just add it to her bill.”
“Where is she going to sleep?” Jason asked.
“In the tack house.”
Jason gasped. “Oh, come on, Caden, she can’t sleep out there!”
Marie, sensing that she was really being punished for her past transgressions, held up a hand. “Jason, it’s okay. I don’t want to sleep in his house anyway.”
“Yeah, too much of a temptation for her,” Caden announced with some disdain. “Don’t worry, you’re the last thing I’d want in my bed.”
It stung, but Marie didn’t let him see. “Where’s this tack house?”
“It’s not really a tack house, we just call it that. It’s a small room upstairs at the end of the barn. Come on, I’ll show you.”
Chapter 5
Feeling My Way
They crossed the yard and approached the red barn , which Marie could see had been painted sometime in the not-so-distant past. At the end of the barn was a set of stairs that led to a door with a window in the upper half. As she climbed the stairs, Marie scanned the horizon. It suddenly hit her how beautiful the ranch was—the meadow filled with fine powdery snow, the tracks of deer that led into the endless forest of pine trees and, of course, the breathtaking Rocky Mountains. The peaks reached into the sky like tall cathedral spires of white and purple.
“My God , this is beautiful. How many acres does he own?” she asked.
“Eight thousand and twenty.”
“Holy shit! How many head of cattle?”
“It’s down because we went to market a few months ago, but approximately two hundred and ninety-four. During the summer we have more, about a hundred and fifty more.”
“What about horses?”
“He only has four horses. His horse ranch is somewhere in Los Angeles.”
“Topanga Canyon,” she responded. “Does he ever go down there?”
Jason eyed her as he reached the landing, wondering why she was asking. “Not very often. He has a manager who lives on the property. He’s only been back to Los Angeles twice in the last six years that I’ve known him. He said that there were toxic people there and that he drank the Kool-aid once—he didn’t need a second dose.”
“That would be me.”
“I kinda suspected that.” Jason opened the door and flipped a light switch to an overhead light that was nothing but an exposed forty-watt bulb. “Not very bright in here. Maybe I can get you a higher wattage light bulb. There’s a little lamp on the nightstand.”
She looked around the room and realized why Jason had been so protective of her. “Oh , my God. I’m going to sleep here?”
Jason grimaced and nodded.
In the corner there was a foldaway guest bed with a ratty looking ticking cover. Next to it was a small nightstand and an even smaller bedside lamp. At the other end of the room was a worn out chair that had stuffing showing through the arms of the plaid upholstery. There was a small chest of drawers that was missing one. Across from the chair was a sink and a hole where there had obviously been a small, apartment-sized refrigerator.
“Someone lives here?” she asked.
He laughed. “During calving season, someone spends the night to make sure that the cows are okay when they give birth. The summer help rotates nights. I’m afraid that smell is all “cowboy” after long days in the yards.”
He was right, there was a strong smell of sweat, cow dung , and farm in the room. “Oh, boy. I suspect that smell is permanently ingrained into the wood. That reminds me, uh, there’s no insulation in the walls.” The walls had no drywall, just exposed framing. “It’s freezing in here.” She looked in the drawers. “There are no blankets! And where’s the bathroom?”
“There is no bathroom per se. You’ll have to shower in the house, but there is a toilet down in the barn. Come on, I’ll show you, but I hope you have a strong stomach. It’s not pretty.”
They walked down the stairs and in through a side door to the barn. Immediately inside
“Where is she going to sleep?” Jason asked.
“In the tack house.”
Jason gasped. “Oh, come on, Caden, she can’t sleep out there!”
Marie, sensing that she was really being punished for her past transgressions, held up a hand. “Jason, it’s okay. I don’t want to sleep in his house anyway.”
“Yeah, too much of a temptation for her,” Caden announced with some disdain. “Don’t worry, you’re the last thing I’d want in my bed.”
It stung, but Marie didn’t let him see. “Where’s this tack house?”
“It’s not really a tack house, we just call it that. It’s a small room upstairs at the end of the barn. Come on, I’ll show you.”
Chapter 5
Feeling My Way
They crossed the yard and approached the red barn , which Marie could see had been painted sometime in the not-so-distant past. At the end of the barn was a set of stairs that led to a door with a window in the upper half. As she climbed the stairs, Marie scanned the horizon. It suddenly hit her how beautiful the ranch was—the meadow filled with fine powdery snow, the tracks of deer that led into the endless forest of pine trees and, of course, the breathtaking Rocky Mountains. The peaks reached into the sky like tall cathedral spires of white and purple.
“My God , this is beautiful. How many acres does he own?” she asked.
“Eight thousand and twenty.”
“Holy shit! How many head of cattle?”
“It’s down because we went to market a few months ago, but approximately two hundred and ninety-four. During the summer we have more, about a hundred and fifty more.”
“What about horses?”
“He only has four horses. His horse ranch is somewhere in Los Angeles.”
“Topanga Canyon,” she responded. “Does he ever go down there?”
Jason eyed her as he reached the landing, wondering why she was asking. “Not very often. He has a manager who lives on the property. He’s only been back to Los Angeles twice in the last six years that I’ve known him. He said that there were toxic people there and that he drank the Kool-aid once—he didn’t need a second dose.”
“That would be me.”
“I kinda suspected that.” Jason opened the door and flipped a light switch to an overhead light that was nothing but an exposed forty-watt bulb. “Not very bright in here. Maybe I can get you a higher wattage light bulb. There’s a little lamp on the nightstand.”
She looked around the room and realized why Jason had been so protective of her. “Oh , my God. I’m going to sleep here?”
Jason grimaced and nodded.
In the corner there was a foldaway guest bed with a ratty looking ticking cover. Next to it was a small nightstand and an even smaller bedside lamp. At the other end of the room was a worn out chair that had stuffing showing through the arms of the plaid upholstery. There was a small chest of drawers that was missing one. Across from the chair was a sink and a hole where there had obviously been a small, apartment-sized refrigerator.
“Someone lives here?” she asked.
He laughed. “During calving season, someone spends the night to make sure that the cows are okay when they give birth. The summer help rotates nights. I’m afraid that smell is all “cowboy” after long days in the yards.”
He was right, there was a strong smell of sweat, cow dung , and farm in the room. “Oh, boy. I suspect that smell is permanently ingrained into the wood. That reminds me, uh, there’s no insulation in the walls.” The walls had no drywall, just exposed framing. “It’s freezing in here.” She looked in the drawers. “There are no blankets! And where’s the bathroom?”
“There is no bathroom per se. You’ll have to shower in the house, but there is a toilet down in the barn. Come on, I’ll show you, but I hope you have a strong stomach. It’s not pretty.”
They walked down the stairs and in through a side door to the barn. Immediately inside
Similar Books
