CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER TWO
The Johnson Ranch was five miles out of town
on a sprawling one thousand acres. The flat land rolled on and on
with occasional sagebrush bushes and pinion pine dotting the
landscape. Cattle roamed slowly and quietly while coyotes trilled
in the distance. The hills rose up to meet the sky with one stroke
of God’s paintbrush. One thousand acres was not really enough to do
all the grazing Sandy had wanted to do for the past few years and
he was discussing it with his ranch foreman, Jason Bates.
“Look, Jason, didn’t Weatherby say he would
sell me those five hundred acres? What’s the hold-up?” Sandy’s
voice rose. “This transaction was supposed to have gone through
months ago.”
“His son has put a stop to everything and old
man Weatherby is in no condition to do anything. After that cow
kicked him in the head, he really is in a fog. Finances are beyond
him, so Kyle took over.”
Sandy wanted those five hundred acres. The
Johnson Ranch was well known and had been in existence since the
1800s. His ancestors had come out West on a wagon train, stopped
right here and hadn’t moved since. Sandy was a fifth generation
Nevadan. The cattle bred at the Johnson Ranch were unique,
expensive and sold all over the world.
Sandy and Jason sat astride their huge
Palomino horses, as comfortably as sitting in rocking chairs on a
front porch. A ringtone jingled from Sandy’s cell phone. His horse
snorted and flicked his tail at some offending flies. Jason took
out his logbook to make the day’s entries.
“Johnson.” Sandy listened for several
minutes. Jason looked up questioningly.
“That’s real nice of you, Amy, but I don’t
think I can make the dance… No, I can dance, but I’m doing
the cowboy poetry gathering first and then I think I’ll just want
to take Jesse home. He’ll be pooped after the day’s excitement.” He
listened a few more minutes and then rolled his eyes at Jason.
“Yeah, sure. No, I don’t think so. I just
can’t, Amy. Maybe some other time.” Sandy ended the call and shook
his head. “That gal won’t take no for an answer. She calls me every
other day with some invitation or another. A person would think
she’d give up after a while.” Sandy’s brow knit tightly and he
shifted the reins. “Damn…”
Jason got down off his horse to fix the
halter. “At least you’ve got a woman who likes you. I just got
turned down flat.” He straightened out the saddle blanket, put one
foot in the stirrup and got back on his horse.
“Who turned you down? I thought every woman
in town was after you,” teased Sandy. “Aren’t you one of those
charming cowboys that all the women find irresistible?”
“Some teacher at the elementary school. New
gal from California named Lily Cable. Know her?”
Sandy’s pale eyes darkened.
“Sure, she’s Jesse’s teacher. He adores her.
What did she say?” Sandy leaned in for his answer a little more
eagerly than he’d intended.
“I met her at the sweet shop downtown where
she works part-time. I guess she makes pretty good chocolate fudge
or something. Anyway, I bought some fudge, we were talking and then
I asked her out.” Jason paused and took out his cell phone. He
started to dial in a number.
“And?”
“And, nothing,” he grimaced. “She just said
she couldn’t or maybe she wouldn’t and that was that. Pretty much
left me standing there with chocolate on my face. Half the gals in
town were standing around pretending not to notice. Not fun.” Jason
spit on the ground and wiped his hands on his jeans.
“That doesn’t happen much to you, does
it?”
“She’s from California. ‘Nuff said. They’re
just a bunch of fruits and nuts, like everyone says.”
Sandy laughed. “You’re just pissed off she
turned you down. No need to criticize her and the whole state of
California too.”
“Well, okay, sure… but how come a woman that
pretty isn’t hooked up with some guy?” Jason spit again and leaned
forward in his saddle.
“Maybe she just got out of a bad one and
needs some time. How’d she look?”
“God, she’s beautiful! Thick black hair and
those penetrating eyes looking right through you. She was joking
with customers and they seemed to like her. She’s beginning to
settle in, I hear.”
Sandy began to think more than he wanted. So
she turned down his foreman – smart woman! Jason was a catch and
release kind of guy. Miss Cable writes poetry, teaches challenged
kids, seems nice, makes candy and is gorgeous. Maybe thinking about
her wasn’t such a great idea.
He changed the subject, figuring Jason would
like a new one – as did he.
“How’s the pregnant mare doing?
“She’s in the barn waiting to deliver. Should
be any day now. Want me to stay there for a few days?”
“No, I’ll do it. You’ve got your hands full
with all those new hands we hired. Go on now and let me know if you
hear from Weatherby.”
Jason nodded, pulled his cowboy hat low on
his face, turned his horse and galloped off. A wind blew in from
the west and blew Sandy’s hair in his face. Pushing it back, he
knew he had a lot of work to do today and decided it was best to
get to it. Thinking about any woman would get him only confused
anyway.
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