Life at the Ranch

by Malone, Misty

  “Because it gave you something more important, or more urgent to think about than the meal. Once I got your attention, and your mind off that meal, I was able to talk to you about what the stress is doing to you, like your attitude, and forgetting the message. Then you could see it, too, and felt bad about it. As the spanking continued, it cleansed you of all the stress, and all the guilt you felt once you saw what you let the stress do to you. Once we were there, all I had to do is give you a safe place, a place where you could feel safe and comfortable to recover. Reminding you that I love you and I'm here for you while you're doing that recovery I hope helps a little, at least.”

  “It helps a lot,” she said without thinking. She took several moments and thought about what he'd said.

  “Am I close? Is any of that what you were feeling?”

  “It's more than close,” she admitted. “You were right. I didn't feel right, but I didn't know what was wrong. I was antsy, anxious, restless. You knew what was wrong, and how to fix it.”

  “And I did.”

  “And you did.”

  “That's what I was trying to explain to you the other night, honey. That's part of how I show you I love you.”

  She started laughing. It wasn't a loud, belly laugh, but quiet and subdued, but still a laugh.

  “You find it funny that I would do that as a way of loving you?”

  “No, not now. I get it now. But when you told me that I thought you were crazy. I thought it was ludicrous that someone would actually say they spanked someone because they love them. That day it made no sense in my mind. But now it does. I get it now.”

  “Good.”

  She cuddled in against his chest closer. “I love you, too,” she said sincerely.

  Hearing those simple words, at that time, was wonderful. It brought tears to his eyes that he had to blink back. He held her, enjoying their closeness. Then he gently took her face in his hands and kissed her. It was a deep kiss filled with passion, and she kissed him back, just as passionately. They held each other close, talking quietly, for the next half hour.

  He was ready to go home, when she stopped him. “Wait. You never did tell me what Clint said.”

  Bo laughed. “I didn't, did it? I guess I got sidetracked.”

  “So what's up? Did anything else happen?”

  “Clint talked to the sheriff, told him he was a friend of mine and was looking into who could be targeting me. After the sheriff looked at his credentials and called me to verify he was working for me, he shared what they had. They took fingerprints on my key chain, and the only fingerprints on them are mine. That tells them whoever dropped it there is being careful, and they must have been wearing gloves. On the other hand, it doesn't look good for me if someone starts pushing for an arrest. That makes it look like I'm the only one who's touched it so I must be the one that broke in.”

  “That's not good,” Alicia said, thinking. “Whoever's doing this knows what they're doing and they're being careful. Nothing new, though?”

  “No, not yet. Maybe they'll realize the sheriff's not believing it was me and they'll give up.”

  “Maybe. I hope so.”

  * * *

  Alicia felt much better, no longer filled with stress when she went to the grocery store the next day. She took her groceries home, put them away, and called Kayla. She quickly told her she felt much better about Bo and this whole spanking thing now, and promised she'd explain it all the next day while they were cooking.

  When Kayla got there on Thursday, they started right in. Alicia had a tentative schedule that would assure everything was done in an order that should have it all ready at one time. As soon as they had things well underway, Kayla asked about Bo. They spent an hour talking about the spanking he'd given her and why, and how it made her feel afterwards. Kayla was happy to hear she felt differently about it now, and it sounded as though they were getting along real well.

  Their meal preparations were going well. They had homemade dinner rolls set to rise, then made some homemade noodles, using one of their new little gadgets to cut the noodles uniform size. Next was homemade pasta. They made ravioli, using another new gadget to cut the raviolis. They used another new toy to make some into spaghetti.

  While the pasta was drying they turned their attention to lunch. When the men came in they gave their ladies a kiss, and in exchange they got hot tuna melt sandwiches, fried potatoes with peppers and onions, broccoli salad, and peach cobbler.

  The four of them and Maria enjoyed lunch, and once the men went back to their work Alicia and Kayla got back to cooking supper. They put some homemade spaghetti sauce on to cook, mixed up some raspberry vinaigrette salad dressing, made a meat and cheese filling for the ravioli, and then got to use another new gadget to make cannolis. They filled the raviolis and sealed them, made the salad, and sat back to check their progress.

  They double-checked everything, making sure it was ready. All they had left to do was put the dinner rolls in the oven to bake, and cook the pasta. They sat down and enjoyed a cup of tea before the final push. When it was time they finished it all, taking the rolls out of the oven as the men came in the house.

  They both lifted their faces and took a big sniff. “Wow,” Bo said first. “I don't know what we're having, but it sure smells good.”

  “It sure does,” Wyatt agreed.

  Alicia was all smiles. “Thank you. Get washed up while we put it on the table. And could one of you get Maria, please? We told her to take the afternoon off. I think she's in her room.

  “I'll get her,” Wyatt offered.

  The ladies made quick work of putting the food on the table, anxious to see how it all turned out. They weren't disappointed. Ten minutes later everyone was singing their praises. Even they were pleased with how everything turned out.

  Alicia was a bit concerned about the cannolis, since she'd never made them before, but even she had to admit they were quite good.

