by Kim Smart
“Well, we shall see. I have to learn my way around and get somewhat of a schedule established. Besides, anything I know you can learn through Martin.” It wasn’t Stella’s nature to be a naysayer, but for her it was premature to make any future promises, even if he premised it on business and not personal matters.
“True, true. As the one closest to the work, however, you may have input in addition to what Martin could share.”
“This is the best Mexican food I have ever eaten. Thank you so much for bringing me here. It’s a nice change from the casseroles and such that I get at the ranch.” Stella caught herself. She didn’t want Brandon to think she was unhappy with Clara and the ranch. She put her fork down, folded her hands in her lap and looked at Brandon. “I mean it’s nice for a change. Clara’s a great cook.”
Brandon looked up from his dinner and chuckled. “Oh, I know what you mean. Don’t forget, I grew up on a big ranch too and I would venture a guess and say that Clara’s cookbook and my mom’s are cut from the same cloth. They know how to stretch a few cans of food and a package of burger, whether it be beef, pork, chicken, or turkey, to feed a small army.”
“I suppose my mom could be their sister. She fed our entire town over the years, and several drifters too, besides our family and our hands. Branding parties were always a big party at our place, fiddles and all, after the branding was over. Mom made a big deal out of the meals, and at the end we had a pig roast or a lamb roast and invited the neighbors and many from town.”
Stella drifted back to those days when they had big parties. In her early years, Yvette relegated Stella to the kitchen to help prepare and serve, but as she approached her teens, she rebelled and refused to come in from her work alongside the men. The soreness and sense of accomplishment she got from sorting, roping, and wrestling was much more satisfying to her ego.
“Sounds like your mom went all out. We were much less of a party bunch, I would say. Not that we didn’t have fun. We did. But it was all Mom could do to feed the essential hands and family, with no extras.”
“Yeah, I think I come from a long line of party planners. My grandparents never had much, but they always found food to share and invited groups of people home.” A winter scene flashed in Stella’s memory while a smile crept over her lips. She looked up to see Brandon grinning.
“It looks like there’s more to that story. Care to share?” Stella had a tough exterior, but there was a familiarity Brandon felt with her energy. She reminded him of stories he heard about his own mother from her younger days. She was a tomboy, who worked alongside his father from the beginning of their lives together.
“I was just thinking of how my parents, my mother really, took over Christmas for the town. About twenty years ago she talked my father into giving hayrides and sleigh rides for several weekends leading up to Christmas. It was her way of seeing all her friends and their out-of-town guests coming to celebrate the holidays. They took up donations for a charity, served hot drinks and cookies. The local newspaper offered their photographer to take photos, so long as they could use some in the paper.”
Brandon’s eyebrows shot up, his eyes wide, and a grin took over his face. “Now that is a party! One I’d like to see someday. That’s an impressive undertaking. Do they still do it?”
“Oh yes, without fail. If ever you’re in Buffalo Ridge, South Dakota between Thanksgiving and Christmas, I highly recommend it as THE place to be.” Stella smiled back at Brandon then took a drink of her Paloma. She found herself at ease with Brandon. More so than she thought she would be.
After dinner, the two drove back to Winding Slough Ranch. They shared stories of their childhoods and laughed at their own, and each other’s stories.
As they drove into the yard, Stella directed Brandon to her bunkhouse. She was the only occupant. Being the only female cowboy, Clara insisted that she have her own quarters.
Brandon parked and walked around to open the door for Stella. “This has been the highlight of my week…no, my year, Stella. I enjoyed myself more tonight than I imagined I could.”
“I have to admit, I wasn’t sure I could relax into a date, it’s been so long. But you made it easy, Brandon. I enjoyed myself and have to say, the food and drinks were superb.”
“Does that mean you might like to try it again sometime?” Brandon was hopeful. He took her by the elbow and guided her up the boardwalk to the bunkhouse.
