The Unwanted Runaway

Settling In

Anna’s POV

"Well, that was quite the adventure, huh? I say, my voice dripping with sarcasm. Who doesn't love being dragged around all day running errands? But despite my sarcastic tone, I have to admit, I am still in shock at how unbelievably beautiful Wyoming is.

As we drive down a dirt road, I am captivated by the sight of giant symbols made of brass and iron, welded together to spell out "S R C." And right next to it, a little sign reads "Welcome to the Miller family Sun Creek Ranch." I turn to Carter and ask, "Is this where I'll be living and working?"

Carter responds with a smile, "Yep, it's pretty big, isn't it Anna?" I can't help but agree, "This place is absolutely breathtakingly beautiful, Carter."

As we pull up to his aunt Rose's house, I can't hide my gratitude for everything his family has done for me. "You guys really didn't have to give me the boots. I really do appreciate it," I say with an appreciative tone. "And of course, I know I'll need them for the work on the ranch. But your family and you, Carter, have already done so much for me."

Carter simply replies, "Well, Anna, I also want to give you this. No, I'm not taking it back, you don't have to worry about paying me back. This is what friends do, OK?" He reaches into his back pocket and pulls out his leather wallet, and grabs two crisp $20 dollar bills, handing them to me.

"It's not much, but it will hold you over in the meantime," he says with a sincere tone. "I told you, I can't seriously take this, Carter," I protest.

But Carter simply shakes his head and insists, "It's yours, Anna. Besides, it'll probably be two weeks before you see a paycheck." We both exit the truck, and I can't help but feel overwhelmed with gratitude for this amazing friend I have in Carter.

we both exit the truck, As we made our way towards the property, Carter's words gave me pause. "Wait a minute," I exclaimed, "I thought we were heading inside the main house." But Carter simply smiled and pointed towards a small bunkhouse nestled in the distance. "Nope," he replied, "we're going to that charming ranch-style cabin over there."

The cabin sat to the left of the expansive field, across from a magnificent two-story country home. As we walked closer, my eyes couldn't help but take in the breathtaking surroundings. To the right of the cabin was a massive horse barn, towering over us in all its grandeur. And just beyond the barn was a cozy country-style home, with the field stretching out before it. But that wasn't all - in the distance, about 400 yards away, stood yet another two-story country home. And there, tucked away in the corner, was a quaint house trailer.

As we continued our walking down dirt path, I couldn't help but marvel at the impressive red barn situated behind the horse barn. Its size was on par with the horse barn, creating a stunning sight. And beyond that, a metal building caught my eye, likely used for storage. The horses seemed to have their own designated area, separated from the cattle, and I couldn't help but appreciate the thought put into the layout of the property. And to top it off, a decent-sized greenhouse could be seen in the distance, adding to the charm and functionality of the space.

In that moment, I couldn't help but feel grateful to be experiencing such a serene and picturesque setting, filled with both beauty and practicality. It was truly a sight to behold.

Carter carefully places my belongings by the front door and lightly taps on it. The door swings open and there stands Evan, whom I had met briefly the other day. In his arms, he cradles a precious little girl with the most enchanting, raven-black locks and deep emerald eyes. It's clear to see that she is a spitting image of Mia. Evan warmly greets me and says, "Hey, Anna. Welcome to your new home. Your room is over on the left and has two sets of bunkbeds. There are already four other guys staying here, so you'll have two roommates in your room and two in the adjacent one." The little girl playfully hops out of her father's arms and introduces herself, "I'm Lily, Anna. It's so nice to meet you!" With a giggle, she scampers off towards the front door. Evan chuckles and reminds her, "Lily, please don't get dirty. We'll be having dinner soon and your mother will not be happy if you ruin your dress." I hold back a small chuckle, thinking how endearing their interaction is.

After Carter places my belongings in my room, he turns to me and says, "I'm going to head over to aunt Rose's house to say hello and maybe grab a bite to eat. See you later, Evan. And Anna, don't hesitate to call me if you need anything." As he exits the door, I feel grateful to have such kind and caring Friend.

"Jason should be here soon. Let's take a Headstart and show You what's expected of You while working on the ranch, okay Anna?" Evan suggested with a hopeful tone.

It turned out that Jason was running a little late from picking up Brooke from work. In the meantime, Evan showed me around the cabin and told me about how things are run on the ranch. Just as we were about to head outside, Jason walked through the front door.

"Hey there, Pool Shark!" Jason greeted me, leaving Evan looking confused at the nickname. Jason proceeded to tell Evan about my impressive pool skills.

"I'm telling you, Evan, Anna is extremely good at pool. We all underestimated her the other night, well, Sarah and Denton did mostly . We ended up making a stupid bet - well, Carter made a stupid bet - that whoever won got to choose a tattoo for the loser and where to put it," Jason continued.

Evan chuckled and commented that he could see Carter doing something like that, adding that despite being the sheriff, Carter is quite wild. He also mentioned that Denton is a pro at pool as well, and I must have been good to beat both Denton and Carter. Evan also guessed that the girls were happy to have me on their team.

I simply shrugged my shoulders and replied, "Yeah, I'm alright."

"Look at Miss Bashful over here, acting all innocent when she's actually a killer," Jason playfully teased, causing both of them to laugh.

Evan and Jason were both incredibly welcoming as they showed me around the ranch and explained my responsibilities when it came to working with the horses. They assured me that I would have plenty of help and encouraged me to never hesitate to ask for assistance. Jason even went as far as to say, "You'll do just fine, Anna. Don't worry about Denton, he can be a bit tough, but as long as you follow instructions and do your best, I've got your back." Evan nodded in agreement.

While we were exploring, Evan noticed Lily sitting alone in the middle of a small grass field on the other side of the barn, crying. Concerned, we followed him over and saw a dog with a muzzle on, struggling to remove it. The dog was whimpering in distress, prompting Evan to ask what was on its mouth and who put it there. Jason chimed in, "Who would do something like that to a dog? That's messed up."

The little girl, Lily, explained that she was trying to take off the muzzle, but it wouldn't budge. Suddenly, the dog got up and walked over to her father, but stopped in front of me. It sniffed me curiously and whimpered. Without hesitation, I crouched down and attempted to remove the muzzle. That's when I noticed Sarah, who I had met the other night, yelling at me and telling me not to take it off. I looked at her and calmly stated, "This is cruel. The dog shouldn't have to suffer like this." Ignoring her protests, I removed the muzzle and the dog immediately jumped on me, knocking me to the ground and happily licking my face. Lily was overjoyed and ran over to the dog, saying, "Buster, I love you! I'm sorry you couldn't speak." However, Sarah was furious and gave me an evil stare before storming off.