RED HOT RANCH

by Swale, Lizzie

  “What?”

  “So your daughter can finish the year in her current school.”

  “Oh. I could start right away, I could move her.”

  “No, it’s okay. It’s only a week or so. That will give you time to get everything in the city settled, and it will give me time to get settled here as well. You can have the two rooms downstairs; I have a television in the office so I almost never go down there. She’ll have space to play and do her homework and you’ll have the bathroom down there as well.”

  “That’s really very generous of you.”

  “Julie’s daughter should have all the phone numbers for the school so you can get in touch with them and get your daughter registered for the fall.”

  “All right.”

  “Can you find your way out? I have phone calls to make, and I have to change before chores.”

  “Yes, of course. Is there some way I can contact you?”

  “Of course. Hold on.” He returned with a notepad and pen. “Here’s the house number, and my cell number.” He handed her the paper. “I will see you July first.”

  “Thank-you.”

  She watched him leave and then let the confusion overwhelm her professional mask. We were getting along so well, what happened? I hope taking this job isn’t a mistake.

  Chapter 3

  Wendy was at the table working on multiplication tables when Lillian got home Saturday evening. “Hey sweetie, how was your weekend?”

  “Boring. It rained and Zoey wasn’t home.”

  “Did you want to go out for breakfast tomorrow?”

  “Yeah, right. You’ll probably be working again.”

  “Nope. Buddy thinks I’m out of town until tomorrow afternoon. Let’s go out for once.”

  Mrs. Jameson came out of the bathroom. “Oh, you’re home early. I’ll go pack my things.”

  “You don’t have to rush away,” Lillian said.

  “No, no. I’ll catch up with you later. I have soaps on the PVR, and someone said there was going to be some skin!”

  Lillian shook her head. “All right. I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

  The next morning Lillian and Wendy put on their nice clothes and painted their nails and took the bus to a nice family restaurant.

  “You haven’t talked about your trip at all,” Wendy said after they had ordered.

  “Mrs. Jameson’s friend was very nice, but if you thought she was pushy, her friend is even worse.”

  “Oh boy,” Wendy said. “And you survived?”

  “I needed a little pushing. There was a job interview, you see, and I was pretty nervous about it.”

  “Job interview? But Wheaton is hours away.”

  “I know that, but it’s really good money, and regular hours so I would have more time to spend with you.”

  “You mean more time to drive back and forth and more money for fuel. We don’t even own a car!”

  “Wendy, it means moving to Wheaton.”

  “What? But my whole life is here! I have friends and school!”

  “I know that, but we would have moved eventually anyways. This job would mean we’d get to see each other more, you wouldn’t have to stay with neighbours all the time. You would go to school in Wheaton and you could make new friends. Besides, this is the age of technology. You can e-mail and video chat with your friends here all the time, as long as your homework still gets done.”

  “So I’ll be stuck living in a little town?”

  “Not exactly. I’ve been hired as a live in housekeeper for one of the ranchers. We’d be living out on the ranch. You’ll take the school bus every day, but you’re used to that. It’s a beautiful house and we’ll have the whole basement to ourselves. You’ll have your own bedroom, and …”

  “But I want to stay here with my friends! I don’t care if we live in a crappy apartment, I don’t care if I have to share a room with you. And I like Mrs. Jameson.”

  “I know, but I miss you honey. I miss watching you grow up. This will be good for us and it will only be for one school year, at the most. As soon as I’m done this degree …”

  “I know. No more waitressing, no more housekeeping. We’ll be moving up to bigger and better things.”

  Their food arrived and Wendy smothered her pancakes in syrup. For a long time they sat in silence. Finally Wendy said, “Does this rancher have any kids?”

  Lillian remembered Gavin’s icy reaction to the news that she had a daughter and said, “No, he doesn’t have kids. But there will be other kids in town, and we’ll have use of a car so you can visit the kids on the other ranches too.” And hopefully Gavin doesn’t treat her cruelly.

  The next week was full of hectic, exciting activity. At least it was exciting for Lillian. Wendy just moped around, doing her homework and helping her mother pack. They didn’t need to take the furniture since they could use what was at the Asher Ranch and Lillian didn’t want to store it. Most of it was second hand anyways. The only thing she kept was the coffee table which she had been a moving out gift from her grandparents. Everything else, right down to the dishes, they sold. By the last day of school they were eating off of paper plates and were sleeping on mattresses on the floor.

  The apartment was bare except for the boxes of clothes and books and Lillian’s laptop and towels and bedding.

  Over and over Lillian said, “This is a good step for us, this will really help us get ahead. You’ll see; this is a great opportunity.” She wasn’t sure if she was saying it to reassure Wendy or herself but she kept saying it anyway.

  Gavin spent the last week of June clearing clutter out of the basement guestrooms and thinking about Lillian. The woman was different from every other woman who had come to interview for the job. She was honest and open instead of being a game-player. He liked her easy smile and her enthusiasm and the way he couldn’t be sure if she was flirting or not.

  He was guessing, and secretly hoping, that her presence here would set the whole town on its ear. And it would serve those old busy bodies right. If they won’t keep their noses out of my business I’ll give them something to talk about.

