Chadwick Ranch, Book 1: Winter Holiday Romance Read online

  Once tacked up, he checked her girth one more time before leading her out to the riding arena just south of the barn. He walked her into the center of the arena after closing the gate and checked his girth one final time before mounting up. Sassy was a coming eight-year-old who had proven herself to be a good working ranch horse in the open field when moving cattle but if she had to chase one down, Buck knew her brakes weren’t as solid as they should be. He also knew that when you were galloping at full speed after a stray in uneven, potentially dangerous terrain, not having solid brakes was the quickest way to lose a horse to a broken leg.

  Over the next half hour, Buck focused his training on putting a verbal whoa on Sassy. He was a steady hand when it came to training horses and everyone in the area knew it and that was why his horses were such consistent performers. Unlike a lot of riders who, when they wanted their horse to stop could never use the same command cycle more than one time in a row, Buck, on the other hand was so consistent in his command cycle that he was able to communicate his wishes to his horses quickly and efficiently, eliminating unnecessary confusion. His whoa command cycle ran the same every single time, sit deep in the saddle followed by a verbal “whoa” first. If the horse didn’t stop immediately, he executed a second verbal “whoa” with a half halt at the same time. If the horse wasn’t at a full stop immediately ― and depending on how green the stock was, there were plenty of times when they weren’t at a full stop yet ― he would give a third “whoa” verbal command, while simultaneously sitting deep and using a check rein. Ninety-nine percent of all his horses, no matter how green they were would be at a dead stop by then. However, on the rare occasion when a green horse refused to stop, he would circle them, using his verbal “whoa” and check reining, giving the horse no choice but to understand and obey.

  While a lot of cowboys were fond of riding with spurs, Buck wasn’t. He tuned his horses well enough that he didn’t need spurs in order to communicate his wishes.

  One of his secrets to turning out the best working ranch horses was the amount of ground work he put into them before he started them under saddle. From lunging to long lining, by the time Buck threw a leg over any of his green stock, they had a walk, trot, canter, and whoa on them with verbal commands and they would also work off his body position on a lunge line without verbals. On a parallel line to the head was whoa, perpendicular to the rib cage was maintain the current gait, and on a parallel line to the hindquarters was the command to step up the pace. His long-lining complimented his verbal work on the lunge line, but also helped with the transition from the halter to the bit. With the long lines, he could establish the steering on his horses and their respect for the bit before he ever mounted up.

  What separated Buck’s training style from the other local ranchers was the fact that Buck trained under an English riding instructor years earlier. He never let any local ranchers know that because he knew they would give him a hard time. But, armed with that classical training that included long lining, lunging and the use of verbal commands, along with first and second level dressage training that included bending, side- passing, leg-yielding, among many other moves, Buck was able to communicate with his horses on a higher level and as a result, he turned out much better rides for ranch work.

  Buck raised and trained his horses to be working partners in the cattle business, so he had no interest in ‘riding the bucks out of them’ as so many cowboys did. Instead, his feeling was that if you never put a horse in the position to need to buck, they would never learn that nasty habit. By starting his young stock out with a strong focus on ground work, by the time he threw a leg over for the first time, his horses were miles ahead on the learning curve and less likely to panic, making his training smoother, faster and more efficient for all.

  Sassy was working well and Buck was satisfied that his refresher course on her whoa was good to go so he rode her over to the gate, opened the gate from the saddle and headed her out into the open pasture to test out his brakes. First putting her into a comfortable lope, Buck asked her to open up across the wide expansive pasture which she was more than happy to do. With her head up, ears forward and tail held high, she was having great fun. After a short time, Buck sat deep in his Billy Cook and said WHOA. On the soft footing of the pasture, Sassy sat down into a nice slide stop. Buck patted her on the neck, turned her back toward the barn and repeated the exercise. Once again, she sat down into a nice, clean slide stop for him. Pleased that she was once again tuned and once again a reliable working ranch horse, Buck walked her back to the barn so she could cool out and so she wouldn’t get in the habit of rushing to get back to the barn as that would make her dangerous.

  When he entered the barn, he could see Bear in the aisle. “How did it go?” Bear asked.

  “She’s going to make someone a really good working ranch horse. Did you see her slide stops in the pasture?”

  “Yeah, that mare can sure slide. She looks pretty smooth too.”

  “She is a smooth ride. I wish things at the house were going as smooth,” Buck said, placing her halter around her neck, still attached to one of the cross ties before he removed her bridle.

  “Your dad sure surprised everyone with that codicil in the will.”

  “Did you know he was going to do that?” Buck asked.

  “Nope, I had no idea. All I knew was that he felt bad that he hadn’t known how to father you four after your mom passed. I guess this was his way of trying to rectify the situation.”

  “Well, I don’t mind saying that while he was trying to ease his own conscience he’s managed to make my life a whole lot harder. The idea of having three slackers living on the ranch makes my blood boil.”

  “For what it’s worth, just remember that even in the great state of Texas, murder is still a crime, so like it or not, you’re going to have to find a way to make this work without killing any of your brothers.” Both men laughed as Buck returned to stripping the mare of her tack.

