I glance at her, intrigued by her adventurous spirit. "Sounds like a lot of fun. Any really special ones you remember?”
Her eyes light up. "There weresomany. Once, we went on a week-long trip through the Outback. It’s just miles and miles of red dirt for as far as the eye can see in some places. It was like bein’ in another world, you know? Anyway, we visited a bunch of remote ranches and met some incredible people who welcomed us into their homes. One of them had an underground house because it can get so hot there.."
"Sounds like an adventure. I’ve seen photos of the outback in magazines and books. The red dirt always seemed a bit surreal. Bit like what you’d think you’d see on Mars of somethin’. All I know is what we get here."
“Right?” she says, leaning forward like she’s actually interested. Having her attention on me like this makes me feel like I’m king of the world. “Have you seen black sand beaches before? Now they're somethin'. I went to Black Sands Beach durin’ a trip to California. I was so blown away that all I could do was sit there on the sand and marvel at life. Ever done that before?”
“Sat on a black sandy beach? Nope.”
She snorts. “I mean find somewhere so beautiful that it takes your breath away and all you can do is just sit there, starin' in wonder?"Far too soon to tell her I'd be doing it right now if I could look at her and not crash the truck… right?
I don't even need to think about it. "Yeah, actually. Felt that way when I first stepped onto the ranch and looked up at the twin peaks of the mountain."
"All that just from seein’ it? I’m lookin’ forward to havin’ the same reaction now. Not sure how you expect me to work withthatkind of beauty all around me,” she replies and I can tell she means it. Something I have learned about her in the short time we’ve known each other is that she’s the type of person to say what she means, straight from the heart.
I glance sideways at her with a newfound appreciation. "I think you’ll handle it just fine. You said you’ve faced that challenge in your travels before so I’m sure you’ll battle through it.” I grin, earning a snicker in return. “If I can balance work with gawking at the sights, I’m sure you can too.”
“Hope for all our sake that you’re right.”
“Once you catch a glimpse of Bull Mountain at sunrise and feel the wind on your face as you ride across those open plains, it'll all make sense."
She leans back in her seat. "What will?”
“The reason you love ranchin’.”
She nods. “I’m gonna hold you to that, Tobes. If it’s truly as breathtakin’ as you say, maybe I won’t grumble about the early mornin’s and long days.”
It’s then that Romeo & Juliet comes on the radio. Dee leans over to turn it up and the cab is suddenly filled with the sound of Mark Knopfler’s gravelly voice, that’s when we both start singing, and wouldn’t you know it, we’re both as terrible as each other and we end up laughing our way through the song.
Before too long we're getting close to home and that’s when the nerves start to kick in. All I can hope for now is that Dee loves my mountain as much as my family and I do.
Because if she's my One, Ineedher to fall in love with the ranch and our home as much as I need her to fall head over heels for me. Funnily enough, I can’t control either of them.
Doesn't mean I can't hope though.
5
DEE
I thought Tobes was exaggerating when he told me how amazing Bull Mountain was to look at. But the moment the highway turns west and the range comes closer, I realize he didn’t do her any justice as all.
The mountain stands tall, strong and majestic with the slowly darkening sky behind her. The rugged slopes are dotted with patches of vibrant green dispersed amongst patches of bare earth. It reminds me of a bad haircut–probably like the one my brother Dillon has right now. But even with the missing vegetation, the sight takes my breath away. For a moment, I just stare at it and forget to speak.
Toby must sense my awe because he watches me out of the corner of his eye. "What did I tell ya. Absolutely stunnin’, isn’t she?”
I nod, unable to tear my gaze away from the magnificent landscape before me. Time stands still and right then, I truly believe that just looking at this perfect example of God's countrycould erase all of the world's worries and uncertainties if you let it.
"You sure this is real?” I murmur, mostly to myself. Something has shifted inside of me and I have absolutely no idea how to explain it. It’s like a switch has been flicked, or a void inside of me has been filled.
"It’s as real as it gets. Bet you get why we’re all happy to spend the rest of our days here."
I nod, still not looking away. "I feel like we’ve driven off the highway and straight into a paintin’. It’s like a dream I’ve never had has come to life and it’s laid out in front of me.” All of the pictures and videos I’ve seen totally pale in comparison to seeing the scenery in real life. Something evident in my inability to conjugate right now. "It's...it's incredible."
Toby beams, clearly pleased with my reaction. Something I see in his expression has my heart beating double-time and a warm gooey feeling swirling in my tummy. "The mountain holds a special place in our hearts so I was hopin’ it would make a good first impression on you too."
"Believe me, if I hadn't already accepted the job, this view alone would've decided for me," I reply with an answering smile. “You should just put a photo of the mountain on your website. You won’t have to worry about anythin’ for the rest of your days.”
The truck slows down and Toby turns us down a long winding road, eventually bringing us past a big carved sign made up of two mountain peaks and “Bull Mountain Rodeo Stud” on it. The only part I don’t get is the wooden duck nailed to the side of it.
