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DELILAH
My parents have always said that from the moment I could walk, I had itchy feet because I could never stay still. I was always darting from one place to another, running everywhere as if walking was never an option. Not much has changed now that I’m an adult except instead of running everywhere, I’m always wandering.
So, when my parents gave me the choice of a one-way ticket to anywhere for my twenty-eighth birthday, I knew exactly where I wanted to go for my next little adventure.
With my flight booked, my bags packed, and my trusty hat with my beloved kangaroo pin firmly on my head, I bid farewell to my family in Montana. As soon as I spotted the snow-capped mountains out the airplane window, I knew I'd found my new favorite place on Earth–Alaska.
For the first few weeks I was here, I explored every inch of Anchorage, taking it all in and immersing myself in everything. But as is always the case, it came time to find a job and actuallydosomething productive with my days. As much as I love tryingto squeeze in as much as this wonderful life of mine has to offer, I'm also someone who likes to work, knowing I'm paying my way anddoingsomething. And what I love, what I’m good at, is ranching.
My first step was using the free internet at my local coffee shop and searching up available jobs. Then I started cold calling all of them, offering my services as an experienced ranch hand for the upcoming calving season and beyond. The good thing about working for your parents but also being an adult is, if you want to go on an extended trip with an unknown return date, you can do that.
Thankfully I hit pay dirt when a man called Randy Barnes from Eagle Mountain Ranch answered my call. Unfortunately, he didn't have any work for me on his property, but he knew of a ranch who needed someone to start straight away. All I needed to do was get myself to the Kinleyville rodeo in three days and he'd arrange the rest.
This is why I’m now in the Kinleyville Bed & Breakfast and getting ready to go to the town’s annual rodeo, not just to watch the bull riding finals, but to meet a man called Red Grayson who I’ve talked to for all of five minutes on the phone yesterday and who I’mhoping, will be my new boss. He’s one of a group of owners of Bull Mountain Ranch and Stud in Spring Haven and due to one of the owners traveling a lot on the rodeo circuit, he needs a ranch hand to help pick up the slack for the foreseeable future. to see whether he wants to take me on as a ranch hand. First things first, I need to make a good impression.
Arriving at the fairgrounds, I pay the entry fee and grab a burger, fries, and a bottle of beer before heading toward the grandstands to watch the action. It’s been years since I’ve been to the rodeo, so it’s fun watching all the different events and competitors trytheir best to beat eachother and triumph over the wild animals that could gore them without a single thought.
After a few events, I check my watch and see it's time to meet Red so I get rid of my trash and walk down the stairs toward the food area where we’ve arranged to meet.
As I get closer I spot a group of three men and a woman walking toward me.
The woman is stunning, with long blonde hair and piercing eyes. She's wearing tight blue jeans and a tie-dyed shirt tied at her waist.
The men look like they just walked straight off the ranch in their Wrangler jeans and plaid shirts, cowboy hats perched on their heads and shoulders so wide they could easily carry a calf on each one without breaking a sweat.There must be something in the water in Alaska, that’s for sure.Two of the men are undeniably brothers with the third looking at least ten years older than the others. There’s no doubt in my mind that they’re the crew from Bull Mountain.
Weirdly, one of themreallycaptures my attention and I cannot explain why, but my eyes can’t look away. He stands back from the others, his boots skidding against the dirt and his steps faltering the moment we lock eyes. They’re a deep hazel with flecks of dark brown that match the color of his rugged beard. I’ve never been a girl who goes for a bearded man, but on him, with the strong jawline, well-worn hat, and clothes that fit him like a glove, I’m soon convinced. This guy seems so effortlessly handsome, in a down-to-earth, knows-it-but doesn't-care-about-it kind of way. It's enough to have my legs forgetting how to move and my knees locking to keep me upright.
There's just something about him that makes me reluctant to look away and I’m left with this weird feeling of rightness just from being near him.
When it dawns on me that I’m just standing there staring like a fool and they’re all looking at me strangely, I snap out of my daze.
"Don't ask me how I know, but are you Red?" I ask the tall older man with a salt and pepper beard and a big black Stetson. I hold out my arm and stand tall as he takes my palm in a firm grip.
“Sure am. With that accent, I’m guessin’ you’re Delilah?” he replies, shaking my hand.
“That’s me. Delilah Daniels.”
Red lets me go just as the man holding the woman’s hand steps forward.Are all the men tall drinks of water around here? How are all the females not thirsty?
I study him for a second and realize he’s the same rodeo clown I’d just finished watching. “Name’s Landry. This here is my fiancée, Starchild.” He wraps his arm around the woman, claiming her for everyone to see. “Red was just tellin’ me about you. Nice hat you got there, Delilah.”
I palm off my hat and hold it out, showing them all the Kangaroo pin that I've had since I was a kid. "This old thing? I keep it close so that I don't forget my roots."
"Your family is back home?" Starchild asks curiously.
"Home as in Montana? Yep. Left Aussie when I was fifteen and have called America home ever since. I’m still as much of an Australian as I am an American though. Ain’t nothin’s gonnachange that no matter how long I’m here. This accent is here to stay.”
Landry steps forward, sweeping his arm out towards the rest of the group. "This suddenly silent man is Toby, one of mythreeolder brothers who are all owners with me and Red," Landry says, shooting the woman beside him a confused frown before looking over at his seemingly mute brother. He bumps him with his elbow. "Tobes?”
But still, Toby doesn't move. He just continues to stare at me. Having met some ranchers in my time who think ranch hands–especially female ones–are below them, I meet his stare head on. It’s not the impression I got from Red though, or Randy Barnes. I’ve only heard good things about Bull Mountain Ranch so far.
When the strange silent standoff goes on longer than is probably appropriate, I tilt my head and look him up and down, arching a brow. “You OK there, Toby? Do I have dirt on my face or somethin’?”
“You want the ranch hand job?” Toby blurts out, the words so rushed it's like they burst out of him. I have to fight back a grin because he seems to be tense as hell but there's a joy in his eyes that tells me he likes to have a bit of fun with life too.Just my kind of guy.
“Sure do.”
