It had taken all of her life savings, cashing in her RRSP, and selling just about everything she owned, but Nadine Cross was able to live her dream. She got out of the headhunting business once and for all, leaving Calgary behind and deciding to settle on the prairie. She put a down payment on a successful horse ranch out in the middle of nowhere.
It was chasing her dream that was the allure. She had loved horses all of her life, but was unable to get near any. Her parents were well-off, but by no means able to afford a horse. Nadine would sit in her room and draw out horses. She loved how magnificent they were, almost like man had truly conquered nature by taming these larger beasts.
What she did not realize, after investing all of her money, was how much work was involved. This did not just mean from a physical standpoint, but for the enterprising nature of it all. There were receipts to draft, farm subsidies to puzzle through, transportation and feeding bills. What was worse was that the rancher she bought the ranch from had not only retired, but decided to take the village vet with him down to South America. She managed to find a new vet, but she actually had to fly him in if she wanted a house call.
Still, she was managing alright, and was still loving every part of it. The only thing missing was someone to share it with. Nadine was never really lucky in love, and had always been a bit on the chubby side. She was by no means unattractive, and she still had a beautiful face. Nadine knew that she was just heavy enough that she would not attract a lot of attention in any crowded bar. She was just shy of forty, so ever those days of her being the cute girl with the curves was getting behind her.
It was late into the winter, and Nadine was having trouble keeping up with the work. The hay bales dropped off to her place were heavy, and Nadine was unable to lug them far. She heaved and hauled, trying to get them into her truck. After collapsing on one of the bales, she sat perspiring under her jacket. The sweat was starting to soak into her clothes under her winter jacket. Alberta winters were unforgiving, and Nadine was starting to freeze up. How could she be so hot and so cold at the same time?
After finally getting the horses fed, most of the day was gone. Nadine decided that she had enough, and was going to hire some help. There was sufficient money in the budget for it, and she could get the new hire to do the dirty work while she was able to focus more on the business side.
She had placed an ad, then waited for nearly two weeks before getting a response. Finally, she received a phone call one day.
"Hello," said Nadine.
"Hi, ma'am," said the voice, sounding a little rural to Nadine. "You looking for a seasonal worker?"
Nadine made a fist of success. "Yes, absolutely! Have you ever worked on a ranch before?"
"Well, no, to be honest," said the voice. "I just lost my job at the furniture plant, so I need something right away. You said free room and board?"
"Yes," Nadine replied. She started to hesitate. Maybe this was a bad idea after all.
"Ma'am, I know you're probably worried about me, but I'll work as hard as you need me to," the young man pleaded. "Besides, if I don't need to pay rent for a while, it could mean a big difference for me."
Nadine clicked her tongue several times. "Can you make it out to Fort Edward sometime this week?"
"You bet I could!" the young man said, sounding jubilant.
"You're not hired yet, though," said Nadine, chuckling. "I have to look you over first." She almost felt ashamed putting it that way, as she sounded like she was sizing up a stallion.
After three days, the young man made his way out to the ranch. He was driving a rusty old pickup when he arrived. Nadine went out to greet the young man.
"Hi," he said. "I'm Clay. Clay Waschuk. We talked about the job."
Nadine took his hand. It was still freezing out. "Nadine Cross. Come up to the main house," she offered.
They went inside and sat down opposite from each other at the kitchen island. Clay was inspecting the interior. "Wow, this place is pretty nice," he said.
"The house came with the ranch," said Nadine. "I know what you mean, though. I thought maybe it would be some log cabin or something." She adjusted herself on her stool. "What made you want to come all the way out here?"
"Oh, I just saw the ad and figured I would give it a try," he said, shrugging. "I figure even if it's the worst work in the world, it's just temporary, right?" He gave a cocky half-smile.
Nadine nodded. "Well, it's not a typical nine to five, though I know that I can't work you too hard. I get up at six and start right away. We usually wrap things up by dinner, but if there's some sort of emergency, I'll probably need your help."
Clay seemed to be thinking it over, but still seemed pretty enthused. "Okay. Uh, just a personal thing. Am I allowed visitors once in a while?"
Nadine did the thinking now. "If I'm dissatisfied at any time, I get to say no, alright?"
Clay laughed. "Oh, I don't mean parties or anything. I just meant my girlfriend might come out to see me once in a while."
Nadine kept a stern face for a few seconds, then gave a small grin. "Nothing that distracts you from your work, all right?"
Clay looked relieved. "Oh, thanks! She's studying back in Drumheller, so she probably won't get a chance to see me hardly."
"Well, far be it from me to keep you two apart!" laughed Nadine. She looked over the young man in front of her. He certainly looked like he could do physical labour. "Okay, Clay. What's say you get your stuff ready? You'll be in the other bedroom."
Clay looked thrilled. "Sounds awesome! Thank you so much, ma'am."
Nadine looked serious. "Now I don't have any tolerance for heavy drinking or drug use, even weed. Legal or not, it's not conducive to hard work."
Clay nodded. "No problem. I mean, I tried it once in high school, but that was it for me."
"Okay, great," she said. "We'll see how it goes, but I have a good feeling about you, Clay."
Clay had moved his things into the smaller bedroom. He had already brought his luggage with him, and he appeared to have few other personal effects. Nadine was going to have to adjust to having someone in the place. She wondered if maybe building a smaller cottage off of the main house would be worth while. It would be in the cards once she got the ranch more established.
The next two weeks proved to be a bit of a trying time for Clay. Nadine was doing her best to help him out. As daunting as she found the labour, trying to get Clay properly up to speed was also proving to be difficult. She sympathized with him, however, as Nadine was still stumbling along with the business as well.
Clay was a good height, over six feet. He was not especially strong, but he was fit and trim. Nadine liked his enthusiasm. She was surprised that he was twenty-eight, given his energy levels. He could lift the bales pretty easily, but he got tired out by mid-afternoon.
