Lucy awoke to find the bus pushing into the Denver terminal. She
gathered her things and left the bus. Inside the terminal, Lucy studied
the departures board. She found a Rocky Mountain tour bus listing and left
to buy the ticket. One more ride and she would stop. With a hiss the bus
stopped and tourists piled off. She stood in the road looking around the
town. Juniper Falls.
She entered a store and found a burly bearded man behind the counter.
"Did you lose your tour?" the man asked.
"No. I'm looking for rental properties."
He shook his head. "Sorry ma'am, everything is gone the first week of summer. Everything but the Walker place that is, but you don't want that. It's not cost, it's condition."
"There has to be something else" Lucy begged.
The man sat thinking. "Well, maybe the Kinkirk place. But I think he's full too." Lucy left the store and walked down the street. She passed the Walker place. A good wind looked like ti could knock the unstable structure down. She looked up the hill, in the direction the shop keeper had indicated. Mine as well start walking. She started up the road.
The road ended at the ranch. A tan pickup was parked next to a shiny new red corvette. What a pair she thought. On one side were stables and on the other side there was a log house with a sweeping porch and a swing.
A man came out dressed in khaki shorts and a golf shirt. He looked like he belonged at a country club rather than at a ranch in the Rocky Mountains. His too-blue eyes and suave features brought up an instant wall inside of her, even with his easy smile. It didn't matter. She was determined to stay.
"I was told you might have a cabin for rent" Lucy said
"Talk to my brother. I'm just freeloading. He's in the pasture and will be down later. Would you like to come in and wait?"
"No thanks. I'll just look around." Lucy replied
"Well I'll show you around" He held his hand. "I'm Ben Kinkirk."
She reluctantly took it "Lucy"
"Just Lucy?"
"Lucy Camden." Suddenly she realized she shouldn't have given him her real name. Yet the need for anonymity didn't come naturally. Her name had always opened doors before. Ben's charm made him less menacing – not that he was truly menacing. She pulled her tote farther up her shoulder, but he reached for it.
"You can leave that inside."
"NO, thank you. I'll just carry it."
"Where to first?" He swung his arm.
"The stables." Lucy stepped off the porch and waited for Ben to lead the way. She would soon see enough, see the place she had come to. Inside the stable everything was neat and orderly. That spoke well for the rancher, and made her want to stay. Ben then led her to the barn, followed by 3 cabins.
When they returned to the main house, Lucy looked up into the meadows. A horse was being worked. Ben followed her gaze. "Kevin raises good quarter horses."
As a girl she used to love to ride. She had sketchbooks full of horses. A rider and horse cam down from the meadow and came to a sliding halt. The horse reared. The animal was magnificent. The man led the horse to the stable, then returned. This was the owner of the ranch. It had to be.
"Hi there." He pulled off his gloves and smiled "Kevin Kinkirk"
Ben spoke for her. "This is Lucy Camden, she needs a place to stay."
"When?"
She spoke for herself, "Now...today."
"I'm sorry, all the cabins are full."
Ben said, "There's room in the house Kevin."
Kevin glanced at Ben and Lucy, "That's against my policy, sorry. But... how long do you want to stay?''
She hadn't thought of that. "Forever I guess"
Kevin squinted at her. "Miss Camden, I don't rent room in the main house. It's for your protection."
Lucy stared at him for a moment unafraid. She wasn't backing down. She began to sense submission and compassion.
"I guess there's room in the house, but nothing fancy." The 3 went inside where Kevin went to get a key. Though Lucy fought for the right to stay, she knew nothing about the men or the ranch. Could she walk inside the house with 2 men, on a ranch she knew nothing about? NO on would think to look here.
Kevin looked over his shoulder. "I don't know how much to charge if I don't know how long you're going to stay. But lets say $25/night, $150/week, or $400/month."
"I'll take it a month at a time."
Kevin led her to her room. It was plain but beautiful. Crisp white curtains hung in the window. She had a view of the woods from her window.
"The meal schedule is on the door. You can bring the money downstairs after you have settled in. TO use the horses you must sign a contract."
"Thank you." Lucy closed the door behind her. She dumped the contents of her tote onto the bed – clothing, toiletries, a makeup bag that had the cash she had brought with her. She took out 4 bills and put the rest away. She arranged her belongings around the room. She closed her eyes and let the tentative peace grow. Inside the solid walls she felt small and enclosed. She felt safe.
