Ned's Big Payday Pt. 06

Carl broke the ice by saying, "Rob, what kind of drug did you give this woman? As homely as you are, there's no way you could bring her home without drugs." All the guys roared and one snorted coffee out his nose.

The ladies laughed at Rob's expense before Janet said, "After he sang a song to me, I told him I'd go anywhere he led."

Vic quickly responded, "I think I'll start singing lessons tonight."

Through the loud laughter, Wendel, normally the quiet one of the group asked, "Think we could get a volume discount?"

Janet and Rob chuckled as the guys had some good fun trying to outdo each other in putting down Rob and flattering Janet. Clayton called a halt to it by standing to ask the blessing. As always, he prayed for their safety and thanked God for the food and the blessings each had experienced.

The food was very tasty and many compliments followed. The men left as quickly as they came to do a hard day's work rounding up a herd that didn't really want to be rounded up. Janet walked out with Rob and watched the horses being loaded in two stock trailers. She kissed him after he loaded Stacy, his favorite mare for many years.

Rob said, "I'm probably going to be very sore tonight, sweetheart. My butt and legs are out of shape for this."

She replied, "I'll have to put some extra work in on your butt tonight. Just take care of it until then."

"Yes ma'am."

After cleaning the dishes and kitchen, the ladies gathered around the table to finalize the plan for dinner. The married hired hands would be going to their homes but the men in the bunkhouse would be invited to dinner as was the usual custom after a long day of work. Since this was Christmas eve, Rebecca had decided to roast a turkey and have all the fixings normally served at Thanksgiving. Janet volunteered to make the sweet potato casserole and the cranberry relish like her mom always made. Ruth Ann said she would make the stuffing and mashed potatoes, Jamie volunteered to make a green bean casserole and steamed broccoli. Rebecca would make the dinner rolls, gravy and iced tea.

Matt hadn't ridden in many years. He decided to help by mucking out the stalls while the horses were away. That took a few hours and lots of wheelbarrow loads. Even this lawyer could shovel real manure, not just the verbal variety in court.

Thankfully for Janet, there was time after lunch to take a shower and a nap she really needed. The boys even cooperated by taking naps. The house was suddenly quiet.

***

Many miles away, the horses were unloaded. The men stood in a circle and Clayton covered them on what he'd seen the day before. They studied a Google Map printout of that part of the ranch and pairs of riders were assigned areas to herd any cattle they could find to a central collection point. Rob and Jonah were teamed up and the round-up began.

Rob quickly discovered his area had lots of tall brush with many hiding places for a cow or two. As they worked systematically to find and collect each cow, Jonah discovered the carcass of one. He and Rob examined the partially eaten body. It had apparently been dead for less than a day. They could see fresh tears in the flesh and guessed they had spooked the killers when they approached. Jonah called Clayton.

Further examination of the carcass showed the cow had a broken front leg and would have been easy prey for a band of coyotes known to be in the area. The tear marks were indicative of a dog-like bite, even more evidence of coyotes as being the culprits. The decision was made to leave the carcass as it was found and let the varmints finish their meals. They would be less likely to hunt again anytime soon. A scan of the microchip behind the left ear showed that the cow was nine years old and had five calves during that time.

By noon, the located cattle had been collected. Clayton sent up a drone to check the area as much as possible. It found no others, so the drive began to move the herd about three miles into a fresh grazing area. By 4:00pm, the Beefmaster cattle were successfully moved to a fenced area and eagerly munching on new grass. After checking the watering stations and the run-in shed, the cowboys left for home. They were tired and hungry, having had only protein bars for their lunch.

Arriving at the ranch house, they unloaded the horses, removed the tack and gave each a quick bath. The freshened stalls pleasantly surprised everyone. Hay and grain were loaded into the feeders. Rob was sore and exhausted.

In the kitchen, the cooks were busy. Each has claimed a work area on the large counter and island. The giant turkey was out of the oven and cooling. The sweet potato casserole Janet made was next to it and the roles made by Rebecca were piled high next to the casserole. Jamie had just removed her green bean casserole from the oven and Rebecca was making the gravy. Ruth Ann had finished the stuffing and mashed potatoes. All the hot dishes were covered with aluminum foil to retard cooling. Only the cranberry relish, steamed broccoli and iced tea remained to be finished.

