“Hello,” I said cautiously.
She looked up and gave me a smile, and not one of those oh you’re someone I have to be nice to smiles; no, this was real and reached her eyes. She dusted her hands on her apron and came around the table that sat in the center of the room. “You must be Ripley, my name is Margo, I’m the housekeeper; although, Reed hates it when I call myself that,” she said with a laugh. “He says I should call myself the household manager or some ridiculous thing. And who do we have here?” she asked, grinning at the puppy that had jumped up on her leg hoping to be picked up.
“This is Jinji,” I said as Jinji gave a little yip.
“Oh my, she is a sweet little thing, isn’t she?” Then in that voice people reserved for animals and babies, she said, “I can’t pick you up, sweetie, I’m cooking, but I promise to give you all kinds of snuggles later on if you come back.”
“She’ll come back, trust me. And you’ll think she’s sweet as long as you keep your shoes put away. I’ve replaced more shoes since I got her than you can imagine. Not that having to go shoe shopping is a big hardship.”
She looked around me for something and then said, “Where is Reed? I told him to go help you.
“He went to the barn. I told him I didn’t need any help.”
She shook her head. “You silly men and your insistence you can do things yourself. It doesn’t make you weak to take help, Ripley. You just get what you have to have. The rest can be brought in later. Do you know where you want to stay? The master is empty, but I didn't know if you would want to stay in there or not.”
“Not yet. I’ll be here for a year, so maybe later on. Do you stay here in the main house?”
“I’m in the apartment over the garage. The only person who lives in the main house is Reed.”
“Reed, the foreman?” I asked.
“Yeah, as your father became more ill and turned more of the running of the ranch over to Reed, they decided it made more sense for him to be here. He’s in the back wing of the house.”
“My old room was back there growing up, but I’ll take one of the front rooms for now. I don’t want to encroach on his space.”
“I’m sure if you wanted your old room he wouldn’t mind.”
“No, I imagine I’ll move into the master soon, anyway, so it makes more sense for my stuff to be up here,” I said, walking over to the hutch in the dining area. I opened the door and reached in, taking out a cup. “These were my mother’s dishes. Did you know that?”
She walked up beside looking at the cups. “No, I didn’t. They were just here when I came. They’re very pretty. Do you want us to put them away? So they don’t get broken?”
“No, she used them every day. I remember one time my grandmother came to visit, and my mom served tea in these cups. She told her cups weren’t made for sitting, they were made for drinking. I think she would like that they’re still out.” I traced the picture of the bird on the cup. “She bought these because she loved bluebirds. This ranch had been in her family for generations. I always wondered if she actually loved the birds, or if she just loved the Bluebird Ranch so much it transferred over to the birds, you know?”
“Maybe a little of both, they are beautiful birds.”
I placed the cup back in the hutch. “Well, there’ll be plenty of time for me to reminisce. Right now I need to get situated.”
“Supper is at seven, I’m making enchiladas. I hope you’ll join us,” she said motioning to the kitchen where she’d been working.
“That sounds amazing. Thank you. Come on, Jinji.” She trotted over to me looking up like she expected me to pick her up. “You have to walk, baby girl. I have things to carry.”
“If you’re worried about her running off, she can stay in here with me,” Margo said.
“That’s sweet, but she’s great about not running off. I’ve been taking her to the dog park near my condo since I got her, so she’s used to being off a leash. She’ll be fine.”
I went down the hallway, stopping to pause in front of the master bedroom door. I couldn’t remember the last time I set foot in my father’s bedroom. It, along with his office, had always been off limits. I thought about going in but decided now wasn’t the time. Instead, I chose the room at the end of the hall. It was the one my grandmother had stayed in when she came to visit, and I’d always loved when she came.
It looked exactly as I remembered it. My father was always much more comfortable on the back of a horse than in the house. I didn’t imagine he left things the same out of sentiment, so much as a lack of interest in what the house looked like.
But no matter the reason, I would be comfortable in here until I got up the gumption to tackle the master. I could make this work. I could live here for a year and not lose my mind. Hell, I could get a horse. I’d always enjoyed riding. My father had thought I hated it, but he was wrong. I hated working cattle, but I loved riding for riding’s sake.
I wondered if there were still chickens on the ranch. I’d always enjoyed watching them. It had never been the ranch itself I hated, it was the people. Good ole boys who teased and bullied anyone who wasn’t like them. I’d realized a long time ago that it didn’t matter how I felt about the ranch itself, I would never fit in here. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Enough of that. As my mama used to say, “It’s okay to visit Pity-ville, just don’t unpack your bag and stay there.”
6
Reed
I made a point to be busy the rest of the day. I didn’t have the patience for people who thought they were above others. That was what I’d liked best about the rodeo. I’d been surrounded by men who understood life could buck you off just as easily as not, so they knew not to start thinking they were better than anyone else.
I wasn’t looking forward to dinner tonight. Margo was a wonderful lady, and a good cook, but she wasn’t a gourmet chef by any means. I doubted the food we had would be anything like what he was accustomed to, but if he said a single thing to make Margo feel bad, we would have words. I wasn’t having it. I waited to go in until it was time to eat because I figured the less time I spent in his company the less likely I was to say something stupid.
The smell of Margo’s enchiladas hit me as soon as I walked in and my stomach growled. I took off my boots and washed my hands in the sink. I don’t know what I expected to find when I walked in, but it sure wasn’t Ripley and Margo laughing while he helped her finish getting dinner ready.
I stood in the doorway for a minute watching them. This Ripley was such a contrast to the one I met earlier. He was stunning when he laughed, but then he looked up and saw me watching and the smile slid off his face and the bitchy boy from earlier was back. Interesting, apparently that aspect of his personality was reserved for me.
They carried the food to the table, and we all sat to eat. Ripley sat down between Landon and Bart. He filled his plate and chatted with Bart, the two of them catching up. He took a bite of his food and moaned around his fork. “Oh my god, Margo, these are the best enchiladas I have ever eaten.”