by Dean, Taylor
“What? Do we have rules?”
“We do now. No clichés.”
“Okay,” Marisa paused for just a moment, a little taken aback at the connection between them. How often do you meet a man you can banter with like this? He appeared confident, yet his ego seemed non-existent. “We all know that laughter makes us feel good, it puts us in high spirits and makes us cheerful and pleasant to be around. It’s these kinds of feelings that women like to feel on a date. It’s these kinds of feelings that will get a guy a second date. And, just for the record, if they don’t like the man they are dating, it doesn’t matter how scary the movie is, they’re not going to cuddle with him.”
“Oh, but they will.”
“Out of fear, maybe, not because they like him. It sends a false impression,” she rebutted.
“Depends on what the man is after.”
“Let’s get a third opinion. What do you think, Bethany? Scary movie or funny movie?”
“You’re askin’ a five year old? So not fair,” Josh protested.
“I don’t like scary movies,” Bethany said timidly.
Marisa held out her hand, “Good answer. Give me five.”
“But I don’t have any money,” Bethany told her innocently.
Once again, Josh and Marisa laughed aloud. Bethany was charming.
“Okay, you win that one,” Josh relented. “But this isn’t over yet.”
“I hope not,” Marisa responded, pleased with Josh’s ability to banter without getting angry or upset. She liked a man who could agree to disagree. He seemed to enjoy their repartee. Either that or he was simply humoring her.
As they continued to eat their breakfast, Josh asked, “Marisa, you do ride, right?”
“Yes, Mary taught me. It’s the only reminder of her childhood, the one thing she couldn’t quite let go of. In California, we live on four acres and we have two horses,” she informed.
“I should’ve known. Mary lived on her horse. It was her one true passion.”
My one true passion is you, Joshua Kensington.
Trying to hide her ridiculously improper thoughts, she asked, “So, what exactly do you do on a cattle ranch, day-in and day-out?”
“That’s a good question. Nowadays I spend far too much time handlin’ the business end of things when I’d much rather be out and about. The ranch itself is about seventy-eight thousand acres. That’s a lot of land to cover and keeps us busy. In the mornings, the first order of the day is to check on the cattle. This usually takes up most of the morning. Some days are spent movin’ the cattle. We gather and drive them to a new pasture so they have fresh grass to graze on. We always check on the water levels to ensure the cattle have the water they need. We build and repair fences, a never-ending job, mind you. We check on the newborn calves and their mothers. You’ve just barely missed springtime when most of the calves are born. We spend a lot of time branding and vaccinating the calves then. In the fall, we gather and ship the cattle.”
“Is it hard to watch them go? Do you become attached to them?”
“Not really. There are too many of them. If I had to actually do the butchering, it would be another story. But that’s the business I’m in. At any rate, they don’t go straight to butchering once they leave the ranch. First they go to a feedlot to be fattened up. I raise them until that time.”
She nodded. “I’ve seen Charlotte’s Web too many times.”
Josh smiled with a reminiscent nod. “I have several bulls for breeding purposes. I’m attached to them.” He paused, his brow furrowed. “That doesn’t sound right.”
They both chuckled and Marisa said, “I know what you meant.”
“Are you ready to go?”
“I can’t wait,” Marisa answered as they set off for the tour of his ranch. Bethany beamed with excitement. Josh donned his cowboy hat and Marisa tried not to stare at him. They hopped into his jeep and he drove them by some of the pasturelands to see the cattle grazing lazily.
Next he took them to meet his favorite bulls. They were obviously his pride and joy. Evidently, Josh had had great fun naming them. They were all masculine names like Riot, King, General, Thief, Mayhem and her personal favorite, Foreigner. Josh said Foreigner was one of the first bulls of the Wagyu breed from Japan that he’d purchased and he felt the name was appropriate.