As the cowboys dispersed to their homes or bunkhouse, they were in a great mood. All wished each other a Merry Christmas. They would have a day of rest tomorrow. Only Clayton and Rob would go out in the copter to check the cattle. Once the weather turned bad, they would need to start feeding hay and grain. That was constant hard work and more hands would be returning from their summer jobs to help. Their hardest work would be in January and February once the calving began.

After baths or showers, all entered the big house for dinner and fellowship.

Chapter 17

Christmas and New Year's

On Christmas morning, Kate crawled from under the covers after realizing her bladder was ringing the alarm. She almost collided with Tom coming out of the bathroom. His alarm was just a minute earlier. After brushing her teeth, she slipped under the warm covers and laid her head on Tom's chest. He said, "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, Tom. I love you."

"I love you too, sweetheart. There's a gift I want to give you while we're alone."

She raised her head and gazed into his eyes. "There is?"

He pulled a Tiffany ring box from under the covers and opened it. She was numb at what she saw.

"Oh my god, Tom. It's gorgeous. On my, that stone is huge."

"It's a token of my commitment to you. Now that people know we're planning to be married, a symbol of that is in order, I think."

"This diamond is amazing, just stunning. Sweetheart, I never expected something like this. Thank you."

Tom said, "I hope it fits. I borrowed one of your other rings to check its size. Did you miss it?"

"I did. I took it with me to New York and thought I'd lost it. So you took it, you thief." They laughed as he apologized and slipped the engagement ring on her finger. It fit perfectly.

Kate stared at it with tears welling. Its brilliance was unlike any diamond she'd seen. She was conflicted and struggled to find the words to say.

After carefully thinking about it, she said, "Tom, I feel that I shouldn't wear it just yet. I don't want it to be compared to Angie's and Ned could never afford to give her a ring like this. Do you mind?"

"I understand completely. I thought about that also but wanted you to have it anyway. You can wear it when we're together in Nashville."

"I'd love to. Thank you. I'm glad you understand," Kate said. "Angie and I are very close and I don't want anything to take the focus off her wedding and put it onto ours."

"All mothers should be like you."

She reached for him and said, "Could we consummate our engagement like we did our friendship?"

He reached for her bottom and replied, "I thought you'd never ask."

***

Christmas morning in Texas dawned with light snow falling. The expected cold front prediction had mentioned that possibility. Janet had spent the night in Rob's bed.

Waking before him, she lay thinking about the previous night. Rob was worn out when returning from moving cattle all day. His legs and bottom were sore and getting worse when he crawled into bed beside her. She tenderly massaged his sore muscles with Bengay, an ointment that smelled strongly of menthol.

She had said, "It sounds like your day was successful. Did anything unexpected happen?

He had replied, "We found the carcass of a cow. She appeared to have broken a leg and then the band of coyotes killed her. That's nature for you. She had been a great cow. Luke's horse stepped into a hole and threw him. Fortunately, nothing was broken but I imagine both are sore tonight. Wendle was riding flank and a cow in front of him started to drop her calf. It was early by a week or two and he and Cliff stopped to help her. We kept the others moving. After calving, they walked her slowly to the new area and carried her young bull over their saddle. Dad tagged his ear after castrating him. It's a great looking calf."

Janet had said, "I thought dinner was wonderful."

"Me too. And we were hungry. There won't be many leftovers. I'm very, very proud of you," he said. "That sweet potato casserole and cranberry relish were amazing."

Janet had replied, "I really like your parents. They've made me feel welcomed and right at home. Your mom is a jewel. I enjoyed cooking with her."

Rob had said, "Dad asked me to take the copter out tomorrow afternoon to check on everything. The hands all have the day off. Maybe you can go with me to see the land, cattle and oil field. Dad asked me today to read through the contract we have with the drilling and transport company. He thinks we might be short-changed."

Janet had asked, "How does it work to get the oil to a refinery from the field?"

Rob had replied, "When the oil and nat gas comes to the surface, it's piped to temporary tanks. The nat gas is cooled and compressed to make CNG and then both are piped about four miles to other holding tanks next to the county road on the far side of the ranch. A neighboring ranch owned by the Goddard's is also piping oil and CNG to that same tank farm. Tankers come daily to load the crude and every third day for the CNG and haul it to a refinery-owned tank farm about 100 miles from here. There's a branch of the railroad planned but it's still a year away."

