The Boss

by Stephanie Hunt

  “So it really is just you here.”

  “Yup. I have a little help on the weekends, but the truth is, not a lot of people are willing to come all the way out here for the work. There are a few farms along the way, but most of them don’t have kids- and if they do the kids gotta work on the farm.”

  “It must get lonely out here all alone.”

  “I try to keep myself too busy to feel alone.”

  He said it like he actually did. And it was the truth, it’s not like he was lying to her. He did try to keep himself busy enough that he didn’t feel lonely. But when all was said and done there was still time between when his head hit the pillow and his body went to sleep that he could only focus on the fact that he was here. Utterly alone.

  He’d tried having some help around the place but it didn’t stay often. And girlfriends were out of the question. Between Kerry and the horses, he thought there wasn’t anything that he had that could keep a girl- unless she was into guys who had too many horses, most of which were too damaged to be ridden. On the surface, most girls would go for that until he skipped meeting their friends for dinner because he’d have to feed the horse.

  But it was fine. He’d come to accept that relationships probably weren’t going to be his strong suit- just like his daddy he would live on this ranch and run it until the day he died, or at least until he went into too much debt.

  Ben mentally shook himself. It didn’t make sense to fuss over it.

  He stood and turned to the woman beside him. Her short red hair was pinned back, and she still had red lipstick on from when I’d first seen her. Her dark skin stood out against her green tank top and jeans.

  He held my hand out to her.

  She took it with a wide smile and he pulled her to her feet without an effort. She grinned widely and let him lead her over to Julia. He didn’t let go of her hand as he walked- it wasn’t until they came to a stop that he realized he was still holding it. Ben felt the blush cover his entire face as he turned away, hoping she hadn’t seen it.

  Jasmine let a deep breath as Ben let go of her hand. In truth, she hadn’t minded him holding her hand, but she wasn’t going to reach out and try to take it back. It was probably just a mistake. She reminded herself. Like that time back in fourth grade where she had held Johnson’s hand for a half hour before she realized she hadn’t let go. She’d been so engrossed in what was going on around her as they learned about science that she hadn’t paid attention to anything else.

  Ben reached out towards the horse, who turned its attention to him. After a couple seconds of staring, the creature came towards them. Jasmine’s heart skipped a beat. She’d never actually been close to a horse before.

  “She’s….” The horse stopped in front of them. She was taller than Jasmine had realized, with brown fur and a small white patch on her head. Up close Jasmine realized just how skinny she was. It made her stomach turn. “She’s so small.”

  “It’s sad, eh? She was smaller when she came here. We’ve been working with her for a couple months now. The first week or two I wasn’t even sure if she would make it or not.” He turned to Jasmine and gave her a smile. “Go on, give her a pet.”

  Tentatively Jasmine reached out and touched the horse. She had to struggle to keep her hands steady as her hand rested on the horse's nose. The horse stared at her with wide eyes. The soft fuzz almost tickled under Jasmine’s skin. She pat Julia, the feeling under her hand becoming almost addicting.

  The creature closed its eyes, pressing itself against Jasmine’s hand harder.

  Jasmine caught Ben’s eye. He grinned widely.

  He mentioned someone giving him all these horses. I wonder if that is who was in the truck earlier.

  She didn’t dare ask, after all it wasn’t any of her business, was it? I mean, as far as I should be concerned it doesn’t matter what he does.

  But she couldn’t help thinking about what he had said. There were too many horses and not enough people around to ride them- or pay to ride them.

  “It must be taxing,” She said, picking her words carefully. “I mean, all the horses and no one to help. It must be a lot on you.”

  “I’ve gotten used to it.” He shrugged. “It’s the paperwork that kicks my ass.” He grinned, but his tone told her it was the truth.

