Zane Wayne Pt. 01

He led me around the ranch making light talk, slowly feeling each other out. Finally we ended up in the stables.

"Here is the heartbeat of our ranch, the stables. We have two wings, thirty stalls in each wing. Right now we only have twenty eight horses so we have them housed in one wing. Here in the center we have a medical center, wash bay, storage, and a mini apartment where you will be staying."

"This is an impressive set up, it looks like someone else is already living here though?"

"My granddaughter has been staying here but she is away at college. Even though she has a room in the house, she likes to stay out here. I guess it gives her a little independence and privacy when she is home. She will have to stay in the house when she comes back."

"Let me guess, she is going to be a vet?"

"No, believe it or not her dream is to see the world, so she is going to school to be a travel nurse."

"That is impressive. Are all these trophies and awards hers?"

"Yeah, she has been riding in rodeos since she was ten."

"So sir, what are my priorities?"

"Honestly right now everything. My body is in bad shape and ranch upkeep has been falling behind. I need rotator cuff surgery and a knee replacement, but I can't afford to be down for that long."

"You have been doing this all alone?"

"Yeah, all my life. My wife works at the school lunchroom, Lisa our daughter works for the DNR. They help me when they can, but this is time consuming physical work, and there are only so many hours in a day."

"Ok, may I ask a favor?"

"Of course."

"If I am doing something wrong, please tell me right away. I want to learn to do things the right way."

"Be careful what you wish for, these are all my babies and I am very very particular."

"Great, will you show me the horses?"

We walked through the stable, stopping to talk a little about each horse. Eight were pregnant and would foal in the summer. The Elliot's ranch had a reputation for producing excellent quarter horses and they were always in high demand.

Ron proudly showed me the ten yearlings that would be going to their new homes in the next six to eight weeks. He informed me that this year's horse sale brought the ranch well over a quarter of a million dollars in income.

He kept the two stallions at the end of the wing. Both were beautiful horses but one really caught my eye.

"Whoa, he is beautiful."

"That is Jericho, he is a true beast."

"I would love to ride him."

"He hasn't been ridden in years. He has a mean streak so don't turn your back while you are working. He makes amazing babies though so I can't part with him."

"I can't wait to get everything caught up so I can spend some time with him."

"Speaking of time, we need to get to dinner or Annabell will be angry with me. Dinner is served at six oclock every night and you better have a damn good reason for being late if you aren't on time."

"Yes Sir."

As soon as we walked in the house my nose was hit with the aroma of home cooking. Ron showed me the muck room where we washed up. I was a little hesitant to join their family dinner.

"Zane, this is my wife Annabelle, darling this is Zane."

"Hi Zane, welcome to our home."

"Thank you, it is an honor to be here."

"Please sit, are you hungry?"

"Yes ma'am, I haven't eaten a home cooked meal in over five years."

"Well, you will get plenty of those around here. I cook breakfast on the weekends, otherwise there is always plenty of cereal or toast. If you feel like cooking, feel free just don't leave a mess in my kitchen or I will spit in your food."

"Yes ma'am, cereal or toast is fine with me."

"I always make an extra large dinner, so you will find leftovers in the fridge for lunch every day."

"Thank you ma'am."

"Stop the ma'am shit, I am Annabelle, or Belle for short."

"Yes ma'..... Belle. Sorry I haven't been around women for a while obviously."

"That's fine. Lisa you better get your ass in here if you want to eat tonight."

I tried to hold in my laugh. Belle was a sweet little old woman that you would see in a fairy tale, except she had the mouth of a sailor.

A beautiful middle aged woman came into the dining room, still wearing her green and brown DNR uniform. She gave me an odd look that really confused me. It was almost like she was annoyed I was there, but relieved at the same time.

She offered me her hand, "Hi, I am Lisa Elliot, you must be Zane Wilson."

"Yes ma'am, although I am going to use my grandfather's last name Wayne, fresh start, new name and all."

"I understand the fresh start, but why a fresh name?"

"I want people who meet me to judge me by who I am, not by what happened in my past."

"I totally understand that. Well welcome to our home Zane Wayne, that has a nice ring to it."

