Chapter 3
Chapter Three
“I’ll wait for you down here.” Warner handed me the bags when we got to the elevator.
“This one is yours.” I tried to hand him the extra one back.
“Nope, that’s a gift from me to you. Remember, take the elevator up to the third floor. I’ll be right here waiting when you come back.”
I stood there, wondering, and just as I talked myself out of asking, Warner beat me to it.
“Would you like a hug?”
I nodded my head. “Yes, if that’s okay?” He opened his arms and I dove right in. Attention starved, my parents had called it.
“Thank you for asking first, but just so you know, it’s always okay to hug me.”
I didn’t want to let go. It felt so good to have someone hold me, even if only for a few seconds.
But the elevator dinged so I had to go. “I’ll be right back.
” I hopped in, excited to see what Warner had gotten me.
It took a couple of tries to get my thumb in the right place on the scanner, mostly because I kept wiggling.
Once I finally got in, I dumped the bag on the bed and there it was, staring right at me.
The stuffy that I had told him was my favorite and a bag of candy.
I couldn’t believe he did something so nice for me.
I hugged my stuffy tightly and kissed the tiny butterfly then laid him back on the pillow.
“I’ll be back later and we’ll play, I promise.
” New life, new stuff just for me. Hopefully soon I’ll have my first friend.
Well, I guess I kinda did if what Sadie said was true, but maybe she was just being nice.
“Did you remember your phone?” Warner asked as I stepped off the elevator.
“Yes, Sir.” I held it up for him to see. “Thank you so much for the stuffy.”
“Thank you for sharing that brilliant smile with me. You should wear it more often.”
I had a feeling I’d be smiling a lot more. “It’s so pretty here.” We were back outside, walking through the grass.
“If you could do anything right now, what would it be?”
His question surprised me, but I knew the answer right away. “Take off my shoes and socks and run through the grass. It looks so soft and fluffy.”
“Take a seat on that bench.”
I ran over to the one he pointed out.
He sat beside me and took them off. “Well, have at it.”
“Won’t we get in trouble?”
“Nope, not at all.”
I zoom-zoom-zoomed around the bench. The grass felt just like I thought it would, all soft and squishy between my toes. I’d never felt as free as I did right now.
“How does it feel?” Warner shouted out.
“Even better than I imagined!”
He smiled at me. “Glad to hear it. You ready to meet the horses?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Let’s get your shoes back on then.” Warner helped me out, tying my tennies tight when we were done. “There you go.”
“Thank you.”
As we neared the stables, I spotted a big outdoor playground. “Are those goats?”
“Yup, and over there is Reese’s Perfectly Imperfect Animal Rescue and Petting Zoo.”
“Are we allowed to visit them or is it just for guests?”
“It’s for everyone. Let me show you around the stables first, then we’ll pop in there. I may have a map of the grounds in my office you can keep. There’s a lot more to this place than meets the eye, Sage.”
“I don’t think I’ll ever get bored here.” This was one of those times when Papa would ask Mama for some rope for me, yet Warner just kept smiling.
Huh.
At the stables, Warner introduced me to Master Travis, explaining that he was the stablemaster.
I thought he had to have the best job ever, but the moment a pretty red-headed girl appeared and was introduced as Wren, I added that Master Travis also had a pretty interesting wife as well.
Wren joined me and Warner as we walked through the stables.
Warner said the horses’ names and told me about them. He plucked an apple from a bin against the wall and pulled out a pocketknife.
“This is Snickers, she belongs to Miss Sadie. Don’t ya, sweet girl?” Warner scratched between her ears and cut an apple slice for her. She showed her big teeth as she took it from him.
“Can I feed one of them?” I was nervous and excited all at once.
“Absolutely. Let’s visit with Starling.” As we got to her stall, he cut a slice and handed it to me. “Hold your hand flat and let her take it from your palm.”
“Will-will she bite me?”
“Not likely,” Wren said quickly. “She’s as sweet as they come but they could mistake your fingers for nibbles so keep your hand flat.”
I did as she said, stretching my arm out as far as it would go. The horse snorted and it tickled my palm.
“Can I pet her?”
“She’d like that. Do it just like I did with Snickers,” Warner said.
I copied his exact move, lightly scratching a trail along her head and nose.
“There you go. When we muck their stalls”—Warner read the confusion on my face—“muck means to clean them out, it’s while they’re in the pasture grazing or getting exercise in the arena. All the horses here are gentle. The ones that were spitfires were moved to another ranch down the road.”
“Good to know. I love animals but wasn’t ever allowed to have any.
” Rawhide was like the best of all the worlds I dreamed of rolled into one.
Well, minus the going to school part. I’d done well enough in my classes but mostly because I hadn’t had any friends to distract me from the schoolwork.
College wasn’t where I wanted to be, but I’d try for Master Derek for all he’d done for me.
Wren left us to tend to her own duties, promising she’d be glad to help explain anything I needed.
I thanked her and then Warner showed me where the tools were and promised to walk me through mucking, as he called it, properly in the morning.
Our last stop was inside a small office next to the stalls.
“Ah, here it is,” he handed me a brochure with a map of the Ranch on it. “There might be one buried in all the paperwork you did with Sadie this morning but keep this one in your pocket in case you get lost.”
“Good idea.” This place was huge and I could easily see myself chasing a squirrel and forgetting where I was.
He reached into a mini fridge and pulled out a couple water bottles. “Here. Let’s go meet Arlo.”
“Is Arlo one of the goats?” I was so excited to play with them if they’d let me. Do you even play with goats? I looked forward to learning all about the animals.
Warner laughed. “Nope. Master Arlo helps run Reese’s petting zoo. Come on, I’ll introduce you.”