  Maria was also impressed, and asked about recipes and how to make certain things.

  As they all settled into the living room afterward, coffee in hand and full stomachs, Bo pulled Alicia closer to him. “If that's any indication of your cooking abilities, I think you should definitely give your business idea some serious thought.”

  Wyatt looked over at her. “What business idea is that?”

  Alicia was suddenly shy. “Oh, it's not something I've thought real seriously about; just a wild idea I had.”

  Kayla was interested, as well. “What is it?”

  Alicia wasn't making any effort to answer, so Bo did. “She's considering starting a business where she makes meals for take out. It would help the working moms if they've had a rough day, or have a busy night ahead of them. They call in, tell them they need a meal for four, or whatever, and she'd have it packed and ready at a drive up window. They don't have to get out of the car, and they'd get a home-cooked meal. I thought it was a terrific idea.”

  Kayla sat up and looked at Alicia. “You never mentioned it. That's brilliant. What were you thinking; just fix one meal and everyone gets the same thing?”

  “Or maybe two,” Alicia explained, “but not more than that, I don't think. I thought maybe have two full meals and people can pick between them. I think it would get too complicated if I made more than that.”

  Kayla thought a few moments. “Or two main dishes, two salads, two vegetables, two deserts, and people can mix and match, maybe?”

  “Ooh, that's a good idea, too,” Alicia agreed.

  “When did all this come about?” Wyatt asked. “I never heard anything about it. Were you thinking about doing it here?”

  “Well, in this area, yes. I like it here, and I told Bo if I decide I want to stay here I need to find a job and a place to live.”

  Wyatt looked concerned. “Why do you need a place to live? Is there something you don't like here?”

  “No, I love it here,” she said quickly. “But it's not fair to impose on you all this time.”

  �
�Who said you were imposing? I've enjoyed having you here. And I know my foreman has no complaints about the situation,” he added with a smile.

  “No, he certainly does not,” Bo agreed.

  “I love the idea, Alicia,” Kayla said. “I think you should look into it, see what licenses you have to have. I'm glad you're going to stay in this area, too.”

  “I'm certainly glad of that myself,” Bo said with a quick kiss to her cheek. “After you see what all you need to do to open a business, we'll have to get all the equipment and things you need.”

  “I'd say we could add on to our kitchen and you could stay here, but this probably wouldn't be a good place, would it?”

  “No,” Alicia agreed. “Thank you for the thought, but I need to be in town, so people can just stop on their way home after work.”

  “Why don't you call and see how you start a business, what all you need from the city, and we'll all start watching for a vacant place to rent in a good location. Once we have that we'll have to see about getting you the equipment,” Bo said, thinking aloud.

  “We? You'll help me?”

  Bo looked taken aback. “Of course I'll help. You're getting me excited about the idea, too.” He paused. “Unless you don't want me to help. Maybe you want to do it yourself.”

  “No! No, I definitely want the help. I just didn't know you'd be interested in helping.”

  Wyatt and Kayla were looking at each other. “I think it's safe to say we all want to help all we can, Alicia. Let Kayla and me know what we can do to help.”

  Alicia looked a little overwhelmed as she looked to each of her friends. “So you all think that crazy idea might work?”

  Bo looked a little stern. “It's not a crazy idea, and I do think it will work.” The others agreed, and they all encouraged her to try it. By the time she went to bed that evening she was considering the idea seriously.

  The next morning she called the city before she chickened out. She asked what licenses she would need for such a business. She then did some checking on the number of people in the area, and the percentage of the families where both parents worked. The next thing she checked was the number of restaurants offering take out menus. She got on her computer and compared that with other areas, and was encouraged.

  That night Bo gave her another riding lesson. It was the first time they left the corral, and she was excited. He led them to a little clearing, where he slid down from Midnight and held Patsy while she dismounted. He tied the horses loosely to a nearby tree, and took her hand to lead her to a very large stone overlooking a babbling brook. He helped her up onto the stone, and they enjoyed the view while they talked a bit.

  She told him what her research showed her, and he could tell she was excited about the new venture now. She'd given this a lot of thought, and he was impressed, especially with her next statement. “If I'm going to do this, I need to decide how I'm going to finance it. I have a couple options, as I see it.”

  “What are those options?”

  “I could try and get a small business loan for a start-up business. There's a ton of paperwork you have to fill out for it and I may or may not be approved. It would take some period of time.”

  “And the other option?”

  “The other option is something I know my mom wouldn't like, but I'm thinking seriously about it. My grandpa, Mom's dad, left me a trust. It's not a big trust, but I think it would be enough to start that business if I'm careful about how I spend it; buy used equipment instead of new, and things like that. I'm thinking about using that.”

  “Why wouldn't your mom like that?”

  “She said her dad wanted to leave all of us a down payment for a house, so that's what she thinks I should use it for; my first house. She told me I couldn't get to the trust until I bought my first house or was 35 years old. That didn't sound right, so I checked into it. I found out I could get it for my first house or when I was 25.”

  “She actually told you 35?”

  “Yes. When I told her I knew it was 25, she told me she said that for my own good, that Grandpa really wanted me to use it for that.”

