by Nancy Howard
Logan hands the money to the girls, who were overjoyed at Logan keeping her promise to them. Logan spent the rest of the afternoon with them, catching up on each others lives. When she left late that afternoon, she had a really good feeling down inside about what she had done. Those girls needed the money, and she knows the preacher and his wife will make sure they put it to good use.
Logan is glad Gavin relinquished his share too. She knows she doesn't need the money, she's a Sanderson now. And again she thinks about how good she feels when she tells peoplE her name. The response each time she tells them, is one born out of respect, they know the name John Sanderson. That respect is something Logan once yearned for, and now she has it. Now she is Logan Sanderson, John and Catherine Sanderson's daughter. And as she makes the long ride back home, she has a good feeling inside, and she knows that she will always wear her name, proudly.
27
Three months have quickly passed and fall is setting in as the temperatures cool. Gavin is is home and still on the mend, but has begun to work some. He uses a cane to get around still and he's kinda slow, as Logan tells people when she goes into to town.
She has made several trips into town lately, as John and the men arrived in Abilene with the herd. He is trying to get the best price he can for their cattle. He's been haggling with a couple of cattle buyers out of Chicago, who are low balling him on price. He has wired Logan and told her what is going on, she tells him to hold out for the best price he can get. She tells him the price of where to start negotiating with the buyers. John has some doubt in what she's telling him, but does her bidding, anyway. He's quickly learned over time to trust her business sense. She told John to tell the buyer, that next year we would supply him with all the beef he needs, in return for her price. She instructed him to tell him to tell the buyer he will be their primary customer, and that he could be assured that they would deal with him first. When John presented that idea to the buyer he liked it, and agreed to it. Giving John, Logan's best offer for the entire herd.
WITH THAT, ALL AT SANDERSON's Hill could do is wait for John, Brock and a few of the boys that always stay on to return from Abilene. They are do back any day now.
Catherine is setting on the front porch enjoying the warm sunshine. She looks out at the top of the rise and she sees several horseman riding toward the ranch house followed by Timmins driving the chuck wagon. She recognizes John right away, and his big appaloosa, Trooper. She could see Brock alongside John, and about seven or eight other riders behind them.
“Their back,” she calls out. “Their back.”
Logan and Gavin are in the office and hear her, they quickly get up and go out the front door to welcome them home. Logan first, then Gavin and his cane.
John and the men reach the ranch house and dismount.
After hugs, and kisses, and tears, from Catherine, and hugs. and smiles from, Logan. John looks at Gavin and extends his hand. “Bye-God, it's good to see you up and around, sir.” As the two men shake firmly, and greet each other.
“Yeah, it's good to be up and around, and it's equally good to have you back, John.”
They all go back inside after the other men shake Gavin's hand and pat him on the back. All are glad to see that he's recovered so well, after being shot up like he was.
Logan goes behind the desk and sets down, Gavin and Catherine set down, and John walks over and gives Logan the receipt for the deposit he just made at the bank in Rio Doso.
“Here, Missy, you can put that in your ledger book, I deposited that much at the bank before we came home.”
Logan took the piece of paper, smiled and raised her eyebrows, “Well I will tell you all, with this, we will be more than able to make it through the winter.”
“You know girl, you had me worried as hell pushing that buyer like you did. But by-golly you got him to agree to your price. Plus we don't have to look for a primary buyer for our cows next year.”
“I'm glad it all worked out for us, too,” she says. Looking at him with a smile.
“Now if the two of you don't mind I am going to take my lovely wife's hand, and she and I are going to take a walk down by the creek, and then we are going to come back up here and just set in the porch swing. And I am going to do absolutely nothing for a longtime.”
He's standing in the doorway as Catherine get up to joins him and takes his hand. Before he leaves he says, “you need me for anything else, Missy?”
“No, no, I don't, I have everything I need right here,” she says. Looking directly at Gavin, smiling from ear to ear. Then she looks at John and says, “dad.”
“Awe,” He exclaims! Loving what she just said.
LATER THAT EVENING at dinner Logan had something to show John. He had noticed earlier when they were in the office, that Logan had a ring on her left ring finger. An engagement ring from Gavin. She got up from her seat at the table and goes over and shows it to him. He could see that she is very proud to be wearing it.
“Well, Missy, I think that is grand. You deserve it,” he says. Then he hugged her tightly before shaking hands with Gavin, congratulating them both. Then he proposed a toast which they all enjoyed. Thus knowing now that this will solidify his and Catherine's anticipation, and of everyone around Rio Doso. That there's going to be a wedding at Sanderson's Hill Ranch, or so it seems.
PART TWO
SEVEN MONTHS LATER
28
“Miss Sanderson, are you ready to talk to, Mr. Wells?”
Logan looks up to see Brock standing in the doorway to the office, “Yes, yes, I am, Brock send him in.”
The man who has been waiting out by the front door is Chase Wells, he’s at Sanderson’s Hill to interview for the job of ranch foreman. He is motioned into the office by Brock. Logan stands up as he enters, and introduces herself to him.
