It's Just A Ranch

by Misty Malone

  Garrett had to chuckle. “If you think this is quiet and slow, with not much happening, you haven’t been here very long.”

  “Are you saying a lot happens here? Not like in New York City.”

  “No, not like in New York City, but we have enough excitement out here. It’s just a different kind. Why, just this evening Dad and I and a few of our hands were out searching for a lost lady.”

  She turned around and looked up at him, wanting to see if he was still upset about that. She saw his expression, but couldn’t really read it. “I really am sorry about that, Garrett.”

  “I know you are. I couldn’t help mentioning it again, though, when you repeated something you’ve said before. It concerns me a little.”

  “What did I say that concerns you?”

  “That this is just a ranch.”

  “I don’t mean to put it down. What I was trying to say a minute ago is that staying here isn’t what I thought it would be, but I love it here. There are so many beautiful things here. I thought it would be slow, maybe even dull, but that was okay. I kind of need that for a while. The gorgeous scenery is an added bonus that I wasn’t counting on.”

  “I totally agree with you about the beautiful scenery. But when you say it’s just a ranch, I’m still afraid you’re not taking the possible dangers seriously enough.”

  “I think I’m taking them more seriously than you think. But I also still think you worry too much. I’m an adult, not a reckless child.”

  “I hope you take them more seriously than it seems to me. I’d hate to have to show you how much I care about you by taking you over my knee some day.” He watched her expression, as her head whirled around to face him. He smiled and stole a quick kiss, which also caught her off guard. Without giving her too much time to worry about either thing, he stood, taking her with him. “We should head back before it gets too dark. You can watch the rest of the sunset as we’re going back, though. We can take our time. Are you ready?”

  He’d accomplished exactly what he’d hoped; she was speechless. To his way of thinking, that was good. That way instead of arguing with him, about what he said about taking her over his knee or about the kiss, she’d take a little time to think about them. He helped her up onto Duke, and swung up behind her. Much to his delight, she seemed to settle back against his chest when he wrapped his arm around her waist. He used his other hand on the reins to turn Duke around and start home.

  She was pretty quiet on the trip back, although she did comment on the sunset. When they got back to the barn he lifted her down from Duke’s back. “What did you think about riding? Want to go again sometime, or was once enough?”

  “Oh, no, I loved it. If you were serious about teaching me, I’m definitely interested.”

  “Then in that case, why don’t you help me brush him out now? When I teach someone how to ride, that includes how to saddle the horse before you go, and brushing them out when you get back. We may as well start now, unless you’re too tired tonight?”

  “I’m ready. Show me what to do.”

  That was music to his ears, and they spent the next half hour going over how to care for a horse after a ride.

  * * *

  Mindy wasn’t at the table for dinner the next day at noon, and Garrett asked about her absence. “She borrowed my car this morning and went in to look for a car. She said she would eat lunch in town, and would probably spend most of the day shopping.”

  “I knew she was going to go today or tomorrow,” Garrett said.

  Max shook his head. “All day shopping for a car? I’m not sure I could do that. I hate dealing with car salesmen.”

  “As do I,” Garrett agreed. “Mindy’s done a lot of research and has it narrowed down to three cars. She knows what she wants on them and what color she wants. She was going to see what kind of deal she could get on them, and was determined to make her decision and sign the papers before she came home. She didn’t want to drag it out any more than she had to, so she was giving it one day. I hope she’s able to do it all today.”

  “Me, too,” Helen agreed.

  They changed the subject as they ate their dinner. They were just finishing their meal when they heard someone pulling into their lane. Max moved the curtain to look out the window. “I’ll assume Mindy must have had enough time to get it all done in one day. That’s her now.”

  A couple minutes later Mindy walked in the kitchen, smiling. Garrett went to greet her. “Have you had dinner yet?”

  “Not yet. I was anxious to get back home.”

  Maria was in the kitchen and shooed them into the dining room. “Go on in. I’ll be right in with a plate and everything you need.”

