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She booked her ticket for Sunday afternoon, and she planned to return on Tuesday. She wanted to at least see his ranch, where her mother had once lived, and her father had always lived.
She couldn’t believe how much her life had changed in the space of a few hours, but hopefully, it would be a change for the better.
*****
At ten on Monday morning, Alexis sat in a small room with an elderly woman, a lawyer, and two men who looked like cowboys. She was nervous, not knowing anyone. She wished she’d asked her mother to accompany her on the trip, but she understood why her mother hadn’t volunteered.
After what seemed like forever, the lawyer picked up a paper and began to read. “To Mildred Garvonovich, my housekeeper of many years, I leave the house she resides in on my ranch and five hundred thousand dollars to use as she pleases. Upon her death, the house will revert to the ranch. To Joe Cahill, I leave five hundred thousand dollars, and the same to Adam Porter. To my daughter, Alexis Paxton, I leave my ranch, provided she agree to live there and make sure it is run properly, otherwise it will go to Joe Cahill and Adam Porter, who will run it together. Also to my daughter, I leave the contents of my home and all of the funds I have that have not been listed.”
The lawyer looked up. “I also have a letter for you, Alexis.”
Alexis nodded, feeling very conspicuous. She didn’t belong in this room with people who loved her father. She hadn’t known he existed.
After the others had left the room, he handed her the letter that her father had written to her.
My dear Alexis,
I know my very existence must be a shock to you, but I have loved you from afar your entire life. I was there when you graduated from high school, cheering for you every moment of it. I was there for your college graduation, and I was there when you were in your school play and you were Dorcas in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. I’m so proud of you for getting your degree in business management, and I confess that I asked your mother to encourage you to make that your degree so that you would one day have the knowledge to run my ranch. I pray that you’ll find yourself a cowboy who can take care of the everyday operations of the ranch, while you take care of the business end of things.
I love you with everything inside me, and I hope that you’ll stay and run the ranch that has been in our family for generations. You’re the last Tobias to take it over, and I know you’ll make me proud, like you’ve been doing since you took your first steps.
Your father,
Alexander Thomas Tobias
After finishing the letter, Alexis had tears streaming down her face. “I wish I could have met him.”
The lawyer nodded. “I do too. He was a wonderful man.” He pushed something toward her across his desk. “I took the liberty of trying to find a way for you to meet a man who could run your ranch, and I found this woman’s name. She runs a matchmaking service where people are introduced at the altar. I hope you’ll give her a call and tell her just what you need in a husband.”
Alexis took the paper, unsure if she would call. “Am I allowed to drive out and see the ranch?” she asked.
“Allowed? You’re encouraged to do so. It’s yours. There’s always a key hidden under the turtle on the front porch.”
She nodded, and left the room, wondering what on earth a city girl like her was going to do with a ranch.
Chapter Two
According to Google, the ranch was about twenty minutes out of town, and she set up the navigation on the rental car she was in and drove out to see what was there. She drove through a gate that read, “Tobias Ranch,” and she parked right in front of the house. When she tried the door, it was locked, so she found the key under the turtle and opened the door.
The house was huge and though it looked like it was very well constructed, it was furnished the way she would expect a rancher’s home to look. As she walked into the living room, she saw pictures of herself looking at her from every direction.
She explored, finding six bedrooms, three up and three down, each with a bathroom attached. There were even guest baths peppered in different places. The kitchen was a cook’s dream, and she did love to cook. There were two wall ovens, one above the other, and a stove with six spots to cook.
Everything about this house screamed “home” to her in a way that her mother’s house in Arlington never had. This place…she wanted to live here with every fiber of her being. But living here meant running the ranch, and she’d never been on a horse and had only been close to cows at the petting zoo that was part of the Fort Worth Zoo.
Walking back to the living room, she sat down, and called the number that was on the paper the lawyer had given her. It was time to act. “This is Dr. Lachele!”
“Uh, yes. This is Alexis Paxton. I want you to find me a cowboy to marry.”
There was laughter on the other end of the phone. “Do you think he’ll look good in his Wranglers?”
“I hope so,” Alexis responded, smiling. “I just lost a father, I didn’t know existed, and I have inherited his ranch in Colorado. I need to marry someone who can help me run it. I know business, and I’ll work on that aspect of things, but I need someone who knows how to run a ranch alongside me.”
“Where do you live, sugar?”
“I live in Arlington, TX, but I’m inheriting the ranch in Boulder, Colorado. I’d like to marry soon.”
“I’ll need to do some psychological testing, and that will have to take place at your home. Does that work for you?”
