by Mia Brown
“Well, maybe. Like I said, I’m not really sure, but that was just someone I thought it might be.”
I laughed bitterly. “Ah, so your mind automatically went to wealthy rancher,” I said. “Typical.”
Dallas shot me a look of disgust. “Why did I even tell you? It’s my personal life and it has nothing to do with you. Look, I think we’ve spoken enough. You have my answer for Steve and I’m not budging. Now, if you don’t mind, I want to get back to work and I think it’s best if you just leave.”
I stood up and made my way to the door. “Fine by me.”
Five
Dallas
“You’re in a bad mood,” Madison said when she got back from her lunch.
I nodded. “You’re absolutely right. I’m in a foul mood.”
“Uh oh. What did I miss?”
I sighed. “Steve is trying to get us out of here. He wants me to give this place up within a month. He even a hired a lawyer. That creep, Blaze was here doing all Steve’s dirty work.”
Madison sighed. “Blaze is so hot.”
I groaned. “You really think so?”
“Oh come on, you’ve got to admit that he’s good looking. I know he’s an arrogant idiot, but you’ve got to at least acknowledge that he’s gorgeous. Very easy on the eye.”
“He’s okay, but his looks are shadowed by his awful personality.”
“You’re probably right,” Madison said. “So he came here to talk for Steve? Seriously? What did he say?”
“Steve offered me a thousand dollars to move out before the end of the month.”
“What? Is this guy for real? A thousand dollars is not going to cut it. I hope you said no,” Madison said.
“Of course I said no. Hell, even if he’d offered me ten thousand dollars I probably would’ve said no just out of principle. The whole thing is bloody annoying. Blaze reckons I should just move to make things easier, but that only made me even more upset. I’m not leaving. Hell no. Not without putting up a fight. I’m going to make this as hard as possible for Steve.”
“Good for you. Well, if you need any help let me know.”
“Thanks Madison.”
“So, any luck with finding out who the flowers were from? Hey, did you ever ask Will?”
I sighed. “I still have no idea. I sort of mentioned it to Will without really coming out and asking him, but he didn’t flinch so I have no idea. I think it might’ve been from him but I’m not completely sure. I don’t want to assume and then be wrong. Hey, they weren’t from you were they?”
“From me? Why would I send you flowers? I think you’re gorgeous, Dallas, but I don’t swing that way.”
I laughed. “I know that. I mean, maybe you felt sorry for me and you wanted me to have a bit of romance in my life. It would be a very sweet but also very cruel thing to do though.”
“Which is why I would never do that. I swear they’re not from me. Hey, why don’t you ask the florist? They might tell you.”
“I’m going to pop by now. It’s on my way home so I’ll go in and ask.”
“Well, I’m sure they’ll tell you,” Madison said. “They should have all the names of their clients. Tell me as soon as you know, okay?”
I laughed. “Of course I will.”
“Hey, what are you going to do if you do find out that it’s Will?”
“What am I going to do?” I repeated. I shrugged. “I have no idea. I haven’t really thought about that. I don’t think I would do anything to be honest. I mean, what is there to do? I’m not going to go and tell him that I know. If he wants me to find out, he’ll come and tell me himself.”
Madison sighed. “You’re impossible.”
“And you are far too much of a hopeless romantic,” I replied.
I almost didn’t go to the florist, because the more I thought about the more I wasn’t sure if I wanted to know who the flowers were from. If they were from will then I was only going to feel more awkward around him then I already was. But what if they were from someone else altogether? What if they were from some man I didn’t want anything to do with? There was that one creep who had followed me home one day. He didn’t live in our area anymore but that didn’t mean it wasn’t him. I shuddered at the thought. No, I needed to find out who it was. I parked my car and headed inside, pleased to see they were still open.
“Hello, how can I help you?” said the man at the counter. Raindrop was a fairly small town compared to the other towns in Montana, and most people knew each other or at least knew of one another. I had definitely seem him before but I wasn’t sure exactly from where.
“Hi, I’m Dallas. You’re…”
“Jack,” he said as he stuck his hand out for a firm handshake. “Oh, you’re the vet. I’ve seen you around.”
“I’ve seen you around too.”
He laughed. “Small town syndrome. So, what can I do for you? Are you looking to send some flowers to someone? If you need a recommendation let me know. I love coming up with ideas.”
“Oh, no, I’m not here for flowers. Actually, I’m here because I got flowers from someone recently. Uh, on Valentine’s day.”
“Were you not happy with them?”
I shook my head. “The flowers were beautiful. I just don’t know who sent them to me. I thought you might be able to help me out.”
“There wasn’t a note?”
“Only with my name on it, and the delivery guy had no details either. Actually, the delivery guy recommended that I come and speak to you to see if you knew who it was.”
“Dallas, you said you name was,” Jack said. He took out his order book and scanned through the orders. Then he shook his head. “Ah, I remember that order now. Unfortunately, I don’t have any idea who placed the order.”
“I don’t understand. How come you don’t have any details?”
