It's Just A Ranch

by Misty Malone

  “You do have one, too,” she said. “I’ve heard it a couple times. This is the first time I heard it from him, though. It’s kind of intimidating.”

  “Good, I’m glad to hear that.” She turned to look at him, confused. “Don’t ignore it. If we use that stern tone, we’re serious, and you should heed the warning.”

  “Warning?”

  “Yes. When Dad used that tone with me when I was growing up, I knew he meant what he said. On the few times I ignored it, thinking I knew better than him, more often than not I went to bed that night with a sore butt. I soon learned not to ignore that stern tone.”

  “Oh, my.”

  “But the thing is, now that I’ve grown up, I see why he was strict about certain things, and I totally agree with him. I’m glad he was strict with me, because it kept me safe while I was growing up, and now I realize what could have happened had he not been protecting me.” He hesitated a few moments. He took her hands in his and forged ahead. “Mindy, I’m not sure you’ve come to that realization yet, and it concerns me. You need to take us seriously. I don’t want you to finally see what we’re saying about danger on a ranch after you’ve been hurt.”

  She looked at him, at the serious look on his face, but again tried to lighten the situation. “Well, if that’s what happens, then at least I’ll finally believe you.”

  She tried to pull her hands free, but he held onto them. “Mindy?”

  She sighed. “Look, I do take you seriously. But there’s a part of me that says I survived living in New York City, where there are people on top of you everywhere you go. Everyone there either wants something from you, or they’re trying to prove they’re better than you, and they’ll stab you in the back every chance they get. I can’t picture anything being worse than that.”

  Garrett didn’t know quite what to say. It was more than she’d said about New York City before. He’d decided whatever happened to her there, she needed to talk about it before she could get past it, but never knew quite how to bring it up. Maybe this was as good a time as any. He rubbed the back of her hands with his thumbs. “Mindy, I’m sorry. That doesn’t sound like a very nice place to live. Can you tell me what you mean by trying to prove they’re better than you?”

  She shook her head. “I shouldn’t have said anything. I’m sorry.”

  “No, don’t be sorry. What did you mean by that?”

  She tried to pull her hands away again, but again he held them, and kept rubbing them gently with his thumbs. She was breathing heavily, and he could tell she was upset. He felt it was important, though, that she finally talk about it. “Do you mean at work, or something else?”

  “All the time,” she said slowly, “but mostly at work.” He didn’t move, hoping she’d say a little more. She looked at him, and he smiled encouragingly, still rubbing her hands. She looked back down before going on. “There are so many people, I guess they feel they have to, but everyone tries to make themselves look good to their boss. They take credit for things they didn’t do, and blame mistakes they made on other people, making them look bad.”

  “That’s terrible,” Garrett said in a quiet, soothing voice. “Do they get away with it? I would think a good boss would see through them.”

  “Sometimes the boss sees the real truth, but not always. Sometimes they do get away with it, and it’s not right. Some people do a real good job, but someone else comes along and blames them for things, so they’re passed over when someone gets promoted. That’s not right.”

  “No, it’s not. Did that happen to you?”

  “Maybe a little, but not too much. It did to a friend of mine, though. She should have been promoted, but she wouldn’t stand up for herself. There was one lady, especially, who was a real bitch. She didn’t do her job half the time, but she always blamed everything that went wrong on my friend, knowing she wouldn’t stand up for herself. My friend never got promoted, even though she should have been. People there don’t mind using you at all. They don’t mind hurting you, either, even if you’re trying to help them.”

  He watched as she teared up. Before he could say anything, she pulled her hands free. “I’m pretty tired. I think I’ll go upstairs to my room early tonight. Thanks for taking me out today, Garrett.” She turned and ran up the stairs before he had a chance to say anything.

  He stood there, watching her flee, wondering what could have happened to her in New York City. He didn’t know what kind of job she’d had, but he thought the problem she’d had involved her job somehow. He didn’t think it was simply not getting a promotion she felt she deserved, though. He spent the evening wondering what could have happened, and how he might be able to get her to talk about it again.

  The next day Mindy seemed rather aloof. She didn’t say much during meals, and turned Garrett down when he asked if she wanted to go for a walk or swim, going to her room early again.

  Garrett wasn’t sure exactly what to do, but decided if she was acting the same way the next day, he’d try again to talk to her. He could tell she was hurting, and it was difficult to let her suffer without trying to help.

  The next day, however, she seemed fine. She joined in the conversations at breakfast and dinner. When he asked if she had plans for the afternoon, he was happy to see the sparkle back in her eyes. “I’m going to take one of the four wheelers out for a ride,” she said. She glanced at Max. “And I’ll stay in the area you told me about.”

  Max and Garrett both smiled, approvingly. After dinner Garrett stopped her before going back out to work. “Remember your phone and helmet, and have fun this afternoon,” he said with a grin.

