This Hick?

Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

KAREN

I spent most of the morning with my head buried in Uncle Don’s mess of books. Receipts were scattered like they’d been shuffled in a deck of cards. Handwritten notes in the margins of some invoices made absolutely no sense. The whole thing was a disaster. How could anyone run a business like this? I couldn’t even read most of the writing.

I was shocked he was still doing everything by hand. He had an almost new computer sitting in the office. Well, it looked new, but I knew it was a few years old. He just didn’t use the damn thing. I wanted to scream and stomp my feet. How did this happen? My uncle had been running this place for years. How? How in the hell was he still a functioning business?

I gently banged my forehead on the desk.

The impact made the stack of papers flutter to the floor. I sat back, rubbing the spot with a wince. I bent down to pick up the papers, frustration mounting. That was when I noticed the picture frame wedged behind the computer monitor, slightly askew but catching the light. It was an old photo of Uncle Don and a much younger version of myself, standing in front of the main barn. My small hand was in his. I was wearing a ridiculously large cowboy hat that covered my eyes. Despite the poor fit, I was grinning.

A pang of nostalgia hit me as I stared at our smiling faces. This ranch might be a foreign world to me now, more so than ever, but it was also a part of who I was. The memories here were deep-rooted. Uncle Don had always been my anchor. I felt guilty for not coming to help him sooner. If he would have told me he was in this kind of trouble, I would have been here long ago. I could have coached him on how to update his bookkeeping and filing.

I straightened the picture frame and took a deep breath. It was clear that someone needed to streamline things around here. That someone had to be me.

“I brought you a snack,” Uncle Don said, popping in. “Bodie said this is something city girls might like. His words, not mine.”

I looked at the tray with a can of Diet Coke and two slices of avocado toast. I smiled up at him. “Thank you. He actually nailed it.”

“How’s it going in here?” he asked.

I figured there was no point in sugarcoating things. “This is how you’ve been balancing your books?” I asked incredulously, holding up a receipt from five years ago for what seemed to be a bulk order of fence posts. It was hard to tell because the thing was so faded. I picked up the can of soda and took a long drink like it was tequila.

No such luck.

He stood there with his thumbs hooked in his belt loops, rocking back on his heels like it was no big deal. “Worked well enough,” he said, his voice full of nonchalance.

“But—”

“But then things started to slip, and I got a little…”

“Complacent?” I filled in for him.

He smiled sheepishly. “Just a bit.”

“Yeah, I’d say its more than a bit.”

He took a seat opposite me and sighed. “I know it’s a mess, Karen. It’s just that, well, you know how it is here. Every day there’s something new to fix or figure out, and before I knew it, the books got away from me. I don’t have the time to figure out how to use that thing.” He eyed the computer warily like it was a nuclear bomb. “I hired a guy but he was worse than useless. Paychecks didn’t go out and bills weren’t paid. I fired him and things have just been piling up.”

I shook my head slightly, not in disapproval but in disbelief at the haphazard way things were done around here. “Uncle Don, we’ve got to get you set up on some sort of system. It’s not sustainable like this. And honestly, it’s not fair to you or anyone else relying on this ranch. We’re going to start by digitizing these records. It’ll be a bit of a project, but once everything’s in one place, it’ll be easier to manage.”

Uncle Don looked skeptical but nodded slowly. “You know best, kiddo. I’m just set in my ways, I suppose.”

I stood up and stretched. “It’s okay to be set in your ways, but sometimes we need a shake-up to push us forward. Let’s use that computer for more than just collecting dust. I’ll help you figure it out.”

“I’m glad you’re here, Kare-Kare. We need your attention to detail to get us back on track.”

I sighed, glancing back down at the mess in front of me. It was going to take a while to get sorted out. I needed to go through everything to see what I was working with before I could even decide how best to organize it. I couldn’t begin to balance the books until I sorted through the piles of paperwork.

The task felt daunting, but I couldn’t exactly leave Uncle Don hanging. I loved him too much for that. Still, I wasn’t thrilled about the prospect of spending endless hours sifting through years of disorganized piles.

“I’ll get it handled,” I told him.

“Thank you. I’ll leave you to it. Let me know if you need anything at all.” Uncle Don stood up, his joints creaking slightly as he did.

He left me alone with the massive project. The door clicked shut behind him. I took another sip of my Diet Coke before turning my attention to the computer.

I worked for a couple more hours, my avocado toast and Diet Coke long gone. My stomach growled, reminding me I’d been holed up in the office long enough. My eyes were blurry. Needing a break, I wandered to the kitchen. I hoped I could sneak past Bodie and quietly grab something from my own stash.

I looked around and didn’t see him. The moment I opened the fridge, Bodie spotted me.

“Perfect timing,” he boomed from across the kitchen, waving me over with a spatula in hand. “I saw those fancy groceries you bought this morning and got inspired.”

