Home On The Range Ch. 05

We stood up and found snake sitting in a chair near the door. When he saw us walking towards him, he stood up and we left the bank. Spike drove to the saddle and boot store. When we walked in the owner said hello to all of us and then asked us to follow him. We followed him over to the saddles and there sat this beautiful brown saddle with a hot pink leather strip of padding in the seat. He patted the seat and said, "Climb on Britt, let's she how you look on your new saddle."

I did as he asked me to and like the last time my shorts gapped open and I noticed he positioned himself, so he was at the correct angle to see into the leg of my shorts. The padding on the seat felt a lot better than the hard leather seats on the saddles I tried before. The matching tack was hooked over the saddle horn, all that was missing was the bit. Spike said he would pick out the one he wanted me to have.

The other items we selected from our first trip were set off to the side with grandpa's name on the pile. In the pile was my rifle scabbard, saddle blanket, set of chaps, leather belt with a silver belt buckle, a hat box with my grey Stetson, black stockman duster and spurs. The owner tallied up everything and grandpa wrote him a check. The owner helped us take everything out to the truck. The only thing we put inside the truck was my new hat.

Before the owner went back into the shop, spike told him about hiring the four ranch hands and to spread the word. He told the guy it was ok to give someone was interested in a job our phone number so they could call.

From that shop, snake had a place close by he needed to go so grandpa drove snake there and we waited in the truck, while snake went into the store. Grandpa asked me, "Are you feeling more like a cowgirl yet?"

"I laughed and said, "I can't wait to put on my new jeans and shirt and then stuff my feet into my new boots with the spurs on them, then top everything off with my new hat. We'll need to take a picture and send it to mom and dad. Show them their little girl has grown up."

Grandpa laughed and said, "We'll need to take a trip to the city and get a cell phone or two so we can take your pictures and send them to your ma that way. I think it's about time I start catching up with all the new stuff, what do you think Britt?"

"Grandpa, I know I'm a kid, a city kid but you know, I've never had much interest in cell phones. I was only interested in good grades in school and I didn't have time to be looking at some damn phone all day like the other girls. I mean they seem to never put them down. I wonder how they got any work done at all. But like you said, I guess it's time to catch up. Becky told me she had a cheap cell phone, but she doesn't carry it all the time. I guess they would be good for texting if we needed to communicate during the day or if someone has to get in touch with us and we aren't in the house to pick up the phone. But still, I wouldn't use it all the time, even if I had one."

"Grandpa, you said before we left that you sure hope Becky takes your offer. Is working the only reason you want her to come to our ranch?"

Grandpa looked at me for a second before he said, "Honestly? I want you to have someone your age nearby, so you have a girl to talk to. I know it must be hard on you to be young and living with two older guys. I want the best for you and I'm willing to do what I can to make your life easier. Your grandma and me worked very hard on the ranch and I feel a little guilty that we didn't have much of a life other than the ranch. I want more for you, that's why I'm gonna hire four more people so me, you, snake and hopefully Becky can have more time to ourselves."

"I want to train you to ride your horse and get you ready for the round up and I can't do that if I'm out fixing fence or doing something else on the range. When the round up starts we don't get home all the time, we have to sleep out on the range close to the cattle we'll be moving. Like I told you, there are some cowgirls that come in to help with the round up, so you won't be out there by yourself."

"I hope I'm not sounding like I'm inconsiderate, but I really have fallen in love with you Britt and I'd like to have you near me when it's possible. The only way to make it possible is to hire some hands to work and do the stuff we've been doing."

"I also love the fact that you can breathe new life into the ranch with your ideas. I really like the idea of having campers out by the pond. That was all your idea and if we can make it work, that would be great. I'll spend the money to have it made bigger and landscaped if there is enough interest in that type of camping."

"Here comes snake. Doesn't he drive?" I asked.

"Nope never had a license, that's why he walked all the way out to the ranch when he arrived. He doesn't want to drive either."

Snake opened the door and pushed a couple of large bags across the seat before he climbed into the truck and said, "Thanks for waiting you two."

"Only for you snake." Grandpa replied.