A/N: Please review and tell me if ya like it
She entered a store and found a burly bearded man behind the counter.
"Did you lose your tour?" the man asked.
"No. I'm looking for rental properties."
He shook his head. "Sorry ma'am, everything is gone the first week of summer. Everything but the Walker place that is, but you don't want that. It's not cost, it's condition."
"There has to be something else" Lucy begged.
The man sat thinking. "Well, maybe the Kinkirk place. But I think he's full too." Lucy left the store and walked down the street. She passed the Walker place. A good wind looked like ti could knock the unstable structure down. She looked up the hill, in the direction the shop keeper had indicated. Mine as well start walking. She started up the road.
The road ended at the ranch. A tan pickup was parked next to a shiny new red corvette. What a pair she thought. On one side were stables and on the other side there was a log house with a sweeping porch and a swing.
A man came out dressed in khaki shorts and a golf shirt. He looked like he belonged at a country club rather than at a ranch in the Rocky Mountains. His too-blue eyes and suave features brought up an instant wall inside of her, even with his easy smile. It didn't matter. She was determined to stay.
"I was told you might have a cabin for rent" Lucy said
"Talk to my brother. I'm just freeloading. He's in the pasture and will be down later. Would you like to come in and wait?"
"No thanks. I'll just look around." Lucy replied
"Well I'll show you around" He held his hand. "I'm Ben Kinkirk."
She reluctantly took it "Lucy"
"Just Lucy?"
"Lucy Camden." Suddenly she realized she shouldn't have given him her real name. Yet the need for anonymity didn't come naturally. Her name had always opened doors before. Ben's charm made him less menacing – not that he was truly menacing. She pulled her tote farther up her shoulder, but he reached for it.
"You can leave that inside."
"NO, thank you. I'll just carry it."
"Where to first?" He swung his arm.
"The stables." Lucy stepped off the porch and waited for Ben to lead the way. She would soon see enough, see the place she had come to. Inside the stable everything was neat and orderly. That spoke well for the rancher, and made her want to stay. Ben then led her to the barn, followed by 3 cabins.
When they returned to the main house, Lucy looked up into the meadows. A horse was being worked. Ben followed her gaze. "Kevin raises good quarter horses."
As a girl she used to love to ride. She had sketchbooks full of horses. A rider and horse cam down from the meadow and came to a sliding halt. The horse reared. The animal was magnificent. The man led the horse to the stable, then returned. This was the owner of the ranch. It had to be.
"Hi there." He pulled off his gloves and smiled "Kevin Kinkirk"
Ben spoke for her. "This is Lucy Camden, she needs a place to stay."
"When?"
She spoke for herself, "Now...today."
"I'm sorry, all the cabins are full."
Ben said, "There's room in the house Kevin."
Kevin glanced at Ben and Lucy, "That's against my policy, sorry. But... how long do you want to stay?''
She hadn't thought of that. "Forever I guess"
Kevin squinted at her. "Miss Camden, I don't rent room in the main house. It's for your protection."
Lucy stared at him for a moment unafraid. She wasn't backing down. She began to sense submission and compassion.
"I guess there's room in the house, but nothing fancy." The 3 went inside where Kevin went to get a key. Though Lucy fought for the right to stay, she knew nothing about the men or the ranch. Could she walk inside the house with 2 men, on a ranch she knew nothing about? NO on would think to look here.
Kevin looked over his shoulder. "I don't know how much to charge if I don't know how long you're going to stay. But lets say $25/night, $150/week, or $400/month."
"I'll take it a month at a time."
Kevin led her to her room. It was plain but beautiful. Crisp white curtains hung in the window. She had a view of the woods from her window.
"The meal schedule is on the door. You can bring the money downstairs after you have settled in. TO use the horses you must sign a contract."
"Thank you." Lucy closed the door behind her. She dumped the contents of her tote onto the bed – clothing, toiletries, a makeup bag that had the cash she had brought with her. She took out 4 bills and put the rest away. She arranged her belongings around the room. She closed her eyes and let the tentative peace grow. Inside the solid walls she felt small and enclosed. She felt safe.
A/N: Please review and tell me if ya like it