The bulls were divided into large corrals along with other cattle—one bull per corral. To her surprise, one of the younger prize breeding bulls acted as if it was a dog and Josh was his best friend. When he walked into his corral and called the bull’s name, he literally ran at him full speed ahead to greet him. The sight scared Marisa to death the first time she saw it. But all he wanted was to be petted, scratched, and nuzzled like a dog. When Josh walked around the pen, the bull followed him like a faithful puppy. It was hilarious and Josh walked in circles just for them while the bull followed his every move. He seemed pleased that they found it so amusing. Bethany’s face turned red, she was laughing so hard, and Marisa was sure she looked the same. Josh fed him several hot dog shaped treats that he called molasses cookies, and Marisa knew that was part of the draw. Still, she’d had no idea bulls could behave like that.
Marisa asked him how hard it must be to let them go when it was time to sell them for butchering. He acted wounded.
“These bulls are never sold for butchering, their sole purpose is breeding,” Josh explained.
“No wonder they’re so happy,” Marisa remarked under her breath and Josh laughed at her comment. Marisa couldn’t help but beam, it was so easy to make him laugh with delight. He was good natured and just plain easy to be around. It’s not something you know about a person until you actually spend quality time with them. It was a pleasant discovery.
“They live the good life, that’s for sure,” he teased with a wink.
“Why are they so happy, Dad? I don’t get it,” Bethany questioned, her face scrunched up in deep thought.
Josh quickly evaded the pointed question, distracting Bethany with a trip to see the horses. Upon arrival at the stables, he promptly picked out a horse for Marisa to ride. His name was Jasper. He was a shiny chestnut brown and sweet as candy. Josh introduced her to Carson, his black stallion, and unmistakably his pride and joy. He was feisty and looked as though he was ready to run like the wind at a moment’s notice.
“He’s a wild one. Broke him myself,” Josh said proudly.
She met Jake, his foreman and right hand man. He was an older man with darkly tanned, leathery skin that crinkled when he spoke. He gave her a big hug.
“Tell Mary to come home,” he muttered.
Mary was well remembered by many of the staff and she found they were all excited to meet her for that reason. She met several of the other ranch hands, but couldn’t possibly remember any of their names, there were so many.
Just beyond the stables were about thirty small furnished cottages where some of the ranch hands lived, some alone and some with their families. There was a large playground, picnic benches, and a barbeque for their use.
As they made their way back to the main house, Josh told her about the annual barbeque he held every August. He invited everyone he knew from the surrounding area. He was pleased that she would be here for the event and she was too.
Upon arriving at the house, Josh took her around to the fenced in backyard. Just off the back porch there was a pool with several umbrella covered tables and a barbeque. Just beyond the pool was a large square of grass, dotted with a few trees, for Bethany to run and play on. There was also a small playground for Bethany at one end and she ran to play on it as they talked. Beyond that was a large metal arch similar to the archway that read ‘Kensington Ranch’ when you entered the ranch. Only this arch was of a much smaller scale and read, ‘Joshua’s Folly.’ Marisa tossed him a questioning glance. “Why does it say Joshua’s Folly?”
“When I first started to renovate the area I realized that I didn’t want to tear out the trees or naturally growin’ foliage that mad
e up our backyard. It was a mess and overgrown, but my favorite place to play as a child. As you can tell, the areas where trees and foliage grow are few and far between around here. So I hired someone to come in and fix it up. I wanted it to look natural and yet be a place we could enjoy. I wanted sidewalks and lights all through it and even park benches. I wanted it to be a place where you could take a walk late at night and feel safe. I guess you could say it’s my own private park. As the work on it progressed, the men began to give me a hard time about it. They thought the whole idea was a little crazy. They began to call it ‘Joshua’s Folly’ as it took about three years to complete and it seemed as though it would never be done. When I got wind of what they’d nicknamed my…park, if you will, I decided if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. It’s been called ‘Joshua’s Folly’ ever since. It’s completely fenced in and takes up about three acres.”
“Why did you want it?” Marisa asked, feeling excited to go exploring.
