Kelly Klein***A first peek at my fiction! This is from a trilogy I’ve been working on (it’s written, but is still being edited). It’s a romance, it takes place on a ranch, and this is a few chapters in. Let me know what you think!***
Her eyes fluttered open. She couldn’t remember where she was, but then it gradually came back to her. She remembered running from her old town, and ending up in a forest. And then…oh yeah – the woman! Madeline, was it? She sat straight up in bed. The room was empty save a bed, chair, and dresser. An open window let a gentle breeze enter the room. The sun shone, casting a harsh glow on the floor. She guessed that it must have been around noon, judging by how high the sun was in the sky.
“I see you’ve awakened,” said a soft voice at the door.
Aurora turned away from the window. Madeline held a tray in the doorway.
“I thought you might like some tea.”
Madeline handed her the cup and Aurora took a sip. “When is the last time you ate?”
Aurora didn’t answer.
“I could have left you in the forest to fend for yourself. I think it’s safe to trust me.”
Aurora looked down at her cup and traced the rim with her finger.
“Thank you,” she said.
“So you can talk. I was beginning to wonder. What’s your name?”
“Aurora…Aurora Knight.”
“Beautiful name. Where do you come from?”
“It doesn’t matter. I’m not going back.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t belong there.”
“Would you like to talk about it?”
Aurora shook her head.
“OK. I won’t pry. Now get dressed. You can wear those clothes I put on that chair. You’ve got work to do.”
“Huh?”
“You don’t think you’re going to get a free ride, do you?”
“Excuse me?”
“I need some help on the ranch.”
“I don’t think so. Slavery was abolished some time ago.”
Madeline laughed hard.
“No, dear, this isn’t slavery!”
“So I’m welcome to go?”
“Of course, but I implore you to stay on – at least for today – and help out. We are horribly understaffed.”
“I don’t know anything about working on a ranch.”
“That’s OK. I have a list of things that need to be taken care of. Your job is to take care of them. Meet me down in the dining hall for lunch in twenty minutes.”
Madeline left the room, closing the door behind her.Aurora had the urge to run. Again. But something made her stay. There was something about this place that pulled her. An attraction she never felt before. She could stay on for a few days and get her bearings. She needed to figure out her next move. This was a good place to rest up and plan what to do. Then she could leave.
Aurora arrived at the dining hall. An empty table sat in the corner. She claimed it, putting her sweater on the chair. The ranch hands were standing in a line, so she followed suit. The room was getting more crowded; the line getting longer. Tables filled as people talked and laughed. The flurry of activity made Aurora dizzy.
She got to the front of the line and marveled at the feast before her. She assumed she was going to get gruel or something, but there were several kinds of meats, many varieties of fruits and cheeses, and a few beverages to choose from.
She filled her plate and returned to the table in the corner.
The food melted in her mouth as she savoured every bite. While eating, she looked up in time to see a man enter the now-crowded room. He stopped and smiled at an admirer as he ran a hand through his raven hair. He waved to someone else across the room. Two women rose from their table and flanked his sides.
He scanned the room, then his eyes fell on Aurora. His smile faded a moment when he caught her staring, but then he turned away and laughed at a joke she couldn’t hear.
Such arrogance! Aurora returned her attention to the plate in front of her. She filled her mouth several times, enjoying the rich taste of her lunch. She rose her head again and saw him sitting across the room, engaged in conversation. She looked away and ate until she was sure her stomach was overflowing. She could get used to eating like this.
“Hello,” said a deep voice. She looked behind her and saw the popular man, then put a forkful into her mouth, finishing the last bite.
“Who are you?” he asked.She didn’t answer, using her full mouth as an excuse.
“I know everyone on this ranch. You are new. There are no new clients starting this week. I ask you again. Who are you?”
“Jay, leave her alone.”
Madeline stood behind him.
“Who is she?”
“She’s new.”
“But there’s no one new on the schedule.”
“I’m aware of that. She was…unexpected.”
