Dressing Up Stella Read online

  Dressing Up Stella

  Kim Smart

  This is entirely a work of fiction. All people, places, and events contained herein have been completely fabricated by the author. Any similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2020 by Kim Smart

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Thanks to my family and friends who continue to encourage me to follow my dreams. This one’s for you!

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Also by Kim Smart

  1

  Clara Drake was half of the duo that managed a collection of ranches in Arizona, including their home place where Stella Davies worked as a cowboy. She welcomed Stella into their home, showed her to the sitting room and poured them each a cup of coffee.

  “Thanks for coming in Stella.” Clara’s voice was pensive. “I was sitting here thinking about the day you showed up here and won our hearts. You were a young woman on a mission to prove you could handle yourself, the men around you, cattle and horses. You had twice the grit of any of our hands and ambition driving you like a steam engine!”

  “Oh, that was an interesting time. I remember. I was dumped in New Mexico by a guy, some wildcat who did something, I’ll never know what, to get run off that ranch. Hank. He sure wooed me, a naive young girl from a small South Dakota ranch who was far too trusting.” Stella placed her hand on Clara’s and looked into her kind eyes. “I’m so grateful they took me in when Hank abandoned me and recommended I come here with you and Martin. You have been such a godsend for me.”

  Stella meant every word. She loved working for the Drakes and felt right at home with the rest of the crew, all men.

  “And you for us. You impressed us with your grit. More than that, your skills make you a standout amongst all our crew. Martin will be here soon. We want to discuss a proposal with you. But he had to take a call. While we have some time, though, I wonder Stella, do you ever think of having a family? I’m not asking as your boss. I’m asking as a fellow woman. I remember the early days when Martin and I were first starting our business. We couldn’t afford many hired hands, so I did a lot of the trail work with him. I rode throughout my pregnancy but when our baby was born he was so sick that I had to stay home with him. Oh, my, now that sounds so morbid. I guess my message to you is that you can have it all. You can have your work and a family.”

  “Thank you, Clara. That’s something my mom says too. I’m sorry you had such a limited time with your son. You both talk so fondly about him, it’s apparent you loved him and were wonderful parents.” Stella looked to the picture on the fireplace mantle: new parents holding a sweet baby boy in a baptismal gown. Clara and Martin’s only child had fatal heart defects that took his life as a toddler. Photos and mementos were scattered throughout the house and they shared their story with anyone who would listen.

  “I have thought little about it. I came from a great family. I have three super brothers and it would be natural to think I would want a family. Right now I’m so in love with my work and enjoy working outside. My heart is full. I never thought of courting any of my male co-workers. I might feel differently if a suitor swept me off my feet. I don’t get off the ranch much. I go to town to the feed and tack store or such. There is little chance of me meeting someone. I’m fine with that right now.” Clara nodded in understanding as Stella spoke.

  “Good morning, Stella! My apologies for keeping you waiting.” Martin joined them in the sitting room. Stella’s stomach swirled as he reached out his hand. She wasn’t nervous about this meeting here, the business center of a huge operation, until this moment. She stood and shook his hand.

  “Oh, it’s no problem. I got up early to get a jump-start on my chores.” Stella needed to assure them she was on top of her work. It was important for her to be a stellar worker.

  “Of course you did.” Martin grinned widely at Stella. His whole friendly face lit up, distracting from the weathered lines from decades of working in the desert of Arizona.

  “Stella, we called you here today to talk about an opportunity that would be a promotion for you. We believe you’re up for it, but we will lay it out for you and you must decide if this is the right thing for you, or not. There is a lot to consider and there will be new things for you to learn.”

  “Well, you’ve piqued my interest.”

  “Okay. Let’s talk. One of our holdings is a ranch further north. You’ve probably heard us talk about it before and honestly, I don’t remember, you may have visited it. It’s Rabbit Creek Ranch, northwest of here, about eighty miles.”

  “I dropped a load of salt up there two, maybe three years ago. It seemed like a quiet part of the country. More rugged than here.”

  “You’re right. It is more rugged and the temperatures are more extreme. The winter is harsher up there than it is here, even though we are not so far apart. We’ve had a good fella up there running cattle for us, but he’s ready to retire. Well, his wife is ready for him to retire. She has some health problems and needs him to be around home more.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. If I recall, his name is Jed. Jed O’Reilly.”

  “That’s right. See Clara, I told you she had a mind like a steel trap.”

  “You did, and she does.” Clara smiled at them both.

  “Life’s different for the foreman up there. We don’t have permanent housing since the cattle run on BLM land under a long-term lease. The pay is enough for you to pick up a modest home in Watson or a nearby town. If you need help with a down payment, we could work something out there, too. But here’s the thing you should know about. It’s a different model of ranching than the rest of our operation. You have to move the cattle more frequently. It’s required as part of our agreement with the feds when we lease the land. When you move them, you stay out in the elements with them, year-round.”

