#ranch!au

[w1nter-fairy]

Just thinking…

[mish-tique]

the meadow scene in which Carlos and Lando marry each other all over again because this time they are in love. where Lando teaches Carlos how to make a flower crown for him. where they kiss watching the sunset and get woken up by their horse before dawn. where the foal Carlos gifted Lando dances around them.

the one scene I adore.

(huge thanks to @paranoidpandora for sharing a ranch!au braincell with me)

[selfship-uncharted]

Sorry for the lack of updates lately.

I’ve been working in a modern!AU with Arthur and Claire where Arthur is our grumpy rancher with a pick-up truck and a border collie (yes, it’s supposed to be a border collie... do not mind me, it might be my first time drawing dogs...) and Claire just finished her degree in vet and is happy to go help him.

Also be nice, since it’s been ages I didn’t attempt to draw a comic, constructive critiques are most than welcome.

The Fugitive will be back as soon as I finish the next chapter illustration and the pending commissions. Thank you for your patience.

[luci-in-trenchcoats]

Southern Man (Part 1)

Summary: The reader has returned home to her family’s ranch for the summer, starting her training under her father to one day take over the property. On her first day back, she meets one of the new ranch hands for the summer, Dean Winchester, who quickly attracts her attention...

Masterlist

Pairing: Ranch hand!Dean x reader

Word count: 5,200ish

Warnings: language

A/N: Hope you enjoy!...

“Dad!” you shouted, your alarm going off at six am. “Dad!”

“Morning, sour puss,” he said, appearing in your doorway with a cup of coffee in hand, already dressed for the day. “Breakfast will be ready in fifteen.”

“I am on summer break. I am not waking up at six in the morning,” you said, fumbling with your alarm before you ripped the cord from the outlet. 

“I knew you going away to that school would spoil you. I’ll tell you one thing, you are not sleeping in until noon everyday,” he said, walking inside and patting your leg. “Up and at ‘em. Back to ranch life.”

“Go away,” you grumbled, pulling your pillow over your head.

“Uh uh, miss grumpy college student. You can sleep in when you go back in the fall,” he said, stealing your covers.

“Dad! What if I didn’t have clothes on!” you shouted, sitting upright in bed, hugging your arms around your bare arms, already covered in goosebumps.

“You like to sleep in boy shirts and baggy shorts. The day you start sleeping naked, it better not be in that bed,” he said, tossing the covers back on you. “Breakfast in fifteen. New ranch hands start today at eight and you’re a friendlier face than I am for their first day so don’t be late.”

“Does this look like a friendly face,” you deadpanned, pointing at your scowl.

“No. You’re always grumpy when you wake up though. Now get up, get dressed and have breakfast with your old man,” he said.

“Mom gets to sleep in,” you said, swinging your legs over the edge of the bed, rubbing your eyes.

“Well, your mother scares me so I let her get up whenever she wants to,” said your dad.

“Shocker,” you said, standing up with a stretch, flapping your arms when he stood there. “Go away now.”

“If you get back in that bed, I’ll put you on hale bay duty today,” he said.

“Okay, okay but at least let me sleep in on the weekends or else I’ll get mom to kick your ass,” you said, putting your hands on your hips.

“Deal,” he said with a head nod. “You’ve already got the negotiating down.”

“I want extra bacon too,” you said, getting a laugh out of him as he left and pulled the door shut behind him. You sat down on the bed with a groan, laying back and staring up at the pretty wood plank ceiling.

You’d decided when you were a little girl you wanted to run the family ranch someday. You weren’t the oldest child so it wasn’t necessarily your right to go ahead and have it, but you and your brother made a deal way back when you were kids. 

He’d run the farm side of things if you ran the business side. He was over 6 foot, tall and built like an ox. He was made for the constant wear and tear, to run a ranch. You kept up with him but in the end, your body could only handle so much and you were more apt for the business handling. 

Besides, you really didn’t want to be waking up at six am everyday for the rest of your life.