“When Bethany was born I wanted her to have a safe place to run and play, ride bikes, skate, or whatever. I was allowed to run the property as a young boy, but the thought of lettin’ my little girl do the same was out of the question. It wouldn’t be safe. It’s worked out well. As a matter of fact, we’ve had a horrible time with rattlers this year, but with a snake fence around the property, I don’t worry about her as much. This has been the logical answer for us.”
Maybe to an eccentric cattle rancher it seemed the logical answer. “Can we go in?” she asked, unable to hide her excitement.
“You bet.”
They called to Bethany and the three of them wandered around Joshua’s Folly for the next hour. It was incredible. Meandering sidewalks wandered here and there surrounded by shade trees and bushes of all shapes and sizes. The fence that surrounded the property was overgrown with ivy. Flowering vinca covered the ground in several spots, along with the stunning hues of sweet potato vines. It was like walking into a secret, magical garden. At every turn, Marisa was met with a new patch of flourishing flowers blooming in various vibrant colors; orange marigolds, purple petunias, multi-colored pansies, and sky-blue morning glories. Vines of red bougainvillea crept across cleverly crafted lattice work towers. The sights were visually stimulating. The smells rivaled a perfume factory. In the center, there was a circular sidewalk with a fountain in the middle, emitting a pleasant mist into the air. Birds chirped incessantly and butterflies flitted from flower to flower as if it was a sanctuary just for them. It was one of the most beautiful things Marisa had ever seen. A walk through the Folly would make anyone grateful just to be alive. It felt like an honor just to behold such a garden.
And it was Josh’s private backyard.
Utterly amazing.
Midget street lamps, the kind you would see on the streets of London, were placed every twenty-five feet or so and she could tell it would be well lit up at night. Park benches dotted the Folly. It really was like having your own private park and she was so impressed with it, she went on and on. She knew Josh was pleased with her enthusiasm.
“Mary doesn’t know about this, does she?”
“I’ve tried to explain it to her. The Folly is better experienced than explained.”
“I don’t think she comprehends exactly what you’ve done.”
“We’ll just have to get her here one day. Then she can see it for herself,” Josh commented.
Marisa had every intention of touting the Folly till Mary broke down and returned to her childhood home. This could not be missed.
She met Charlie, the gardener, whose sole purpose in life was to tend to the Folly. His existence explained the pristine condition of the gorgeous patch of land. He was an older gentleman who had a passion for gardening. He lived in one of the cottages with his wife. Intermixed with the lush foliage, he grew zucchini, squash, tomatoes, peppers, carrots, various herbs, and melons. He provided Constance with fresh vegetables on a daily basis, according to the season. By the time they’d finished exploring the Folly, it was time for lunch.
Constance made chicken salad sandwiches. Josh ate two sandwiches and Marisa ate three, but who was counting.
She hoped he wasn’t.
By the time early afternoon arrived, Bethany could be caught yawning repeatedly. At first Marisa thought her too old to take naps, however, Bethany undoubtedly still needed them—and wanted them. While Bethany slept, Marisa decided to do the same. She surprised herself once again by sleeping for several hours. Traveling and a new time zone must have gotten to her. She never took naps.
Marisa and Bethany then spent the late afternoon out on the grass in the backyard, reading books. Marisa couldn’t believe how well Bethany could read. She was at least at a second grade reading level. As they spoke and visited, getting to know each other, Marisa also saw how intelligent she was. She could carry on a conversation with surprising clarity. After they had read for a long while, Marisa found herself aching to be in the Folly once again.
“How about going for a bike ride?” she asked Bethany.
Josh had told her there were several bikes available in a shed. Bethany’s bike had training wheels on it and Marisa could see how reluctant she was to ride. Regardless of her advanced language skills, physically she was slow and rather delicate. Marisa realized she rarely ever rode her bike. There wasn’t really anyone for her to ride with and in spite of the amazing backyard at her disposal, she couldn’t imagine Bethany riding bikes by herself in the Folly. Too lonely, big, and scary for a delicate five year old. It took only about a half an hour, however, for Bethany to realize she was having fun. She started to ride a little faster and take corners with confidence. Soon she had a huge smile on her face as she realized she could ride her bike almost as fast as Marisa. Marisa was, of course, going slow and letting Bethany catch up to her, but it was the confidence boost she needed. The Folly was perfect for bike riding and Marisa was still completely astounded by its existence. It spoke to Josh’s character and told her exactly where his heart was. She was awed by him—no surprise there.
