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Chapter 29: More Than Bad Dreams
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2022-10-20 14:18:05Related chapters
Redheads & Ranchers Chapter 30: After Effects
Chapter 30: After EffectsThe rising sun was already casting a pink glow across the eastern sky when Cole woke up the following morning. He stretched and groaned softly, feeling drained from the previous night's ordeal. Rolling over, he peered off the right side of the bed. Jenny lay curled with her back against the side of his mattress. Even in sleep, her jaw seemed tense, and she tightly clutched the edge of the quilt to her chin.If he was tired from last night's tirade, she must be exhausted, he mused. Carefully, he slid out of bed, collected the clothes he needed for the day, and headed into the bathroom.Twenty minutes later, a cup of coffee in hand, he trudged to the barn through the early morning chill and set about his chores. As he did so, he considered the events of the night before. In their conversations, limited as they were, Jenny had given him just enough information to tell him that she'd experienced unimaginable trauma. He supposed that lifting the curtain ev
Last Updated : 2022-10-20Redheads & Ranchers Chapter 31: A Surprise in the Barn
Chapter 31: A Surprise in the BarnAn eternity later, Jenny returned downstairs, completely dressed this time in jeans and a t-shirt, her new boots on her feet. She'd even taken a moment to brush her hair and pull it into a ponytail, and she had her whiteboard in her hand. Cole beamed at her. "Hey there, just in time. Have a seat and I'll bring it to the table."Beside her glass, he'd placed a bottle of ibuprofen tablets. "I thought they might help," he shrugged.When he got up for seconds, Jenny had made barely a dent in the spaghetti on her plate. "Not a spaghetti fan?" he asked lightly as he returned to his seat.Her eyes widened. It's good, she wrote quickly. For emphasis, she took another small bite.He smiled at her sympathetically. "Eat as much as you like," he told her. "But I'd recommend a couple of those pain relievers. I know when I'm saddle-sore, they're just the thing."Jenny nodded, popping open the bottle and shaking a pair of brown tablets into her hand. A
Last Updated : 2022-10-20Redheads & Ranchers Chapter 32: Someone Had to Pay
Chapter 32: Someone Had to PayVictor Sorkin's grey eyes narrowed as he listened to Slater's story for perhaps the fifth time since Slater and Wilcox had returned to the compound without his pet. To the man's credit, his story never wavered. He was entirely certain about the timeline of events from beginning to end.As Slater had known he would, Victor had made the phone call to the arms dealer in the hotel in San Francisco."Tell me, Mr. Smith," he'd purred, rolling his eyes at the ludicrous moniker, "how did you enjoy my pet?""She was fine," the man had replied. "But I could see why you needed a break from all the talking. The only time she shut up was when my cock was in her mouth."Victor had frowned. "She talked too much?""I now know more about reality television than I ever wanted to know. But she was sweet, and she gave great head, so…" The man had trailed off. "I was sorry your men had to pick her up early. I was looking forward to another go."Breathing in slowly to
Last Updated : 2022-10-20Redheads & Ranchers Chapter 33: Riding
Chapter 33: RidingAfter he'd finished working his first horse the following morning, Cole returned to the barn and found Jenny sitting cross-legged beside the box of kittens in the empty stall. He leaned against the stall door and she flashed him a sunny smile."How are the kitties this morning?"She gave him a thumbs-up.Cole nodded. "Good. How are the names coming along?"Jenny reached for the board beside her and quickly scribbled.Cocoa. She pointed to the tiny calico furball. Dusty was white and grey. For Inky, she indicated the black one with the white nose. Snowball was, of course, all white. And the grey one that looked like its mother was Arabella."Cocoa, Dusty, Inky, Snowball, and Arabella. And you're sure Arabella's a girl?"Jenny's eyes widened, and she looked into the box uncertainly.Cole had to laugh. He opened the stall and went inside. "It's easy enough to check," he said, squatting beside her. He reached into the box and gently picked up the tiny grey fu
Last Updated : 2022-10-20Redheads & Ranchers Chapter 34: Shopping List
Chapter 34: Shopping ListOver the next week, Jenny loved the time she spent in the ring with Dahlia. Cole proved a patient teacher, not that she was surprised. His gentle manner and easy smile chased away any anxiety she might have felt. He also invited her into his office off the den where he showed her how to use his computer to pull up the live feed from the barn any time she liked. She could even zoom in on the kittens to see how they were getting along, which pleased her beyond measure. She adored helping Cole with his work, too. Anything to help her feel less like a burden and more like she was pulling her own weight. In the back of her mind, she hoped that she'd be able to repay Cole for the things he'd bought for her.She abandoned the cot and returned to her own room, falling into bed at the end of each day with a satisfying weariness borne out of the physical activity required to keep a ranch operating smoothly. Her dreams were of the riding skills Cole was teachin
Last Updated : 2022-10-20Redheads & Ranchers Chapter 35: A Dangerous Idea
Chapter 35: A Dangerous IdeaAfter Cole left for town, Jenny wandered around the house making sure everything was neat and tidy. In the kitchen, she retrieved a few items from the cupboards and laid them out on the counter. The rest of what she needed, Cole would be bringing back from town. The idea of participating in the Everybody Rides event was terrifying. She couldn't imagine being around so many strangers. At the same time, she was excited about the opportunity to contribute to the cause, and to bring to life something she'd done in her imagination so many times.She peered out the window toward the barn and the pasture. Several of the horses grazed peacefully not far from the gate. She considered heading over to say hello to Dahlia and to check on the kittens. Instead, she made her way to Cole's office where she sank into the black leather desk chair and fired up his computer.Following the steps he'd shown her, she pulled up the security feed from the barn. One camera
Last Updated : 2022-10-20Redheads & Ranchers Chapter 36: Like the Easter Bunny Threw Up
Chapter 36: Like the Easter Bunny Threw UpGazing down at the kitchen table strewn with Easter detritus, Cole laughed out loud. "It looks like the Easter Bunny threw up in here."At the kitchen counter, Jenny snickered. She opened the oven and peered in at the cupcakes baking inside. Shaking her head slightly, she closed the oven door and tapped in two more minutes on the timer before she returned to her seat across from Cole.Together, they'd been filling plastic eggs with green iridescent artificial grass and with candies of various kinds. At the store, Cole had avoided chocolate, knowing the eggs would undoubtedly sit out in the sun for some time before the kids gathered them. Besides, there were allergies to consider.Across the table, Jenny smiled at him as she added another filled plastic egg to the large basket they'd use to carry the treats out to the riding ring in the morning. But Cole couldn't shake the notion that something was a little off. Maybe it was in the way s
Last Updated : 2022-10-20Redheads & Ranchers Chapter 37: Jennifer Stone
Chapter 37: Jennifer StoneShortly afterward, Jenny headed off to bed. Cole settled in the den to watch the late news, then went to his office to check the barn on the security cameras.When he fired up the computer, he was surprised to find the video feed already up but figured Jenny had peeked in on the kittens while he'd been gone. She'd seemed happy he'd shown her how to view the security feed, and Cole wondered if she'd watch tomorrow's festivities from the quiet of his office.The horses, and yes, the kittens, he checked, seemed fine. He was about to shut down the computer when he remembered about some medication he'd been meaning to order. He'd looked at a hoof treatment the other day and now he mentally chided himself for not having placed the order then. Minnie had a rough spot developing and the sooner he treated it the better.Clicking on history, he started to scan for the website when he noticed a handful of unfamiliar searches. For no reason he could fathom, a cold
Last Updated : 2022-10-20
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