“Inspired?” I asked, arching an eyebrow as I approached the grill where he was busy searing something delicious.

“Yep! I made you lunch. Figured you’d want something a little more tailored to your tastes.” He pointed to a plate on the counter, where a perfectly seared chicken breast rested on a bed of greens, drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette, alongside roasted yams and beets. It looked incredible, like something I would order at a nice restaurant.

My mouth watered just looking at it. “Bodie, this is amazing. Thank you so much.”

He grinned proudly. “Anything for Don’s niece. Plus, I wasn’t going to let you live off those rabbit leaves all week.”

I laughed and took a seat at the counter to eat. The flavors were just as good as the presentation. We chatted while I ate, mostly about the ranch. I told him how I remembered coming here as a little girl and how different it all seemed now.

“It’s changed a lot over the years,” Bodie admitted. “This place has seen better days, I’ll tell ya that. Used to be that Rocking Horse Ranch was the place to be. But competition’s tough now. Lots of other dude ranches have popped up, and we’re not as unique as we used to be.”

I nodded thoughtfully. “I can see that. The summers must still be busy though, right?”

“Oh, sure. Spring and summer? We’re booked solid. But fall and winter?” He shook his head. “Hard to make ends meet. And the town isn’t what it used to be either. Neighbors used to look out for each other. Now? Everyone’s just tryin’ to survive.”

“Everyone for themselves, huh?”

Bodie’s expression darkened slightly. “Vultures everywhere.”

“Vultures?” I tilted my head. “What do you mean by that?”

“You’ll see soon enough. You wouldn’t believe how many people want this land.”

I glanced around the kitchen and thought about the state of the lodge. The roof had shingles missing, the driveway was all busted up, and the old farmhouse I could see from my bedroom window looked like it was ready to collapse. Who in their right mind would fight over a place like this? It was in dire need of an overhaul, not to mention its books were a nightmare. From what I had learned so far, the place wasn’t exactly making a lot of money.

“Who would want this place that badly?” I asked, unable to hide my skepticism.

Bodie chuckled. “You’d be surprised. A lot of folks want land, and some people aren’t above playing dirty to get it.”

I pondered that for a moment, taking another bite of my lunch. I watched him peel potatoes for what I imagined was dinner.

After finishing my meal, I stood up to leave. A wall of photographs tucked into one corner of the kitchen caught my eye. The space had a small table and I assumed it was where the staff took their breaks. I wandered over to look at the pictures.

The wall was a collection of moments frozen in time. There were candid snapshots of staff and guests alike over the years. A lot of them featured Cassidy, of course. His serious, steady face appeared in at least a dozen pictures, always looking like he belonged in every single one of them. What caught my eye, though, was a photo of a little boy. He had Cassidy’s same brown eyes, full of mischief.

“Who’s that?” I asked.

“That’s our Cassidy Scott,” Bodie said.

“Really?”

“He’s been working here since he was about eight years old. Practically grew up on this ranch under Don’s watch.”

I blinked in surprise. “Really? I didn’t know that.”

“Oh yeah.” Bodie nodded. “He’s been here longer than just about anyone, and one day, this place is going to be his.”

That took me by surprise. Cassidy inheriting Rocking Horse Ranch? I looked at him in a new light. No wonder he was so protective of the place, always keeping an eye on everyone and everything. It wasn’t just a job for him—it was his life.

I was full of more questions about Cassidy than I had answers. Who was he, really? What was his story? Was he my uncle’s illegitimate son? I felt a little embarrassed that I hadn’t realized how deep his connection to this place went.

“Does Cassidy’s family work here?” I asked.

Bodie shook his head. “No.”

The way he said it told me he wasn’t about to gossip about Cassidy. I respected that.

“Cassidy’s seen the ups and downs here,” Bodie said. “He knows what this land means to everyone who has ever lived and worked here. It’s more than just soil and buildings. It’s a legacy, a way of life that’s dying out. And he’ll fight tooth and nail to keep it going.”

I nodded, absorbing his words. “It sounds like he really believes in this place.”

“Believes? More like lives for it.” Bodie grunted as he dumped a bag of potatoes into the sink. “That boy has given his heart to these acres. Without him, I reckon we might’ve had to shut down years ago.”

I had a newfound respect for the surly cowboy. “Thanks for lunch, Bodie. Seriously, five stars. I haven’t had a meal that good in a long time.”

“Anytime,” Bodie said. “It’s kind of fun making something different for a change.”

I left the kitchen and walked back to the office, wondering why my uncle had never mentioned Cassidy. I vaguely remembered him, but didn’t remember him ever being talked about like he was a cousin to me. It was a mystery I was eager to find out more about. Maybe my family had some skeletons in the closet.