It's Just A Ranch

by Misty Malone

  She buried her head in his chest and cried again, but he could tell this time her crying was different. It felt to him like the beginning of her healing, and he hoped he was right. When she was composed again and ready, he got a flashlight out of his saddlebag and they headed back to the barn. Coy met them and offered to put Duke up for him, and Garrett thanked him. He could tell Mindy was exhausted.

  He walked her into the house and upstairs, stopping at her door. She put her hand on his arm and met his eyes. “Garrett, thank you for pushing me to do that. I didn’t want to, but I’m so glad you pushed me, and helped me through it. I have a way to go yet, I know, but I feel better than I have in a long time.”

  “I’m really glad to hear that. I think you’re right, though, that you’re not done yet. You need to talk about it more. You need to share your experiences and feelings, but I think you’re definitely on the right path now, and I’m glad you’re feeling better. I’ll be happy to talk to you anytime you want to.”

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re very welcome, honey. There is something I have to ask you right now, though. Dad is going to be concerned about you, and about me keeping you out after dark. I’m going to tell him we were talking about your past. Do you mind if I tell him what we talked about, or would you rather I didn’t give him any specifics yet?”

  She was quiet for quite some time. He offered one thing. “I know Mom and Dad will both be very supportive. They’ll also understand if you don’t want to talk about it, but I think you’ll find it will help your healing if you do talk about it, at least a little. If you let me tell them what you’ve been through, I’m sure they’ll let you decide if and when you want to talk. That’s just my suggestion, though. It’s totally up to you, and I’ll respect your wishes.”

  “They probably do deserve to know why I’m here, don’t they?”

  “I’m sure they would like to know and will be very supportive, but they invited you here, knowing you had a bad experience and need some time to heal and relax. You don’t have to tell them any more than that until you’re ready.”

  “You guys have all been so good to me, I can’t say how much I appreciate it. I would like them to know, but I’m not sure I can tell them. Would you mind telling them for me?”

  “Absolutely no problem. I understand, and I’m sure they will, as well. I’ll tell Dad tomorrow, because I’m sure he’s going to want an explanation for me keeping you out after dark. Don’t get upset with me now, please, but that is a safety issue, keeping a horse out after dark. That’s why I made sure I had a flashlight, and walked back, so Duke could see where he was going, and we stayed on that main path. I’ll tell him why I kept you out so late, and I’m sure he’ll understand. I’ll let him tell Mom then, if you’re sure you’re okay with them knowing?”

  “I’m sure. The more I think about it, the more I think you’re right. I want them to know. You can tell Wyatt, too. That way I can talk about it openly if I want to, like if something brings back a memory.”

  “I think that’s a real good idea. I’ll talk to them in the morning. For now, though, I want you to promise me something, please.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Over the next few days or weeks you will no doubt be thinking more about this since we’ve brought your memories back to the surface. Please feel free to talk to me. If something else that’s difficult for you comes to mind, talk to me about it. But at night if you have any nightmares, please come knock on my door. Let me hold you and help you through it. We’re the only people on this floor, so you don’t have to worry about waking anyone else up.”

  She hesitated longer than he would have liked before answering. “I’ll keep you in mind if I’m having a hard time getting over something. I do feel better after talking to you, and I thank you for that.”

  “That’s good, but I noticed you didn’t agree to come get me if you have a nightmare.”

  “Garrett, I’ve had nightmares about this before. I had them a lot at first. I made it through them. I’ll be okay again.”

  He held her firmly by her shoulders and looked at her. “Mindy, look at me, please.” He waited until her eyes slowly rose and met his. “Thank you. I’m glad you made it through them in the past, but I’m sorry you had to go through them alone. You don’t have to now, though. I’m here with you now, and I’m here because I want to be here. You’ve been through something horrendous. Don’t try and make it through the after effects alone, when I’m right here and I want to help you.”

  “But you have to get up early, and you have a ranch to run.”