“I actually wasn’t in that day. It was my assistant. But when I came in the next day he told me that a man came in to place an order with cash. The only reason he told me was because it’s so unusual these days. Most people place orders through our website. You’d be surprised at how few people actually come into the shop these days. It’s quite sad. But business is better than ever so I can’t complain.”
“So no details at all? What about your assistant? Is he here?”
“Sadly not,” Jack said. “He’s gone away on vacation and won’t be back for a few weeks. So, secret admirer hey? I think that’s rather wonderful. Not something you see much of these days.”
I sighed. “I am finding it far more frustrating than romantic. I just want to know who sent the flowers. It’s so annoying not knowing. I mean, what’s the point in sending them if you’re going to remain anonymous. It doesn’t make any sense.”
Jack chuckled. “Ah, you’re a control freak I see. You should just let it go. Enjoy the moment. You have someone who wanted to spoil you on Valentine’s Day, and for some reason that person is not yet ready to reveal who they are. Tell me something, did you like the flowers?”
“Well. I’m not really a flower sort of person. No offense or anything. I know that’s your job. It’s just…well…I always thought it was a bit of a waste of money. But, saying that, I do actually like having the flowers on my desk. They make me a lot happier than I thought they would. But it has nothing to do with the sender, and everything to do with the flowers themselves. They’re beautiful. They bring about a sense of happiness to my office. So, well, I guess you could say that I did like the flowers then.”
“Then you should be pleased that someone wanted to make you happy. It really is as simple as that. That’s the joy of flowers. It brings a smile to someone’s face. It makes them forget about their problems for a while. It’s a way of doing something for someone to show that you care. There is nothing wrong with that. This could have been a romantic gesture, or maybe it was just someone reaching out to you. It doesn’t really matter. What matters is that the flowers made you happy and you deserve some happiness in your life.
&
nbsp; I smiled at Jack. “You are a damn good salesman, you know that? You’ve got me believing in the magic of flowers now.”
Jack beamed. “Then my job here is done.”
I thanked him and left the store, none the wiser than I had been upon entering. Jack was right. It had been a nice gesture and I should simply be happy that someone had taken the chance to think about me. It was a good feeling, and not one that I felt very often. I still hoped that I discovered who it was from some day, but for now I would just chalk it up to a pleasant Valentine’s Day surprise. Perhaps the day isn’t so bad after all.
Six
Blaze
A week had passed since my run in with Dallas, but I still couldn’t get her pouty face out of my mind. She had been furious with me, and even angrier at Steve. I couldn’t blame her, and I didn’t want to see her upset, but her passion had ignited something in me. I needed to do something else to get her to like me, but I wasn’t sure what. Mostly, I needed some distraction that day, because thinking about her always got me worked up. I was about to go out when the phone rang and my brother asked me to come over for a ride. I hadn’t planned on going over to the ranch that day, but figured it wasn’t such a bad thing after all. I didn’t like having nothing to do with my day. I usually kept busy with work, but I didn’t like the in between moments. They made me wonder what I was doing with my life and I didn’t like that feeling at all. Keeping busy was necessary to me.
The ranch wasn’t too far away, and riding the horses always put me in a good mood. When I arrived Tyler came bounding up to me on his horse, looking as if he’d already been riding all day. Tyler looked as if he was born to be on a horse, although he probably was. We had both grown up in this lifestyle and it came so naturally to both of us. Although I had always thought that it suited Tyler more than it did for me.
“You’re riding without me,” I said to Tyler as I got out my car.
He laughed. “You took too long. Come on, saddle up. Your horse is waiting.”
I smiled at the sight of my horse, who I had claimed as my own a few years ago. He was a beautiful beast, so soft to the touch and the easiest horse to ride. He looked magnificent and somewhat scary, but he was very gentle. I reached out to pat him, then hopped on. Whenever I didn’t ride for a while I found myself getting agitated, but the moment I got on a horse I felt my troubles melt away. When I was younger I used to think that the horses had some magical power. Tyler must’ve noticed.
“Look at you. You came in looking like a lawyer, and now you already look like you belong on the ranch. Marty missed you.”
I stroked the horse and smiled. “Well, I missed Marty too.”
“Marty,” Tyler scoffed. “I still can’t believe you named him after Marty McFly.”
“It’s the best name for him. He looks like a Marty. Also, Back to the future is only the best movie of all time,” I said.
“You’re so old.”
I groaned. “And you’re far too young to appreciate it.”
Tyler chuckled. “You sound jealous.”
“I would never be jealous of you,” I teased.
Tyler smiled. “Come on, let’s go for a ride.”
We spent the next hour riding around the ranch. We never spoke when we rode, and both of us were lost in our own thoughts. Tyler did this almost day which was probably why he was one of the most relaxed men in town. Horses just had that effect on people. Tyler and I were very different. I always knew I wanted to be a lawyer, and for many years it had been my life’s ambition to leave this small town. I wanted to know what life was like in a big city. I wanted action, and fun, and money. Oh yes, I wanted money. People said I was greedy but I preferred to call it ambitious. Tyler, on the other hand, had never wanted to leave the ranch. We had both worked on the ranch as kids and while I would dream of escaping, he would dream of staying. One of the only reasons I left was because I knew that the ranch was in good hands with both my father and Tyler in charge. When my father got sick, I came back, and I stopped my lawyer work for a while. I would be lying if I said I hadn’t enjoyed my time back. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed the lifestyle on the ranch, and how different it felt doing hard work with my hands rather than just my mind. Both jobs were equally strenuous, but in different ways.
