Thunder Mountain Ranch

by McCarthy, G. L.

  Thunder Mountain Ranch The Second Alexandria Whitney Mystery

  G. L. McCarthy

  Copyright 2008 G. L. McCarthy All rights reserved To Julie “Jessie” Smith Without you these books would never have seen the light of day. Love always,

  Chapter 1

  The morning ride had been beautiful as well as relaxing. The memories of past events were fading as Alex now had a very attractive distraction and two weeks to enjoy it. The cook was sounding the bell that lunch was ready. Alex was trying to help Sam unsaddle the horses so they could eat together. She had forgotten how much muscle it took to pull saddles off and get them put away. Having Beau in pasture had taken that chore out of her weekly events. Occasionally bringing sacks of pellets to his barn wasn’t enough to keep her in the shape she used to be in. Maybe Jessie would let her work around the place and possibly get some of her muscle tone back. She figured she would be sore from all this activity, but it would be a good feeling. As the last horse was turned out into the corral, Alex and Sam headed for the cook shack for lunch.

  As they entered, everyone was already seated and eating, including Jessie and Dawson. Alex looked at her friend, who was smiling and nodding her approval of the two of them being together. Sam handed Alex a tray with a plate and silverware already on it. The smell of barbecued beef was filling the air and Alex suddenly felt famished. What was it about being out in all that fresh air that made you hungry all the time? The choice between barbecued beef or tri tip sandwiches was hard as both looked delicious. Alex settled for a tri tip sandwich and Sam went for the barbecued beef.

  Sam led the way outside to a small bench that had tree stumps as little end tables. When they got settled Sam produced a large bread knife and asked Alex if she wanted to split her sandwich. That way they could have half of each others’. Alex thought that was great as she really did want to try the barbecue.

  “Oh my gosh, this is so good.” Alex was in heaven as the tri tip sandwich was melting in her mouth.

  “Wait till you try the barbecue. It’s outstanding although not as low cal as the tri tip.” Sam didn’t need to worry about calories as she worked them off daily doing her chores.

  “I must talk to Jessie about letting me do some work around here or I’ll weigh two hundred pounds when I leave.” All this good food was really going to add on the pounds, Alex thought.

  “Well, she may have something you can do. You will need to ask her.” Sam thought Alex was just the right weight. She liked the way she looked in her jeans and her shirt fit nicely, showing she had some muscle in those arms. She also liked how she rode Bruce, and could tell she knew her way around horses not sitting on his back like a sack of potatoes, but sitting forward and on the balls of her feet to keep the pressure off his back.

  “So, have you looked at the activities sheet to see what you want to do this week?” The ranch had lots of arts and crafts and Sam hoped that Alex had something in mind to keep her from getting too bored.

  “The basket weaving class looks like a lot of fun. I’ve always wanted a hand woven basket. Do you recommend any of the other classes?” Alex wondered if Sam taught any of them or just took out trail rides.

  “The basket weaving class is excellent, but some of the other classes are more suited for the kids. I suggest you take one and I’m sure Jessie can come up with something to occupy the rest of your time.” Sam figured taking one class was a diversion and helping her with the horse chores may be fun tiring but fun.

  “That would be great. I love cleaning stalls. It’s such mindless work, kind of like detailing a car. You can do the work and think about all kinds of things at the same time.” If cleaning stalls could keep her near Sam, it would be a whole new kind of activity class that she would definitely sign up for.

  “Darlin’, you just said the magic words. When Jessie finds out you like shoveling horse manure you’ll have a job for the duration of your stay.” A woman that liked getting dirty went to the head of the class in Sam’s mind.

  “Excellent. I’ll talk to her after lunch.” Alex felt warm all over. When Jessie called her Darlin’ she loved it, but when Sam just said it – fireworks went off. Wow! Was she in trouble. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to calm down and think of something else.

