Chapter One #3
Ryan closed the door behind her, then walked to the sofa. “Please sit, and we’ll go over the menus.”
“Thanks. It’s damn chilly.”
“Oh, that sounds good too. So, tell me about this man you met today.”
“His name is Seth Harrison. He grows livestock feed for Beckett Feed. I had to look it up. He didn’t seem terribly pleased with me being a woman.”
“That could be because of the men on the ranch.”
“Yeah, that’s true. I’ll see how it goes.”
“How long will you be here, Ryan?”
“Probably until the end of the month unless something would set me back, like rain, then I’ll head home. Someone will come back at harvest time to get photos of that. It could be me or another photographer.” She shrugged. “You?”
“I’m staying a month. I just need to... get out of Arizona.”
“What aren’t you telling me?” Ryan tilted her head.
“Um, maybe another time.”
“Okay. I know we just met, but if you need to talk, I’m here. I won’t tell anyone.” Ryan smiled. “Who would I tell anyway?”
“True. I’ll think about it. I’m afraid if I talk about it, I’ll jinx it.”
“Well, I am here whenever you want to talk. What did you do in Arizona?”
“I owned a pottery shop.”
“Owned?”
“Yes. I loved it, but I sold it. I really miss working with the clay. I would also sell other vendor’s pottery.”
“So, what are you going to do when you go home?”
“I’ll go back to Arizona to pack up some things.
I’d love to buy another shop but I’m not sure where yet.
I loved it there. My parents are there, but.
..” Alyssa shook her head. “I just have to be careful with my savings since I don’t have a job.
I’m probably going to have to ask my parents’ for a loan,” Alyssa said as she made a face, making Ryan laugh.
“I can see how much that appeals to you.”
Alyssa laughed. “Don’t get me wrong, I love them, and I know they wouldn’t hesitate, but I hate doing that. For now, I have enough money to get me through a few months.”
“Maybe you should just stay in Clifton.”
“I might. I’m not sure about buying another place. If I have to leave…”
“Is someone after you?”
“My ex.” Alyssa sighed. “I did the unthinkable and divorced him while he was in jail for a DUI. He wasn’t happy, so I have no doubt, he’s looking for me.”
“Was he abusive?”
“Verbally.”
“Any type of abuse is wrong. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s alright. If I can stay one step ahead of him, I’ll be fine. He has no idea about this place. I never mentioned it, so I’m not sure how he’d find me. My parents would never tell him. They hate him. My father wants to punch him.” Alyssa smiled.
“I want to punch him too,” Ryan said. “Well, let’s order and get some food in us. We’ll continue this conversation.”
After deciding what to get, Ryan called the main house, placed the order, then she and Alyssa talked and got to know each other.
After Alyssa left, Ryan sat on the sofa and watched TV. She hoped everything worked out for Alyssa. She seemed like a good person.
Monday morning, Ryan pulled up to the ranch, parked, then stepped from the vehicle.
She wasn’t sure where she was supposed to meet up with Mr. Harrison.
As she closed the door of the vehicle, she looked toward the barn, then headed that way.
She was happy she wore a flannel shirt. It was cold enough that she could see her breath.
Taking a deep breath, she opened the back door, removed her camera, then peered into the dark barn. She saw a silhouette of a man walking toward her, then he stopped in front of her.
“Good morning, could you tell me where I can find Mr. Harrison?”
She noticed the man was very attractive, early-to-mid forties, as he walked toward her and stepped into the sunlight.
“Ms. Carroll?”
“Yes, that’s me,” she said with a smile.
“I’m Cullen Byrne, the manager here. Most people call me Cull.”
She shook his hand. “It’s nice to meet you. Mr. Byrne.”
“Cull is fine.” He smiled.
“Okay.” She smiled back.
“I’m to show you around.”
“You are? I thought Mr. Harrison was going to do that.”
“He asked me to do it. I hope that’s alright.”
“Oh, of course, it is. I was just expecting him.” Damn, she was disappointed, but this man… Cull, was heart stopping handsome and his blue eyes were striking. Add in that black hair and she was getting heart palpitations.
“He told me to apologize for him, and he’d get with you when he got back. It was a last-minute meeting.”
“I see,” she said, though she didn’t.
“Do you know how to ride, Ms. Carroll?”
“I don’t—”
“Never mind. You can’t ride in sneakers anyway. We can take the UTV.”
“UTV?”
“Ultra-terrain vehicle.”
“Oh, okay,” she said.
“You will have to ride some days.”
“Ride what?”
“A horse, ma’am.”
Ryan shook her head. “What? Oh, no. I am not getting on one of those animals.”
“You don’t have a choice. The men working the fence line and ranch maintenance use the UTVs. You’ll have to ride, or you won’t get your photos.”
“Mr. Byrne, I am not getting on a horse.”
He sighed. “You’ll have to take that up with Seth.”
“I will, but for now, tell me what all goes on around here.”
Cull smiled at her. “Along with growing Beckett Feed, Seth trains cutting horses.”
“Cutting? What is that?”
“Where a horse is trained to keep cattle in line. I’m sure you’ve seen—” Cull stopped when she shook her head. “You work for Western Living magazine. A magazine about living in the west.”
“I take photos for the magazine. I don’t write articles.”
“Yes, ma’am. Seth’s meeting with a client for breakfast, that’s why he can’t be here. Let me get the UTV then we can head to the east pasture. I’ll be right back, Ms. Carroll.”
“Alright, and please, call me Ryan.”
“Yes, ma’am. I’ll do that.” He walked into the barn, and she stepped inside to get out of the cool air. It was only eight in the morning, but it was downright chilly. She turned to look out the doors and saw two other cowboys staring at her. She smiled and put her hand out to one of them.
“Hi, I’m Ryan Carroll.”
They both quickly removed their hats. They were much younger than Cull, probably in their early twenties, but knew their manners.
“It’s nice to meet you, ma’am. I’m Ringo and this here is Micky,” he said as he shook her hand.
“It’s nice to meet you both.” She shook Micky’s hand next. She had to bite back a grin when Micky’s cheeks turned red. “Are you two the only ranch hands?”
“Oh, no ma’am. There are six of us. There are a hundred and fifty acres where feed is grown.
The other twenty-five is for our hay and the other twenty-five surrounds Seth’s home and barns.
Seth is usually training. Three of the men break the horses, then Seth takes over. We all do maintenance on the ranch.”
“So, what is it you two do the most?”
“I work in the fields; planting the seeds, make sure it’s growing, and then cut it down to send to Beckett’s processing plants and cut hay for the ranch.” Ringo smiled at her. “Micky, Red, and Spurs, break horses for Seth.”
“Ringo, Red, and Spurs? Don’t you have a nickname, Micky?”
“Just Micky.” He grinned.
Ryan smiled. “I’d like to take photos of you guys, if you don’t mind.”
“Sure.” Both men stood next to the barn, arms folded across their chests and huge grins on their faces. She could tell they loved their job.
When she saw Cull returning in the UTV, she smiled at Micky and Ringo, climbed into the vehicle, and after putting her seatbelt on, she quickly grabbed a hold of the bar above the door as Cull tore out of the yard, heading toward a gate.