The Rancher's Daughter

by Pamela Ladner

  The Ranchers Daughter

  By Pamela Ladner

  © August 2012 by Pamela Ladner

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One 3

  Chapter Two 6

  Chapter Three 9

  Chapter Four 13

  Chapter Five 17

  Chapter Six 21

  Chapter Seven 23

  Chapter Eight 26

  Chapter Nine 29

  Chapter Ten 34

  Chapter Eleven 37

  Chapter Twelve 40

  Chapter Thirteen 43

  Chapter Fourteen 48

  Chapter Fifteen 50

  Chapter Sixteen 53

  Epilogue 55

  Chapter One

  Josey Chisholm tasted the dust in her mouth as it swirled around her and her mount. Legend shook and nearly shook her off. If she had not been such an experienced rider, she might have fallen. She scanned the land that had been in her family since before the civil war. She knew her ancestors had fought for the South to save their home and she now had to fight her own battle to save it. She would not and could not let it go. The bank would divide this land up into subdivisions and that would ruin this small town she loved so much, full of all its good people. Not to mention it would take away the jobs that had become a way of life for the people on the ranch. Some had been here since she was small others like Old Sam Jenkins the ranch foreman had been on this ranch since her dad was young. They were best friends and two of a kind. Sam and her Dad, she only wished Heath was still here. He would know what to do how to save the ranch. Hilary was doing everything she could with the horses but since horses were literally, being gave away these days it was useless.

  Josey watched a cow and her calf wander over to a shaded area and lay down. The grass was dry and brittle. It hadn’t rained enough the past few months to do anybody any good. They were on constant alert for fires. All it took was one little flick of a cigarette and the whole place would go up in flames. It was crazy to her how dry it was here when there was major flooding up north. As it was they were not getting the rain here, at least not the amount they needed to get the grass growing and to have the fire ban lifted.

  It seemed like she saw a fire truck every time she went to town. Times were getting tough. She wasn’t able to pay her own wages because she had to pay the hands. She couldn’t do without them. They were essential to the ranch.

  She had to think of something. There had to be a way to save this ranch. She’d thought about going back to rodeo but she hated being on the road. She never went to college so getting a job off the ranch probably wouldn’t do her any good. She was sure the only jobs hiring required a college education or the pay wasn’t worth the drive off the ranch, once she figured in gas. She’d been raised to be a rancher and one day she hoped she would be a loving wife and mother. It was important to her to be a mom who stayed home with her kids and raised her children, not putting it off on someone else to do it. Because her own mother had been so bad, never caring for her always putting a career and later drugs ahead of her daughter. She idolized Hilary for being the mother she should have always had. Hilary was everything a mom should be. In addition, she worked along beside her husband on the ranch. She was the hardest working, woman that Josey had ever met.

  Josey cued Legend to turn around using her legs and barely lifting the reins. The horse was an old pro. He turned with just the squeeze of her leg. She walked him back to the barn. She was about an hour out at the slow pace they were taking, but she had come out here to think. She was trying to figure something out. Her dad had received a letter from the bank about the payments being late, and the look on his face worried her. He was unable to get around the way he used to and she had taken over half the ranch, to help him out. He was nearly crippled now after the accident. He could not lift anything anymore and that made him furious. Sometimes standing for too long would make his back and legs ache. It bothered him not to be able to do things. He hated putting chores off on others but he was just not able to do them anymore. Josey watched day after day as her dad became older than his years. He was gray headed with a touch of black and the wrinkles from worry were beginning to set in. This bothered her more than anything did.

  The hour ride back to the barn hadn’t seemed so long because her mind was full of questions without answers and thoughts that worried her. She sighed as she rode to the hitching post in front of the barn and unsaddled. Legend sucked in and blew out air in relief then shook once again. She took care of cooling him off and brushing him before turning him out. Hilary was working a new horse in the arena. The horse had been given to them half starved to death and it was looking better now. It was also green so Hilary was retraining. The horse shied when Legend ran past the arena to find some hay to nibble. Hilary reined the little horse to a halt. Josey watched a minute longer then walked to the house. It was nearly time to fix lunch and she had a large bunch to cook for, since Cook retired.

