"You must be Rylie."
I turned toward the voice, thankful that Christie and I were no longer the only ones in the large, unfamiliar room. It had only been about ten minutes since the maid had went after the boss, but it seemed like a lot longer in the silence. During our wait, I'd examined the massive room. Facing us was a large fireplace, the river rock surrounding it spreading out to cover the entire back wall. The furniture was arranged in front of it, three large couches surrounding a coffee table with two end tables filling the joints between the set. Each side wall had an open doorway, with the left one leading to a dining room, while the right one led to what looked like a trophy room. Along these walls were also two staircases, joined by an open second story that started from halfway across the room, and traveled to the back wall. There was again one door on each side wall, and three more on the back wall. The entire space was homey, yet intimidating for my first exposure. So I was grateful for the company.
My companion beamed at the figure leaning against the doorway to the trophy room. "Yes she is," she squeaked, looking up and down at the newcomer. "And I'm Christie Hawk." She stepped toward him, extending her hand, and he grasped it strongly. When he looked to me, I returned to gesture, making him blink in surprise.
"Well I'm Ronnie Dunn," foreman of the ranch." His dark brown eyes glittered as he stared me down. He was handsome, his big doe eyes looking well with his nut-brown hair. His tight shirt defined his chiseled pecs and abs, the torso narrowing down to small hips. A huge belt buckle defied gravity while holding up his tight jeans, the straight legs reaching down to scuffed up boots. "It's very nice to meet you."
He was leaning in too close, his large hand still clenching mine. A few months ago, I would have been acting like my chauffeur, who was practically drooling as her eyes raked over him. But now, he was simply another predator. I leaned away from him without stepping back. "Pleasure," I muttered, my teeth clenched.
Like a spoiled child, he didn't take my hint, opting to lean closer still while his free hand grazed my upper arm. "Maybe," he purred, "you would like for me to help you get settled in?"
Before I could respond, a booming voice resonated through the room. "I must be meeting Ms. Klintson!" A tall, stout man with a shock of thick hair stepped out of an upstairs room, thumping down the left stairway in front of the maid. While he was wearing a three piece suit, a pair of shined cowboy boots brought together the elements of city and country life. He had a thick, bushy mustache, and his smile was horribly contagious as he shook my hand vigorously. "I'm your employer, Mr. McGrange, but you can call me Boss." He pumped Christie's arm, too, his toothy grin as wide with her as with me. "I see you've met my foreman, Mr. Dunn." He waved toward the creep, who had stepped back just a bit. He winked at me subtly, but I scowled at him before returning my gaze to the host.
"I can't tell you how excited I am to have you here!" He continued. "I must say, my wife and I were more than a little hesitant to hire on a woman as a ranch hand at first. You know how it is, old habits and all that." He chuckled, his great belly quivering like jello. "But the more I've thought about it, I see no reason why a strong, healthy young woman shouldn't do the same job as a man." He smiled widely. "Now, I've got to be honest, I didn't have an empty bunk house for you, so you'll be sharing with one of the workers." He must have noticed me tensing, because his beam turned into a comforting grin. "Don't worry; my wife chose the worker to be paired with you. He's pretty quiet, keeps to himself a lot. He's also very polite, so I think you two will get along just fine."
As he spoke, he'd began bustling us all toward the entryway, as we stepped out on the large front porch, Ronnie snaked his hand over onto my shoulder. Disgusted, I snarled at him before stepping away quickly, determined to keep my distance from him.
Our first meeting happened then as I slammed into him. I'd just turned to look where I was going when my nose made direct contact with his solid chest, followed by the rest of my face. I stumbled back, trying to pick up what was left of my dignity as I held up my hands in apology. "I'm sorry, I-"
As my eyes met his, I stuttered. Gazing back at me were two soft pools of blue, as if someone had captured two disks of sky just for him. His face was tanned, the wrinkles of the sun softened by his young age. Brown hair stuck up at odd ends, and day old stubble lined his jaw and chin. He was tall, not much shorter than six and half feet, with enough muscle to fill him out without looking too beefy. But his eyes had me captured by the emotion inside.
"...I, uh..."
"Got out of the way, O'Brandy!" Ronnie shouldered the newcomer out of the doorway, snatching my wrist to keep me close. While his sneer wasn't noticed by Mr. McGrange, I not only caught it, but the slight frown on the stranger's lips as he glanced at the hold on my wrist.
My new boss patted me on the back as I shook out of Ronnie's grasp. "If you want to grab your bags, you and Dune can head for the bunk house. If you want, you can get a feel for the place. While you will normally eat with the rest of the hands, tonight it would honor the wife and I if you would dine with us."
I nodded, watching the stranger - Dune - lift one bag out of Christie's trunk, while Ronnie lugged out another. The differences in handling my things was stark, and I was surprised that no one else seemed to notice.
