Magic Ball: the Billionaire in Ranch

27 The Alliance

Taylor was a ranch owner that specifically raised cattle and chicken. Noah befriended him one time when he pulled his cart near his gates and asked if he had some extra water as the heat boiled off hydration in his stout body. He had a towel dangling on one of his shoulders, and he often used it to wipe the sweat the dripped down to his chest. At that moment, Noah decided to invite Taylor to join several of his ranch night get together in his farmhouse.

Out of all the ranchers he had met, Taylor was the funniest man among them. Some didn’t, of course, favored his humor because according to them, it was an eighties thing to make someone laugh through asking Knock-Knock jokes.

Noah disagreed with them every time.

He didn’t laugh half-heartedly as they did. He actually cracked at every joke Taylor would make, even if they’re for grandfathers that would seat in their chairs and read newspapers all day. Thomas surprisingly finds Taylor’s jokes too funny. He cracked-up so loud when they got drunk in a downtown barn when Taylor joked about what a cattle would sound in the alphabet.

Noah’s memory of Taylor’s answer was foggy and kind of vague, but he did remember seeing Thomas slamming his palms on the table multiple times, his voice reverberating more than the country singer’s. He loved those kinds of humor that tears sprouted on the end of his eyes whenever they would meet at Rancher’s Night—an event the ranchers and cowboys attend every month in Noah’s Stream Ranch.

Noah already warned Thomas that the ranchers thought he was picking favorites since Taylor is the only person he allowed to go near Bean and Snowflake. He even let the older guy touch them with his bare hands while the other ranchers gave him jealous stares.

From time to time, Noah and the other ranchers’ animals gather at his ranch. Ginger, Mik, and Cole are the alphas that would keep the animals within the area Noah specifically assigned them to be.

After the job, he would treat them to a portion of exquisite dog food—and by luxurious and juicy, he meant top quality Wagyu steak that melts in their tongue. His German Shepherds loved steak and gravy—their tongues are that spoiled with deluxe food. But compared to other animals in the Stream Ranch, Noah’s dogs were a lot more under control than his dark stallion that always breaks the lock of his gates no matter how many times he attempts to change it. The obsidian-colored stallion even went as far as asking animals to do it for him when he’d lost patience, couldn’t figure out how to pick the lock with his teeth or horseshoe.

Nancy caught the stallion on act several times. The horse would just walk away when someone tries to scold him. It was an attitude for a rebellious teenager that didn’t want to lend his parents an ear of their concerns for him.

This week, Taylor and Noah planned that would have their animals at another local ranch a few meters away from their location. He thinks that Mik, Cole, and Ginger will have no problem adjusting. Snowflake would just follow the dogs.

But Bean—oh, Noah shook his head, frustration coursing through his popping veins. The stallion would definitely make a scene Noah inwardly though he didn’t want to see for the rest of his life.

When they had the animals unloaded in their trailers, Noah thought wordlessly what he would do if Bean spats at the owner, or go dig-up his lawn—or worst, bite and kick someone in the shin. Noah had seen him done it to a visiting rancher that just wanted to pat the top of his head, and he’s too afraid his feisty stallion would do the same this ranch owner.

Taylor and he walked side by side as they went to greet the owner of the said ranch.

After paying their respect, both of them strode toward the lawn.

“It’s not as big as yours.” Taylor blurted out of the blue. “Your horses would definitely hate this.”

“Sometimes, I regret pampering them.” He had run down on his entire face. “I spoil them too much—I give them steaks, I brush and groom their hair by renting a stylist.”

“You gave them what any animal could have asked for.” Taylor countered, his face straight ahead on a barking, excited Mik. The dog wagged its tail happily at Snowflake’s presence.

He peered a bit on Taylor’s face. “Do you have sons or daughters?”

The older man shot him a look that he can’t read. “Isn’t it obvious?”

“It’s not, trust me. Or am I that dense?”

“You’re not supposed to feel it,” he explained, “you need to personally see them. They’re a bunch of kids that like running around the entire house.”

Raising an eyebrow, Noah said: “So you do have one?”

Taylor shrugged his shoulders. “I do.” He confirmed. Noah’s gaze landed on the buttons near his belly. It looks as if it would pop out from the shirt anytime.

“I have grandchildren already,” he added as Noah headed to the direction of the farm.

Stopping on his heels, Noah turned swiftly. “A what?”

“Uhm, grandchildren?”

“Yes? You have one?”

Taylor gave a toothy grin, “Two of them.”

“Do they like horses?” Noah asked. The older man didn’t look and act like his age, so Noah had assumed he was gay or something. Or that he was only in his early forties.

Taylor made a gesture as if he was thinking about something. “I guess? I only have cattle back at home.”

“Ah,” Noah made a sound as he stepped on a rock concealed by the piles of hay he was trying to scrape. “They stay with you?”

Taylor nodded fast, “They do. But they’re on vacation right now at their parents’ house.”

