Broken Arrow Ranch

Chapter 3

Nothing exciting happened after dinner. Once I finished my plate, I excused myself and went upstairs to get ready for bed. It was only 8:00 p.m., but I was notorious for sticking to my 9:00 bedtime. Plus, I wanted some time to decompress and call my parents. Since their divorce a couple of years ago, phone calls were a two-part event: one for Mom and one for Dad. Neither had much new to report. Both gave me the same advice they'd shared yesterday—give it time, settle in, and you'll find your routine.

My bed was already made with horse-themed sheets, but I was thankful I'd picked up a heavier blanket at Walmart. The temperature dropped quickly in the evenings, and it was already freezing. It didn't take long to get ready for bed. Sitting down, I tested the mattress to see how well it might treat me this summer. It wasn't bad, but the room's attic layout was going to take some getting used to.

The North wall sloped sharply down, making each bed feel tucked under a low ceiling, with a single window in the middle. Sleeping with my feet under the slope meant having the window in my face, but putting my head there was worse—I'd already learned how easy it was to sit up too quickly and smack my head. Sighing, I curled into a ball under the covers, listening to the silence of the lodge. Before I could overthink anything, sleep claimed me.

I woke up shivering, feeling like I'd spent the night in a freezer. Had someone forgotten to turn on the heat? There was no way it should be this cold indoors. Grumbling, I layered up in old jeans, a T-shirt, a sweatshirt, and my trusty purple winter jacket.

Downstairs, breakfast was already underway. The staff room looked the same as it had last night, except for a new face: a woman working busily in the kitchen. I shuffled past without interrupting her, heading for the same seat by Miranda. She greeted me with a warm smile, and I appreciated her easygoing attitude.

Miranda was as new as I was, though she'd arrived a few days earlier. She still seemed to be finding her footing, but there was a quiet confidence about her, like she wasn't in a rush to figure everything out. Her relaxed demeanor helped me feel like we were in this together.

The woman cooking breakfast came in balancing several plates on her arm. Beth jumped up from the head of the table to help distribute the food. Pancakes, scrambled eggs, and hashbrowns filled the plates, and my stomach growled at the sight.

The woman noticed me and smiled. "You must be Holly! Gene told me you'd finally made it to Broken Arrow. I'm his wife, Erica."

"It's nice to meet you," I said. "This seems like a cool ranch you've got here."

"We have a lot of fun," Erica replied, her smile warm. "You'll meet Wyatt—Gene's brother—at the barn today. Just remember, he's your boss." She laughed, but her tone held a subtle warning before she disappeared back into the kitchen.

I glanced at Miranda, but she seemed as puzzled by Erica's comment as I was.

Breakfast ended with Beth checking her phone. "We'd better head down to the barn so we're not late," she announced.

I appreciated her punctuality; we still had fifteen minutes, but I also preferred to be early. After clearing my plate and leaving it on the designated kitchen table, I followed Miranda upstairs to grab my muck boots and double-layered socks. The cold wasn't relenting, but at least the valley's view, still shadowed by the towering mountains, made up for it.

"It's your first day of actual work, right?" I asked Miranda.

"Yeah, I got here Friday, so I've just been settling in over the weekend," she replied.

We arrived at the barn just before 9:00. The red door was already ajar, and Miranda led the way inside. Despite a single overhead bulb casting its yellow glow, the barn felt dim. Three box stalls lined the far wall, while tack and gear were scattered in various piles. A smaller door on the right, blocked by a gate, seemed to lead into the corral.