"So, she rides?" I ask him.
Her uncle laughs. "Does she ride? Hell, why don't you look her up? Livingston Young. You google that girl and you'll know what she really is."
I shake my head. "Look, it's my day off, and I need to go home. Do you understand?"
"You're going home to your father?"
I nod. "Yes, I am, sir. Is that all right with you?"
"It's fine by me. You coming back to work?"
"Well, I have tomorrow off too," I tell him, "but you're the boss. Do you need me here?"
John shakes his head. "No, I just want to make sure you're not leaving with any bad blood."
I shake my head. "No. Of course, I want to talk to Livingston right now.”
John shakes his head. "That's not happening. You heard her yourself, she needs a moment to collect herself. She’s been through a lot."
"Look," I say, "I didn't want to upset her, but you tell her where I'm at. I'm going to see my father. It's a long overdue conversation, but I'll be back. All right?"
He nods. "I'll let her know where you are."
"Thank you, John," I say, shaking his hand.
I go back to my dorm, and in my bunk, I pack a bag. I tell Jake where I'm headed and he asks if he can come with.
"Sorry buddy, but this time I got to go by myself."
He understands, and soon enough, I'm in my pickup truck headed home. I go back there every month or so just to check on my family, but I don't stay too long, just a few days. This time, though, I'm not sure it will even be longer than one meal. All I know is I need to go and have a real man-to-man conversation with my father.
Now I have Liv in my life.
Things have changed.
When I drive up to Starborn Ranch, the sight is familiar. It fills me with a comfort I wasn't expecting.
I like Buckle Down Ranch just fine. It's a real home-style ranch that feels good and has a nice sense of community. There's a handful of cowboys, and Louisa and John are good folk. They run a modest place, and it's not like my family's ranch.
Now, I'm not trying to sound boastful, and I understand it's not appropriate to start bragging and all that shit, but my father’s ranch is ten times the size of Buckle Down. It’s a mighty fine place, and I'm proud to be my father’s son. I just wish he respected me half as much as I respect him.
When I pull up to his place, his right-hand man, Otis, greets me at the front door. My mom's full-time housekeeper, Gertrude, asks me if I'd like some sweet tea, which hell, of course I do. My parents are in the sitting room. It's not yet dinnertime, but they're relaxing, reading the news and catching up on email, my mom on her tablet, my dad with the daily paper folded in his lap. When they see me, they're surprised.
"What are you doing here? Don't you have a job?" my father asks, not bothering to stand. My mom, though, sets her tablet aside and stands immediately. She's dressed beautifully, as always, her hair set. She's always in beautiful clothes with jewelry and her hair freshly done from the salon. I know she takes pride in her appearance being my father's wife, and hosting fundraisers and galas is her favorite thing in the world.
"Oh, Ledger, what are you doing here, my baby?" she says, wrapping me in her arms. "Your father didn't tell me you were coming around today. I would have had Gertrude make your favorite food for supper."
"It's okay," I tell her. "I still have my job. It was a last-minute thing. I had the day off and," I shrug. "I just wanted to see you is all.”
She smiles. "Oh, I want to see you too. It's been too long, and I know you're only ninety minutes away. I wish you'd come up here more often."
"They work me pretty hard down there at Buckle Down."
My father coughs. "As they should. Isn't that the whole point of you working full-time at a ranch, learning what it takes to be a real, honest, hardworking cowboy?"
I sit down, taking a sip of the iced tea as I do. "Yes, Dad, I reckon it is. That's what I've been doing the last nine months, matter of fact, working my ass off. Pardon my language, Mom."
She smiles. "No bother. I'm used to it. I've been shacking up with a cowboy most of my life." She smiles over at my dad. "Do you always have to give our boy such a hard time, honey?"
My dad folds his paper and sets it aside. "What's this all about, Ledger?"
I set down my iced tea, run my hands over my knees. "Look, Dad, I'm going to tell it to you straight. I know you told me you wanted me to work at a ranch that wasn’t ours to gain experience after college – but I’ve gained it and I’m tired of working for someone else. I want to work here. I want to work for you. Look, the folk at Buckle Down are good people. They're solid folk and I appreciate everything that they've taught me, but this is where I belong, with you at our family ranch. I went to school. I got my degree. If you want me to keep working, fine, but let me work here at our family ranch. What else do I have to prove?"