Running with the Herd (Springfield #1)

Chapter 1

One

Mabel

Lifting the covers over my face, I feel the sunlight already blaring through the windows and straight onto my skin.

Letting out a groan, I pull my arms down in a huff. Shit, I don’t want to get up yet.

Leaning over to the bedside table, I see the time staring at me. Realising the ungodly hour I’ve found myself awake at, I let out another agitated groan as I rub my temples. It’s Thursday morning and I don’t need to be awake for at least another hour and a half.

Why am I even awake?

As I lift my hands to my face, rubbing my eyes, I suddenly feel it. The thump of last night’s wine consumption out on the porch.

“Shit-” I muster out as I sit up, pulling the covers off me that I’m completely surrounded in, almost choking me. I’m certainly awake now, with the wonderful June sun beaming through an opening in my curtains.

I’m ninety-nine percent sure I closed those fully to prevent this exact scenario from happening.

Then again, last night’s a tad bit hazy.

I grab my cardigan from the rack in the corner and start walking out my room. Turning left, I decide to take a peek in my daughter’s bedroom; she always leaves the door slightly ajar.

The dim light from the hall lets me see her. Ash blonde hair falls over her face, arms tucked up so tight her hands are holding her head up. A light snore exits her mouth. I find myself smiling to absolutely no one; that girl is dead to the world, dreaming away sweetly.

I head down the hall into the kitchen, almost on a tiptoe so I don’t wake her. I doubt me walking normally would, but to put the mom guilt at bay, I do it anyway.

It is the summer break; she can sleep as long as she likes, and I hope she does.

As I reach the kitchen I head straight for the coffee pot. Clearly, I wasn’t clever enough to prep this last night. Taking the pot from its station, I run the water and grab the coffee from the side. Placing it back into the maker and wait patiently for it to brew.

I need coffee today.

That second bottle was not a good idea.

I feel my head pound at the thought.

Leaning my back against the kitchen counter, I reach for my phone, finding a text from Colter, which is certainly not unusual for this time of the morning. He’s always up and out by sunrise.

Colter: Had to start moving the herd, won’t be in the office today.

Thank God for that.

The man I call my brother tries so hard to help but that same man is better at being a cowboy.

Him and papers do not mix, that I’ve learnt through many years of experience, and a lot of ordering fuck ups. Although, I’m convinced he does it purposely to annoy me.

Me; Sure thing, Honeybee ;)

Today might not be so bad after all.

A day free from Colter’s constant beady eyes, asking me all the questions he can think of, putting his two pence in at the job I do so well.

I smirk down at my phone in my hand, awaiting his quick response that usually follows when I call him his unofficial nickname.

I love my big brother, I do. However, he’s better at the doing, and I am better at the planning and sitting my ass at my desk on my laptop, tapping away, being half the brain behind the large operation called my family’s ranch.

Although, I love nothing more than saddling up and getting out there herding the cattle with them.

I couldn’t do it every day; I like my sleep too much and the four a.m. wake up calls do nothing for the bags under my eyes, not to mention the blisters in between my thighs from a saddle rubbing for hours a day.

The coffee pot steams, turning my attention away from my phone screen, and I take a mug from the cupboard. As I pour my cup of salvation, my phone dings from the spot I left it.

Colter; Stop calling me, Honeybee!!

I snicker again.

Me; Never ;) x

Sipping my coffee, I decide to take my mug and head over to my parent’s house. My mama will be awake now. Old habits die hard and all that.

Removing a stray piece of paper and a pen out of my messy drawer, I scribble a note to Ellie.

Ellie-belly

Heading over to Mamaw’s and Gramps.

Come for breakfast when you’re up xx

Walking out my front door, I start the one minute and thirty-seven second walk over to the main house where my parents live.

Colter and I have our own houses on the land. I decided to build exactly one minute and thirty-seven seconds away from the main house as it was convenient with a baby, and then a toddler, and then a small child.

Although, it was once helpful, now that she’s nine, I’m starting to regret that decision.

Colter’s smart, he built on the other side of the property, closer to the stables and the bunkhouse.

Maybe they’ll let me rebuild out to the East.

My favourite part of the land. Hidden with the memories I try to keep locked up tight.

Opening the never-locked front door I take a step inside and instantly smell breakfast cooking already.

“Hey, Mama,” I say in her direction as I walk into the kitchen.

“Hey, baby girl-” she smiles up at me. “What are you doing up so early?” My mom asks, wiping her hands down her apron.

“Couldn’t sleep, dang sun was shining through the curtains,” I reply.

“Well, that’s summer in Tennessee for ya.” She winks at me.

Taking my usual seat on the island, I continue nursing my first coffee of the day in my hands.

“Need any help?” I ask, knowing full well the answer.

“No, thank you, Angel.” She smiles at me. Typical Mama.

She turns back to the stove, flipping the eggs she was cooking before I arrived.

“Any plans today?” I ask, sneaking a piece of bacon off the lazy Suzen set up in front of me.

“Well, I think Daddy’s going fishing, and guess I’ll be here. Where’s Ellie-Bellie anyway?”

I laugh at her. If I know my Mama as well as I know I do, she will not be going fishing with my Daddy. She will be planning a day with my daughter. Like she does every day; especially when school is out.

I smile back at her. “Our pre-teen’s still snoring away. Long gone are the days where she would wake me up at this time with her cowboy hat and boots in the nude demanding we go ‘horsey riding’.”

Since Ellie could walk, she loved the horses, and the cows, and about anything that was an animal. Living on a ranch and with us as her teachers, that girl mastered the way around a horse by the time she was five.

“Well, she can hang around with me. I have some errands to run anyway today,” Mama says, her face lighting up at the thought.