  She watched as he put his cowboy hat back on his head and went back out to work. He certainly was a handsome cowboy. She put that thought out of her mind and helped Maria with the dishes, before hurrying out to the four wheelers. She made sure she did everything Garrett had instructed her to do, and checked the gas, which was full. She got a helmet, and set out on her first solo trip. She loved feeling the wind blowing against her face. She followed the lane behind the barn until she reached the woods, then followed the edge of the woods, along a service road between the woods and the fields. She kept going, loving every minute of it, until she hit the woods at the far end.

  She turned again and headed down along the side of the woods, between the woods and a pasture. When she saw animals in the pasture and they appeared to be watching her, she turned and headed back up the other way. She didn’t like the way the cattle looked like they were staring at her. Once she was out of their sight and she no longer felt as though they were watching her, she slowed down a little and watched for a good place to stop and rest a few minutes.

  She found a huge boulder at the top of a little knoll, and climbed up on top of it. She could see quite a distance, which made it the perfect spot to stop and rest. While she was resting, she felt herself relaxing. She stayed there, enjoying the serenity. It felt so good to relax, she nodded off to sleep. When she woke, she looked at her watch, and quickly hurried back to her four wheeler. She was pretty sure she’d have just enough time to get back in time for supper. She didn’t want to be late and upset Max, but she didn’t want to get Garrett upset for not refueling the four wheeler, so she decided she’d go in for supper, then go back out after they ate and take care of the refueling.

  She had a little trouble getting it started, so once she did, she went just a little faster, hoping to make up for lost time. She got back, put the four wheeler away, and ran into the house. She had just enough time to get her hands washed and help Maria dish up the meal before Max and Garrett came in. Wyatt was right behind them. They washed up, as well, and they all sat down to eat.

  Once Max, Garret and Wyatt discussed the ranch and and what had been accomplished, Max turned to Mindy. “Did you get to take your ride this afternoon?”

  “I did, and I had a great time.”

  “Good,” Max said. She noticed an expression on Garrett’s face she hadn’t seen before, and wasn’t sure what it mea
nt. He didn’t look angry, but he sure didn’t look real happy, either. She would ask, but not in front of everyone, just in case he wasn’t happy about something.

  She didn’t have long to wait to find out what that look meant. As soon as they finished eating, Garrett stood and went to her, pulling her chair out to help her up. “Mindy, there’s something I’d like to talk to you about. Do you want to go for another four wheeler ride, or maybe we could take Duke out?”

  “Sure, as soon as I help with the dishes.”

  “Oh, go on,” Helen said. “You always help. I’ve got it tonight.”

  Mindy thanked Helen and let Garrett lead her outside. As they started toward the barn, he looked down at her. “Which would you rather take; the four wheelers or Duke?”

  All she could think about was the four wheeler she hadn’t put gas in yet, and she didn’t want him finding that. She wasn’t sure why it was so important to her, but she didn’t want him to see it. If she had to, she’d come out later tonight to put gas in it, but she didn’t want him thinking she’d forgotten to. “How about taking Duke? I’ll even try saddling him. I think I can do it myself now.”

  “Okay,” he agreed. “I’ll stand back and watch. If you need any help or have any questions, don’t be afraid to ask.”

  She nodded, and half an hour later he was congratulating her on a job well done. He lifted her up onto the horse’s back and swung up behind her. They talked casually as they rode, but he didn’t give her any hint about what he may want to talk to her about. She was surprised when he stopped at the boulder she’d spent time resting on that afternoon. Knowing Garrett as she was beginning to, she wondered if that was coincidental, but suspected there was a reason behind it.

  Chapter Six

  Garrett lifted Mindy down from Duke’s back, and helped her climb up onto the boulder. “You can see a long way from here,” she said as she sat down. “I like it here. I came here this afternoon.”

  “Yeah, I saw that.”

  For some reason that made her a little nervous. “Is that what you wanted to talk to me about? This is part of the area I’m allowed to be in, isn’t it? I’m not beyond the woods.”

  “You’re fine here. There are a couple things I want to talk to you about, Mindy. I like it here, too, and that’s why I brought you here. You seemed to enjoy being here, too. As a matter of fact, it looked like you may have dozed off.”

  She could tell her temper was flaring, but she couldn’t help it. “Were you watching what I was doing today, or what?”

  “Whoa, Mindy,” he warned. “Watch your temper. I wasn’t spying on you or anything like that, if that’s what you mean. I was working in the next pasture over, fixing some fences. I heard the four wheeler, and saw you climb up on this rock. I noticed it because I like coming here, too.”

  “Oh,” she said quietly. “I guess I kind of lost my temper. I’m sorry.”

  “Mindy, that’s kind of what I want to talk to you about. First, though, I want to talk about what happened when you climbed off this rock and went back to the house for supper. I think the two things are related, so I wanted to bring you someplace where we have privacy and time to talk about them.”

  “Both of what things are related? My riding a four wheeler here, and my losing my temper a little bit? How are they related?”

  “I think I can show you. First let me tell you my concern about what you did after you left here. Then we’ll talk about my other concern.”

  “Your concern?”

  “Mindy, I saw you going back to the barn today, and yes, I was concerned. You were going way faster than you should have been.”

  Her eyes grew, and he saw her temper flare again. “Oh, excuse me, officer. I didn’t see the speed limit signs.”

