The Lone Star Ranch (Texas Ranch Book 1) by Jodi Walker

Author:Jodi Walker [Walker, Jodi]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-09-17T04:00:00+00:00

TIME MOVES ON

November arrived faster than Cassidy could have expected. Time was moving so fast. It seemed that ever since Lincoln arrived one blessing after the next began falling from the sky and landing on the 'Lone Star Ranch'. First Mr. Waters, the owner of the 'Wild Saddles Rodeo Circuit' cut a deal with Cassidy that would allow him to station his rodeo on her ranch twice a year—which meant good money would follow. Second, Lincoln had paid for the hay needed for the cattle which allowed Cassidy to pocket unneeded expenses. Logan Windle had spotted Lincoln's brown truck pulling a hay trailer slammed full of healthy hay. The cheap old man immediately made contact with Cassidy the following day and offered to buy up her cattle again. Cassidy worked out a deal that included no refunds and even forced Logan to pay full price for the new hay. Third, Lincoln invited a friend down from Des Moines who worked as a consultant for various land development companies. Lincoln's friend, Nolan Prammers, spent a full week exploring Cassidy's ranch with careful attention, and then presented a very encouraging report. According to Nolan, a large portion of the ranch could be turned into a 'Dude Ranch' while other portions of the ranch could be kept for cattle. Finally, Nolan spoke about turning a large field into a seasonal autumn park that offered pumpkin patches, hay rides, and a fun corn maze. The cost for dividing and developing the land into each assigned portion, unfortunately, cut through a storm of hope like a hot knife through warm butter. Still, there was a possibility...and possibility represented hope.

“What do you think?” Cassidy asked her children one night as she settled down at a sleepy kitchen table. Four green plates holding a meal of chicken and rice and sweet peas rested on the table. Cassidy was plumb tuckered out after a hard morning at the diner and a long day of riding the ranch on a hard saddle with Nolan Prammers. Riley had accompanied his mother and listened to every single word Nolan spoke.

“I like Mr. Prammers ideas, Mom,” Riley answered as he shoveled food into his mouth, “but we need money. I know Lincoln is loaning us the money to pay the land taxes...but we can't do everything Nolan suggested.”

“I like the corn maze idea,” Mae spoke up.

“I don't like splitting the ranch,” Charlie complained. “A ranch is meant for cattle, not corn mazes.”

“Be that as it may,” Cassidy pointed out without becoming impatient with her son, “Mr. Prammers and Lincoln both agree that expanding the ranch will help us. And Charlie, to be perfectly honest, I like the ideas that were presented. I hate to say it, but there's just not enough of us to run large herds of cattle. You saw how hard it was just to manage a herd over twenty...the cost of hay--”

“I get it, Mom,” Charlie grumbled.

“Honey, we can still run cattle...and I intend, to. But Lincoln and Mr. Prammers idea about building a working 'Dude Ranch' wasn't so bad.

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