She’s confused. “Didn’t she ask you to live with her?"
“It just sort of happened." I explain, albeit just as confused. “I feel like a vagabond these days. I’m living part-time here, part-time at Shelly's, and part-time at home. I think it’s starting to drive me nuts. It’s confusing as shit. I picked a fine time to get myself a girlfriend, didn’t I." I say that as more of a comment then as a question.
“Well, I can’t judge you on that front, considering that when I first met your brother, I was living in my car." She says with a good-natured chuckle.
“Funny thing is, when I’m here at the ranch, I feel at home. That’s why I came back here tonight."
“This is your home for as long as you want it. In fact, you don’t even have to stay in here if you don’t want to. We have plentyof room in the ranch house. Billy’s even been talking about building quarters for all the ranch hands. He says he should’ve done that a long time ago. But with the resort house being built, and fixing up the ranch house, there hasn’t been any time for that."
“I’d love to help build it."
“I’m sure he would love that too. This is your home for as long as you want. You’re more than just a ranch hands to us, and I think you know it."
"I appreciate that." I pinch my lips into a smile.
"I should go and let you get some rest. It's been a long day."
"Yeah, it has. But thanks for stopping by."
She pinches her lips into a smile as she walks towards the door. After she closes it, I fall asleep immediately, which is yet another indicator that I'm in my rightful place. When I'm at home or at Shelly's sleep doesn't come so easily.
When I wake up, there’s no text message, no voicemail, nothing from Shelly. It makes me nervous. It’s still too early to call, so I make up my mind to try her later, if she doesn’t call me first. The sun hasn’t even risen yet, but there’s plenty of work to do at the ranch, so I get started. I find Billy inside the barn, organizing some things, so I lend a hand to him. “Do you need anything in town?" I ask him.
This is a regular thing for us, me or him running errands, depending on our needs. He gives me a short list of things needed at the hardware store. “I think Jade and Crystal have breakfast ready. Nothing is open for another hour or so, anyway.” We head inside the house and eat.
“Piper says that you’re fixing to build a house for the help?" I ask Billy once the girls leave the room.
“The same architect that designed the ranch house is looking for more work, and I figure it’s high time we had one. Piper has been on me for a while now, and I’ve got some room forspending, since I was able to save so much on the resort house build. Plus, bookings are starting to fill up. It looks like this place is going to turn over some decent revenue in the first year. Having hands on site at all times will do us some good. We’re going to need to hire a lot of help to keep this place running in tiptop shape."
“I’d love to help you, Billy."
“You sure that ain’t going to interrupt with your studies?"
“Not at all. I chose the program that way. You might think that this is odd, but I chose an architectural program. Now, don’t go telling the boys about that, or the ladies for that matter. But I figure that I know enough about building now, and I always wanted to learn how to design buildings."
He frowns, pulling his Stetson up off his head, and combing his fingers through his hair. “You should be proud, Levi. That’s a hell of a thing to get into. You wouldn’t believe what I’m paying this architect for drawings. If I had known that you were doing that, I might’ve held off.”
“I appreciate that, but I've still got a long way to go. Although it’s an accelerated program, I’ve only got one year behind my belt."
“If there’s anything I can do to help, you name it. Hell, I’ve got enough land up here, I could build some cottages as well. Maybe by then, you’ll be ready to help me with that."
“Sounds good to me." I take my dishes to the sink. “I’ll head on into town now if it’s all the same to you.”
“Take your time. And take the truck, too.”
The hardware store is the first thing that opens in town, luckily. After I toss the things into Billy‘s truck, I take a walk down the street, to Buddy's antique store. As I guessed, it’s not open yet, but I see a figure moving around in the photography studio next to it. As if my eyes are deceiving me, I see her there. The mystery blonde girl. The sign says that the store is stillclosed, and I can see that the latch is set to lock. She’s moving large framed photographs from where they lay on the floor, to empty hooks on the wall.
It’s been years since I’ve been inside that store, which was once the other half of the antique shop. Buddy rented it out from what I recall about ten years ago, when he realized that he could make more profit by renting the space out instead of filling it with antiques for sale. Admittedly, it’s mostly the more elite townspeople and people from out of town that patronize that portion of the store. Therefore, a photography studio, with what looks like price tags no less than five hundred dollars to start, was a good call.
Like a stalker, I stand there, watching her through the window, oblivious to passersby, the very few that there are here at this earlier hour. What keeps me there, I have no idea. I have no business standing here, gawking at her. But it’s like my feet are cemented to the asphalt sidewalk. The woman, thankfully, is also oblivious to me. Seemingly in her own little world, in her own little space, she dusts glass frames, and I watch her set a photograph onto a piece of matting, before setting it into what looks like a custom frame.
“You looking for something?” A familiar voice blurts, startling the shit out of me.
I smile, holding out my hand to shake his. “How’s it going, Buddy. I figured I’d take you up on your offer and come see the place, seeing as I was in town anyway."
“Come on in. I’ve got the best dang vintage coffee maker in here. I’ll make you a cup you’ll never forget." Buddy offers.
“Fancy that." I chuckle. “But I ain’t buying it, of course."
