A Beautiful Ranch

by Malone, Misty

The following day when Dalton came in for lunch, he was surprised to see a smiling Lilly waiting for them. "Are you having lunch with us today?"

  "If it's okay with you," she said, grinning.

  "Absolutely. How's the painting?"

  "I thought you'd never ask," she said, giggling. "Come look at it and tell me what you think." She practically pulled both men into the living room, where her easel sat, holding her finished painting.

  Clay looked at the painting and instantly gave her a kiss on her cheek. "It's really good, sweetheart. You should have no problem selling it. It's really nice."

  "Thank you, Clay," she beamed. She was a little apprehensive of Dalton's reaction, though. He was still looking at it carefully and hadn't said a word, and she hadn't seen any emotion on his face. She didn't say a word, simply watched him, waiting for his reaction.

  After several minutes passed, he turned to look at her. He wasn't smiling, but it was better. His eyes were full of wonderment. "Lilly, I've looked at that meadow countless times, and although I've always thought it was pretty, I've never seen it quite like that. You've portrayed it perfectly, but you've also somehow captured the serenity I generally feel there. I don't know how you did that, but I'm mesmerized by it. I can't really put into words what I want to say."

  Lilly had unshed tears in her eyes. "You just did, Dalton. Thank you."

  ***

  Over the next three weeks, things seemed to fall into somewhat of a routine. Dalton made sure she had a sandwich or power bars and plenty of water before she left in the morning if she was planning to paint all day, and they'd all three talk about their day while they ate supper. After supper, Lilly went walking, looking for the next spot she wanted to paint. Clay knew she did this after supper, and being the gentleman that he was, walked out with her. Unfortunately, Dalton thought the two of them were spending their evenings together. He wasn't happy about it, but since it was Clay, he was trying to make the best of it. He kept reminding himself that he had no right to her.

  Lilly was getting frustrated. Dalton was acting very caring, and protective, but not showing any interest in her personally. She'd tried talking to him a couple evenings, but it didn't go as she'd hoped. He wasn't rude, but he wasn't very talkative, either. In fact, he was rather standoffish. Being around him, knowing he wasn't interested, was becoming difficult.

  One day after lunch, she went outside and roamed the area around the barn. There was a lot she didn't know about a ranch, but she was very curious. She wanted to learn as much as she could about how things work. Maybe then she could get him talking in the evening and they'd become a little closer. She was walking slowly through the horse barn, staying close to the middle of the aisle, looking side to side when she saw Dalton walking toward her. It startled her momentarily, as she thought he and Clay were both out checking fences, far from the barn.

  Before she could think of something intelligent to say, he started the conversation. "Are you looking for your next subject, or taking a relaxing stroll through the barn?"

  She shrugged. "I'm actually intrigued with a ranch and how it runs. I was hoping maybe if I walk around enough out here I'll understand a little more about what goes on." She chuckled a little as she added, "I guess I was hoping to pick up some knowledge through osmosis."

  Now Dalton chuckled. "If osmosis doesn't work, I could try showing you around a little bit, answering any questions you may have."

  "You'd do that?"

  Dalton easily saw the excitement in her eyes and wouldn't have been able to deny her anything right then. "Of course I would. I've got to go into town this afternoon and get some supplies as soon as I brush Midnight out. If you have any questions, come on out with me and you can ask them while I work."

  He saw the momentary look of panic, but she took a breath and recovered quickly and said, "I don't want to get in your way."

  "You won't be in my way at all, Lilly. I'm just going to brush him out a little bit and put him in his stall. Come on." He picked up his curry brush, and with a light hand on her lower back led her out to where his horse was tied. As they approached Midnight, he felt her stiffen.

  He thought back to when he'd seen her in the horse barn. He'd been surprised to see her walking down the center of the aisle. Many of the horses were out with the men, but he would have expected to see her over closer to the stalls so she could pet the horses that were still in the barn. She was acting an awful lot like she was afraid of horses. But Clay had been giving her riding lessons, so that didn't make much sense. He'd have to be careful here.