"Well," Boss drawled as he gazed around us at the large property, "we don't have much here, but we hope that it's enough to make you happy." His gaze came back to me, and he gave me another kindly smile. "Well, Dune will take you to the cabin, and come back to the Big House at six." With one last nod, he turned on his heel and strode back into the house.
With my few bags unloaded, Christie hugged me tightly. "I'm going to miss you being at the house," she sighed.
I laughed. "I was only there a week."
"I'll still miss you, though," she replied. She glanced behind me with a smile. "I kinda wish I was you. Working out here with all these men has to be exciting." She giggled as I rolled my eyes, then became serious again. "Now, if you need anything that they can't give you here - even if it's just girl talk -, don't hesitate to give me a call." She leaned in closer to me. "And, uh...if anything changes with the-"
"I know." I doubted that anything would change, though. Especially since I was staying with a strange man. But I still smiled, hoping that it was convincing enough. I must have been, because with another hug, she slid back into her Impala and drove away.
As I watched the dust from her tires dissipate, I felt a hand rest on my waist. Smacking it off, I whirled to find Ronie leaning dangerously close. A holier-than-thou smirk was on his lips, as familiar to me as the names of those that wore them. "Let's take your bags to your rooms, then, and get you settled in." He wiggled his eyebrows slightly, hoping that I'd get the implied hint.
I understood, but I let it fly over my head. "Actually, I believe that Mr. McGrange said that Dune would be showing me to our bunkhouse." I kept my face grim as he threw a scowl at the stranger, who was standing off to the side. "So if you'll excuse me, Mr. Dunn, I would like to get settled in, then look around the stables." I turned away from him to grab one of my bags, hiding a smile as he snorted and walked away.
Hesitantly, I looked to the quiet hand, who I could only assume was Dune. His stance was casual, his gaze soft. As I smiled at him, I was almost certain that a corner of his mouth lifted briefly. But before I could be certain, he lifted my other two bags and turned away, moving as if I'd packed feathers. I followed, quickly matching his stride.
As we walked around the Big House and entered the main yard, I realized just how large the grounds were. A large barn dominated the space, forming an "L" as it formed a perimeter around two sides of the yard. The Big House made up a third wall, with the fourth open to the fields beyond. Hands were leading horses from their stalls, washing horses on a concrete pad, riding them out of the yard, and bringing them in covered in lather. Horses, horses, and more horses filled my vision. Whinnies and knickers were accompanied by whistles and shouts as men held in excited stallions and exercised easy going cowponies. Dust clouded the air, yet none of the hands seemed bothered by it. Energy charged the air, and it was exciting to be in the action.
We followed the barn, then cut through a walkway in the corner to come out on the back side. In front of us was a line of bunkhouses, with the one closest to us set a little farther away from the others, looking a little smaller. It was this one that Dune headed to, pulling out a set of keys before choosing one to unlock the door.
Inside was a quaint sitting room, with two couches facing each other near a fireplace- almost a modest replica of the Big House. Along one wall was a counter, with a sink and a few cabinets. There seemed to be a back porch, and there was a door on each side near the back wall. The one on the right, facing the other bunk houses, was closed, but the other one was open, and Dune gestured toward it.
Inside was a bedroom that was beyond adorable. A patchwork quilt was spread over a full size bed that nestled against the inside wall, the shades of blue matching the bright blue curtains on the window. A tall wardrobe faced me, guarding the smaller dresser to its right. A small rug was spread at the bedside, and on the wall opposite the window hung the Remington painting of The Cowboy.
I stepped into the room, rotating slowly to take it all in.When my eyes met Dune's, I could only whisper. "Is this mine?" His nod made my heart swell, and he grinned back. My breath stopped. His smile was bright and charming, and it revealed dimples that I hadn't glimpsed until now. He sat down my bag at the threshold, making me cock my head. "You can bring it in if you want."
His eyes flashed, like I'd said something that startled him. He slowly shook his head, his gaze avoiding me as he flickered around the room. I remembered how Ronnie had sneered, and how Dune had scowled at his grip on my wrist. Was he afraid that I would say that he ravished me?
I stepped back, as if distance would make the silence less awkward. "It's okay," I said, my voice barely audible. I wouldn't have known if Dune had heard except for his quick nod, before he spun on his heel and strode out. He hadn't spoken a word to me since I'd arrived, and although Boss had said he was quiet, the idea that he may be mute was kind of depressing. He was very modest and polite, and I'd hoped to talk with him often. I shrugged, lugging my bags to the bed so I could start unpacking. It was better that I was with a mute than the foreman.
^^^
I'm back! Hope you guys had a wonderful summer, and are keeping up with school so far!
So this is a story that I have been working on for years - I'm not exaggerating here, people. But I finally decided to put it out there, and see what you guys think.
Also! If you haven't read my other story, The Time Giver, consider checking that one, too. That one's kinda my baby, although I started posting that one as soon as I thought of it.
Anyway, read, vote, and let me know what you think! Until next week!