Total pages in book: 26
Estimated words: 24550 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 123(@200wpm)___ 98(@250wpm)___ 82(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 24550 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 123(@200wpm)___ 98(@250wpm)___ 82(@300wpm)
Hell, he really doesn’t want me here. “No, Dad. I’m done with school.” I suck in a breath. I might as well just put it out there. “I want to learn ranching.”
He practically spits out his coffee. “What did you just say?” But before I can answer, he’s shaking his head. “No. No way. I sent you to school so you could see what’s out there, Faith. You don’t have to learn how to ranch.”
I blink up at him to try and stop myself from crying. Can he not see that I just want to spend some time with my dad at my home? “I want to learn, Dad. Look, I’m here, and I’m not the type to just sit around and do nothing. Put me to work.”
He opens his mouth to argue with me but closes it. “Fine, you want to learn ranching. Let’s go.”
He sets his mug on the banister of the porch and then stomps off down toward the barn. I have to jog to catch up with him, and when I finally do, I’m half out of breath. A few of the cowboys are watching me, but they don’t say anything. My dad walks past them, and once he’s inside the barn, he stops at the office. “Hey,” he says. The frustration is heavy in his voice, and I wince knowing I’m the reason for it.
Dixon avoids looking at me. “Hey, Charlie, what can I do for you?”
My dad points at me. “Well, my daughter wants to learn ranching.”
If my dad didn’t like the idea, Dixon downright hates it by the way he scowls. He still doesn’t look at me, though. “She does, does she?”
My dad nods. “Yep, so I’m going to leave her with you and—”
Dixon shoots up from his seat. “But, sir, I—”
My dad doesn’t let him finish. “I have that sale today, and I can’t just leave her with Carl or Eddie.”
Dixon puts his hands on this hips. “No, you can’t do that.”
My dad nods his head. “Right. Well, it’s up to you to show her the ropes.”
He can’t be more clear that he doesn’t want to do this, but even I know he’s not going to deny my father. “What do you want her to do?”
My dad chuckles. “Well, she thinks she wants to learn ranching, so we’ll start her off with the basics. Have her muck stalls.”
I roll my eyes. It’s obvious what my dad is trying to do, and it’s not going to work. I know how to muck stalls, and it’s not going to scare me off from ranching. I handle the news in stride, but Dixon does not. He’s shaking his head. “No way. I’m not going to have her muck stalls.”
My dad rears back in surprise, and I’m sure this is the first time that Dixon has ever told him no on something. Before they can go at it, I position myself between them. “Sure, I can muck stalls, and then after that, I’ll groom the horses, check fences, rotate the livestock, and every other thing you want me to do. I did it all growing up, Dad. None of this is new to me.”
He wants to say something, but he bites his tongue. “Okay, I have to go. Good luck,” he tells Dixon before walking out of the office.
Dixon and I are left alone, and he turns away from me. He is not happy with the circumstances, and the last thing I want is to be stuck with someone that doesn’t want me around. “All right, well, I’m going to go muck stalls.”
He spins on his foot and raises his voice. “You’re not mucking stalls.”
Here he goes again, trying to tell me what to do. “Like I said last night, you’re not the boss of me, and you’re not going to tell me what I can and can’t do.” I shove my thumb over my shoulder. “I’m going to go muck stalls.”
He doesn’t try to stop me this time, and I’m able to breathe a little easier as I walk away. I grab the fork off the wall and start at the first stall. I’ve only been working a few minutes when I hear a sound behind me. When I turn, I see Dixon standing there with a fork in his hand. I point at him. “What are you doing with that?”
He shrugs. “If you’re determined to muck stalls, there’s no way I’m going to let you do it yourself.”
I point outside. “Well, send a ranch hand in here.”
He points a finger at himself. “What do you think I am?”
“The ranch manager.”
He chuckles. “And what? You don’t think I can muck stalls because I manage the ranch?”
This time I do roll my eyes. “I don’t think you should have to. Look, just go back in the office. I know you have a rodeo coming up soon, and you don’t need to be in here doing this kind of work.”