Owen’s Offer
The next evening, Maria came up to the house after work.
Neil, of all people, was there in the living room, playing some kind of board game with cards and dice and movers with Annabelle and Elijah.
That was curious. What was he doing there?
Was he there to see Annabelle? Uncle Russell and Aunt Steph weren’t there, but Savannah was watching the board game, and Grandma Austin was industriously knitting.
Maria waved to the group around the table, and only Savannah waved back. Maria decided not to join them. She didn’t like over-complex board games, and clearly they’d already started. They hadn’t even included Savannah. She started toward the den to find a book.
As she went, a knock came from the little-used front door of the house. Everyone normally came in the side door. Was somebody locked out? Maria went to open the door.
It was Owen Beck, the man she and Tim had picked up at the airport. “Owen!” Maria exclaimed.
“May I come in?” Owen peered over Maria’s head into the living room.
Maria hesitated. She didn’t want to offend him. “Um, sure. Please follow me.”
Probably Patricia wasn’t in the habit of inviting ranch guests into the house, and Owen had been told the family didn’t give tours, but maybe this was important. Maria didn’t want to offend him. He might tell all his Hollywood friends that the Rocker A wasn’t any good.
Owen strode forward, looking at the beamed ceiling and the Western décor. He had an appraising look. Maybe he was trying to sneak his way into a house tour. Grandma Austin wouldn’t be happy.
“Just a moment,” Maria told Owen, and went over to her grandmother, who was looking at the newcomer, perplexed.
“It’s Owen Beck,” Maria hissed in a stage whisper. “One of the guests you sent me and Tim to meet.”
“Oh, him. What does he want?” Grandma Austin said, at full volume. Maria winced.
Grandma Austin slowly put down her knitting, hauled herself out of her chair, and went over to Owen. Maria followed.
“Patricia Austin,” Grandma Austin introduced herself. “You’re a guest here?”
“Owen Beck,” Owen said. “Does the name ring any bells?”
“Can’t say as it does,” Patricia said. “This is a private residence, and we don’t give house tours. What brings you by? Are you enjoying your stay at the cabins?”
“Oh, very much, very much.” Owen rubbed his hands together. “This is prime real estate you have here. A big piece of the prettiest valley in Montana. Fishing, hunting, recreation—it’s got everything.”
“Thank you,” Grandma Austin said. “We’re proud of it.”
“But you must admit it’s hard to keep up a place like this,” Owen said. “With inflation and the costs of everything rising, there aren’t a lot of ways to raise your income, are there?”
“I don’t discuss my finances with ranch guests.” Patricia frowned. “Thank you for your interest. I hope you have a pleasant stay.”
She turned, and Maria moved to close the door, but Owen wasn’t done. “I’ve come prepared to offer you more than twice what the place is worth,” he said. “Remember me? I sent you an offer a few weeks ago, but it was declined.”
Wow. Owen wasn’t just some random Hollywood guy. He was the guy from the ranch offer. What was he doing here? Patricia wasn’t going to like that. She might be unhappy with Maria for letting him into the house.
Patricia swiveled back toward him, a thundercloud on her brow.
Owen kept going. “I said to myself, what’s so special about this place that the people won’t sell when I offer them so much for it?
This must be some piece of land. So my wife and I came to see it for ourselves.
And it exceeded our expectations. This would be the spot for the most beautiful luxury resort in the West. I’m prepared to up my offer by as much as twenty percent, if you’ll consider selling. ”
You could have heard a pin drop. Patricia’s face darkened, and Annabelle, Neil, Elijah, and Savannah watched open-mouthed.
This guy was persistent. He had the audacity to march right into Patricia’s house and make his bid in person, in front of the whole family. Had Maria’s cousins even heard about the ranch offer? Would Uncle Russell and Aunt Steph have mentioned it to them?
“No,” Grandma Austin said, breaking the silence.
“But ma’am!” Owen said. “You haven’t even run the numbers yet! Let me show you—” He was pulling something up on his phone.
“No,” Grandma Austin repeated, and walked back to her chair. “Maria, show the man out.”
Owen barely restrained himself, his eyes bulging in their sockets. “I’ll give you until the end of August to reconsider. I hope you’ll change your mind. You might want to go over your books. How much money do you really make running cattle?”
He turned and left, and Maria closed the door after him.
The room erupted into talking. Elijah, Annabelle, and Savannah crowded around their grandmother, peppering her with questions. Maria stayed out of it. She already knew the story, and nothing about this surprised her except Owen’s persistence.
Left out of the Austin family conversation, Neil got up and left the room. Where was he going? The bathroom wasn’t that way. Maybe he didn’t want to get involved in a family fight, and Maria didn’t blame him. She went upstairs to get ready for bed.
§
Maria was finishing her night prayers, when a knock came at her door. “Come in,” she said, sitting back on her heels.
Annabelle flung the door open. She was still in her daytime clothes. “Can you believe it? About the ranch?”
“I actually overheard something about that offer, a while ago,” Maria said. “Uncle Russell and Aunt Steph were talking to Grandma Austin about it.”
“And they didn’t tell us?” Annabelle sat down on Maria’s bed with a bounce. “Grandma never tells us anything. Clearly the ranch is more important to her than we are.”
Maria thought the same thing, but she let that pass. “I guess your parents figured there wasn’t any point telling you about an offer Grandma Austin had already refused.”
“Why do you keep calling her ‘Grandma Austin’?” Annabelle asked. “Can’t you just call her ‘Grandma’? Anyway, I think we should have known about the offer. We’re adults.”