That girl really is her world.

It’s true what they say, when parents become Grandparents, you no longer come in the running.

“Thanks, Mama. I got a lot of papers to go through today. Need to speak to Mrs Hamilton about the town fair also,” I say, stealing another piece of bacon.

“Anything I can do to help?” Mama asks.

“No all good, just confirming the time and where the ponies will be,” I reply, flicking my eyes to her direction.

The town fair’s held every year on the weekend after the Fourth of July.

Don’t be fooled, we celebrate on that day sure, but this is like the town’s community celebration.

The Fourth is for family around Springfield.

If it falls on a weekend, the fair will be on the day after or the weekend after if it’s a Sunday. Can’t get out of going to church ‘round here for nothing. Even the Fourth.

Unless it’s to do with horses or the livestock, then it’s free reign as this is God’s country.

Our ranch is always nominated to host every year. Our closest friends and neighbours invade the property. I say invade; it’s always a welcome gift. One we deeply look forward to every year. We have the best time.

Daddy and the boys grill, Mama and her friend’s gossip.

My girls, Iris and Hope, and me drink plenty of wine and whiskey.

Jake always brings his guitar and almost always forces me to sing with him.

Luke, Hope’s husband and my lifelong friend, always tapping along to something as we don’t have a drum set at the ranch.

Ellie’s always flittering in-between; being the apple of everyone’s eye.

She doesn’t realise sometimes how lucky she is being the only child in the group.

Spoilt, that’s certainly true.

“Thanks for breakfast Mama, I’m going to head into the office early,” I say, taking hold of my mug to take back home.

“Send Ellie-Belly over to me if she awakes before you leave,” she replies, taking off her apron.

“Mama, that girl ain’t moving for shit.” I laugh.

“Language!” She grins.

“Sorry.” I shrug with a smile, turning on my heels.

Honestly woman, I’m thirty-one.

“This is why we have a curse jar!” she shouts back to me as I leave through the front door.

Heading out the front door and turning right, I take a quick look out to the horizon. The glow of orange shows me that the sun’s rising and it’s gonna be another beautiful day here in Tennessee.

There’s nothing better than here. Well, there isn’t in my eyes as I inhale the fresh countryside air. This should sort me out no problem.

Walking back through my front doors, I listen out for Ellie.

Silence.

She’s still sound asleep, obviously not bothered by the blaring sun for what is now just after seven-thirty in the morning.

Leaving my mug in the sink, opting to deal with it later, I bound yet again for my room.

Opening the curtains to expose the sunlight fully, I turn around and begin making my bed.

Noticing the date on my alarm clock, June thirtieth, four days to go until our favourite holiday of the year and just a little over a week until the fair.

I wonder what he’ll be doing for it...

No Mabel, stick that thought far away.

I shake my head. I’ve not thought about him for a couple days. This is why it’s best to keep busy because otherwise my mind flickers back to a place it doesn’t belong to anymore.

Finding my outfit of the day, a loose white top with denim shorts and my trusted Ariat’s in case I need to leave the office, I quickly get dressed and pull my hair up into a loose bun, before adding some mascara.

I head back out towards Ellie’s room. Poking my head in, I find her in the same position as when I left and I let out a quite snicker to myself.

Walking towards the note I left earlier, I cross out the original instructions and write a new note.

Heading over to Mamaw’s and Gramps.

Come for breakfast when you’re up <3

Gone to the office,

head over to Mamaw’s and Gramps when you are up.

Love you <3

Satisfied and knowing Mama checks on her regularly until she arrives at the one minute and thirty-seven second walk away, I head out the back door and walk down towards the office.

The sun’s still rising, clear sky’s shine through the fields. Today’s going to be another hot one. Hopefully, Colter and the cowboys packed enough water for the day.

My office is a slightly further walk down the path, but I enjoy the walk every day. Reminds me why I love this little slice of heaven so much. Horses grazing in the fields, the cool breeze brushing against me.

Riggin’s Ranch fell on just over six-thousand acres of pure heaven.

The big house belongs to Mama and Daddy. Daddy remodelled the whole house once he and Mama got married almost forty years ago. From the old pictures I’ve seen over the years, it looked outdated before. Now, it looks like every southern dream with high beams and classic woodwork.

Mama’s redecorated a few times over the years. Now, it has a beautiful modern rustic feel, with greens and creams running throughout the large house.

Our family are on our fourth generation with my Daddy running the ranch.

Fifth with my brother, and I suppose sixth once it reaches my daughter, or a first-born son, but that would be down to my brother. My prospects on having another baby would be zero to none at this rate, and my brother isn’t interested in settling down anytime soon.

Well, not unless it’s with a certain someone. And he’s still unable to pull his head out of his ass with that one.

I’ve always dreamed of staying here, living my life here. I refuse to be anywhere else.

The dream of helping to run the ranch in whatever way I could is what lead me to my business degree. Knowing how to make something tick, knowing how to make something work and profit for the best. I also know when to cut my losses as well, are all things I’m more than versed in.

Professionally and personally.

Walking along the lane, my office comes into view. I say office, it’s more of a large summer house that I’m lucky enough to call my own.

When Colter and I starting helping my dad, the idea was he would go into retirement, so we built the summer house, with my own input, to exactly what I felt was most me but also professional.

I always thought it would be a more professional look than having business meetings inside my parents’ house. The walls are a light pine and look more like a cabin in the woods. I feel at peace looking at anything rustic, calm and composed.

If I kept walking further down from my office I can see the large stables in the distance; one of my favourite places to be. The smell and sounds always bring me some serenity.

Letting in a deep breath, I take the moment in around me. The sun rising, cowboys shouting in the distance, the animals being…

Now this… is home.