Page 13 of Slay Bells

He’d shown her the stables, the corrals, the bunkhouse, several guest cabins, the lake and now they rode away from where the original family home had been.”

“I can’t think of anything else. Can I ask you some questions for the article?”

There was a beat of silence. “All right.” He turned the vehicle back toward his parent’s and her cabin.

“What stands out the most for you when you think about growing up here?”

“The freedom I had as a kid to roam. Time on the lake, running around in the woods, and riding my horse. Basically, the ability to come and go as I pleased on the land.”

She looked around taking in how different her childhood in the city had been to his. “So why do you live in town now? You could have worked here for your father, right? Something different?”

“Yep, Dad hoped I’d stay here and work. But I needed to experience a bit of independence.” His wide shoulder’s lifted and lowered. “I don’t mind living in Missoula, which by the way is not exactly a big city compared to San Diego.”

“But you prefer it here on the family farm?”

“Sometimes.”

“What is your part in the annual festival?”

He chuckled. “Jack of all trades. Set-up, help with day to day activities, and the breakdown and clean up.”

“Sounds like a lot of work.” Gabriela turned to look back at the barn-structure.

“You have no idea.”

When they got close to the main house, there was an SUV pulled up in front. A brunette climbed out and waved.

Jeremy cleared his throat, and he let out a long sigh. Gabriela studied the woman who narrowed her eyes as they approached.

The snowmobile barely stopped and she rushed closer. “I saw your mom in town. She told me to stop by.” She didn’t even look toward Gabriela. “Besides, you seemed stressed the other night.” Her eyes slanted to Gabriela.

Jeremy dismounted and held out a hand to Gabriela. “Cassandra, this is Gabriela. She’s here to write an article on the ranch.”

Finally, Cassandra deemed her worthy of attention. “Oh, so you’re the reporter.” Her wide eyes conveyed forced innocence.

“I’m actually a writer, not a reporter.”

Cassandra ignored her and turned back to Jeremy. “So, can I get a ride next?” She winked at him. Jeremy coughed, and Gabriela could only stare agog at the woman after the innuendo.

“Thanks for the tour, Jeremy. I’m going to head to my cabin and get started on writing. Nice to meet you Cassandra.” Gabriela couldn’t get away from them fast enough.

Once inside her cabin, she peeked out through the blinds. Jeremy and Cassandra were still standing next to the snowmobile. He’d shoved both hands into his pockets while she talked, her arms motioning as she spoke.

The woman seemed to be explaining something because every once in a while, he nodded. Although Cassandra had definitely sent out “back off vibes”, watching them now, it seemed as if they were either broken up or things between them were not exactly working out.

Finally, he motioned to the door and they walked up the steps to the main house. He wasn’t taking her on a ride then, at least not on the snowmobile.

After several hours of getting only a few words written, Gabriela needed fresh air. Interesting that in San Diego she could go an entire day without leaving her apartment, or if she worked at the office, she didn’t even leave for a lunch break. This place however was so different, the air so clean and the atmosphere begged for one to walk outside and take it in. Not just once or twice, but constantly.

She bundled up, grabbed her camera and set off in the direction of the cabins. Making a mental note every so often, she stopped and looked around. First, for any animals wanting to attack, and secondly to ensure she knew how to go back.

One thing she’d forgotten to ask Jeremy was if there were any bears around, or attack moose. In her research, she’d found out moose were often times as aggressive as bears.

When she arrived at the guest cabins, she lifted her camera and took several pictures of the empty dwellings. Movement out of the corner of her eye made her freeze and she studied the tree line. Other than shadows, nothing seemed amiss. Perhaps it was a bird flying by. A huge bird that flew low to the ground.

After a few moments, she stopped staring into the woods. Nothing was coming to attack, so she returned her attention back to the cabins. Noting the indentation of tire marks, she lowered and caught a great angle of the markings leading to one of the cabins. With the structure serving as an out of focus backdrop, the tread marks in the pristine snow were clear. It would be a beautiful picture.

She lifted her head from the camera and looked to the cabin. The front door was slightly open. There were no vehicles, so obviously whoever had driven there earlier had either dropped someone off or forgotten to lock the door. Either way, it would be cool to see the interior.