Page 24 of Grit
It was good. What she was doing was good. It would be more stable than the cattle, though she never wanted to give the ranch up completely. But diversity was good. If the U-Pick operation went well, then maybe they’d do the pumpkin patch her mom had been talking about. Heck, maybe she’d let Abby get more goats and open a petting zoo in the fall.
Okay, maybe not more goats.
She walked back to the truck and headed home. The horses had to be fed and exercised. She was late checking the herd too.
She needed to hire another hand to keep track of the cattle, but she’d been running on the tightest budget possible while she still owed her in-laws. Once the loan was paid off, then she’d be able to hire someone full time. She had feelers out already, touching base with some of her grandfather’s friends in Northern California, Idaho, and Texas. Most cowboys were looking to leave the state with its high cost of living, but Melissa was hoping a few might be looking for warm weather and minimal snow.
She’d barely opened the gate when she saw an unfamiliar truck parked by the house.
Melissa immediately went on alert. She pulled up next to the truck, which was an old Ford F-250, clearly meant for hauling a trailer, and hopped out.
“Hey, Mom?” She walked around the unfamiliar truck once. Idaho plates. Current tags. Big hitch. “Joan?”
She walked up to the porch and heard laughter coming from inside.
Melissa opened the door and heard her mom’s voice coming from the kitchen. “Hello?”
“Hey, sweetie! Come on back!”
She knew her mother was a trusting person, but Melissa was not. She hoped these were old friends and not random people stopping by. She hung up her purse and walked into the kitchen.
She immediately saw an older man in his midfifties and a woman around the same age sitting at the kitchen table, cups of coffee in their hands. The man had a long handlebar mustache that was reddish-grey. His face and posture said cowboy, and Melissa spotted a hat sitting on the chair next to him.
“Hey there.” She tossed her truck keys on the counter.
The man rose and nodded. “Ma’am.”
The unfamiliar woman turned and smiled. “Good morning.”
Joan rose and walked to Melissa. “Honey, this is Stu and Leigh Hagman, and they’ve just come from the Brady Ranch outside Twin Falls. I’ve known Leigh for ages. We worked in Monterey together when we were younger.”
“Oh cool. Welcome to the ranch. Garret Brady?” Melissa smiled. “How’s he doing?” Old Mr. Brady had been a good friend of her grandfather’s. “I haven’t seen any of the Bradys in ages.”
“Well, Old Man Brady passed last year,” Stu said, his voice a deep baritone that indicated a lifelong smoking habit. “But he’d been ill for a while, so it wasn’t a surprise or anything. His daughter’s running the ranch now.”
Joan sat back down. “That’d be Carla?”
Leigh said, “Yep. And she’d doing great. She and her husband have three kids. Real nice people.” Leigh turned to Stu and nodded. “In fact, Carla’s the reason we’re here.” She smiled at Joan. “Other than wanting to catch up with Joan.”
“It’s so nice to see you.” Her mother patted Leigh’s hand. “I can’t believe it’s been twenty years.”
Stu rose and reached in his back pocket. “Used to work for Carla. She didn’t have any work for us at the ranch.” He pulled out a folded envelope. “But she mentioned she’d heard from the Tanner Ranch that y’all might be looking for some help. Leigh and I are both experienced, and we’re looking for a fresh start if you need help.”
Melissa let out a long breath. “Oh man. I wish—”
“We’re definitely looking,” Joan said.
Melissa sighed. “Mom, we can’t afford it.”
Stu jumped in. “We work cheap. I’m even happy to give you a few weeks free to see if we suit the place. All we need is a place to park our motor home and pasture for our horses.”
Leigh smiled. “We don’t need much. We just like working.”
“I can’tnotpay you.” Melissa took the letter Stu handed her. “It’s not right, and I don’t think it’s even legal.” She scanned the letter from Carla Brady, which offered a glowing recommendation for both Stu and Leigh.
One of the hardest-working couples I know.
…package deal.