  “That sounds interesting. How long has Jed been up there doing this work for you?”

  “Well, we looked that up the other day. Seems he’s been there for fourteen years. He worked for another rancher with a similar set-up, but somehow…” Martin looked at Clara and winked. “We enticed him to come work for us. He’s been happy with us. I’m sure he would chat with you and he agreed to show whoever comes on board around the place. There are millions of acres of land up there and he’s worked out a rotation schedule that seems reasonable. It is something you should review, along with maximizing the cow-calf pairs the land will support. We can’t over-graze but need to use what’s available to us under the lease.”

  “Sure, that makes sense. I’ve heard of these lease arrangements before. As I recall, the cow-calf annual grazing fee is reasonable for the rancher.”

  “That’s right, it is, and all the more reason for us to maximize the grazing by careful rotations where we can.” Martin loved the cattle business and made it a point to be familiar with the big players across the country. His was a unique operation, but he loved learning from others.
He was always looking for the best practice in animal health. He wanted the most natural environment possible for his herds. Market demands for such things as soy-free and grass-fed cattle without hormones were near and dear to him. The health of their herds was vitally important.

  “So, can you tell me more about the days or weeks, what they look like? Is there fencing to maintain and sorting pens and such?”

  “Great questions. The weeks look different. Some weeks you will deliver minerals and salt to the pastures. At other times you will sleep under the stars and drive cattle from one pasture to the next. It’s a different breed of cattle and they are darn smart. The older cows, we have a few of them, are familiar with the rotation. Once they get headed in the right direction, they lead the others right down the path. It’s the darnedest thing I ever saw.”

  “That’s amazing. I saw that growing up but our cattle rotated between two huge pastures, not several.”

  “Well, the other thing that’s interesting there is the terrain. It’s rugged with steep gorges covered in rock, cactus, and brush. You must test your horses out there to see if they’re up to it. It takes a confident, sure-footed horse to negotiate that land. We have wall tents and small storage sheds set up in strategic places. Cooking over a campfire is a way of life. There are a half-dozen hands Jed has worked with. None of them work full time for Rabbit Creek. They can help with cattle drives and big projects. He used some hands to patch a long line of fence and do some other repairs that he couldn’t do himself in a day or so.” Martin paused, trying to measure Stella’s reaction.

  “It takes someone who enjoys being alone. I’ve watched you around here. You’re good around people but, unlike some folk, you don’t seem to need to be talking or going to town to party on your days off. Maybe I got that wrong, and you must let me know, but Clara and I have discussed this and wanted to give you the first opportunity at the job.”

  “I am honored that you would pick me. I am very much interested and, to be sure I’ve got the full picture and haven’t romanticized it too much, could I meet with Jed for a day and have him show me around?”

  “Yes, yes! Jed’s in the middle of a move right now so I can’t just send you up. You’ll never find him. But when he gets back from that, I’ll set up a day for you to go up there and chat with him. It may be a good time to look around for housing too. The nearest is about thirty miles from the entrance to the BLM property. That way you could get a feel for what’s in the area.”

  “From a safety perspective, we provide a satellite phone. Cellular phones don’t work so well up there. It’s too far between towers.” Clara wanted Stella to be assured that communication would be available, even if she found herself alone in the canyon.

  “Also, for safety, you’ll know that there, like around here, there are snakes and coyotes and bobcats and such. We’ve never had a problem with attacks on humans. We lost two or three calves in all the years we’ve been up there. Honestly, I don’t think that’s too bad.” Martin could look in his books and know for certain if need be. He kept meticulous notes on his cattle.

  “No, that’s not bad at all. I mean, you hate losing any and feel just awful for those little guys, but when you’re tangling in nature, it happens.” Stella thought back to a time on Buffalo Ridge Ranch when a pack of wolves passed through and took down three calves before the activity in the field caught the family’s attention. The whole family grieved the losses.

  “Well, Clara said she wanted to take you to the kitchen and get your help with a project in there. I’ve got another meeting with a young fella, Brandon Cage. You ever heard of him?”

  “No, I haven’t heard that name.”

  “Well, he’s an up-and-coming lawyer for the cattleman. He’s coming out here to chat with me about the future of ranching. Brandon wants to bend my ear a bit and then have me give him some secrets. I’ve known the family for a long time. Good people. If our meeting gets done, I’d like you to meet him. I think you’re about the same age.”

  “Sounds good.” Stella shook Martin’s hand. She looked at Martin, then Clara. “Thank you both for this opportunity. I’m ninety percent certain it’s right for me and can let you know for sure after I’ve spent a little time with Jed.”

