Pitch For You (Texas Heat)

Chapter 1

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 running one, 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 about the 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.”

I sighed heavily, the weight of the world on my shoulders. Not only was I grieving for my mother, but I also inherited the responsibility of managing the entire ranch – overseeing employees, finances, and maintenance. The ranch was my family's legacy, and I couldn't afford to let it crumble under my watch. But balancing my duties at the ranch with being a single mother to Max was proving to be a challenge.

As I worked, a promise came that I would find a way to balance it all – for Max, for my mother, and for myself. And although the road ahead seemed treacherous, fear couldn’t hold me back any longer. It was time to trust myself, to embrace the challenges, and to learn from my mistakes. Only then could I truly honor my mother's legacy and create a brighter future for my family.

An hour later, I took Max inside to make dinner. I was so tired from trying to fix everything today that I settled for macaroni and cheese. I felt bad, but it was already seven and Max would be going to bed in an hour. Making a full meal now would be wasteful.

“I know you wanted homemade biscuits and gravy tonight, but we’ll do that tomorrow. Okay?”

Max hung his head. “Okay. As long as you promise.”

“Promise, honey.”

After consuming dinner, I stood on the porch, watching him play for thirty more minutes before bed and surveying the land that was now my responsibility. The property sprawled out across rolling hills and verdant pastures, dotted with grazing cattle and clusters of crops. To the east, I could see the stables where the prized horses were housed, and beyond them, the fields of wheat and corn that stretched as far as the eye could see.

“Mom?” Max's voice floated up from the yard below, drawing my attention away from the breathtaking view. I watched as he carefully approached one of the cows, his dark brown eyes wide.

“Be careful,” I called out, instinctively protective. “Remember what I told you about approaching the animals.”

Max nodded, slowly extending a tentative hand toward the cow's velvety flank. “I remember, Mom. You said to let them know I'm here and not to make any sudden movements.”

“Good boy,” I praised, heart swelling with love for my intelligent and curious child. I descended the porch steps, joining Max in the yard, boots crunching softly against the gravel path.

“Are you getting used to living on the ranch?” I was aware of the adjustments my son had to make since leaving our city life behind.

“I guess so.” Max stroked the cow's back as it contentedly chewed its cud. “It's different, but there are so many cool things to explore.”

“Like what?” I probed, eager to understand his thoughts and feelings during this transition.

“Like the big oak tree by the creek, and the secret hideout I found in the hayloft,” Max enthused, his face lighting up. “And the horses! I've never been so close to a real horse before.”

“Would you like me to teach you how to ride one day?” I asked, taking his hand in mine.

“Really? You'd do that?”

“Of course, sweetheart. We’ll make time for it,” I promised, making a silent vow to find a balance between the duties at the ranch and my role as a loving mother. “Now, how about we head inside. You should get ready for bed.”

“Mom, I really love it here,” Max said, pulling me into him.

I had no idea if we would be here long-term. I was looking for someone to stay on the property and take care of the day to day things, but for some reason no one seemed interested right now. “Not sure, buddy. Get to bed and we’ll take a look at your homework in the morning. Love you.”

The ranch would be difficult, but I could do it. My mother did it by myself for many years, but the thought of maintaining its legacy grew with each passing day.

Max was inside the house, laying in front of the TV with Spot. It melted my heart to know even when I wasn’t able to be around that he had a friend. A companion.

“I’ll be right back buddy.”

As I walked down the hallway, I stopped in the doorway of my mothers old bedroom. It was so empty and quiet. Regrets of not making it back to visit as often before she passed settled in tightly.

I wish you were here to guide me.

“Mommy?” Max's small voice sounded behind me. “What are we doing in Grandma's room?”

I wiped my eyes quickly and turned to face my son, forcing a smile onto my lips. “We're just taking a moment to remember her, sweetheart. She loved this ranch so much, and now it's our turn to take care of it for her.”

“Are you sad?”

“Sometimes.” I crouched down to look at him eye-to-eye. “But I know that your grandma would want us to be brave and strong, just like she was.”

Max nodded, his dark brown eyes settled on mine. “I’ll help you, Mommy. I promise.”

“Thank you.” I hugged him close, the warmth of his small body providing a fleeting comfort against the overwhelming responsibility I faced.

As we walked back to the living room hand-in-hand, I felt inadequate. My mother seemed to manage the ranch effortlessly, never showing any signs of the strain that I now felt every waking moment. Would I ever measure up to the woman she had been?

“Alright.” I sat down at the kitchen table with a notepad and pen. “Let's make a plan. We'll set some goals for ourselves, and that will help us stay on track.”

Max climbed onto the chair.

“First, we need to make sure we're spending enough time together. I don't want you to feel neglected while I'm trying to manage the ranch.”

“Can we have a special day every week?” Max suggested. “Just for us?”

“Absolutely. We'll set aside one day every week just for us.”

“Next, we should find someone who can help us with the ranch work,” I continued, jotting it down. “Someone like Jake, who understands what needs to be done and can lighten our load. I’ve been looking, but maybe I need to look harder.”

As I wrote down more goals – improving the ranch's finances, fixing up the old barn, and finding ways to make the ranch more sustainable – the road ahead appeared difficult, but with Max by my side and a clear plan in place, we could do it.

“Ready to tackle this together, Max?” I asked, looking at the list of goals we had created.

“Ready!”

I squeezed his hand, heart still heavy with the loss of my mother, but now fortified with a fierce resolve to keep the legacy alive. We would face these challenges head-on, and together, we would ensure the future of the family ranch.