A Letter From KR. And A Magazine Want Ad All Lead To The Double D Ranch

 As she walked and comforted her precious granddaughter she murmured sweet words of love into her tiny ears. She looked out the window and wondered where her daughter was. When she was on a mission she wasn't allowed to tell anyone where she was, not even her mom. She understood her willingness to fight for her country and freedom. Yes she understood all that, but what she didn't understand is not hearing from her for over two months. Her little one was only about two months old when she left. She promised that she would write. Telephone calls to headquarters left her with unanswered questions. But she had Addie.  Addie was so much like her mama. The curly hair, the bright eyes and beautiful smile. She held her a little closer and whispered, "For now little one, it's just you and me. We can do this until your mama gets home." As she walked through the living room she looked up at the large portrait of the love of her daughter's life before she had the baby. Shadow. Ah, he was a beautiful horse, but more than that he was her daughter's best friend. He was on a friend's ranch now probably enjoying life with the green grass and open meadows to run and play with Bill's other horses. Her daughter was not aware that her friend had died and now there was a new owner of the Double D ranch. The letter lay on her nightstand. She had read and re-read the letter from a lawyer whose  name she was not familiar with. K.R. Durnhim. The letter said that she needed to send money for Shadow's care and vet bills. Money was tight, but she would scrimp on some things to make sure that her daughter's horse was well taken care of. She would send a check today.

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People said that she was a dreamer. They said that she should go to college as soon as she graduated from high school. She needed to make up her mind what she wanted to do in life. She needed a career they said. Those people just smiled when she said that she didn't know what she wanted to do. They said, "Well you better hurry up. Time's a wastin'. If you don't go to college now you never will. Take the SAT test and get a scholarship. You're a smart girl." Others said, " Make something of yourself. You could go to the city and be a model. You are beautiful and could make thousands of dollars a year. Others said, "College is expensive. You should just get married and be a housewife like most of us have from this town. We are happy and so are our husbands and children. Don't worry about the future. The future will take care of itself. You need a job? The fast food place uptown needs a cashier. You'd be great at that job. The people in town all know you. You'd be happy there."

She told her mom that she was going to go for a walk. Her mom knew exactly where she was going. Her favorite place in the world was the swinging bridge. It was quiet and a good place to think and yes perhaps do a bit of daydreaming. Today the sun was shining and the water was lapping up against the abutments. She looked down and saw the green moss that was growing there. The water was so clear she could see tiny fish swimming endlessly with no destination in life. "That's me. I have no destination only a dream. How I wish I could go to Texas and live on a ranch. I love the wide open spaces. If I think hard enough I can almost feel the wind blowing through my hair as I'm riding my horse. How do I make that dream come true? Going to college isn't the answer I don't think. Maybe getting a job and saving up enough money to go to Texas. I don't know. I don't even know where in Texas I want to go."

When she got home she plopped down on the couch and started going through some magazines that were on the coffee table. As she idly flipped through the pages she was beginning to feel more and more depressed. She was about to get up and go out to the kitchen when she happened to notice a magazine that she hadn't seen before. There on the front of it was a picture of a ranch in Texas. She opened it up and went to the index. Double D Ranch is looking for young hard working people to fill in various positions. You must be able to pass background checks, have a high school diploma or equivalent. Transportation provided to those that need it on the contingency that those folks stay for at least ninety days. "Oh my gosh! This sounds perfect! But what would Mom say? More than that, what would she do?" 

She quietly tore the ad out of the magazine and took it to her room. She pinned it to her bulletin board so that she could look at it every day until she graduated. Then she could live her dream! Just a few more days...

Allie, the sheriff, and Rex were getting the horses into the barn while Pat and Freda were cleaning up the dining hall kitchen and putting supplies and groceries away. Have you heard where those children came from? Who owned those horses, do you know? Pat had no answers for her. She was thinking about the ad she and Allie had put in a little magazine for help for the ranch. They didn't spend much time on it, but hopefully they would get some calls about the positions that were needing to be filled. They had no idea that these children would be bringing horses to the ranch. They had more than they could handle as it was. Boy did they need help. As she and Freda were making sandwiches and getting drinks ready she saw Maxine talking to a horse and petting his nose. "Well, would you look at that! Leopards can change their spots." 

Freda looked surprised and said, "Change my pots? I'm not cooking anything yet, why would I change my pots? Are you hard of hearing? I hear tell they sell hearing aides in Master City. You'd better see about one before you make a mistake that's hard to fix. That's how gossip starts you know. Just one wrong word nowadays can get a person in trouble. Now how many pots did you want me to order?"