Chapter Six
Natalie stood awkwardly at the kitchen counter as everyone moved around her like ants on a mission. Benny brushed by her with a heavy-looking pewter plate in hand and sat his scrawny body down at the table, removing his hat to hang on the back of the chair. He joined Greer in heaping a hefty spoonful of eggs onto his plate.
“Help yourself,” Vaughn said, as she too breezed by her, plate in hand. She also sat at the round table and removed her hat to hang on the back of her chair.
“Yes, child, here,” June said, handing Natalie a plate. “You better get in there or there’ll be nothing left.”
“Hey, Dumb and Dumber aren’t here, so can I have their share?” Benny asked. Natalie assumed he was referring to the missing ranch hands that Vaughn had spoken of earlier. Seems she had two workers who weren’t keen on showing up to work.
“You think I made enough for those two?” June said, making herself comfortable at the table. She patted the seat next to her, encouraging Natalie to join them. “Not likely,” she said. “You don’t work, you don’t eat.”
Greer laughed as he bit into a crispy strip of bacon. “I’ll work extra hard then.”
“You better,” June said. “With your appetite.” Greer’s heavy cheeks bloomed with red. He was as husky as Benny was scrawny. Natalie found them both to be young and endearing. She was a little less intimidated by them now. They were just kids, maybe nineteen or twenty, with the whole world ahead of them. And they acted as such. She stifled a laugh as they continued to ramble as they ate, their sweat-soaked hair sticking up in places due to their hats. Boys. They were just boys really. They seemed okay enough.
“Child,” June said, scooping out a heap of scrambled eggs for Natalie. “Eat.” She dropped them on her plate and passed her the bacon and some country salted ham. “You’re gonna need energy to work on this ranch.”
Natalie took two strips of bacon, but June grimaced at her and added a slice of ham. She did the same with a biscuit. It wasn’t that the food didn’t look and smell delicious. It’s just that Natalie wasn’t used to eating such a big breakfast so early.
“Thank you,” she said, a little overwhelmed at June piling her plate with food.
“You’re welcome,” June said. She smacked Benny on the arm, causing him to howl. “You hear that? She said thank you. Wouldn’t hurt you two to do the same every once in a while.”
“Thank you, Miss June,” Benny muttered, rubbing his arm.
“Yeah, thanks,” Greer added with a full mouth.
“That’s more like it,” June said. She took a bite of her own eggs, chewed and swallowed. “Ungrateful lot. You’d think you was raised in a barn.”
Vaughn chuckled.
“And you,” June said, pointing her fork at her. “You ought to do better, too.”
“Me?”
“It wouldn’t kill you to bring the eggs in for me in the morning. That damn rooster you brought home has it out for me.”
Vaughn laughed, hand to her chest. “He does, doesn’t he?”
“Blasted thing. I ought to get the broom after him. Show him who’s boss.”
“I’d pay to see that,” Greer said.
“Me, too,” Benny said.
“Just never you mind,” June said. “It’s bad enough I have to deal with that rooster. I don’t want to have to contend with you two as well.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Benny said.
That seemed to be the end of the matter because they ate in silence for a while after that, with the boys chewing like it was their last meal and slurping on their orange juice and milk like they were dying of thirst. Natalie had never seen people eat so ravenously before. One would think they were going to a fire.
The boys finished, taking one last biscuit from the bowl as they rose from the table and secured their hats on their heads. They thanked June for breakfast again and hurried out the kitchen door, letting it slam shut behind them. The curtains swayed on the little rectangle of a window as Natalie stared after them, mouth agape.
“They got work to do,” Vaughn said, grabbing her attention. “Work doesn’t wait.”
Natalie looked to her plate and forked more egg. She wasn’t sure if she should keep eating or join the boys to help with the waiting work. June seemed to sense her conundrum.
“Eat, child,” she said. She chewed her ham. “It can wait for you.”
Vaughn sipped her juice. “We’re understaffed. That’s why they’re in such a hurry to return to work. They’ve got a lot to do.”
Natalie took a bite. She toyed with her remaining eggs. Vaughn was watching her.
“You not hungry?”
