Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 97836 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 489(@200wpm)___ 391(@250wpm)___ 326(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97836 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 489(@200wpm)___ 391(@250wpm)___ 326(@300wpm)
As we turned off the highway that led out of town, an old timber arch indicated we were entering Fletcher Ranch. Visually, this area was jaw-dropping. Vast, rolling pastureland spread outward for miles in every direction, dotted here and there with large swaths of trees as well as horses of all sizes and color patterns. Other than an attempt at learning how to play polo from my friend Dev, I had very little familiarity with horses.
The deep blue sky seemed to go on for miles, something I’d noticed on the drive down from Billings. What this part of the country lacked in conveniences, it more than made up for in beauty. In the distance, mountains retained white peaks, and I suspected even the early May warmth wouldn’t be enough to melt them anytime soon.
My rental car bumped over the uneven gravel drive as we curved around more fenced pastures. I was surprised by the size of the ranch as well as the quantity of horses, especially considering Way was handling ranch operations while also juggling his mayoral duties. He’d talked about his never-ending schedule, about how he essentially worked two full-time jobs, but seeing this place drove the point home.
Kenji’s initial investigation had shown Way’s annual salary as mayor was a grand total of twenty thousand dollars a year, which wasn’t enough to live on comfortably, even if the ranch was debt-free… which it wasn’t. In fact, the land had been mortgaged to the hilt only a few years ago. It seemed he and his siblings had been working hard to pay down the loan, but at the rate they were going, it would take a while.
According to Kenji’s report, the ranch business itself had become more profitable in recent years, and I was starting to realize that was most likely due to Way’s sheer determination to do right by everyone and work his ass off. The effort was obviously taking a toll on him.
In the distance, I spotted a wide, sprawling farmhouse that looked well-maintained. Instead of being the white clapboard structure I’d teased him about, it was constructed with brown timber. Otherwise, it had the same deep front porch and dormer windows I would have expected in an old farmhouse. Several outbuildings dotted the area around it, and I anticipated learning what each one was for.
So when we drove right past the driveway leading to the house, I was surprised.
The gravel road wound deeper onto the property, past a large barn and metal shed, past several horse rings and smaller paddock-type areas, until finally curving around a small hill and cutting through a thick stand of aspen trees.
There, in a clearing in the trees, sat a small cabin nestled perfectly several hundred yards back in the curve of a large, fast-moving river, beyond which lay a stunning view of the mountains. It was clear how the town had gotten its name when that view could be seen from practically everywhere in the area of Majestic.
The cabin itself was made from weathered gray timbers and sported a light blue metal roof with a stacked stone chimney on one side. It was something out of a fairytale. The dwelling was tiny, but it had a curved portico, creating a welcoming front entry space big enough to host a rustic wooden bench and a planter overflowing with pink and purple flowers. The columns holding up the portico seemed to be rounded and carved like old bedposts and painted with a weathered gray-blue that matched the rest of the house.
The front door was glass-paned, and there were several windows on the front and side of the house that I could see. The area around the cabin was neat and tidy, with only the barest glimpse of a wooden storage shed out back before the aspen forest continued.
When Way parked and exited his truck, he seemed nervous. He settled his hat on his head but then lifted it to resettle it.
“This is amazing,” I said, excited to see the inside. “Is this where you live?” I honestly couldn’t imagine it was big enough for the two of us to share comfortably, so I wasn’t sure if maybe it was a guest cottage he was putting me up in.
He nodded and chewed on his lower lip before squinting back at the cabin as if trying to see it through my eyes.
“It’s really something,” I added. “The views are unbelievable. I can see why you picked this spot. And the ranch itself is beautiful. I’d love a tour at some point, but I know you’re busy.”
“You probably saw most of it on the way in. The ranch house… that’s where I grew up and where Sheridan, Bo, and ZuZu live. And then the ranch buildings and the stables—that probably looked like an old barn from the road, but it’s actually a large stable out the back. There’s another area with equipment sheds over on the far side opposite from here, but that’s pretty much it.”