  “Thanks, Maria,” Garrett said. “Come on in and sit down, Mindy. We’re all anxious to hear how you made out.” He held her chair while she sat down. Maria arrived with another place setting. Max and Helen quickly handed her bowls of food. Once her plate was full, Garrett asked the question on everyone’s mind. “Did you find a car you wanted?”

  “They said they would have it ready to be picked up Thursday evening. They’re open until 8:00.”

  “I’ll take you into town for supper then, and we’ll pick up your car,” Garrett said. “What kind did you get?”

  “I got a Volkswagen Beetle. It’s Habanero Orange Metallic, with a sunroof.”

  Max was flabbergasted. “Habanero orange?”

  “Yep. My last car was black, as were a ton of other people’s. People kept waving at me, thinking I was someone else, I guess, and I hated that. I wanted something that you don’t see a bunch of.”

  “Well, I’d say you succeeded,” Garrett said, laughing. Habanero orange, with a sunroof. I’d venture to say you won’t be mistaken for someone else, especially around here.”

  “You said especially around here. Is a VW Beetle a bad choice for around here? Should I have gotten something else?”

  “No, it’s fine,” he assured her. “This is just a rural area, a ranching area, and I don’t know of too many people who live on a ranch that have a Beetle. I see a lot of pickups, some SUVs, but I don’t know of any Beetles. I’d say it’ll stand out.”

  Wyatt chuckled as he agreed. “I’d say it’ll do that, all right. I hope you don’t have a lead foot.”

  Garrett was laughing, as well, until he saw her reaction to Wyatt’s statement. She sobered, but quickly hid her reaction. Garrett made a mental note to keep an eye on her driving habits. If necessary, he’d have a talk with her and remind her exactly how much it was apt to stand out.

  Chapter Five

  Mindy seemed to settle in at the ranch that week. She began helping Maria and Helen around the house, and took a walk daily. She and Garrett spent some time together every day. Most evenings they went swimming or walking or riding. She loved the horses, and Garrett started teaching her how to saddle a horse. They still rode together, but he was teaching her how to care for and saddle the horses, which he insisted a person know before they learn how to ride. That was fine with her, because she loved riding with him, and feeling his strong arm around her waist. She was afraid it was spoiling her, though, and she’d miss that aspect of riding when he let her ride on her own.

  Thursday evening, he came in a little earlier than normal. He took a shower and changed, and they went to town. They went to pick up her car first, then she followed him to the restaurant, where they enjoyed a slow, leisurely supper. Conversation flowed easily, as usual for them, and they thoroughly enjoyed their evening out.

  When they got back to the ranch, he let her show him all the things she was so proud of on her new little orange bug. “I do like your little car, Mindy, and I doubt people will mistake you for someone else on the road. Just make sure you watch your speed in it, because it’s so unusual, I’m sure it will get everyone’s attention, including law enforcement officers.”

  “Yeah, I don’t want to attract too much of their attention.”

  “You sure don’t. The Wyoming State Patrol aren’t too bad
about pulling people over for speeding, but the local police and sheriff aren’t quite as forgiving. They have their radar guns out quite a bit around this area, watching for speeders. Is that a problem with you, or something you’ll have to watch?”

  “I wouldn’t say it’s a problem,” she hedged.

  He laughed as his one eyebrow lifted. “That’s sure a long way from saying no, that’s not an issue with me. How many speeding tickets have you had?”

  “How many are on my record right now, or how many have I had total?”

  Again his eyebrows raised. “Wow. Maybe you better answer both.”

  “I only have two or three on my license now. The rest have all come off. They’re only on for two years, aren’t they? I think that puts it down to two, but I’m not positive. As far as total, I don’t know.”

  “Well, just be sure you watch your speed out here, because like I said, the local sheriff and his deputies are known to regularly check people’s speed with radar guns out here. When you go back into town, the police there are pretty bad about speed, too. They also like to get people for going through a light as it turns red, so be careful of that.”

