Mitheral
"Growf!"
Two vehicles approached the Conner Ranch, a U Haul truck pulling an SUV on a rack, and some monstrosity that resembled a Hummer, but would have dwarfed one, that pulled another vehicle wrapped in a tarp. The rumors had already gone around. Mr Connor had a new adopted grandson and his daughter was bringing him to stay at the ranch. Further, his daughter was going to be Flathead County’s new acting sheriff - until she or someone else was elected. She was native to Kalispel.
Duncan had slept half the trip up. That was unusual. Normally he could barely sit still while traveling. But he had felt exhausted. Noone dared wake him though. He’d been through a lot. But as was normal he awoke about the time they turned off the interstate to run up highway 93. It was absolutely scenic on the drive up. And under any other circumstances he’d have been more excited. But all he could think of was how his mother - both mothers - would have loved this. He felt a brief moment of guilt as he remembered that the title of mother now applied to the Sheriff. Few people had a better idea of what he had gone through in the past year or so.
“Nìng wéi tàipíng quǎn, mò zuò luàn lí rén.”
Though he had never learned Chinese, he was familiar with this particular curse. Roughly it has usually translated as ‘May you live in interesting times,’ though that was far from literal. Good luck, bad luck. He had it all.
Well the good luck here was Ms. Conner. If not for her he would have been going through all of this alone - as he had claimed he was fine with. That was far from true and he knew it. He had seen enough shrinks after killing several members of a gang to know one didn’t walk away from stuff like this unscathed. The Millers had become the family he had always needed. Now … He blinked away the sudden rage that started to fill him. He wasn’t the only one hurting. He and the Millers had treated Masumi like family. Marcia was much newer and could easily have found other work. But he had asked her to stay, telling her to name her salary.
No Alfred jokes.
Gary spoke up. As usual he wore his earpiece like a Secret Service agent. “Yes Ma’am. Copy that. I’ll let Duncan know. He’s been awake since we turned off I-90.” Gary looked up in the rear view mirror. “We’ll be there in about 10-15 minutes. Ms Conner says don’t worry about trying to unload when we get there. We can start on that tomorrow.”
+++++++++++
It was mid afternoon when the convoy pulled up. Their arrival had been delayed when a deputy pulled them over to see if they were lost. One look at the license of the new acting Sheriff and that was sorted out. By the time they arrived Mr Conner was already there to greet them. He steeled himself to meet the dopehead gang banger he was expecting to meet for a grandson.
In his eyes his daughter hadn’t aged a bit. She was still his little girl. He eyed the driver of the monstrosity he would soon learn was a limo. (Good God Almighty! Who would waste the money on a vehicle like that?”) The man was a fighter. There was no mistaking the way the man started scanning the area for hazards, possible snipers … Bodyguard. It seemed like a waste of money. But then again, if the boy’s former parents had been rich, and he was the sole heir, then maybe not so much a waste.
The driver nodded at Mr Conner and walked around to get the door for Masumi and Marcia. Duncan got his own door.
Duncan stood up slowly. His legs ached from the long drive. But he slowly drew himself to his full 6’4” height and stretched. Then he started to look around through Ray Ban covered eyes. Then he took a step forward, a modest limp apparent as he walked over to greet his new grandfather.
“Uhm, Mr Conner? Duncan.”
Mr Conner looked the young man up and down briefly. This did not fit the image he had expected. Clean cut, tall, strong. He looked like anything but the loser he’d expected. He decided to be civil, more like a grandfather, than he had planned. “A pleasure Duncan. Maddie tells me she adopted you, so I guess that makes you my new grandson.”
“Yes sir,” Duncan’s reply was automatic, almost military.
A little at a loss for what to say, Mr Conner decided to just be a good host. “Well, dinner isn’t for a few more hours. Why don’t you wander around and get the lay of the land while I speak with Maddie? We are in the height of the season - such as it is. Our capacity is over twice what we have now. I think we have maybe 30-35 guests now.” He looked down. “You have any boots?”
