by Ciara Shayee
~ oOo ~
“Seven dollars, fifty cents. How much is that with the rest?”
“Uh…two hundred and eleven dollars, I think. It’s not great, but it’s a start.”
Carefully wrapping the bundle of coins in a sock, Indie tied it in a knot before sliding it back into its place beneath a loose floorboard. The worse-for-wear rug covered it over nicely once they’d unrolled it.
As she rose gingerly to her feet, Indie reminded herself not to show the pain caused by standing on the foot the boss had stamped on earlier. Instead, she forced a weak smile for Grace and a slack-eyed Marley, settling on the edge of the bed with a resigned sigh.
“It’s something.”
Grace hugged herself tight, gazing out of the window at the falling snow. “I guess you’re right. More would be better, though.”
It wasn’t a question, so Indie didn’t answer. She opened her arms to Marley, managing a small smile when she curled into her embrace and relaxed quickly enough to drift off to sleep within minutes. She’d been fighting it for hours; since they went to bed two hours ago, at least.
Once her breaths had evened out and her little limbs had relaxed, Grace helped Indie shift her up to the head of the bed to be tucked in. They knew she’d wriggle down in the night and wake in the centre of the bed as usual, but they pillowed her head at the headboard regardless and pressed kisses to her soft forehead before taking their places either side of her.
The ranch hands finally made their way to bed around nine.
Grace listened as Ryan and his roommate, Jesse, closed the door to their shared room next door, then to the other guys talking in their six-man bunk room across the hall. A smile pulled her lips up when she heard a soft mewling from the window.
She hopped up, mindful of the sleeping child, to let the chilly visitors inside.
Violet, a tabby with large, pale eyes made herself comfortable on the chair in the corner. Her companion, a fluffy ginger tom, jumped neatly onto the bed to curl into Indie’s side. He emitted a loud purr that made both girls laugh softly.
“Make yourself at home,” Indie hummed teasingly, ruffling his baby-soft fur.
Over the next hour or so, the room was cloaked in complete darkness. The girls took turns in the bathroom, changing into warm, worn pyjamas before climbing back into bed. Charlie the ginger tom, typically stubborn, didn’t move—he remained in his perfect haven wedged between Indie and Marley. Indie bade Grace goodnight, shifting until she was completely hidden from sight beneath the covers. It was her usual technique for getting to sleep; burrowed so deeply into the bed that she was just a ball curled slightly off-centre. It was probably where Marley got it from.
Grace, on the other hand, preferred to spread out with her eyes above the covers so she could see the room around her. Not unlike a sentry guard, she mused as she rested her weary head against the thin pillow, drifting slowly into the safe, longed-for world they used to inhabit, but could only dream of now.
CHAPTER TWO
By January seventh, the day the two new ranch hands were due to arrive, Grace and Indie had analysed their routine to a ‘T’ and made adjustments so neither of them would ever have to be alone with the new people.
In the lead up to their arrival, Indie’s nights had been wrought with angst-ridden dreams and worry clouded her every waking thought.
They’d been informed that the new cook and cleaner was a woman named Lola; she’d be helping in the house only. The man was named Paul, and he’d be helping out in the barn for the most part unless he was needed elsewhere.
What had Indie tied up in knots was the reminder that within the next few months, there would be more arrivals. More random people for them to contend with. They’d pushed the thought from their minds until now—until it couldn’t be avoided any longer.
Every year it was the same.
In the spring, fresh workers would arrive to help with the growing demands of the ranch as the snow melted away and the fields became workable once more. By the time the autumn rolled around they would slowly trickle away again, until there were around ten men left to tide the place over through the slow winter.
This year, Indie hoped fervently, would see the last intake she, Grace, and Marley would have to welcome.
She couldn’t bear the thought of another year here.
It would kill her.
~ oOo ~
On the morning Paul and Lola were due to arrive, Indie and Grace woke early to make sure their rooms were ready.