Grandpa asked, "Do either of you need anything in Kelsey's store?"

I reminded him that he needed to run in quick and tell Sarah that he was going to hire four ranch hands. He said, "Yep, I'll get right on it." He pulled up in front of Kelsey's store and said, "Be back in a minute."

When he came out of Kelsey's store, he drove directly to the gun shop. All three of us got out of the truck and wandered inside the store. We were greeted warmly enough, and the owner told me that I cleared the background check. He finished off by saying, "You can pick up your rifle today."

He set it up on the counter and told us he bore sighted the rifle so it shouldn't take too many shells to sight it in for me. Grandpa told him we needed five more boxes of shells, so I had plenty to practice with once I got it sighted in. Snake came over to the counter with a package of targets and said, "We're getting low." The only thing that grandpa had to write the check out for was the five boxes of shells and the targets. Grandpa told the gun shop owner about hiring four ranch hands in the next week, so if he heard of someone lookin' give them our number.

Snake bought some .243 shells for his rifle and some shells for his pistol. We waited for him to pay his bill and we all walked out together. Grandpa had me slide my boxed rifle under the saddle in the bed of the truck and put a few thing on top of it. He said, "We need room inside the truck for the cold stuff from the market. The rest can go back here."

Grandpa asked snake if he had any other place he needed to go and he thought for a moment then said, "No, Frank, I'm good."

We got back in the truck and drove down the street to the market. We went inside and I pushed one cart and snake pushed another. Grandpa put the majority of the stuff in the cart and I stopped along the way and picked up what I needed for the kitchen. Together we filled our cart and then I remembered, we were getting low on beer and water. I told him I wanted to get some raspberry wine coolers because they were good, but he'd have to buy them for me.

Grandpa turned to snake and said, "We need beer. As much as I like my beer in bottles, we need to get some cans for when we are out at the pond. I don't want anyone to have bottles out there so I guess we will have to suffer a little too."

Snake agreed with grandpa and said, "We can compromise and by some bottled beer for when we drink at the house and the canned stuff for out by the pond. How's that sound to you?"

Grandpa went back to the front of the market and got another cart and brought it back to where the beer was stacked, and he loaded it up with both canned and bottled beer. He even threw two cases of raspberry wine coolers that I had requested, up on top of the beer.

Grandpa asked if there was anything else, we needed and both snake and I shrugged our shoulders, so we headed for the checkout.

We made it through checkout and got everything separated and bagged. The cold stuff for inside the truck and the other stuff in the back. Before we left the checkout, grandpa told the cashier that he needed her to spread the word he was looking to put on four ranch hands in the next week. He also told her to give anyone interested our phone number. All three of us wheeled a cart out to the truck and unloaded them and then snake volunteered to push the carts back into the store.

One more time grandpa asked, "Do either of you need anything else while we are in town?"

Not hearing either me or snake say anything, grandpa hightailed it out of town for the ranch. As he was driving through town, I pulled my shirt over my head and sat back in the seat and said, "Now that's better."

As we rode along grandpa told snake we needed to take a day, real soon and drive into the city to do some shopping. Snake asked what we were going to get, and grandpa told him we were going to get some cell phones so we could be in contact with each other.

"You going high tech Frank?" snake asked

"No, snake, but I have decided that you and I have worked long and hard on the ranch and I'm going to hire some people, four people to be exact, to do the work we've been doing so we can relax a little. I don't mean we are going to stop working but we are going to be more supervisors than laborers."

I want to teach Britt how to ride or should I say, I want her to know how to ride my way and I can't teach her how to ride if I'm out working on the range every day. And I can tell you, you ain't going to be out there working if I'm not out there too. The way I see it, when we get the new hands trained, we are going to spend a lot of time in the saddle, riding with Britt."

"Ya got a great idea Frank. I can't wait to spend more time on my horse. He hasn't been ridden for a little while so it will take him some time to get back up to speed."

"I haven't had any time to ride my horse any more than you have snake. I think we need to take some time and ride the fence on horse back and if we find a major break, we can go back out with the truck and fix it. How does that sound to ya?"