“Just combat boots. My stepfather was Air Force. I sort of got used to using them for work, camping, fishing, hunting ... whatever. But yes sir, I have something better than tennis shoes to step in the steaming piles with.” Duncan allowed a faint smile.
The old man’s face brightened a little. That sounded promising. “Well, before you get too adventuresome, make sure you find one of the hands to show you the ropes. You have much experience with horses?”
Duncan nodded and actually grinned. “Absolutely … all of it bad.” He shook his head. “Long time ago and very little. I should be regarded as a day 1 beginner. What I know about horses could fill a postage stamp and that’s about it.”
Still better. The kid wasn’t overconfident and … he was honest. And he wouldn’t have to unlearn much. “Find Brianna.”
Gary told Duncan to leave the luggage, that he’d get it. Duncan nearly objected, but Gary just gave him one of those ‘big brother’ type looks. It was how Duncan had come to regard Gary, even if the man worked for him. The simple truth was Gary just wanted Duncan to stop trying to do everything. The kid was trying to take on the weight of the world. Duncan for his part wished everyone would stop treating him like he was fragile. Maybe they were right. He half hoped none of the people around here knew his story. Ms Conner’s father had seemed surprised, so maybe he could get some normal treatment for a change.
“Maddie,” Mr Conner called his daughter. “How about we catch up …?” Catch up was his way of saying he wanted to lay down the law. He was probably going to grill her again about Duncan.
Duncan decided to tune the adults out and head for the horses. As little as he knew about horses, he had always been drawn to westerns and stories about knights. So he hated to admit it, but he was a little excited. He looked around and realized he had no idea where to go. It was a huge ranch and his legs were only going to take him so far and back before dinner.
“Where do I go?” he called. “And how far is it?”
Mr Conner realized only then just how new to a ranch Duncan was. And it struck him the walk might be painful. “That way, just across the bridge over the river. Then go left. Can you drive? See that old pickup. She my pride and joy. Try not to flood it. If she doesn’t start up the first try or two, pop the hood and tap on the solenoid. You know what a solenoid is?”
Duncan nodded, surprising the old man. Solenoids hadn’t been used in decades. “Automatic or manual?” It was a dumb question. He’d figure that out when he found a third pedal.
“Stick. Can you handle that?”
Duncan looked over at Gary and grinned. “Homecoming.”
Gary laughed and nodded at Mr Conner. “He can handle it.”
Mr Conner looked doubtful and a little paranoid at the obvious in joke. But he didn’t ask. “Pride and joy. I drove Maddie to her graduation in that truck. I think she might have been born in it…”
“Dad!” Madeline Conner objected.
Duncan looked at Mr Conner’s ‘pride and joy’. It looked ready to fall apart.
++++++++++
Duncan had read the brochure on the Conner Ranch. It had said the place specialized in western style riding and sponsored a Horse Rescue Farm. The latter actually interested Duncan more, and he was likely to end up putting more work in there. But that was where a lot of Mr Conner’s volunteer help worked. So … maybe not. Rescue Farms COST money, rather than made money. Well, that was one way he could help.
‘Pride and Joy’ managed to make it over to the stables and corral where he had half expected to see bronco busting and cattle roping. Instead he just saw what to him was a little boring, a trainer holding a longe line with a horse trotting in a circle. Of course he knew better than to make some sort of smart ass comment to that effect. He could imagine anyone would have thought his work in physics or chemistry to be far more boring. Oh he might could find this interesting for a day or so. But it would just get old fast.
The headed over to the barn where a trainer was lecturing a handful of customers clearly new to riding about the basics of the gear used. It was early in the class so he just watched at a distance. He felt a little out of place. Both customers and trainers were all dressed for the occasion. He looked as he usually did - blue jeans and a black T shirt. He had three gloves tucked into his belt - the right hand of his usual pair of fingerless gloves, and a heavier pair of work gloves. And … Ray Ban sunglasses. Noone wore sunglasses. That made sense; they were in a barn. His were already adjusting to the lower light conditions.
