Page 2 of Rancher's Rescue
Two days of driving from Texas to Montana was more exhausting than a long day in the saddle. I hated having to stop, but the horses needed a break from being cooped up in the trailer, so driving all night wasn’t possible. My soul quieted as I crossed into Wyoming. I had longed for the familiar feeling of wide open nothingness. Working close to Dallas for the last five years had made me itch for open views and no people. And now here I was.
I had no family left in Wyoming to stop and see, but I couldn’t help making the swing past the place I had called home for twenty-eight years. The house that was built by my great grandfather stood strong against the harsh elements of the prairies. My large two-story house, covered with white paint, a wrap-around porch and a dog laying on the step, transported me back in time.
A knock on my window shook me out of my daydream and I looked over into the face of the man who rented it from me. Rolling down the window, the man reached in to shake my hand. “What are you doing up here, Kane? It’s good to see you.” The man’s smile was genuine, and he hadn’t changed a bit in the lastfive years. My best friend, and the only person I would trust with this place.
“Oh, just heading to a new job in Montana. Thought I’d swing by and see how things were.” Trent and I had grown up together, but when his parents retired, they sold to his brother and that left Trent out on the stoop. My home had been sitting empty since my divorce, so it worked out perfectly for him to move in and I had peace of mind knowing this grand place wasn’t falling to pieces.
“You got time to see the family? I know Janie would love to see you.” Trent leaned on the truck and waited for my answer. The sun was beating through the windshield and stopping in would have been nice, but I needed to keep moving.
“Tell you what, when I get settled and have a few days off, I will head back down and we can catch up. I’m only an hour and a half from you now, so we can make up for lost time.” He nodded and tapped on the door.
“That’s a deal.” I watched his eyes change and I could see he wanted to ask me the question he always asked when I showed up.
“You’re secure. I’m not coming back anytime soon. And if I do, I will build a little cabin in the middle of nowhere. I won’t ever put you out.” Trent nodded, and we shook hands again before I drove away.
It wasn’t a lie. As much as I loved that home, it was the house of disappointment for me and I never wanted to set foot in it again. Trent had assured me they had made changes and I wouldn’t recognize it, but it still held too many terrible memories. Funny how a few years with the wrong person could taint a house full of memories from a happy childhood.
The miles passed in the blink of an eye as I checked the directions to the ranch one more time. They weren’t really detailed. Just drive until you think you went too far and hang aleft when the road ends. I liked this place more and more as I drove deep into the mountains of Montana.
A house loomed out of the landscape, and I stopped on the hill to look things over. The white two-story house looked typical for the area. A large wrap-around porch seemed inviting. Barn to the east of the house, corals, loading shoots, and a fairly new looking cattle handling system that rivalled those of what I had used other places. For a small family ranch, the setup was good.
Something caught my eye, and I turned to look out the passenger side window. A woman riding her horse, at breakneck speed, looking like she was chasing something. There was nothing ahead of her, so I let off the breaks and drove toward the yard, keeping her in my peripheral vision.
There were supposed to be two kids according to the information, but I didn’t see any. In the distance, I could hear thundering coming from behind me. Turning, I saw a wall of dust and cattle on the run coming down the hill I had driven alongside.
The woman rounded the back of the house and pulled the horse to a dead stop, lept off and swung the gates open. “Block that gap will ya?” She yelled to me and pointed to the hole where the slab fence didn’t quite meet up with the fence that separated the house yard, before slapping her horse on the ass making it get out of the way. She hopped up onto the top rail of the fence and waited. Dashing to the spot, I watched in amazement as the herd thundered into the pasture before slowing.
“Yeah mom. Woo hoo!” Voices from the house cheered as the last of the animals wandered through the gate. “Mom, I’m coming with you next time.” The girl shouted as she stood on the railing, her arm around the post. She was swinging back and forth on it and my blood stopped running for a split second. Before I knew what was happening, I was in a full out run. Sheswung out too far and lost her balance. I wasn’t going to get there in time. I couldn’t let this happen again. I had to get to her.