  “Do you think he did?”

  “I think if he really wanted that he would have said that. I think it would be a good use for it, but I think he would be proud of me if I used it to start a business that did good and allowed me to make enough money to buy a house.”

  “That sounds very logical. I didn't know your grandfather, but I don't know of any grandparent who wouldn't be proud to see their grandchild open a successful business. That would provide an income for you for as long as you want to do it. After all, what good is a down payment on a house if you don't have a good job with a good income to make the payments?”

  “Good point. I know Mom will have a fit, but she's just going to have to accept it. Legally, she can't stop me any more from getting it and using it. I want to think about it a little more, do a little more research, but I'm thinking seriously about this whole project now.” She reached over and kissed him. “Thank you for encouraging me. I never would have done it on my own.”

  “Why not? I think it's a real good idea.”

  “I was afraid it was a dumb idea and I wouldn't have any customers.”

  He took her in his arms and held her, pulling her chin up so she was looking into his eyes. “You know, my little one, this isn't the first time I've noticed a lack of self-confidence in you. I don't understand that. You're a very smart little lady with good ideas, and a wonderful cook. You have a good head on your shoulders. I think this will go real well. What makes you question yourself so much?”

  “I don't know.”

  “Well, I don't, either, but I don't like it. I have a lot of confidence in you, and you need to, as well. You need to go into a new business knowing it's going to work, not wondering if it might possibly work. How you feel about it can affect your decisions regarding it, and I want you to make positive decisions.”

  She cocked her head a bit as she studied him. “I never thought of that, but it does kind of make sense.”

  “Of course it does, just like your idea for the business. That makes a lot of sense. You said you wanted to do a little more research before you decide for sure to do it. What research do you want to do?”

  “I want to see if there are other businesses like this around. I know there aren't any here locally, but I want to see if anyone else has done something like this elsewhere and how it went, and maybe see how they did it.”

  “Another good idea. Let me know what you find, okay?”

  “I will.” She leaned against his chest a few moments. “When I get all my research and facts, if I decide to do this, will you help me? The more I think about it the more things I realize I'll have to decide about, like where to put it, what all equipment I'll need, what types of things to make, prices, if I want to try to do it myself or hire someone to help, what days and hours I want to be open.”

  “I'll help you as much as I can. Parts of it you have way more knowledge about than I, but I can still listen, ask questions, and offer my opinion.”

  “Thank you.”

  They enjoyed the scenery and each other, their closeness, for a little longer before part two of the riding lesson, when they rode back to the barn and brushed the horses out.

  They chatted while they brushed their horses, since Bo had long ago moved Patsy into the stall next to Midnight's. “You're doing real well learning how to ride,” Bo said. “I'm proud of you. Do you still like it?”

  “I love it. Thank you for teaching me. How soon will I be able to take Patsy out myself?”

  “After today you're getting closer. You did real well with her tonight, but I'd like to be with you a few more times just to be sure you have the confidence. I'd like to see you have a little more experience so if something spooks her you're confident you can control her. Horses pick up on that quick, and if you're nervous when something spooks her, that's when they run wild instead of responding to you.”

  “Does
that happen often?”

  “Not real often, but it does happen. The only way you can get that confidence is with time. Each time you go out on her you'll feel a little better about yourself and your abilities, and she'll pick up on that.”

  “Okay. That makes sense. I'll trust you and your skills with horses.”

  “Thank you.” He leaned over the railing to look into her eyes. “I hope you can start trusting me with much more than that soon, but that's a good start.”

  She came over to stand next to him. “I already do trust you, Bo, with a whole lot more than horses.”

  He leaned toward her. “I love you,” he said right before capturing her lips with his.”

  “I love you, too,” she said as he finished the kiss.

  * * *

  The next day Alicia did the additional research she wanted to do. Unfortunately, she was only able to find information on a couple other such businesses, and none of them were close. One was in a large city on the east coast, and there wasn't much information on it.

  The other one was in Tennessee, again in a larger city. She found more information on it, though, which was helpful. It showed her the days and hours they were open, along with menus and prices for the current week. She printed the page off so she could study it better.

  She showed the page to Bo that evening as they were relaxing by the pool. They talked about that, and about a couple places Bo had heard about for rent in Lindale. She decided to look into both of them and talk to the owners, find out what kind of lease would be needed, how long, and for how much. He told her if she got that information, maybe he could take some time off in the next couple days to go look at them with her.

  “I can't go tomorrow because we're all going to be repairing fences. I want to get some cattle moved into the big pasture to the north, but there are several places where the fence needs fixed first. I'm spacing the men a ways apart all along the pasture and we'll all work alone and try and get it all repaired in one day.”

  “That's okay. I'll try and get all the information I can as to size and price and how soon it will be available tomorrow. Kayla told me about another place, too, and I thought I'd just drive around town and see if I see any other places that are vacant, and check with a realtor that rents and manages property. She may know of another place, even if it's not something she rents out. So I'll try to get all the info tomorrow. Then maybe we can go in the next day or two to look at them.”