@Checkmate Huntress
Duncan had slept half the trip up. That was unusual. Normally he could barely sit still while traveling. But he had felt exhausted. Noone dared wake him though. He’d been through a lot. But as was normal he awoke about the time they turned off the interstate to run up highway 93. It was absolutely scenic on the drive up. And under any other circumstances he’d have been more excited. But all he could think of was how his mother - both mothers - would have loved this. He felt a brief moment of guilt as he remembered that the title of mother now applied to the Sheriff. Few people had a better idea of what he had gone through in the past year or so.
“Nìng wéi tàipíng quǎn, mò zuò luàn lí rén.”
Though he had never learned Chinese, he was familiar with this particular curse. Roughly it has usually translated as ‘May you live in interesting times,’ though that was far from literal. Good luck, bad luck. He had it all.
Well the good luck here was Ms. Conner. If not for her he would have been going through all of this alone - as he had claimed he was fine with. That was far from true and he knew it. He had seen enough shrinks after killing several members of a gang to know one didn’t walk away from stuff like this unscathed. The Millers had become the family he had always needed. Now … He blinked away the sudden rage that started to fill him. He wasn’t the only one hurting. He and the Millers had treated Masumi like family. Marcia was much newer and could easily have found other work. But he had asked her to stay, telling her to name her salary.
No Alfred jokes.
Gary spoke up. As usual he wore his earpiece like a Secret Service agent. “Yes Ma’am. Copy that. I’ll let Duncan know. He’s been awake since we turned off I-90.” Gary looked up in the rear view mirror. “We’ll be there in about 10-15 minutes. Ms Conner says don’t worry about trying to unload when we get there. We can start on that tomorrow.”
+++++++++++
It was mid afternoon when the convoy pulled up. Their arrival had been delayed when a deputy pulled them over to see if they were lost. One look at the license of the new acting Sheriff and that was sorted out. By the time they arrived Mr Conner was already there to greet them. He steeled himself to meet the dopehead gang banger he was expecting to meet for a grandson.
In his eyes his daughter hadn’t aged a bit. She was still his little girl. He eyed the driver of the monstrosity he would soon learn was a limo. (Good God Almighty! Who would waste the money on a vehicle like that?”) The man was a fighter. There was no mistaking the way the man started scanning the area for hazards, possible snipers … Bodyguard. It seemed like a waste of money. But then again, if the boy’s former parents had been rich, and he was the sole heir, then maybe not so much a waste.
The driver nodded at Mr Conner and walked around to get the door for Masumi and Marcia. Duncan got his own door.
Duncan stood up slowly. His legs ached from the long drive. But he slowly drew himself to his full 6’4” height and stretched. Then he started to look around through Ray Ban covered eyes. Then he took a step forward, a modest limp apparent as he walked over to greet his new grandfather.
“Uhm, Mr Conner? Duncan.”
Mr Conner looked the young man up and down briefly. This did not fit the image he had expected. Clean cut, tall, strong. He looked like anything but the loser he’d expected. He decided to be civil, more like a grandfather, than he had planned. “A pleasure Duncan. Maddie tells me she adopted you, so I guess that makes you my new grandson.”
“Yes sir,” Duncan’s reply was automatic, almost military.
A little at a loss for what to say, Mr Conner decided to just be a good host. “Well, dinner isn’t for a few more hours. Why don’t you wander around and get the lay of the land while I speak with Maddie? We are in the height of the season - such as it is. Our capacity is over twice what we have now. I think we have maybe 30-35 guests now.” He looked down. “You have any boots?”
“Just combat boots. My stepfather was Air Force. I sort of got used to using them for work, camping, fishing, hunting ... whatever. But yes sir, I have something better than tennis shoes to step in the steaming piles with.” Duncan allowed a faint smile.
