A Broken Cowboy Read online

  CHAPTER TWO

  “Ms. Thompson, I’d be happy to take you on a tour of the ranch if you’d like. It’d be a good idea before we finalized any of the arrangements,” the banker, Mr. Munroe, offered when she met with him in his small office. “Your paperwork is in order and your credit score is impeccable, but I hate the thought of you buying the property sight unseen. I have to say it, the former owner got so sick and in such a short time, he kind of let it go downhill. The old place needs a little work.”

  Mimi was undeterred. “I’m happy to take that tour, but I’m not letting this property slip through my fingers. I have always done the sensible, tax accountant-type decision making, and I’ve looked back on more than a few situations and wished I’d acted just a pinch more impulsively. I want this ranch.” She eyed him squarely, daring him to tell her that she couldn’t buy the old place.

  “I completely understand, I just don’t want you to be back in my office three months from now, screaming about how there’s no heat at the old place, and how you didn’t know you were going to have to chop firewood.”

  “I know where heat comes from, Mr. Munroe,” Mimi said with a determined smile. “I did go to college, and I have a degree in US studies. I know what our founding fathers went through to make it in this country.”

  “I’m sure you did,” he conceded. “Let me get the papers finalized and I’ll deliver them to you myself. Will you be staying on at the Circle Round Ranch until you’re able to take ownership of The Watering Hole?”

  “Yes, I’ve paid for an additional week of lodging, not the vacation package, mind you, just the dormitory and meals. After that week is up, I’ll need to move into my new home.” Mimi smiled, pleased with her decision and at how this transaction was coming along.

  “Fine. I’ll let the property caretaker know to expect you in a week,” Mr. Munroe said, placing copies of her papers in a large manila folder and sliding them across his desk for her.

  “Caretaker?” she asked, confused. Sarah hadn’t mentioned that someone already lived on the property. For just a second, the former sensible, Do-the-Right-Thing Mimi appeared, chastising her silently for kicking someone out of his home, even if it was temporary. What if he needed more than a week to find a place to live and move out? She hoped this was the only surprise about her new home.

  “Yes, there’s a state appointed caretaker who lives on the property. It’s a state law given that the farm is a protected land and is home to a number of protected species, is registered with the state historic society, and due to the fact that the property has been abandoned. Don’t worry, his salary is covered under state funding, but he’ll remain on the property to ensure that no harm comes to it.”

  “I see,” Mimi said, hoping this was the only major surprise. She didn’t realize she’d have to share her farm with a caretaker. “Is there a way I can petition to become the caretaker of that farm?” The mind of a tax accountant was always at work on the numbers, and if there was state funding set aside earmarked for the protection of that property, that would go a long way towards offsetting some of her property taxes, homesteading tax, and more. Plus, it would guarantee that some stranger wasn’t living on her ranch with her.

  Mimi immediately felt the weirdness that came with not wanting to have the caretaker there. She had shared office space with fifty other tax agents on her floor alone, and lived in a building with thirty other families, most of them with at least a couple of kids running around. None of it had ever bothered her before because that was just the life she’d always known. But now that she had tasted the wide open plain, the thought of someone living elsewhere on her five hundred acres made her skin crawl a little bit.

  “Of course,” Mr. Munroe said, his face falling ever so slightly as he chose his words very carefully. “But if you don’t mind me butting in here, I think you’ll find that keeping the current caretaker is a good idea. He would serve as another human presence out there in case of any trouble, and…please forgive me for saying this…he’s a man. Now don’t go getting mad at me, I’m just saying that you’re not accustomed to living out here, and you might find it comforting to know that there’s a man somewhere on the property if, say, a sudden freeze set in or a mountain lion started nosing around.”

  Mimi was too alarmed to be offended. “Mountain lion?” Surprise number two.

  “Yes, we have those in this area. And even though they’re usually more afraid of us than we are of them, there have been reports of hikers and mountain bikers being attacked in the past, especially during certain times of the year when their natural food source is more scarce. So you see, you might find that you’re more comfortable and that you sleep a little easier knowing there’s someone else nearby, man or otherwise.”