"Thank you."

Dinner was wonderful, it is a good thing I will be working hard or cooking like this will make me fat in no time.

I thought to myself, you have a really good thing here, don't blow it.

"Thank you for dinner Belle, I forgot how good home cooking tasted."

She beamed with pride, "You are very welcome, I love cooking and it makes it even more enjoyable when people appreciate it."

"Trust me, I am going to enjoy it a lot. Ron, what time do we start work in the morning?"

"How about we have breakfast at seven and plan our work day by day."

"Sounds good, I will be here at seven, thank you all for welcoming me into your home."

"You are welcome Zane. I changed the bed and put all of Lindsay's clothes in the dresser. There is a closet with shelves all emptied out for you. Let me know if you need anything else."

"Ok, thanks. Have a good night."

****************

It didn't take too long to put away my meager belongings. Since it was only just past seven, I decided to explore the stable a little more.

Ron had been rotating the horses back and forth between the wings so he could clean them at a slower pace that his body could handle.

I saw the empty wing had dirty stalls that hadn't been touched yet. I grabbed a shovel and started cleaning out the first stall, piling the dirty straw and manure in the center aisle where we could scoop it out later with the tractor.

After the stall was cleaned out I raked the gravel clean and smooth before throwing down a fresh layer of straw. It was nice to do some manual labor again and it wasn't long before I worked up a sweat in the cool air.

I noticed several of the stall doors don't slide on the rails very easily, and the wood could use a coat of sealer. I made a mental note to ask Ron where he kept the paints and supplies.

I finished half the wing and was surprised to see it was almost midnight, I guess time flies when you are having fun. I took a quick shower, set the alarm on my phone for 6:30 and crawled into bed, very tired but very happy.

I swear I was only asleep for ten minutes when the alarm on my phone went off. I jumped out of bed eager for my first full day of work on the ranch.

I wasn't sure if I should just walk into their house or not, so I knocked on the back door. A confused Belle answered the door.

"What is the matter, is the door locked?"

"No, I just didn't feel right walking into your home unannounced."

"Zane, you may be sleeping in the stable apartment, but this is your home as well. You come and go as you please understand?"

"Yes Ma'am."

"What did I tell you about that Ma'am shit?"

"Sorry, old habits."

"You are so sweet. Come in and have some breakfast, I was up a little early today so I scrambled some eggs and fried some taters. I guess I should ask, are there any foods you are allergic to or don't like?"

"Well, I am not particular about liver, but I will eat it if I have to. Other than that I will eat anything you put in front of me Ma....Belle."

She ushered me to the table and put a huge plate of potatoes, eggs, four slices of toast, and a cup of coffee in front of me.

"Good morning Ron, how are you today."

"I am pretty good, since you gave Belle a big head about her cooking last night I got a hot breakfast this morning instead of cereal."

"Shush you or I will spit in your food." She lightly swatted the back of his head and laughed on her way back to the kitchen.

"What are my priorities today?"

"Both sides of the stables are behind on cleaning, my body just hasn't been letting me do much. I can run the tractor alright, but the manual labor gives me problems. It is a big job, but I would like to have it done by the end of Saturday if possible. We try to do only the minimum chores on Sundays."

"I have half the empty stalls done already, I can have the other side done by lunch if I really push it."

"When in the hell did you do that? When I was in good shape it would take me an entire day to do fifteen stalls."

I felt that I may have let my enthusiasm get me in hot water. I should have kept to prison rules, don't do anything unless you are specifically told to.

"I am sorry, I didn't have anything to do last night and I was anxious to do some real work. I piled up the manure in the center of the aisle, I wasn't sure what to do with it. I won't do it again without your permission."

"Son, I am not mad, I am impressed. But I don't want you killing yourself, once we get caught up two of us will be able to take care of everything without putting in a ton of hours."

"Honestly I loved it. It felt so good to do some real work again."

"I can tell I am going to have to reevaluate what I was going to pay you."

"I am getting paid? I thought I was working for room and board."

"I would never take advantage of you like that, and I can tell you are going to be worth much more than room and board. How about we start you out at $500 a week plus room and board."