  He paused next to the fence three or four yards away from where Midnight was tied. She seemed happy there, so he stopped. "I'm going to brush Midnight down. Go ahead and ask anything you want to ask."

  "Some of the questions I have are probably stupid."

  "No, they're not."

  "You haven't heard them yet."

  "It doesn't matter. If it's something you don't know the answer to, it's not a stupid question. Go ahead and ask whatever you want to know."

  "Okay," she said quietly. "You and Clay were taking guys out this afternoon to ride fences. What does that mean? How do you ride a fence?"

  He laughed out loud, and stopped brushing Midnight to turn and look at her. "That's not a stupid question at all. I can certainly see why you'd be confused when you hear us say that."

  That statement earned Dalton a big smile, which he loved to see. It seemed to light up her face. "When we say we're riding fences, that means we're checking to be sure the fences are in good shape. I like to do that at least once a year. Usually before I put cattle in a pasture they haven't been in for a little while, one of us will go out and ride along the fence in the entire pasture. If we see someplace that the fence is broken or laying down or in bad repair, we fix it. Then we know it's safe to put the cattle in."

  "Oh. That makes sense. What would make a fence fall down or need to be fixed?"

  "Lots of things can cause it. Just sitting in the weather can be hard on it at times. If you have a heavy snow, it can weigh it down, and after a few years, it starts to give. Wild animals can play havoc on fences. Bigger animals like deer can jump them, and occasionally they'll catch a hoof on the top of it as they go over. If there's a foot of snow on the ground and a mountain lion wants in a pasture, he'll get in even if he has to tear the fence apart to do it. The same with a bear. If a bear wants in, he'll get in. Some smaller animals, like raccoons, will actually climb a fence and go over it. That's hard on them, as well."

  "Then I see why you'd want to check the fences regularly. That makes sense."

  Midnight had been nudging closer to Lilly while they'd been talking. Dalton finished brushing one side of Midnight and went to his head and patted his neck. He looked at Lilly. "He's trying to get closer to you, hoping you'll have an apple or something for him, or pet him a bit." Standing between her and the horse, he reached his hand out to her, inviting her to get closer. "I have a couple little carrots you can give him if you want. I'll help you. He likes you, and he's very friendly."

  He could tell she was wrestling with the idea. He didn't want to force her, but quietly said, "I'll stay right here if you want to try it." He kept his voice quiet and calm, and it had exactly the effect he'd hoped it would have.

  "He does look friendly," she said tentatively.

  "He is, especially to women for some reason." He reached into his saddlebag that was setting on the fence and pulled out a carrot and held it out to her. "Put it in the palm of your hand and hold it out to him. Don't be afraid, he won't bite your hand. I used to think he would, but he's very gentle about it. He may tickle your hand, but he won't bite it."

  She slowly reached out and took the carrot and inched closer to the horse. He reached out and gently took her arm and helped her closer. He moved so he had one arm around her, encouraging her, and helped her lay her palm flat with the carrot in it. He led her hand toward the horse, who shook his head in excitement, and gently took the carrot from her. She gi
ggled and smiled up at Dalton. "Wow. That was cool."

  "He liked it, too," Dalton said with a smile. "Do you want to pet his neck a little bit?"

  He waited for her to make the choice, and when she slowly reached her hand toward the horse, he met her hand and held it as she reached forward and petted Midnight's neck. Again she smiled.

  When Midnight bobbed his head a couple times, she quickly withdrew her hand. Dalton not only allowed it; he gently backed her up a bit, and led her around the horse so she was standing along the fence on the other side. "I have to brush this side of him now. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask."

  "Okay."

  When she didn't ask anything right away, he asked, "Do you mind if I ask you a question this time?"

  "Of course not. What do you want to know?"

  "You're obviously not real comfortable around horses. How have you been doing working with Clay every evening? Are you learning how to take care of the horses?"