  “So how long have you been working for Jessie?” This was a question Alex hadn’t asked while on the ride. That conversation was more of yelling questions back and forth to each other. Having a quiet conversation was for questions you really wanted to be able to hear the answers to and comprehend.

  “I started about eighteen months ago. I needed a change after I split up with my last girlfriend. Jessie offered me the job, I packed my stuff, and here I am.” Sam hadn’t told anyone but Jessie about her breakup. She was still feeling the pain. She had been suspicious about her girlfriend’s outside activities, but was devastated when she found her with her best friend. Being betrayed by both of them was a double blow and leaving town was the only way she could ever get over it.

  “If you don’t mind my asking, how long were you two involved?” Asking questions about an ex was one thing Alex felt was definitely something she needed to do.

  “We met at the stables where I worked, dated casually for six months, and then dated exclusively for a year before moving in together. I thought it was enough time, but apparently it wasn’t. We were together a total of three years before she moved in with someone else. I guess the only justice to the whole thing is that the woman she moved in with left her for someone else. Lesbian drama is like a soap sometimes.”

  “Wow, that does sound like a soap opera.” Alex remembered how much her old stable had been like that. Join us, viewers, as we continue today’s episode of “As The Hot Walker Turns.” On the other hand, the most recent events of Alex’s life were more like those mysteries they showed on PBS.

  “So would I be wrong in assuming she wants you back?” Alex figured if she didn’t it would be a first.

  “Oh yeah, called me up the minute the other woman dumped her and cried for an hour telling me how sorry she was and to please take her back. I listened and then very politely told her that it was her problem and she needed to call someone who cared. Needless to say that didn’t go over very well and she slammed the phone down. She continues to call me every couple of weeks and I just ignore the messages.” Sam wondered if Alex would think her too cold for not at least returning a couple of the calls.

  “Good for you. I admire your will power. I know several lesbians who would go back in a heartbeat if their ex called them.” Thank Goddess she wasn’t one of them.

  “So now that you know a little bit about my last lover, tell me about yours!” Sam knew about Alex and Dez, and assumed that because she had visited the ranch before without the girlfriend that her relationship wasn’t all that great either.

  “Well, Dez and I were together for five years. I broke it off a little over a week ago.” Had it only been that long? It seemed like months had passed.

  “Wow, that isn’t very long. Was it a rough breakup?” Sam hoped it wasn’t too soon to ask such a probing question.

  “Not for me. I had been thinking about it for a couple of weeks when it dawned on me that I didn’t really have a relationship, I had a roommate. So after thinking long and hard and coming to the conclusion that she was only capable of being a roommate, I gave her my reasons and broke it off.” Alex hoped that didn’t sound as cold and hard to Sam as it just did to her.

  “Five years is a long time. Was she devastated?” Sam would have been and was when her relationship ended.

  “You have to understand, Sam, that my ex was in her own little world. She may be devastated, I don’t know. We haven’t really talked since t
hen. But what I do know is that I gave her five years of my life and she only gave me one year of hers.” Suddenly what Sam thought of her meant something to Alex and she wasn’t going to be painted as a cold hearted vixen.

  “She only gave you one year of her life? I don’t understand.”

  “The first year we were together she was there for me in mind and body, but then as time went on she checked out to the point that I was doing all the giving and compromising in the relationship.” Alex hoped she understood what she was saying. She could have said it better if given more time to think about it.

  “Oh, I understand what you mean. I guess I never looked at it that way before, that one person could give up more than the other but it’s completely true.” Sam was encouraged that Alex wasn’t a quitter and would try to work on her relationship, even if the other person wasn’t.

  “I guess the part about it that makes me the saddest is that it took me four years to realize it wasn’t going to work for me. I guess you could say I really had my head in the sand.” It seemed the more Alex thought about it the more obvious it was that it hadn’t really worked after the first year.

  “Wow, but you did finally figure it out. You must have been somewhat happy to have stuck it out that long?” Sam wondered what changed for her to leave.