"Yes sir, that would be wonderful. Thank you."

"I should be the one thanking you. You being here is going to help me more than you know. So the goal for today is to get that wing finished up, and all the horses moved over, fed and watered. If we get that done I will consider it a really good day."

"Okay, that should be pretty easy. I was wondering if I could work on something else too in my spare time."

He got a little apprehensive. "What?"

"I noticed some of the stall doors are sticking, and all the wood is in need of being resealed. If you have the supplies, I can sand and spray paint all the steel black again, reseal the wood, and get the doors sliding easily. It would give me something to do in the evenings until the weather gets nicer."

He looked at me like I just grew horns out of my head. "That would be great, I will have Belle pick up the supplies after she is done at school today."

By then I had polished off the full plate of food Belle had made me. "Ok, I am going to go get on it if that is ok."

"That's fine son, I will be out in a bit with the tractor, when you hear me, open up the doors and I will start hauling out the piles. It is supposed to be almost fifty degrees today, so it will be a nice chance to air out the stable."

I picked up my dirty plate and took it to the kitchen where Belle was cleaning up. "I think that was the best breakfast I have had in my entire life. Thank you."

She reached up and put her hand behind my neck and pulled me down to her. She kissed me on the cheek and gave me a little hug. "You sure know how to sweet talk the ladies don't you?"

I laughed "Nope, I just know great food when I eat it. Now I have to go earn my keep, have a great day at school."

"Thanks Zane, have a great day and don't work yourself to death."

********************

I busted my butt, determined to get the empty wing done by lunch, I made it just in time and felt a great sense of satisfaction. After lunch I filled up the food troughs, cleaned and refilled the water buckets and started moving the horses over. Finally I had them all moved save Jericho.

I clipped some reins on his halter and started leading him down the aisleway. I knew he was feeling me out when he started throwing his head around, but I was ready for him and kept a tight grip on the reins not letting him jerk free.

When we got to the center of the stables I led him to the wash bay instead of his new stall. I clipped his reins to a tether ring and grabbed a curry comb. Working slowly but firmly I started giving him a good brushing. While I brushed him I talked to him in a soft soothing voice, trying to build a relationship with him.

I took a leap of faith with him when I was done. I simply unclipped his reins, leaving him free in only his halter. I walked towards the end of the wing and said "Come."

I didn't look back, I just walked to his stall and stood by the open door. To my surprise and relief he followed me along and walked into his stall. He turned around and walked back up and nuzzled me. I gave him some firm pats to the side of the neck and said "Alright, we are going to be good friends aren't we."

My phone chimed that it was 5:55, my five minute warning so I wouldn't be late for dinner. I shut his stall door and turned to walk to the house. Ron was standing by the apartment watching me with tears in his eyes.

"That was one of the most amazing sites I have ever seen. That old son of a bitch is one of the meanest horses I have ever known, and you already have him following you around like a puppy dog."

I was slightly embarrassed, I thought he was already in the house. "He is a big puppy dog, he just didn't know it until now. I can tell we are going to be great friends, I can't wait to saddle him someday."

"Lets not get ahead of ourselves too much, come on, if we are late Belle will spit in our food."

I laughed, "She would never do that would she?"

"Well, she hasn't yet but she keeps threatening, so I don't want to give her a reason to."

**********************************************

The weeks flew by, and before I knew it, a month was gone, and I was in heaven.

During the day, we took care of the horses and whipped the ranch back into shape. Every evening after dinner I would pick one stall, take apart the sliding door, sand and paint the steel and reseal the wood. It took a month, but I had the stables looking like a fancy thoroughbred setup from the East coast.

Belle continued to be a wonderful host. I only ate cereal two or three days, other than that she cooked us breakfast every morning. Ron teased her mercilessly, saying he would have hired a ranch hand years ago if he knew he would get fed better.

She shot right back that if he would have worked as hard as me he would have gotten hot breakfasts all along.

Every evening I would comb Jericho and let him free in the stable while I refurbished an empty stall. Once I was done I would just stand by his door without saying a word. He would come down and put his head into my chest while I stroked his neck.