To think this man had already gone through almost half of the stages Noah wanted to skip. He’s both funny and admirable.

“Any sons? Daughters?” it was Taylor’s turn to interrogate. “A person you’re planning to marry? A business—oh, yeah, you already have this business.” He pointed to his animals running around the round pen.

Grinning wide, Noah stretched hands in the air. “None—except business.”

Taylor’s expression looked as if he wasn’t believing any bull from his mouth. “Impossible, Noah.” He came from behind him and smacked his butt so hard Noah growled in response.

“The hell?” he spat.

“You’re definitely lying! A young lad such as yourself wouldn’t be this single.”

Rolling his eyes, Noah said: “It’s not a requirement.”

“Noah,” Taylor moved an inch closer to where he sat down crossed-legged on the ground. “You need women as much as they need you.”

Sticking a cigarette in his mouth, Noah cracked at what he was saying. He slapped his knees several times from the humor in Taylor’s words. The older man didn’t look or cared if Noah finds what she said amusingly.

“Maybe not, or maybe I’ll soon learn how that feels like.” Grinning, he handed Taylor the cigarette box.

The older man waved his hand in refusal. “I don’t smoke.”

Noah shrugged and inserted his cigarette box inside his side pocket. “Good for you, though.”

“My wife wouldn’t let me inside our house if she smelled cigarettes on me.” Taylors eyes locked on a Mik that wagged his tails at him. He scratches his neck, and Mik responded with wagging his tail faster. “Her sense of smell is very accurate, I tell you.” He looked back at a gaping Noah.

“Isn’t that scary?” Noah inquired as he blew smoke above him. Turning his head toward Taylor, he added, “What if you accidentally smelled like flowers, would she have suspected that you’re cheating?” Noah couldn’t imagine himself going home to an angry that demanded him answers as to why he smelled like roses, an accusing look plastered on her face. He would freak out, even though he wasn’t really guilty about plucking roses on his make-do garden.

Noah shook his head.

It’s that kind of scenario he basically didn’t want to be in ever in his life. He would rather do everything by himself than get a wife that would nag at him when he gets home, or accuse of him of cheating every single day of his waking life. He wouldn’t be too pleased about it.

He suddenly hoped, prayed, and wished that Elijah and Brice won’t have to experience such occurrences in the future with their wives.

Turning his head to his side, he noted the obvious pale that ran down Taylor’s skin’s face. It was incomparable than the pained, nervous expression Elijah made when his bride staggered next to him during the wedding ceremony.

“Hell, yes,” he replied with a slight stutter that Noah caught briefly. He saw the way Taylor’s jaw twitched like he had experienced being accused of cheating with another woman.

Putting the stick between his lips, Noah began inhaling smoke at the end tip of the roll-up. “I have no words for that.” None came to mind. What was he to say? Offer his sympathy when in fact, he really didn’t want to offend the guy?

“If you met my wife, you really wouldn’t have any words left.” His mouth twitched into a half-smile, and Noah found relief in it.

Raising an eyebrow, Noah commented, “someone’s still enchanted with his wife all these years.”

Taylor lifted his other leg in a ninety-degree manner. “You would know the feeling soon lad.”

“How about you tell or describe to me how?”

Placing his hands flat on the ground, Taylor began his storytelling how he and his wife met. It was also supposed greatly on his wife’s side to marry an older man such as himself. His wife was, according to Taylor, younger than him for about ten years.

Noah thought it wasn’t really that uncommon to marry someone whose ten or more years older than you are.

“She’s also a red—ginger that looked as gorgeous as any other Disney princess character. I like her curly hair.” Ginger barked from a distance. Snowflake tickled her foot on the grass, shaking her head at a galloping Bean who had been playing tag with Cole and Mik ever since Noah let them inside the round pen.

“Sounds like a lovely, fine woman you have there,” Noah commented. The smoke coming out of his cigarette stick went up the sky. He followed it and saw the clearest blue he had ever seen.

It’s been a while since he sat underneath clear, blue skies such as this sunny day.

Back when he was still a white-collared employee, whenever he had the time to imagine what he would do for a vacation, he would always think about sunshine and trees. He would eat cheese and drink his wine underneath the shade of a tree. The tree had to be located on top of the mountain. He would prepare the classic Italian sub sandwich he developed under his mother’s recipe. There should be bacon, lots of onions, cherry tomatoes, and lettuces.

It was basically a picnic atop the mountains.

But then fate had other plans with him. It’s when he found the Magic Ball, and it’s what changed his life forever.

“She’s a good person,” Taylor pointed out, “that’s what makes her beautiful, lovely, fine—whatever adjective is used for being a kind human.” A smile appeared on his already bubbly face.

Bean stomp his feet in front of Snowflake. The mare made a sound that meant she wasn’t pleased over his show of dominance over her. Noah noted during the first year he was with Snowflake that the white mare wasn’t the type of female animal that liked to be looked down upon.

Taylor beamed at him, “Someday, Noah. You’ll understand it in the near future.”