  Mimi nodded. She’d let the insinuation that she couldn’t take care of herself slide for the time being, since he was just trying to be supportive. Still, the idea that she couldn’t take care of herself was a little unsettling. Did she really give people that impression, people she’d actually just met? I’d love to seek the look on this man’s face as he walks in downtown DC after dark…let’s see who wants to go running to a big, strong male for protection then!

  But she was smart enough to know there were a lot of things she didn’t know. Mimi knew better than to expect to just land herself out on her farm and have it made. A caretaker could offer advice and teach her plenty, she was sure of it. Down the road, if she needed the financial assistance and felt confident standing on her own two ranching feet, she could always take over as caretaker then.

  “Fine. How do I get in touch with this caretaker?” she asked, pointing to her paper with her pen in hand and ready to write down his information. “I’m sure I’ll have some questions, and he’ll want to know about my plans for the ranch.”

  “Well, that’s another issue. We don’t exactly have a way to contact him. There’s no phone service out at The Watering Hole.”

  “Oh?” No phone. Surprise number three. She thought very carefully before asking her next question, literally afraid of Mr. Munroe’s answer. “I assume there’s electricity, correct?”

  “Oh yes, that was put in by the previous owner.”

  “Well, that’s a relief,” Mimi joked, covering up her very real fear of not having any way to run even the smallest of kitchen appliances. “So where does this caretaker stay? I’ll stop by and see him.”

  Mr. Munroe shifted uneasily in his seat. “That’s actually another issue. The caretaker chooses to live outside.”

  “Outside?”

  “Yes. Year round, even. He’s very much into the old pioneer ways, a true cowboy at heart. Don’t worry, he’ll show up at your cabin once he realizes you’ve moved in. Just show him the piece of paper so he knows you’re entitled to be there, otherwise, he might take offense and think you just arrived and moved yourself in. Be sure to give him the paper immediately, in fact.”

  Mimi watched Mr. Munroe’s face for any sign that this was a joke. Instead, he met her gaze with an even stare of his own, a forced smile fixed in place for her benefit.

  “Welcome to ranching, Ms. Thompson. Good luck.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  Mimi stepped out of Sarah’s truck parked outside the strip mall. She looked around, amazed to be back in civilization after only two hours or so of bouncing along on the old two-lane highway.

  “Come on, we’ll start in this store,” Sarah said, pointing to the first place Mimi would need to go in order to buy some supplies. She had been very eager to help Mimi get set up for living at The Watering Hole, and even offered to take her into town to get supplies.

  For her part, Mimi still hadn’t seen the inside of the cabin, so she wasn’t sure what items were still in place. Anything from cooking utensils to bed linens could all still be sitting there, for all she knew. Still, there were things Mimi was definitely going to need, like a satellite phone that Sarah had suggested and—as much as she disliked the thought—a gun.

  “I’ve li
ved for almost all of my life in the heart of one of the worst crime cities in the country,” Mimi argued when Sarah said she would take her to the store then teach her how to shoot. “I didn’t need a gun then, and I certainly don’t want one now.”

  “Well, the police aren’t going to come running when a coyote is trying to drag down your horse with you on it. It’s just too dangerous to leave things to chance. Let’s at least get you something effective but easy, and then hope you never need it, okay?”

  If it had been anyone else but Sarah, Mimi would have kept fighting. But there was something about the younger girl’s manner that made you want to be accommodating. Maybe it was her easy going personality or her very obvious and genuine love of living on the ranch, but either way, the younger girl was giving up an entire day to help Mimi get what she needed for country life. Why ask someone for advice if you don’t plan to listen to it?

  They left the hunting shop with a bolt-action .22 rifle for Mimi. It was easy to load, easy to secure, and didn’t have too much of a kick when fired. Sure, it wasn’t going to bring down any rhinos, but it would certainly make a coyote or a mountain lion think twice about coming any further. Sarah had pointed to some practice targets and grabbed those for Mimi’s basket, urging her to tack them to a tree stump and practice in her spare time.