  Jasmine’s head tilted to the left. “Really? You know… I might be able to help with that. I worked bookkeeping for half a dozen years.” Up until a year and a half ago it had been what she did for a living. She’d love it, and had been very good at it but when her and her boyfriend split up she left the business they started together. After that, with enough money to live modestly, she decided to give her dream a shot- She was going to become a successful blogger. Er, I’m going to try at least. She reminded herself.

  “I thought you were on a vacation.” He raised an eyebrow.

  Jasmine’s hand still moved up and down the horse. “You can knock a night off my stay.” She shrugged. “Or include a free riding lesson.” It didn’t matter to her. She was happy to help out. “Really, give me an hour with what you have and I could probably work through most of it.”

  She wasn’t being cocky, she’d come to find that she easily worked through numbers a lot faster than most people seemed to.

  She enjoyed it, and that was part of why she worked so quickly. Hell, sometimes she even missed it a little.

  Ben regarded her for a couple of seconds closely.

  The idea was beyond appealing. Ben couldn’t really afford to hire someone to do it for him, and he was still trying to make heads and tails out of most of it. But… if he let her help that would be admitting he couldn’t do it. Right?

  That wasn’t his style. He wasn’t the type to give up on something so easily. He would have to push through and figure it out. After all, he’d gotten a book from the library about bookkeeping. An Idiot's Guide or For Dummies type book. He wasn’t sure what it was exactly.

  “Thanks for the offer.” He forced himself to smile. “I’ll keep it in mind.” He lied.

  He was sure by the look on her face she knew he was lying. But at least he had tried to handle it politely, right? And you never know, maybe he would have to ask her. No point in burning bridges if they didn’t need to be burnt.

  A smile spread across her face. “Good. You do that.”

  “Now, how about that riding lesson?”

  Jasmine’s hazel eyes widened as she stared at him. “Are… a…” She stared at him, then turned to Julia. “Not on her, right?”

  “Oh no, Julia isn’t strong enough to carry a baby, let alone a fully grown human.” Ben paused. I didn’t just suggest she was fat, right? God he hoped not. “We’ll take Tanner and Frodo for a ride.”

  “Frodo?” She raised an eyebrow at him.

  “You’ll see.” His eyes sparkled as he motioned for her to follow him.

  Jasmine was happy to walk alongside Ben. She was still figuring him out, but he was kind that much she was sure of. And stubborn. He wasn’t going to accept her help and she knew that. Which just made her want to help more.

  He’s not the only one at this ranch who is stubborn. She thought.

  Ben padded along as they made their way to a stable. Neither of them said anything but it wasn’t like an awkward silence as they walked. It felt better than that, it felt almost natural.

  “This is Frodo,” Ben said as they neared the stable, the horses weren’t in it. They were outside of it, in a fenced off area.

  Jasmine instantly saw why he was named after a Hobbit in Lord of the Rings. He had furry feet.

  “He’s great for beginners. You’ve never ridden a horse before- right?” Jasmine nodded. “Come on, I’ll help you get him set up.”

  Chapter 2

  It didn’t take as long as she thought it would to get the horses set up. The entire time Ben talked. Jasmine could tell how passionate he was about the horses. He spoke about them close to the way someone would about their kids. Jasmine had never had pets growing
up, but the way Ben talked about his horses, like they were more than just a pet, made her want to have one.

  Finally, she mounted the horse and he his own. He gave her a once over.

  “You look good up there.”

  Jasmine wasn’t sure if he was trying to be flirty with her, or if he was just being nice. Maybe it’s something he says to everyone. Still, she felt the butterflies in the pit of her stomach, and they liked it when he told her that she looked good.

  “Thanks.” Was the best she could manage.

  She watched a small blush rise of his cheeks. He cleared his throat. “Anyways, we’re going to do a basic trail ride. The horses are trained to know the trail and stay on it. But if they give you any trouble just let me know and we will deal with it.” His eyes sparkled as he squeezed his legs and the horse took off at a nice pace. Jasmine bit her lip. Am I going to be able to do this?

