A Place Of Our Own (Contemporary Cowboy Romance) (Texas Heat series: Book 3, Jim and Maddies story)

by Rose, Amelia

  “Are you serious about this?” Francis was having trouble comprehending his good fortune after having been treated so poorly by Andrew.

  “I’ve never been surer about anything in my life, except for marrying Penny,” said Red. “Take your time to think it over. It’s a big decision.”

  “After what happened with Andrew a while ago, I’d have to say this is an answer to our prayers. And you’d really let us stay on? And keep a few cows for myself as well? I have to say, I wasn’t looking forward to living in town after spending all my life out here. This is too good to be true.’

  “But it is true and I was hoping you’d think it was good. Forget about Andrew. I don’t know what’s going on with that boy but what he’s proposing isn’t happening. He’s spoiled the surprise I had planned with my offer, blast him. I hope you can accept Francis, in the spirit in which this offer is made. It’s no less than you deserve for all your years of hard work.”

  “Well, I’m inclined to say yes. What do you think, Jean? Should we do this?”

  “Yes, we should, Francis. It will be perfect for us and to think, Maddie and Jim will be right next door. It’s perfect.”

  “You know Red, I’m trying to think what you’d want to do with this place. You know it doesn’t pay to run cattle on a small holding any more. If you’re going to let me use a few paddocks for cattle, what are you going to do with the rest of the place? It’s not like you to send good money after bad.”

  “No, you’re right. Now, I hope what I’m about to say doesn’t change your mind about accepting my offer but I’ve decided to let Jim have a go at trying to make some money from those Angora goats he’s been on about for years. I stopped by the library this morning on my way to the bank and found some information about it. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I’d never have believed it was possible. You know I always thought it was a fool idea, but after this morning, I’ve changed my mind.”

  “You want to run goats on a cattle ranch?”

  “I’d like to give Jim the opportunity to try. You see, it’s the size of the holding and the lack of overhead and infrastructure that’ll make it profitable. And if it doesn’t work out, we can always go back to cattle.”

  “You think you can make a profit within a year with these animals, Jim?”

  Jim was pleased to be finally able to participate in the conversation but realized that until this moment, the conversation wasn’t his to be involved in. It was between Red and Francis.

  “Yes. I’m planning on making only basic improvements to the cabin first off, because I’d like to put my money into stock and work toward a good Angora yield, straight up. It’ll be hard work but I know I can do it. I’d be pleased if you wanted to help out any time.”

  “Well, you have the right attitude, boy, and I could see my way clear to giving you a hand if you need it. But goats? I’m going to have to get used to that.”

  “You can’t eat them though, like beef. Well, you can but I’m a steak man and can’t see that changing any time soon so we are going to need the cows as well. I’ll be counting on you for that, Francis.”

  “Jean,” said Penny thoughtfully. “Have you ever made cheese? I was thinking that maybe we could make goats cheese from the milk. I’d love to try it.”

  “No, I haven’t,” said Jean. “But I’d love to try it too. It couldn’t be that hard. What a great idea.”

  The women looked set to start their own conversation so Red moved to wind up the business part of the proceedings. “So, you’re still happy to accept my offer, Francis, now we’ve told you everything?”

  “I reckon so, Red.” They shook on it.

  “Well, George Benson’s coming out shortly and we can sign the contract. The finance is organized so we can wrap it up nice and fast if you’ve a mind to.”

  “Sounds good to me. It’s not every day you get to sell your place but keep on living in it.”

  “I have a surveyor coming out as well,” continued Red, “I’m giving Jim and Maddie twenty acres around the cabin and I’ll add it directly onto the larger holding. Come to think of it, I might get him to measure off another twenty acres while he’s at it. Penny wants me to build us a little house over here for our old age. I haven’t agreed to that yet but we might as well get the land part of things sorted out when the surveyor is here.”

  “I’d be pleased to have you as a close neighbor, Red. Maybe you could help out with the cows and goats too.”

  “I reckon I’d like that. Looks like there’s some life changing events happening here today. I have a nice bottle of bourbon out in the car to celebrate with, if you good folks are in agreement. I know this is supposed to be about Maddie and Jim, but it’s a big moment for Francis and Jean too.”

  Red headed outside to fetch the bottle and figured they’d have time for one drink at least before the surveyor and George Benson arrived. The men moved out onto the porch but the women stayed on in the kitchen. Maddie gave her grandmother a hug, relieved that her grandparents would no longer have to struggle under the crippling financial burden that had held them in its vice like grip for the last couple of years, ever since Francis hadn’t been able to do much work on the ranch.

  “I hope you won’t mind us borrowing the bathroom for a while until we get the cabin organized Gran. We haven’t had a chance yet to sort out the renovation details, but we could always build an outhouse, I suppose, over the old long-drop, for the time being.”