“I'm Logan Sanderson, and you're Chase Wells, right. She says, offering her hand in friendship.
“Yes mam,” he says. They shake hands.
“Nice to meet you, Chase, I've been expecting you. Have a seat.”
“Nice to meet you, too, mam,” he says. Seating himself in one of the big chairs.
Logan pauses briefly, then says, “So, did Brock give you a tour of our out buildings, and layout around here?”
“Yes, he did.”
“So what do you think of my ranch?”
“It’s fantastic mam—the whole operation. Brock says you have over a three hundred thousand acres.”
“We do,” Logan concurs and pauses briefly. “You come highly recommended Mr. Wells, I sent telegrams to the two ranches that you worked for in Colorado. And they both wrote back to me saying they were very sorry to see you to leave. That you're very good at the ranching business,” she pauses momentarily, again. “Why did you leave them? May I ask?”
“Sure, that's okay. Well, mam, it's like this.”
“Logan.”
“Yes mam, Logan,” he smiles, and shakes his head. “It was because I just thought about movin' on and tryin' to find a larger operation each time. You know, more money, more responsibility. Both of those spreads I worked for in Colorado weren't even half as big as Sanderson's Hill. I'd heard through the vine that you were looking for someone to be your foreman. I thought to myself, Sanderson's Hill. Man, it'd be nice, to manage a big spread like that one. So I decided to send you that telegram, to see if you were interested in meeting with me.”
Logan sat for a second, and thought about what he's just said.
“Well, Chase, I'm not going to beat around the bush with you. I'll get straight to the point. I need someone with your experience very badly. I've had other respondents for this job, but none of them have your qualifications. To be quite honest—lately, myself, Brock, and my father have been doing the foreman's job between the three of us.”
“Excuse me for interruptin' you mam. But your dad. He's big John Sanderson. Right?”
“Yes, he is,” she says, with a smile.
“Wow, a whole lotta people
know who he is.”
“Well, Chase, if you take this job here, you're gonna get to meet him. So if you like what you saw when you were out there with Brock, the job is yours. I can't wait any longer to find someone who is capable like you. I have bills to pay, payroll, a round-up, branding, and a cattle drive to plan for. I need an experienced foreman to assist me with all those things. So what'll it be?”
“Yes mam. I mean, Logan, I did like what I saw, and I will take the job.
Logan shakes her head and smiles, “Great. Was the salary I mentioned in telegram sufficient for you? If not, then now's the time to discuss that.”
“Oh, yes it is, it's very generous, and one of the reasons I'm here. Plus just being able to work here. Wow. Thank you for hiring me.”
“Thank you, too. I need you very badly. Oh, and If it's not too much of an imposition on you, can you start immediately? Because, I need you, like, right now, this minute.”
“Yes I can, I was plannin' on doin' that anyway, if you offered me the job.”
“Good. Well next thing I need to do, is to walk with you down to the corral, so you can get settled in, and meet the boys. They’ve breaking horses, and most of them are here.
“Yeah I saw them a while ago. Brock introduced me to some of them when I was down there.”
“Good, I figured he did. He's our ramrod, and is a very dependable man, you'll be working closely with him. After you get settled in, I want you to come back up here to the office and meet with me. I'll fill you in on everything you need to know, in order for you to be able to get started right away. I have a ton of work for you to do.”
“That suits me just fine,” Chase responds. Tickled to death that he's now the foreman of Sanderson's Hill Ranch.
THE REASON CHASE WELLS is at Sanderson's Hill to become the foreman there, is a month ago Gavin Sloan suddenly left. Thus ending all the speculation around Folsom as to when he and Logan would get married. During those months after the shooting with Hogg, that left Gavin seriously wounded, is when he and Logan's relationship began to disintegrate. During his convalescence, rather than getting closer as everyone surmised they would. They began to bicker and argue about everything. Constantly at odds with each other, over how to run the ranch. Which is totally Logan's responsibility, not Gavin's. He knows this but continued to argue with her, anyway.
For John and Catherine, all they could do was watch as their daughter's love affair with Gavin crumbled to pieces, right before their eyes. Often times their relationship growing so icy, that their petty bickering spread everywhere on the ranch, like snake venom. Gavin had been living in Logan's room since the shooting. But moved out about three months after that, indicating a serious rift in their relationship. After he moved out Logan stopped wearing her engagement ring—something everyone noticed.
John and Catherine managed to stay out of their squabbles. Even though it hurt them both to see Logan and Gavin split up. John told Catherine that they are adults, and they'd either work out their differences, or go their separate ways.
Catherine of course is concerned about, Logan. She knows about what she's been through during her life. And she’s seen the tremendous strides Logan has made since she's come to the ranch. Growth, that has literally transformed Logan into the young woman she wanted to be, when she first came here. Catherine makes it a point to tell Logan this whenever she sees her spiraling downward.
