Foreword:
Out of the mists of primordial times comes a stunning revelation.
The blood of an ancient race still flows in some humans, granting them remarkable abilities with animals. Julie, while on vacation at a working ranch, clashes with Charlie's old-school ranching ideas.
They fight like cats and dogs until her strange otherworldly display tears apart Charlie's understanding of the normal world.
Stunned and fascinated by the inexplicable events he'd witnessed, Charlie comes to a whole new paradigm. Nothing in life prepared him for Julie and her unique powers.
Is there more between them? Are they battling an attraction as others seemed to think, or are they destined to fight forever?
Buckshot Ranch
Julie was stoked. The brochure was beautiful, with enticing pictures of the rangeland surrounding the main house. Cattle grazed peacefully on the grasslands while the sun was setting in the distance. Colours of red, yellow, and orange graced the horizon as dusk approached. A line of poplars traced the banks of a creek meandering through their land. She couldn't remember seeing a more idyllic setting.
Tracing her finger over the picture longingly, she could almost visualize her own cabin on the knoll, just off to the right of the main house. Of course, she'd need a husband, dog and a couple of kids to complete the picture. The dog was easy, the husband...meh, she had yet to meet a man that moved her that much.
The family sitting on the porch waving to the camera looked friendly and welcoming. The man she assumed was the father was grizzled and extremely fit-looking. The woman he had his arm around had that worn, no-nonsense look of a woman who'd spent her life on a ranch. These were real people, not citified fops with their fake western wear! It was perfect for what she wanted. Two weeks at a working ranch.
Eagerly, she found their webpage and paid the deposit for her vacation.
Work dragged along until three weeks later, she threw her smock in the office laundry hamper and climbed into her loaded car and headed out for the four-hour trip. It was still early morning, so she had plenty of time.
Once she got off the main roads, the scenery was gorgeous. The verdant vegetation surrounded her, and for the first time in months, she felt herself start to relax. Small meadows interspaced with forests gradually gave way to larger meadows and smaller trees as the land rose. Soon, the green grass was replaced by a tougher species of prairie grass, starting to brown out in the coming summer heat.
Coming around a corner, she surprised a couple of deer, sending them bounding off. She slowed and watched their little white tails flick up and down as they fled.
Soon, she was in the prairies; the grass and land spread as far as the eye could see, graced in places by the odd clump of small trees. She pulled over on a small rise and got out. Basking in the warmth of the sun, she stretched, listening to the buzz of insects and the shrill calls of some prairie warblers splitting the enduring silence of the land. Taking a deep breath of the fresh, clean air, she felt her stress drain away
This was what she was meant for!
Julie had never understood why, but since she was young, she'd been attracted to the limitless horizons of the prairies. The arid grasslands and the ranching lifestyle called to her in ways that her current residence in the city never had. The air here was sweet and clean compared to the car fumes and fast-food smells that permeated the city air. Then there was the noisy hum of a wellspring of humanity that never ceased. Day, and night, horns honked, people yelled, dogs barked, the incessant din of a metropolitan area was permanent.
Out here lived a quietude that seemed to echo away from her ears back into the endless grasslands. Her soul avidly fed on it with gratitude.
The muffled purr of a car motor permeated her senses, and soon a van pulled to a stop beside her. The woman passenger rolled down the window. "Everything Ok?"
Julie nodded. "Just enjoying the quiet and fresh air."
"You headed for the ranch?"
Julie nodded.
"See you there." She rolled up her window again, and the van continued down the road.
Julie frowned. She distinctly remembered the brochure saying this was an adult vacation spot with no children allowed. There had been a child in the back of that van. It was a huge ranch, though, something like fifty thousand acres. Perhaps they had a separate area for families and children.
No matter, she put it out of her mind and went back to absorbing the peacefulness of her surroundings. Finally, shaking her lethargy off, she climbed into her car. A few minutes later, she was driving down the main road of a small village called Bershireville. Lunch had passed her by, so she pulled over when she saw a small café.