  “You can come here and use our bathroom whenever you like, Maddie. It’s the least we can do. I’m just that pleased you and Jim are back together.”

  “I’m pleased too,” said Penny. “Those two were meant for each other and I don’t know about you, Jean, but I can’t wait for some grandchildren to fuss over.”

  “He hasn’t asked me to marry him yet. It’s been too busy with sorting out everything else, but you can rest assured, I won’t forget. I’m not going to give him the opportunity to escape again.”

  “Are you sure you want to move into the cabin right away, Maddie?”

  “Yes, Gran. I want to start my new life with Jim right away. The cabin was good enough for old Seamus and it’ll be good enough for me as well. I gave it a bit of a cleanup when I was over there yesterday. It’ll do us just fine until we can get it fixed up.”

  “We picked up a few things in town,” said Penny. “Maybe we could all go over and help you get moved in, Maddie.”

  “That’d be great, thanks, Penny.”

  “I’ll go and bring the car around to the gate so it’s closer to unload,” said Penny.

  “Well, let’s go and have a look at how we can help you get settled in,” said Jean, as though she’d suddenly gained a new lease on life. “I haven’t been in that cabin since before you were born.”

  Maddie and Jean walked outside and headed over to the gate, leaving the men talking on the porch, discussing plans for the farm.

  Chapter Nine

  Jim, Red, and Francis didn’t have to wait long for the surveyor to arrive and it was a simple matter for him to mark up the two twenty acre plots. Where Jim preferred to approach things more slowly, being naturally cautious, Red was decisive and liked to get things done quickly. It irked him that the surveyor wouldn’t give him the necessary documentation to include with the contract of sale documents he had with him.

  No matter though, he’d just ask George Benson to add a note that it would be included later. It didn’t make any difference to the sale of the Dupont Ranch but it was required to deed the land over to Jim, and, of course, he wanted his own fifty acres to be separated from the Circle O as well. Now that he had the notion in his head, he wanted to get on with it.

  The surveyor agreed to send the completed documentation to George Benson the following day and he was gone as quickly as he’d arrived, the job being a relatively small one. So far, so good, and it wasn’t long before George Benson arrived to oversee and witness the signing of the sale documents. It was done and all that remained was
for the money to be moved from Red’s account into Francis’s.

  “Francis would you like to come into town with me now and we can go and do something about getting rid of your mortgages.” He slapped Francis on the back. “You’ll feel like a new man and I can bring you back afterward.”

  “Well, I’m guessing that’s a good idea,” said Francis. “Let’s go.”

  “George, before you go, can I ask you to keep this quiet for the time being? It’s just that Andrew doesn’t know about any of this yet and I’d like to be the one to set him straight about it and a few other things,” pondered Red. “He’s not going to be too happy about it.”

  “Of course,” answered George. “Now, I’ll come back and see you over at the Circle O sometime in the next day or two about these twenty acre parcels, after I get the details from the surveyor. I’ll bring out the transfer of ownership deeds for you to sign. Then we’ll be about done with this business.”

  The men all shook on the arrangements. It was done.

  ******

  Meanwhile, the women had been busy at the cabin, adding a few homely touches and unloading the purchases Penny had made in town. There wasn’t a lot of room but it was enough for basic yet serviceable living arrangements. Penny’s most important purchase was a long weatherproof power extension cord, which Jean had attached to her house and run across to the cabin. It would provide electricity to the small refrigerator that was being delivered, as well as a couple of electric fans and lights.

  A few pots and pans, dishes, and other kitchen utensils, along with a few grocery items was enough to get started but Penny had also chosen a small two burner gas cooker, complete with a couple of bottles of gas. It was enough for basic cooking.

  “This will be fine to get by with for a while, Gran. I’d rather Jim got on with establishing the goats than fussing over this place. There’s a few repairs to do on the roof but otherwise, I can be happy here until it’s time for some major renovating.”

  “Well, it wouldn’t hurt to put up a barn. It’s always handy to have somewhere to work and store the farm tools,” said Jean, “and it might be worth considering putting a bathroom in one end. It’d be real handy for you right now and later on, when you have little ones. Jim could wash up before he comes in the house too. It’s something to think about anyway.”

  “It’s a good idea, Gran. I’ll give it some thought when we draw up some plans. Look, do you think that’s the fridge coming?”

  “I’d say so,” answered Penny. “But it’s going to be a problem if they have to carry it all the way over here.”

  “Problem solved,” said Maddie. “Just look at that.”

  They looked over to where Jim and Red simply pulled up one of the old fence posts and wound back a section of the fence to make an opening for the delivery truck, which made its way over to park beside the front of the cabin.

  “I’ll give you a hand to bring it in,” said Jim, taking charge. “Where do you want it to go, Maddie?”

  She showed him and they had it in place in a few minutes. Jim stripped off the packaging and threw it in the empty fireplace to burn later on.