  She squeezed her legs and to her amazement the horse started moving, following Ben. Jasmine watched the man in front of her. She couldn’t believe he ran this place on his own.

  “So, what is involved in running this place?” She asked.

  He slowed down, coming to walk beside her.

  “Well, mostly it’s caring for the animals. At least, that’s the fun part. Other than that, mostly it’s just keeping the place standing. Keeping the grass short, repairing anything that needs to be fixed. Nothing too exciting, but it keeps me busy and I wouldn't’ ask for anything else to do with my life.”

  She stared at the man beside her. “You’re, like, a cowboy.” That was what cowboys did. They worked around the ranch, they took care of the pets, they kept the place running.

  Ben turned to Jasmine, his eyebrows raised. “Uh, yes. I’ve been called that a couple times, what made ya figure it out?”

  “I mean, you don’t look like one.” She stammered. Her cheeks burned the second she said it. He laughed loudly.

  “Sorry to disappoint.” His eyes sparkled. “It’s the fact I’m not wearing a hat, isn’t it?”

  “Or the boots!” She said it before she realized he was poking fun at her. She felt the blush on her cheeks darken and was suddenly glad for her dark skin. Most people missed a blush against her complexion.

  “I only wear them on special days.” His eyes sparkled.

  “You’re making fun of me.”

  “Only a little.” His eyes sparkled. “And all in good fun, I promise you that. Don’t worry, you’re not the first one to have this conversation with me.” Still, he was grinning as he spoke. “Not all cowboys come in the same shape and size- or wear the same boots.”

  They fell silent for a couple of seconds. It did make Jasmine feel a little better to know that she hadn’t been the first one to have the conversation with him, but she still felt silly.

  “Tell me, what made you decide to come out here? I mean, I’m sure you passed other ranches on the way out here.”

  “Your website said something about it being a family business. Four generations, and on your family’s land- right?”

  “Yup. This was my grate-grate-grate- grandparents land when they got married. They got it from her father as a wedding gift.

  “That’s so sweet.”

  Ben tilted his head, as if he didn’t quite agree.

  “It is, other than the fact that I’ve gotta guess most of my family is buried out here somewhere.”

  Jasmine snorted in disbelief.

  Ben turned to her, a soft smile over his lips. “There’s a patch of trees out a few meters away from the house, all in a line. I figure that might be their graves. After all, a tree was common place for a grave marker.”

  “That… that has got to be freaky. I mean, have you ever… seen any of them?”

  Ben shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not. It all depends on if you’re looking to them for explanations or if you’d rather find a more… lifelike explanation to them all.”

  “And what would you rather?” I asked as the horses started to take us up a hall.

  “Well, life ain’t no fun if you don’t have a few crazy explanations.” He didn’t turn to Jasmine when he said it, but she could see the smile widen over his lips. “Hand me your reins,” He said holding his hand out.

  “What? Why?” Jasmine reached for the reins but didn’t give them up.

  “I’d like to take us off path. But Frodo will want to stay on the path unless I lead him.”

  Jasmine bit her lip handing the reins to Ben. She knew she could be pig headed sometimes, and she knew it bothered most men, but she didn’t care. She liked knowing what was going on around her.

  Ben led them along the hill, and then down it. The sound of rushing water surrounded them.

  “A lot of people don’t realize that this part of the land is here. We’ve done special tours with it, but for some reason my dad never wanted it to be part of the main walk. I never was sure why until a few years ago.”

  Ben wasn’t sure what made him bring Jasmine here of all places. Maybe it was that he thought she would like it, or maybe it was just that he was missing his dad.

  The small stream flowed into a large pool, the water sparkling- just deep enough for swimming in. The green grass was hidden by dozens of white flowers and. A hawk flew out of the grass as the horses neared the small pound.

  “This is beautiful.” She said beside him, her eyes trying to take everything in.

  Three trees grew by the water's edge, one smaller than the other two.