  She started to slide off the boulder, but he caught her arm and held her right where she was. “Hold on, Mindy. You’re not running off like you did the other night until we talk about this. We both know there are no speed limit signs, but you have to use your common sense and a bit of precaution.”

  Before he could say anything else, she cut in. “Is this another safety thing?”

  Garrett didn’t like her attitude one little bit, but he wasn’t about to give in. “Yes, it is. Driving that fast on the ranch is not safe, and—”

  “Garrett, really—”

  “Mindy, hear me out, please. There are reasons I say these things. If you would stop fighting the whole concept of safety and listen to what I’m saying and the reasons behind it, I think you would understand, and even agree with me.”

  “I don’t know about that, but I’ll listen.”

  “Good. The reason I don’t want you driving that fast on a four wheeler out here is because these paths are not paved roads. They’re not smooth at all. The biggest concern is holes. If you hit one of those holes while you’re going as fast as you were this afternoon, it can throw the whole four-wheeler sideways. If you’re not ready for it and holding on good it can knock you off. The bigger possibility, though, is that one of those holes will break an axle on the four wheeler if you’re going that fast. That will render the four wheeler useless until we fix it, and thus leave you stranded wherever you are. If it knocks you off in the process it could injure you and break your phone. Then what are you going to do?”

  She didn’t answer, but he wanted to be sure she was listening. “I’d like an answer to that question, Mindy. If that were to happen, what would you do?”

  After a few seconds she shook her head. “I don’t know.”

  “Now do you understand my concern?” She nodded, but didn’t speak. He accepted that, and continued. “There was one other thing that concerned me this afternoon, and I want to talk about it now. It was time to quit for the day so we’d be in the house for supper on time, so I gathered my things up and was behind you as you went in. Therefore, I saw you take the four wheeler around to the machine shed, and I saw you quickly come back out and run to the house.”

  She had a bad feeling as to where this was going, and she jumped in. “Garrett, I need to tell you something.”

  His eyebrows raised. “What would that be?”

  “I didn’t refill the gas tank yet, but I plan to. I didn’t forget, honest.”

  His frown deepened. “If you didn’t forget, why didn’t you do it?”

  “Because I didn’t want you and your dad upset with me for not being there at six o’clock. I ran in to make sure I was there on time, and was planning on going out afterwards to fill it up.”

  “But you didn’t say anything.”

  “Because I—” She paused, and sighed before continuing. “I thought I could get in there on time, and afterwards I could slip out there and do it and you’d never know I was running close to being late.”

  “I would rather you be a couple minutes late getting into the house for dinner. Before you try to argue with me, let me explain why I asked that you refuel it every time you bring it back in. If something happens on the ranch that requires our immediate attention, like if cattle get out, all of us, myself, Dad, and all the ranch hands, all jump on a four wheeler and off we go. It’s much quicker than saddling the horses.”

  “You don’t check the gas tank first?”

  “I tell everyone to check the tank before you go out for anything other than an emergency, but that’s meant as a double check because they should already be full. That’s because I also tell them to always refuel it when you get back in. If it’s an emergency, we jump on them and go, without taking time to check. We assume they will be full. If something would have happened tonight and someone would have jumped on that four wheeler and headed out, it could have been devastating.”

  “Don’t they have phones with them? If they ran out of gas they could have called someone else to come pick them up, couldn’t they?”

  “Except that when you’re chasing after cattle, you have to be careful. You may come upon some that are heading right toward you on the run. What’s he going to do if that happens and his four
wheeler runs out of gas?”

  “I didn’t know that could happen.”

  “I assumed you didn’t. That’s why I explained it to you.” He put his hand over top of hers. “Knowing that now, do you understand why I said I’d rather you be a couple minutes late for supper, but refuel the four wheeler when you come in?”

  “Yes.”

  “By the way, you can easily call any of us and tell us you’re refueling the four wheeler and will be in in five minutes. No one would be at all upset.”

  “You wouldn’t?”

  “No. Why would we be upset about that?”

  “I thought it was important that we’re there on time for supper.”

  “It’s important so we know you’re okay. If you’re running a couple minutes late, call us. That’s the beauty of having a phone with you. Call and let us know you’ll be a few minutes late. Not a problem.”

  “Okay, I didn’t understand that. I thought you’d be upset if I wasn’t in there right at six o’clock.” She paused. “Especially after the last time I was late.”

  “That was totally different. We didn’t know where you were. We called and called and you didn’t answer. If we would have called and you answered and said you didn’t know what time it was and told us you would be right in, we would have waited to eat. We wouldn’t have been worried and sent the men out, though. That was why we were upset.”

  “Okay, I guess I didn’t understand that.”

  “That’s why I wanted to explain it to you, to be sure you do understand. We’re not trying to be restrictive about what you can or can’t do. It’s all about being safe on the ranch.”

  “Okay, I think I get it now. I just get so tired of hearing about being safe. I mean, I’m serious when I say it’s just—”

  “Mindy, wait. Please don’t tell me this is just a ranch one more time. I don’t want to hear it.”