Lisa
The wind was warm on her skin. All around her, stalks of grass fluttered in the breeze, and Lisa watched their bowing forms create waves that moved across the plains. The browning grass was peppered with the occasional wildflower, their pink and purple petals bright in the sunlight. All was calm, moving at nature's slow pace, and although Lisa knew there were probably a million things she and Jennie should be doing, for some reason she couldn't remember a single one.
Lisa wasn't sure exactly where they were, which was how she knew this wasn't real. She always knew where she was on the ranch, could always point back to the cabin as if there was a string connecting her to it.
But even though this was just a dream, it was a nice dream. She and Jennie had been wandering side-by-side for what felt like forever. They walked up one grassy slope and down the next, saying nothing to each other but not needing to. Sometimes Lisa would look over and see how the sky was reflected in Jennie's eyes as she gazed upward. Lisa felt a soft touch on her hand and realized that Jennie had intertwined their fingers together. It was the most natural feeling in the world.
But Lisa felt the sunlight dim. The smell of moist earth and sweet flowers faded. She tried to cling onto the open sky and verdant hills and Jennie's hand but no matter how much she fought, the softness of her sheets, the tangle of her hair atop her pillow, and the sliver of sunlight just peeking through her window broke slowly into her awareness.
With a tinge of disappointment, Lisa knew she was back in her own bed, but she swore she could still feel the sun warm on her cheeks and Jennie's hand in her own. She closed her eyes and tried to remember it all... if only because it had been so tranquil, and Lisa needed more of that before she had to face the challenges of the day.
It had nothing to do with how Jennie had held her hand.
But even as Lisa tried to imagine herself back in the grassland, something was different. She took in a deep breath. Was that...
Bacon?
Lisa opened her eyes, squinting only slightly as the sun crested the horizon outside her window. The scent of cooking bacon was unmistakable now, and Lisa didn't know how she had managed to ignore it for so long. She felt a dim pang of regret as the last remnant of the dream slipped away.
She sat straight up in bed with a jolt, realizing that this was the first time she would see Jennie since she had given her the package of clothing two days ago. She hadn't been avoiding her, of course, but the day had been very busy... Lisa had met with her cattle buyer, who would be purchasing her calves at the end of the season; she had visited Irene's office to discuss her financial plans, which were looking more stable; and she had even found herself dropping by Wendy's home as well to discuss how her business was doing. Once she had returned to the ranch, she immediately went out on horseback to check on the herd and stayed there for hours. In any case, she hadn't had time to see Jennie.
But she had not been avoiding her.
Regardless, Lisa's priority now was finding out who was cooking bacon in her kitchen. Irene was a vegetarian and refused to even look at meat (ironic, considering that most of her accounting clients were in the beef industry). Wendy's sense of protocol was too strict to allow her to ever drop by unannounced. And Jennie, based on the last two months of evidence, was barely able to cook macaroni and cheese out of a box.
So when Lisa stepped out of her room in her navy blue pajama pants and old T-shirt, she wasn't prepared for the sight of Jennie standing in front of the stove, spatula in hand, flipping bacon in one pan and eggs in another.
Luckily, Jennie didn't turn, which left Lisa the chance to rush into the bathroom and shut the door silently behind her. She brushed her bangs, bound her unruly hair up into a braid and stared at herself in the mirror until she thought she looked less tired. Until today, she had always been awake before Jennie. Lisa prided herself on being an early riser: it mean that she normally accomplished more by noon than most people did in their entire day. Having someone else in the cabin awake before her threw her off-balance. She liked appearing collected and in control at all times, but that was hard to do if her sleep-disheveled hair was sticking out in every direction.
When she was satisfactorily cleaned up, Lisa left the bathroom and sat down at the table, more heavily than she meant to, but she was tired and hungry.
"We have a lot of work to do today," she said evenly to Jennie as way of greeting, choosing to ignore the fact that this was the first time Jennie had made something besides a bowl of cereal for breakfast.
Jennie looked over her shoulder at Lisa as she flipped slices of bacon. Lisa felt a drop in her stomach that she attributed to how hungry she was.
"And how is that different from any other day?" Jennie asked with much more humor than usual this early in the morning. Lisa wondered how long she had been awake.
Instead of her usual pajamas consisting of sweatpants and her college sweatshirt, Jennie wore the new pair of jeans and wool sweater that Lisa had bought her. They both fit her perfectly, but of course they did—Lisa had an eye for detail. Still, she was pleased to know that Jennie would finally have appropriate, well-fitting clothes to work in instead of her skinny jeans and paper-thin jacket.