You forced yourself to sit back up again, scrolling through your phone for a minute as you reminded yourself at least you were getting course credit for this “internship” or whatever you were calling it.

You had one semester left before you’d come home and this would be a full time job. You’d been working on the ranch since you were old enough to walk but you knew you had to take this summer serious, that your dad was going to help you through this like he had done with your brother.

After a quick shower, you grabbed a pair of jeans, a tank and a thin plaid shirt. You threw your hair back in a fast braid, tying the shirt around your waist and padding into your room with a yawn. The sun was up, not too high yet but you knew the year round ranch hands were already awake and setting about their tasks for the day.

“Twenty three minutes,” said your dad when you headed into the kitchen, tapping his watch. “First day isn’t off to a great start.”

“Cut her some slack, dad,” said Sam, ruffling your damp hair. “This is the earliest I’ve ever seen her awake.”

“Hey, Sammy,” you said, giving him a side hug.

“How was the semester?” asked Sam, sliding over the plate of bacon for you. “You had to take Business Growth, right? That class was a nightmare.”

“Yeah. The professor sure remembered you. He called me Sam’s sister every single day,” you said. Your dad quietly worked over the stove, listening to you catch up with your big brother, talking about school and finals and then raising an eyebrow at the two of you when you started discussing the big blowout party on Frat row.

It’d been the one rule your parents had for you and Sam when you decided this was the life you were going to lead. College was a must and especially if the both of you wanted the ranch to thrive in modern times.

“Have either of you guys heard from Charlie lately?” you asked, Sam shrugging. 

“Oh, I don’t know,” said Sam, a pair of arms wrapping behind you. You heard your oldest sibling squeal behind you, spinning you around so she could squish you. “Oh, there she is.”

“Charlie! You said you got that fellowship in LA! What are you doing in the middle of nowhere Texas?” you asked, Charlie pursing her lips. 

“Charlie’s decided to start her own business,” said your dad, dishing up another plate for her. “Some online thing I don’t understand but she’s happy. She’s gonna be staying with us in the guest house until she decides where to land.”

“Awesome,” you said, giving her another hug, Sam sliding out of his seat to wrap his arms around you both and lift you up.

“Are those my three children having a moment?” yawned your mom, sleepily walking down the stairs with a smile.

“A loud moment but yes,” said your dad, scratching his head. “I knew I should have made more eggs.”

It felt like years had gone by since all five of you were sat at the kitchen table having breakfast, laughing and reminisicing, your dad nodding to you and Sam a while later.

“Alright kiddos. We got in three new ranch hands for the summer. One is on the younger side so let’s keep an eye on that one so he don’t kill himself on anything around here,” said your dad, slipping on his boots. You and Sam followed suit, heading out the front door and to the garage, loading onto what you called a beefed up golf cart but it was all terrain and all three of you could sit on it at once.

Your dad drove down the path that separated the home from the ranch, a quiet minute drive through some pretty trees before the ranch opened up in front of you. There were already a few pickup trucks in the area meant for the ranch hands and their guests to use, one looking like it was right off the lot. Your dad kicked you and Sam off the cart, turning the cart towards the horse barn.

“Sammy, show her the ropes and then have her do the HR crap with the new guys,” said your dad, noticing your thick swallow. “If you need help, just radio me.”

“Shit,” you said, smacking yourself on the forehead. 

“Shit what?” he asked. 

“I forgot...” you said, feeling your hand on your back, expecting nothing but finding a radio there somehow. “...I forgot to tell you what a good dad you are.”

“Uh huh,” he said, raising an eyebrow. “See you kids at lunch.”

“You’re a lifesaver, Sammy,” you said, Sam laughing when your dad was out of earshot.

“You never could remember your radio,” said Sam, stretching out as he waved you towards the hale barn, three guys in the distance hanging around the front entrance. “So I know you know the new guy schtick. The paperwork part isn’t hard, just tedious. I’ll sit with you for the first one and then you can do the other two on your own, okay?”