  His parents, who still lived in the guest house on the property and still ran the convenience store in town, were just happy that he wouldn’t have to stress over the house anymore. They didn’t care about the daughter she was bringing with her, and that was a good sign.

  Maybe Lillian will be comfortable here, comfortable enough to stay for a long time. I never want to go through that interview process again. It was a hell of a lot easier to hiring men to work in the barn, that’s for damn sure.

  Chapter 4

  Gavin sat at a red light, his temper fraying a little with every passing city block. He’d been to the city before but each visit just reinforced his first impression: he preferred the ranch. He was only here because Lillian had called looking for his physical address so she would have something to tell the movers. The sound of her voice had caused a severe case of temporary insanity, he was sure of it, because before he knew what he was saying he was offering to take the truck down and pick her up. Not even her reassurances that it wasn’t necessary could deter him.

  He got rerouted down a one-way by an unexpected patch of construction and it took him ten minutes of side-streets to find his way back to the route he needed. Should have brought the GPS, he thought when he finally turned back onto the proper street. After that there were no further delays and he pulled up to the loading zone in front of her apartment to find her waiting with a miniature version of her, an elderly lady, and a pile of boxes.

  He wasn’t sure how to enquire if the old woman was coming with them without sounding rude but as he came around the front of the truck she saved him the trouble. “Mrs. Jameson, this is Gavin Asher. Gavin, this is my neighbor, and Mrs. Milton’s pen pal, Mrs. Jameson.”

  Mrs. Jameson grinned, “You can call me Midge,” she said, holding out her hand.

  He laughed and shook her hand. “It’s a pleasure, Midge.”

 
“Well you’ve sure brightened my day.”

  He wasn’t sure how to respond to flirting from a grey-haired old lady but once again Lillian rescued him.

  “And this is my daughter, Wendy.”

  It wasn’t much of a rescue. “That’s a beautiful name,” he said. He started to offer her his hand but took in her crossed arms and deep scowl and tucked his hands in his pockets instead.

  When she didn’t reply her mother nudged her and she said, “Thanks.”

  “Let me help you get these boxes loaded.”

  “Thanks. Leave that one there, with Wendy’s name on it. That’s the stuff she wants in the back seat with her.”

  He nodded and set to work. Most of the boxes were light, probably full of clothes, but there were a few bigger ones labelled “electronics” and “breakable” too. He even loaded the worn-looking coffee table without comment while the two women hugged each other.

  “Thank you for everything,” Lillian said. “And I will write you so you don’t have to rely on Julie Milton for news.”

  Mrs. Jameson held out her arms and Wendy sulked over for a hug. “I’m going to miss you dearie. I know this is an unwelcome change for you but look at it as an adventure.”

  “I don’t want to go on an adventure.”

  “You have that in common with some of the greatest heroes of all time. You’ll be fine, you’ll see, and I’m only a phone call away if you need me.”

  “I know.”

  “This isn’t the forever sort of goodbye, you’ll see. Take care of your mom, okay, and don’t be too hard on her.”

  Wendy nodded and stepped away. She scooped up her box and said, “I’m ready.”

  Gavin opened both passenger side doors and said, “Then climb on up and we’ll get a move on.”

  While Wendy climbed into the truck Lillian looked back at the apartment building. It had been their home for six, almost seven, years. It was safe and comfortable and familiar and despite what Mrs. Jameson had said she felt that she might never see the building again.

  She sighed and climbed into the truck.

  Gavin handed her a cellphone and she stared at it, not taking it from him. “You’ll need one. I’m often in the pasture or the barn and you might have questions for me. And I might need to ask you to pick something up after you’ve left for town.”

  “So this is a business phone and part of my job?”

  “Yes and no. Yes, that’s why I picked it up. It’s on my plan so it’s hardly costing me a thing. No, I won’t be checking to make sure you’re not calling other people. You can give that number to the school, and to Mrs. Jameson, if you’re more comfortable not using the ranch number as your personal number.”

  She took the phone and he started the truck. Once they were clear of the city limits he glanced back at Wendy. She had headphones on and her eyes were closed.

  “I can get a phone for Wendy too,” he said. “I didn’t want to do it without asking you first. I know she’s only ten but she might feel more comfortable if she can call you or text you whenever she needs to.”

  “That’s very generous of you, I don’t think …”

  “Don’t worry about the money.”

  “I didn’t take this job so I could beg borrow and steal from you,” she snapped.

  “I know that, that’s not what I meant. I meant, adding a phone to the plan is an extra five bucks a month for me. We’ll call it part of your board and room.”

  She almost said no again but she remembered the way Wendy had been acting these last few days, all closed in and defensive, and she nodded. “Okay, that might be good. I don’t know how well she’ll adjust to this move.”

  “Give her some time,” Gavin offered, not really knowing what else to say.

  “I know. I just hope she’ll be okay.”

  “Look, I never moved, not once. I have lived my entire live on that ranch, so I don’t know what she’s feeling. But I do know that when my grandfather died I was terrified that he had left the place to one of my aunts or cousins and that I would be forced to move, and I don’t have any school friends or anything like that to leave behind.”

