Chapter Six

Harper

I looked around at my small room and sighed. At least it wasn’t camping, as I had feared. Jillian noticed me looking around and chuckled.

“I told you we weren’t going to camp. You didn’t really believe me, did you?”

I looked at my friend apologetically. “I guess I thought you were only telling me that so that I would come. But yeah, I thought we were camping.”

“Only the last two days. I told you. The rest of the time we’re here. Come on, it’s not so bad, huh? I think it’s pretty nice, actually.”

“It’s not bad,” I agreed although it wasn’t at all what I was used to. Still, at least I had a bed and somewhere to hang my clothes. The bathroom was a shared one, but we were assured that there was one for men and one for women. It was all a little bit rustic, but it was better than being outside. I had never been around so much dust before. We’d barely done anything that day and had been mostly left to our own devices to settle in, but I felt like I had dust everywhere. If this was how I felt after my first day, I dreaded to think what the rest of the time was going to feel like. But poor Jillian looked happy, and I was glad to be there for her. “It’s an adventure, that’s for sure,” I told my friend.

“I’m starving. I’m glad we’re off to dinner soon,” Jillian said.

“You do realize that we’re not exactly going to be going somewhere like Jermaine’s, don’t you? Sadly I have a feeling we’re going to have to get used to a very different sort of meal than we’re used to.”

“Oh, I’ve heard the food here is great actually. It was mentioned in all the reviews. Come on, don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. Should we go?”

I frowned. “Aren’t we going to dress up?”

Jillian chuckled. “Dress up? You saw what everyone was wearing today. I don’t think anyone is actually going to dress up for this dinner. That Jackson guy is a riot, isn’t he? I think he’s going to annoy the hell out of me eventually, but right now I can’t help but find him quite amusing.”

“Oh, I already find him quite annoying.”

Jillian giggled. “Let’s see if he’s still in the same outfit.”

He was. And everyone else was also wearing the same thing they’d worn all day. I was glad now that I hadn’t dressed up. I would’ve looked like such a fool to everyone. It was a pity though. I’d brought some lovely dresses along. I wasn’t sure why, considering I had thought we’d be camping the whole time, but I just didn’t feel right going anywhere with some good outfits packed. While I worked in PR, I’d always had a fascination for the world of fashion. In another life, I would’ve probably pursued a career in it. Now I just viewed it as a hobby. When I looked good on the outside, I felt good on the inside. Which was not at all how I was feeling at the moment. I was probably the best dressed out of the lot, but I would never have gone out for dinner in the same clothes I’d worn all day usually. And my hair felt like it was covered in dust. Still, at least I looked better than most. Jillian wasn’t acting the way she usually did, although she had always been a bit more down to earth than me. Either she had found her true calling here, or else she was just pretending to like it to make herself feel better.

We all sat down at the table with Travis, Mike, and the four other guests. Travis and Mike were obviously brothers, both good-looking in their own way. Travis annoyed me a little. I didn’t like the way he looked at me, like I was some idiotic city girl who knew nothing about country living. He was right: I did know nothing about this lifestyle, but that was no reason to be condescending about it. He was very good-looking but I got the sense that he knew that. Mike was married, and his wife Allison had been in charge of making all the food. When she came out to greet us, I was surprised by how nice and pretty she was. For someone that lived out here near the ranch, she was actually very well put together. And, as it turned out, her food was incredible. It was sort of food that made you want to go back for more. If this was the sort of food we would be getting every day, I didn’t mind so much.

“So,” Mike said as he looked around the room. “How is everyone enjoying the first day?”

“Wonderful,” said one.

“Fantastic,” said another.

“Oh, it’s so great,” Jillian replied. “So far, it’s exactly as the website described. A truly authentic country experience,” she gushed.

Mike and Travis chuckled a little, and I got the feeling that they found the whole thing rather amusing, but then they thanked her for being so enthusiastic, and I wasn’t so sure anymore. Mike especially seemed pleased that she was so happy.

“I’m loving it,” boomed the annoying Jackson. His accent kept changing too. I wondered how long until he just forgot about it altogether. “I’m just wondering when we are going to go out and kill some deer. I’m so eager to get right into the heart of country living, if you know what I mean.”

I couldn’t help but pull a face at that. Were we really going to hunt some deer? Jillian hadn’t said anything about that to me. There was no way I was going to take part in something like that. I was just about to say something when Travis cut in and put my fears to rest.

“I’m sorry to say, Jackson, but we don’t actually hunt animals as part of the ranch experience. There is, however, fishing available if you want to catch something.”

“Fishing?” Jackson asked, sounding somewhat disturbed by the idea.

“It’s not even deer season, so fishing will have to do,” Travis said, and I could hear that he was trying desperately to be polite. I was impressed. I wasn’t so sure if I could be that polite with a guy like Jackson. The guy was so annoying.

