“Well, it looks like you girls didn’t burn the place down while we were gone.” Jake checks the paperwork while watching Susan work on the budget for the Ranch.

“Ye of little faith. Did you actually believe me, and Carol Ann would allow the place to burn down?” Susan takes a sip of her coffee.

Jake just smirks and takes a sip of his own coffee. He knew Susan and Carol Ann wouldn’t disappoint him. He had enjoyed the vacation that his daughters had given him and his wife on Christmas. He had to admit, that as much as he loved Montana, he enjoyed the warm weather and blue seas of the Caribbean.

In a few months, the rodeo circuit will be restarting. Jake wasn’t sure if he was going to take part this year or not. It all depends on how Susan was after giving birth to her children.

Susan gets up and walks outside the office with Bear by her side. It was chilly outside as she went to saddle her horse. She was healed enough, that she could get back into the saddle if she wasn’t pregnant. She takes the UTV/ Utility vehicle out to the fellows. She had several thermoses filled with hot coffee for them.

Greg was sitting on top of his horse watching the herd. He had heard that Jake Meadows of Triple Bar Ranch was looking for ranch hands. He had done some checking around about Mr. Meadows and found that he was a good person to work for. Most of the feed store owners and fellow cowboys he knew had nothing bad to say about Mr. Meadows.

He turns around when he hears a vehicle coming towards him and the others. It was Jake’s oldest adopted daughter Susan. He had heard stories from the other ranch hands about her. How she had jumped onto a wild horse and rode it bareback. She had also tamed that same horse and had bought it from the parent of the man that had raped her. The same man whose children were growing inside of her right now.

Susan stops a few feet from Greg’s horse. She steps out of the UTV.

“I thought you guys might like some fresh hot coffee.” Susan grabs a thermos from the passenger seat, along with the cups she brought with her.

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

Susan pours coffee for all the ranch hands. She’ll be glad when she can come out here and be with them. Even though she still suffers some from being rape, it felt good to be out of the house and back on the wide-open range.

Greg watched Susan as she stared out over the cattle and bison that was grazing. He could tell she missed this, even though she was a city girl. He had seen the Virginia tags on the Cadillac Escalade. She had the heart of a person who loved nature.

He was also smitten by her as well. He didn’t care that she was pregnant with another man’s babies. He admired her courage for wanting to raise the babies as her own. He knew most women who became pregnant after being raped, either aborted the fetus or gave the children away after giving birth to them. A very few would want to keep the children. To be reminded by looking at the child’s face who caused the child to be here in the first place.

He just keeps watching as she waddles from one cowboy to the next, bring them coffee.

As Susan is waddling back to the UTV. She notices the new guy they hired a few months ago watching her. She’s only interacted with him a few times and when she called around to check his references for her father, all of them had given him a good reference.

Part of her was loving the attention she was getting from him. While the other part of her was scared what he might do to her. She was still uncomfortable around men that didn’t work for her father or she didn’t know.

In her eyes, he was kind of good looking. He had that weathered look that all true cowboys who spend a lot of time out in the open range had about them. He reminded her of Hugh Jackman from the movie Australia. He had that type of look about him. There was something else as well, that drew her attention to him. Something she couldn’t put her finger on.

She waddles back to the UTV and heads back towards the house. She had to pee badly, and she was about to drop her panties out here in the open for the guys to watch her. She manages to hold it, till she reaches the barn. There was a bathroom in it. She parks the UTV and makes it just in time as her bladder relieves itself.

She’ll be happy when the babies are born. She figures she is due any time now. Once she is done in the bathroom, Susan heads back to the house.

Out on the range:
Larry rides over towards Greg as he watches Greg watch Susan drive off. A sly grin appears on his face. He has gotten to know Mr. Meadows adopted a daughter and liked her. He has watched as she healed from her ordeal.

“She’s a beautiful filly, lad.” Larry stops near Greg.

Greg turns to face Larry “that she is. I was thinking about asking her out after the babies are born.”

“You might have to wait awhile. She’s going to have her hands full raising twins.” Larry had overheard Mrs. Meadows talking about Susan to a friend of hers.

Mrs. Meadows was excited that she was going to have grandbabies to spoil. He has seen the look on her face before when she found out she was carrying Carol Ann. He had seen how she looked and watched after Susan. He had seen that motherly concern and protectiveness in her eyes.

“Well, if anyone can manage it, it will be her. She’s a strong independent woman. You wouldn’t think that someone who was born in the city, would have the spirit of a frontier woman.”

Greg wonders if she would mind him helping her with the babies. He’ll have to see what she needs and get it for her.

“I know what you mean. Wait till you see her ride a horse. I saw her the day she stopped a runaway horse at the last rodeo. She just swung herself up on his back like she has been doing it all her life and rode him.”

Larry didn’t believe a little small thing like Susan could handle a wild stallion, twice her size. That doubt was put to rest when he saw how she handle that horse. He was also surprised that she bought that same horse.

“Let me give you some advice, Greg. Take it slow and easy with her. She’s still healing from the rape and the injuries she got from the attack.
Become her friend first and see where that relationship takes you. I know she’ll appreciate that a lot.”

“I think that is the best advice you have ever given me, Larry. God knows, the other times you’ve given me advice hasn’t panned out.”

“I can’t help it if you are hard headed.” Larry just grins at him as he rides off towards the herd.

Greg follows behind him as he thinks about Susan and how to approach her.