It's Just A Ranch

by Misty Malone

  “That makes sense. So you tell all your men to watch for them, and they know that’s what they should do?”

  “Yes. But if you see them, I don’t want you to try to talk to them.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because we don’t know who they are. They’re probably just local kids, but we don’t know that. We have had people camp out on the ranch in the past. Most of them are okay people, but one of the neighboring ranches came across a couple guys that were camping out by a creek. They had a regular camp set up, and were catching fish and doing some small game hunting. That’s how he found them, in fact. He was checking fences one day when he heard a shot. He went to investigate and found these two men skinning a rabbit.”

  “What did he do?”

  “He stopped to talk to them. He said they seemed friendly enough. They had motorcycles, and said they had new jobs lined up in Virginia and were headed there. They said they didn’t have much money, though, and were trying to save a little by camping out now and then. They were gone the next day, but it turned out the two of them were wanted for several things, including stealing the motorcycles they were riding. They beat some guy up pretty bad and left him for dead. The neighbor saw their pictures on the news and called the sheriff.”

  “Wow.”

  “That’s why I don’t want you trying to talk to them if you see these guys again. They’re probably just neighborhood kids, but I don’t want you, a lady alone, talking to a group of guys on motorcycles. They’re on property they shouldn’t be on, so until I know who they are and why they’re here, I don’t want them alone with you. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, I guess. I can take care of myself, though. I’m not helpless.”

  “I’m glad to hear that. But I’m also capable of putting you over my knee if you ignore what I’m telling you. I’m serious about this, Mindy. If you see them again, until we know who they are, turn around and go the other way. Do not try to talk to them. Do you understand there will be a spanking involved if you do?”

  She rolled her eyes, but agreed. “Yes, I hear you.”

  “Then if I see you, or find out you were talking with them, even if they turn out to be nothing but neighborhood kids, you won’t be surprised when you find yourself over my lap getting a good spanking?”

  “Even if they’re just kids being ornery?”

  “Even if. You’d have to talk to them to know that. And if you talk to them, what if they aren’t just neighborhood kids?”

  She sighed. “Okay, you have a point. I get it.”

  “Good,” he said as he leaned down to give her a quick kiss on her cheek. “That’s my girl. Now, let’s get back to the house before Wyatt starts worrying about us.” They went to their four wheelers, and he watched, trying not to laugh, as she sat down, and jumped right back up. She rode most of the way back to the house standing up. He had to smile when he realized at least she seemed to go slower when she was standing up.

  They made it back to the gas pumps and filled the four wheelers up. They put them in the machine shed, and he led her into the house. Maria gave her a hug. “Mindy, don’t scare me like that again, please. I was so worried about you.”

  “I’m sorry, Maria. I really didn’t mean to worry anyone.”

  While they ate supper Garrett told Wyatt about the motorcycles, and they decided to call a meeting with the men after breakfast in the morning, before sending everyone out to work. They wanted to be sure everyone knew what to do if anyone saw them.

  * * *

  Mindy went to bed that night, but she had so many thoughts in her head, she couldn’t sleep. Her mind was racing. She was ecstatic when she learned he cared about her and wanted a relationship with her. She loved how he held her and made her feel so special and safe after the spanking, and when he took her hand in his afterwards as they went to look at the motorcycle tracks.

  But then she thought about the spanking. That was awful, hurt terribly, and she hated it. It was embarrassing. She stopped to contemplate the possibility of that happening again. Could she live with that possibility? After much consideration, and swaying back and forth in her feelings, she remembered what he’d said about how much easier it would have been for him to simply forbid her to roam free on the ranch any more, rather than what he did.

  As she thought about it, she realized how true that was. It took a lot more time and energy on his part, just like he said. Garrett was a busy man, and it made sense that he wouldn’t have taken that much time and used that much energy if she wasn’t special to him. That brought a smile to her face, and she instantly had her answer. If she had to be willing to live with the possibility of that happening again to have a relationship with him, then that’s what she’d do.

  She felt more comfortable and relaxed, having reached that decision, and nodded off to sleep. In her dreams she saw the two of them taking a ride on Duke, and walking hand in hand through a meadow. She woke up happy. She was anxious to see Garrett at breakfast, and got dressed quickly. Unfortunately, as she glanced at her watch she realized not only did she wake up happy—she also woke up late. She assumed she’d missed breakfast, but hurried downstairs anyway. Maybe he left a message for her with Maria.

  She hurried into the kitchen to greet Maria, and was surprised. Garrett had just put his Stetson on his head and was ready to go out the door. He turned to say good-bye to Maria, and saw Mindy. “Well, good morning, sleepy head,” he greeted, going over to take her in his arms for a quick kiss on her cheek.

  Maria’s eyebrows raised, but she didn’t say a word. She smiled, but said nothing.

  “Good morning yourself,” Mindy answered. “I was afraid I’d missed you this morning.”

  He led her outside and off to the side of the house, where they’d have a bit of privacy. “You almost did miss me,” he admitted. “I waited around a few extra minutes, hoping you’d show up. How are you this morning?”