“Hmm. The damn government back east must be restricting the frontier,” Jackson mumbled to himself and this time I caught a definite smile on Travis’s face.

“It’s the state government that defines the Texas deer season, and not the federal government,” Travis said. I got the feeling he was used to dealing with idiots.

“Oh? Well, okay then.” Jackson at least finally looked satisfied.

Travis caught me rolling my eyes and even though I quickly looked away, I was sure that he had seen me. The next time I looked up, I saw a little smile playing on his face.

“Anyway, let’s forget about the deer. We’re getting the horses in tomorrow morning. So, Jillian, that should make you happy,” Travis said as he looked at Jillian.

She beamed. “Very happy. I cannot wait. That’s the part I’m looking forward to the most.”

For the rest of the night, the group spoke politely, and everyone seemed to be in a very good mood. The other guests weren’t overly talkative, but they seemed nice. It was Jackson who dominated most of the conversation and who seemed to have an endless amount of questions throughout the night. But maybe this wasn’t a bad thing. It gave me the chance to just sit back and enjoy my food without having to talk too much. But perhaps I’d taken it too far because just as we were finishing up with our dessert, Travis looked at me.

“How about you, Harper? Are you having a good time?” he asked, and I was impressed at how he already knew everyone’s names.

I nodded. “Yeah. Thank you.”

“Hmm, you don’t sound totally convinced.”

I chuckled. “Sorry. I’m still getting used to it all I guess. My hair is not meant for this sort of air, and I feel like I’m covered in sand. It’s a really great place though,” I said as I didn’t want to offend anyone. Especially Allison who seemed like a very nice lady. Allison and Mike were sitting together and every now and again they would whisper something to one another and smile. They were clearly in love, and it was nice to watch them.

“You’ll find it’s not nearly as bad as you think it is. It’s good to get away sometimes. Is there anything you’re concerned about? Because all you have to do is say so and we’ll make sure to accommodate you.”

“She’s worried about the last two days,” Jillian interrupted.

I didn’t even bother to try and tell them otherwise. “Yeah, it’s true. The last two days don’t sound that great to me.” Jillian had only shown me the schedule on the way, and I had gasped at the final item on the itinerary. A two-day overnight riding and hiking trip. That didn’t sound like my idea of fun at all. What if I hated it and wanted to come back? I wouldn’t be able to. I would be stuck out in the wild for two days with all these people. If it wasn’t for Jillian, I would never have done this. I didn’t blame her for only telling me on the way here about it because there was a chance I wouldn’t have come.

“Oh, I’m looking so forward to it,” Jackson said loudly. “I cannot wait to live off the land. We’re going to have to try and survive in such a hostile environment, and it’s going to test us to the limits.”

“Nah,” Travis said and smiled at me while doing so. “The whole part of being a proper cowboy is making sure you have provisions so that you don’t have to depend on the land if unnecessary.”

Jackson went silent at that as he took the idea in. He seemed to have no idea that Travis was mocking him. I couldn’t help but look at Jackson and chuckle. Where did this guy come from?

“I’m pretty excited about that part actually,” Jillian said. “I keep telling Harper that it’s going to be fun. Although I haven’t gone camping years; even then it wasn’t even real camping. It was in a camper-van.”

“I went glamping once,” I said.

“Glamping? What’s that?” Mike asked.

“Glamorous camping. I was in a tent, but it had air conditioning and a little bathroom and even a little fridge. I got to do my makeup every day and still feel like I was part of nature.”

Mike laughed. “That does not sound like being part of nature to me. Since when do they wear makeup in the wild?”

I chuckled. “They should, though. Anyway, don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. There really is nothing quite like being comfortable.”

“Well, big city people need to appreciate a more rural existence every now and again,” Travis said. I noticed that Mike shot him a funny look and I wondered what it was all about. “And a pretty woman like you shouldn’t worry so much about everything.”

I joked back but all I noticed was that Travis had gone slightly pink, and I realized that he’d just called me pretty. I looked around the table, but nobody else seemed to have noticed, so I didn’t say anything more either.

“There’s nothing wrong with looking and feeling good. And I just honestly feel most comfortable in the city. I’m not knocking this life at all though. I actually think it’s pretty great. It’s just not where I’m comfortable at. That’s all.”

Travis seemed to consider this before nodding. “Yeah, I can understand that actually.”

That surprised me. “You can?”

He nodded. “Yeah, country life isn’t for everyone. I totally get that. But try and have an open mind at least. You’ll have a much better time if you do,” he said and offered me a smile that looked very genuine.

I smiled back. “I’ll definitely do my best.” And I knew I really would, at least for Jillian’s sake. But when I looked down at my nails, I saw a layer of mud had already lined them despite my rigorous washing, and I inwardly groaned. I was going to have to do more than try.