AN: Hello, my dears!
So, I had the idea to write this story about three years ago, and it was originally supposed to be a one-shot. Let us all take a moment to laugh at a younger and more naive Rachel because it became pretty clear pretty quickly that this story simply couldn't be a one-shot. Not when Cammie's grandparents and the Morgan Ranch are so unexplored.
HUGE, behemoth-sized shout out and thank you to my beta, gymnast1150. She is beyond amazing, and everything that I write would simply be garbage without her. Go read her stuff because she's fantastic!
Disclaimer: Ally Carter owns Zach, Cammie, and the Gallagher Girls universe that this story takes place in.
Happy reading!
Cammie POV
I briefly took my eyes off the deserted country road to glance at Zach. His lips were pouting, his green eyes were pleading, and his hands were clasped in front of him like he was praying I'd reconsider. It would've been amusing, but I'd heard nothing but whining from him for about a week now, and I was sick of it.
"No, Zach," I said, eyes returning to the road and the rolling plains sprawled on either side. "We are almost there, and I'm not canceling this trip just because you're afraid of getting a little dirty."
"I'm not afraid of dirt." Out of the corner of my eye I saw his arms shift from clasped and pleading to crossed and defensive. "In fact, if I recall correctly, you were the one freaking out about dirt when we were in Belem."
"It was quicksand, Zach. I was sinking in quicksand. I had a good reason to be freaking out."
I spotted our turn ahead and flicked on the signal, not that I really needed to; we hadn't seen a single car for hours.
"And who got you out of the quicksand, huh? Me! Because I'm not afraid of dirt."
"Fine. You're cool with the dirt. That's good."
Because there is going to be a lot of dirt, and mud, and…worse.
"Why are you against going on this trip, then?" I asked.
"Cam," he groaned.
"You've been complaining about going for a week now. I want to know. Are you mad that I asked the agency to give us some vacation time?"
"No. After that crazy op we just got back from, I think it's good that we're getting a break."
I took the next turn perhaps a little more sharply than necessary. "Then what is it? Do you not like fresh air and sunshine? Is the smell of manure too gross for you? Are you allergic to hay? Do you have a cow thing?"
"A cow thing?"
"A cow thing! Bovinophobia."
"No. I'm not afraid of cows."
"What about horses?"
Zach didn't say anything.
"Is that it? You're afraid of horses?"
Zach shifted in his seat. "Not horses per say, but riding one…"
"Oh, Zach." I reached across the center console and took his hand, lacing our fingers together. "Don't worry about that. You don't have to ride a horse if you don't want to. They're mainly used for cattle herding anyway."
He nodded.
"Does that make you feel better about the trip?" I asked.
He nodded again and gave my hand a squeeze, but I could tell something else was bothering him. However, I didn't get a chance to question him again because the long dirt road leading to my grandparents' ranch had ended, and the front yard was in total chaos.
AN: Thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to read this chapter! You're an angel and a half, every one of you:) Feel free to leave a helpful critique or encouraging comment. Or you could forget the chapter and just tell me about your day. I don't care. I like making new friends.
Before we go any further into the story, I wanted to be clear that I'm not a rancher. I kind of wish I was because that life would be awesome! But I am not. I, like Cammie, have grandparents who live on a farm, and I, too, spent my summers and a lot of my weekends there as a kid/teen, so I'm not totally unqualified to talk about the care and handling of cows, bulls, horses, and chickens. But I don't know everything, and I certainly don't know what that looks like on such a large scale. But the internet is pretty cool, so I've been trying to do some accurate research. If any of you have actual first-hand ranching experience and you notice that I get something wrong, please correct me. I won't be offended. I'll just demand you tell me how to go about getting a job on a ranch:)
Much love, Rachel