  “Yes, I wasn’t completely miserable. Things changed at the beginning of this school year. I had a secret admirer who was stalking me. Knowing this I found myself confiding in a fellow teacher instead of my lover. That’s one of the first things that made me realize I didn’t really know who my lover was. All of those little things I ignored over the years all came to bear during this drama. So when I decided she was never going to be there for me, I made the decision to end it.” Alex really hoped Sam understood.

  “Gosh, you must have been disappointed and heartbroken that someone you loved wasn’t who you thought she was. I felt the same way about Teresa.” Sam was amazed to find they had so much in common when it came to their exlovers.

  “You are absolutely right. I was disappointed and heartbroken, not to mention extremely angry for being such a doormat. But the anger was directed at myself for allowing it to happen.” Alex was relieved that Sam understood her side.

  “Well, don’t beat yourself up too much. I think we’ve all been there. But if you let yourself end up in the same predicament again, well that’s a different story.”

  The guests started to leave the dining room, signaling that lunch was over and the activities would be starting soon in the crafts room. Most of the adult guests headed for their rooms to take a nice long nap. The kids were anxious to get creative and ran to get a good seat. Alex felt full and ready for a nap herself, but really wanted to keep talking to Sam.

  “You look like you could use an afternoon nap. The first day with all this fresh air and change in altitude makes people tired. Why don’t we meet up later, as I have a few chores I need to tend to.” Sam did need to get to work and she had taken more than her usual half hour for lunch.

  “Wow, all of a sudden I feel so sleepy. Can I come looking for you when I wake up?” Alex felt like she had taken a sleeping pill.

  “You bet. Can I walk you to your room?” Sam stood as she wanted to make sure Alex remembered where it was.

  “Maybe you better. I would hate to end up in the wrong room.” Alex went to get up, but Sam told her to stay seated. She would take their plates in and then would be right back to escort her to her casita.

  Chapter 2

  When Alex finally woke up she couldn’t remember walking there with Sam. Looking at the clock she was surprised it had been a four hour nap. Walking out of her room into the sunlight the warm air felt good as she headed over to the office to see if Sam might be there. Jessie was sitting at her desk talking on the phone and smiled as she saw her friend approaching. She ended the call, stood up, and headed towards Alex.

  “Hey, Darlin’, how was your ride?” Jessie gave Alex a big hug.

  “It went great, but then you knew it would, didn’t you?” Alex whispered into Jessie’s ear not wanting anyone else in the office to hear.

  “Let’s take a walk. I need to fill you in.” Taking her friend’s hand, Jessie headed for a place they could have some privacy.

  She led the way towards the big hay barn. Along the way Alex looked for Sam, but she was nowhere to be seen. Several guests were playing horseshoes, while others watched and the rest seemed to be enjoying the pool.

  As they entered the barn Jessie closed the doors behind them and headed for the ladder to the loft. When they reached the top she took Alex to an opening where they had a great view of the main buildings. She pointed out Sam working on the harnesses for the draft team that pulled the wagon for the nightly hay rides.

  “First off, I’m so happy you’re here. Second, you know I wouldn’t meddle in your life if I didn’t think it was for the best. I think Sam is the best. Now I know you think I’m prejudice because she’s family, but believe me, I’ve watched her for over a year now to see how she handles herself. She’s a very good hearted person and deserves someone to appreciate her.” Jessie figured her approval would go a long way with Alex.

  “She told me a little bit about her ex during lunch. But Jessie, she is still in some pain about that relationship. You can hear it in her voice.” Alex didn’t think Sam was completely ready to move on, as she had been the one who was left for another woman.

  “I’ve spent a lot of time sitting on that swing over there, listening to guests tell me their stories about affairs, bad marriages and rotten children. One thing I remember is that the ones who are left are very susceptible to going back to their spouses. The ones who do the leaving, either leave a controlling lover or go for someone else. The ones who leave controlling lovers, usually don’t go back. The ones who leave for another lover are the ones who usually regret their mistake and try and reel the ex back in. Sam was left for another woman and she could have gone back and no one would have blamed her. But she figured it could and possibly would happen again and has told her ex so on several occasions. She’s working on her self esteem right now. She’s questioning herself about what went wrong you know, you’ve been there.” Jessie knew she was right about Sam and Alex would see it to.

