Home on the Range

The gravel crunches under my dusty work boots as I step out of my beloved, classic pickup truck and stretch my legs. The muscles in my thighs and calves are tight and cramping after so many hours in the car and I relish the release movement gives them. My hand comes up to shield my eyes from the bright sun as I scan the scenery in front of me.

The sprawling Montana ranch features a large, pristine farmhouse and several matching outbuildings with dozens of animals and people dotting the green pastures. It was nestled at the base of snow-streaked mountains covered in a thick expanse of trees. I’d spent time on farms before but this one looked more like a luxury resort than a working ranch.

My dog, Puck, leaps down from the cab of my truck and onto the ground next to me. I shut the creaky truck door and lean against the warm hood, wondering where to start and who to approach first.

“Hey, can I pet your dog?”

I look towards the house and see a freckle-faced, blonde-haired boy who couldn’t be older than my 10-year-old nephew looking at my dog.

“Sure,” I look down at my Border Collie. “Go say hi Puck.”

Puck has been sitting perfectly still by my side, a long tongue hanging out the side of his mouth. He looks up at me and seems to know exactly what I say as he always does. With his tail wagging, he approaches the kid who kneels down to put his arm around Puck’s neck and scratch his face with his hands.

“I heard they hire summer temps here,” I say. “Is there someone I can talk to about that?”

The boy looks up at me with a wide smile as he’s nearly knocked over by Puck’s wiggling excitement.

“Yeah, I’ll take you to my mom or dad,” his eyes turn back to Puck. “He’s a good boy, Puck huh?”

“Yeah,” I reply. “I think he likes you.”

“He’s pretty cool! Anyway, Mom’s probably in the house, follow me.”

The kid leads Puck and me towards the large white farmhouse with tall windows. It looks like it has old bones but has been updated and meticulously cared for. As we step onto the deep, wraparound porch, I turn to Puck.

“Down,” I say. Puck immediately lowers his belly to the ground. “Wait here till I get back.”

Puck responds by lowering his head to the ground between his paws and gives me a few wags of his tail to show he understands.

“Wow, he knows what you’re saying! My name’s Jeremy, what’s yours?”

“Wren,” I say, smiling at Jeremy. I am not around a lot of kids and I am always amused by their gleefulness.

“Nice to meet you, hope you snag a spot here so I can hang out with Puck some more.”

I chuckle. They were honest too.

“He’d like that.”

“Really?!”

The house is just as impressive on the inside with vaulted ceilings and thick wood beams spreading across the floor and ceiling. As we pass a long table made from thick planks, Jeremy leads me to the island in a large, country kitchen that is both expansive and cozy.

“Hey Ma, got another applicant for ya,” Jeremy yells out.

A door off the kitchen opens and a beautiful, older woman with a long silver braid and blue flannel shirt rolled up to her elbows appears. She gives me a warm smile that I can’t help but return. Her eyes are a sparkling blue and her whole demeanor exuded effortless grace.

“Hi, I’m Meredith,” she holds out her hand which features several vintage rings and a dark line of dirt under the fingernails.

“Wren, pleased to meet you Meredith. An employee down at the auto store mentioned that you were hiring for the summer, I’m hoping that’s still the case,” I say as I hold my breath.

She drops my hand and plants a hand on her hip.

“Well, all of the entry-level, farmhand spots have been filled, have you ever worked on a ranch before?” She asks as she walks over to vintage, pot belly stove and puts a copper kettle on a burner.

“Yes ma’am,” I say, secretly hoping I make her proud and wondering why I care.

“Any specialty skills? Horse training? Apiary?” She asks as she turns the knob. After a few clicks, the burner ignites.

“Um, well, not necessarily,” I say as my shoulders slump. “But I appreciate your time.”

“Wait,” she says.

I pause and straighten my back as she turns to me.

“Sit, please.”

I would normally protest but she didn’t seem like the type of woman to concede. Like my spunky 80-year-old grandmother, if she told you to do something, it was better to just do it.

“So, tell me a little about yourself. Where are you from?” She asks gently as her eyes take in my full appearance.

The question always made me uneasy. My past is...complicated and full of things I don’t want to talk about. Especially to a potential employer.

“Honestly, all over. I was a military brat as a kid and for the last year, I’ve been traveling across the country finding work where I can,” I say before adding, “I enjoy working outside.”

Meredith pours two cups of tea and sets one in front of me while she studies me.

“What brought you through Bryxton?”

I blew on the cup of tea to buy myself some time.

“I left California a few weeks ago, I was on a wildfire cleanup crew for several weeks.”

She nods as she considers this, I knew I didn’t exactly answer the question but I hoped it was enough.

“What were you doing at the auto shop?”

“Purchasing a timing belt for my truck, I noticed mine was getting a little worn out,” I say.

Meredith considers this for a moment as she looks me over. I could see her gears turning and I was nervous even though I had no reason to be.

“Do you have experience with machinery?” She asks.

My eyebrows go up.

“Yeah, some,” I say. “I worked on a few vehicles at the fire camp and do my best to keep my 76 Chevy running.”

I see her mouth turn up slightly at the corners.

“My son usually handles all the mechanical work himself but he’s just returned from a, er, challenging break so I think he would benefit from a helping hand,” she offers. “We often need tractors and trucks worked on throughout the summer.”

“Really?!” I ask, not even trying to hide my excitement.

“Yes but before you get your hopes up, just know that Lance Teller is not the...warmest individual, you’ll have your work cut out for you,” she says with a sad smirk that tells me their story is much more complicated than she’s willing to detail. I guess we have that in common.

“I’ve had my share of difficult bosses,” I say as I take a sip of the tea.

“Ha, well, I have a feeling he will set the curve for you,” she says.