  He lowered his voice to a whisper for the last question to assure no one else heard it. She noticed that and appreciated it. “I’m fine this morning,” she assured him.

  “No lasting effects?”

  He was still talking low to assure their privacy, and again, she appreciated that. She could also tell he wasn’t taunting her, as she originally thought, but he genuinely cared. “None at all. I really am fine.”

  “Physically and emotionally?”

  How did he seem to know what she was thinking so often? “Yes. That’s actually why I was late this morning. I had trouble falling asleep last night, but I did a lot of thinking.”

  “Good. Did you get everything straight in your mind, or would you like to talk sometime?”

  “No, I think I managed to think it all through.”

  “Good. And if that’s true, I’m really glad you’re fine, both physically and emotionally.”

  “I am. It took me a lot of thinking, but I’m good.”

  “Good. I feel like going dancing. Are you free Saturday night? Or maybe I should ask if you like to dance?”

  “I love to dance, and yes, I’m free Saturday night. That sounds fun.”

  “It’s a date then. What are you doing today?”

  “I’m not sure. I think I might take a walk this morning.”

  “Okay. Remember what I said if you see any motorcycles. I’ve got to get to work now, but I’ll see you at dinner. Behave yourself.” Before she could get upset with his warning her again, he leaned down and kissed her forehead. That took away all the anger that had started building, and she smiled up at him. He winked, and she watched him walk off toward the barn.

  She went back into the kitchen, where Maria was smiling at her. “You two seemed eager to see each other this morning,” she noted. “I hope that means when he found you last night, the two of you talked, and finally realized you care about each other.”

  “You knew?”

  The older lady smiled and nodded. “I saw the looks each of you had on your face when the other one walked in the room, but I wasn’t su
re if either of you had actually realized it yet.”

  “How did you get to be so smart, Maria?”

  “It’s called wisdom, and it comes with age. It’s a shame, really. You get it as you get older. It enables you to look back on all the things you did when you were young, and realize now how stupid you were. If only you could have that wisdom when you were younger.” She sighed, and Mindy had to laugh.

  “So when I get older, I’ll regret half the things I’m doing now?”

  “You don’t necessarily regret them. You see, wisdom also teaches you how to laugh at the mistakes you made, and be thankful things turned out good, regardless of your mistakes.”

  “You really are smart,” Mindy said. “I mean, you really are full of wisdom.” The two ladies chuckled as she got a plate to help herself to some of the leftover breakfast. She turned to Maria, still thinking. “You know, you have a point there.”

  “What point is that?”

  “Things did turn out good in the end last night, even after I made a mistake. Maybe it’s a good thing I forgot to charge my phone yesterday.”

  Maria looked a bit skeptical, and turned serious. “In this particular case, maybe. But don’t assume it will always turn out good. Not having a phone with you out there on this big ranch is not something you want to repeat. It could be dangerous, and that’s not even counting what Garrett would do to you when he finds you.”

  Mindy’s head flew around to look at Maria, who was smiling. “I believe you,” she said.

  After breakfast she did, in fact, take a walk. She didn’t go real far from the house, so she never saw any motorcycles. She stopped and sat down under a tree by a pond and watched some rabbits playing. Maria’s words kept coming back to her. It was almost as if she knew Garrett had spanked her last night. But how could she know that, unless he told her. She didn’t think he would do that, but she felt she needed to ask him. Maria sure sounded like she knew something, or like she was trying to warn her about something.

  She put that out of her mind and laid down on the ground so she could enjoy the beauty and peacefulness of the ranch. Coming here had been such a good thing for her. She was beginning to feel better again; better about herself, and about life. It occurred to her that Garrett deserved some of the credit for her feeling better. In fact, he deserved a lot of the credit. She really didn’t want to talk to anyone about her feelings, but he kept trying. When he finally coaxed her into talking about it, she immediately started feeling better. He’d been right when he said he thought she needed to talk about it before she’d be able to put it behind her. He really was a smart man. She could easily admit now that he was looking out for her, even back then. She found herself smiling again at that thought. She was a lucky lady.

  She started to think about her future. She had decided she was done with nursing, and instead wanted to try writing a book. That was something she’d wanted to do for years. She took English and some creative writing classes in college, but her mother had always told her that wasn’t a career you could count on. With that in mind, she switched her major to nursing.

  Now, though, she had some money in the bank from the years she spent as an emergency room nurse in New York City, and wanted to try writing. Even if she never sold a book, she thought it would help her heal and maybe help her decide what she wanted to do with the rest of her life. She was determined to give it a try.

  Chapter Ten

  Later that night Garrett asked Mindy if she’d like to go riding on Duke. She laughed, thinking back to her dream the night before. He tilted her head and looked at her, a question written on his face. “I’d love to. I’ll explain it on the way.”

  He nodded and took her hand as they walked to the barn. Once they were sitting on their favorite rock overlooking the creek, she turned toward him. “Can I ask you something?”

  “Sure.”

  “This morning Maria and I were talking. At one point she said things sometimes turn out good, even if you’ve made a mistake. I told her last night was a good example of that, and that things turned out well for us, even after I forgot to charge my phone. She got really serious and said it turned out good last night, but she certainly wouldn’t want to try it again. It would be dangerous, and that didn’t even count what you’d do when you found me next time.”

