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Chapter 95: Reflections on an Interesting Day
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Redheads & Ranchers Chapter 96: Regrets and Cow Poo Shoes
Chapter 96: Regrets and Cow Poo ShoesElectronic chimes roused Poppy out of a dead sleep. With the side of her face mashed into a pillow, she eased open her available eye and blinked. Wherever she was, it was pitch dark. The chimes repeated their pattern, louder this time. She reached out with her left arm, clumsily pawing at a bedside table until her hand landed on the offending device. Pushing herself over created a wave of pain in her head that would have been blinding had the room not been dark to begin with. She held the phone at various distances until she could see it, then swiped off the alarm before it could begin a third cycle. 5:30am. At least we've established the time. Now where… Oh, yeah. Idaho. She dropped the phone and held her forehead with the heels of both hands in an attempt to prevent her head from blowing apart. Snippets of memories from the previous day floated randomly through her mind like a bizarre parade. Her black Jimmy Choo in the middle of a
Redheads & Ranchers Chapter 97: Apologies
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Redheads & Ranchers Chapter 98: A Breath of Fresh Air
Chapter 98: A Breath of Fresh AirHunter disconnected, a slight smile playing across his lips. He stroked his beard thoughtfully. He could tell himself he wasn't attracted to the woman. But he'd be lying. And he figured lying to oneself was the biggest kind of stupid there was.It had been a long time, though. In truth, sometimes Tara's face seemed to fade in his memory, and it made him feel guilty as hell. But five years was a long time. It was a long time to be alone, a long time to hold onto the memory of a life he no longer had.Following the funeral, he'd been worthless as shit. His mother and his grandfather had tried to help him see sense. But it had been old Rolly who'd given him the kick in the behind he'd needed to start moving forward again."You think she'd be proud of you, all curled up and feeling sorry for yourself? Think she'd be proud if you lose this ranch that your daddy and granddaddy worked at so hard to make a going concern? Get off your ass and get bac
Redheads & Ranchers Chapter 99: McFall Ranch
Chapter 99: McFall RanchAs the Range Rover traveled around a curve in the highway, the rustic wood and iron gate came into view, with McFall Ranch arching over the drive in large black letters. Feeling sheepish about her behavior the previous evening, Poppy hesitated on the main road before she signaled with her directional and turned in, driving through the open gate.Her hands were slick on the steering wheel and she swiped them one at a time on the thighs of her jeans as she made her way down the long winding drive. Today, a handful of cattle grazed nearby. She made a mental note to watch where she stepped.Hunter was just coming out of the barn as she pulled up to the house. She took a moment to appreciate his tall, solid physique. He was again neatly dressed in dark jeans over worn cowboy boots. His neat chambray shirt was tucked in behind an oval silver belt buckle. The long sleeves were rolled up to the middle of his strong forearms. And once again, the black hat was ba
Redheads & Ranchers Chapter 100: Not Too Shabby for a City Girl
Chapter 100: Not Too Shabby for a City GirlThe men watched her as she went. As soon as the office door closed behind her, Rolly turned to Hunter. "You didn't tell me.""I didn't tell you what?""That she looks just like Tara," the old man hissed.Hunter frowned and looked toward the office. "She doesn't look just like Tara."The old man pointed to his head. "Red hair?" He held his hand parallel to the ground. "Yea tall? Brown eyes?""Okay, there are similarities," Hunter shrugged. "But she doesn't look just like her. Tara's eyes were lighter brown, for one thing. And her hair was stick-straight."The two men headed into the barn. "They could be twins, you ask me," Rolly mumbled."I didn't ask you." Hunter exhaled sharply. "Look, Ms. Chastain is here from the development company. I want to take her out and show her why we're not selling any McFall land.""Ms. Chastain is it now?" Rolly muttered under his breath."Rolly, I swear to God…""Um, hello?" Poppy stood uncertain
Redheads & Ranchers Chapter 101: Trail Ride
Chapter 101: Trail RideTogether, they headed out in the direction Rolly had taken earlier. In no time at all, they caught up with the old man. He was chatting with two younger men. The three of them looked up as Hunter and Poppy approached."Hey there, Hunter. Rolly just told me about all the shit…" The young man stopped and looked at Poppy. "Excuse me, ma'am, all the manure up in front of the barn. Some of the heifers must have wandered over there in the night. I'll get right on it.""Thanks, Hoyt. By the way, this is Ms. Chastain. Poppy, that's Hoyt Johnson and Wes Napier. Between them and Rolly, they keep this place running.""Aw, don't let him fool you," Rolly laughed. "Hunter's like all the McFalls. They're hands-on when it comes to this place.""Alright, gents, we'll leave you to it. We're heading up to the north end.""Have a good ride, then," Wes said. All three men nodded as Hunter and Poppy moved on toward the open pasture.As they rode, Hunter occasionally gl
Redheads & Ranchers Chapter 102: River Crossing
Chapter 102: River CrossingThey rode east toward the foothills. As they went along, Poppy thought about what Hunter had said. There had to be a solution that would work for everyone. She just needed to find it.After a quarter of an hour, they came to a river. She heard it before she saw it, clear water rushing over weather-smoothed rocks. It didn't seem to be deep, but the current was swift. She looked at Hunter questioningly."Where we're going is on the other side of the river."Her eyes widened. "You mean we have to ride across?"He nodded. "It's shallow enough. The water's moving fast, but you just keep going and don't stop."Beneath her, Duffy sighed. "I don't know, Hunter."He gave her a reassuring smile. "You've got this. Besides, Duffy's an old pro."Unconvinced, Poppy pursed her lips.Hunter laughed. "I promise it'll be fine. I'm taking you to see the summer pasture in the mountains. We'll be taking the whole herd across this river in a few weeks.""Yeah, well
Redheads & Ranchers Chapter 103: Summer Pasture
Chapter 103: Summer PastureThey followed the river for a while, then Hunter turned away from the water. The land began to gently slope upward and what had been pasture narrowed to a wide path through the trees. "You bring the cattle all the way up here?" Poppy wondered."We do. Summer is hot down lower, and with the grasses having grown on the mountain all spring, it's perfect for them. All the calves are big enough to make the trip, so it's great for them to head on up here for a couple of months."He glanced her way. "Wait until you see the mountain pastureland. This time of year, it will still be covered with spring flowers."As they continued together up the slope, Poppy realized that the air was cooler than it had been down at the house. She also noticed that the breeze had picked up a little, and she wished she had considered a jacket before she'd left the motel. The path narrowed as tall trees crowded in, and Duffy fell into step behind Cheyenne as Hunter led the way up
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Chapter 218: Unexpected GuestA week and a half after the beach fiasco, Anna was grateful for a set routine. If she wasn't happy, exactly, at least she felt settled. She'd decided she'd try to fly home to Wyoming for Thanksgiving, and while the holiday was still weeks away, she wanted to touch base with Janine to give her plenty of notice. Being able to cross off the days on her calendar until she went home to visit lifted her spirits somewhat.It was mid-afternoon when she finished leading her final session for the day, so she decided to pop in to have a chat with Janine. On her way into the ranch office, she passed a shiny black SUV parked in front.Maybe Janine has found a big donor, Anna thought hopefully. The ranch can use so many upgrades.She pushed open the door and entered the empty office. Janine wasn't at her desk, but the door that led to the rest of the house was ajar, and Anna heard low voices.She rapped on the doorframe. "Hello? Janine?""Anna?" came Janine's vo
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Redheads & Ranchers Chapter 215: Florida
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Redheads & Ranchers Chapter 212: Nightmare
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