Lola was getting the small single on the opposite side of the house to the rest of the bedrooms. It had been renovated last year, turning from a study into a tiny box room with a single, small, round portal window to let in light. Paul would be taking the last available bed in the group room across the hall from the girls.
For obvious reasons, Indie and Grace couldn’t barge in while the men were sleeping to make sure it was ready for Paul’s arrival, so they headed across the house with Marley at their ankles to prepare Lola’s bedroom. The decorating was lacklustre at best, with streaks in the pale peach paintwork and a light patch on the window wall that would need covering.
Grace scowled while unrolling the bedding and making the bed—Marley helped Indie with the dusting and polishing. The little girl smiled to herself as she waved the fluffy pink duster around, content with a job to do.
“What do you think she’s like?” Grace murmured a short while later as they walked arm-in-arm, Marley clinging to Indie’s hand, to the kitchen.
Indie hummed thoughtfully. “I’m not sure. She must be nuts coming here voluntarily.” Her words were carefully wrapped in manufactured cheer to stop Grace’s nerves intensifying. Indie knew her friend was worried about the new arrivals, so she’d been doing her best to keep things as normal as possible; for her, and for Marley.
Well, as normal as possible when everything in their lives was topsy-turvy to start with.
“Right, c’mon, Grace. Let’s get breakfast started.”
Their sock-clad feet padded noiselessly through the bottom floor of the house, carrying them to the kitchen where they’d already set out the fixings for pancakes, bacon, and eggs. Waiting for them were Charlie and Violet, so Marley was given the task of pouring them a bowl of warm milk to share. She smiled happily and petted their soft fur as they lapped it up with gusto.
Tugging her grey cardigan tighter around her t-shirt, Grace got to work helping Indie with breakfast. As usual, they worked in relative silence, only talking when it was necessary.
It wasn’t until the front door banged open, pre-empting the muted thuds of three pairs of booted feet, that they shared a meaningful, misery-laded glance; the reality of their situation settled in.
This was two more people from whom they had to keep the secret.
Indie’s expression was meant to reassure, while Grace pleaded for something to cling onto. Just a bit of proof they’d be okay—that these two new people wouldn’t mean trouble for them.
Marley was just scared. Scared of new people. Scared of the one set of footsteps she recognised. She darted across the room, scaring the cats into skittering away. Her tiny fists clenched the material of Indie’s trousers.
However much Indie wished she could, there wasn’t anything she could say or do to quell Grace’s or Marley’s nerves. She could only settle for scooping Marley into her arms so she could hide her face while mouthing ‘we’re okay, it’s okay,’ to Grace over Marley’s head.
A moment later, a tall, grey-brown haired man stepped into the kitchen doorway. His presence swamped the room. Thin, shrewd hazel eyes glinted in warning.
“Indie, Grace, meet Paul and Lola. Paul, Lola; my daughters.”
Brief introductions over, the boss marched off toward the back of the house and left the two newbies in the care of Indie and Grace.
Unbeknownst to his new boss, Paul’s calculating eyes caught the barely visible shudders that tore through Indie’s and Grace’s bodies; non-identical twins, so he’
d told him and Lola on the journey out to the ranch.
Paul’s eyes followed those of the darker-haired girl as she glanced toward the blonde, as though in need of encouragement. It gave him food for thought. Thinking back over the past few seconds, Paul wondered what their father had said to garner such a fearful reaction. He came up with nothing. Mr. Smith’s introduction was entirely innocent. Clearly, he ran a tight ship around here.
“Follow us, please. We’ll show you to your rooms.”
Paul’s attention snapped toward the girl he’d introduced as Indie. She gestured out of the kitchen, leading him and Lola out into the main living area. Only then did he notice the small child peeking out from the curtain of her hair. “Well, hello, little one,” he murmured with a soft smile.
Indie instinctively curled around Marley, but the little girl peered shyly at the new face, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. She’d chosen to wear it down that day, and it hung in soft waves around her shoulders.