“I’m not used to eating so much so early.”
“Just you wait,” Vaughn said.
“You’ll be starved by lunch,” June said. “And even hungrier come supper.”
“Maybe,” Natalie said. “But I just can’t eat any more right now. It was very good though. Thank you.” She’d eaten some eggs, her bacon, and her biscuit. But she couldn’t finish the ham or the rest of her eggs.
“You’re mighty welcome,” June said. She chewed on in silence. Then, to Vaughn, “What are you going to do about replacing those hands?”
Vaughn cut into her ham, scraping her plate. “Not much I can do today. Got too much to cover.”
“We need workers.”
“We do. But what do you suggest I do? Go down to that strip club and haul their asses out by their ears?”
“Wouldn’t hurt.”
“Wouldn’t do no good, either. We need people who want to work. Not just work for a week and then blow all their money partying.”
June swallowed. “You talk to people about it?”
“I did. They said they’d put the word out and keep their eyes and ears open.”
“What about putting an ad in the paper?”
Vaughn looked at her. “Gram, they don’t really do that anymore.”
“Why not?”
“Because not many people read the paper. It’s all online now.”
“Well, I can’t help you there. And you’re not very good at that technological mumbo jumbo either.”
Natalie spoke up. “I can do it for you.”
They stopped eating and stared at her.
Natalie explained. “I know how to do it and I can get your request out and onto several sites.”
“Think we’ll get any hits?” Vaughn asked. “Because I haven’t had much interest from anyone in the past year or so. And those that I do get don’t stick around for long.”
“It’s worth a shot.” Natalie thought for a moment. “Do you have a website?”
“You mean for the ranch?”
She nodded.
“I do.”
“And you manage it and keep it up to date?”
Vaughn reddened. “Haven’t had much time lately and like Gram said, I’m not very knowledgeable when it comes to that stuff. So I’m afraid what’s up right now is not very impressive.”
“How do you get your clients then?”
“Mostly word of mouth,” June said. “Our reputation usually speaks for itself.”
“That’s good,” Natalie said. “But you could probably do a whole lot better if you sell yourself online. Make people want to buy their horses here. Make people want to come work for you.”
Vaughn studied her. “I’m not sure I know what you mean by ‘sell.’”
“I can show you.”
“You know this kind of stuff?” June asked.
“It’s actually how I support myself right now. I write blogs and reviews for numerous companies promoting them and their products. I could do the same for you. Really amp up your website and garner you some more business as well as potential employees.”
“That would be a nice change,” June said, looking to Vaughn. “Wouldn’t it, Vaughn?”
“I don’t know,” Vaughn said. “I don’t have the time and—”
“Which is why I’m offering.” But Natalie understood her hesitancy. Vaughn didn’t know her and didn’t yet trust her. She wasn’t willing to let just anyone revamp her website. It was her life. Her livelihood. “I can show you some of my current work and create a sample website for you to take a look at.”
“I don’t see how that would hurt anything,” June said.
Vaughn set her elbows on the table and folded her hands. “I reckon not.”
“Great,” Natalie said. “I can get started now if you like and then join you later for chores?”
“The sooner we get some more help around here the better,” June said.
Vaughn steepled her fingers. “Sure.”
Natalie smiled, thrilled to be given the chance to help. She rose to take her plate and silverware to the sink. She turned back to them as she ran the water. “Would you like me to help you clean up from breakfast first?” June had, after all, cooked for her and fed her. It was the right thing to do.
June stood and began gathering the remaining dishes. “That won’t be necessary. You go on now and get busy on that computer of yours. We need workers more than I need help with the dishes.”
Natalie rinsed her plate and dried her hands. “Okay.”
“You come around noon for lunch,” June said, crossing to the sink with her arms full. Natalie tried to help her but she side-stepped her. “You just worry about getting to work and then showing up for lunch.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
June smiled. “You’re learning fast.”
Natalie looked to Vaughn who gave her a nod, quietly dismissing her, and Natalie headed for the kitchen door. For the first time in years, she felt excited at the idea of helping someone with something she actually knew how to do. And helping Vaughn and June, at the moment, felt like everything to her.