“I would. I cannot promise when I might be available again, but I will keep you posted.” They arrived at her door. Stella turned to look at Brandon. The moonlight cast a glow on him, illuminating his flawless face, kind eyes and perfect smile.
“I will anxiously await details of your schedule. I have some travel of my own coming up. I would love to see you again before you head up north, but if not, I’m happy to make the trip up to see you there.” Brandon paused and looked deep into Stella’s eyes. He firmly planted his feet. He wanted to stay; yet he didn’t expect Stella to invite him in. This was, after all, their first date and her parents raised her to be a proper woman. Her eyes held his.
“I think I had better call it a night Brandon. I’m sure we could talk all night, but let’s save some for the next time, okay?”
“I like that idea.” Brandon slowly retrieved his keys. As his hand came out of his pocket, he raised it to give Stella a hug. They embraced, the moon shining down on them. Stella wondered if Clara and Martin were watching from their porch where they enjoyed an evening cocktail, sometimes late into the evening as they watched the stars dancing in the night sky. As the thought passed, she eased into the hug, drinking in the warmth and strength of the handsome Brandon Cage.
6
“Hey Mom, what’s wrong?” Yvette awakened Stella with her call.
“Nothing’s wrong. I just wanted to reach you before you headed out for the day. So… how was the date?”
“Seriously Mom? It’s four in the morning and you’re asking me about my date? You’re so funny!”
“Well, it’s not like we’ve had many of these chats and none in recent years.”
“That’s true. It was lovely. Brandon Cage is a very nice man.”
“Tell me. Did you laugh? Did you relax?” Yvette knew her daughter too well. She was a driven young woman and rarely stopped to smell the roses on life’s journey.
“Yes, and yes. We could have spent days swapping stories… about our families. They brought lots of laughs.”
“Um, okay. I’m not sure how to take that but I’m glad there was laughing, even if it was at my expense.”
“Well, it seems his mother could be your twin party planner, Mom.”
“I’d love to meet her. Maybe someday.”
“Whoa! Let’s not rush things. First things first. I need to talk to you about something else.”
“Okay honey. What’s up?” Stella had a slight tone of concern in her voice.
“Well, I’m being promoted, and it’s a neat opportunity but there’s a catch.”
“Oh, what’s the catch?”
“Before I can start the new job, I have a mandatory vacation to Buffalo Ridge. Martin and Clara know it’s been a couple of years since I’ve been home, and they would like me to take a trip before I take on this new position. I will have less flexibility to schedule time off after I move.”
“You’re coming home? When? Oh, wait ’til I tell your dad and brothers!”
“When is up to you. Are you guys going to be home for a while or are you traveling?”
“Let me look at my calendar. We’re not going anywhere in the next two weeks, but let me see. Our next trip is to look at some livestock in Nebraska, but that’s not for over a month from now.”
“When would it be convenient for me to come? The sooner the better for me since I can’t change jobs until after my vacation.”
“Tomorrow isn’t soon enough for me dear, but you do whatever is best for you.”
“How about I shoot for one week from now?”
“Sure, sure
Stella. That sounds great! I’ll let everyone know and we’ll have a dinner party. Your old friend Kelly Brown is still around. She’s married now, to Tom Schuler, and they are expecting a baby. I’ll invite them and our neighbors, the Johnstons and Wilders and…”
“Wait. Mom, can we please just keep it to family and not plan things? This is my vacation and I just love hanging out with you guys at the ranch. Maybe ride the Badlands and check out your new rodeo stock. Please?” Stella pled. She knew she was forcing her mom to break all her instincts, but she needed this downtime before moving.
“Sure, honey. Whatever works for you.”
“Thanks, Mom. That means a lot to me.”
“Okay, now tell me about this new job.”
“Yeah. Martin and Clara have a ranch up north, the Rabbit Creek Ranch. It’s a different kind of ranch. There is no ranch house. I will get my own place to live.”