  Josey was in the kitchen filling a pot with water when Hilary came in the kitchen door. She removed her hat and rolled up her sleeves before washing her hands. Josey left the water running for her and turned to the stove. Hilary joined in the cooking. They sat at the kitchen table cutting potatoes to go in the stew. They were quiet for a while when Hilary surprised Josey with her question. “Have you thought about Heath lately?” Josey dropped the potato she held in her hand and fumbled to grab it off the tabletop before it could roll to the floor. “What?” she asked. Josey gave her a look that said I know you better than you think. How had Hilary known that she was thinking about Heath? Was it coincidence or was there a big sign plastered on her forehead that said she, the fool that she was, was thinking about Heath Jenkins after she broke his heart and run him out of town. The day he left had been the worst day of her life. She loved him. She had never stopped loving him. She would never tell her parents the reason she broke it off with him. They would never know that she had been pregnant with his child and miscarried. She was ashamed. She was so ashamed that she screamed at him for her loss and blamed him for everything. She told him she hated him and never wanted to see him again. The next day, Heath was gone.

  She heard through old Sam that he had rodeo’d a bit and then settled down at some ranch in West Texas. For all she knew he was married and had kids. The thought of that made her cringe. She would be jealous of any woman he married. “I thought about him some. Why?”

  Hilary stared across the table at her. “I can read you like a book; I know the look you get on your face every single time his name comes up and the look that’s plastered there for days afterwards. I can see the regret all over it. The longing and the sadness is all right there on your face.” I notice when you cock your head toward Sam when he’s talking about him. You strain to listen in on the conversation while trying to look uninterested. Oh, the others don’t notice but I do. I will never know what happened between you too unless you tell me and you know I won’t ask because it’s none of my business.”

  She started to peel the potato again but continued to talk. “I only mentioned it because of Sam. He’s been talking about Heath coming home. He said he’s been at him about it for some time and he refuses but Old Sam is not looking too well these days and I want you to be prepared if and when Heath does show up.” Josey lowered her eyes. She felt guilty for never telling this woman the truth about what happened between her and Heath. She wondered if Heath had ever told Sam.

  “Hil, I need to tell you something and I don’t want you to get upset. That day Heath and I argued, the day before he left, well we were both upset and we were grieving. I … I had a … I had a miscarriage. I blamed him for everything, but it wasn’t his fault. I broke his heart. I broke both our hearts.” Josey’s sobs
came out loud and broken. She hadn’t dwelled on the loss of her baby in years. Hilary got up, came to her side and pulled her in her arms. “Oh sweetheart, I didn’t know. Oh baby, I’m so sorry.”

  Josey sobbed into Hilary’s arms. She should have known she could tell this woman. This woman, who had been the only real mother she had ever had, the woman she had more respect for than any other woman she knew, was always there for her. She could have told her anything and Hilary would have understood. She leaned back and wiped the tears from her eyes. “I’m sorry; I made a huge mess of your shirt.” She said. Hilary smiled. “Oh honey, this old shirt already had horse hair and dust caked on it. A few tears won’t hurt it a bit. She kissed the top of Josey’s head and returned to her chair and they picked up their potatoes and peeled in silence.

  Chapter Two

  Sam Jenkins picked up the phone on his desk and dialed the long distance number to the Texas ranch where his son now worked. “Rocking K Ranch,” the voice on the other end of the line answered. “Heath, Is that you boy? This is Dad I need to talk to ya son.” Sam coughed into the phone. He wasn’t really, that sick and he didn’t need to cough but he thought it might help his plea. Therefore, he put his acting into play and went to work on getting his son to come home. “Yeah Dad, it’s me you alright? You don’t sound good. What’s wrong?” Sam grimaced he hated lying to his boy but he had to do something. “Heath I’m not so good, lately. I feel downright awful. I got this cough I can’t seem to get rid of. This drought ain’t helping none either. The dust just settles in your lungs.” He coughed again. This time he even wheezed a little. “I just don’t know where I’m going to go when this ranch is gone. I tell ya boy, this drought, combined with the drop in the price of horses, has all but taken everything this old ranch has. I always thought I would die on this ranch. Well I just might if I don’t get rid of this cough.” He coughed again.