“Okay,” you said, taking a deep breath. “I feel like there’s so much to learn, Sam. The HR, the benefits handling, the ordering supplies, delivering product...I’m gonna screw up.”

“Hold up a minute,” said Sam, grabbing your shoulder to stop you in your tracks. “Dad is not going to just throw a multi-million dollar business in your lap and say figure it out. I’m still learning and I’ve been out of college three years, Y/N. Dad didn’t know everything when he started. He barely knows how to balance the checkbook. Mom’s always helped with the business side. We got years before he decides he wants to retire. You don’t have to learn everything in one day.”

“I’m still going to fuck it up,” you said, Sam rolling his eyes. 

“What’s going on with you? This is not the little sister I remember,” said Sam. “Did something happen at school?”

“I’m fine,” you said, Sam grabbing your bicep. “Dude.”

“Your confidence is gone,” he said, cocking his head. “What-”

“My boyfriend cheated on me during the semester and that was it,” you said with a shrug. “We broke up like a month and a half ago. I really am fine.”

“I’m sorry,” said Sam, giving you a light hug. You felt bad about lying to him of all people but technically what you said was true and he didn’t need to know more than that for now.

“First day jitters,” you said, shaking your arms out. “Okay, let’s go meet the new guys.”

Two of the three ranch hands were older than both you and Sam. You could tell just looking at them they’d done this their whole lives. To be honest, they looked a bit bored during the introduction, only the young guy actually paying attention.

He looked to be about Sam’s age, a brand new pickup truck in the ranch hand lot surely belonging to him. He probably had money and that was already something odd about him. Then again, he looked like he just walked out of a magazine with gorgeous light brown hair, apple green eyes and pink lips that you caught yourself staring at for too long.

You also saw the nerves he was hiding well. He fidgeted with the pair of work gloves in his back pocket often, unsure how to clip his radio on his belt when he received it and his hands had barely any callouses.

He was the definition of fresh meat around these parts.

After showing them to the main barn office, Sam sat you down along with one of the older guys, quickly filling out a few forms. It seemed simple enough and the second guy was a breeze, just ‘yes mam’ and ‘no mam’ coming from him. You were used to it at this point. Some ranch hands were like family but you were still the boss’ daughter and someday their boss. 

“Last one,” you said, poking your head into the front of the barn, waving in the young guy. 

“I’m gonna take Frank and Mack here to the different barns, let them get antiquated,” said Sam. “You take the pup around and give him the once over.”

You rolled your eyes, knowing the two older guys would get pretty pissed off if they had to go through ranching 101 with the young one all morning. 

“Pup?” asked the young guy when he followed you into the office, swallowing hard when he sat down.

“You’re young, it’s a hazing thing,” you said with a smile. 

“I’m pretty sure I’m older than you at least,” he said. 

“I’m the boss’ daughter and Sam is his son. Us young guns sort of help run this place,” you said, his head nodding.

“Duly noted,” he said.

You flipped through the few pieces of paper he had, Dean Winchester, twenty six and from a much more suburban part of Texas.

“You piss off your family or something? Nobody decides to become a ranch hand at this age unless the’re strapped for cash,” you said, typing a few things into the work laptop. Dean shrugged, glancing at his lap. “Sorry.”

“I wanted to be a rancher, have my own ranch someday. I can’t do that if I don’t know how to work on one,” he said.

“Huh,” you said. “Who’d you interview with?”

“A very nice woman. We spoke over the phone. It wasn’t really like an interview though. To be honest I’m surprised she hired me,” he said.

“That was my mom. You’re lucky she picked up the phone,” you said, going back to the computer.

“Why’s that?” asked Dean.

“Because my dad doesn’t like to hire smart guys, at least not too many of them at the same time. Keep your dreams of owning your own ranch quiet for now,” you said. “My mom’s more helpful like that.”

“Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind,” he said.

“Alright, you’ve got your paperwork filled out correctly and in the system. Have you ever done any kind of ranching at all?” you asked.

“Nope,” he said.

“Okay,” you said. “Well so far you seem strong, smart and know how to follow direction so you’ll do just fine around here if you keep that up.

