Normally, if I went on a long vacation I would have my sister or one of her friends housesit my house, but it was too dangerous considering the current situation. Instead, I just paid for the highest level of security and I’d have to hope everything was still there when I got home.
“Yes, sir,” I replied. “I truly am grateful for the safety you’re providing.”
“Do you know when the trial will be?”
I looked at him in surprise. I didn’t know that Sid had been told anything about the trial that I had to testify in or the dangerous men who were threatening my life. As I followed him up to the main house, we talked briefly about the realities of my situation.
“Maybe a month, or maybe two years, I’m not sure how long the process takes.”
>
“I’ve had men here as long as six months, not much longer than that. So hopefully that gives you an idea.”
“Thank you,” I said gratefully.
Back home, I had left a thriving business in the hands of my Corporate Vice President, Casey Zane. It was a tough job and would require him to work harder than he was used to. I had confidence in Casey though; he had only been with me a year, but he had proven his abilities. Luckily, we had a top-notch team of leaders to support him in my absence as well.
The worst thing that could happen would be that my private jet business would go bust while I was away. And after having my life threatened and having one of my co-workers murdered, bankruptcy didn’t seem like the end of the world.
I had fought the idea of going into witness protection, though. I really didn’t like the idea of leaving my employees exposed to the evil character who wanted me dead. But the truth was that none of them knew about Frank Gordano and his drug smuggling business like I did. The only other person who worked for me that had known him was dead. So as much as I didn’t want to go into protective custody, it was much better than being dead.
“I’m going to introduce you to my wife. She’s the one that feeds you men and she’ll help with any questions you might have.”
“Does she know?”
“She knows that we take in witnesses, but she prefers not to know which of you are in the program and which are genuinely just here to work. It’s easier for her that way.”
“Yes, I understand.”
The large farmhouse looked much bigger as we approached it. There was a sweeping, wraparound deck and a white porch swing. It looked as if it was right out of a storybook, and when Sid’s wife walked up to the front door and let us in, I thought we were certainly in some sort of make-believe land.
I had a girlfriend once that made me watch made-for-television movies with her. As I stood on the porch of Sid’s perfect home, in the middle of his perfect, Montana ranch, I felt like I was right, smackdab in the middle of a made-for-television movie.
“This beautiful woman is Meredith Miller, but you lot usually just call her Mrs. Miller.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, ma’am,” I said with extended hand.
Meredith pushed my hand aside and gave me a warm hug. She was beautiful, warm, and clearly cared about the men who came to work at their ranch. I knew instantly I was going to enjoy my time at Miller Ranch.
Hard work had never scared me. I hadn’t become a success by being afraid of hard work. My aviation company was one of the top, private jet companies in the world. I had more than one thousand planes in the air and twice that many employees. Sure, testifying in this case had put me in a precarious position, but I couldn’t have forced my employees to do it. What kind of CEO would I have been if I hadn’t been willing to keep them safe and testify myself? Plus, any of the employees who had had contact with Frank Gordano weren’t even aware of what he was transporting on our planes. I was really the only person who know the whole story.
Meredith was tall, thin, and had beautiful, caramel-colored skin. It was obvious that she didn’t just sit in the house all day while Sid managed the ranch. As she pulled away from our embrace, she looked into my eyes and for a moment I felt like she could see right through me. I didn’t think she needed me to tell her that I was there under protection; something told me that she knew it right away by looking at me.
“What’s your name, young man?” she asked.
“Garrett,” I replied with a smile. Partially because I was proud of myself for remembering the right name to say and partially in response to the beautiful grin on Meredith’s face.
Just being near her and talking to her had calmed my nerves a bit already. She had a gentle way about her and I could see why Sid had married her. Someday I hoped to find a woman that I could love like they seemed to love each other.
I watched as Sid put his arm around Meredith and pulled her toward him to give her a quick kiss. She laughed and smiled like a schoolgirl. Life would be so great if I ever found a woman I could make smile like that with just my touch.
Women and I had never really mixed all that well. Sure, I liked women and I spent lots of time with them. I had them in my bed, at my parties, out for dates. But I never seemed to be able to find a woman that felt like a true match for me. When I envisioned my life with a partner and wife, I wanted someone who was truly my equal. That didn’t mean I was looking for someone who owned a billion-dollar business or anything like that; I just needed a woman who felt like she could hold her own around me.
But all of that was on hold for the time being. I wasn’t going to be dating anyone and I certainly wouldn’t be finding a lifelong partner on a ranch full of men. I had to hope that my time on the ranch wouldn’t last longer than a few weeks. I could use it as a vacation, time to relax and reflect on my life a bit. If it dragged out longer than a few weeks, I was likely to go stir crazy alone on the ranch with all the free time I was going to have.
“Have you ever been around horses?”
“No, ma’am,” I said and then quickly remembered that my new identity really had been around horses before.