  “I’m not the only one on this ranch. Wyatt and Dad can easily run it without me, especially for a little while here and there. You are more important than the ranch, anyway. I’m absolutely sure Dad would be telling you the same thing right now if he were here. We’re more concerned about you than the ranch. If you need me during the night, you come get me. Do you understand?”

  “I understand what you’re saying, and thank you.”

  “I mean it, Mindy. If you have a nightmare, you come get me.” He leaned down and gave her a tender kiss on her cheek. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes, I’m fine. Thank you for all you did. I’m so tired right now I think I may sleep for about a week.”

  He chuckled. “You go right ahead and do that then. We’ll bring some food up to you every now and then. You can eat it and go back to sleep.” After they both chuckled, he quietly said, “Good night, Mindy.”

  He waited until she went in her room and closed the door before going back to his. He slept with his door open, hoping he’d hear her if she had a nightmare. He was sure she had no plans to wake him up if she did.

  Sure enough, he woke up several hours later. He sat up in bed and immediately heard her. She wasn’t screaming, but rather moaning. He quickly pulled his jeans on and put a tee shirt on as he ran to her room. He knocked, but when she didn’t answer, he carefully opened the door and looked in. She was thrashing around in bed, moaning. He went in and picked her up and settled her on his lap. She was talking in her sleep, apologizing. She kept saying I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I don’t know.

  “Mindy, wake up, honey,” he said in her ear, as he rubbed her arm. “It’s over now, Mindy.” He kept talking and rubbing her arms as she woke up. She opened her eyes and was obviously startled to see him. He quickly tried to calm her. “It’s okay, Mindy. You were having a nightmare. I heard you and came down to wake you up and make sure you’re okay.” He encouraged her to lay her head back against his chest, which she allowed. He kept talking to her as she calmed and her breathing slowed back to normal.

  “Thank you,” she said quietly. “I’m sorry I woke you up.”

  “Nonsense. I’m glad I heard you. I don’t want you going through something like that alone. If it happens again and I don’t hear you, come down and wake me up. I’m serious about that, Mindy. Now, would you like to go downstairs and we can get a drink, maybe a small snack? Mom and Maria always have some kind of cookies.”

  “Thanks, but I’m fine. I’m pretty sure I’ll sleep now because I feel exhausted.”

  “Okay, if you’re sure, but if you need me again tonight, I’m just down the hall, okay?” She nodded, and he helped her back into bed and tucked her in. He gave her another kiss on her cheek before leaving. This time he left her door open just a bit, as well as his own.

  She slept soundly the rest of the night, though, which he was glad of. When he got to the barn for chores the next morning, his dad was waiting for him. “Good morning, son. Have you got anything you want to tell me?”

  “I do, as a matter of fact. Dad, I know it’s dangerous to have a horse out after dark, but I did what I could. I had a flashlight and I kept Duke at a walk.”

  “That’s good, but I’m concerned about Mindy. I know you said you’re having a bit of difficulty getting her to take safety seriously, and staying out after dark isn’t giving her a good example. I take it you had a good reason to stay out wit
h her so late?”

  “I did, Dad, and that’s what I want to talk to you about. With some encouragement, Mindy was ready to talk last night about the problem she had in the past, which brought her here, needing to regroup. Once she was finally able to start talking, I wanted to give her a chance to let all the tears and emotions out.”

  Max stood and faced his son. “I’m glad to hear that. Is it something that she was able to talk through?”

  “She made a good start at it, but I’m afraid it’s going to take more than a night or two to get past it. She asked if I would tell you about it and if you would then pass the information along to Mom. She wants you both to know about what happened to her, but she’s not sure she can tell you herself. I believe that, Dad, because it was really hard for her to share it with me last night.”

  “I’ll be happy to pass it along to Helen.” The two did their chores together while Garrett told his father what he and Mindy had talked about the night before.

  “Wow,” Max said. “That poor girl.” The two talked about her ordeal and possible ways to help her through it, as they finished their chores.

