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12. An Afternoon Chat
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The Rancher's Heart 13. Hair Dressing
When Everest had made the offer to help the rancher's kid braid her hair someday she hadn't expected the girl to show up on her doorstep thirty-two minutes later with a toothy smile and a kvetching goat.She had been mixing cake batter and had just slid the last cupcake tray into the oven whether doorbell chimed.The little girl had changed out of her dress into a sky-blue spaghetti top and blue and pink jeans. She gripped a small box to her stomach and also tried to plead to the recalcitrant goat with the same hands."Mrs Rosenthal said I could come," she explained with a smile."Come in." Everest opened the door wide and let the girl walk in. She cast a glance at the goat and hoped the headstrong creature wouldn't cause a nuisance in her house.She closed the door and turned to the girl. She wouldn't lie, she was excited. And nervous. She hadn't made someone's hair in a long while.The time she had been consistent with hair making had been when she was young and her kid brother youn
The Rancher's Heart 14. Video Call
"Girl, you never said how long you'll be staying."Everest exhaled and shrugged, glancing over at Leesa. "I don't know yet. Maybe about a month or so. Maybe I'll be extending my rent when it expires."Khessica gasped. She swiped madly away at her overgrown jet-black bangs. "You're kidding," she declared. "Girls, don't just sit there and watch her make crazy decisions." Khessica glowered at the other four faces in the video call - including Everest's.Jinny was busy spooning large portions of green ice cream into her mouth. Her pregnancy had given her a strange craving for freezing cold and soft food. She set down the large striped tub with a roll of her eyes. "Our girl is being a bonafide cosmopolitan bitch," she said to Khessica. "I support you, woman," she said to Everest, picking up her ice cream again.Elise groaned. "Why do we have to argue about when Evie's returning?" She stabbed at her pink glasses and tsked. "No offence, babe, but you're as stubborn as a fucking mule. You don
The Rancher's Heart 15. What Was She Playing At?
Mentor was pleasantly surprised to meet his buddy Garth Mowman pulling up at his doorstep in his Toyota SUV, just as his own truck arrived home.Garth ran a goat farm near the other side of town where the rivers and hills were much more in abundance. He and the guy, who was almost two years his senior, had been friends since their teens and he had come to see Garth's family of four as his own too and vice versa.He was also Queen's godfather — he had gifted her the pesky goat kid as a birthday gift."Dude," Garth boomed, slapping his back as he stepped out of the truck. "It's nice to see you too, pal," he said in reply, pumping his hand and slapping him on the back too. "How's Helena and the kids?""They're all good. Helena extends her greetings too."The two friends walked up to the house and shed their outer clothing in the hallway. Mentor was especially glad to be rid of the cashmere sweater. When it had been so cold in the morning, he hadn't expected such a drastic turnaround in
The Rancher's Heart 16. Tingles in the Night
To her disappointment, it was way dark when Everest woke up. What had meant to be a short nap had spun into a long sleep. She groaned when she checked the time to be nine o'clock in the night.Great. Now she'd have trouble going back to sleep later.Her stomach moaned as she got up from the bed and she rubbed at her flat tummy. Her plan to cook up a nice meal on waking up was gone with the evening wind now and she'd had nothing but a bowl of cereal in the morning and a quarter dozen of cakes in the afternoon.Everest then realized her skin was steaming from the heat that had refused to depart with the afternoon. She found herself wishing the small house had air conditioning. Making a mental note to mention it to Mrs Casss, she headed to the kitchen to get a bite of a cupcake.She had planned to muster up the trekking courage to go into town tomorrow and buy a bunch of flavoured frostings to add to the remaining. And if she wasn't able to summon the courage she was going to have them l
The Rancher's Heart 17. Crossing the Line
It was long after Everest was gone that he swam out of the water and climbed to the banks, still tottering from the mortification. As if the first awkward encounter wasn't enough.They said once bitten, twice shy. But, clearly, in his own case, his body had to be ridden with bite marks to learn his lesson.True, he had tried to stay away from the lake for most nights, but he was just used to coming out here to cool off a long day at the ranch.He sat in a pile of his denim clothes and squeezed at his hair to dry. His mind went back to the new neighbour. The girl was probably pissed at him now. If it were him, he'd be apoplectic as well.A long exhale escaped from his lips as he laid back on his clothes and stared at the dark, empty sky. He was going to miss all this. Eventually, he had to stop coming here, he needed no telling. But the inevitability of it still weighed him down like metal kilo bars.The back of his house was extensive enough, there was even a sunroom extension that us
The Rancher's Heart 18. Electricity
Mentor's jaws were starting to hurt slightly from holding them together with so much force. The neighbour's question had him worked up on the inside and he didn't like it one bit. He looked away at the lush sea of grass that spilt out beneath them and breathed deep. How was it her business? Just because she had made his daughter's hair didn't give her the right to ask him personal stuff. He looked back at the tabletop in front of him with a frown. Was she one of those interlopers that felt entitled to everybody's lives?"Oh my God." He heard her say with a soft gasp.That caught his attention and he looked up. There was a frisson of fear lodged in her coffee-brown eyes. She was penitent, knowing she had gone overboard there.She looked down and away and touched a hand to her forehead tiredly. "I'm so sorry. That was so stupid of me. I shouldn't have asked that question. I shouldn't have. . ."With a start that made his heart start to sprint, he realized he must have shown his annoya