  She turned red and looked away. Dalton went to her and gently pulled her chin up. "Lilly, there's nothing wrong with having a little fear of horses, especially when you didn't grow up around them. I was very proud of you just now when you were able to overcome your fear and feed Midnight. But I don't want you to be out here forcing yourself to work with Clay every night if you're scared the whole time."

  Lilly had tears in her eyes as she said, "But Clay's been so nice. He's taking his time to try to teach me how to ride. I don't want to hurt his feelings."

  "Does he know you're afraid of the horses?"

  "I don't know. He hasn't said anything."

  "Have you been brushing them down and feeding them?"

  "No. He said not to worry about it, that he'd do that part for me."

  "Lilly, Clay's not going to be hurt if you tell him you're not comfortable around horses."

  "But I want to like the horses. I really do, and I've been hoping in time I'll learn to relax around them."

  "Has he been having you ride them?"

  "He's been trying, but they don't seem to want to cooperate for me."

  "That's because they know you're not comfortable with them. Lilly, if you want to learn to ride, you're going to have to learn to like them first. I can help you do that if you want me to, but only if you want to."

  "I really would like to like horses and know how to ride. What would you do different from what Clay's doing?"

  Dalton sighed. "Lilly, Clay's good with horses, but I think he's more interested in spending time with you than teaching you how to ride. He's so happy just being with you that I think he's totally missed that you're afraid of the horses. Horses can sense that, and you'll never have any luck with them as long as they know you're not comfortable with them. So the first thing you have to do is get to know the horses better so you know they won't hurt you."

  "How do I do that?"

  "Together we can spend time with the horses, much like we just did. You can feed them, and give them carrots, apples, sugar cubes; all the treats they like. That'll get them trusting you quickly. Once you're comfortable with that, we'll start brushing them. They like that, too, and will welcome your attention. While you're doing that, you're not only building their trust, but they're building your trust in them at the same time."

  "You'd do it with me?"

  "Absolutely. I would never want you doing something like that if it scares you. I'd want to be there with you, to assure you you're safe. If you don't feel safe, you won't be accomplishing anything."

  She was quiet for several long moments, and he gave her the time she needed to consider what he'd just told her. Finally, she seemed to reach a decision. "If you don't mind doing that, spending that much time on this, I'd like to try. But I don't want to hurt Clay's feelings."

  "I'll talk to Clay. If you two want to spend some time together, there's other things you can do."

  Lilly started to say something, but Dalton quickly said, "Lilly, you're an adult. You're welcome to spend time with Clay if you want to, but you don't have to. It's your choice. Clay's a good man, if that means anything to you. But if you want to spend time with him, I would suggest you do something that doesn't include horses."

  Again, she tried to say something, but Dalton got a phone call. He looked down at his phone and quickly said, "Hang on, I have to take this." After a few quick words, he hung up and said, "Sorry, Lilly, I've gotta go. A fence was down and we've got cattle out. Some of them are on the road."

  Lilly watched him quickly saddle and mount Midnight and take off. She stood there for several minutes, thinking back over their conversation. What a mess. Clay had already asked her out and she'd found a way to put him off by saying she wanted to get settled in first. But, he would ask her again and soon. And now Dalton thought she was interested in Clay. Clay was a nice man, but he wasn't Dalton. Actually, she wasn't even sure she should be thinking this way about Dalton. Or any man.

  She headed back to the house with a lot of things on her mind. She went to her room to think, but when she saw her painting supplies, she had an idea. Sometimes when she had trouble clearing her mind, a blank canvas and some paints helped her. If she found a place that somehow seemed to speak to her, she let her thoughts flow onto the canvas. She let her hands move as she thought, and whatever she ended up with on the canvas often helped her sort her feelings out.

  She gathered some paints and a small portable easel and canvas, put them in her backpack and headed out. As she was walking, she realized she was headed for the pond she and Daphne used to swim in. She knew that would be a good spot, as the area would bring back lots of good memories. As she neared the pond, however, it became clear that it brought back specific memories and her mind would be remembering specific events. She needed a place where she felt comfortable and happy, but would allow her mind to wander. She walked on past the pond, to a grove of trees just on the other side. She was very familiar with the pond and how to get back to the house from it, so she didn't have to worry about getting lost. This would be a perfect spot.