Logan knows John and Catherine love her and are always in her corner. But she knows that she can be difficult to deal with, especially when it comes to running Sanderson's Hill. She remembers what John told her when he was teaching her how to do this job. He told her to never let anyone question her ability, and to make the best decisions she could for the ranch. That what she decides for Sanderson's Hill is final. That advice stuck with her. And has always been her guiding principle when making her decisions. And that's what's been so hard recently where Gavin is concerned, as he's tried to persuade her. Thus causing friction that drove a wedge between them.
Gavin felt like his being closer to Logan more than anyone else, that she might be willing to listen to his suggestions. But more often she doesn't listen to his suggestions at all. Which over time has caused him to wonder about what kind of relationship they have in the first place. He thinks, if she won't listen to him then who does she listen, too. He feels someone has to tell her. But given the circumstances as they are now between the two of them he wonders if she would listen to him anyway. Whether it's about the ranch or anything else they try to discuss.
Logan knows the relationship doesn't really exist at all anymore. She remembers, that this is the man that told her that he didn't want to let her out of his sight, ever again. But that's what has happened. As their love for each exists, but is in tatters because of a power struggle that seems to be going on when it comes to decisions for Sanderson’s Hill. Now it's to the point that they just don't talk to each other. All Logan knows is that it’s over between them, and she holds out very little hope that they will ever patch things up. What is most difficult about the break up is that they do still love each other.
29
Logan exits the office and sees Catherine coming down the stairs. She asks Logan if she knows where John is?
“Yes I do, he rode out onto the ranch to the south this morning, to help the boys with what's left of the branding.”
“Where are you off too, dear,” she asks?
She sighs, “down to the bunkhouse. Today is Wednesday. It's payday, and I have to give Gavin the checks so he can pay the boys.”
“Are things getting any better between the two of you?”
“No, we haven't spoken to each other for over three weeks, except for business. He does his job and I do mine. I really don't hold onto much hope for us making up anytime soon, if ever. For some reason, he all of a sudden didn’t think I knew how to run this place. It's been going on for several months, now, as you well know.”
“Do you think that the two of you keeping your distance from each other, and not talking will help the situation?”
“No, not really, he has his view of how things should be run, and I have mine. At least the two of you don't have to listen to us yelling at each other anymore in my room since he moved out months ago. He has to understand that running this ranch is my responsibility, and mine alone. All of a sudden after he got healed up, he started to argue with everything I did. As if I didn’t know what I was doing. And I am sure he will argue with me about something this morning, when I get to the bunkhouse.
Catherine forces a smile as she listens to her daughter, telling Logan to keep her chin up as she watches her go out the door. Logan smiles back at her, and says she will do her best.
Catherine understands the odds she's up against. It started immediately right after John first put her in charge of the ranch. She knows that Logan had to convince everyone twice as hard about her decisions because she's a woman. That there were many doubters about her ability to be a rancher in the first place. And it wasn’t just her because gender that she had doubters. Everyone around knew that she was a bounty hunter before, and how young she is.
But what those doubters didn’t know or see what John and Catherine saw in her—potential. Instead of disappointing them. She has done nothing but make them very proud of her.
Some still remember the reputation she had, but don't talk about it at all, anymore. And the men who work on the ranch now, aren't aware of Logan's past. That's fine with her, she wants it that way. She wants them to know that they’ve been hired by Logan Sanderson, the daughter of John and Catherine Sanderson. They have no idea that she was adopted by them, or that she was once a bounty hunter. Logan doesn't tell any of the men she hires about her past, because it's not important to her or the men. She is distancing herself from her old surname as much as she can, and the connotations it held for her.
John and Catherine knew all along, since Logan first arrived here, that she's smart as a whip, strong willed, and intelligent. John
noticed right away that she had an independent streak, matched only by her unbroken spirit. Qualities that he knows are needed when running and making decisions for a spread the size of Sanderson's Hill. And it's those traits that she depends on everyday, because she understands her responsibility of ranching very well.
And of course it does help that she's also John and Catherine's daughter, now, and heir. But Logan doesn't rely on the fact that she's family, when it comes to ranching. She lives by the words of John, that her decisions for the ranch, are final.
GAVIN AND ALL OF THE cowhands except for a few out on the range doing branding, are down at the bunkhouse waiting to be paid. Logan didn't tell Catherine, but she has to let some of the men go today. It's ranch business that she just tends to. She knows the branding is about done for now and with no round-ups or cattle drives to plan for, she has to let some of the help go. She knows this will not set well with Gavin, and he will not understand. She's prepared herself for an argument from him. Something she wants to avoid, as she approaches the bunkhouse.
She steps up on the porch, and sees Brock and he greets her, “Ms. Logan, how are you today?”
“I'm good so far, Brock, You?”
“I’m good, too, Miss Sanderson,” He says. Then he follows her in, knowing she has the paychecks, and watches as she walks to the back, where Gavin's quarters and office are.
“Here are the paychecks for the boys,” she says. Handing them to him, but holding on to five more.