  Garrett wasn’t surprised to learn Mindy hadn’t come downstairs yet when they went in for breakfast. “She was pretty exhausted last night, and then she had a nightmare, so I’m sure she was ready for a good night’s sleep.”

  Helen was instantly concerned. “She had a nightmare? Why?”

  Max patted her arm, and pulled her chair out for her. “Sit down, Helen, and we’ll tell you about it while we eat.”

  Garrett and Max filled Helen and Wyatt in on Mindy’s ordeal while they had breakfast. After they ate, Garrett told his dad to go on out. “I’ll be out in a few minutes,” he said. “I’m going to check on Mindy and see if she’s awake yet. I want to make sure she’s okay.”

  Max nodded and went outside, while Garrett went upstairs. He knocked, not too loudly in case she was still sleeping. She surprised him by opening the door. “I was just ready to come downstairs. I know I missed breakfast, but I’m hungry. Do you think Maria would let me scramble some eggs or something?”

  “I’m not sure she’d let you do it yourself, but I’m sure she’d be happy to do some for you. There’s some of everything else left yet, and she’ll have it heated back up for you in no time. Before we go down, though, how are you today?”

  “Actually, I feel better this morning than I have in quite a while. Apparently you were right to make me talk about it. I know I’ve got a lot I’ve got to come to terms with yet, but I feel better, like I took the first step. Thank you for that.” She reached over and gave him a kiss on his cheek.

  He started leading her downstairs as he talked. “I’m glad to hear that. I talked to Dad, and we told Mom and Wyatt, and I’m sure Maria heard, so feel free to talk about it anytime something comes into your head you know you need to deal with. We’re all here to help you.”

  Helen came around the corner just as they reached the bottom of the steps. “We certainly are, Mindy,” she said. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but Garrett’s right. He told us what happened, and I can’t even imagine going through something like that. I thank God there are people like you who did, because I’m sure your help was appreciated by a lot of people, but I’m sorry you had to.” She gave her a hug. “If there’s anything any of us can do, please let us know.”

  “Thank you, Helen. Hearing that helps a lot.”

  “Good. Now, let’s go get you some breakfast.” She hooked her arm in Mindy’s and headed them to the kitchen.

  “Thanks, Mom. I’ll see both of you at dinner,” Garrett said. He grabbed his hat and plunked it on his head on his way out the door.

  * * *

  Over the next several days Mindy did a lot of thinking, and occasionally a little talking about her experience. She felt most comfortable talking to Garrett, and he was fine with that. They continued to spend time together on a daily basis, growing steadily closer. He didn’t feel the hesitation on her part now, though, much to his relief. She seemed more willing to let things happen naturally, and seemed more relaxed.

  Two weeks after Garrett and Mindy had their talk, she seemed to be settling back into a routine and feeling relaxed. She went into town and did a little shopping. One thing she bought was a Kindle, and Garrett often found her out by the pool reading. She also started going for walks again, and took a four wheeler out a few times.

  She was also starting to deal with her past. Helen and Maria turned out to be very helpful. They were both extremely interested in any stories she shared. Like Garrett, they felt the whole thing came to life as they listened to them, both the good and the bad. But unlike Garrett, as she told these stories, the two ladies often touched on thoughts and feelings she’d been struggling with. As women, they could relate to them easier.

  The fact that they suggested her stories invoked these same feelings she’d been fighting helped Mindy a great deal. It made her realize the feelings weren’t just her feelings, or out of line. In a sense, it gave her permission to have those feelings, or gave credence to the feelings. Once she reached that point, she was better able to deal with them.

  Garrett wasn’t sure how his mom and Maria had been helping her, but he could easily see the difference in her. He often commented that she seemed more relaxed, only to have her say she’d talked with them again and she did feel better. He knew it helped her the times she talked to him about a memory she’d had that had been bothering her.

  He knew she seemed more relaxed and happier, which was wonderful. It also helped their developing relationship, which was terrific, as far as he was concerned. He took her into town on a Saturday night, and they had a wonderful time. Things were going great.

