Two Hearts Broken; Two Hearts To Be Reunited

 Juliette had won enough awards to help him build up his savings account over the years. She was stubborn for sure, but she was made of strong stuff. She was not only beautiful, but produced a set of twins which was rare. He felt like the time was right to buy his own place. Dude ranches were becoming a popular vacation spot for rich people. He wondered if the Double D ranch was still in business. "I believe I'll take a little trip to Texas and see if the old man wants to sell. He was hurting for money the last time I was there. He sold Juliette to me for a song. Hopefully he will sell the ranch to me as well. I'd take Juliette with me. I can see it now. A Dude Ranch with music, trail rides, good food. If he sells it cheap enough I could buy some good horses. Yes, that's just what I'll do. I'll be raking in the dough and make a name for myself. I won't have to work hard like my brother does. Crazy guy. He's still working as hard as any ranch hand and for what? A dollar or two a day. Says he likes the wide open spaces and the stars in the sky. Stars in the sky. Stars don't pad your bank account, little brother. I have a feeling that yours needs a lot of padding. I'm not liking what I hear about your gambling either. Guess I'll get to packing. Maybe I can help my brother and myself in one trip." With those happy thoughts he walked out to the barn to tell his stubborn but beautiful horse the news. "Hey, filly. You and I are going to Texas to start a new life. Hopefully we can leave tomorrow."

Juliette listened to his plans for her and a new home. She shook her head and snorted. Then backed away and looked out the open barn door. "Hey, what's with you? I thought that you would love to show your stuff to those Texans. You have done a great job in Missouri. Come on. Let's go. You know you were born in Texas. That's where I first saw you and knew that you and I would be friends." He laughed and said, "Well, not at first we weren't You bucked me more times that I can count. Anyway we can start a whole new life and maybe you can find a handsome stallion that suits your fancy. What do you say? Huh?"

He smiled when she walked back and made a soft vibrating sound from her throat. He loved her sweet nickering. "Oh, now it sounds better, does it? You are something else. I'm going in the house and make some calls. If everything goes alright we will be on the road by noon tomorrow."

When he got in the house he got out his suitcase and went to put his scrapbook on the bottom. He had been saving her ribbons and programs for years. The last one he had put in the book was kind of loose. Then they all fell out.  He grinned when he saw it. "That was the day, girl. That was the day." He put his pocket watch in the bottom and shook his head. "No sad thoughts today. I thought I was going to marry that girl, but it just didn't work out." He saw the other programs and thought, "It's okay. We need to get a new start. I guess I'd better make that call first just to make sure this is not just a pipe dream."

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Madison had cried enough tears to float a boat; probably a battle ship. Her smile was tight and almost hurt her face as she finished her packing. It had been a few years, but the hurt never seemed to go away completely. She had been so young when she first met him. He was handsome and cocky and knew where he was going; to the top. That's what he always told her; to the top. Well, ducky, you made it to the top without me. Your filly meant more to you than I ever did. Once I realized that I should have parted ways, but no. I thought I could change you. I knew better and so did my mom. She tried to tell me about you. Funny thing about it, when I finally broke up with you, you didn't understand why."

 She finished packing her last suitcase. She was headed for Texas. There was a ranch there called the Double D. that she had heard was up for sale. She had done well for herself in the arena on several levels. It was time for her to settle down and do something with her life that would make other folks happy. Dude ranches were becoming the thing that drew people from the east; rich people. Even the political big wigs were going to them. "Aww look at this. Oh my gosh I was so little. That must have been  my very first pony. Teddy. She smiled as she read the writing on the back of the old photo. Maddie's first pony, Teddie. 27" Maddie 18 months old. Wow,  He was only twenty-seven inches tall. We were about the same size. I think I can remember him when I was older. We were best buddies." She turned the photo over in her hands and thought, " I was a cute little thing wasn't I?" 

She looked on her night stand and stared at the young man that broke her heart. "Okay, woman, enough is enough." She picked up the picture and put it in a drawer. "Another day, duckie. Not another day if I have my way about it."

