Page 1 of Pitch for You

1

Sofia

The sunrise painted across the sky with gold and crimson over Lawson Ridge. I stood on the porch of my family's ranch, eyes scanning the vast expanse. The recent passing of my mother had brought us back to this place – a place I once called home. With my eight-year-old son, Max, in tow, I returned to take on the responsibilities that now rested solely on my shoulders.

I was surrounded by friends and loved ones who would support me on this journey. There were so many things I needed to get a handle on if the ranch was going to be successful.

When my mother passed, the contracts with the surrounding grocery stores lapsed. The loss of money was evident and I had to work toward getting them back. To be fair, the grocery stores didn’t know what the fate of the ranch would be after her passing, and nonetheless, they still needed to have stock. Once I got on my feet, the grocery stores would come back to us. We had a longstanding reputation with the community.

Helen would help me navigate that once I was ready. She has lived on the property since I was a kid. Her husband was a ranch hand for many years and when he passed, my mother let her stay and help out where she could. She had been a close friend of the Walters family. With a wealth of knowledge about runningone, Helen was more than eager to offer me advice on everything from managing the livestock to maintaining the property.

“Morning,” Helen called out, her voice cutting through the crisp morning air as she approached the ranch house. “I brought you some fresh eggs from the hens, figured you could use them.”

“Thank you.” I accepted the wicker basket filled with still-warm eggs. “I really appreciate your help. I'm not sure what I'd do without you.”

“Ah, don't mention it, dear,” Helen said with a wave of her hand. “Your grandfather was like a brother to me. I'm just glad I can be here for you now.”

Together, we headed outside into the crisp morning air, the dew still clinging to blades of grass beneath our feet. The livestock seemed to sense my unease and shifted nervously in their stalls. Sure, I helped when I was younger, but this was different. The whole place was depending on me to keep it running. When it came to the ranch, I couldn’t fail.

“Take it one day at a time,” Helen advised, seeming to read my thoughts. “You're stronger than you think, and with a little patience and hard work, you'll get the hang of this.”

“My mom did it with such ease. Maybe it was a mistake moving away from here after high school. If I would’ve stayed, she would’ve been able to teach me more, show me the ropes, and this wouldn’t be happening.” A tear refrained from rolling down my cheek. All the regrets were slowing creeping back in.

“Stop making yourself feel worse. Your mother wanted what was best for you. At the time, you were in love and almost married. And guess what? You were happy. That was what your mother wanted for you.”

“Yeah, but things didn’t work out. He turned out to be a dead-beat father and husband.”

“Well, you couldn’t have known that beforehand. The point is this. You are back here now. Max is getting to learn aboutthe ranch and your mother and grandfather would’ve loved that. Maybe one day, you will be as happy running the ranch as your mother was.”

I nodded, drawing strength from Helen's words. Support of friends like her would be a blessing.

The people that worked at this ranch were pretty close-knit. I was still getting to know so many of the employees that were hired on after I left years ago. They were all so nice and helpful. Just like my mother would have wanted.

“Diane should be here any minute.”

She was Jake’s wife. They had been married over twenty years and lived across the ranch close to the stables. His focus was on the horses but he did pretty much anything that was needed.

We walked back to the house to grab something to drink.

“Hey, I didn’t know you were already here. Should have come out and yelled for us.” Diane was seated at the kitchen table, sipping coffee and flipping through a tattered copy of the Farmer’s Almanac.

“No worries. Figured I’d come in and have a cup of coffee while I waited. Jake’s got a long day ahead of him. Max let me in.”

“Sorry about that,” I admitted, pouring myself a cup of coffee. “I’m still feeling a bit overwhelmed by it all. He’s been a blessing in disguise. I don’t know what I would do without him around. Especially with my lack of knowledge about this place.”

“He’s only a phone call away. Your mother was clear in her want for him to guide you. He’s the longest employee she’s ever had besides Helen. If anyone knows something, it’s Jake and Helen.”

“And we are here for you every step of the way.” Helen squeezed my shoulder.

“Enough about that,” Diane replied with a smile. “Let's focus on today. What's on the agenda?”

“Animals first,” I answered, taking a sip of coffee. “And after that, I need to fix the fence near the south pasture and start planting some crops.”

The other ranch hand hadn’t been around yet. He only worked during the week, because of his other job. Honestly, I was hesitant to run into him after what happened all those years ago.

“Mom? When are we going to play?”

“Sorry, sweetie.” I forced a smile as I tousled his dark brown hair. “I’ve been so busy today.”

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