“Well, I just don’t understand that, at all. How can it be a ranch?”
“Martin runs the cattle on federal land. I will be out on the ranch a lot with them. There are some temporary quarters out on the grazing lands and some outbuildings for supplies, but there won’t be cattle in my backyard like normal ranches.”
“So, you’ll be out with the cattle and then come home at night?”
“No, not really. I will stay out on the trail with the cattle some. I will move them and tend to them in the high desert. It really is a different way of ranching, but there’s a special market for the cattle that graze in these pasturelands, living on whatever the desert throws at them. It’s fascinating, really. It’s amazing to see how they survive in what we would think of as harsh conditions, but they do, and they do it well. There’s impressive stock.”
“I think you will have to tell me more about it when you visit. I’m not really picturing where you are going to be sleeping and eating and what about the wild animals out there? How many men will you have with you?”
“If I had my druthers, I would have an all-female crew but the real answer is that sometimes I will be alone, just me and my satellite phone. Other times I will have hired hands to help me with the drive. Yes, we can talk about it more when I come home and I will have more answers. I’ll be looking for a place up there this week.”
“This sounds very exciting for you. Do you have any pictures of the area you can share with us? I imagine it’s beautiful.”
“It is, and I did snap some on my phone when I was up there to visit recently. I’ll show you when I’m home.”
“Great! Well, it seems like we talked about a lot in just a few minutes. I am so excited to see you, and soon!”
“I better get my reservations made. I’ve got today to do some house hunting and get things rolling. Thanks for calling Mom.”
Stella jumped out of bed. She felt the effects of the heavy meal and drinks from the night before. She rushed to the kitchen of the large bunkhouse to fill her travel mug with Clara’s strong hot coffee. The coffee pot was on an automatic timer that started brewing at half-past four every morning. Clara wouldn’t be in the kitchen until six, thankfully. Stella wasn’t ready for another inquisition. One mother hen this early in the morning was enough.
As she drank her coffee, she did a quick online search for ranchettes near Rabbit Creek Ranch. Jed let her know via text that he and his wife were leaving their home and would put it up for sale. His wife needed to be closer to the doctors in the city. Jed’s house was larger than she wanted. They raised a large family there, and his wife worked in the kitchen at the elementary school so they had two incomes.
Stella wanted something simple and affordable. She had enough money to buy something small, with a large down payment and manageable monthly mortgage payments. She also considered financing through her parents and planned to approach that subject when she was visiting Buffalo Ridge Ranch. They had offered before but she didn’t need it until now. It made her a little queasy to think of being that entangled with them. She cherished the privacy she created by being so far from home.
The online search yielded seven properties with two bedrooms. She crossed three off the list. They had too little property for her horses. She needed Ranger and Molly to be comfortable. A fourth property piqued her interest. It was a converted shipping container with two bedrooms and just over seven hundred square feet. She put it on the list to drive by despite fears the metal would attract heat in the summer.
The three remaining properties were within her budget and had adequate land. They were built in the 1970s and 1980s. The online pictures showed them all to be in good condition. She sent messages to the respective realtors, hoping to see properties the same day. She snapped pictures of the addresses and gathered a notebook and pen. It was only a two-hour drive, but she wanted to become acclimated with the area so she planned to have breakfast at a diner in Watson.
Stella was halfway to Watson when she heard a text message land in her phone. She would check it later. Right now she needed to concentrate on the task at hand. The landscape of the lower desert gave way to some steep inclines where trees were sparse and boulders plentiful. Stella felt closer to the clouds as she drove deeper into the high desert. A new frontier to conquer.
She drove into the small town she targeted for house hunting. It was early on a Sunday morning, and the small town was lazy. There were four cars at the diner, two of which seemed to belong to the lone cook and only waitress who greeted her with a cheery welcome.