“What’s your name?”
“Marley,” Grace murmured after a too-long pause.
Marley turned to look at Grace at the sound of her name, but she quickly returned to her position hiding in Indie’s neck.
Paul glanced at Grace, then back to Marley. “Is she shy? I didn’t mean to make her nervous.”
“Yes, she’s shy,” Indie snapped, instantly regretting it. “Sorry. She’s wary of strangers. We don’t meet a lot of new people out here.”
Paul smiled, nodding. “That’s okay, I won’t push. She’s a sweet little thing.”
“She is! Is she your sister?” Lola piped up; she was a petite, fair-haired, chirpy woman.
Indie and Grace shared a heavy look.
“So, this is where we eat all our meals. They’re served at six, one, and seven. Please, don’t be late.”
Again, Paul noticed a strange look crossing Grace’s face before she could hide it. She almost looked…guilty? Perhaps she was often late to meals, he reasoned.
“There’s a games room through there for when all the chores are done, and there’s a smaller room up the stairs for relaxing.”
Paul and Lola followed Indie’s pointed finger upward to the gallery. From this angle, they could only see the top of the bookcases and a stone fireplace.
“Lola, your room is up there. We’ll show it to you in a minute.”
The group made their way up the stairs to a hallway of closed doors, stopping at the second on the right where Indie knocked with a loose fist. After a few seconds, the door opened to reveal a sleepy-eyed young man. After introducing him as José, Indie asked in stilted Spanish if Paul could come in to get settled, smiling in thanks when José agreed and gestured for his new colleague to come inside before offering Lola a friendly, if tired, wave.
“Thanks, José.”
“No worry. I bring him down at breakfast, Senorita.”
Grace hid her smile against her shoulder; the man adored Indie. The only time José didn’t wear his signature scowl was when Indie happened to be around, speaking the few Spanish words he’d taught her.
With Paul dropped off safely at his new quarters, the girls led Lola back through the house, up the stairs, through the small gallery, and into her new room.
Grace’s hesitance in being far from Indie was obvious to Lola, who watched with open curiosity from the corner of her eye. As they stepped to one side, letting her enter her new room, she saw Indie briefly reach out to squeeze Grace’s hand. It was clearly a gesture meant to reassure, but reassure her of what? Surely it couldn’t be her scaring her new boss’s daughter? At an average height of five-feet-seven, Lola had always believed herself to look fairly nondescript and perfectly approachable—certainly not scary, like Grace’s behaviour indicated.
The pair, she decided, along with their stuffy father and apparently mute little sister, were a conundrum to be solved.
~ oOo ~
Paul was amongst the first group to arrive at the breakfast tables.
Ryan, Jesse, Paul, and José sat at one of the two smaller tables nearest the kitchen, leaving the other five men and Lola to use the matching one beside it. Lola slid into her seat a minute or two after Indie carried out the already-prepared breakfast and spread it over the two tables. She returned moments later, this time minus Marley clinging to her torso, with the coffee.
Once Lola had finished eating, she insisted on helping Grace and Indie with the dishes, trying to make conversation but giving up when she realised it was a pointless venture. It was clearly going to take time for them to trust her, which made sense. Instead of pressuring them to talk, she spoke about herself.
“I grew up in a bunch of foster homes, finally aged out a few years ago, and I just spent my time couch surfing until I heard about this gig. I met Paul in Billings, and when Mr. Smith came out to get him, I talked him into hiring me, too.”
Indie and Grace shared an almost amused glance—so she did come out here voluntarily.
Though Grace and Indie didn’t look particularly interested, Lola could tell they were at least listening.
It was a start, she conceded.
By the time they’d finished cleaning the breakfast things away, the men had all marched off into the snow.
For the next few hours, Grace and Indie explained their day-to-day routine with Marley hovering nearby, not wanting to be alone but also unwilling to be too close to the stranger.
