement crept on to his face. "Maybe, but I surely don't care."

She sighed and tossed the pants on the ground. "Thanks. So, how'd debt-collecting go?"

"Pretty good. Got into a fight, but I got the money. I always can't help but feel bad. It was woman, and I'm not about to hurt a lady, so her beau, or something, is the one that took the heat."