The Healing Ranch

Chapter 1

"What do you mean you're done?" Megan Brooks pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration as she waited to hear what her cousin had to say.

"I mean I'm done Megs. This ranch isn't my dream and I'm not meant for the ranching life. I think it's time to move on and go follow my dreams of becoming a lawyer like I went to school for." Her cousin Andrew's voice echoed down the phone line sounding so far away.

"I understand that but what am I supposed to do? I can't run this ranch alone, not while trying to take care of Dad." She could hear the hint of panic in her own voice and pinched her nose harder in an attempt to make the stinging in her eyes go away.

"Listen I get that Megs. There isn't any possible way you can handle the ranch and your father alone. Especially in your... condition." The pause made her cringe. He still didn't know how to bring up her injury and always made it seem like she was deficient somehow. She realized he had kept on talking. "Anyway I thought it's time you moved off the ranch now anyway. You know we are just a few more bills from bankruptcy as it is. You can't keep holding on to that old place. It's falling apart. As for Uncle James... well honestly he might be better off in the nursing home." The words bit through her like a whip.

"Look Andy I respect your decision on leaving. I know you never wanted to ranch but didn't have much of a choice after Uncle Rex died and you had to come out here to help me. But please. Stay until I figure something out?"  The stinging in her eyes had grown worse and she blinked hard a couple of times.

"I'm sorry Megan. I never was a rancher and quite frankly, I never planned on returning after I left for college. Then Dad died and I felt I had to help you. But I'm done now and honestly I think I was doing more harm then good. You could find a house in town and a job at the local cafe surely?"

"No Andy. I don't care what you say but I won't give up the ranch and if you think I'm sticking Dad into some nursing home you must be a few bales shy from a full load." Megan spit down the line and heard her cousin sigh.

"What will you do then Megan? Be realistic here. You can't run that place yourself! You're in a wheelchair for heavens sake!" There it was. The problem that stood between her and so much that she wanted to do. His words and his having no faith in her made the tear she had been holding back trickle down.

"I'll figure something out but I won't leave this ranch or Dad. Thanks for all of your help over these past two years Andy. Even though you never wanted to be here apparently." She bit out.

"Megs please listen to reason you can't..." she didn't hear the rest of the message because she hung up the phone with a clunk. What to do now? She rolled her chair over to the window beside the table and swiped at the tears trickling down her cheeks. She couldn't loose this place. It meant so much to her and as she gazed out on the sun setting on the green foothills and the great mountain peaks surrounding their ranch she knew she wouldn't be able to part with it.

How could she save it though? Was it even possible? Andy was right when he said that she couldn't do it alone. It was simply impossible to do some of the ranch chores from her chair and add that on top of her sick father? She couldn't do it. Andy hasn't be lying about the ranch's financial state either. It had been a lean year on the ranch and the cows weren't looking their best when they had shipped them to market this year. Even though they had enough to last the winter, it was only enough for survival, and the ranch would feel it, even as it did now, getting more dilapidated by the month, with no money to fix it.

It wasn't like she had the money to hire someone to help out either. Even Dad's nurse who came a couple times a week to help bath him and give him his medication had to be let go soon because Megan simply didn't have the money to pay her anymore. Megan shook her head and rolled slowly away from the window and down the hallway to her bedroom. She was glad her Dad was sleeping for the night and after double checking the locks on the doors started getting ready for bed. The last thing she needed was Dad escaping the house during the night, thinking he was going to the store or something.

She lay in bed and closed her eyes against the onslaught of tears filling her eyes. Her Dad has been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimers almost four years ago and he was only in his mid 60s. She had watched her Dad get worse and worse, especially after her Uncle Rex died. Now he only remembered her name on the best of days. Andrew coming back to the ranch had been the only way she got through the past four years and now suddenly her future was unstable again. She was suddenly overwhelmed by the impossible ness of the situation and tried to numb her mind to the whole problem. Suddenly  her Grandmother's words came back to her.

"It'll all look better in the morning darling." Clinging to the hope of those words,
Megan slowly drifted off to sleep, her mind spinning with unanswered questions.
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How did you guys like the first chapter? It's shorter than I wanted it and kind of vague I know but it's kind of just setting the stage: I promise the chapter coming tomorrow will have more too it! (This chapter might be a bit better if I hadn't written it at 12 at night. I may go back and add more tomorrow too). Also what did you think of the format? Easier to read? Or should I keep writing the way I usually do in one big paragraph? Anyway thanks for reading! :)
~ S