While Rob snored away, she began reading the draft of her third book. It was on her MacBook Air in Word. This will be the third volume of a series to help parents with homeschooling lesson plans, resources and test preparation. Her professor has been very encouraging and helpful with ideas and strategy. Her publisher had given her a mid-January target so it could be printed and distributed in time for the next school year.

Janet went down for coffee and brought a cup back to Rob. That woke him. As he reached for the cup, pain reminded him of how foolish he'd been to spend so much time in the saddle after so long a time in a chair.

He said, "This tastes great. Next time I commit to spending eight hours herding cattle, I want you to kick my butt. That will be a lot less painful than that saddle."

"I thought you said you wanted to get me on Ruby today?"

"That's true. You sit in the saddle and I'll lead you around the paddock area. I'm not going to ride today."

Janet said, "Most of the family is downstairs waiting for us. The kids want to open their presents. I've showered so you go get dressed and then come down."

Ten minutes later, all were assembled near the tree with coffee in hand. Janet and Ruth Ann distributed the gifts. The boys quickly tore open the wrappings and exclaimed happiness in many different ways. Santa had been very good to them with toys, electronic games, iPads and lots of clothes.

The adults were more civilized as they carefully unwrapped the beautiful boxes. Many words of thanks were uttered as smiles and laughter filled the room. Janet's gift to Rob was a new MacBook Air and two gorgeous Pendleton wool shirts. She had remembered her father wearing them on many special occasions.

Rob gave her a set of diamond earrings, a beautiful gold bracelet and a matching necklace. He also gave her three turtleneck silk tops.

After all presents were opened, breakfast was served. As was their Christmas tradition, Rebecca had made sticky buns and cinnamon rolls as well as sausage and eggs. It was delightful to be together as a family and celebrate this most holy of days. Janet missed her parents very much.

***

Back home in Denver, snow was also falling. It was the second storm of the season, and it was forecasted to be two to four inches. Not much for Denver but still very pretty as it stuck to all the trees.

After another robust bout of amazing sex, Kate and Tom showered and dressed. Denise had breakfast preparation underway with Angie and Sue helping. Ron had been out for a walk with Jason to enjoy the hushed beauty of the snow. Chris was on the phone with Jennie when Ned arrived bearing a large bag of wrapped gifts. As he placed them under the tree, Angie came for a kiss and Christmas greetings.

Angie said, "I missed you in bed last night."

He replied, "I had to remember where I'd hidden some gifts and finish wrapping them."

"Afraid of sneaky people trying to find them?"

He grinned, "Something like that."

"I slept in the bedroom next to Mom's. It was wild in there but they talked so quietly I had to use a glass to hear through the wall."

"Angie, I don't believe you. You did not do that."

"Well, I wanted to. I never knew her bed squeaked so much. They kept me up a long time. How do old people find so much stamina?"

Ned said, "To be frank, you're wearing me out even at my young age. Ever since your sex engine started, it's only found one gear and that's fast."

She replied as if talking to a baby, "Aah, poor baby. Is Ned's little tool wearing out? Maybe it just needs more lubrication or maybe a band aid with little lambs on it. Let's you and mommy go upstairs and take a close look. I'm sure a little extra attention is all that's needed."

Within fifteen minutes, Angie successfully analyzed the issue, applied an amazing flood of lubrication and had Ned's piston running like new as it pounded her cylinder. She lay exhausted and begged him for a "handicap parking permit" for the dining room table.

***

After coffee and juice, all assembled near the tree. There seemed to be a hundred wrapped presents, most appearing under the tree during the night. Angie and Ned handed them to each named recipient. There were dozens of pieces of beautiful jewelry, books, clothing, and electronics such as computers, iPads and Kindles finding a new home. The last gift was found in an envelope hanging from the tree. It was address to Angie and Ned.

Angie opened it and silently read the message. She glanced up at Tom and then handed it to Ned. As he read it silently, tears came to Angie's eyes and her lips quivered. Ned read it aloud.

"Angie and Ned, Kate and I are very happy with your decision to be married. We cannot imagine a more perfect union than you will form. Great things lay ahead for you, and we know that you will make a difference to all whose lives you cross.

