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Black Orchids on The Vine

The gift of sight was a funny thing Cora Mae,

was thinking as she headed on up the hill into town. Wasn’t worth a penny when it come to personal things like money or finding real love.

Shoot depending on who you asked it was a gift or a curse. Half the folks would come miles just to have you tell em their fortune and the other half couldn’t wait to cross the street when they saw you coming, outta fear you gonna put the evil eye on them or something.

She chuckled to herself thinking of Clay Jenkins who most times was so full of himself he wouldn’t hesitate to walk right on up to a girl and ask her out or to dance at the socials, but not her, no sir every time he saw her he seemed to get all nervous and such. Talk about clumsy, shoot last time she saw him at Mildred’s he knocked over a full pickle barrel trying to help her with her groceries, she could still see him sitting in the puddle of juice picking pickles out his shirt. Course stuff like this happened a lot around her, with men acting all nervous and falling all over themselves but not that bad.

Course the other thing about the gift she realized suddenly alert to the sounds around her, was knowing when she wasn’t alone. Sometimes wasn’t anything she wanted to stop and talk too, the spirits was a pushy bunch they wanted to be heard when they wanted to be heard and didn’t much matter where or when if they done decided they had something needing to be said or done.

But this wasn’t no spirit, she knew that, nor was it something or someone she oughtta be afraid of. Whoever it was liked her she could sense it. She kept walking content to let him think…. him yes it was a him, let him think that she had no idea he was skulking not more than a few feet from her hidden by the trees.

She searched trying to pull him closer so she could tell who it was but he was strong willed and his mind shut her out.

Dammit bet it’s….. but before she could finish that thought she heard the sound of a horse wicker, just as she stepped into the pathway leading into the trees……

To this day Henry Dodd couldn’t for the life of him tell why he had stopped dead in his tracks halfway to his favorite watering hole for a swim and a bit of a cleanup after a hard day’s work and instead turned his horse around heading for town.

All he could remember was a sudden urge tinged with urgency to get out of the woods and onto the road into town. It almost felt like someone was nagging him to hurry up.

He could hear the voice inside his head hell once or twice he actually looked around to see if anyone was hiding in the trees, but Nell would have acted up for sure at the sound of footsteps.

The sound of a woman’s scream made him kick Nell into a canter as the break came in the trees n he came to a dead stop as he spied Cora Mae on the ground both hands cradling her ankle.

She was mumbling something to herself and he coulda sworn he’d heard her say damn you Granny Lee under her breath, but soon as she looked up an saw him she stopped talking and just looked up at him waiting.

“You on your way home or into town he asked as he lifted her onto his horse.” “Going to town” she let him pick her up easy as a sack of potatoes, have to pick up the mail and Momma wants me to get some brown sugah so she can make sweet dumplings.” “Well aint it just your luck I’m headed just that way.” he said “course I’m beggin yer pardon I aint at my best been in the field all day and haven’t made it to parsons creek to wash the dirt off. “ “I smelled worse she plugged her nose when she said it since he couldn’t see her and laughed as he stuck his nose under his armpit.

Cora Mae wrapped her arms around his waist for support which brought her nose up into his shirt, he was sweaty alright, but it was that good sweat smell. She closed her eyes and sniffed him. “Ah I guess I can put up with it seeing as how you nice enough to take me into to town an all.”

“My pleasure” he smiled liking the feel of her up against him. “Course I suppose I best see you home afterwards too, that ankle needs resting. “ She sniffed the back of his shirt again feeling almost drunk from his scent. Granny Lee called it the mating scent “Seems only right if animals got one, then we do too, how else you gonna know if a man’s right for you lessen you smell him first.” Betcha a dime to a dollar this is your doing she thought but she couldn’t stay mad, her ankle really wasn’t that sore and he didn’t have to know she didn’t really twist it now did he?

Granny Mae knew how to work the dolls and it was no coincidence the pain in her ankle had come just seconds before Henry has come out of the woods. Cora Mae knew match making when she saw it. She sniffed smiling once again and settled in for the ride. Neither one of them spoke content to just share the silence.

In town Henry had gone into the store and gotten the sugah along with some items he’d meant to get a few days before, slinging the sack across the horses neck he climbed back up and turned the horse around, “Mildred said your Daddy already got the mail first thing this morning but I got your sugar.” “Thank you I coulda managed’….

“Ahh now miss Mae it’s my pleasure, sides no man in his right mind would pass up the chance to make the rest of the men round here jealous, betcha couple of them reaching for their shotguns right now” he grinned.

At the edge of town just before they turned off the main road she spotted Clay Jenkins talking to Barbara Jean, his hand was playing absently in her hair, He looked up for just a second and saw her, his eyes narrowed and Cora Mae saw his true character, but then just like that it was gone, he smiled at her and turned his attentions back to the girl. Cora Mae looked away, suddenly she felt sorry for Barbara Jean cause she knew sure as rain, Clay Jenkins was gonna break her fool heart and leave her with a baby in the bargain.

For about a hot minute Cora Mae had thought she might have like to be Clays girl but now the thought made her shudder whew no thank you she thought relaxing against Henry back just a little more.

Henry she whispered “Uh, huh you okay back there? He was ready to stop if he needed to. I’m fine I was just wonderin…..He nodded, waiting for her to finish. “Would you like to come for dinner?” The words were out of her mouth before she even realized she was gonna say them

Henry Dodd smiled feeling like he’d just won a prize. “I would be right honoured.” Cora Mae rested her head on his strong back and drank in his scent one more time.

*******

Granny Lee pulled herself up out of her rocker, banged her pipe against the arm letting the ashes fall and stuck it back in her mouth her eyes scanned the top of the hill for a moment then she smiled.

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Criminal Minds

Diva Note: So I was thinking about the show Criminal Minds when this song popped into my head cuz i was wondering if it had ever been used in one of the shows episodes seeing as how it would be the perfect song don't ya think? I mean come on it's perfect.