  “Thanks for the heads up. I’ll be careful now that I know that.”

  * * *

  Saturday was hot all day, and Garrett asked Mindy if she was interested in going swimming after supper. As he expected, she jumped at the chance. He’d learned quickly that she not only was a very good swimmer, but she loved swimming and was ready anytime someone asked. He enjoyed it, too, especially after a long day of working in the hot sun.

  When they climbed out of the pool, there was just enough sun left in the sky to dry them off while they laid back in lounge chairs, talking and resting. As they were laying there, one of the ranch hands went past on a four wheeler. Mindy sat up and watched him as he disappeared toward the woods. “Those look so fun,” she said, laying back.

  “I showed you where we keep them, and we leave the keys in them. Take one out anytime you want. Just don’t go further than Dad told you, in case you have trouble with it.”

  “I’ve never ridden one. Are they hard to operate?”

  “Not at all. Let’s go out riding tomorrow afternoon, and you can see for yourself. We’ll take two out. That way if you have any trouble I’ll be there to help. I guarantee by the time we get back you’ll feel comfortable enough on it to go out yourself Monday if you want to.”

  “Do you think so, really?”

  “We’ll go out tomorrow. You’ll see.” He could easily tell she was excited about the idea. So was he, but probably for a different reason. He was enjoying any time they were able to spend together, and he was pretty sure she was, too. She still wouldn’t talk about the past, but she did seem to be relaxing a little. Hopefully she’d be ready to trust him enough to open up to him before long.

  She was still excited the next day when he took her out and showed her how to operate a four wheeler. He showed her how to check the gas tank and where and how to fill it up. He showed her where the helmets were kept and warned her not to even start one without a helmet on. Before long they were heading down a service lane on the ranch, side by side. He watched how she was handling the four wheeler to be sure she was able to control it okay. A couple places the road narrowed and she followed him, but as soon as it widened again they were side by side.

  He loved seeing the smile on her face. It was obvious how much she was enjoying herself. He stopped at one point to see how she was doing and let her rest a bit. He went to her and helped her off her machine. She pulled her helmet off, and was so excited she flung her arms around his neck. “Thank you, Garrett! This is so fun, I don’t want to stop.”

  Her sudden embrace shocked him, but he certainly didn’t mind it a bit, and hugged her back. She seemed embarrassed, though, and he didn’t think she’d planned to hug him. To his way of thinking, it was wonderful. He assumed a small part of her true feelings had been able to peek through, and he couldn’t have been happier. He asked if she wanted to rest some, or was ready to keep going. She quickly chose the second option.

  He smiled and agreed. They put their helmets back on and set off again. He did stop one other time, insisting she stop and rest a few minutes, which she reluctantly agreed to. When he said it was time to head back, she started to argue. “But it’s still early.”

  “Mindy, it will be time for dinner by the time we get back.”

  “It’s that late? Are you sure?” She checked her watch and sighed. “Couldn’t you call and tell them we’ll be late?”

  “Mindy, you need to take six o’clock seriously. It’s been a long-standing rule at the ranch, and it’s very important to Mom and Dad. It not only assures that everyone is safe, but it’s family time. On a ranch there are times everyone’s so busy family doesn’t see each other much. That’s why the dinner hour is so important to them. Mom and Dad know, and my grandparents before them, that family will be together to eat. I’m not going to start blowing off such a long-standing and important tradition to them.” He looked at her and his voice developed a stern edge. “I would suggest you don’t, either.”

  The tone of his voice had her attention. She’d never heard it before, and she wasn’t sure exactly what it meant. That tone was gone a few seconds later, when he casually said it was time to go, so she put it aside for the time being, but planned to give it some thought later.

  They went back to the machinery shed where the four wheelers are stored. Garrett explained that she should always fill it with gas after using it, in case the men need one in a hurry. You need to always check before you go out, as a precautionary measure, but you should fill it up every time you come back, so when a man jumps on in a hurry and checks, it’s full of gas and he can leave quickly. They filled their tanks, put the machines up, and went to the house for supper.