As she sat in her bedroom chair she remembered the horses and the fun. She hoped that someday she could bring joy to another little girl just like she had had growing up. Yes, she needed to buy that ranch if at all possible. As she sat in her chair her memories took her to a place they always did when she allowed them to. She once again was a young girl on a farm with a horse to show and dreams to make come true and they did for the most part; except for him...

The Dust Bowl Years

 The heat and dirt seemed to not only seep through the cracks in the old house, but in her eyes, nose and in her hair. Sometimes it would get in her mouth. She had taken old dish towels and soaked them in dishwater then wrung them out with her chapped hands. She wearily tugged them into the corners or her windows where calk used to keep out the weather. The damp towels helped to keep the dust out, but some always seemed to get in. She couldn't afford to buy new calk. She couldn't afford anything. The job of keeping the fine dirt out of her house was never ending. Only in her dreams at night did she remember the green grass and flowers that bloomed in the spring. Flowers. When was the last time she had seen the red, yellow and orange zinnias that she would plant every year? It seemed forever. "I wish just for a minute that I could walk outside and draw a breath of fresh air. I've heard tell of folks getting dust pneumonia from this dirt. I sure don't need that." She had taken a short break that morning even though it was already hot to see if there was any water at all left in the creek. Not to her surprise she had seen that the leaves lay in the creek bottom; brown crisps of nature's folly. Soon they would be ready to fly with the next gust of wind. "I wonder if I will live to see my boys grown. I wonder if this will ever end. They call it the Dust Bowl. I call it the Devil's work. Preacher says not to think or say things like that, but what am I to think? My love died trying to work this land. He dug a well only to have it dry up. I don't think I can go on much longer. When she got back to the house she picked up her old journal that she had written in since she was a child and simply wrote, "Not much longer. I am sick of heart and soul and body. I worry about my boys."

The Double D was in trouble. The heat and the dust was hard on the horses. The hands had to keep them in the barn to keep the flying dirt out of their eyes and nostrils. Feed for the horses was scarce. The owner was thinking of selling out. "How am I going to keep these animals fed? Yes the mine is full of silver, but I need water to mine it. I still have some water in my wells. I had the foresight to dig them deep, but only God knows how long this drought will last. For now, I think I will sell that filly. She looks like she's going to be a good horse for someone that wants to work with her. She's a little stubborn and not worth my time.

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His mother had been gone for several years now. He and his brother had sold the little farm after she had died. Thousands of people died during those terrible years and over two million folks were homeless. Wheat, oats, and corn crops were cut in half because of the lack of rain. The brothers had different ways of thinking. One was a cattle man and had made a life for himself working his way up to foreman on a cattle ranch next to the Double D Dude Ranch. He was saving for his own ranch. J smiled when he remembered his brother when he was a boy. I worked for the Double D long enough to save enough money to buy the filly from the old man. In those days I felt like I had made it big time. I was eighteen and on my own. I had a horse, a little house and a two stall barn that I rented for thirty dollars a month. Life was good.

 I was determined not to end up like Ma and Pa did. They worked their fingers to the bone and for what? Nothing, that's what. Not me. Horses can be your living or your worst best friend.  Oh how I remember that little filly I bought. She threw me every time she got a chance. I even named her Juliet after a pretty young gal that turned me down every time I asked her to the movies. She was stubborn, willful, but beautiful. She was my ticket. My ticket to a way of life that was nothing like the way I grew up. I'll never forget going to the American Royal in Kansas City, Missouri. I think I was about twenty or a little older. It might have cost me a couple of bucks to enter. but my beautiful American Saddlebred won ribbon after ribbon and several awards.

  Marlee smiled in her sleep as she dreamed of the boy that was at the fair. It was a really big fair. There were horses and cattle and lots of good food to eat.    He looked like he was a little bit older than she was, but he was wearing a cowboy hat and looked like to her he was having a birthday party. She smiled at him and he smiled back. Then he waved for her to come over and have a piece of cake. 

