Thread: Home on the range...again (Candira and Master Raven)

Once upon a time, there were two neighboring ranches. Though the land was vast and the ranchers were busy, the owners of the ranches became friends. As they took wives and their families grew, so did their bonds. Before long the owner of the Heartland Ranch had a daughter, and the owner of the Homeland Ranch had a son. The two were raised together and learned how to take care of cattle and horses, how to care for the land and run businesses. But they learned more than just how to run a ranch. They also learned how to love. Kate fell in love with her neighbor. Her first love was a wonderful boy--fun, handsome, understanding, and even a little dangerous. At least, that was how she would come to remember him. Hard times hit Homeland, and they were forced to sell their land. Knowing how much it meant that his neighbor made a fair trade, Kate's father bought the ranch and absorbed it, and then Kate's first love was taken away from her. The loss had been devastating to the young girl. He hadn't just moved away from the ranch--he'd moved out of the state all together. And he didn't call or write her. She had been inconsolable for a good month when her friends convinced her to move on. And over the years, she slowly came to forget the boy. Her first love was just that--her first. She remembered big things, and the stories. Of course, since then, she'd had some great boyfriends, and some real losers. But nobody seemed to have the right combination of traits to keep her. Her ranch, however, was not like the roller coaster ride of her love life. She was running it beautifully, managing it wisely with the help of her aunt Molly, and slowly expanding their business to include all sorts of operations--horse breeding, windmill power, and more. Successful in her life, she was content. Kate's help, however, was a bit lacking in numbers to keep up with all of the business, so she found herself hiring more hands to maintain lands, take care of the cattle, run the breeding program, and more. She had just hired ten more hands--some experienced, some new and recently educated. One name had stood out. It was familiar somehow, but she wasn't quite sure. He would be arriving today, so she was going to go meet him at the train station with her aunt. He was moving from the city and he'd interviewed over Skype, but she'd liked his attitude, his experience, and his personality. He seemed like the perfect fit for the job. So it was that Kate and Molly were waiting at the station for a man. Kate had come from the range, tight dusty jeans tucked into well-worn boots telling the tale of work. She'd washed her face and freshened up a little before coming into town, a fresh green tee shirt under a brown leather vest gracing her top half. She'd made sure she smelled nice and her hair was pulled back into a neat, fiery ponytail. Her curvy figure was still obvious beneath her work clothes, and more than one man asked for directions or lingered on his phone call nearby. Aunt Molly had been a beauty queen in her day, and still had a little something. She oozed charm and radiated warmth, but she was not one to tolerate overly long glances at her niece. Especially so soon after the girl was on the market. Her own hair was in a short black pixie cut. As the ranch cook, she usually wore whatever she wanted. Normally that was a pair of jeans and cute top or a sundress and sweater. The woman looked in her late thirties, but she was well into her fifties. And she was determined to make sure that her beautiful young niece got her hands on a man that would appreciate the kind of beauty in their gene pool, but still acknowledge her other gifts. She'd sat in on the interview for this new hand and was excited to see him. Maybe this one would have potential. It always helped when two people shared interests. He should be here soon, Molly said with a smile. Kate stretched a little and checked her watch. Seems like it. I wonder what he looks like. Maybe we should have made a sign or something. It feels like kind of an oversight on our part... Oh, you mean like this one? Molly said, unfolding a large piece of paper with the recruit's name on it. You always think of everything. Just once, I want to be the one picking up your slack. Well, it'll be a long time before that happens, sweetheart. You've got some catching up to do.