“What is she doing here?”
“Say hello to Aurora Knight. She’s going to be staying on for a while. As a ranch hand. She’s my new protégée.”
There was no response.
“Aurora, meet Jay Stevens.”
“Pleasure,” she said politely, not making eye contact.
“He is the foreman of the ranch. He keeps everyone in line.”
“And don’t you forget it,” Jay said with a lopsided grin. Without another word, he walked off to join a table of men on the other side of the room.
“Quite the arrogance!” Aurora said under her breath.
“Oh, don’t be quick to judge, dear. He’s more than he seems. You just have to get to know him.”
“I’m not sure I want to get to know him.”
Aurora excused herself, and went for a walk out in the pasture. She breathed in the late May air and genuinely smiled for the first time in months. There was something about this place. She was in a place out of time. A whole different world. Maybe this is what she needed.
She stopped at the fence encircling a ring. A man rode a grey horse around the ring. He looked so free.
“Aurora, is it?” asked a deep voice behind her. She jumped, startled.
“Jay.”
“You don’t belong here.”
“But I am here. Madeline wants me to stay on.”
“Do you even know how to ride?”
Aurora shook her head.
“So how can you possibly be a ranch hand?”
“I’m sure I could learn.”
“Yeah right. Most people around here have been riding horses since they were children.”
Aurora turned and took a couple steps.
“Listen, little girl, if you can’t take the heat, get off the ranch.”
She whirled around.
“Is there anything you want to say, or would you rather stand there and insult me?”
“Ah, so she does speak more than three words at a time.”
Aurora fought back tears. She was shy, but she didn’t need to be reminded of it, especially from a guy who obviously never had any problems speaking to strangers. A guy who thinks he’s a gift to the world.
She couldn’t handle it anymore, and so, like before, she found herself running; this time to her new room. She threw herself onto the bed and sobbed. If this is what life was going to be like on the ranch, she may as well leave.
There was a knock at the door.
When Aurora didn’t answer, a kind voice said, “Dear, are you OK? I saw you run across the pasture in such a fury, I thought you were going to keep running right off the ranch!”
Without being invited in, the door opened. Aurora sat up in bed.
“What on earth happened?”
“I don’t know what his problem is. He just wants to be mean to me!”
“Who?”
“That ranch hand Jay.”
“I see. You can’t let him get to you.”
“He says I can’t be a ranch hand.”
“If you’re this upset, does it mean that you want to stay and be a ranch hand?”
“I don’t know. It was only my first day.”
“Exactly. You can’t be the best on your first day. One thing you have to learn is that when things go bad, you can’t just run from your problems. Because when you do, you will notice that your problems just follow you around.”
“So, do you think you can teach me to ride horses?”
“Absolutely! How can you be a ranch hand without knowing how to ride?”
“That’s what Jay told me.”
“He’s right. And that’s why I’m going to teach you. There’s just one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“It’s going to take more than a week.”
“I’m not staying a week. I don’t need this!”
“There’s the door.”
“You’re not making me stay?”
“No. You can go anytime. I won’t stop you.”
Aurora was confused. Should she stay or should she go? She knew neither choice would be easy. If she stayed, she would have a roof over her head and all the food she can eat. But she would have to deal with Jay and his attitude towards her. If she left she wouldn’t have the shelter, but she would be free. She would be on her own. Isn’t that what she wanted? She thought it over for a moment.
“Fine. You win. I will stay on. I want to prove that I am just as capable as any of the other ranch hands.”
“Don’t do it to prove anything. The horses will sense it. Do it because you want to connect with these beautiful animals. Do it because you want the feeling of freedom, your hair blowing in the wind. Do it for yourself.”
“OK.”
“There’s a dear. It’ll all work out. You’ll see.”
Madeline smoothed Aurora’s hair in a motherly gesture and got up from the bed.
“Get some rest. Early to rise for your training. 5am. Sharp.”
*****
May your life be passionate!