“Kit.” The woman yelled as she started running as well, but she was too far away.
Reaching out, I caught her just before she hit the ground. Scooping her up, I looked into her wide eyes. Her heart was beating so fast I could feel it on my arm through her back. “Hi.” I couldn’t help but smile as she stared up at me.
The woman I assumed was Maggie ran up and wrapped her arms around me and the girl. “Oh my god, Kit, are you okay?” She let us go and inspected the girl still in my arms before realizing I was even there. “Hello?”
Setting the girl named Kit down, I put my hand out. “Kane Watson, your new ranch hand.” The question in her eyes lifted, and a lightness appeared.
“Margaret Nathan. You have no idea how happy I am to meet you.” She took my hand and shook it. She didn’t let go, and it felt like she was clinging to me for dear life. “Oh, I should introduce you to these two. Katherine, sorry, Kit and Marshall.” The girl’s face eased when her mother called her Kit and I couldn’t help but smile. She seemed so much like my girl, shaking that thought out of my head. Now wasn’t the time to remember I needed to get working.
“Kids, go get cleaned up.” She pointed at the door and they noisily ran into the house, arguing and pushing one another. “Kit’s nine, and Marshall just turned six. I’ve been asking a lot of them and they need time to be kids. They’ve already lost so much, their childhoods won’t be one other casualty.” She stopped talking and just walked out to the gate. She had just recklessly ran what looked like to be her entire herd through. “Storm’s coming in tonight and I want these girls closer.”
Looking up at the sky, I wondered what she was on because there wasn’t a cloud in the sky, and there wasn’t talk on the radioabout any incoming storm. “Not to doubt you, Mrs. Nathan, but a storm?” I grabbed the gate and pulled it closed, looping the chain so it wouldn’t swing open.
“Please, it’s Maggie and the flies they’re trying to get in every opening they can. Always a storm when they’re acting like that.” She motioned to me with her head to follow her. “We have a thousand head of Red Angus, Simmental cross. These girls here will be turned back out to the summer pasture when this storm is over. I have another three hundred in Wyoming for the summer. My brother-in-law has a ranch and more grazing than he can use, so he’s taken them for the summer.” She pointed at things as she talked, and she walked into a cabin style building.
“Well, this is it. It’s not much.” She shrugged, and I looked around the bunkhouse. Clearly, at one time, this ranch was larger or had dreams of being larger. Walking past Maggie, I took off my hat and wandered the bunkhouse. Eight bunks were in the large back room, another room with one double bed, a large living area, and a stocked kitchen. It would be fine for as long as I was here.
“It looks like it will be fine. Maggie, how many head can this ranch run?” Leaning against the doorframe of the private room, I stared at her. Her dark brown hair was wild and falling out of the ponytail. I imagined her putting it in at the start of the day. Tan skin from doing the work of three men, and brown eyes that looked like she was tired of doing it all alone. All I could picture was her tiny frame pushing that horse to the max with the herd of cattle hot on other heels.
She let out a sigh before shaking her head. “Should be able to run about three thousand. But since it’s just me, I’ve had to downsize.” She kicked at something imaginary on the floor and bit the corner of her lip.
“You’ve lost over half your herd?” I couldn’t hide the shock in my voice. “How?”
“Well, might as well get it all out now. My husband died because of an accident during the roundup. The medical bills trying to save him took more money, then since like I said, it’s just been me, I had to sell. My kids deserve more than a mother who spends every waking hour in a pasture trying to keep the vultures at bay.” She walked out the door, and I followed her.
The air had changed. It was thick, muggy, and made it hard to breathe after being in the air-conditioned house. “Where can I put my horses?” Heading toward my trailer, I waited for my orders.
“In the pasture with the rest of them is good.” She pointed to a meadow, and I nodded. “I need to look after my horse. Supper’s in an hour. Come to the house, no need to knock, just walk in.” She nodded, and I watched her walk away. If nothing else, my time here would be spent trying not to daydream about what she looked like under those tight-fitting jeans.