The Rancher's Heart 19. Binse's Fix-a-Lot
It was a weekend and Everest was loathing going into town. Maybe picking the house at end of the town hadn't been such a good idea after all. Right now she'd willingly trade the quiet and privacy for the hustle and bustle as long as she didn't have to deal with the tedious trekking. The last journey to town alone still had her muscles sore and aching.But she had no choice but to go. After a cold blast of water from the shower in the sharp morning weather, she had decided enough was enough and had called Mrs Casss about having a water heater unit installed.To her surprise, the woman had readily agreed, acknowledging that the house needed one anyway. But the woman was out of town in the meantime and had given her the number and shop address of a trusted plumber and told her to have him come up to the house to fix a budget estimate.His number had gone to voice mail the three times she had called and she had left a message about what Mrs Casss needed him to do. And now, she admitted wit
The Rancher's Heart 20. Grapevine
Irina shrugged and played with a screw thingy that had come off the fan. "It's probably one of her husband's. You know, they used to run business separately before he bit the dust. Now she owns everything."Vaughn nodded in reply and paused to snatch the object she had picked up. "So, do you tap dance?" Irina asked.Everest shook her head, surprised at the question."Irina," Vaughn said with a tired tone of voice. "Do you have to send all of my customers running? Besides, don't you only take kids?""I know, silly. We could use a teacher though," Irina said, scoping Everest openly. "What with Beverly and Moe pregnant at the same time. Tap dancing is not something you do when you're carrying, and pretty soon they'll be handing in their notice to leave." Irina sighed at the last statement and turned the object in her hands over and over like meat on a spit. Her wandering fingers had found another object from the dissected fan."I'm sure you'll find someone else," Everest said for lack o
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The Rancher's Heart 31. Delusional Thoughts
Steering clear of the rancher was going very well, she told herself. Not that she had had her resolve challenged or anything. She hadn't even seen him all day. And most importantly she hadn't thought of him.Evening was almost over, about six hours since she left the pub with her resolution set in plaque and laminated in perspex. She had spent the hours sleeping, and then waking to stream a long movie, while simultaneously on a call with her friends.Now that the movie was done, a complete flop from the last one in the franchise, and her friends were gone, she realized she had nothing much else to do. Partly, she yearned for some hustle and bustle and wished she had picked a house in town. But that thought was only for a moment. Who was she kidding, she wouldn't trade this peace and quiet for something else. She got enough hustle and bustle from the city and her apartment building, which was right in the penumbra of the metropolis. When was the last time she could hear her own breath
The Rancher's Heart 30. A Song and a Dance
As far as virtual assisting went, Mentor sucked at it. He removed his stetson and wiped at his brewing forehead with a palm.Garth's yearly soirée was tonight and he had put off shopping for clothes so long it had become too late. It was kind of nice of Mrs Rosenthal to offer to take his daughter shopping and get him clothes as well. Emphasis on the and.But now it was turning out to be not such a good idea. The duo were calling him for the seventh time since he stepped out of his truck at the ranch. At first, they had wanted to know if they wanted him to shop for his stuff first before Queen's, as if they couldn't make the decision themselves. As if they hadn't already made it.Then Queen had wanted to know if he wanted a tie with little teddy bears on it, said she wanted it for him but Sandy was sure he wouldn't like it so she had called to ask. Soon afterwards they had called about a gift for Garth and a gift for Garth's goats and could she adopt all the baby geese she had seen at
The Rancher's Heart 29. The Rancher's Heart
Exploring the town was something she had always had in the back of her mind to do, but, except for the bookshop she'd been to that other time, she had only been to the town market to get stuff, she hadn't done much of exploring. On account of her little cottage being so far away from town.So, when she had strolled out of her house today and saw that the afternoon sun was mild, she had gone back inside to get her tote bag and made the trek into town.At the moment, she was at a new pub, whose cutthroat-y name glued above the porch less door had given her the first impression that it was going to be lewd, or at least offensive to the feminine senses. But 'Gargly Broad' had turned out to be a mere hoax. The air conditioning that had enveloped her as she had stepped inside had first tugged away the little heat that still clung to her from the trek. Everything was all marble stones and glass. The semi-oval rose-white marble bar extended over the anterior part of the roundish room with g
The Rancher's Heart 28. I Like You a Lot