  “We should let it sit for a bit before we turn it on,” advised Jean.

  “I know the power cord is temporary,” said Red. “But we could bring over the generator from the Circle O, depending on how long it takes to get the power connected.”

  “That’s a good idea, Dad. I might just take you up on that. I’m thinking seriously of going solar when we get to the major renovation. There’s so much sun out here it seems a shame not to use it. We can always sell any excess back to the grid and it’ll pay for any power we do end up using from the grid.’

  Penny, Red, and Maddie were all noticing how Jim seemed to be clear on what he wanted and why. For the first time, it occurred to them that Jim knew what he was doing and was clearly coming into his own now that he had the opportunity to do so. Red’s thoughts ran to considering that the solar power made for a good business investment, considering the price of electricity

  “Come on, Penny, let’s go home and let these youngsters get settled in.”

  “I’ll come over in a while, Dad, and pick up a few of my things. Thanks for all your help.”

  “Well, once the boys find out what’s happening, I think you’ll have William, Michael, and Joseph over here on the weekend to give you a hand fencing off the forty acres the surveyor marked out – and any other jobs you want them to do, like the roof.”

  “That’d be great, Dad. Well, I’ll see you a bit later then. Come on, Jean, we’ll walk you back to the house.”

  “Thanks, Red. Bye, Maddie.”

  “Gran, I’ll be over later to help you with dinner – and borrow the bathroom!” They all laughed.

  “Well, I’ll see you then.”

  ******

  Jim and Maddie were by themselves at last, tired but very happy. They had a place of their own and lots of plans to make.

  “I don’t know about you, Jim O’Connor, but I’m ready for a cat nap. It’s been a big day.”

  “Well, let’s turn the fridge on and put the beer in and I’ll join you, if that’s okay?”

  ‘Do you think you could bring in a bucket of water first? I think I’ll be too tired later.’

  “Sure, anything to keep my woman happy. Seriously though, I’ll get something organized so we can have running water inside, something temporary but functional.”

  “Gran suggested we put up a barn and make a bathroom in one end of it, so we could use it as a second bathroom later on and you could have a comfortable place to wash up before you come in the house. And I guess a barn would be handy for storing tools and supplies. I’m all for doing those things first because we’ll be comfortable enough here.”

  “Thanks for not wanting a fancy house straight away. I really want to make the farm pay as soon as possible, and we can give ourselves time to think about what we want to do with this place. A barn is a great idea though. We could camp in there while I do some serious work on this place when the time comes.’

  “I don’t think I ever want a fancy house, Jim. I’ll settle for you and camping in the barn any time.”

  Jim kissed her as he went outside to bring back a bucket of water from the old well. “How about a rest, then we can go and grab some clothes. That should keep us going for a while.”

  “Sounds like a good idea to me.”

  ******

  Maddie moved through to the bedroom, thinking that it was only yesterday that she’d been here, reminiscing about Jim and deciding to try and get their lives back on track. She thought it proved that dreams can come true if you’re determined enough. She took out one of the portable electric fans and set it on top of the dresser, then ran a cord out to the power board that was attached to the line running from the house across the way. It would do for now.

  She’d bought bottled water in town for drinking and took the ice cube trays from the freezer and poured water into them, before placing them back in the freezer. It was always good to have some ice.

  The fan was whirring away in the bedroom so she stripped down to her underwear, stretched out on the bed, and fell asleep straight away. When Jim came back with the water and noticed she was asleep, he decided not to wake her, even though thoughts of what he’d like to do to her were running unedited through his mind. However, tonight would be soon enough.

  He went outside and unloaded the fence posts and wire from the pickup before heading back over to the Circle O to pick up some of his clothes, feeling like he was riding on top of the world. He knew he would do well with the Angora goats and was prepared to work his butt off to make it happen.

  Chapter Ten

  Jim was just about to drive through the gates of the Circle O, when Red’s car came screaming down the drive with Andrew at the wheel. To avoid being sideswiped, he found he had to pull off the road in quick time. “Crazy bastard,” he said under his breath.

  He drove up to the house to find Red and Pe
nny on the porch, both visibly upset.

  “What’s going on?”

  “Oh, Andrew is having trouble facing a few home truths,” answered Red. “I expect he’ll need a few days to digest the discussion we just had about ethical business management. But he’ll see the sense of it when he calms down. He’s a good lad underneath but I think he’s been spending too much time listening to a few hard hitters in the Cattleman’s Association and its skewed his thinking to hell.”

  “Well, he’d better not bring his skewed ideas in my direction. I won’t stand for him coming between Maddie and me again.”

  “Sit down, Jim. Red, why don’t you go and take over the study for a while. It’s been a long while since I’ve had a good talk with Jim.”

  “All right, I can tell when I’m not wanted. Come and see me, son, before you leave.”