  Heath listened to his dad on the phone. He heard the wheeze in his cough again. He wouldn’t be surprised if the old man hadn’t gotten pneumonia. Then there was all this talk about dying on the ranch, and not having anywhere to go when it was gone. It had him thinking. “Dad what do you mean by When the ranch is gone? What’s going on?” “Oh it ain’t nothing to worry yourself over boy. Ole Josey will come up with something. The bank ain’t gone take it. Atleast I hope it don’t. Now that ain’t nothing to concern you though, boy. I just called to ask you about Christmas.” He knew he had put the seed into play and let it dangle before pretending to change the subject. He hoped it would work. He needed Heath here. Josey needed him too and he needed her even if they didn’t realize it. He didn’t know what had happened between those two, but he hadn’t seen either of them happy since that day.

  He knew Heath had been saving up for his own ranch but this was home and he knew Heath would do anything he could to save it. He just had to find a way to get those two back together. “Dad what’s she, what I mean is How is…” he stumbled over his words. It was always hard for him to talk about Josey. “How is Josey?” He asked. Sam noted his stumble and he heard the tear in his voice. He heard him swallow the knot in his throat and then clear it.

  Sam really hated to do it like this. He had been asking him to come home for some time hoping he would discover for himself the condition the ranch was in. He answered his son “She’s tired to the bone. She’s losing weight. She doesn’t get enough sleep and I know she’s paying all the staff but herself. She works from dawn to dusk and at night she sits behind her desk until all hours of the night, just staring at her paper work and trying to find a way to save the ranch. I found her asleep at her desk the other morning still wearing the same clothes she wore the night before.” He was finally telling the truth and he felt like it was a weight lifted off his shoulders.

  Heath grew silent for a little while. “I’ll be home for Christmas.” He said. Sam heard the phone click as he hung up. He hung up his end and with his elbows propped on his desk, he laid his head in his hands. He rubbed his eyes and stood up. He stretched, his old bones cracking in relief. He turned to the door and strode out to the barn. He was just checking on the young horse that, had been given to Hilary, when the lunch bell chimed up at the house. He recognized Hilary at the kitchen door ringing the old bell that looked like the head of a longhorn. He watched as a few of the men came running to the house from all directions. He really didn’t know how they could afford to feed any of them anymore. Oh well, his stomach was growling anyway, so he headed toward the house too. He greeted Hilary with the tip of his hat before entering the door.

  All the hands, gathered round the table hanging their hats on their chairs. It had become a custom since Hilary came here for the men to now bow their heads and take turns saying a prayer before they eat. It was J.W.s turn and he knew there was a lot to be praying about these days. He listened, head bowed and eyes closed as J.W. prayed for rain and thanked God for the food and the hands. He also thanked him for keeping the land in his family for so long. “Amen” they all said in unison. He looked at J.W. The old man was looking full of worry these days. He hurt for his friend, but he would not let him know it. He didn’t want J.W. to think he felt pity for him.

  “Hey Sam, you heard from Heath lately?” J.W asked. He glanced at Josey before turning to J.W and answering. “Sure, just got off the phone with him, before heading over here. He’s worked his way up to foreman at the ranch he’s at. Been saving himself up a little nest egg too, says he wants a ranch of his own.” J.W. scratched his face with his index finger. “Sure would be good to see him again. It’s been a long time.” “Says he’s coming home for Christmas” Sam said. He heard the gasp as it escaped Josey’s lips. He turned her direction and caught her with her mouth open. She caught herself and shoved a piece of roast in it. Everyone stared at her a minute and then J.W. spoke again, “Sure would like to talk to him about a few things. Sure he can’t come any sooner?” Josey gulped down her roast and chased it with a glass of tea. She nearly drank the whole glass. “Excuse me,” she said. She grabbed her glass then carried it to the fridge and poured herself another glass of tea. “He didn’t say.” Sam said. “To tell you the truth, I was too scared to ask. I haven’t gotten him home for Christmas since he left. This will be a first.”