“Can I ask you a question?” he asked as you stood up, motioning him out.

“Shoot,” you said, pulling the office door shut behind the two of you. “My dad is still your boss, not me so I’ll give it to you straight more than anyone else around here.”

“Do you ever get used to the smell?” he asked. You laughed, nodding your head. “Good because it reeks.”

“Oh, it always reeks. You just get used to it,” you said with a smile. “Just wait until you see the horse barn.”

“Oh. Lovely,” he said, following you through the bale barn, listening as you explained the process for storing and bundling. When you were out through the other side, you headed to the machine shed, Dean’s eyes wide as he looked around at the equipment.

“Don’t worry. The biggest thing you’ll be driving is a four wheeler or a small bob cat. You need more than a standard license if you’re going to be driving any of these big toys around,” you said. “You might get put on wash duty on occassion. Just be careful of the blades.”

“Blades?” he asked.

“General ranching rule. If it’s got blades, something sharp, something that will make swiss cheese out of you, triple check it is turned off, unplugged, etc. before you go messing with it,” you said.

“You really have to triple check it?” asked Dean.

“Well we used to have a double check rule until someone didn’t follow it hence the triple check rule. Besides, girls think you’re cuter with all of your appendages,” you said, Dean chuckling quietly as you made your way back outside. There was a slight walk to the horse barn, Dean whipping his head all around as he glanced at one field and then another, watching a few horses run around with some of the at work hands.

“This place is huge,” he said, spinning all the way around, eyes going wide. “Is that your house way up there?”

“Mhm. We live on the ranch just like you hands do. That little road next to the lot where you parked goes up to the family’s house. You’re not necessarily allowed to go up there unless your presence is requested but in an emergency, please always feel free to come up there. Someone is normally home,” you said. “Sam and I live on the property, it’s too hard not to.”

“That’s a big house,” he said quietly, spinning back around, nearly plowing into a big brown stallion. “Whoa there.”

“Dean, meet Lucky. Lucky, this is Dean,” you said, patting the horse.

“Nice to meet you, Lucky,” said Dean.

“That’s Gary,” you said, nodding to the guy in the sunglasses and cowboy hat leading the horse.

“Mornin’ little miss,” said Gary, giving you a smile, wiping it clean off his face for Dean. “Mr. Dean.”

“Winchester actually. Dean Winchester,” said Dean, holding out a hand, Gary shaking it pretty hard, smirking when Dean grunted.

“You the boy with that fancy truck?” he asked.

“Uh, yes?” said Dean.

“Well which is it. Yes or no,” said Gary, Dean straightening his shoulders.

“Yes,” said Dean.

“Millenials,” said Gary with a sigh before turning to you. “Not you of course, little miss.”

“Eh, take it easy on the new guy for me, would you? I gotta not make him quit on his first day,” you said.

“Yes, little miss,” said Gary, walking away with Lucky. “We got ridin’ at three if you want to take Ford out. He sure has missed you.”

“Hopefully I can make it,” you said, heading with Dean in the barn. His gaze immediately went to the floor, sniffing the air. “Yes?”

“Why does it not smell like crap in here?” he asked.

“Because the stalls are cleaned often,” you said, leading Dean past a couple of the horses, stopping at a black one. “Ford. Ford, guess who it is.”

The horse in the pen spun around, neighing when he saw you, sticking his head out for a head rub.

“This is Ford,” you said. 

“Is he your horse?” asked Dean, carefully patting the horse’s head.

“No. I don’t have a horse, not really. I got lost when I was little once. The ranch is on a big property and the fields and forest and everything makes it pretty hard to find a four year old. There are coyotes and wolves in the area so don’t go wandering around in the dark without a knife on you. See, Ford was a wild horse that found me when a few of what I thought were big mean dogs cornered me. He got rid of them and walked me back home and just sort of stuck around. He’s a very special boy,” you said. “You ever been around horses?”

“I think I pet a donkey at a petting zoo when I was six,” he said.