  “I’ve been there more than once. I guess those of us who are caring are usually the ones questioning ourselves. The ones who don’t give a darn are clueless and usually hurt people and think nothing of it.” Alex wished she had more than two weeks to get to know Sam.

  “Well, Darlin’, I need to get back to the office and the cook should be sounding the dinner bell soon. Why don’t you go see if Sam needs any help. Oh, by the way she mentioned you wanted to do some chores around the place. You have my blessing to clean all the stalls you want.” Jessie held out her hand to help Alex up and gave her a hug.

  “That’s great. I may even lose a pound or two while I’m here. Have I told you lately how lucky I am to have you as my best friend?” Alex kissed Jessie on the cheek while still hugging her.

  “Not since breakfast, but I won’t hold it against you.” Smiling, Jessie turned her loose and headed for the ladder.

  “How are you related to Sam?” The resemblance was obvious to Alex.

  “Our fathers were twins. People say we look like our grandmother. We’ve always been mistaken for sisters, instead of cousins. See you at dinner?” Jessie headed for her office as Alex made her way towards the tack room.

  “Absolutely. Will you save us a seat?” Smiling, Alex saw Jessie nod and gave her a wink.

  Sam was busy hand stitching one of the buckles that had only a few threads holding it in place when she heard someone walking towards her. As she turned around she saw Alex with a big smile on her face. She looked well rested to say the least.

  “Good evening. Did you sleep well?” Sam was beginning to wonder if she had forgotten about meeting up with her.

  “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry. I can’t believe I slept so long. You were right a
bout needing a nap. I just hope I can go to sleep tonight.” Alex felt like taking a long walk before dinner. Now if she could just get Sam to go with her.

  “Don’t worry. You’ll be out like a light when your head hits the pillow. It never fails the first couple of nights.” She spoke from experience. Not many of the guests were up for long after dinner the first couple of days.

  “How about a walk before dinner?” There. Alex asked before she lost her nerve.

  “I’d love to, but I need to get this fixed first and the dinner bell will be ringing in about ten minutes. How about afterwards?” Having all night to take a walk sounded so much better to Sam.

  “Great. Is there anything I can do to help with the repairs?” Having repaired her saddle a couple of times Alex knew her way around a needle and thread.

  “Actually, I’m almost done. I was just checking the harness when I noticed this loose buckle. Not that the draft teams would have done anything wrong if the harness did slip, but you never want to assume anything.” Being responsible for the tack was a job Sam took very seriously.

  Alex watched as Sam finished up tying off the thread and carefully hung the harness on its hook. Sam cleaned up the area of all the scraps and locked up the tack room just as the dinner bell rang. Alex put her hands in her pockets, though she really did want to take Sam by the hand and walk to the dining hall. Sam smiled to herself as she watched Alex look off in the distance, having a good idea what she was thinking. Alex noticed the smile and both started to laugh. As they walked in silence Alex sent up a prayer that Goddess knew what she was doing and would let her know soon what her plan was for the both of them.

  Chapter 3

  As Alex and Sam walked into the dining room the smell was mouthwatering, to say the least. Tonight’s menu was prime rib, chicken or barbecued ribs. Vegetable dishes were corn on the cob, carrots, string beans and baby peas. Other sides included garlic mashed potatoes, baked potatoes and french fries. Beverages ranged from beer, wine, iced tea, coffee, sodas and milk. Alex went for the prime rib, corn and a baked potato, while Sam chose the ribs, corn and mashed potatoes. Both had raspberry flavored iced tea. Dawson and Jessie had saved two seats directly across from them at one of the side tables.