"How do you like your bacon?" Jennie asked after Lisa hadn't responded.
Lisa stared hard at her back, the offer taking her by surprise. "Is some of that for me?"
Jennie turned around only long enough for Lisa to see her roll her eyes. "What, do you think I would cook half a package of bacon just for myself? Now answer the question."
Between the dream and this situation, today was already more full of surprises than Lisa would normally like. But somehow, she didn't mind these surprises. "Crispy, almost burnt," she admitted at last, not knowing why it felt like she was revealing a bigger part of herself than just a breakfast order.
Jennie worked in silence from then on, the smell of bacon, eggs, and coffee almost more than Lisa could handle. When Jennie placed a fresh cup of coffee and a plate piled high with food in front of her, Lisa had to consciously slow her actions, carefully pick up her fork, and slice one of the eggs in half. Yolk oozed across the plate, just how Lisa liked it. But Jennie hadn't asked her about how she liked her eggs. She must have observed how Lisa had cooked herself breakfast over the past few weeks.
"So..." Jennie drawled, breaking the long silence between them. "I wanted to thank you for the clothes, and boots, and, you know, basically buying me everything I should have bought before I got here. I don't know if one breakfast can do that, but I figured it was a good start. And I'll pay you back for all of it when I have the money, of course."
Lisa was trying to eat slowly, but it was hard to do so when this was probably the best breakfast she had eaten in years. Where had Jennie been hiding these cooking skills since she had arrived? "You don't have to pay me back," she said in between bites. "I had to buy it. It's my obligation as your employer to make sure you have the right protective equipment for the job you're performing."
Even as intent as Lisa was on the rapidly disappearing bacon and eggs on her plate, she still noticed how Jennie's smile dropped. "Well, still. Thanks. I owe you one."
"Summer will be here before long," Lisa said, already finishing off her plate. "You won't need most of the gear until winter returns in a few months."
Jennie stared at her long enough across the table that Lisa was beginning to wonder if she had food all over her face. "I think the phrase you're searching for is 'you're welcome'," Jennie said with a hint of an edge.
Lisa swirled the last of her coffee in her cup and then shook her head. "There's no need to say that if there's nothing to thank. You'll be a better worker if you're protected from the elements."
Jennie snorted a laugh to herself that Lisa thought could have been bitter. "Whatever you say, Lisa." She glanced down at her plate. "Did you like your breakfast, or are you just trying to get away from me as fast as you can?"
Lisa looked up at her again, feeling the conversation slipping back into familiar territory. She didn't know why Jennie felt so obligated to say thank you for something that Lisa really had had no choice about. But maybe it was the fact that Lisa didn't want to seem unappreciative for the breakfast, or that she was more tired than she had thought, but Lisa heard herself say, "It was the best breakfast I've had since my mom was alive."
As soon as she realized what she had said, Lisa froze. She hadn't meant to share that with Jennie, not now. Not ever, really. But it was out, and Jennie was looking at her with bright feline eyes that shone even in the dim light of the kitchen. Lisa knew she should feel self-conscious about what she had just said, but for some reason, she didn't.
"I'm glad you liked it," Jennie said simply, returning to work on her remaining toast.
Lisa got on her feet. She knew something had passed between them, but she couldn't quite grasp what it was. "I'll do the dishes. You should prepare the horses. We need to check the fences before we move the cattle to a new pasture."
Jennie couldn't hold her gaze. "It's... been a while since I was last on a horse. I could use a refresher."
Lisa felt the old, familiar frustration toward Irene, that she had hired someone so inexperienced in almost all aspects of how to live and work on a ranch. But Lisa stifled those feelings—they didn't help anyone, and besides, Jennie had shown herself to be more than capable with what Lisa had thrown at her so far. If she showed half the tenacity toward this as she had during calving season, then Lisa had nothing to worry about.
"I'll be out there as soon as I'm done," Lisa said, rolling up her sleeves and preparing the sink water.
Jennie grabbed her jacket and headed out, leaving Lisa in the empty cabin that was still full of her muddled thoughts. Because, even as most of her dream had already faded, the feeling of Jennie's hand in her own was as vivid as ever.