Sundays we took it fairly easy, I usually went to town and picked up personal supplies and deposited my check. Since I didn't have to pay for anything besides my cell phone bill my account started growing nicely. One Saturday I asked Ron if he would mind if I had alcohol in my apartment. He thought for a few minutes before answering.

"Zane, you have given me no reason to not trust you. We are not big drinkers here, but if you want to have a little here for yourself I won't deny you. Please, though, keep it under control."

"Thank you Ron, I just thought it would be nice to have a glass of bourbon in the evening now that the weather is getting nice and the stable is looking like a million bucks."

"You are an adult, and have proven to me that you are a responsible young man. You don't need to justify yourself to me."

"Thanks, now I have one more favor to beg of you."

"You want to ride Jericho."

"Am I that obvious?"

"I knew it was coming, I cannot believe the connection you two have. Of course you can ride him, but will you wait for tomorrow after lunch so we can all watch. The last time he was ridden Lindsay was still in high school, and now she is a senior in college."

"I can't wait. Not sure if I will be able to sleep tonight."

That night I gave Jericho a thorough brushing, I didn't even bother putting the reins on him anymore. I scrubbed him in the wash stall before rubbing him dry with towels. He seemed to know something was up because he kept nudging me with his head.

I didn't think lunchtime would ever come, and when it did I inhaled my food. Lisa and Belle was laughing at me.

"Slow down and enjoy it boy, I worked hard on this roast, you better enjoy it."

"I am sorry, I just can't remember a time in my life that I was this happy, or this excited."

"Well you can't ride him until we are all out there anyway, so take your time and enjoy."

The family rule was no one could leave the table until the last bite was eaten. Lisa decided to tease me and started eating slower and slower. Finally she was down to her last bite, Ron and Belle were laughing as she twirled the last bite of her lunch in front of her, teasing me.

She opened her mouth to say something, and drag it out longer, but I saw my opportunity and took it. I grabbed her fork and popped the last bite into her mouth before she could stop me. I grabbed my plate off the table and took it to the kitchen.

"Thanks for lunch Belle, I think it was great, but honestly I don't remember a bite of it."

I ran out the back door and didn't even touch a step, leaping off the porch at a sprint. I yelled out Jericho's name as soon as I opened the stable door. I ran down and slid the door open to his stall. Not waiting for him I ran back to the staging area where I had a saddle waiting for him.

I swear he was as excited as me as he was beside me in an instant. He wouldn't stop whinnying, begging for me to saddle him up. He stood patiently while I saddled him and led him out the front door of the stable into the ranch yard.

The Elliots were all waiting for us, phones ready to capture the moment. I looked at Ron for final approval and he just nodded to me.

I put a boot in the stirrup and swung my leg over the saddle and into the other stirrup. Jericho was wound up and would not be denied. I let him have some rein and he rose up slightly on his back legs and let out a challenging whinney.

I stood up in the stirrups and leaned up as Jericho leaped forward. It was as if we were one animal, both knowing what the other wanted. We took off down the long lane of the ranch. I stood in the stirrups and let him stretch out. The lane to the main road was a mile long and he sprinted all of it.

When we reached the road Jericho was breathing hard, but still wanted more. I jumped off and he threw his head over my shoulder with my arms wrapped around his neck.

"God I love you." I cried like a baby as I held his neck tightly in my arms.

After a few minutes I climbed back into the saddle. Jericho was ready to run again but I kept him at a canter, relishing the moment.

When we rode back into the yard the Elliots were all yelling and clapping with admiration.

I got off him and simply shouted "Best day ever!"

Chapter 4

Lindsay

Worst day ever!!!!

Jeremy and I had been flirting back and forth for months. We shared the same circles of friends and a few weeks ago he finally asked me out.

Our first date went great, he cooked me dinner at his apartment, after dinner we watched a movie. At the end of the night he was a perfect gentleman walking me back to my dorm before giving me a peck on the cheek.

We started texting back and forth several times a day. He seemed different than most guys. He seemed actually interested in ME and not how fast he could get into my pants.

Our second date we went to a concert on campus with a bunch of friends. We danced several times, and like the first date he walked me back to my dorm. This time however we ended the night with a really great make out session.