  Three hours later she stepped back and looked at the canvas. After studying it for several minutes, things became clearer, and she realized what she had to do.

  Chapter Five

  While Lilly was painting, Dalton helped Clay and several other men get the cattle rounded up and back in the pasture. They found where the fence was down and he put several men on the task of fixing it. He and Clay then went to his storage shed and began repairing a tractor. While they were working, Clay checked his watch several times. "Got a hot date tonight?" Dalton asked after he checked it again.

  "Yes, as a matter of fact, I do," Clay replied. "I won't be having supper with you tonight, Dalton. I'm sorry, I meant to tell you this morning, and I forgot."

  "I guess I'll be eating supper alone tonight."

  "Why; is Lilly going somewhere, too?"

  Dalton looked over at his friend and foreman, expecting to find a teasing grin. When he saw the serious expression on his face he was upset. "Your hot date's not with Lilly?" His voice was harsher than he'd intended, but he didn't like the idea of his friend two-timing Lilly. That wasn't like Clay, and he especially better not be doing something like that now.

  Clay looked up at his boss and friend with a sad expression. "I wish it were, Dalton, but Lilly's not interested in me."

  Dalton was speechless. "But what about all those evenings you've been spending together?"

  "What evenings? We haven't been spending time together much in the evenings. We did for a night or two, until it became crystal clear to me she'd rather be spending her time with another cowboy."

  Dalton looked doubtful. "She told you she'd rather be with someone else?"

  "No, she didn't come out and say it. It was just clear by her actions and the few things she did say. She's interested in a cowboy on this ranch, all right, but it's not me."

  Dalton was upset now. He'd been wanting to ask Lilly out for some time, but he thought she was spending her evenings with Cla
y, and Dalton certainly wasn't about to steal his best friend's girl. But if it wasn't Clay, all bets were off. He quickly thought through the list of men who worked for him. He wouldn't hire anyone who wasn't a decent guy, but there were a few of them that he wouldn't trust with Lilly. As long as it wasn't Clay, he didn't mind competing with any of his men. He'd ask her out the next time he saw her.

  Clay was looking at him with a strange expression on his face. "What's the matter?" Dalton asked him.

  Clay was still looking at him, shaking his head. "You really don't know, do you?"

  "Know what?"

  "Which cowboy she's been watching every time he's around."

  "I thought it was you. Who is it? I may have to fire one of my hands," he said before he thought the comment through.

  Clay outright laughed at his friend. "No need to do that. The cowboy she's got her eyes on is you."

  "Me?"

  "You. Dalton, I can't believe you haven't noticed. Every time you come close, her eyes are glued to you and she hangs on your every word. She's got a big smile on her face every time the two of you are together. Open your eyes, buddy, and do something about it before someone else sees what a wonderful lady she is."

  "You're sure?"

  "I'm positive. Now go do something about it."

  "Thanks," Dalton said, walking toward the house.

  Clay laughed again. "Go ahead and talk to her, my friend. We're about done here and I'll put all the tools up. Don't bother helping me."

  Dalton turned back toward Clay and had the decency to blush. "Sorry. I didn't even think about what we were doing. Thanks, buddy."

  "No problem." As Dalton turned again to leave, Clay stopped him. "One more thing. Friend or no friend, boss or not, treat her right, or you'll answer to me. She's a good lady."

  "Couldn't agree with you more," Dalton yelled as he left.

  ***

  Lilly looked at the canvas and was a little surprised at what she saw. She knew that to anyone else they'd think she'd made random markings on a canvas, but as she looked at each group of markings and thought about them, she knew exactly what they were. The first one she analyzed was the biggest one in the center of the canvas. It didn't take her long to realize it was her in her younger years, sitting on a couch. Off to the one side was a man at a desk, which she knew right away was Dalton. On the other side of the couch was the tree she'd climbed down.