  “That is perfect. We want you to be aware of what you’re getting into. Well, I see Brandon’s pickup pulling in. I’ll let you two head off to do whatever it is Clara has in mind and talk to you later.”

  2

  Martin greeted Brandon in the yard, as he got out of his pickup. “Brandon! Sure is good to see you, young man.”

  “You too Martin, and before I forget, my parents send all their best to you and Clara. In fact…” Brandon reached through the open window of the pickup and pulled out a paper bag with handles. “Mom sent this lemon blueberry Bundt cake.”

  “Well now, Sandy is always doing something nice for someone. I’m glad to be on the receiving end today. Let’s you and I walk this to the kitchen. Clara’s back there with one of the cowboys looking at something. I’d like to introduce you to her.”

  “Her?” Brandon knew a lot of women who worked on ranches with their husbands but never heard one referred to on a working ranch like Martin’s as a cowboy.

  “That’s right. Stella’s the most talented cowboy I’ve got. She’s been with us, oh, I’d say about four years now, and can outride any man around. Smart, too. I met with her this morning and mentioned that I’d like to introduce the two of you. Anyway, you’re both good folk and both love cattle so, there ya go.”

  The men walked down the long hallway from the front door to the interior courtyard and then into the kitchen where Clara and Stella sat at the kitchen table looking over some old recipe books.

  “Well, if it isn’t little Brandon Cage!” Clara hopped up from her chair and threw her arms around Brandon for a big western welcome. “I guess I’ll have to drop the little, won’t I?”

  “Yes, ma’am. I’m afraid I’ve grown up.”

  “And a lawyer now, to boot. How are your folks?”

  “Well, they are great Clara. Here…” Brandon held out the paper bag. “Mom sent this cake along for you.”

  “Isn’t she the sweetest? Brandon, this is my friend, Stella Davies. Stella is our best hand and, being she’s also a woman raised on a ranch with a mess of boys in the family, I pulled her in here to give me some ideas for recipes. Sometimes I bore myself making and serving the same old things over and over again.”

  Brandon held his hand out for Stella. She took it, surprised at the strength and roughness of his hands, something she didn’t expect from a lawyer. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Brandon.” She smiled confidently, as if she was in a business meeting. Yet she couldn’t help but notice the steel-blue eyes against the tanned skin and three-day stubble on his square jaw… far more handsome than any man she’d worked with in the last several years.

  Brandon shook her hand and held it a little longer than one would expect. Stella mesmerized him. She was raw beauty with thick dark hair pulled back into a long braid down her back, dark pools for eyes, and flawless skin kissed by the sun.

  “And you as well, Stella.”

  Martin and Clara looked at each other and smiled, a sparkle in their eyes. They had played matchmaker a time or two before and didn’t profess to be experts, but when the potential for this introduction arose they knew they just had to make it happen. They loved them both as if they were their own children.

  “Well, son, I think we have some business to talk about.” Martin put his arm around Brandon’s shoulder and ushered him back through the courtyard to the office. Their conversation trailed off as they moved away from the kitchen.

  “Brandon’s folks have been at this business out here about as long as we have. Brandon is their youngest. He’s got two older sisters and an older brother. We’ve watched them all grow up. A bunch of fine young folks who are all set out to improve the world. Love them all.” Clara smiled as she talked about the Cage family. It reminded
Stella of her own family and the close family friends she grew up with.

  “He seems like a nice guy.”

  “Good looking, too, don’t you think?”

  “Clara! What would Martin say?” The two laughed as they sat back down to look over the recipe books. They picked out four new recipes for Clara to test. Stella told Clara about her mother’s famous lasagna, something Stella could not remember eating here at the Winding Slough Ranch.

  “Lasagna. I’ve never made it. I thought it always looked so darn complicated that I never even tried.”

  “Not at all. Tell you what, if you need some help, I’ll be glad to help. Let me write down the recipe for you. Mom combines several recipes, and it’s the best.”

  Clara clapped her hands. “Well, that would be terrific! I have to say, it’s so nice to have another woman to chat with. But I’ve taken you away from your work long enough. I’m sure you’d rather be outside with the herd. I thank you for spending some time with me.”

  “Oh, it’s my pleasure. I’m not opposed to being domestic. I like that, too. It reminds me of spending time in the kitchen with my mom.”

  “Isn’t it about time you pay your folks a visit?” Clara often encouraged Stella to take some time off and see her family. She had gone back to South Dakota only once in the years she worked for them.

  “I thought about that. Maybe, if this promotion works out for me, I can take a few days before the transition and go home to see them. Will Jed and his wife be okay with that?”

  “They would. His wife’s condition is ongoing and while it’s getting worse over time, she’s not in critical condition just yet.”