Page 9 of Redemption

Bethany Miller, Beth for short, stepped forward. The stout woman had been Grandpa’s housekeeper since I was a child. Her eyes were tired but kind. She greeted me with a warm smile and hugged me.

Then there was Jake, a lanky young man with eager eyes. Probably the new wrangler. He tipped his hat in my direction, smiling shyly.

I recognized them from the picture Grandpa had sent to me before he passed on. But they couldn’t be all the workers on this vast ranch.

I looked around, expecting more people to step out. When no one came, I turned to them.

“Just the three of you?” I couldn’t hide the surprise in my voice. “Is this everyone?”

Ethan scratched his head, exchanging a glance with the others.

“Yes, ma’am. Times are hard. People moved on. We’ve been managing the place as best as we can with the three of us.”

My heart sank.

The last time I’d been here, the ranch had been bustling with workers. People tended to the cattle. Some maintained the property. The ranch had been a place of life and activity, not this desolate scene before me.

Beth put a hand on my arm, her face filled with sympathy.

“Your grandfather made some tough decisions in recent years, Anna. Finances were tight. He did his best to keep the ranch afloat with the resources he had.”

I nodded, my heart heavy with sadness.

Grandpa had been a proud man. He’d poured his heart and soul into this place. The fact that he’d struggled so much in his final years was a painful realization.

Beth guided me towards the house, then served me a warm meal for supper.

Inside wasn't much better. It was clean, thanks to Beth’s effort. But everything looked old and tired.

I tried not to look at the peeling wooden boards as a small knot formed in my stomach. This wasn’t what I’d expected to come back to. It felt like the ranch had given up, just like I had on Max years ago.

I shook the thought of him away, focusing instead on the food in front of me. Max was the last person I wanted to think about right now. I needed energy. Tomorrow would be a long day.

As I ate, a plan began to form in my mind.

There was no way I could sell the ranch in this state. If I did, I’d end up selling it for an abysmal amount. I needed someone to whip the ranch back into shape and make it presentable again. That was the only way this would work.

After dinner, I yawned. I was exhausted from the long drive. I longed to sleep in my old room. It was in a separate shed in a remote area on the property. There, I would have the privacy I needed to think through the steps I’d take next.

“You may want to sleep in your grandpa’s room tonight,” Beth said the moment I stood up.

“I prefer my room in the shed.”

“That room has been shut tighter than a drum for a long while. Your grandpa, God rest his soul, locked it up. He said only you should open it, but I can’t find the key.”

Too tired to argue, I followed her to Grandpa’s room. I stepped on the worn carpet and looked around, going to the window. The room’s window offered a view of the ranch.

Soon, Ethan and Jake wheeled in my luggage.

As I gazed out at the sprawling acres of land, a pang of guilt hit me.

Grandpa had always wanted me to inherit the ranch to carry on his legacy. I knew that. As a teen, I nodded and smiled, weaving tales out of his tales of the land. But those were just fantasies. Illusions I didn’t intend to pursue. I loved the man, not the soil he trod on.

When Max broke my heart, I avoided Marfa like the plague. Grandpa asked me to visit several times. To ease my conscience, I called him weekly. After college and making money in tech, I flew him occasionally to Dallas or Chicago.

But it wasn’t the same as being on the ranch with him.

As years rolled by, I dropped the act of ever wanting the ranch. I even tossed around the idea of selling the property, much to his dismay.

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