Tumbleweed

Copyright 2012 Heather Huffman-Bodendieck

Cover Design by Emily Stoltz

Edited by Lindsay Morrison

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to similarly named places or to persons living or deceased is unintentional.

ISBN 978-1-935961-42-0

DISCOUNTS OR CUSTOMIZED EDITIONS MAY BE AVAILABLE FOR EDUCATIONAL AND OTHER GROUPS BASED ON BULK PURCHASE.

For further information please contact
[email protected]

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012933611

Dedication

For Jack Rollins, my favorite cowboy.

Your Quarter Horses are the most amazing animals I've ever laid eyes on. Thank you for sharing them, for opening your home as a place of peace, and for letting us become part of your barn family.

You are now and forever in my heart.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Epilogue

Bonus: Excerpt from RING OF FIRE

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

About the Author

More Great Reads from Booktrope Editions

Chapter One

Somehow
, when I envisioned meeting my new boss, I hadn't quite pictured landing in his lap right off the bat. Yet that's exactly where I found myself, thanks to my son's Blue Tick Coonhound bolting past me, dragging his 11-year-old human behind.

“Sorry! We didn't mean to bring the dog, but Blue got loose when I was walking him and we were already running late,” Aaron tried to explain as he stumbled to keep up with the lumbering beast.

“It's kind of a long story,” I righted myself as gracefully as possible. My boss, at least I hoped he was still my boss, rose from the picnic table where he'd been getting ready to enjoy his lunch before my unceremonious greeting.

“Ethan Johnston. Pleased to finally meet you in person. You're just in time to join us for lunch.” A grin tugged the corner of his mouth. I couldn't blame him. I'd laugh at this too if it wasn't me. Heck, I probably would anyway, just not today.

“Hailey Brandt. It's so nice to meet you, and I'm really sorry about the dog,” I offered my hand, trying to salvage the meeting. Truth was, I desperately wanted this job – and it was more than the desire to get out of my tiny house in the city, more than the little-girl love of horses that had never gone away.

From the moment we'd rounded the first bend in the dirt road leading to Mountain View Ranch, a feeling of home had settled over me like a warm blanket. Prairie grass danced in the breeze on gently rolling hills. There was something about the colors and the graceful
bend of the blade, the deep green topped off by frothy white seed heads, that made it appear the plants really were dancing in the wind. It was late enough in the summer that some of the heads were turning and patches of brown seeds were peeking through. It had been so long since I'd been home to the Ozarks; I'd almost forgotten how pretty it was. The landscape was dotted with horses of all colors grazing peacefully. A few of the younger foals were actually frolicking.

“Wow,” I'd breathed a sigh.

“You said it,” Aaron had muttered, drinking it all in. I'd filled his head with country living since he was born, but aside from the little county park we used to frequent with a couple of aging horses and a handful of goats and cows, he had never really been on a farm. As we had rounded one last bend, a house came into view. Just past it sat a stable, a hay barn and several other outbuildings.

“Wow,” we'd both muttered that time.

Now, I silently kissed the job and the warm fuzzy feelings goodbye.

The kind man smiled reassuringly and motioned to a fifty-something woman still sitting at the table, eyeing me skeptically. “This here is Sue O'Donnell. She does most of the cooking around here and takes care of the house while the boss is away.”

“So nice to meet you.” I tried giving her my most winning smile as I shook her hand. She scowled slightly and looked as if she wasn't so sure she wanted to actually touch me.

They say you only get one chance to make a first impression. I was pretty sure these people were going to remember mine.

Since my good impression was already blown, I figured there was no harm in asking where the bathroom was. I was dancing a little by this time because I'd opted not to stop at a bathroom when we'd gotten off the highway; we'd already been running too far behind from the Blue fiasco.

I grudgingly played the part of a decent mother and let Aaron go before me. While I was waiting my turn, I tried to shift my focus on to anything besides my bladder. After showing me the way, Sue had left me to my thoughts as she busied herself about the kitchen.

She seemed nice enough. Perhaps a bit wary of me, though. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but I was pretty sure she wasn't absolutely crazy about my presence here. Of course, my entrance probably solidified any reservations she'd held that I had no business being on a ranch. The more I thought about it, the more I tended to agree with her. It had been a long time since I had stepped foot on a farm.

