Diamond S Ranch

3 The Family

It didn't feel like they had been flying for hours when Melanie had them strap back into their seat belts for the landing. Minutes later the plane landed, and they disembarked. As they walked towards the parking lot Elle soon found herself staring up at one giant large black truck with jacked up tires. She wasn't sure for a moment if this truck wasn't bigger than the plane she just got off. Jake opened the front passenger side door for her. 

"Step on that chrome rail." He instructed as he held her arm. 

She stepped onto the rail then lifted her leg to climb into the cab of the truck. With his assistance she made it, wow this was a very big truck and very high up. 

"Buckle up." He instructed as he closed the door and walked around to the drivers side. 

Putting her box into the back seat he climbed into the truck. Elle couldn't help noticing how in one fluid motion he just stepped right up into the truck. She rolled her eyes, is everything in Texas big? A few minutes later they were on the road heading home.

They didn't say anything as they headed out. Somehow the silence didn't feel awkward, instead Elle noticed it was almost comfortable, however she didn't spend much time trying to figure out why. When she saw a sign that said 'Welcome to Moultrie' on the side of the road she finally said something.

"Is this where you live?" she asked.

"This is our town and yes. this where we live. Well, a few miles outside of town." He clarified cutting his eyes in her direction.

She ignored how he had stressed the "we" in his statement. He could say this was her home all he wanted but she knew deep down, this was not to be. It never worked out before, why would it now. It would only be a matter of time before they were tired of her. Or found some disappointment in her, they all did she thought to herself, while angrily whipping a tear that was trying to escape her eye. Damnit she was not going to cry. Propping her arm up against the window and resting her chin in her hand she stared out the window. Get control of yourself, she fumed.

Jake did not miss her attempt to hide wiping her eyes. He just didn't know what to say to her. He knew she had had a lot thrown at her today. Shoot even he understood that her world had been completely turned upside down with in less than 24 hours. He also knew, it was going to continue to change as she adjusts to her new life, which will involve lots of new rules and expectations. He watched her staring out the window knowing at this moment, she was somewhere else far away from the inside of this truck.

When they turned off the main road and onto a dirt road, they passed under a huge ornate iron gate that had an arch spanning across the top and right in the center was the same giant S inside a diamond shape just like the one that had been on the plane.

Okay she was going to have to ask, "So, what does that S mean?"

Jake continued down the dirt road, "It is for our last name, Steele."

"Is there a reason it has a diamond around it?"

"Well, we are the Diamond S Ranch." He answered. When he noticed she looked like she didn't really understand he went on to explain, "Back in the day ranchers had to mark their cattle so no one else could steal them and try to claim them as their own. So, they came up with ways to identify them by branding their brand, or mark, onto the cattle. Like the Triple R Ranch, which would be three Rs or the Circle M Ranch, which would be a circle with an M inside of it....we are the Diamond S Ranch."

"Oh," was all she said. She wasn't really sure what that exactly meant but it didn't matter, she thought as she turned her attention back to the landscape outside her window, she wouldn't be here long enough for it to matter.