Author's Note:
Hi All,
I know, I know, been long since you got to learn who actually is Rachael McBurns, so here is a snoop at her past. Check it out
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The ride back to his ranch Chris kept thinking about the girl, who now owned the McGrover ranch. He could not fathom how she could have managed to convince his father to sell the ranch, but the most surprising was how she had managed to get all the ranch hands to work for her and O’Cauly had never seemed so out of control.
Reaching his home he took his horse to the stable and rubbed him down. Whispering to his horse, Chris thought of good old times when was in the ring facing the bull. It had been easier than the thought of facing the wisp of girl who had come into his life. Did she really come into his life?
With that question he walked in to his house, glad to be back home only to hear clatter of vessels. Wondering who must be in his kitchen, he hurried in to find Karen trying to put something in the oven and the entire kitchen looked a big mess.
“Karen, what are you doing?”
“Chris, you scared me. I had hoped to finish cooking your dinner before you returned.”
“Karen, I told you before too you needn’t bother about my dinner.”
“It’s no bother, I like cooking your dinner. Now why don’t you wash up and I will set the table for dinner.”
Not having been able to convince Karen for some time to not bother about him, Chris had given up and tried to enjoy her company but tonight he didn’t wish her company. He wanted to be alone with his thoughts of Rach. He felt anger towards her but there was an admiration too. He couldn’t believe that she had managed to get everything in order within a week’s time and she really did seem at home in the ranch. Wanting to know more about her Chris decided to talk to Joshua in the morning but first he needed to send Karen back to her house.
Karen had first walked into his house with fresh batch of cookies, the day he moved into his new ranch three years ago. Chris had slowly started enjoying her company and had considered asking her to marry knowing well why she kept cooking for him and taking care of his house. But something had always kept him from asking. Chris knew that Karen had been trying to get him to propose, but Chris could never do it.
Washing up Chris returned to the kitchen to find Karen serving the steak and mashed potatoes. Having longed for good meal Chris dug in making small conversation and thanking her for the dinner. Once dinner done, he sent Karen promising to meet her in the morning.
McGrover Ranch:
Rach sat in front of her dressing mirror trying to catch her breath. Even after a decade Christopher McGrover still had the same effect on her. Her heart was racing bringing back memories she had long buried deep, but when everything came back to her it felt as if she was experiencing it right now, right here.
About a decade ago:
Rach still remembers the day when she had come home disappointed that Chris hadn’t noticed her. Walking up to her room Rach stopped in Kitchen to talk to her mother, who was cooking along with Amy’s mother. Hugging her mother Rach grabbed an orange and ran up the stairs. Her room was her haven. Although it was decorated in pink on her mother’s insistence, she had tried to cover the entire pink wall with the images of stallions, the farmhouse, the sunrise, sunset. All of them photographed by her. She had wished to become a professional photographer one day, but she knew that would not be no matter how much she dreamt of it, for she had to take care of her mother and support her in taking care of the ranch. Her father did not really care for the ranch as much as he did about the breeding of the prized horses to be sold at highest bidding.