  From the same store, she also picked up a few extra changes of clothes, some bear mace, and a second pair of boots so she’d have something to wear if her one pair got wet. Then, it was on to the mall’s electronics store, where Sarah flirted and finagled with the college-aged boy behind the counter until she got Mimi the best possible discount on a satellite phone, a hand-held GPS for taking hiking, and a portable wifi hotspot that fed off the same satellites as the phone.

  “Did you bring a computer with you?” Sarah asked, pointing Mimi to a display filled with laptops of various sizes.

  “Oh no, I purposely left all that junk behind in the city when I packed for the trip. I came out here to get away from that stuff, not have to drag it all with me!”

  “Well, you might want one of these. Something like this would be ideal. It’s small, it’s cheap, it doesn’t take long to charge, and it will help keep you connected. Plus, shopping for more supplies is a lot easier when you can do it online and have it delivered.” Sarah held out a miniature netbook computer. “You can read books on it, listen to music, even watch movies or TV if you felt like. I’m not going to lie to you, it can get pretty lonely out here sometimes, especially if you’re snowed in.”

  “You don’t have to tell me twice!” Mimi said with a grin, reaching for the small computer. “It’s not like I’ll use it to prepare anyone’s taxes. I’m not about to go bringing my old life out here with me!”

  “But you know,” Sarah said, her expression changing a little, “that’s not a bad idea. I don’t want to pry, but how are you going to earn an income? I mean, I’m assuming you’re not a lottery winner or anything. You could do a little home-based internet business helping some of the ranchers out here with their taxes and accounting.”

  “That’s not a completely horrible idea, but I’ve had my fair share of crunching numbers for a while. As for income, my friend Krystal is at work right now selling my house. I bought a home in a rough neighborhood years ago, back when no one wanted to live down there. Now, the area’s built up and my ugly apartment is appraised as a one-point-four million dollar condo. She’s also selling a few of my things, like the furniture, my car. The cost of living in Washington is so high that I’ll have money to live on for at least a good few years. Nope, I’m coming out here for the simple life, to get my head on straight and just enjoy the peace and quiet.”

  “Well, you came to the right place for peace and quiet, most of the time, that is. Every so often we get a good bit of excitement, like tornados or wildlife problems, and this state has had its fair share of wildfires that tend to go on for a couple of weeks. But most days, it’s just going to be you and the sky.”

  “I’m going to hold you to that,” Mimi said, her smile reaching all the way to her eyes, purposely glossing over everything that Sarah had just listed. She wasn’t going to think about tornados or wild animals, not when she had a freshly signed deed to her own piece of the country still wrapped in its folder in the side pocket of her purse.

  They checked out at the electronics store and had one last important stop to make, to the grocery store to stock up on food stuffs for Mimi’s new home. Sarah helped her pick out food staples like flour, sugar, coffee, and cornmeal, along with a recipe book of some sturdy foods. She let Mimi know that she was free to purchase fresh meat from Circle Round whenever they butchered anything.

  “There should be some chickens on your place, if they haven’t run off or starved. The old man also kept rabbits and hogs, but I’m sure the hogs got turned loose when he died. I’m sure Boss will let you know when there’s another litter born and sell you a couple at a good price.” Sarah rattled off the list of animals Mimi could raise like she was talking about the latest gossip.

  The thought of slaughtering her own livestock wasn’t terribly appealing to Mimi, but she made note that she could get fresh meat by going through Boss. That was certainly a far more appealing idea. She and Sarah packed up her supplies in the back of Sarah’s truck and spent the rest of the day running errands and goofing off in town, Mimi knowing that it would be the last time she saw this much civilization for a while.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  “Bye now! I’ll come check on you in a couple of weeks, just to visit and to see how you’re getting along!” Sarah called from the open window of her truck. Mimi smiled from the small porch of her new cabin and waved, waiting until the truck had made the turn in the road and was out of sight before sitting on one of the stumps that served as furniture and dissolving into tears.

