When It's Right(8)
The pounding in her head started hours ago. She needed a hot shower, a hot meal, and a pain pill. Not particularly in that order. She’d settle for whatever her grandfather was willing to give, since she didn’t have enough money to get back to San Francisco. She could probably get to the next town. Careful with her money, she had to be. She’d made sure Justin had a new warm coat and plenty of food. He was her first, last, her every priority.
She pulled back onto the road and checked the map again. The grocery store clerk had written down the directions for her and even drawn her a crude map of the area. According to him, in another half mile, she’d see the fences for the ranch.
“You can’t miss the place,” he’d said.
She’d had a lot of time to think about what she’d find at the end of this journey. She wondered what kind of ranch her grandfather owned. Cattle, horses, some other kind of livestock? She wondered if it was some run-down shack on a dirt hill, or something grand. Either way, she’d make it work. She had to make it work.
Please, let it be someplace good for Justin.
If she’d gotten over her stubbornness and actually spoken to her grandfather on the phone, she could have asked him for details. The doctor had assured her that her grandfather meant to help. She wasn’t as ready to give the benefit of the doubt. Her grandfather was going to have to prove it and earn her trust. She wouldn’t put Justin’s life on the line. Not anymore. Not again.
She needed to see her grandfather and look him in the eye. Then she’d know if he was going to help or hurt her.
So help her God, if he laid one hand on her or Justin, she’d kill him, too. Never again, she swore, clenching the steering wheel with her mostly good hand.
Never again.
Dark brown fences corralled the horses inside. She felt the tug of a smile on her lips when one of them ran across the field. She didn’t think she’d ever seen anything quite so beautiful. His brown coat gleamed in the sun, and his black tail and mane blew out behind him in the wind. What a magnificent sight.
She imagined that when the snow lay heavy on the ground, the dark fences and bare trees would be a stark contrast to that blanket of white. She’d never seen snow. Not up close. She wanted to see it falling like wisps of light from a darkened sky. Justin would love it. They could build a snowman.
You’re dreaming of impossible things again, she chided herself. You’ve got no idea what’s waiting for you up ahead.
The thought tightened her stomach into a ball of nerves.
The turnoff for the ranch appeared, and she took it reluctantly. When she saw the two large pillars of stone holding the big black sign announcing Three Peaks Ranch, she felt an unexpected sense of homecoming. She’d never felt like she belonged anywhere, but for some odd reason, this wild land called to her. That horse running in the pasture called to her.
Three Peaks Ranch. Here I am. Now what?
Sure enough, the property sat below three towering peaks. She went through the open gate and headed down the drive. The road curved and headed down a soft slope. Taken aback by the sight in front of her, she stifled the urge to slam on the brakes and just stare.
The house sat to the left, a huge, two-story gray stone structure with decks on both levels. She’d never seen a grander house in her life. The front had a small lawn edged in pretty flowers. Spring had sprung in this piece of paradise. Flowers grew everywhere in so many vibrant colors that they were startling to see. Another large structure stood off to the right. Probably some kind of stable or barn for the horses. She imagined there could be at least fifty of them in the massive building. It had a stone base topped by white wood. The trim was done in a dark blue to match the house. Several horses stood outside open barn doors in fenced areas.
This place was perfect for Justin. A little boy could run wild on a spread like this. He could learn to ride the horses. Even have a dog or a cat. Justin could learn how to be a real man here.
That is, if her grandfather wasn’t like her father.
She needed to find that out before she and Justin got too comfortable.
When she pulled up and stopped near the house, she spotted a horse in the closest corral. She wanted to kill whoever had hurt that poor animal. Half starved, his ribs and bones were clearly visible beneath his spotty brown coat. He looked like a mangy dog, only much larger and much more sad, because his eyes had the look of a lost child. She recognized that look, the one she often saw in the mirror when she just couldn’t hide it or fake it anymore.
She didn’t know anything about horses, but she knew a lot about neglect and abuse. She fought the urge to turn the truck around and leave. She didn’t want to be here if this was how her grandfather treated the animals on this ranch.