•••
Jennie cooked most days after that, breakfast and dinner. Lisa hadn't eaten so well in years, and she noted how her normally wiry muscles were losing some of their tone. But Lisa couldn't care less: she felt healthier and stronger than ever.
During the spring, it had only been Lisa and Jennie in the kitchen on most days, fending for themselves and scraping together sorry excuses for meals that barely filled their bellies. But now, Lisa would pick up on the scent of cooking onions, or garlic, or steak, all the way out at the barn, and know that it was almost time to head back. It was more effective than one of those old dinner bells that her mom had used, back when Lisa and her dad had been out in the fields with the cattle.
Lisa knew it was impossible, but she swore that those scents must have traveled all the way to town, because Irene started showing up for dinner two or three times a week, "to check on her investments," she insisted. Lisa had reason to doubt that, when Irene would head straight to the kitchen every time and ask Jennie what she was cooking that day. Even Wendy, with her farm machinery repair shop and acres of hay fields over 30 miles away, picked up on the scent and dropped by the ranch at least once a week around dinner time. Wendy had even started bringing a board game with her when she dropped by, so dinner and game nights were becoming a regular event. Lisa hadn't known she had missed it, the sound of conversation and laughter in her home.
And she had Jennie to thank for it.
But she had a lot of things to thank Jennie for. The calves, cows, and bulls were healthier than Lisa could ever have hoped. But as the months passed, Jennie confused her more and more. Lisa was convinced that Jennie had absolutely no ranch experience before she had arrived at Manoban Ranch, and yet....
She was good at it.
Jennie had been soft before, in more ways than one. Physically, Lisa had watched her strain while holding one of the young calves still, or while walking up and down the many hills that covered the ranch. But Jennie was getting stronger, more quickly than Lisa had thought possible. At first, Jennie had collapsed into bed each night and struggled to wake up each morning, but she seemed more energetic now with each passing day, even as the workload never seemed to lessen.
But it was the mental strengthening that fascinated Lisa the most. Lisa had seen right through Jennie's confident act at first, which was why Lisa had been so furious at Irene for hiring her. But with each passing day, Jennie's confidence—real confidence, built from performing the same tasks day in and day out—began to build. She saw Jennie beginning to do things without really even needing to think about them: tying a rope here, repairing fence there, noticing a calf limping from all the way across the pasture. Lisa hadn't thought that Jennie's soft hands would have been suited to this life, but she had been wrong.
But one thing did not come naturally, which brought both of them no end of frustration: riding horses.
As Lisa had suspected, Jennie needed more than just a refresher. At the end of their first riding day, when Jennie had walked bowlegged across the yard and cursed nonstop under her breath, she had finally admitted that the last time she had ridden a horse was in elementary school. But still, Lisa took things slowly, trusting that Jennie would not give up until she had mastered it. Or at least, that's what Jennie had done with every other task on the ranch.
On this one... Lisa was really trying not to doubt her. She had doubted Jennie before, and that had proven foolish. But it was hard not to when Jennie almost fell off the back of the horse when he unexpectedly started to lope, or when Jennie's feet were so far forward in the stirrups that she looked like she was sitting in a recliner, or when her horse simply refused to move at all.
But despite these setbacks, Lisa couldn't deny that Jennie was getting better. She practiced riding every opportunity she got, often saddling up after dinner and riding around the yard until it was so dark that Lisa could barely see her from the cabin window. Over time, Jennie's posture improved, her muscles strengthened, her confidence in commands and leading the horse grew, even if sometimes a look of panic so intense crossed Jennie's face that Lisa had to turn away to hide her amusement. Jennie needed a patient teacher right now, not someone who laughed at her mistakes.
Not that that stopped Lisa from re-enacting Jennie's saddle-sore walk to Irene next time she showed up to the ranch for dinner. Unfortunately, Jennie turned from chopping vegetables at just the wrong time to see the display. The way she gestured the knife toward them was meant to be menacing, but it only had Lisa and Irene laughing even harder.
So when Jennie wanted to go out with her to repair fencing and corral cattle—on horseback—Lisa was hesitant. But Jennie jutted out her jaw, crossed her arms, and raised her eyebrow so convincingly that Lisa couldn't say no. If Jennie wouldn't be able to walk the next day, Lisa felt like she wouldn't even need to waste the breath to say "I told you so".
But Jennie made the hours-long ride through the pastures without a hitch. The grass was already tickling at their feet as they rode, taking full advantage of the warming weather and abundant sunshine of early summer. Thunderstorms had rolled through a couple of days before, providing the rain the grass needed to shoot up and provide excellent feed for the cattle.
