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“I can’t believe I kept it together back there,” Chuck said. They’d been quiet for most of the ride. Chuck insisted it was important for Millie to concentrate on the feeling of the animal beneath her. It was nice to hear him talk, finally.
“With Takis and Bunny?”
“Mmhmm. Felt like I was a schoolboy, being told off by a teacher.”
“You were never a schoolboy,” Millie said.
Chuck snorted out a laugh. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Just that I can’t imagine you ever being a child. I believe you were probably born into ripped jeans and cowboy boots, and your first words were, ‘Easy, boy.’”
Chuck laughed again. “Oh no, you better believe I was a kid once.”
“I bet you were cute.”
“Ugly as sin.”
It was her turn to laugh. “I doubt it.”
“I mean it. I was always the ugly North brother. Tough, but ugly.”
Her next words were quiet. “You’re the best-looking North brother.”
“Don’t let Trent and Duke hear that,” Chuck said. “It’ll hurt their pride so much I doubt they’ll ever recover.”
As they rounded a corner, the herd of sheep came into view. Littlecreek Ranch was a sprawling property, the land reaching out for miles in all directions. Here, there were no highways, no streets, just acres of green and rolling hills. The herd of rescue sheep looked like little white clouds, dotted among the pastureland.
They looked as contented as livestock could be—sunbathing, nibbling on the grass, and swishing their tails. Further down the track, they could see a few horses in the distance, grazing in the same fields.
“Funny to think that none of these sheep are ever gonna be lamb chops.” Chuck seemed conflicted.
“That bothers you?”
“Hell no. Better not to kill an animal if you don’t have to, I suppose. But I’m not used to this way of life. I’m used to a working ranch. A place where each animal’s life has a value, and you try to raise that value as much as you can to keep the business afloat.”
He stopped Ranger to take it all in. It was a beautiful sight. The animals, the scenery, and the quiet seeped into their souls. They took a few moments to just sit and enjoy the peace.
“I understand what you mean,” Millie said, thinking back to the changes she’d been through in her life. “It can take a while to adjust to something new.”
“I think it might just be beyond me. My adjusting days are through.”
“Sounds like you’re good at adjusting,” Millie said. “You’ve done it your whole life. Coming to work with my dad in Berkshire must have been a huge change for you.”
“You bet it was,” Chuck said, geeing Ranger along a little. “It was like a whole new world. It was like — well, now that you’re here, you know how different this is to England.”
She did feel like she was in a new world. But it wasn’t just the scenery and the ambiance. The new world was coming from the change within her.
“Daddy,” she said, feeling the tone of their conversation shift as she spoke that word, “I feel like I’m a different person today.”
“Oh,” he said, looking back over his shoulder. “After what happened last night?”
“Mmhmm.”
“That’s good.” He pointed at a patch of grass, shaded beneath a lone tree. “Let’s hitch up. Looks like a good spot for a talk.”
*
“So this is what you meant by a day of hard work?”