“You have got a lot to learn, Dean,” you said, patting Ford a goodbye, wandering outside to show Dean the rest of the grounds. It was getting close to lunchtime when you made your way to the ranch hand homes Dean would be staying in, right across from where he was parking.

“So this is like my house while I’m here, right?” he asked, pushing open the door to number three.

“Mhm. You’re on the end so hopefully it’s a little quieter for you. It’s not huge but you’ve got your own kitchen, bed, bathroom, couch, TV. No rent or utilities or any of that. You got wifi too, not that you’ll have much energy to do much at the end of the day,” you said, Dean nodding his head. “The more senior ranchers get actual separate homes, so guys like Gary if they choose to stay on the property. Some with families live off property nearby so you’ll have your privacy for the most part.”

“There’s a lot to learn,” he said, plopping down on his bed.

“You can handle it,” you said with a smile, leaning against his doorframe. “If you got any questions you don’t want to ask the guys, just let me know. I won’t haze you like they will.”

“I don’t get you,” he said. “You’re like tough and sweet at once.”

“I’m a complex gal,” you said, Dean chuckling as he stood up. “Come on.”

“Come on where? I was going to move my stuff from the truck over during lunch,” he said.

“Move it later. First day ranch hands always get to eat up at the house with the family,” you said. “I totally saw a pot roast in the fridge this morning so I’m hoping my mom made that.”

“You’re super exicted,” he said with a big smile, pulling his door shut. “It’s a very cute look on you.”

“To be honest, most guys around here won’t talk to me. Plus you’re like my age and you’re a fish out of water right now so why not have each other’s backs?” you asked.

“Okay, Y/N,” he said. “That sounds pretty good to me.”

You headed up the road back to the house, a few minute walk, Dean always looking around at everything, like he couldn’t quite get enough of it all. 

“Shrimp, you copy?” you heard your radio crackle. You unclipped it, showing Dean the buttons to hit to use it.

“Yeah doofus, I copy,” you said, Dean biting his bottom lip.

“You bringing Dean up for lunch? Mom’s setting up on the back patio,” said Sam. 

“We’ll be there in two,” you said, tucking the radio back in your belt. “They’re more reliable than cell phones.”

“I noticed that when my phone basically stopped working down on the ranch,” said Dean, pulling it out of his pocket. “Yet I have bars up here at the house...”

“We’re up higher,” you said. “Plus my dad had three teenagers in the house at the same time. We would have revolted if we didn’t have cell service.”

“Your father sounds like a very smart and frightening man,” said Dean.

“That sounds about right,” said your dad. You jumped into Dean, his hands on your arms catching you as you scowled and pulled yourself away. “This one always was a scaredy cat.”

“Dean, this is my dad, Mr. Y/L/N. Dad, this is Dean Winchester, one of the new ranch hands and why are you hiding around bushes?” you asked.

“Your mother has me landscaping,” said your dad, your head peering around to see him planting some flowers in the bed in front of the shrub. “Well, we better get washed up and out to lunch before her mother fires all three of us.”

“This way, Dean,” you said, grabbing his arm, pulling him around to the side of the house. Sam was already back there with Frank and Mack, Charlie waving you over when she saw you. “There’s a little sink over at the grill you can wash up at.”

“Thanks,” he said, leaving you as you went to Charlie, the smile on her face enormous. 

“What?” you asked, Charlie pulling you out of earshot.

“The young guy is so into you. He can’t keep his eyes off of you,” said Charlie. “I mean, I know you’re still getting over that breakup thing with the douchebag but come on. He’s hot and I don’t even like dudes!”

“Charlie, he’s my new friend. He’s nervous and I’m just trying to get him through his first day, that’s it. Let it go, sis,” you said, going to wash up before everyone was waiting on you.

“Girls,” said your mom, carrying out a big bowl of salad. “Take a seat. I’m sure everyone’s plenty ready for lunch.”