The waitress was pleasant and welcoming, and soon a steaming bowl of soup and a tasty-looking sandwich were sitting in front of her. She was blowing on the first spoonful to cool it down when a police car pulled up behind her car blocking her in, then switched on his emergency lights. Puzzled, she watched.
She could see the officer speaking into his microphone while he sat there, obviously running her plates. The waitress saw what was happening and came to stand by her table.
"That guy's an idiot," she shared.
"What's he doing?" Julie asked curiously.
"He's doing his personal version of a traffic stop."
"The car is parked, and I'm in here eating lunch. How is that a traffic stop?"
"As I said, personal version. He tries to pull it with all strangers."
"What else is part of this personal version?"
"He'll question you and tell you he's going to search your car."
"That's illegal!"
The waitress nodded.
"Why is he getting away with it?"
"His daddy is the major employer in town, and the mayor and police chief are afraid to cross him."
"Well. I'm not afraid of him!"
It didn't sound like she would get to enjoy her lunch in peace. Picking up her phone, she punched a facetime connection.
It was picked up quickly. "Sweetie, how's the vacation going?"
"It was great till now, Daddy, but I need your help." She pointed the phone outside to where the deputy was still sitting in his car, then back to herself.
"I stopped for lunch on my way to Buckshot Ranch. The car was parked there. I was sitting in a café starting to eat when this cop pulled up behind my car and turned his lights on. The waitress tells me this is his personal version of a traffic stop. He'll come in and try to question me and do an involuntary search of my car. Apparently, he does this frequently with strangers."
"Interesting," her father mused. "Nothing like a few constitutional violations to make my day."
Julie saw movement out of the corner of her eye, "He's getting out," she explained as she turned the camera back. They watched the deputy exit his car. He stood there buckling up a bullet-proof vest, filling his vest with a baton, gun, stun gun and pepper spray. Then he added a walkie-talkie and made sure his microphone was properly secured. Putting on a pair of mirrored sunglasses, he headed in.
"Jesus," her father remarked, "is there a bunch of escaped cons running around there or something? Or do five-foot-nothing girls always get this much attention?"
"Dad, I'm taller than that!" Julie protested his banter.
The waitress laughed out loud. This was getting good. "Hey Lou," she yelled at the owner in the back. "I think Darren is going to get his comeuppance. You might want to watch."
Darren eyed the two café workers when he entered but chose to ignore them. He seated himself opposite Julie.
"Well, why not sit down uninvited. And while you're at it, take off those ridiculous glasses," she ordered while pushing away her lunch.
"I'll do the talking here, lady. Now, what are you doing in town."
"She doesn't need to answer your questions, deputy," her father chimed in.
"You butt out, sir. And you turn that phone off."
"She'll do nothing of the sort. I'm her lawyer, and this is being recorded. Why are you harassing her?"
"It's a traffic stop and search; I'm worried about criminal activity."
"Nice try. Do you know the definition of a Terry Stop?"
"I do."
"In a Terry Stop, you need probable cause to search and detain a driver. And I hardly need to point out that they have to be driving. You don't get to park your cruiser behind a parked car with the owner sitting in a restaurant eating lunch. Now, what's your probable cause for this stop and search?"
Taken aback, the deputy was silent, thinking.
"I'll tell you," the waitress volunteered. "He stops every stranger in town with this B.S. because he knows most are headed for Buckshot Ranch. He was in love with the daughter there, but she married someone else. He's been harassing the ranch and strangers like your daughter ever since. Buckshot has a restraining order against him."
Darren's face turned a deep red at being outed.
"So, deputy, hoist your ass out of that chair and unblock my daughter's car. In the meantime, I'm drafting a twenty-million-dollar lawsuit against your town for your behaviour and the constitutional violations. Scoot and stay away from her!"
He got up. "This isn't over."
"So now you're threatening her. Keep it up, deputy. I figure by this time next week, you'll be unemployed."
Darren headed for the door.
Julie stopped him. "Wait a minute! You ruined my lunch; it's cold; you're paying for it."
