up with those five guys. They are the kind of friends one needs.”
“I met Janice at UCLA. She thought I was going to be a high priced doctor and all that stuff. A couple of months before our planned wedding, she dropped me like a hot rock when this job opened and I took it. She wasn’t going to move to Arkansas.”
“Through it all, Doug and Missy’s lessons stood me well and the anchor of the Lord allowed me to carry on.”
Jenny said, “How do I get part of the religion you have that is not the goodie two shoes or holier than thou stuff that absolutely drives me crazy?”
“It’s actually easy. We can do a bit of study later. Right now we need to get you dry, warm and get some good hot food into you.”
Chapter Eight
John watched Jenny plunge into running the ranch with her people skills, her new found knowledge, and his support. Anytime something was happening, she was in the middle of it, learning new skills and knowledge. If a cow was having calving troubles, she was there to help pull the calf. Soon she could do, and did, the job by herself. Collecting, testing, preparing and storing bull semen was a routine job accomplished quickly and efficiently. In the rough and tumble melee of working calves, she took her share of the bumps, bruises, kicks, stepped-on toes and manure in stride. Any job was tackled with enthusiasm and grit. She was a tireless worker and soon won the respect of everyone with whom she dealt.
For some reason she preferred to ride her horse over the ranch instead of an ATV or pickup. Some people thought this a bit strange, but she found it relaxing and a way to get closer to the land and cattle. Her little black horse thrived on the attention and served as a faithful companion. He never tried to bite her again. Saddling up was the first order of most days and the last task was rubbing down the horse and feeding him. Seeing her riding nearly every day made John think of the old west and how things had been done in the old days.
Her mental state changed dramatically. She lost the hurry, hurry mind set and adapted to the slower pace of ranch life. It wasn’t that she lost interest, she just meshed her mental speed with the conditions of ranching. The slowdown added much to her charm. Her sharp wit became evident as she now laughed freely and easily. She engaged in spirited verbal exchanges with John, usually besting him in the game of wits.
Another nice change was in her appearance, from slim and slender to a work-hardened woman. She still did her workouts, and the combination of exercise and work resulted in an agile, powerful body. Her arms and legs were now nicely muscled. Her hips had a new swing to match her legs. Hands with closely pared nails were a bit rough, but strong. Her face, dominated by dark, sparkling eyes, had a new luster. Her joy of life added to the overall package. In short, she became a fine looking woman, a woman who turned heads everywhere she went. Not the least of which was John’s.
The wife of one of his friends remarked, “If you don’t try to get to know that girl, you are going to miss something good. There aren’t many girls like that floating around, intelligent, hard working and nice looking. Better not drag your feet.”
“What if we don’t like each other?”
“At least try—if you don’t hit it off, you haven’t lost anything. If you do click, look what you have to gain.”
“But she owns this place, I more or less work for her.”
“Quit giving excuses, go for it. I happen to know she is lonely. She left everything in California to come here knowing no one. Even in California, she was a private person, didn’t have just lots of friends. Her experiences with men left her a bit gun-shy. She would enjoy some decent company. Be nice to her, and your reward might be very pleasant. I know how hurt you were by Janice’s leaving like she did. You need to drop that little episode and get on with your life. You might enjoy some
“I met Janice at UCLA. She thought I was going to be a high priced doctor and all that stuff. A couple of months before our planned wedding, she dropped me like a hot rock when this job opened and I took it. She wasn’t going to move to Arkansas.”
“Through it all, Doug and Missy’s lessons stood me well and the anchor of the Lord allowed me to carry on.”
Jenny said, “How do I get part of the religion you have that is not the goodie two shoes or holier than thou stuff that absolutely drives me crazy?”
“It’s actually easy. We can do a bit of study later. Right now we need to get you dry, warm and get some good hot food into you.”
Chapter Eight
John watched Jenny plunge into running the ranch with her people skills, her new found knowledge, and his support. Anytime something was happening, she was in the middle of it, learning new skills and knowledge. If a cow was having calving troubles, she was there to help pull the calf. Soon she could do, and did, the job by herself. Collecting, testing, preparing and storing bull semen was a routine job accomplished quickly and efficiently. In the rough and tumble melee of working calves, she took her share of the bumps, bruises, kicks, stepped-on toes and manure in stride. Any job was tackled with enthusiasm and grit. She was a tireless worker and soon won the respect of everyone with whom she dealt.
For some reason she preferred to ride her horse over the ranch instead of an ATV or pickup. Some people thought this a bit strange, but she found it relaxing and a way to get closer to the land and cattle. Her little black horse thrived on the attention and served as a faithful companion. He never tried to bite her again. Saddling up was the first order of most days and the last task was rubbing down the horse and feeding him. Seeing her riding nearly every day made John think of the old west and how things had been done in the old days.
Her mental state changed dramatically. She lost the hurry, hurry mind set and adapted to the slower pace of ranch life. It wasn’t that she lost interest, she just meshed her mental speed with the conditions of ranching. The slowdown added much to her charm. Her sharp wit became evident as she now laughed freely and easily. She engaged in spirited verbal exchanges with John, usually besting him in the game of wits.
Another nice change was in her appearance, from slim and slender to a work-hardened woman. She still did her workouts, and the combination of exercise and work resulted in an agile, powerful body. Her arms and legs were now nicely muscled. Her hips had a new swing to match her legs. Hands with closely pared nails were a bit rough, but strong. Her face, dominated by dark, sparkling eyes, had a new luster. Her joy of life added to the overall package. In short, she became a fine looking woman, a woman who turned heads everywhere she went. Not the least of which was John’s.
The wife of one of his friends remarked, “If you don’t try to get to know that girl, you are going to miss something good. There aren’t many girls like that floating around, intelligent, hard working and nice looking. Better not drag your feet.”
“What if we don’t like each other?”
“At least try—if you don’t hit it off, you haven’t lost anything. If you do click, look what you have to gain.”
“But she owns this place, I more or less work for her.”
“Quit giving excuses, go for it. I happen to know she is lonely. She left everything in California to come here knowing no one. Even in California, she was a private person, didn’t have just lots of friends. Her experiences with men left her a bit gun-shy. She would enjoy some decent company. Be nice to her, and your reward might be very pleasant. I know how hurt you were by Janice’s leaving like she did. You need to drop that little episode and get on with your life. You might enjoy some
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