“Let’s get something to eat,” Tyler said after some time. “I’ve worked up quite the appetite.”
“Sounds good to me,” I said as I made my way back to the stable. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until Tyler mentioned the idea of food. The moment he did I felt my stomach grumble.
I followed Tyler back into the house, where the smell of food made me salivate.
“Man that smells good.”
“The joy of still living with your folks,” Tyler said.
I laughed. This was very true. Having to fend for myself was never fun. It was why I enjoyed coming back to the ranch. Not only did my mother always feed me but she always gave me food to take home. I was not the best cook, and on the days when I didn’t have mom’s home cooked meals I would usually get something already made from the shop. “Where the heck are mom and dad though? I haven’t seen them at all.”
“They were at the store when you got here, but they must’ve come back.”
“We’re here! Good to see you again my boy.”
I turned around at the sound of my father’s voice and smiled. It was good to see my father looking healthy again. For a while he hadn’t looked too great, and we’d all been worried about him. Our father had always been our hero. He was a strong man, with a great work ethic and he had taught us a lot while we were growing up. When he got sick, he became weak and thin, and it had been one of the hardest things I had ever seen. Looking at him now, you would never think that he had once been so ill. He was back to looking as strong and healthy as before. He couldn’t do as much as he had before, but he tried not to let anyone know. He came over to give me a big pat on the back. The type that takes your breath away.
“Good to see you too, dad. You’re looking great. Tyler and I just went for a ride. It was amazing.”
“It always is,” my father said. “I’m sure Marty was happy to see you. He likes you more than anyone else.”
Just then my mother came into the kitchen and beamed when she saw me. I had always been close with my mother, and I knew that she wished I would come work at the ranch again. She always said she was proud of me, but I knew that a part of her hated the work that I did. We had never been a corporate sort of family and it had always been her dream for her three boys to work together at the ranch. While she would never say it out loud, I often felt like I was disappointing her. She came over to give me a squeeze.
“I’m glad you’re here. I made extra food.”
I chuckled. “You always make extra food.” My mother was known for always making more food than was necessary, but she said it was the result of having to feed three men.
“Well, I never know when one of my hungry kids is going to show up.”
“It smells amazing, mom. I’m starving. This is just what the doctor ordered.”
The four of us sat down to eat together, and for a while it felt just like the old days. It was nice, but I could tell that the three of them had already formed a bond without me. I couldn’t blame them. There were times when I didn’t see them for weeks on end, while they spent all their time together on the ranch. They had insider jokes that I pretended to laugh at, and they spoke about things that went straight over my head. Still, it was good to be with them again and I made a mental note to come over more often. When we were finished eating, Tyler and I went outside to have some coffee while my parents watched their favorite show.
“They still never miss an episode, huh?” I said to Tyler.
“Never. You know, some things just never change. I keep telling them that they can record the show if they’re busy, but they insist on watching it on the day it airs.”
I laughed. “Well, this was nice. I should come over more often. I’m ju
st so busy these days.”
Tyler sighed. “You know, I think you were happier when you were helping out at the ranch. Ever since you’ve gone back to being a lawyer, you just seem so stressed and harried. You should come back.”
I shook my head. “I like my job. Anyway, you don’t need me anymore. Dad is better.”
“I’m glad dad is better, but that doesn’t mean you can’t come back. The three of us worked well together. You suit this lifestyle far more than you think you do.”
“Nah,” I disagreed. “Look, maybe you’re right about the stress thing. I’m not sure I want to go back to being a big shot corporate lawyer again. I’m not sure it’s worth the stress. But I do enjoy my job. I genuinely enjoy the intellectual challenge it gives me every day.”
“So why don’t you seem happy? If you really love your work you should be smiling all the time.”
I sighed. “It’s not the job. I like the job. I really enjoy what I do, and I know I’m good at it. It’s the clients. Not all of them are the easiest people to deal with.” The moment the words were out my mouth I thought of Steve. He was not the sort of guy I enjoyed dealing with.
“Anyone in particular?”
I shook my head. “Nah, it’s nothing I really want to talk about. You know, attorney-client privilege and all that.”
Tyler laughed. “You know you can tell me though. I’m your brother. Anyway, you do realize that you don’t have to take on every job that comes your way. If you don’t like the client then you should turn them down. It’s not like you’re short on money or anything. You should be selective with who you choose. You might find that you enjoy your job a little more by doing that.”
“I’m not sure, Tyler. I can’t get too picky. If I do then no one is going to trust me as a professional.”
“Well, I think you should screw the law, and come work here on the dude ranch.”