  “Smart woman,” Garrett said with a nod.

  “Did you tell her what happened last night?”

  “Did I tell her what? Oh, you mean about the spanking?”

  “Yes. That sounds like she knew what happened, or what you would do if I did that again. Did you tell her?”

  “Of course not,” he assured her. “That’s something private, between us, and I would never tell anyone about it.”

  “Oh, good,” she said, obviously relieved. “I thought for a minute there she knew you spanked me.”

  “I didn’t tell her,” he confirmed. “But she might have a pretty good idea.”

  Her head whirled around to look at him. “What do you mean?”

  “I told you I was a lot like my dad; I protect the people who are important to me. Do you remember that?”

  “Yes, but how does that relate to Maria?”

  “Dad protects my mom, and Maria’s heard him, uh, protecting her.”

  Mindy was flabbergasted. “Your dad spanks your mom, and Maria has heard them? Oh, my gosh. I would be so embarrassed. And how do you know this? Please tell me this isn’t something you discuss over the supper table.”

  “Calm down, honey. Of course it’s not something we discuss. Mom had done something Dad took issue with, and the next morning while we were working, Dad sent me into the house to get something out of his office. I came in the side door, the door closest to his office, and I heard Mom and Maria talking. I was going to go in and let them know I was in the house so they wouldn’t worry if they heard noises in the office area, but then I heard what they were saying, and decided it would be better if I didn’t let them know I was around or had heard any of it. I quietly backed away and went to the office, got what I needed, and left, without them knowing I was in the house. What I heard was Maria consoling Mom. She told Mom that before he died, her husband used to spank her when she needed it, too, and that although it may be terrible at the time, she always felt his love for her even stronger afterward.”

  “Maria’s husband, too? What is it with you men? Is it something in the water around here?”

  Garrett laughed, but pulled her in closer, so she could lean her back against his chest. “We always assumed it was something in the water causing the women around here to not listen well.”

  She turned around to punch him, but he caught her hand and pulled her in for a kiss.

  Things between them changed from that day on. Maria, Wyatt, and the ranch hands all saw it. The two of them spent time together about every evening, and it turned out they both enjoyed dancing and were good at it. They were often seen in town on Saturday nights doing just that.

  The two of them grew steadily closer. The only thing that continued to be a recurring problem for them was her lack of safety. She understood what he said about caring for her and protecting her and keeping her safe. She even got a warm, fuzzy feeling knowing he was watching her so closely, looking out for her in order to keep her safe. But she just didn’t see a lot of things being as dangerous as he seemed to think they were.

  One such example involved her driving. He felt she drove too fast, and had talked to her about it on a couple occasions. Every time she insisted she wasn’t driving as fast as he thought, but agreed to watch her speed a little closer.

  But then Deputy Aaron Southerby, who was a friend of Garrett’s, stopped by the ranch to talk to him. Two ranchers in the area complained about a couple guys they’d seen camping out on their ranches. He stopped to see if Garrett had seen any sign of them. They talked, and as Garrett was walking Deputy Southerby back to his car, the deputy stopped, staring off to the side. Garrett followed his friend’s line of sight, to Mindy’s ca
r. “Is something wrong, Aaron?”

  “No, not really. I’ve seen that car before. It’s the only bright orange bug I’ve seen in this area, and it was headed this way the day I saw it, so I’d say it has to be the same car. It doesn’t look like something you’d buy, though, or your parents. One of the ranch hands?”

  Garrett didn’t like the look on his friend’s face, and wondered what this was all about, and why Aaron remembered her car. “It belongs to a friend of the family who’s come to stay a little while after a bad experience out east. Why do you remember it? Is there a problem?”

  “I was coming home from work one day last week in my own car, not a marked sheriff’s car, and someone was having car trouble, so I pulled over to help them. While I was off to the side of the road helping them, that little orange bug flew past.”

  Garrett sighed and shook his head. “Going a bit fast, was it?”

  “Like I said, I was in my own car and didn’t have a radar gun or anything, but yes, it was going a bit fast. After a few years you get a feel for the speed of a car, and that one concerned me. I didn’t know who it was, but I remember thinking they need to slow it down. I’d guess it must have been going seventy-five, maybe a little over. I figured I’d keep an eye out for it. If it was someone local, I was willing to bet I’d see it again. There aren’t many of them around.”

  “No, there sure aren’t,” Garrett agreed. “I’ll have a talk with her, Aaron, and tell her what you said. Or if you’d rather talk to her, I can see if she’s in the house.”

  “No, that’s okay. If you would talk to her, though, I’d appreciate it. She really does need to slow down on this road out here. I’d sure hate to meet her when I’m responding to an accident she was involved in.”

  “I’d hate to see that happen, too. Trust me, Aaron, I’ll talk to her about it. Thanks for letting me know.”

  As Garrett watched Aaron driving out the lane a few minutes later, his thoughts turned to Mindy. He would definitely be having a talk with her. He went into the kitchen and found Maria. “Do you know where Mindy is?”