When we got home, grandpa backed across the lawn right up to the steps of the porch. We got out and unloaded the groceries, the water and beer into the house. We re-stocked the refrigerator with beer and water and some wine coolers. I brought my new hat into the house and took it up to my room. We put everything away before we left the house.

When we were done in the house, grandpa drove around the shed and backed up to the stairs that went up to snake's apartment. We all pitched in and unloaded snake's groceries along with his beer and water, while snake put his stuff away. I looked around his apartment with snake's permission. I was impressed with his cozy place. We went down and moved the truck in front of the barn and grandpa moved a saddle rack over next to his and we put my saddle, tack and blanket on it.

He cleared off one of the large wooden pegs sticking out of a huge log type piece of wood inside the barn door. When I brought my chaps, rifle scabbard, and my duster into the barn, grandpa hung everything up on the wooden peg next to his and snakes stuff. It took us longer in town than we anticipated so it was late in the afternoon. Grandpa suggested we feed the animals before we went up to the house to get some supper. So, all of us pitched in and I suspect the animals were happy to eat a little earlier than normal.

It didn't take all three of us very long to go through and feed all the animals and when we finished, we walked up to the house. I asked the guys, as we walked, what they wanted for supper. They had no idea, so I said, "Ok, we're having spaghetti tonight. Do you guys prefer the gravy mixed into the spaghetti or separate so you can put it on your spaghetti yourself?"

"Ummmm ... sweetheart, you don't put gravy on spaghetti, you put spaghetti sauce on spaghetti."

"Oh, that's right, you two didn't grow up in an Italian neighborhood, did you?"

All of us laughed and said, "You see, you need this city girl around here to set you country bumpkins straight. Yes, you put gravy on the spaghetti. The "gravy" is made out of tomatoes with plenty of spices. It just so happens, you country people buy that stuff in a jar and ruin your dinner, oops I mean supper."

"If I ever get a good batch of tomatoes, I'll make you some homemade gravy that will curl your toes as if you were having the best orgasm of your life. Mom learned how to make it from some of the Italian ladies in the neighborhood and then she taught me how to make the good stuff. She makes it all the time, fresh and lets it simmer so all the spices and flavors marinate together. But for tonight, I guess I'll be stuck, using that stuff in the jar."

"Sorry Britt, we didn't mean to insult you. The city people have a whole different way about them and the way they cook. Not that it's bad, it's just the rest of us eat supper without any flair to it. We like it simple and fast because we are tired after a hard day out on the range."

"That's ok grandpa, it's a two-way street. I know, I grew up in the city and all I know is city habits and with Italian influences, need I say any more?"

"Now that I'm out here, I will have to learn the country ways. Tonight, should I mix the sauce into the spaghetti or let you put it on yourself? I've had it both ways and it doesn't matter to me."

"Speaking for myself, your grandma always mixed it together, but I'd like to try the other way tonight and put the sauce on my spaghetti."

"I second the motion made by the gentleman from Texas. I too would like to try the other way." Snake inserted.

"Listen you two," I said while laughing, "Don't go all Washington on me or I'll have to have mom send my book Roberts Rules of Order down here to keep you two in line."

All of us roared with laughter for a couple of minutes before I said, "If we are going to have supper, then I have to start cooking. Do you guys want a beer before I start?"

"Yes please." Rang out from both my guys.

I went to the refrigerator and pulled out two bottles of beer and took them out on the porch and handed one to each guy. I felt a hand squeeze my ass as I turned to head back in the house, so I stopped and said, "I'll give you a half hour to stop that, but you'll eat a half hour later."

Spike smacked my ass and said, "I love your ass darling, but my stomach is starting to growl."

"I know, the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. Mom says that all the time."

"Ok, I'm going to cook now, don't disturb me again until I call ya."

I went into the kitchen and whipped up some sauce using more spices from the spice rack to make it taste more like homemade, which is impossible to do. But either way it wasn't going to taste like what it was when I dumped it out of the jar. The spaghetti was easy so while it was cooking, and the sauce was simmering, I set the table and put a hot plate down so I could set the pan of sauce on it.