Marlee's mom and dad checked on Marlee before they went to bed. Marlee's dad whispered, "I wonder what she is smiling about? She's probably planning her next adventure or her next prank on Whitlee. "I would like to take a look at that book of hers. It might be interesting reading. She does love those old pictures."                                       

She said, "You can't make a livin' dreamin'"

 Times were hard, but the young boy couldn't help but dream his dreams. The Great Depression seemed to make everyone he knew poor and somehow mad at the world. But he wasn't thinking about money or people. He was thinking about a horse. Someday he would own a horse. He knew if he worked hard enough he would, he just knew it. His mom had gotten him and his brother each a new shirt. They were cautioned to keep them clean because the money she spent on them would be the last until she could find another job doing laundry or cleaning another house. If she was lucky enough to find another job she'd have to add it to the already long list of chores she had signed on to do for the townsfolks. She was a single mom with two boys that seemed like were always hungry. She ignored her own belly growling and set to fixing a meal of potatoes and tomatoes. That was all that was left in the cellar. When she had canned and preserved all the vegetables from her tiny garden that she could she knew that the years' long drought had left her with little to feed her boys. She looked out her kitchen window and saw them sitting on the fence. "Dreamin' their dreams again. Lands, I don't understand them. They are so much like their father was and his father. Dreamers! You can't make a livin' dreamin'. It takes work and lots of it. How can I make them boys understand. A hungry belly should do it, but I can't take away their only pleasure; food. What little I got, I'll give 'em. I do so love those boys, dreamers or not."

"What ya thinkin' about Jay? Ma said we shouldn't be dreamin' about stuff. She said no good would come of it. 'member? I know you want a horse, but you know doggone well there isn't hardly enough food for the three of us let alone a horse. You and me gonna have to help ma with the food. I'm gonna see if the neighbor will hire me on to work with his cattle. Me and cattle seem to get along good. Come on let's cut some wood for ma. Maybe we could even wash up after supper. She's lookin' kind of tired lately."

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After supper Marlee went to her room to look at the old book that seemed to always make her happy. She couldn't understand it, but looking at the old pictures made her smile. When she picked it up she saw some things drop onto the floor. She picked them up and saw that one was a red ribbon. "Hmm, this looks like a prize ribbon I've seen at fairs and carnivals. I wonder who got this. What is this? It looks like some kind of an old paper. I can't wait until I can read good. I'm going to have to ask mom or dad to read this to me. Wait. This is a really big acorn. Weird. Who would save an acorn? I don't think it would have been in the book. I wonder where it came from."

When Marlee picked it up she saw tiny little sprinkles of lights and could smell the smell of animals and smoke and cooking meat. She felt herself grinning and she felt so very happy. She almost felt like a queen or a princess. She laid down on her bed and looked through her precious book. Soon Marlee was dreaming that she was at some kind of  fair.  A Royal fair with horses and cattle and really good barbeque like her daddy makes. She couldn't wait to see the horses. She needed to go see the horses! She knew that there was a boy waiting for her. It's in the book. I know it's in the book," she thought as she closed her eyes and joined the crowd at the American Royal in Kansas City in 1932.

That Old Book Felt Like Magic

 When the two little girls, both named Marlee looked up they saw their mother's faces. One looked stern, the other had a tiny lift on one corner of her bottom lip. "I think we shouldn't giggle any more, My mom has a mad face." "You are probably right, Marlee whispered back. My mom was in a hurry and I forgot to get her a loaf of bread. "I'm sorry Mom. I'll go get the bread right now. Bye, Marlee." She got up and started to push her cart away. Her mother looked at the other lady and said, "Your daughter's name is Marlee? So is mine! That name is fairly rare. I chose that name just because of that." "So did I!" They smiled and both ladies looked at their two daughters. The two little girls didn't know exactly what to expect when one of the ladies said, "Well, I'd better get going. My husband and Marlee's little sister are waiting for me out at the Double D campground." The other lady said, "I know what you mean. I need to get home too. I have a little boy that's hungry. Of course, he's always hungry, she laughed. Wait a minute. Did you say the Double D campground? You aren't by any chance the lady that bought the Double D at the auction a few weeks ago are you? You know, you are kind of famous around these parts."