The girls talked little, but grew gradually more used to each other’s presence as the day wore on.
Indie and Grace were still wary, but as the day progressed they grew less so. Indie sensed there was nothing threatening about Lola, but remained unhappy with the thought of letting her guard down completely. She promised herself that she’d bide her time before falling into any traps. It flummoxed and frustrated her to have two new people to watch at once, because she couldn’t keep an eye on both of them at the same time as well as Marley and Grace. It just wasn’t possible.
It was a problem she quickly realised would need remedying; and soon, for the sake of her sanity as well as Grace’s.
~ oOo ~
Over the following couple of weeks, their saving grace came in the unexpected form of a stable hand with a worn cowboy hat, Texan accent, and irresistible grin.
On January twenty-first, two weeks after Paul and Lola’s arrival, Indie found herself in the barn for the morning. Grace was at the other end of the building with Ryan, helping to shine all the tack for the horses.
There wasn’t a great distance between the girls, but they were definitely further apart than usual. Marley was having a clingy day and had settled herself on a bucket in the corner of Bear’s stall, her bunny clutched tight against her chest.
Indie listened to Ryan’s booming chuckle intermittently cradling Grace’s softer tones, marvelling at the relief she felt at trusting Ryan with her friend. When the ‘yes’ popped from Grace’s lips after he asked if she’d like to help with the tack, they’d all been surprised. It had taken a few long seconds for them to realise that the idea didn’t scare Grace as much as it once might have.
A violent storm had ripped through the area during the past week, tearing up everything in its path only to leave a trail of devastation in its wake like a toddler throwing its toys from a pram. The boss was stranded in New York, so most of the ranch hands had taken the opportunity to spend more time indoors.
Especially Ryan.
He’d taken every opportunity to make the girls—all three of them—smile. He’d thoroughly enjoyed their uncharacteristically sunny moods as they began to open up to him more and more each day.
That was how Ryan and Grace found themselves holed up with a mountain of tack and only the morning to make the worn leather and scratched metal gleam.
Grace’s distraction with Ryan gave Indie the opportunity to watch Paul without having to worry she was going to be caught. Grace didn’t need to know about the handful of odd conversations Indie had overhead between Paul and whoever he spoke to on his
phone every few days; at least, not until Indie could ascertain whether or not they were important enough to mention.
So far, all she’d heard were strangely worded chats with someone named ‘Lawrence,’ but she was certain he didn’t know about her eavesdropping, and that was the way she intended to keep it.
Experience had taught her that men didn’t like to be listened in on.
If it weren’t for the fact that he hung around an awful lot, watching the interactions between her, Grace, and particularly Marley, she wouldn’t have paid him any more mind than the other ranch hands. As it was though, he made her nervous with his guarded eyes. Indie made her mind up that she’d keep observing him. If he was hiding something, she’d find out eventually.
“C’mon, Grace! Time to head in for lunch!” Indie smiled, holding out a hand to Marley. The little girl clambered off her stool, tromped through the straw, and climbed Indie’s body like a little monkey. With her spindly arms and legs wrapped around her torso, Indie kissed Marley’s head before heading toward the tack room. “Are you ready?”
“Uh-huh. Let me just…” Grace sighed, rising to her feet and making her way over to the sink to rinse her hands of saddle soap.
Ryan chuckled from his spot—cross-legged on the floor and buried in bridles, bits, and girths.
“Thanks for letting me help, Ryan.”
“You’re more than welcome, Missy. Any time. It’s nice to have the company, especially when that company is as pretty as you.”
Indie hid her grin in Marley’s hair when Ryan’s wink turned Grace’s cheeks scarlet. “See you later, Ryan,” she told him softly, looping her arm through Grace’s to tug her toward the ranch.
Neither girl chose to mention the blossoming bond between Grace and Ryan, brushing it to the back of their minds as they trudged through the snow to the house. Indie was positive her friend was harbouring a secret crush, and she’d have put money on Ryan returning her affections.