After a long ascent, they reached the highest point on the ranch, nestled at the foot of hills that were still capped in snow. Below them, the pastures rolled on and on, a brilliant green of rebirth against the puffy clouds moving lazily across the sky.
Jennie turned her horse in a slow circle, and Lisa felt pride swell inside her, remembering when she had taught her how to do that the previous week. Jennie took in the sight below them, awe sketched across her face.
"Wow..." Jennie said, barely loud enough for Lisa to hear over the constant breeze that blew on the high plains. "It goes on forever, doesn't it?"
Lisa had already memorized the view from this hilltop years ago, but it always brought her satisfaction to know that all of this was hers. "Manoban Ranch continues all the way to that stand of trees to the north, the road to the south, and the cabin to the east."
"It's beautiful. These cows are pretty lucky to have all of this." Jennie glanced over to Lisa then. "And I guess we're pretty lucky, too."
Lisa was surprised at the flutter in her chest that Jennie's comment caused. It was such a simple statement. Of course it was beautiful out here. But the way that Jennie lumped herself and Lisa together, that casual familiarity, that they were in this together... Even though Jennie still frustrated her sometimes, there was no doubt in Lisa's mind that she had never had a ranch hand quite like her before.
But nearby, outside of the ranch, a hunter's rifle sounded and all hell broke loose.
Lisa instinctively clutched her thighs around her horse's flanks, as the horse reared up on her back legs. Fingers gripping the mane and reins tightly, Lisa could only hold on for dear life as the powerful animal beneath her began galloping down the slope. She barely registered Jennie screaming her name, but she was already so far away that the sound was almost lost in the wind roaring in her ears.
Her instincts kicked in. Lisa fell into the rhythm of the gallop, squeezing and relaxing her muscles in time with the horse's movements, trying her best not to be thrown off the horse or fall beneath the galloping hooves. Gradually, she knew that the immediate danger was over, but there was no slowing the horse down, either. After that rifle shot, her horse was spooked and intent to get as far away from that sound as she could. All of Lisa's cues—her steady voice, light pulls on the reins, sitting deep in the saddle—were being ignored in the horse's urgency to escape the threat.
So when Lisa saw a flash of a horse and rider careening toward them from the side, Lisa had more than enough reason to brace for impact. But Jennie, her own horse galloping beneath her, headed them off perfectly, bringing them both to such an abrupt halt that Lisa had to clasp around the horse's neck to prevent flying forward.
The only sound for a long time was their ragged breathing.
Lisa wiped the sweat from her eyes and stared in disbelief at Jennie. It had happened so fast, that she wasn't sure if she hadn't imagined it all. "How did you... How did you do that? I never even taught you how to gallop."
"Fast learner, remember?" Jennie replied with what Lisa swore was a wink, but she was still too in shock to really know for sure.
But Lisa couldn't wrap her mind around it. "I wouldn't even expect an experienced rider to be able to do that, Jennie. I don't know if I could do that."
Jennie circled her horse away from her, but Lisa thought she had seen Jennie's cheeks reddening. "All you have to say is 'thanks,' you know. But you're not very good at that."
"Thank you."
Jennie spun the horse around again, facing her directly. Lisa hadn't imagined her blush, though now her expression was more one of surprise.
"Thank you, Jennie." Lisa repeated, noting Jennie's lips had parted slightly. She was still shocked, Lisa thought, and not just from Lisa expressing her gratitude. Lisa guessed that Jennie was just as surprised that she was able to stop Lisa's horse as she was. "You saved me from a fall, or worse, and risked your own life in the process. Thank you."
"Now that you've started saying it, you just won't stop," Jennie said, but not in a mean way. It almost sounded... fond? Lisa didn't know, but it was a nice change. "Are you okay, though?" Jennie continued, looking her up and down.
Lisa studied her as well, but couldn't find any obvious injuries on Jennie. "I should be asking you that."
"I'll take that as a yes, then." Jennie looked over her shoulder. "What was that gunshot, though?"
Lisa soothed her horse, even as another shot rang out. Luckily, this time her horse didn't spook. "The rancher on the next property over was probably hunting wolves. They're becoming more common around here and sometimes kill calves or weak cattle in the herd."
"You don't carry a gun with you around the ranch, though, do you?" Jennie asked.
