Chapter Nine

Travis

It was the second morning for the group, and I made my way to the ranch. There was a list of things that they were to do while they were there but for a lot of the time, they were also left to their own devices. Allison told me that they used to have a stricter schedule, but they found that people didn’t like that so much. These people were also here to have a bit of a break. Between myself, Mike, and another ranch hand, we were going to split the activities up so that we could attend to them all.

As I got to the ranch, I spotted Jackson. It was hard not to notice him and even harder not to laugh at his ridiculous get up. If I thought yesterday’s outfit was crazy, then I wasn’t sure what to make of the one he was wearing today. It was even more over the top. Did he really think that this was what everyone would be wearing? Or maybe he was just the sort of guy that liked to stand out? Either way, it was going to be impossible to lose this guy in a crowd. He saw me and waved, and I made my way towards him. He annoyed me, but it was hard to stay angry at the guy. I knew that the whole point of a dude ranch was for people to get in touch with their inner cowboy selves and to take a break from their real lives. I knew that I couldn’t judge Jackson too harshly. He was a middle-aged accountant who had come out to live out his dream, and there really was nothing wrong with that.

“Morning, Jackson. Did you sleep well?”

“Hi, Travis. I slept like a log. I wanted to know if we were going to train with trick shooting or anything like that today or while we are here?”

“Oh, no, nothing like that. Uh, there was a list on the website of all the activities that you will be experiencing out here. Did you get them? If not, I can definitely get them printed out for you if you like.”

He shook his head sadly. “I saw them. And they all look great. I was just hoping that there might be some secret activities that were not on the website.”

“Ah, sorry, Jackson. There are no secret activities planned. We like people to know what to expect when they are booking. Not everyone likes surprises.”

“Pity. I love surprises. Anyway, isn’t part of being a cowboy knowing how to use a weapon? I would think that this would be one of the most important parts. I’m just very surprised that this is not a part of the experience.”

I tried not to roll my eyes. Thankfully there was nobody else around because I was sure I would’ve started laughing. The worst part was that Jackson was being completely serious about all of this. He really had thought all of this through. I felt bad that he was disappointed, but at the same time, everything had been pretty clear on the website.

“I do agree,” I said as seriously as I could muster. “Men and women on the frontier knew how to use a weapon, but a lot of the time that was things like long rifles for hunting, and not for fighting random people.”

“But—”

“The Hollywood ‘high noon’ scenario,” I continued, “that we see on TV is really more fanciful than it is reality. The average quick draw holster that we see in Westerns was something that was just invented for the movies in the 1920s and not something really used by the people on the frontier. Don’t believe everything you see in movies or everything you read in books. They don’t always depict real life. Working and living on the ranch is something different altogether. It’s not about high speed, quick draws, and bandits. Quite the opposite, really. It’s about understanding the land and the animals. It’s about learning how to be self-sufficient.”

I couldn’t help but feel fairly impressed with myself at the speech. I had no idea where I had pulled that one out of, but I was so used to giving lectures at college that talking just came naturally to me. I could see that Jackson was trying to take it all in, but the pained look on his face made me think that I might’ve taken it all a bit too far. Jackson was just trying to be part of this great experience, and I didn’t want to let him down. But at the same time, I didn’t want to promise him things that weren’t really going to happen.

“About the animals you say?” he said suddenly, and I could see him instantly cheer up at whatever thought had gone into his head. “Well, I could live with that. If that’s the case, then I’m just going to have to become a master rider.”

I smiled. That was more like it. This was at least something I could work with, although I had a funny feeling that he was not going to be a great rider at all. He didn’t have to know that though. “Absolutely. That’s a great idea. I think some daily riding can be a big part of your experience here. And really, it’s one of the most important things to master. If you can master the riding part, then you can walk away with your head held high and call yourself a cowboy.”

Jackson grinned. “I’m going to be the best rider you have ever seen in your life,” he said with fierce determination.

I smiled. I couldn’t fault the guy for at least trying. “Oh, I don’t doubt it, Jackson. I don’t doubt it.”

“And the horses are coming today?” he asked.

“They sure are. Today is your lucky day.”

Jackson punched the air, thanked me, and walked off. As he walked, I could hear him whistling the main theme from The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly. I couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of him. He was so far off from being a cattle man, it was hilarious. I also wondered just how much of what I had said had really sunk in. He was determined to be a cowboy, and nothing I could say was going to stop him. I laughed as I walked off. This was going to be an interesting day, that was for sure, and it was only day two.