  It felt good to come here every now and then, but Ben had never brought another person with him unless it was part of the tour. Which this is. He reminded himself.

  This was just a special walk. A walk with just one client. A client he brought here on a whim.

  He pulled the horse to a stop and hopped off before circling around to Jasmine and holding his hand out for her. “Jump.”

  “Jump?”

  “Well, be careful, but yes you’re going to have to jump. There isn’t a stood here for you.”

  She snorted. “Gee, really? You didn’t bring one?”

  Ben smirked at her smart ass comment. “Sorry sweetheart. I must’a forgotten it.”

  She laughed as she, carefully, dismounted the horse, taking Ben’s hand for support.

  Her cold fingers felt good against his hand. He padded over to the spring and sat down.

  “Why didn’t your dad want this as part of the walk? It’s so beautiful. I've sure people would have loved it.” She asked him as she followed him to the spring.

  Ben sat down staring at the two large trees. “60 years ago… my dad brought my mom out here.” He pointed towards the trees. “See those two trees. He brought them with him. He told her he wanted to go out here and plant a couple trees. He had to fight tooth and nail for her to agree to come all the way out here.

  She couldn’t figure out what he wanted to go all the way out here to plant the trees when they could just do it by the house. I mean, that way people would be able to see them. Well, when they got out here they planted the trees. My mother stood and my daddy, the sneaky man he is, slipped his hand into his pocket, still down on his knees. He pulled out his grandma’s wedding ring and when my ma turned to him she saw him there, kneeling in front of her with a ring and a grin on his face.”

  Oh my god.

  That was the most beautiful story Jasmine had ever heard. She stared at the two trees. Then, she glanced down at the other smaller tree.

  “Do you have siblings?”

  “Na. I was an only child.” He stared off into space.

  “So, that third tree… that’s for you?” Unless his parents took on another wife, which wasn’t very common in these parts.

  Ben turned to her, a grin spread over his face. “Yes. That little tree is for me. When I was born my daddy went out and planted a tree without tellin ma. The next time they came out here she saw it. She thought it was God, or the universe, or something. Daddy never corrected her. She was just so happy about it he couldn’t bring himself to.” He fe
ll silent. “Then she died twelve years ago.”

  Jasmine’s heart sank into the pit of her stomach.

  “I’m so sorry.”

  He’d lost both of his parents already. And no siblings either. He was in it all alone by the looks of it. It must be so hard.

  Ben shrugged, brushing off any emotion that he had just shown. “Nothing no one can do about it.”

  He said it as if he’d said it dozens of times before, and Jasmine was willing to bet that he had- mostly to himself.

  “Anyways, we’d best get back to the ranch.” He pushed himself up and held his hand out to her. “I’d best get some food in me, and I’d be willing to be you’re damn hungry.”

  “I could go with food.” She admitted as they headed back to their horses.

  “We’ll circle back around to the barn and you can get cleaned up and meet me in the mess hall. Of course, it’s a little bigger than need be these days- but there was a time this place was packed.”

  Ben helped Jasmine up onto her horse. She didn’t doubt his words. The place was nice, though a bit outdated the land was perfect, and that was what would keep people coming back. She watched as he climbed onto his horse and they headed off- this time Frodo happy to follow Ben all the way back to the trail and the barn.

  When Jasmine dismounted for a second time she headed to her small room. She hadn’t realized how dirty she’d gotten, or how sweaty she had gotten.

  For now, a change of clothes would do, and before bed she would have a shower. Or maybe soak in the pool. She’d seen something about a pool on the website, right?

  Jasmine changed into something a little more relaxing. Yoga pants and a cashmere sweater, she tied her red hair into a ponytail, needing a few bobby pins to keep some of the layers out her face. The rest she just let fall into her face without worrying too much about it. She slipped into a pair of running shoes and headed out of her small room to the mess hall just like Ben had told her to.