  The following Tuesday, Max and Helen received some bad news. Her father had been in an accident on their ranch and was in the hospital. He was expected to recover, but would be laid up for several months. Not only was her mother, Eileen, worried about her father, Ned, but she was also concerned about their ranch. Their foreman had been sick, and had surgery a few days ago. The doctor said he would be off work at least two months, and may not be able to return at all. Ned planned on taking on the foreman’s position temporarily at least, until they knew if the foreman could return. Now they had no one to run the ranch.

  Max patted his wife’s hand. “Call Eileen and tell her we’ll be there tomorrow. I’ll run the ranch until he’s back on his feet and can decide what he wants to do. You can help your mom care for your dad while he recovers.” He turned next to his son and Wyatt. “I have every confidence that the two of you together can run this ranch. Garrett, you’ve worked with Wyatt and myself both long enough that I feel you can take over what I’ve been doing, but you can always call me if you have any questions you’re truly unsure about.”

  They spent the rest of the meal going over the general outline for the ranch and its direction in the foreseeable future, making sure all three men had the same understanding. As the meal ended, Max addressed Wyatt and Garrett one final time. “I don’t anticipate any problems, especially if the two of you work together, which you’ve done well so far. Garrett, if you’ll come with me I’ll go over a few things with you in my office.”

  Once they were in his office, Max closed the door and did indeed go over a few things with Garrett. Then he got down to his main concern. “Son, I want to talk to you about Mindy before I leave.”

  “Mindy? What about Mindy; is something wrong?”

  “Not yet, but I want you to be careful so you can keep it that way.”

  “I’m not following you, Dad. Are you saying you don’t trust me with her?”

  “No, of course not. I know there’s an attraction between you two.”

  “You do?”

  “Of course. Your mother and I have known that since she first got here. Frankly, I hope it works out for you. I like Mindy, I know she was brought up by good, caring parents, and I think you two would make a good couple. But I don’t like the attitude I’ve seen from h
er a few times, so I think you need to watch for it, and be willing to put an end to it. Ever since she talked to you about her experiences in New York she’s been becoming more relaxed and laid back. So has her attention to our rules.”

  “I noticed that, too,” Garrett said. “I was contemplating talking to her about them again.”

  “I think that might be a good idea. Helen said she tried calling her yesterday while she was out for a ride, to see if she wanted to go to town with her, but she didn’t answer. When Mindy got back to the house, Helen asked her about it and found out she’d forgotten to take her phone with her.”

  “She did? I didn’t know that. I know I saw her coming back to the house on the four wheeler yesterday and thought she was going awfully fast.”

  “I saw her, too. That wasn’t awfully fast; that was too damn fast. I was going to say something to her about it yesterday and it slipped my mind. Then after hearing about Ned, I didn’t think about it tonight, either. My concern is she never seemed to take safety as seriously as I feel she should have, so if she’s starting to slip up more and more, you need to be careful, or she’ll get too lax about something and wind up getting hurt. That’s not something I want you to have to deal with.”

  “I agree with you there for sure, Dad. Thanks for the heads up.”

  “Just remember, if you plan to have a relationship with her, it’s best you start it the way you intend it to be. If you start out soft, it’s hard to change.”

  “I hear you.”

  * * *

  The next morning after breakfast Garrett, Wyatt, Maria and Mindy said their good-byes to Max and Helen, and waved as they drove down the lane. Maria went back to the kitchen, and Wyatt got the men started on their projects for the day. Garrett walked Mindy back to the house. “What are your plans for today?”

  “I’ll probably read some, and maybe take a ride on a four wheeler.”

  “Okay. If you go out on the four wheeler, slow it down some, please. Dad said he saw you driving back in a couple days ago, and you were going too fast to be safe. He meant to talk to you about it, but then this came up with Grandpa Ned and he didn’t get a chance. He told me you forgot your phone yesterday, too, so if you go out today remember your phone, and slow it down a little bit, okay?”