“I’m the boss!” a loud squawk said when we walked up. “We’re closed.”
I tugged on Warner’s shirt. “I think we have to come back another time.”
“Don’t mind him, he’s old and grouchy,” an older man told us. “I’m Master Arlo and that grouch is Bossy P.” He pointed to a gray bird. “He’s a rescue with limited vocabulary.”
“All the animals here are rescues, just as most of the horses are too,” Warner said. “Bossy doesn’t bite, go on past him.”
I stared at the bird as I passed by him. His beady eyes glared back at me. I was afraid he’d bite me even though Warner claimed he didn’t.
Master Arlo followed us through. “Master Arlo, this is Sage. He’s a new ranch hand and he’ll be working with me in the mornings.”
“Welcome, Sage. We’ve got a bit of everything here. Goats, pigs, ducks geese. A couple large tortoises.”
“I love turtles.”
“Well, we’ve got tortoises which are quite a bit bigger than your common turtle and tend to live longer. Are turtles your favorite pet?”
I shrugged. “Never had any but I love turtles and butterflies and dogs and cats. I love all animals, I think.”
Master Arlo smiled. “That’s good to hear. We have lots of bunnies too. Would you like to hold one?”
I couldn’t keep my excitement contained if I tried. Warner placed a small black and white one in my arms. “It’s so soft. Hello, bunny.”
“That’s Thumper. He’s a sweetie pie.”
Thumper’s tiny nose wiggled and I copied him. “Nice to meet you, Thumper.” I ran my fingers through his super soft fur. “This is so cool.”
“Feel free to come on by whenever you’re not working and play with them. They love the attention.”
“I’m the boss!” Bossy P squawked again.
“Ya, ya, ya.” Master Arlo rolled his eyes. “You’re the boss, we got it. Ignore him.”
“How much does it cost, or do I use my card thingy to get in when I come here?” I wanted to make sure I had enough money to visit.
“It’s free. No need to swipe your card,” Master Arlo said. “But if you come at feeding time, be prepared to help.”
“I’d love to, just tell me when.”
I carried Thumper all the way through the tour past the chickens, pigs, and cows, then came the goats. “Are they wearing pajamas?”
“That they are. They tend to get cold when the sun sets.”
“That is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.” One of them rolled over, legs in the air when a bird flew by. “Oh. My. God. Is he okay?”
Arlo chuckled. “Yes. That numbskull is terrified of birds and passes out every time he sees one. That’s our drama king, Clancy.”
I wasn’t sure if I should laugh or be concerned. I knew what it felt like to be scared and it wasn’t fun.
“Over there is our resident peacock, Percy.” Hearing his name, he fluffed up. His feathers were so beautiful. “He’s a pretty boy for sure.”
We watched the goats play until my stomach grumbled.
“That’s my cue to get Sage fed,” Warner said. “Thanks for the tour, Master Arlo. I’m sure he’ll become a regular here.”
Master Arlo took Thumper and placed him back in the pen with the others. “I look forward to seeing you around, Sage. You two have a wonderful dinner. I’ve got a menagerie to feed now.”
As the sun set, the outside lights around the Ranch came on while we walked back to the main building. “It’s so peaceful here.”
“Indeed, it is. How does pizza sound?”
“I love pizza. Especially pepperoni.”
“Pepperoni it is then. We’ll go through your phone together while we wait for them to make it.” We took a seat inside and Warner placed our order. A couple seconds later they brought him an iced tea and me something called a Shirley Temple with a cherry on top.
I took a sip of the pretty pink drink and almost sneezed when the bubbles tickled my nose. “This is nummy, thank you.”
“You’re very welcome. Let me show you how to use your phone.” We went through texting and how to get on the internet first. “Let’s add a contact. What’s your parents’ numbers?”
“I dunno.”
Warner stared at me. “How are you supposed to get ahold of them?”
I shrugged. “Guess I’m not supposed to. They dropped me off with barely a goodbye, so I think that was it.”
He rubbed his face. “I don’t know what to say. Do you at least have their new address?”
“No, Sir.”
For me, they, meaning my parents, didn’t need to spell it out.
They’d done their duty raising me to adulthood, and that’s where it ended for them.
I often wondered if they knew I heard them when they talked about me.
They weren’t quiet about it, but some of the conversations took place when they thought I wasn’t in earshot.
But I always heard them.
They weren’t coming back for me, and my only hope was here, at Rawhide Ranch. If I was lucky, the nice people here would become my new family and one that would want to keep me. Forever.
Otherwise, I have no clue what I’ll do.
“My turn to apologize.”
I glanced up when Warner said that.
“I didn’t mean to bring the mood down.”
“It’s okay. It’s a reality I avoided but now have to face.”
“Do you have any other family?”
“Not that I’m aware of or that I ever met.” Great questions I had no answers to. Was there a reason my parents kept me a secret or were their families all gone?
“Well, I think you’ll like it here and I hope you’ll stay.”
“Hope I stay? I get to pick?”
“As long as you don’t cause any problems, I think so. I’ve been told it’s rare that Master Derek makes anyone leave unless they’ve done something really bad.”
“I’m a good boy, I promise.”
“I believe you, Sage. I’m sure you have nothing to worry about.”
Thankfully our pizza came and I didn’t have to answer any more questions cause I was awfully tired of not knowing or liking any of my answers. My parents took care of everything and made all my decisions for me, until now. Guess it was time to figure it all out for myself.
Maybe that was my biggest problem, but for now, it was easier to go with the flow than to make waves and wait and see what happened. With a full belly after one long day of walking around, I barely made it through a shower. When I curled up with my new bear, I fell right to sleep.