Dean was polite but quiet throughout lunch, only speaking when spoken to. For a moment you thought possibly he thought it was out of place for him to say anything more, that he was hired help to be seen and not heard. As you paid him more attention though, you saw he was more distracted with listening to the conversation, his ears preening in, already trying to learn.

“I don’t know about anyone else but I am stuffed,” said your dad, throwing his napkin down on his plate. 

“Alright guys, let’s get down the hale barn. You can get off at seven to move into your places,” said Sam. “We lost some time today with the introduction but tomorrow we’ll get ya’ll on normal schedules.”

You gave Dean a smile as the guys left with Sam, your dad raising an eyebrow at you when they were gone.

“That young one might be a problem,” he said, your jaw dropping. “I see you have a different opinion.”

“He’s a first time rancher. He has to learn,” you said.

“He can learn. I don’t trust him is all, seems too smart,” said your dad, crossing his arms.

“You don’t like any boy even close to Y/N’s age. We need more strong young men around here. It’ll give Sam a chance to groom someone, let him have a friend his own age, Y/N too,” said your mom.

“Life would have been so much simpler if you were into girls too,” said your dad.

“Nah, I tried to test the waters on that one with Monica at a sleepover once but Y/N is into long tall and handsome dudes,” said Charlie.

“Don’t you have a business to go run?” you asked with a smirk.

“Don’t you?” she said back.

“Girls,” said your mom. “After you help me clean up I’m giving both of you a lesson in finance and accounting.”

“Yay,” you said.

“Sounds super fun,” said Charlie.

“Totally super fun,” you said, Charlie giggling beside you.

“Behave for your mother,” said your dad. “I have gardening to finish up if anyone needs me.”

You were practically asleep during dinner, shoveling some mac and cheese in your mouth you made, Sam happily eating your leftovers when he came up from the ranch for the night.

“How’d your day go?” you asked.

“Frank and Mack are good, know what they’re doing. Dean seems cool. I got talking to him about cars for like half an hour while he moved in. Dude owns a lot of flannel so he’s got that going for him at least,” said Sam.

“Help him out please,” you said, Sam lifting his chin. “He wants to learn.”

“I won’t rag on him too hard,” said Sam. “We’ll let him try everything out and try to get him real good in a few areas. I have a feeling he might be a good fit for the maintenance crew. Too bad he’s only a summer hire though. I hate to put in that kind of training only for the guy to leave.”

“Maybe he has bigger life goals than being a ranch hand,” you said.

“You like him,” said Sam.

“So,” you said.

“I’ll play nice with him. Just be careful that it doesn’t get any friendlier than friends or Dad will probably kill him and bury him in the woods,” said Sam.

“You’re not wrong,” you said, taking a deep breath. “I’m gonna go see the horses one more time before bed.”

“Take a flashlight,” said Sam, ruffling your head. “Tell Dean I said hi.”

“Goodnight, Sammy,” you said, heading for the front door with an eye roll.

“Night, Y/N,” he said.

Eight minutes later you were knocking on Dean’s door, the thing flying open with Dean having half a sandwich shoved in his mouth.

“Hi,” he said, swallowing down a large bite. “I mean, hi.”

“Hey,” you said, Dean stepping aside to let you in. “You really didn’t move in much, did you?”

“Just clothes mostly,” he said, brushing his hands on his pants, setting his sandwich to the side. 

“Don’t let me interrupt your dinner,” you said, Dean picking up his sandwich again, taking a seat on his couch. “So you think you’re gonna stick around?”

“Yeah. This place seems pretty good,” he said, offering you a seat beside him.

“It’s a pretty good setup,” you said, Dean humming as he polished off his sandwich. “Make sure you eat enough. You’ll be burning calories all day long.”

“I have to wake up at five tomorrow,” he said with a tired smile. “I think sleep will be my biggest enemy.”

“I shouldn’t complain about six then I guess,” you said, Dean bumping your shoulder. 

“Six? I thought you were in like upper management training. Why do you have to be up so early?” he asked.

“My dad says so,” you said.

“Do you always do what your dad says?” he asked.