She had woken up late today. The white rays of the sun were already high in the sky, having swept away the last of dawn.A cup of hot coffee was just the thing to start her day, she thought as she blew on the scalding cup in one hand with her phone in the other hand. Especially after a night spent sleeping in fits and starts.Which made her wonder about the source of her sleeplessness. Everest wondered if he was up already and perhaps regretting yesterday night.A tentative sip of the hot coffee scalded her tongue, but it had worked to get rid of the weird speculations. Why would he regret kissing her? He was a grown man and of his own mind. And she had been made carnally aware that he had enjoyed it just as much as she had. The physical attraction between the two of them was potent enough. He had admitted to it himself and she had acknowledged it by reaching up to kiss him first. A wild move on her part, considering who and where they were, but one she had been glad she made, nevert
The Rancher's Heart 27. Spitball
Noodles again, Mentor grunted as he heaped hot forkfuls into two bowls. At this rate, the damned thing would be growing on their heads. Mrs Rosenthal usually made enough food to last the weekend on Fridays and stuck them in the freezer. For days when he didn't have the time or pizzazz to cook. Like today.But he had opened the freezer this morning and found it full of all of a suspicious-looking half-pineapple pizza and a pasta take-out. Mrs Rosenthal must have forgotten because why else wouldn't she have stocked the freezer?After setting the table, he went back upstairs to wake Queen up. She had slept like a baby all the way back to the house last night and hadn't even stirred when he brought her up to bed. He, on the other hand, hadn't been so lucky.Flipping on the bedroom light seemed to work, though. She blinked into the light like a startled deer and then started to yawn."Good morning, Daddy," she said in a sleepy voice. The girl made no move to sit up though.He manoeuvred a
The Rancher's Heart 26. He Was Done For
For Mentor, Sunday morning came sporting a semi-hard. Memories of the previous night's aborted passion came cascading over him like a waterfall. He sighed and sat up on the bed, the whispers of a smile on his lips.He wondered if the subject of his thoughts was up already and if she was thinking about him as well. About the previous night's racy adventure. And if, unlike him, she had slept well through the night.Thinking about her didn't help. His bulging erection had gone from semi-hard to solid wood. A cold shower was what he needed right now. He wasn't in much of a hurry to go to the ranch, since it was a weekend he wasn't expected at the ranch at all. He only usually popped in on Saturday or Sunday evenings once in a while.In the adjoining bathroom, he turned the shower on and was gratified at the biting cold water that drummed down his head. He rested one hand against the wall ahead of him, hung his head and stayed still as the frigid water ran over him. The water should subdue
The Rancher's Heart 25. After the First Kiss
The little girl skipped into the room, blissfully unaware of the sexual heat and tension that clogged the kitchen air. She bent to pick up the wretched goat and announced that she thought it wanted to do potty.The father sighed deeply and glared at the despicable animal. "Oh, now the damn bastard is housebroken?" he mumbled beneath his palm."Huh?" said the girl, tilting her head to stare at her dad with a frown. It was as though she had realized something was amiss about him and was trying to place her finger on it."Nothing, baby," he said, slowly turning away from the counter to ask for Everest's permission to use her yard.Everest nodded quickly before their eyes met, knowing she was going to find the same lust and hunger that still clouded hers in them.As the father-daughter duo went out the kitchen backdoor to the back deck, she adjusted her top, wincing as it brushed softly over her still-tingling breasts. Confusion lurked in her mind. She had shared lots of kisses over the y
The Rancher's Heart 24. First Kiss
Being at such a loss for words was something that rarely befell Mentor Gayle Calloway. To tell the truth, he couldn't remember ever being in such a sticky wicket before. He fervently racked his brain for an opening sentence as he followed her into the kitchen.It also didn't help that she was ghostly silent as he rinsed plates and passed them to her to go into the dishwasher. He had a strong feeling she knew she was being watched. He rolled his eyes internally. Yeah, Sherlock.When their fingers touched as he handed her the last plate and she jerked hers back, Mentor breathed a sigh. He waited for her to load up the plates then started."I think it's safe to say that this, um, attraction is mutual." He wiped his hands on a paper towel slowly, a bit nervous. He had never been one to succumb to a bout of jittery nerves, but this was turning out to be an exception. God help him, he wasn't very good at this. And he could feel her gaze turn to him as he spoke so he concentrated on dabbing
The Rancher's Heart 23. The Unannounced Visit
Everest sieved the chicken chops from the lemon marinade she had prepared earlier in the day and dumped them in the sizzling baste in the pan. Then she poured the cut mixture of veggies and sweet pepper from the chopping board into the bowl of broken eggs and tossed a moderate blob of butter and fresh, grated parmesan cheese into the mixture. With one hand she stirred the roasting meat in the pan and reached for the pink electronic whisk with the other."Girl, you're killing me. I can literally smell the food already."She smirked at Jinny's moan."Like you didn't just finish eating for America."Jinny puckered her lips and shut her eyes. She took a deep breath as though trying to bridge the digital space between them to the food. "But I'm still so hungry," she complained."Again, babe?" Jinny's boyfriend and father of her baby said as his muscular arm crossed the camera. "We still got gelato in the fridge.""No, I want Evie's cooking. Babe, she's making fancy frittata again," the preg