  Heath stared at the picture in his wallet. He held onto it for so long that it was ready to fall apart now. It was a picture of Josey on her favorite old horse Legend. It was just after she’d won a buckle at the Rodeo finals. She won first place and he was so proud of her. On the back there was a letter written in her handwriting. At the very bottom, it said, “I’ll always love you! Love, Josey.” After all these years, he still kept it and though he’d been with other women. He’d never found one who got to him the way she had. No one else had ever made him want to spend the rest of his life with them. Nevertheless, that was a long time ago. She was probably in love with some other man by now. He never asked and his dad never volunteered any information. To tell the truth he didn’t want to know. He didn’t want to picture her, as anyone else’s Josey. This way she would always be his. He realized now that she was grieving and she probably didn’t mean the things she said. He was blind to his own grief and refused to see it. After being gone so long, it kind of felt useless coming home now and telling her he still loved her. Especially since she was not the girl, he knew anymore and he was not the boy she knew. They were both, grown now, no longer kids.

  He pulled his hat off and scratched his head. There was a knock at the door so he put the picture back in its little place in his wallet and replaced his hat on his head. “Come in.” His boss came in and sat down. “Oh good, I needed to see you about something.” Heath said. “I need some time off.” “Time off, I can’t believe it. You haven’t taken a day off since you got here. What’s done crawled up your hide, to make you get the urge, now?”

  “Yeah, well it’s been a long time since I been home. My dad sounds bad. He also seems to think that he won’t have a home much longer, on account of” he swa
llowed. “On account of, Josey’s losing the ranch.” Just saying her name had been a challenge for him. It also hurt knowing the place he grew up calling home might be gone forever if the bank got their greedy hands on it.

  Chapter Three

  Josey sat deep in the saddle as she chased a yearling that got away from the herd. She turned it back to the herd. The yearling joined the rest of the cattle and Josey took her turn at roping a calf and dragging it to the men who were on the ground with vaccinations. It was then that an idea popped in her head.

  “Dad!” she yelled. She looked around searching the men on horseback until she found her father. The men released the calf and Josey wound up her lasso and rode toward her father who was looking at her wondering why she was yelling. She could see that she had upset him by yelling. She hadn’t meant to be so loud and anxious. He would not scold her in front of the men and she knew it but she could see the look on his face, which said he wanted to. She galloped her mount toward him coming to a skidding stop. Old legend handled it like a pro. “Sorry!” she said. “I’ve got an idea. I mean it probably won’t be enough to cover it all but it’s a start.” J.W. looked at his daughter who was now a beautiful woman in her twenties. His eyebrows questioned without speaking. “What would you think about having an old time cowboy competition? I know it’s not very common around here. However, we could get a hold of some of our contacts in Louisiana, West Texas and Oklahoma. They could send out some of their best cowboys. Folks around here would think it a treat to see something like that. I mean think about it.”

  J.W. thought a minute. “It might just work.” He said. Hilary rode over to see what all the excitement was about. “Baby, can you get a hold of your brothers. We may need their help with something. Josey here has an idea that might help save the ranch.” J.W. reached out for his wife’s hand. He rattled off what he needed to Hilary and she rode to the ranch pickup and got her cell out. She found Willy’s number and pressed send. “Will this is Hilary, I need you to get the guys rounded up. We need y'all to get your butts up here. We’re going to put on an old time rodeo.” She had only recently told her brothers about their problems but they were not in a position to help even though they all wanted to desperately. This would ease their conscience to be able to help the sister they were all so protective of and she knew she could depend on them.