  Her new home was a wreck. Now she understood what Mr. Munroe at the bank had meant about buying it sight unseen. The inside of the cabin had been completely taken over by raccoons and squirrels who ran rampant and tore through the house like thieves on a mission. The few pieces of furniture had been torn open so that the springs and stuffing burst forth, and electrical cords on several of the smaller appliances had been gnawed on. Most alarming of all were the holes in the roof where sunlight shown through, the product of tiny teeth gnawing at the cedar planks either for fun or for food.

  That didn’t hold a candle to the nightmare that was the kitchen. Cabinet doors were hanging by their rusted hinges from assaults by hungry animals who didn’t waste any time going for the stored food once all signs of life on the farm passed on. Mimi had even opened one drawer and saw a snake dart out of sight, going back into the cabinet instead of out the front of the drawer, leaving her to worry about its current whereabouts.

  She had managed to put on a brave face while Sarah was here, even as the girl commiserated with her, but now that she was alone she let the tears come and go. Then she stood up, resorting to wiping her runny nose on the sleeve of her shirt in order to avoid having to go back into that house for some tissue. Mimi refused to think about this situation right now, but would go for a walk instead and take a look at her new property, letting her mind run with the steps she would take to tackle her house. She stepped off the porch and headed toward the eastern side of the house, but stopped dead in her tracks at the most horrifying, deadly sight she had seen since first stepping foot off the plane.

  An outhouse.

  Oh god, no, please don’t let that be a real outhouse, she prayed silently, too afraid to step forward and open it. She wracked her brain but couldn’t recall having seen a bathroom in the cabin. No, no, no, no, lord, you can call me home right now. I cannot use an outhouse!

  Mimi stayed frozen in place, but decided this frightening turn of events was also too much to bear at the moment. She would just turn herself around and head the other way, and do her exploring on a much more uplifting side of the property. But when she turned around, Mimi came face to face with a stranger sta
nding not two feet away from her. She let out a scream that quite possibly could have scared off the animals now taking residence in her cabin, and immediately began punching and kicking at the man.

  Only he didn’t move. He stared at her during her screaming assault, not even trying to block her ineffective punches, but not stepping out of the way to avoid them either. He simply watched her, the eyebrow piercing over his left eye going up slightly as he stared at Mimi, confused.

  When she had worn herself out a little and finally noticed that her tantrum wasn’t really having any effect, Mimi jumped backwards to put some distance between herself and this heavily tattooed, fairly unshaven man. She breathed heavily while trying to formulate a plan.

  “I’m Gabriel,” he said quietly, completely unbothered by Mimi’s welcome. “I’m the caretaker. Let me know if you need anything.” He turned and started walking away without another word.

  Mimi stared after him, frightened and dazed. Oh great, she thought, I managed to find something scarier than that outhouse…and he lives on my property! She decided this wasn’t the time to go exploring after all, and headed to her porch where she slumped down on an old rocking chair. Rather than letting her relax in its comforting old embrace, she fell right through the rotted slats of the seat, her legs flying up in the air near her shoulders. She stayed like that for nearly half an hour, taking advantage of the position she was in to finish the really good therapeutic cry that she’d started earlier.

  When she finally ran out of tears, Mimi extricated herself from the broken chair and stepped hesitatingly into her own house, watchful of snakes and other vermin. She made as much noise as possible, banging some of the cast iron skillets that were still sitting on the stove as she walked through the kitchen, the large living room, and up to the loft that overlooked the main room.

  Confident that every critter was either long gone or at least well hidden, she decided the kitchen was the most important room to tackle first. She set up her new laptop and portable internet first, and thirty minutes later she had music coming through the surprisingly loud speakers to play in the background as she worked. She tackled the sink and stove first so she could prepare some meals, washed all of the dishes and put them away—watchful of the snake she’d met earlier—and dared to peek inside the medium-sized refrigerator, afraid of what could be lurking inside since the owner has passed away and left everything behind. Fortunately, there was no rancid meat in there, just a few boxed items that were easily discarded.