  Max asked how their ride went, and Mindy was a bundle of excitement as she told Max and Helen how much fun it was, and where all they went. “They are so much fun,” she said, sighing.

  Max chuckled. “Well, feel free to use one when you want. Just be careful with them, and remember where you can and can’t go.”

  “Can’t I go further if I’m on one of them? What harm could there be? It’s not like I’m talking about going to downtown Chicago and you’re afraid I’ll go through a bad section of town.”

  Garrett looked over at his dad, wanting to see his reaction. He was becoming used to Mindy arguing with him, and he’d heard her mention it’s just a ranch before, but Max was not used to having people argue or contradict him. Just as expected, Garrett saw his dad’s eyebrows furrow together, and a frown appeared on his face.

  Just as quickly, though, he hid his true feelings. “Mindy, I know you won’t encounter the same kind of dangers you’ll find in Chicago. However, there are other kinds of dangers on a ranch, and those are what I’m concerned about. Until I’m convinced I don’t need to worry too much about you being around those dangers, I have to insist you either stay in the permitted area, or leave the four wheelers alone.” Garrett was a little surprised at how stern his dad’s voice had become, but he was glad. Maybe she would get his message and accept what both of them had been telling her.

  He turned to watch Mindy’s expression. She started to say something; he was sure she was about to argue her point, but after looking at Max again, she must have seen the stern expression on his face, and decided against it. Smart girl. Max didn’t appreciate being argued with when safety was involved. He’d learned that as a boy. Hopefully she was learning it quicker. It had taken a couple trips across his dad’s knee before he mastered the lesson completely.

  She didn’t say anything, but nodded. Garrett figured he’d just have to wait and see if she accepted Max’s words. He smiled a bit as his father ended the conversation. “And remember, no matter where you go in that area you’re free to roam in, make sure you have your phone with you. I don’t want another incident like before.”

  As soon as those words were out o
f his mouth, he turned to Helen. “My dear, that was a delicious supper. I keep telling you an easy meal would be fine on Sundays when Maria’s off, but you keep spoiling us with wonderful suppers. I want you to know it’s not at all necessary, but it certainly doesn’t go unnoticed or unappreciated.” He stood and pulled her chair out and helped her up. Why don’t I help you with the dishes, and then we can go for a little stroll? We haven’t done that in a long time.”

  Helen’s eyes seemed to instantly be sparkling. “That sounds wonderful, Max.”

  “Mom, Dad, you two go on for your stroll. Mindy and I can get the dishes tonight. Dad’s right, Mom; it was a delicious meal.”

  “It was. Thank you,” Mindy echoed. “Garrett and I have the dishes. Go enjoy a walk. It is nice out this evening.”

  Max was all smiles as he looked at the two younger adults. “Thank you both. We appreciate that.” He led Helen away by the elbow, both of them smiling.

  When they left, Garrett started picking up plates and stacking them. Mindy did the same with some bowls, but he could tell she was deep in thought. He gave her time to think about whatever was on her mind. Once they were both in the kitchen, he broke the silence. “Why don’t you start putting these in the dishwasher while I bring the rest in? You ladies are much better at that than I am.”

  “What?” She turned to face him. “Oh, yeah, sure. No problem.” She started rinsing the plates and adding them to the dishwasher. Helen already had dishes in there that she’d used while making supper, so all they had to do was add the dishes they’d used during the meal. Garrett brought all of them out from the dining room, and when she had them all in the dishwasher, he added the soap and started it.

  “Something on your mind?” he asked, when he saw she was still deep in thought.

  “No, not really,” she mumbled. “You and your dad both sound so strict at times. What’s up with that?”

  “That tone you just heard from Dad is what I used to always think of as his stern tone. I never realized I have a stern tone, as well, but I guess if I do, I’m not really too surprised. I did grow up with him, after all, and I agree totally with his attention to safety.”