"No." Lisa started walking her horse away from the fence line. She didn't want to risk spooking her horse again if she didn't have to. "I try to my best to coexist with the wolves. I haven't needed to shoot any yet, and I hope I won't need to."
Jennie nodded. "I respect that."
They rode in silence for a time, but Jennie turned to her with a furrowed brow. "So we're just going to keep going today and pretend that you didn't almost get thrown off your horse and trampled?"
Lisa just shrugged. "What else is there to do?"
Jennie laughed to herself, and it was just as welcome a sound as the birds returning to the grasslands in spring with their songs and calls. "It's just.... I think I would have shat my pants, if I were you."
"Then for all our sakes, I hope your horse never spooks like mine did," Lisa joked.
She was rewarded with another laugh, and Lisa smiled too. She could really get used to that sound.
•••
They spent most of their time around the pastures on horseback after that. The calves were putting on an astounding amount of weight with the favorable summer weather: a steady stream of thunderstorms were bringing enough moisture to make the grass grow thick and tall. Still, they needed to keep the cattle moving around the ranch, and she and Jennie were getting much more efficient in corralling together.
Lisa told herself to keep her expectations low, to not expect Jennie to master this skill like she had all of the others before, but Jennie once again showed that if she set her mind to something, she would achieve it.
Lisa had never seen anything like it, or anyone like her. Jennie seemed to have some kind of intuitive grasp of how to manage the cattle. Based on the last three months, Lisa could tell that Jennie was made for the ranch, same as her. But when Lisa told her that, Jennie didn't react as favorably as she had hoped.
"What? Like it's hard?" Jennie said with a hint of sarcasm, saddling her horse in the barn alongside Lisa. She looked like she had been doing this all her life, and it drove Lisa mad that Jennie couldn't see how incredible that was.
"Jennie, you saved a backwards calf on your first day here, even though you had never done it before. That's extraordinary." Lisa felt strange, praising anyone so openly like that, but it was the truth, and she needed Jennie to realize it.
But Jennie just waved her hand at her in dismissal. "I'd watched a video about it like, three times. It's not that complicated"
"To you, maybe." Lisa cinched the saddle tight on her horse. "We hired summer help a couple of years ago. He threw up when he saw his first birth, and he couldn't even be in the barn while we were castrating calves."
"Men are weird like that," Jennie admitted, adjusting the saddle one last time and giving the reins a final look-over. Everything was perfect, from what Lisa could see. "And listen, while I appreciate that you think I'm awesome and that you won't be firing me anytime soon, you really don't have to tell me how great I am all the time."
Jennie stepped onto the stirrup and propelled herself onto the saddle, effortlessly. Lisa thought back to her first day on a horse and almost laughed aloud at the difference. Even if Jennie refused to acknowledge how far she had come in just a few short months, Lisa knew that she was special.
Lisa mounted onto her own horse, and they walked them out of the barn and into the soft morning light. The sun had just risen over the horizon less than an hour before, but it was already starting to warm up. With summer in full swing, they only needed jackets for morning and evening now.
"I'm only telling you this to let you know that if you want it, you have a future in the ranch industry," Lisa insisted. She could never tell if Jennie was taking her seriously or not, and this was one time where she needed Jennie to know how important this was.
Jennie looked over to her, frowning. "Are you telling me you want me to stay on your ranch?"
Lisa looked at her in surprise. "What? No."
Lisa really hadn't meant that at all, and it was far too soon to make such an invitation anyway. Jennie had done extremely well over this season so far, but she reminded herself that it had only been a few months. Jennie still had another eight months on her contract, and a lot could happen. But the hurt look on Jennie's face told her that she should rephrase.
"Whether this ranch, or a different one," Lisa began, "I think that you could be a successful ranch hand, or even a ranch owner, if that's what you wanted. Based on what I've seen, you have a gift for it."
"Yes... maybe I'll open a rival ranch and compete with you," Jennie said airily, and Lisa knew that their serious discussion was over, as far as Jennie was concerned. "I'll buy up all the surrounding ranches and raise cattle that are healthier, happier, and most importantly, cuter than your cattle. It's the cuteness that makes them taste good, you know."
Before Lisa could even think about responding, Jennie clicked to her horse and started loping, edging down the grassy hill and into the sunrise. Lisa smiled to herself, wanting to do nothing else on a Tuesday morning than to ride across the plains with someone who was her match.