  “Thanks. I thought she was angry but I didn’t realize she might be scared too.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  When they arrived in Wheaton Gavin pulled up in front of the ‘general store’ on the main street and turned off the truck. “Do we need to pick something up?” Lillian said.

  “Not really. But there’s someone I think you should meet.”

  Lillian turned around in her seat and waved at Wendy until she lowered her headphones. “We’re going into the store. Do you want to come?”

  Wendy shook her head and disappeared back into the music.

  The store was cramped but very tidy. A woman with familiar brown hair and brown eyes was working behind the counter and she smiled at them when they came in. “Gavin! I didn’t expect to see you in town today.”

  “I just thought I would swing by on my way out to the ranch.”

  “Good, because your father went for lunch with Henry and is late getting back and I need a box from the backroom.”

  “I can grab that, what did you need?”

  “Granola bars. Oh, and grab me a few flats of cans so I can restock the cooler while I’m at it.”

  “Sure thing Mom. You know, you have to stop letting Dad take these long lunches.”

  He disappeared between the aisles and left Lillian standing awkwardly at the front of the store.

  “I swear I raised him with manners,” the woman said. “I’m Courtney Asher, Gavin’s mom.”

  “I’m Lillian Jones, my daughter Wendy is in the truck.”

  “Just a head’s up, Lillian, every eligible woman in three counties applied for your job and none of them are happy that they missed the chance to live in the same house as one of the wealthiest, unmarried ranchers in Wheaton. “

  “So expect a lot of dirty looks?”

  “And expect the rumour mill to run amok.” She hesitated and then added. “There was also some upset over Gavin inheriting the farm so don’t expect anyone else in the family to be too friendly either.”

  “Why didn’t his dad inherit the farm.”

  “Oh, Andrew was my father, not my father-in-law. I only have sisters so when my husband and I got married I kept my last name. Not very traditional but it meant that the Asher name didn’t die out in these parts. It meant a lot to my father.”

  “I see. Well, thanks for the warnings.”

  “I hope I’m overreacting.”

  Gavin came out with two flats of pop and two square cardboard boxes. The load made his arms bulge in a way that had Lillian trying not to stare. “Is this enough?” he said.

  “Yes, you can stop showing off and get these ladies home. I expect they’ll be anxious to unpack. And why don’t the three of you come by for dinner tonight? A break before you have to start slaving away for this oaf.”

  Gavin rolled his eyes but said, “It’s up to you, Lillian.”

  “You already drove all the way to the city to pick us up, you don’t really need to make another trip …”

  Courtney laughed. “No, we live in the guest house on the ranch, it’s just a short walk from the main house. I insist you come by tonight. It will give you some time to get comfortable with the house and the ranch.”

  Lillian smiled. “All right then, we’ll come.”

  “I’ll see you later Mom.”

  “Did you know she’d do that?” Lillian asked as they climbed back into the truck.

  “I should have known,” Gavin said. “My mom’s just like that. She likes to feed people. I’m surprised my dad’s not fat yet.”

  “She seems very nice.”

  “One of the few truly nice people I know,” he said. “And she’s right. Let’s get you two settled in.”

  Wendy had a hard time hiding her admiration for the Asher Ranch. There were several other buildings around the yard, barns, a shop, a small house-like building
closer to the road, and a few sheds. The house itself wasn’t very tall, just the single story, but it sprawled larger than any house she’d ever seen, and the decks made it look even bigger.

  All the fine woodworking details and paintings that had caught Lillian’s eye at the interview caught Wendy’s as well and she found she was lagging behind as Gavin led them through the house and down the back stairs.

  “This is your space,” he said. “I almost never entertain so I never use the television down here. There’s two rooms, and the bathroom, I’ll let you decide who sleeps where. Supper will be around seven, if that’s okay?”

  “Sure, not a problem. It’ll take us a few days to unpack anyways. Thanks.”

  They smiled at each other and Wendy rolled her eyes. While her mom stood and flirted with the boss she went to look behind each of the doors. The first bedroom was all in pinks with flowered wall paper. Wendy made a face and shut the door again. The other bedroom was in yellow. Still not great but at least it doesn’t have flowers all over the walls. She set her box on the bed, a silent claim, and continued her exploring.

  The bathroom was larger than the one at the apartment but not ridiculously large like the ones she saw on TV sometimes. Another door revealed a laundry room and another revealed a storage room. She heard someone retreating up the stairs so she rejoined her mother.

  “Are you done flirting with him?” Wendy said.

  “I wasn’t flirting, I was being nice. He’s my boss, it wouldn’t be professional for me to flirt with him.” Lillian glanced at the stairs again.

  “Yeah, okay. I don’t want a new dad.”

  “Wendy!”

  “Okay, okay.”

  “Did you pick a room already?”

  Wendy nodded. “I guess he’s bringing all the boxes down.”

  “Yes, and you should say thank you. He’s really gone out of his way to get us settled in here, and to make this easy for us.”

  “Yeah, he’s a real hero.”

  “Wendy.”