When the spaghetti was cooked, I rinsed it under cold water and put it in a bowl and set it on the table with a spaghetti rake beside it. I hoisted the hot pan off the burner and set it on the hot plate. I called the guys to supper then went and took out three bottles of beer and set one by each plate. We didn't have any real parmesan cheese, so I put the boxed stuff on the table along with some additional spices I wanted to use. I figured I would encourage my guys to try some too.

We took our places at the table and grandpa said the prayer before we started to dig in. Snake and grandpa used their forks to get some spaghetti out of the bowl when grandpa said, "Hey the spaghetti is cold."

I smiled and said, "That's why you put all the hot sauce on it and mix it or however you want, to eat it. The sauce is really hot so be careful you don't burn your tongue."

I put some spaghetti on my plate using the spaghetti rake like I'd been taught since I was a little girl and then smothered it with plenty of sauce. I picked up the additional spices and sprinkled some on top of my meal and offered them to spike after I used them. He put some on his spaghetti and passed them to snake. I told them, "We don't have an Italian bread so, the regular bread will have to do for tonight. I'll get a loaf the next time we go to town so you can try that too."

The guys watched me wind my spaghetti on my fork and then dipped it in the sauce before going in my mouth. I watched them try to mimic me, but it was so comical I had to giggle. I said, "It takes practice, so if you want me to mix everything together next time, I will do that. It doesn't matter to me, like I said, I've had it both ways."

We ended up having a wonderful conversation with them asking me questions about my childhood and what it was like to live in the city. I was glad they were interested to learn about me growing up.

I watched both guys go back for seconds and by the time they finished, the bowl that once held the spaghetti was completely empty. There wasn't much sauce left over but there was enough to save for something else. Both guys complemented me on the sauce, but I reminded them the fresh homemade stuff would make them think they died and went to heaven.

The guys sat back in their chairs about the same time and said they were full. I told them, "I'm glad to hear that."

I stood up to clean the table off but both guys picked up their plates and brought them to the sink while I was drawing water to wash them. I started putting the dishes in the drainer and snake was right there to grab each one and dry it. Spike was behind me taking the dry plates and putting them in the cupboard where they belong. Needless to say, in no time at all, we had the dishes done, a bottle of beer in hand and the three of us headed for the porch.

Before I sat down, I let my shorts slide down my legs then picked them up and put them on the small table at the end of the swing. Spike and snake followed my actions and both of them were naked before they sat down.

I had picked up the portable phone as I walked through the living room. Once I was seated on the swing with my legs positioned for my guy's viewing pleasure, I dialed my mom's number. When she answered the phone I said, "Hi mom, it's Britt, how are you doing?"

Mom was surprised to hear from me, but she filled me in on everything that was happening in Cleveland. I listened to her like grandpa did when he had the phone the last time we talked to mom, near my right ear but not on it. In the still of the evening, both snake and grandpa could hear what she was saying to me. Once in a while they smiled when mom expressed her frustration about something in the city. Being a good daughter, I sympathized with her over some of the things she complained about.

She finally took a breath and asked me how things were going on the ranch. I smiled as I said, "Today is a big day for the Campbell Ranch, it has a new owner, well half owner or to say it right co-owners. Grandpa and I met with his lawyers this morning and we signed the papers making me half owner in the ranch. Isn't that great mom?"

We listened to mom being as gracious as she could in congratulating me on being a co-owner of the ranch.

I showed some excitement in my voice and said, "On top of that, my horse arrived today, and his name is Dustin. He is a descendent of Old Sorrel who was one of the top American Quarter Horses right here in Texas. He is beautiful mom. We went into town today and picked up my new saddle and all the other stuff I need to work the range. I'm going to get grandpa to saddle him up tomorrow so we can go for a ride."

"Oh, mom, I've been practicing with grandpa's .243 rifle and now I have one of my own. It's a .243 just like grandpa's rifle. I have a scabbard so when we do round up, I will have my rifle with me in case we come across some varmints as grandpa calls them. I can't wait to shoot my first varmint."