CountryCore Series: The Ranch Hand (WLW)

Chapter Fourteen

It had been three days since Hayley's return and Chris found herself humming as she cleaned out the isolation chambers with a bounce in her movements. She hadn't felt this happy since her parents were both alive and well. She'd never felt this happy with a woman and as much as her body may have protested her taking things slowly with Hayley, she never wanted to damage what they had going for them. She respected her too much, or rather, just enough according to Hayley.

Over the last three days and the day she returned, they'd fallen into a sync she couldn't put into words, but she knew it was an elation of the highest cabilar. They always ate meals together in the cafeteria before, during and after work. Generally, the kitchen staff didn't do dinner unless specially requested by her for an event of some kind, but this time she hadn't even really needed to make a request.

The first evening, they had only come to get some of the lunch leftovers, which were never much as the staff was always so hungry after the morning shift. All that had been left was some hushpuppies and fresh fruit, but two of the kitchen staff stayed behind and fixed them some dinner anyways. The next two days afterward, they'd done the same.

Chris was never a cook. It wasn't like she wanted to feed the butch stereotype, but she'd definitely taken on quite a few aspects of it and it never bothered her. The two women knew that and appeared more than happy to help her out. She was planning on leaving a little bonus in their paychecks later that week. It wasn't her usual go to for saying thank you to others, but it was well deserved. Especially after those amazing tostadas the night before, she couldn't quite help herself. Not only that, but she knew that these two women had families at home who would be more than grateful for the extra cash. Maybe she could do something else as well.

Her mind reeled at the possible things she could do for them. Maybe she could make them some new furniture for their apartments in town. Or perhaps she could give them some of the veggies they'd recently harvested from all the crops. Onions and potatoes may not have been the most prudent or expected gift when it came to saying thank you, but they would help them out in a pinch if they were struggling for grocery funds.

Chris had never been the sort of person who generally worried about her staff's financial struggles. Yes, when she built The Barracks it had been for the staff who struggled, but it also housed those who simply enjoyed being on the ranch twenty-four/seven. She also thought of the possible pay cuts she may have been causing when she decided not to slaughter the Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs she'd chosen to raise instead. However, the idea had been fleeting. Even when she worried over their pay cuts during that goat episode, she hadn't...

Oh, who was she kidding? She'd always worried over the wellbeing of her staff. However, this time it felt different. It hadn't felt like charity or coddling, rather, it felt like a gesture of good faith. A way for her to really tell them she was with them.

"Maybe some smoked pork would do the trick...?" She wondered aloud.

"Do what trick?" Hazel asked from beside her. She smiled with a giggle as Chris stood up straight and shot her a look that she was pretty sure read "When did you get here?" She stared at her for a moment, then watched as Hazel grabbed a hose of her own, with the shake of her head. "Your heads in the clouds again, auntie. I came here with you, remember?"

"I-I know that! I ain't a bob, ya know."

"I have no idea what that means." Hazel guffawed and didn't bother hiding the mixture of entertainment and confusion that flooded her features.

"Bobcats. Ya know, 'cause they're pretty antisocial. Like cats in general."

"Bah-hah!" She bent over and held her side as she laughed so boisterous it set Chris on the track toward irritation, pleasant irritation that is. Hazel straightened and looked her up and down. "Meaning, you--"