Thinking about how long was starting to make me even more nervous. Truth be told, my family's land had degraded into a hobby farm by the time I came along. I had no clue how to manage a barn. What was I thinking?

“Mom,” Aaron rolled his eyes and tapped me on the forehead. “Wake up. It's your turn.”

“I knew that,” I huffed and hurried into the bathroom. At least I wasn't fixated on my bladder anymore. Instead, I was in a full-blown panic attack. As I washed my hands, I frowned at my reflection. I could do one of two things. I could slink out of this room, round up my son and his goofy dog, and drive fast as I could back to St. Louis to tell my family they were right all along. Or, I could clean myself up a bit and go have lunch with these people and see just how desperate they were.

Door number one wouldn't do much for helping me get vivacious back, and I wasn't ready to settle for the person I'd been seeing in the mirror lately. It would, however, completely demolish any self esteem I had left. Door number two could lead to absolute disaster, and I could forever destroy my son's life. But he seemed pretty excited about it, and wasn't there a lesson to be learned for him here, too? Follow your dreams and all that.

Okay, truth be told – I would rather be dragged naked over broken glass through the town square than go back and admit to my family that I couldn't do it. The failure would always be there, hanging over my head along with every other misguided adventure I had ever dreamed up. So, I did the best I could to tidy my hair with my hands and hurried out the door. I followed the sound of Aaron's voice to find the rest of the group.

“After the accident, Mom had to stop wearing high heels. She says her ankle never did heal up right. They tried therapy and surgery and all kinds of stuff. Well, actually she still wears heels but she's not supposed to because her ankle gives out and she falls. Of course, she wasn't wearing heels today and she still fell….”

“Let me get this straight, your mom permanently ruined her ankle doing step aerobics?” Ethan's expression was one of concentration; I could tell he was trying to figure out just how I managed that feat of grace.

“And her knee,” my traitorous son blithely confirmed. I groaned inwardly. Oh well, these people knew I was a flighty, dusty, clumsy mess with a goofy dog and a talkative kid. If they still let me start next week, there probably wasn't much more I could do to shock them.

Ethan was nice enough to at least try to suppress his grin when I came into view. They were seated at a picnic table bursting with food: fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, salad, cookies, fruit, and sweet tea. In this neck of the woods, it goes without saying that the tea will be sweet. I nearly moaned with delight when I sat down next to Aaron. The sparkle in his eyes told me he felt the same way. Whatever else happened on this day – we would not go home hungry.

“So tell me about yourself.” Ethan gave me an easy smile that almost calmed my nerves.

“Anything in particular you want to know?” I cocked my head and smiled back.

“Why here?” He shrugged around a mouthful of potatoes.

“I've always thought of Booger County as home. I mean, I can barely remember actually living down here – mostly visited on breaks and stuff – but it always felt right. I know St. Louis isn't the place for me. I guess I'm just trying to figure out where I fit.”

“Booger County?” Aaron choked. “You never told me this place was called Booger County.”

“Does that make it really cool or really gross?” I wondered.

“I don't know,” he answered honestly.

“Booger County is just the nickname, if it helps,” I offered.

“You really are a native, aren't you?” Ethan smiled again and reached for more chicken.

Come to think of it, I have no idea why people from the area call it Booger County. I made a mental note to ask Daddy the next time I saw him, or maybe Mama. She was the history buff.

“My roots certainly are here, even if I haven't been for a while,” I acknowledged.

“What does your husband think about moving?” Sue pursed her lips and studied me.

“I haven't seen my ex-husband in nearly six years now.” I met her gaze as steadily as I could. “It's just Aaron and me.”

“And Blue,” Aaron added.

“And Blue,” I agreed with a smile. “Heaven forbid we forget Blue….”

“Are you picking on my dog?” Aaron playfully demanded, but I had already switched gears so he didn't get a response.

“So you're still okay with me starting next week – meeting me in person hasn't changed your mind?” I asked Ethan, trying to sound lighthearted while bracing for the worst.

“Just as soon as you could get down here,” he answered. “Like I said on the phone, we need someone who is able and willing to do it all, from administrative work to preparing financial forecasts. We'll need accounting, information systems, project management… a little bit of everything, I guess. We need to grow, or at least change, if we're going to survive. I have enough going on without trying to keep track of the business end, too.”