“I call her ‘Grandma Austin’ because I call my Grandma Gilbert ‘Grandma’,” Maria said. “And what would you have done if you’d heard about the offer? Would you have wanted to sell? I thought you liked the ranch.”
“Well, I guess I do,” Annabelle said, “but with that kind of money, do you have any idea what we could do? We’d be rich! We could go anywhere we wanted and do anything we wanted!”
Maria traced a pattern on the carpet with her finger. Was Annabelle so spoiled she didn’t appreciate the paradise she lived in? Honestly, Maria shouldn’t be surprised.
“I thought you were already rich,” Maria said, “and the main thing you wanted was to enter the Miss Rodeo Montana pageant, which you’re getting ready for anyway. What would be improved if you guys sold the ranch? You wouldn’t have all this beautiful land to ride around on.”
“But we wouldn’t be tied down anymore.” Annabelle waved a dismissive hand. “I don’t know why I’m asking you about it! You don’t know anything about ranching! You live in the city, don’t you?”
“Suburb,” Maria said, knowing from experience that it was no use trying to tell a country kid the difference between a city and a suburb. “But I think this is the most beautiful place on earth. Why in the world would you guys want to sell it?”
“See? You wouldn’t understand,” Annabelle said.
“Only somebody who’s grown up here would get it.
Neil gets it. He talked to me before he left.
He said he didn’t want to get in the middle of our family decision, but he doesn’t understand why Grandma wouldn’t sell.
The money is way more than the ranch is worth. ”
“Well, this land has been in the family since the 1800s,” Maria said. “I don’t think anybody would expect Grandma Austin to sell it.”
“Of course not.” Annabelle folded her arms. “She’s the stubbornest person in the world. And I know her a million times better than you. You just got here, and you think you’re going to tell me about my own grandmother?”
That was rude, but it was too late to argue with Annabelle about it. “She’s my grandmother too,” Maria said. “Well, I’d better go to bed. I’ve gotta work early.”
“All right,” Annabelle said, getting up with a groan. “I’ve gotta get up early and show a bunch of guests around. Owen will probably go around complaining about Grandma for the rest of his visit.”
“Hopefully not,” Maria said.
§
The next day was Friday. Friday evening was usually busy for Annabelle and Elijah, who liked to hang out with friends in town.
They never invited Maria, but she didn’t care.
She was going to have a nice cozy video call with her dad and grandma.
It had been a few days since she had sent them more than text messages, and she knew they would want to hear everything that was going on.
When their friendly, familiar faces appeared in the video chat, Maria could have cried. Why did the Austins have to be so different from her family back home?
“Hi, Dad,” Maria said. “Hi, Grandma! How are you doing?”
“Just wonderful,” Dad said, “especially talking to you, Princess! How’s it going out there? How’s your work?”
“Oh, it’s good,” Maria said. “I’m having a good time with Jessie and Rob, and they’re teaching me all kinds of things about cowboy cooking I didn’t know. I’ll practically know enough to start my own restaurant by the time I come back to Michigan!”
“That’s my girl!” Dad said. “Your grandma and I are really proud of you.”
“Thanks,” Maria said. “I really miss you both.”
“Things are all right out there, aren’t they?” Dad’s brow furrowed. “I get the feeling there’s a little family drama behind the scenes.”
“Well, some,” Maria said. She told about Owen’s offer and everyone’s reactions to it.
“My goodness!” Grandma exclaimed. “That’s a lot of money!”
Dad’s expression was knowing. “It’ll be a cold day in July when Patricia agrees to sell an inch of that ranch,” he said. “It’s her legacy.”
“That’s what I thought,” Maria said, “and the Austins all know that too. But they’re still bummed. The younger ones all want to sell out.”
“I think they’re not realizing what they have,” Dad said. “You can get used to a place, living there all your life, and take it for granted.”
“Well, there’s that,” Maria said. “But I also think they just don’t get along too well as a family. The kids want to move away and do other things.”
“That’s too bad,” Grandma said. “I’m glad my son didn’t want to move away and do other things.”
Dad smiled. “Me too,” he said. “Now, Maria, you’re not getting stressed out there, are you? Say the word, and I’ll get you a plane ticket home.”
“No, I think I’m all right,” Maria said. “The job part is good. And my cousin Savannah is nice. She doesn’t have a lot of people to hang out with, so I’ve been spending some time with her.”
“Well, that’s good,” Dad said. “I think it’s important for you, getting to know the place where your mom grew up. Have you done any more riding?”
“Not yet,” Maria said. “I should ask Annabelle or Elijah for another lesson.”
“You’ll be as good a rider as your mother in no time,” Dad said. “I’m glad you have this opportunity.”
“Me too, I think,” Maria said. “I miss you both, though.”
“We miss you too, Princess.”
Off the video, Maria flopped on her bed.
She missed Dad and Grandma even more than she would let on over the call.
She was tired of being the extra person on the ranch.
She didn’t want to be considered as somebody to babysit Savannah, let people in the door, and pick guests up at the airport.
It wasn’t that the Austins overworked her, or that they left her out of events—Grandma Austin had been insistent that she go to that dance, for instance—but she was just there.
She was the family member who didn’t get invited when Annabelle and Elijah went out with their friends.
She hadn’t even gone into town yet except to Mass on Sunday and to pick up the Becks at the airport.
Maria sighed. What was she doing, throwing a pity party for herself?
She’d known when she came out here that her mom’s family weren’t the warmest of people.
And although she still intended to try to bridge the gap between the families, it might be good to take a break and go off on her own occasionally.
Tomorrow evening, she ought to explore the ranch.
It was a beautiful place, and she’d only seen a fraction of it.
Too bad she still didn’t know how to ride a horse, but at least she could go around on her ATV.