I smile.

“I assure you, I have worked with many different kinds of people,” I say. “Would it help if I came back for an interview with him?”

She gives me a hearty laugh.

“No, that would probably not go well,” she says. “Let’s just go ahead and give this a shot, shall we? If you last a week, I’ll assume you are here for the summer.”

“Oh thank you Meredith! I appreciate the opportunity.”

She smiles but continues to study me.

“Unfortunately, I think the bunkhouse is a little full,” she says.

“I have camping gear, it’s easier since I have a dog. Is there a campground nearby?”

She sips her tea as well and shakes her head.

“It’d be a long daily drive. There is a studio apartment in the barn where you’ll be working, you can rent that for $250 per month. It’s nothing glamorous but it’ll beat a 50 mile commute any day,” she offers.

“I don’t want to be any trouble,” I say.

“Nonsense, it gets rented out every summer but nobody has snagged it yet. Is your dog well-behaved?” She asks.

“Yes, I know lots of dog-owners will say that but he is a very good listener. He used to herd so he is used to this environment and he’s fixed.”

She smiles at me which makes me feel happy for some reason.

“Sounds great, I don’t see any issues then. Welcome to the farm hun,” she reaches her hand out again.

I take it and smile back.

“Thank you so much Ms. Teller,” I say.

“Please, Meredith.”

Just then, her phone rings.

“I really have to take this dear, can you hang out for a little bit? I will walk you down to the apartment shortly so I can show you around.”

I wave my hand.

“No problem, I’ll be out front.”

On the porch I find Jeremy sitting with Puck right where I left him.

“Hi Wren, I was just keeping Puck company.”

“Thanks Jeremy, I’m sure he loved it.”

“Did you get the job?”

“Sounds like it, I’m going to be staying in the barn too,” I say.

“Oh cool! I’ll get to hang out with Puck all the time!”

I laugh.

“That’s right!”

Suddenly, Puck lets out a short bark as if he is telling me someone is approaching. I squint into the bright afternoon sun and feel my pulse immediately quicken.

From his cowboy hat down to his boots, the guy looks like he stepped straight out of a sexy men’s wall calendar. A flannel is flung over his broad shoulder and his white, v-neck is coated in dust and sweat. It’s tight enough to see his rippling muscles stretch across his chest and biceps. His swagger is exaggerated by a slight limp. Light-colored stubble graces the lower half of his face and his eyes are the same sparking blue as Merediths. Even with a scowl on his face, he is electrifying.

“Who’s mutt is that?” His voice comes out gruff as if it’s also coated in dust.

My eyebrows immediately furrow but Jeremy answers before I have a chance.

“Wren,” he points to me. “He’s a good dog though Lance, you don’t have to worry about him.”

Oh shit, this must be the Lance: my new boss.

“And who is Wren?” Lance turns his scowl to me as he talks about me as if I’m not even here. I am slightly in shock both from his gorgeous looks and his callous demeanor.

“I am, Meredith just hired me,” I say, wishing my voice sounded a little more confident.

Lance steps up onto the porch and approaches me. He is a good five inches taller than I am. His musky scent of earth and engine oil and sun-dried sweat invades my nostrils and his blue eyes bore into mine. I suddenly feel incredibly exposed.

“Hired you…for what?”

My eyes flick to the screen door, hoping Meredith steps through it and saves me from Lance’s aggressive stance and tone.

“Um, well, she thought that maybe you could use some help with the, er, mechanics and machinery,” I say, swallowing hard.

A gravelly chuckle escapes from Lance’s throat as he sneers at me.

“Yeah, no thanks. I don’t need an assistant. You’re free to go Regan,” he says. I narrow my eyes at him and stand up a bit taller.

“What? But you don’t know anything about me,” I say. “And it’s Wren, like the bird.”

“Yeah, don’t need to. Never had an assistant before, don’t need one now. Especially not a delicate little bird,” he says as if the word is poison. Lance turns to leave as I feel my face get hot with frustration. I’d love to tell this guy exactly what a misogynistic asshole he is but I remind myself how low my bank account is. I take a deep breath before continuing.

“Look, I can appreciate your authority, but she already hired me,” I say. “She wanted to make sure you had enough support after your break.”

He freezes and whips back around as if I insulted him on a deep level. Clearly that was the wrong thing to say.

“My break is none of your damn business, now fly away little bird,” he hisses as he clenches his jaw. Okay, this guy can fuck right off.

I cock an eyebrow and fold my arms.

“It is now, boss, according to your mom,” I watch his jaw tick and I’m both amused and terrified.

“What’s going on here? Lance?!”

The screen door creaks as Meredith steps out onto the porch and pushes Lance back a step to give me some space. I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding.

“You hired a mechanic without talking to me? A woman with a dog?”

Meredith raises her eyebrows and folds her arms across her chest.

“You’re damn right I did. I’m still the owner of this ranch Lance and frankly, you can’t do it all yourself. She has experience and she’s going to rent out the studio too so just get…over…it.”

In between each of her last words, she pokes Lance in his broad chest.

“You don’t even know this woman or this dog! We have livestock, we can’t chance it,” Lance raises his voice as his mom cocks her head to the side as if she’s bored.

“It’s called instinct son, just cause yours was wrong once or twice doesn’t mean you shouldn’t listen to it,” she spat back. I see Lance’s jaw tighten even more.

Meredith, whatever she is referring to, just struck a nerve.

Lance’s eyes shoot to me. All I see is pure contempt. How had I managed to make an enemy in the span of five minutes?

“Fine but if there’s one slip up, you’re out of here little bird.”

Lance turns on his heel and storms off the porch towards the guest house. Meredith rolls her eyes and turns to me.

“Well, let’s go see your new digs!