“Good mornin’ darlin’! Welcome to Maxine’s. I’m Edna and I’ll be serving you today. Will anyone be joining you this morning?” The waitress looked around Stella through the glass front door to see if anyone was coming in behind her.
“No, ma’am. It’s just me this morning. Do you mind if I have a booth?”
“Well, I don’t know, we’re pretty busy.” The waitress gave Stella a stern look then laughed. “Ha! It’s Sunday morning. We won’t be busy until the services are over. You just point out the booth you want, and if you’re still here at half-past nine I’ll have to kick you out.”
“Fair enough. I promise to be quick.” Stella and the waitress exchanged chuckles. If Edna’s personality was a sign of the community, Stella knew she would like it here.
“Here’s a menu. We have biscuits and gravy this morning for $3.95. That’s our every Sunday special. Coffee for you this morning?”
“Coffee, black, please. How on earth do you sell biscuits and gravy for $3.95 without losing your shirts?”
“Well now, aren’t you the smart one? Truth is, very few people order them. Somehow, they got a bad name from the health and fitness gurus, so it’s a safe bet for us. Now, don’t let me scare you off. They’re good and they’re cheap. Old Hal back there in the kitchen has been making them for about twenty-five years here, every Sunday. Used to be a better seller.”
“Oh, I believe you, but today I’m in the mood for a big fat egg scramble with potatoes. Do you make anything like that?”
“You’re the kind of gal I like… one who knows what she wants. We have what we call Chickens in the Potato Patch. The chef scrambles the eggs and adds onions and peppers, bacon and country potatoes.”
“That’s it. Perfect!”
“Well now, here’s the tricky part. You have to choose what else you want with it.”
“There’s more?”
“That’s right. You can have a pancake… buttermilk, multigrain or blueberry or you can have a baking powder biscuit or toast… whole-wheat, sourdough or white.”
“I will try your blueberry pancake.”
“Sounds great. You won’t regret it.” Edna pulled her wrist toward her face to look at her watch. “But I’m not sure you will make my deadline.”
Stella laughed. “Listen. This girl knows how to eat and run. If I didn’t I couldn’t survive. Don’t you worry about me.”
Edna smiled back. It was nice to have such easy banter before the big crowd came in. “Will there be anything else?”
“A tall glass of o
range juice, please. I brought my travel mug in. Can I get a coffee refill in this before I go?”
“Certainly. Let me put a fresh pot on so there’s plenty when you’re ready.”
“Thanks, Edna.” Stella’s words fell on Edna’s backside as she rushed off to do her work.
With breakfast ordered, Stella could now check her messages. She picked up the phone and saw the text message from earlier. It was Brandon. Stella sucked in her breath as she opened the message. She was focused on travel plans, house hunting and the new job; there was no time to dwell on the evening with Brandon. She surprised herself.
Good morning, Stella. Thank you for last night. I haven’t had such a good time since… never. I look forward to seeing you again. Good luck with your travel arrangements and house hunting.
Stella let her mind wander to their date. She smiled and felt a little flip in her stomach. She had enjoyed herself. Maybe there was hope that someone would understand her and be a good fit. She wasn’t certain Brandon was it. He felt a little too slick to her. Maybe it was his perfect haircut and pressed clothes. He seemed a little showy. She shook her head and silently scolded herself. “Give the guy a chance. You’ve only had one date.”
There was an advantage to being early and one of a very few customers in a diner - the speed with which food arrived. Edna set two plates in front of Stella. One held a huge blueberry pancake. The other was heaped with eggs and potatoes. “Here you are, miss.”
“Stella. I’m Stella and you may see me around here more. I’m looking at some properties up here. Thinking of moving in.”
“Nice to meet you, Stella. Now, why on earth would you move here to Watson? We’re the last place people go before they fall into that big hole in the ground a few hours east of here. You know what I mean?”
“I’m coming up for work.”
“You work for the government, or what?”
“No. I’m a cowboy. I manage livestock and will work up on the federal lands over a little east of here.”