  “I’m thinking if I hide the bodies …,” Buck laughed.

  “You watch those crime shows, someone always stumbles on em’. Better to avoid murder altogether as there’s no statute of limitations on it. You don’t want to spend the rest of your life looking over your shoulder now do you?”

  “No, I guess not. I’ll try to remember that the next time I want to murder one of them. Why can’t my brothers be more like horses? Horses, I understand and get along great with.”

  “For what it’s worth, I wish everyone was more like horses, women included,” Bear laughed.

  “Now that’s a breed, I don’t mind admitting, that I have no understanding of at all,” Buck said plainly.

  “I’m lucky to have Wynona in my life. She thinks like a man so we get along great and it doesn’t hurt that she’s gorgeous,” Bear said, taking Buck’s saddle and heading into the tack room.

  “You’re the luckiest son of a bitch on the planet. Why don’t you marry that woman?” Buck asked, still grooming Sassy.

  “I don’t want to ruin what we have. It’s worked just find for twenty years. You know the old saying, If it ain’t broke …,” Buck said, smiling.

  “I can’t imagine spending twenty years with any woman. It’s like thinking of spending twenty years with an alien.”

  “You boys were raised without a woman in the house so you don’t have a lot of experience with those ‘aliens’ but I promise you, having a good woman in your life is even better than having a good ranch horse. In both cases, you can count on them, they’re good company, they make your life a hell of a lot easier and you can have great sex with a woman which is why they are better than a great ranch horse any day.” Bear said plainly.

  “I don’t have any trouble getting sex when I want it but the idea of building a long-term relationship with one woman - that is as strange to me as going vegan!” Both cowboys laughed.

  Chapter 3, The Backlash

  Wednesday, December Fifth

  Early the next morning the four brother
s arrived at the dining room table for breakfast. The smells of fresh bacon and hot coffee wafted into the dark-paneled dining room from the kitchen where Mary was hard at work as she had been every morning for the last several years when she worked for Buck senior before his death. Now she was cooking and cleaning for his four sons and expected to continue to do so for the next six months, at least until they'd met the requirements of the codicil.

  “So, have you cream puffs decided what you want to do with the ranch? Are you man enough to stick it out for six months or do you want to run?” Buck asked as he took his seat at the head of the table.

  Mary entered the room with a carafe of fresh hot coffee. “Good morning gentlemen, breakfast will be coming out of the kitchen in a few minutes,” Mary said, after setting the carafe of hot coffee down on the table. She had already set the table for them a half hour earlier before she started cooking breakfast. The Chadwick brothers knew that if you wanted to get a hot breakfast, you’d better be at the breakfast table by 6:30 a.m. or go without. Mary’s normal start time when she worked for Buck senior was 6 a.m., giving her plenty of time to set the breakfast table and start cooking for Buck, Bear and any additional ranch hands that might be on the payroll at that time of year.

  “Good morning Mary,” Adam said.

  “Morning, beautiful,” Billy chimed in, immediately getting a dirty look from his three brothers.

  “Morning Mary,” Carter said.

  “Thanks for the coffee Mary, good morning. How's Beau doing?” Buck asked.

  “Thanks for asking, he’s still struggling in school, but I have high hopes for him,” she said before disappearing back into the kitchen.

  After Mary returned to the kitchen, Adam said, “Billy, what the hell is wrong with you? If you chase Mary away, we don't eat. She's a fine woman and deserves your respect.”

  “Wow! Sounds like I've hit a nerve with you. Do you have something going on with her?” Billy asked with a mocking tone in his voice.

  “It’s six-thirty in the morning and nobody needs your bullshit at the breakfast table, so shut the hell up. Adam's right, if you chase Mary off with your mouth, we don't eat,” Buck insisted.

  Billy didn't say another word, but he did pour himself a cup of coffee. A few moments later Mary reemerged from the kitchen carrying a large platter upon which were a substantial amount of bacon, fried eggs and sausages. “This should give you a good start,” Mary said as she placed the platter down in the middle of the large table.

  “Thanks, it looks great,” Adam said, as the four brothers attacked the platter.

  “I'll bring the biscuits and gravy out in a minute,” she said, before disappearing back into the kitchen.

  “Hell, it's been years since I’ve had biscuits and gravy,” Carter said with a longing look on his face. “I'd forgotten about the food in Texas. I can't wait to dig into Mary's biscuits and gravy!” Carter said, his voice filled with reverence for the menu.

  When Mary returned a few moments later with a platter filled with biscuits and a large gravy bowl filled with gray colored gravy with dark specks throughout, Carter could hardly contain his excitement, “Mary, I'd forgotten about Texas biscuits and gravy. My mouth is watering just watching you come in the room.”

  “Then let me set this down next to you so you can get into it first. I hope my recipe meets with your memories of the biscuits and gravy you ate as a child here on the ranch.”

  “If it tastes half as good as it smells, you've hit a home run,” Carter said, grabbing two biscuits off of the platter and slicing them in half before burying them under the thick, creamy gravy.