The old man’s face brightened a little. That sounded promising. “Well, before you get too adventuresome, make sure you find one of the hands to show you the ropes. You have much experience with horses?”
Duncan nodded and actually grinned. “Absolutely … all of it bad.” He shook his head. “Long time ago and very little. I should be regarded as a day 1 beginner. What I know about horses could fill a postage stamp and that’s about it.”
Still better. The kid wasn’t overconfident and … he was honest. And he wouldn’t have to unlearn much. “Find Brianna.”
Gary told Duncan to leave the luggage, that he’d get it. Duncan nearly objected, but Gary just gave him one of those ‘big brother’ type looks. It was how Duncan had come to regard Gary, even if the man worked for him. The simple truth was Gary just wanted Duncan to stop trying to do everything. The kid was trying to take on the weight of the world. Duncan for his part wished everyone would stop treating him like he was fragile. Maybe they were right. He half hoped none of the people around here knew his story. Ms Conner’s father had seemed surprised, so maybe he could get some normal treatment for a change.
“Maddie,” Mr Conner called his daughter. “How about we catch up …?” Catch up was his way of saying he wanted to lay down the law. He was probably going to grill her again about Duncan.
Duncan decided to tune the adults out and head for the horses. As little as he knew about horses, he had always been drawn to westerns and stories about knights. So he hated to admit it, but he was a little excited. He looked around and realized he had no idea where to go. It was a huge ranch and his legs were only going to take him so far and back before dinner.
“Where do I go?” he called. “And how far is it?”
Mr Conner realized only then just how new to a ranch Duncan was. And it struck him the walk might be painful. “That way, just across the bridge over the river. Then go left. Can you drive? See that old pickup. She my pride and joy. Try not to flood it. If she doesn’t start up the first try or two, pop the hood and tap on the solenoid. You know what a solenoid is?”
Duncan nodded, surprising the old man. Solenoids hadn’t been used in decades. “Automatic or manual?” It was a dumb question. He’d figure that out when he found a third pedal.
“Stick. Can you handle that?”
Duncan looked over at Gary and grinned. “Homecoming.”
Gary laughed and nodded at Mr Conner. “He can handle it.”
Mr Conner looked doubtful and a little paranoid at the obvious in joke. But he didn’t ask. “Pride and joy. I drove Maddie to her graduation in that truck. I think she might have been born in it…”
“Dad!” Madeline Conner objected.
Duncan looked at Mr Conner’s ‘pride and joy’. It looked ready to fall apart.
++++++++++
Duncan had read the brochure on the Conner Ranch. It had said the place specialized in western style riding and sponsored a Horse Rescue Farm. The latter actually interested Duncan more, and he was likely to end up putting more work in there. But that was where a lot of Mr Conner’s volunteer help worked. So … maybe not. Rescue Farms COST money, rather than made money. Well, that was one way he could help.
‘Pride and Joy’ managed to make it over to the stables and corral where he had half expected to see bronco busting and cattle roping. Instead he just saw what to him was a little boring, a trainer holding a longe line with a horse trotting in a circle. Of course he knew better than to make some sort of smart ass comment to that effect. He could imagine anyone would have thought his work in physics or chemistry to be far more boring. Oh he might could find this interesting for a day or so. But it would just get old fast.
The headed over to the barn where a trainer was lecturing a handful of customers clearly new to riding about the basics of the gear used. It was early in the class so he just watched at a distance. He felt a little out of place. Both customers and trainers were all dressed for the occasion. He looked as he usually did - blue jeans and a black T shirt. He had three gloves tucked into his belt - the right hand of his usual pair of fingerless gloves, and a heavier pair of work gloves. And … Ray Ban sunglasses. Noone wore sunglasses. That made sense; they were in a barn. His were already adjusting to the lower light conditions.
@Checkmate Huntress
