Author's Note:
Hey All
In "Ranch of Dreams" find out who is Rachael's crush and what does she do when she comes face to face. Will she fall in love or will her life's goal come in between. Check out further chapters of the novel to know!!!
Enjoy :D
Votes and Comments are welcome!!!!
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The evening was just setting in when the Chris rode into the McGrover ranch. The ranch seemed busy for the first time since he had been here last. All the ranch hands were working and he found Joshua with Eric walking towards the back of the house. On one side of the house, he saw a lad standing in overalls with a baseball cap looking at him. He didn’t remember seeing the lad before. As he rode further in he saw Donna, Barbara’s niece planting some herbs. The entire scene seemed out of ordinary for a ranch which was supposed to be in neglect. He had come to see his father immediately after his return from business to give him the good news.
Joshua approached him as Chris got off his horse.
“Hello Chris, how was the trip?”
“Fruitful. Where is pa?”
“He left.”
“Left? Left Where?” asked Chris tying his horse to a post.
“California. He said he wanted to visit there for long time.”
Talking Chris and Joshua walked towards the back of the house where Eric was working on the plan for the outside lunch room. Joshua explained what they were building and Chris liked the idea very much. He wasn’t sure where his father was going to get money to build it, but he was also surprised to find the ranch in better shape than what it was before. He had expected most of the ranch hands to quit but he found everyone working except Jacob and the small boy Sam. Sitting down with Joshua and Eric looking at the plans and giving his input he asked “Where are Jacob and Sam? I rode circling around the ranch but didn’t find them near the herd.”
“Sam is back in school again and it turns out Jacob has been steeling our unbranded cattle and herding them into O’Cauly’s ranch.”
“Steeling cattle? Why didn’t pa do anything about it?”
“Sam said your pa knew about Jacob taking the cattle to O’Cauly’s ranch.”
Chris was silent for a long time trying to come up with a plausible explanation for what had been going on in his absence. He was now regretting his decision of buying his own land and moving away when his father needed him the most. Absent mindedly he asked Joshua “Who is the lad with Donna tending to garden?”
“What lad?” asked Joshua looking up from the designs he and Eric were working on.
“The lad over there in baseball cap and blue overalls” said Chris pointing in the direction of herb garden.
Eric and Joshua started laughing loudly. “That’s not lad, that’s..” before Eric could finish his sentence Joshua hit his arm playfully to stop talking and said “That’s Burns. The new boss.”
“What the hell do you mean Joshua?” said Chris standing up
“Well John sold the ranch to Burns and left for California.”
“He wouldn’t do that. He would never sell the ranch without telling me or Sean” Said Chris aghast at his father’s decision.
“He did. It seems he made sure the new boss is capable before he signed the papers. That Burns is something alright. Past week since arrival Burns has kept every ranch hand busy and confronted O’Cauly.”