Before they knew it, an hour and a half had passed. Marisa had an idea. “Bethany, I don’t think you need those training wheels anymore. Want to take them off? I’ll stay with you and hold onto the bike till you’ve got your balance. You might fall, it’s true, but it’s the only way to learn. We can start out on the grass, that way if you fall it’ll just be on the soft grass. Want to try?” Marisa coaxed. She knew if they could ride bikes every day, Bethany’s physical strength would improve.
She could see the wheels turning in Bethany’s little brain. She was tempted. “Okay, but don’t let go till I get my balance.”
Marisa promised. They removed the training wheels and off they went. They spent a long time on the grass with Bethany pedaling like mad and Marisa running alongside her, holding onto the bike, then letting go, only to have her crash. Marisa thought she would give up. She was so ultra feminine and sweet, but she was a determined little girl once a challenge was issued and she didn’t want to quit. When she crashed on the concrete, just outside of the grass, Marisa was sure that would be the end of it. Her poor knees were bloody and bruised and she had a good cry while Marisa bandaged her knees with gauze and tape. She looked as though she’d been in world war three. She clung to Marisa for awhile, just wanting to be held. But then she still wanted to try. She knew she’d almost had it. And after another forty-minutes of practice, she was riding like a pro across the grass with a huge smile on her face. She had a lot more strength than Marisa had at first thought.
The first thing Bethany wanted to do was show her dad. They knocked on Josh’s office door and were told to come in. Josh’s expression registered shock at the sight of his little daughter with blood stained, bandaged knees, but Bethany literally beamed at him as she said in her breathy voice, “I have a surprise for you, Daddy. Come outside and see.”
Josh scooped her up in his arms. “What happened to you?”
“A few battle scars, but worth it in the end,” Mari
sa told him as Josh clearly wondered what was going on.
Several minutes later, standing outside, being told to watch the grass, Josh was completely astonished at the sight of Bethany riding her bike across the lawn, grinning from ear to ear while one hand waved at him furiously. Not only had she mastered riding her bike, she was doing it with one hand.
Josh turned to Marisa, looking stunned, “How’d you do that?”
“What can I say? She’s a genius.”
Josh suddenly picked her up and hugged her, twirling her in the air, leaving her a little breathless. Then he ran over to Bethany and did the same. Bethany squealed with delight at her father’s admiration.
Marisa smiled to herself. Oh my.
At dinner, Bethany practically fell asleep over her meal. The physical activity had left her tired, but it was a healthy tired.
“I’d better get her to bed,” Marisa said as she picked up Bethany, who rested her little head on her shoulder.
“I’ll help.”
They went up the stairs together and helped a very sleepy little girl quickly get into bed. Josh caressed Bethany’s forehead softly, moving the hair out of her eyes.
“Good night, Josh,” Marisa told him as she started to leave.
“Marisa, wait.” He followed her out into the hallway. “It’s early. Would you like to do somethin’? We could take a walk in the Folly. Then, maybe watch a movie.”
“I’d love to. And a movie sounds relaxing.” She paused. “Wait, will it be scary or funny?”
“Oh, definitely funny. I have it on good authority that funny movies are the way to go.”
“Good answer.”
“I’m a fast learner.”
Once outside, Josh held out his arm, a true Texas gentleman. She willingly linked her arm through his. They walked through the Folly in a comfortable silence, simply enjoying the warm summer evening. As Marisa had guessed it was even more beautiful, even enchanting, in the dark of night.
“Josh, can I ask you something?”
“You just did,” he said, throwing her earlier remark back in her face.
