Page 52 of Ranch Rules

Natalie exhaled breath she hadn’t even known she’d been holding. She felt better for the first time since she’d started to drive. Everything was going to be okay. Thomas might not have even noticed that she’d left yet.

The rain was falling harder and she had to squint to see anything in front of her. Was it her imagination, or were her wipers working slower than before? Natalie turned the knob again to make sure she had it on the highest speed. Then, to her utter shock, the right wiper was ripped off by the wind and went flying into the great unknown, probably destined to get stuck in a tree somewhere. The remaining wiper flapped pitifully, not making a bit of difference to the deluge of rain obscuring her view.

“What the... ugh!” She slammed her hands against the steering wheel, barely feeling the sting to her palms.

The thirty-five miles an hour she’d been traveling at earlier felt like breakneck pace when she was forced out of necessity to slow down to fifteen. Now that she’d made the decision to return to the ranch, she wanted to get there as quickly as possible. The only problem being that Mother Nature was clearly out to thwart her.

A theory that was further proven when Natalie’s car suddenly shuddered to a stop.

“What... what the hell?” she shrieked, turning the key in the ignition and attempting to turn the car back on. She tried this several times, hearing a creaking, spluttering noise. Natalie didn’t cry often—if you didn’t count the times her bottom was bared and spanked tomato red—but she was so frustrated and angry that she felt her eyes welling up.

Turning her emergency lights on, she tried to calm down taking a few long, deep breaths. She could fix this. There had to be some way she could fix this. Trouble was, the only thing she could think to do was to call the ranch, and she’d really hoped she might be back before Thomas so he never realized she’d left at all.

Looked like she’d have to swallow more than her pride. With a sigh, Natalie picked up her cell and with shaking fingers, she began to dial the number that had been displayed on the brochures in her room. At least her photographic memory was still working, though it was a small comfort.

She could tell from the broken ring on the other line that the reception wasn’t good. She supposed she had the pouring rain to thank for that.

“He-llo?” The voice seemed to come from far away, and was too full of static for Natalie to tell who it was on the other end.

“Um, hi, this is Natalie. Natalie Winthrop. I was, ah, going for a drive and... it’s rainy... and, um, my car broke down. I need help.”

“He-hello?” The voice came again.

She clutched the phone tighter, feeling annoyance mingle with panic. What if they couldn’t hear her? How long would she be stuck out here? The rain didn’t look like it was ever going to stop. “I need help! My car broke down. I’m at the corner of—” She looked around. “Of Carter and Bay Road. Please, send help!”

“Natalie... why...” And then, before the voice could complete the question, the line went dead.

With a frustrated groan, Natalie redialed the number, but heard the busy tone. She tried again, with the same results. A third attempt was no better. Finally admitting defeat, she tossed her cell into the passenger seat.

She had no idea if he’d heard her, if help was coming. For now, it looked like all she could do was wait—for a rescuer to come or the rain to let up, whichever came first.

* * *

Natalie was staringat herself in front of a full-length mirror. Her curly hair was down around her shoulders, gleaming and shiny with product. A blue cap was the crown atop her curls. A matching blue gown hid the dress she wore underneath, and cords of gold and red were around her shoulders, proclaiming her the salutatorian and the president of the honor society.

She felt the familiar burst of nerves, but as soon as she did, her mother was beside her, hands on her shoulders as she beamed at Natalie in the mirror. “I’m so proud of you, sweetheart. You’ve worked so hard. You’re going to have a wonderful life.”

As Natalie took her seat it was impossible to miss the excited buzz of her fellow students as they whispered excitedly among themselves as they waited for the ceremony to begin. She knew many of them and exchanged a few waves and ‘hellos’ but that was it. She hadn’t come to college to make friends, after all.

“I can’t believe it! It’s over. We’re done. Now we can relax and have fun,” the person seated on her left said to no one in particular.

She couldn’t help but echo the sentiment. Sure, she was going to go work for a prestigious firm, and that would involve some long nights, but more fun than she’d had studying her butt off in college, right?

The ceremony began and Natalie focused her attention on the dean as he began to address the crowd. Pride swelled within her. She’d done it! There would be another year or two of hard work, then she could finally start living her life!

It was hard to be patient as the dean began to call students to come forward and accept their diplomas. As a Winthrop she was darn near at the end of the alphabet. She was used to it, of course, but it was especially hard on a day like today.

Finally, her row was standing. She caught sight of her parents in the crowd, glowing with pride. She raised her hand in a small half-wave.

“Natalie Winthrop.”

So excited she could barely contain herself, she walked across the stage to accept the diploma the dean held out toward her and shook his hand. She faced the crowd to have her photo taken and was about to continue down the stage when she felt a heavy hand on her shoulder, restraining her. She looked up in surprise to see the dean there, and he wasn’t smiling at her any longer.

“What...”

“I’m afraid there’s been a mistake. I’m going to need that back.”

“But I don’t—”

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