Marlee's mom shook her head and said, "I'm afraid I am. However, I don't think it will be long before we are going to be able to go back home and get our life back to normal. At least that's what the lawyer told us last week. It was nice meeting you, but we really need to get going."

On the way home Marlee's mom said, "That was kind of neat wasn't it? I am so surprised that you met a little girl who has the same name as you have and is exactly almost to the day the same age as you. Are you  still carrying around that old book? Why do you like it so much, Marlee?"

"I just really like the old pictures in it, Mom. I can't read the writing in it, but it's fun to look at the pictures. I feel good every time I open it up. It's kind of s strange feeling. It's almost like magic. I just know I have to have it with me all the time for some reason." Her mom smiled and said, "That's cool. It has survived many many years and an auction and then that man almost stole it out of the car. I wonder if they ever caught that guy. I heard that he was seen out at the sunflower field at the edge of town. Oh well. I'm glad you like your book. That was two dollars well spent wasn't it?" 

On the way home from the grocery store Marlee's mom said, "Well, you had some fun at the grocery store, didn't you? It's not every day that you meet someone to have fun with while you are supposed to be helping me shop, she laughed. So what all did you talk about except what kind of candy you both liked? Hey, are you asleep? Well, go ahead and take a short nap. We need to get home and get busy making supper. Kyler will attack us when we get home. That boy is always hungry."

Marlee didn't hear her mom because she was dreaming of being a ballerina and unicorns and chickens. Oh yes, her great great grandmother, Allie, had chickens at the Double D Ranch. She saw the pictures in an old book that other new to town Marlee showed to her at the grocery store. She looked a little bit like her...

It All Started In The Candy Aisle

 Marlee and her family had been living in the camper for about three weeks. It was close quarters for four people even though the camper was a big one. Marlee noticed that sometimes her mom and dad were kind of grouchy and so was her sister! She was really grouchy. She constantly wanted to go home. Marlee missed her home too, but the ranch was big and had lots of  cool places and things to see.  She loved the horses and other animals that lived there. Her mom had accidentally bought the ranch at an auction, but soon they would leave to go back home, at least that's what she had been told. Her parents talked a lot about lawyers and paperwork; stuff she didn't understand. Marlee was six years old now and knew that school was starting in just a few days. She really wanted to go back home to be with her friends that she had made in pre-school last year. She hoped all of her friends would be in kindergarten with her too.

She heard her mom say that she was going into town to get some groceries. So Marlee hurried out to the car to go along. She kind of liked the little town that was not too far from the ranch. She had met some girls about her age at the auction and at the cafe. They had invited her to have ice cream with them not too long ago. Grocery shopping used to be fun, but they didn't have a big refrigerator or freezer in the camper so they had to buy small amounts of things more often.

When they got to the grocery store Marlee's mom asked her to get a small basket and look for some bananas and three other things that she and Whitlee would like for snacks. She and Whitlee were going to take a bigger cart and pick up some meat and other larger items. Marlee found the fruit aisle and was about to put some bananas in her basket when her phone rang. It was her mom. "Marlee, please pick up a loaf of bread for me. I'm way on the other side of the store. I'll meet you up front in just a few minutes."

Marlee had passed by the bread aisle when she was looking for the bananas. She quickly turned around and ran right into another little girl that was pushing a grocery cart. "Oh, I am so sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going. Are you okay?"

"The other little girl laughed and said, "Oh sure. I'm the one that was rushing around the store. My mom is waiting for me." Marlee said, "So is mine." The other girl said, "My name is Marlee, what's yours? I haven't seen you in here before." Marlee said, "My name is Marlee too! I don't know anyone named Marlee. I"m six years old and soon will be going to Kindergarten." Marlee said, "I'm six years old too! My birthday is in August." Marlee said, "My birthday is in August too!" Marlee said, "We are living in a camper on the Double D Ranch then we are going home." Marlee said, "We live in a small town, but my grandparents live on a farm. My brother and I love it there." They both giggled and that's where their moms found them several minutes later; giggling and comparing likes and dislikes in the candy aisle. They both had completely forgotten their moms. but would soon discover they had more in common than they knew.