A Port Ranch Christmas (A Christmas Novella)

Chapter 2

ELLA

“Do you think you could slow down a bit?” I happened to glance over at the speedometer and saw it nearing 90 MPH. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up and that could only mean one thing, my dad was going to know somehow.

I still hadn’t figured out how he always did it, but he just always knew. Before I left for my sophomore year of college, the two of us sat down with my mom and I made him remove the tracking program off my phone. He claimed that he was doing it for my safety, but I’m pretty sure it was just to keep tabs on me. One thing Granger Turner was not known for was letting his guard down, especially when it came to me. If I didn’t know any better I’d think he was a former CIA agent of something. He just always knew, it was freaky.

“Sorry, El, the roads are just so flat here, I didn’t realize how fast I was going.”

“It’s okay. I just don’t want my dad making some comment about how quickly we got here from the airport.”

“Would he do that?” My boyfriend Dustin took his eyes off the road for one second to look over at me. He knew right away by the expression on my face that it was a dumb question to ask. “You’re right, he probably knows.”

Dustin reached over a took my hand and kissed the back of it before returning it to my lap. It was a move that always made me swoon. I grew up surrounded by a bunch of hopeless romantics and I always thought it was the cutest gesture that a man could do. The very first time he did it to me was probably the moment that I fell in love.

Dustin and I met the day that I moved into my dorm in St. Louis. His sister was going to be my roommate and along with his parents, he was helping her move in. My parents were there too, obviously and we spent almost the entire move-in weekend together. Even though I thought our parents couldn’t be more different, they all seemed to get along seamlessly. Randi and I clicked right away and I know my parents liked the idea of Dustin attending the same college, they had an extra set of eyes on me when they couldn’t be around.

By the time we hit November of my freshman year, it was clear that there was something brewing between Dustin and me. I was worried at first about my relationship with Randi, but she was totally for us getting together. In fact, our first official date happened when Randi “accidentally” double-booked a night when we were all supposed to be meeting for dinner. She canceled last minute, leaving Dustin and me alone for the night. As they say in the storybooks, the rest was history. 

We dated throughout the rest of the year and even did the long-distance thing over the summer. Dustin and Randi were from Boston, but at the end of that first year, he decided to rent a place near campus in St. Louis. I headed home but made a handful of trips back to see him. Everybody knew we were dating, my dad was grouchy about it, but kind of accepted that I had a boyfriend. Over a year after we first started dating, he’s joining me for Christmas at the ranch. This is a huge step in our relationship because not only is this the first time he’s seeing my dad since we officially became a couple, but he’s also going to be meeting the rest of my family. The ranch is basically a small town at this point and my dad is practically the mayor. What could go wrong?

After a long day of travel, I was thrilled to see the large sign that indicated that I was finally home. Port Ranch, today known as Port-Alexander Ranch is as big as some small towns across the state. My brothers, Jace and Deacon, purchased the ranch next door once the two of them were married and started their families. For some time there, they ran the ranches as two different businesses but it didn’t take long to realize that both ranches were working as one large ranch anyway, so they might as well combine their efforts. 

“This is the place?” Dustin’s mouth gapes open while he drives down the dirt road that leads to the ranch. I’m not even phased by the size anymore, but I guess for a newcomer it is quite the experience.

“You haven’t even seen most of it yet.” I point over to the large reception barn. It still looks brand new after all these years, “That is the wedding reception venue. All of that area used to just be dirt, but they went ahead and paved it to make an official parking lot. Then over on this side,” I point to the passenger’s side, “is what we call the big house.”

“That clearly lives up to its name. Is that where we’re going?”

I shake my head, “Not right now. That is the main house where the offices are. That used to be the only home on this property. My mom and aunts were raised there.”

“Where do they live now?”

“They all have homes surrounding the lake, that is where we’re headed.”

“So nobody lives there?”

“My cousin Lyle and his wife and kids live there still. Both the second and third floors run as single-family homes. Lyle and Harlow live on the second floor. My grandparents used to live in the third floor home, but now it is just used for guest space.”

“Impressive.” I point Dustin down the back road that leads to the lake, but I still point out the other buildings as we pass. “You can see the barns that hold the working horses and then some of the cattle. There are a few other cattle barns throughout the ranch so they don’t have to move them around too much. All those small places are bunkhouses where the hired ranchers live and the cabins used to be used when my Grandma Tracy ran a Bed and Breakfast.”

“Holy shit, what don’t they have here, Ella?”

“I know, right? That first one is a bakery now.”

He turns quickly in my direction, “You’re kidding, right?”

“Nope! Miles’s wife Ember and Deacon’s wife, Stef bake all of the cakes for the weddings. They’ve been featured in so many wedding and culinary magazines.”

“I’m never going to remember all of these things.”

I lean over to kiss him on the cheek and then pat his arm, “You’ll get it, I promise.”

We continue our drive until the lake and all of the lake homes come into view. The lake is man-made, but my Grandpa used to have it stocked with fish so the guys could go fishing in the Spring and Summer months. I wonder if he still does that. Maybe my Uncle Mitch or even my dad has taken over that job. Grandpa Brian has been dealing with a lot of health issues for the last five years or so. That was what prompted them to move out of the big house and move down here. They currently are living with Mitch and Brielle.

“Is this real life, Ella?”

I laugh at the look on Dustin’s face as the lake comes into full view. It certainly is a sight to see. My mom and her sisters all built homes around the lake. I grew up here and even I find myself amazed at the beautiful landscape it creates. “The one on the end over there is where we’re going, the smallest of the four.”

“The smallest?” Dustin smirks.

“Have you forgotten that I’ve seen the house you grew up in?”

“That’s different, El. That’s a brownstone baby, this is an upgrade from that for sure.”

“I’m glad you approve.” I squeeze his hand while Dustin makes the final turns into the driveway. He parks beside my mom’s Tahoe and the front door swings open and she is standing right there. Not even two steps behind her stands my dad.

“Is it too late to change our minds about this visit?” Dustin says with equal parts humor and fear.

I lean over the center console and kiss him on the cheek. “It’s going to be great, Dustin. Come on!”