  “Enjoy your breakfast gentlemen, I'll be back in a few minutes with more coffee.”

  “Thanks Mary,” Buck said. He watched her return to the kitchen before asking, “So have you marshmallows made a decision on whether you're going to cowboy-up or not?”

  Buck’s three brothers were busy filling their plates and enjoying their breakfast as he spoke. Billy was the first to respond, “Dad screwed with me my entire life, and I'd love nothing better than to stick it to him by walking away.”

  “Adam pointed out last night that there’s no way to know what Dad was thinking, so to assume he put the codicil in the will in order to stick it to us, you could be wrong, and if you are, we all lose,” Carter warned. “Damn, these biscuits and gravy are amazing! I'd be willing to stick around for six months just to eat like this every morning,” Carter laughed.

  Mary returned to the dining room with a fresh carafe of hot coffee. As she approached the table, Billy said, “Fuck Dad and his damn will. I say we all pack our bags, get the hell out of here and screw him and his big plan, whatever the hell it was.”

  Suddenly the table erupted in arguments from all four brothers, which included fists pounding on the table and an abundance of foul language. Watching the chaos erupt, Mary knew that no sane person tries to break up a dog fight, but she could not tolerate listening to the brothers berate her friend, so she jumped in. She yelled at the top of her lungs, “EXCUSE ME!” It took her yelling a second time before she got the attention of all four men, “EXCUSE ME! What the hell is wrong with the four of you?”

  Suddenly you could hear a pin drop in the dining room. The shocked look on the faces of the four brothers was priceless. “Three generations of Chadwick men worked themselves into early graves so they could leave all this behind for you four idiots and what do you want to do? You want to throw it all away. I don't know why your father put the codicil in the will but what I do know is the Chadwick ranch is not dirt and cows and buildings, it's family sticking together, working shoulder-to-shoulder in the worst weather to build something that would last. The generations that came before you sacrificed and worked like dogs so you could have a better life. And to thank them and repay them for that sacrifice, you're looking for a way to stick it to them?”

  By now, Mary’s face was red with anger. “I lost my husband and my son is never going to know what it's like to have a father who would work that hard to make a better life for his son. You four brothers have three generations of that legacy. You're sitting at a table that was built by your great-great-grandfather. You're surrounded in this house by pictures and memories of generations of Chadwicks who worked tirelessly to build this house and this ranch for you, and you want to throw that all away because your lives didn't turn out the way you wanted, or your dad wasn't the picture postcard dad you wanted him to be. You do whatever the hell you want to do because of course that's what you're going to do anyway, but let me just be clear here, I would give my right arm to be able to offer my son the heritage, the traditions and the legacy that you have sitting in your lap right now. You’re all pig-headed fools!” With that Mary turned and disappeared into the kitchen.

  Dumbfounded by her reaction, the four brothers sat silently at the table for what felt like an eternity until Adam broke the silence by saying, “I'm going to check on Mary.”

  Adam knocked on the swinging door into the kitchen before he entered. It was the first time in his life he'd ever done that, but he felt it was necessary to let her know he was coming. “Mary?”

  “What do you want?” she snapped while standing at the sink, her back facing him as she washed dishes. She didn't even want to look at him. Her anger was as much directed toward the four brothers as it was at what her son would never have.

  “Mary?” Adam said softly as he approached her at the sink, leaning his hip against the counter, standing close to her. “Would you look at me, please?” He touched her arm softly and could see her brace against it. She slowly turned, her hands covered in soap suds. “I'm sorry.”

  “Sorry for what?” she asked, her voice filled with impatience.

  “I'm sorry you lost your husband. I'm sorry that Beau is not going to have a father to leave him a legacy. And most of all, I'm sorry that we're idiots,” he said, his eyes locked on hers. She could see he meant what he was saying.

  For the first time she cracked a small smile,
“The four of you are idiots, there's no question about that, but I appreciate that you understand my point of view,” she said, her hands still deep in the hot soapy water.

  “This is a tough time for everybody. The codicil in my father's will is going to be responsible for turning our lives upside down, so I hope you will cut us some slack on that. This is going to take some getting used to and since we just got the news and whatever happens, the four of us are going to have to agree upon it. We may appear to be idiots for a few more days before we figure all this out. I hope you'll be patient with us while we do.”

  “I don't know how many days I can stomach being surrounded by idiots, but I'll try,” she smiled. “I'm sorry I snapped at you when you came in here.”

  “May I give you a hug?” His request was so sincere that she couldn’t say no. “I understand, no one can replace your husband in Beau's life, but if the four of us end up staying for six months, if you don't mind having four idiots around your son, I for one would be happy to do what I can to help.” With that Mary removed her soap-covered hands from the sink and leaned in to Adam's waiting arms. He could feel her exhale with relief as his arms surrounded her in a warm embrace. She leaned her head against his firm chest. Adam caressed the back of her head sweetly in an embrace that was filled with reverence and respect. Mary wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him softly. She realized in that moment two things: this was the first time a man had hugged her since her husband passed away, and secondly, she missed that connection desperately.