"In honor of your marriage, we will arrange for the recording artists of your choice to perform during the ceremony and guest reception. Anyone under contract with our studio will be made available unless they must be on tour that day. With our love, Tom and Kate."

All sat stunned at the implication of this gift. Over a thousand artists were represented by Tom's company. All genres of music were covered. These were stars that performed for as many as 100,000 fans a night in live concerts around the world. And to think they would perform for a little wedding and reception blew their minds.

Angie went to Tom and Kate and hugged both as the tears flowed. She said, "You cannot imagine how touched I am by this generous gift. In my mind, I was planning to hire a good local group. Now, wow! This is crazy. Thank you." Ned followed with hugs and thanks.

Kate said, "As soon as you pick the date, give Tom a list of the top three or four people you'd like so he can work with the scheduling manager to lock one in."

Tom added, "And no one is too big, so choose who you want."

Denise and Sue prepared an amazing Christmas breakfast. All sat at the big dining room table which held a great assortment of fresh fruit, several kinds of breakfast meats, a scrambled egg casserole with peppers and cheese, two kinds of sweet rolls and plenty of juices and coffee. A hour was spent enjoying the company of each other and sharing the blessings of Christmas.

They decided to attend a church service that evening at a local Presbyterian church. Angie had met one of the pastors there through his wife who was an employee of the video company. She was impressed by his personality and commitment to his family. While religion had never been a priority of Kate and Angie, they realized a higher power was involved in bringing the right men into their lives.

***

The light snow stopped mid-morning in Texas. Rob and Janet dressed for the cold and walked to the stable to see the horses. As Rob re-filled their feeders, Janet found courage to approach Ruby with an apple in hand. Ruby immediately bit into it and the juice flowed over Janet's hand. Janet knew to flatten her hand with the remainder in the center when the mare came back for more. Not content with just the apple, Ruby licked her hand to get as much of the sweet juice as she could. Janet stroked her neck the entire time and could see total relaxation in the horse's big eyes. Even Janet realized that this was the beginning of a good relationship.

Rob returned to Ruby's stall and saw the tender interaction. He smiled and approached using a calming voice. "Like I told you, she'll go home with you. I can tell you have a way with horses."

Janet replied, "To be totally honest, horses have always scared me. I really don't know why. They are so big and strong that I've always felt in danger around them. There's something about Ruby that's calming and reassuring. I can't figure it out. Am I going crazy?"

"No, you're not crazy. Horses have as many personalities as people. Ruby makes friends easily and is calm most all the time. I think she understands people better than most horses and has adapted," Rob replied.

Janet asked, "Was she from the wild herd?"

"No, Dad bought her at auction when she was a two-year-old. He bred her twice to our stallion at the time but one was miscarried and the other was nothing special. So he's using her for the cattle and letting the boys ride when they visit. She's loves the boys since they always come with carrots and apples in hand. Why don't I saddle her and see what you can do?"

"I think I'm ready to try."

Rob showed Janet how to put on the bridle and bit and let her lead Ruby out of the stall to the tack area. He saddled her and helped Janet mount up. After adjusting the stirrups, Rob led Ruby to the paddock area and gave instructions.

"You may feel a little unsteady in the saddle and that's normal. Just keep pressure on the stirrups with both feet and lean forward as she walks. She will sense when you want to go forward but you can click you tongue if you want. When her ears are turned to you, she's listening for your command. If you want to go faster, just touch your heal into her side or flank. Not hard, just lightly. If you want to stop, just say 'whoa' and pull back gently on her bit. You don't need much bit pressure with her. To go left or right, just lightly pull the side of the bit in the direction you want to go. The harder you pull, the sharper she'll turn."

"I think I understand. Let's do this."

Rob let go of the bridle and stepped back. Ruby immediately started walking forward along the siderail. Janet was at first unsteady and the fear of falling off was in her mind. Remembering to push down on the stirrups steadied her nerves and as she leaned slightly forward, her confidence came quickly. After one circuit walking, she clicked her tongue and tapped her heal on Ruby's flank. She began trotting at a steady pace. The cold wind felt exhilarating as Janet held on to this thousand pounds of energy. Rob yelled, "Push down on the stirrups and raise your bottom off the saddle when she takes each forward step. That will keep your butt from being bruised." Janet glanced at him and saw he was recording them using his iPhone.