“When it comes to ranching, yes but otherwise, I do what I want,” you said.

He stared at you for a good long minute with those apple green eyes, letting them dart down to look at your lips, back to staring at yours with a question in them. You gave a small nod, Dean giving you a smile in return. He leaned in most of the way, letting you come to him to deliver a soft and far too short kiss.

“You should get to bed, Y/N,” he said quietly. “Early days for both of us tomorrow.”

“You’ve been eye flirting with me all day and that was it? It’s over already?” you asked.

“We’re just getting started,” said Dean, brushing his lips over yours. “There’s no need to rush. We can take this real slow.”

“Dean,” you said, another kiss from him silencing you.

“Sam already told me to be careful about his baby sister. I didn’t say anything but he knew somehow. We gotta go slow, Y/N. Let us warm up to each other, get to know each other. We got time so let’s enjoy it,” he said, murmuring against your ear.

“What do you want to know?” you said, Dean chuckling when he pulled back.

“Everything.”

A/N: Read Part 2 here!

@me-han10

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[kendrene]

The Summer Job - A Wayhaught Ranch AU

“Hello?” Nicole called again, distractedly petting the muzzle of a grey mare that was sniffing at her, evidently hoping for a treat.

This time, her inquiry was met by a loud clatter, which was followed by a string of the most inventive expletives she’d ever heard. Moments later, a girl about her age came into view. Rather, she stumbled across Nicole’s path, wrestling with a water hose that kicked and writhed in her grip worse than an angry snake.

“Oh, shitsitcks!”

The next few moments were chaos: Nicole jumped back to avoid a jet of water, her momentum enough to almost send her into the mare’s stall; the horse whinnied and stomped at the ground; and the girl - who didn’t have time to clear the way - dropped the bucking hose altogether, ending up completely soaked in the process.

The other horses whickered, their evening rest disturbed by the commotion, and Nicole’s gaze went back to the water hose. The hissing noise and the sprays of water were nothing to a human, but such sudden, unpredictable movements could send a horse into frenzy. Already, a few of the most excitable animals were kicking that their stalls and tossing their heads in fright, and it would not take long for the crisis to spread to the entire stable.

Want to read this exclusive? Subscribe to my Patreon for exclusive content, chapter previews, early releases and much more!

As always thanks to @iamthegaysmurf for being an amazing friend and beta

[speedyistheotherguy-blog]

Steakhouse Ranch

@baptizedinred

After what seemed like days instead of mere hours from the airport, the old, rust-dappled van finally came to a stop. “We’re here!” announced the driver, a young man with a baseball cap pressed down backwards over his shaggy red hair and sunglasses covering his blue eyes. The van’s only passenger looked up from the screen of his phone where he’d been playing a game to stave off the crushing boredom and peered out the window at the sight before them. It was an sturdy little ranch house with a stable tucked next to a corral beside a grove of elm trees. Alongside the opposite end of main house was a row of small, evenly-spaced cabins. A faded wooden sign out front of the wrap-around porch of the main house was proudly emblazoned with the words “Wild Canyon Ranch and Summer Camp: Guiding America’s Youth Since 1966.” Bart gazed quizzically at the campus, squinting in the bright New Mexico sunlight. He had been less than ecstatic about the whole ‘summer camp’ situation from the beginning. Two weeks ago he’d been happily strolling away from the steps of Central City High School and looking forward to an entire summer of nonstop video games when his cousin Wally had dropped this nonsensical idea on him like a bomb. “Summer camp will be good for you, Bart.” He’d said, “You’re sixteen now. It’s time for you to learn some responsibility. Gain some independence and start acting like an adult. Besides, it’ll keep you from just playing video games all summer.”

"How is making sure that I waste my whole summer at a lame camp supposed to teach me about responsibility?” Bart had argued, scowling. Wally was always butting into his life uninvited with awful ideas that made him suffer. Wally called it 'building character.’ Bart called it obnoxious.

"Actually, Bart, I think summer camp is a good idea.” His grandpa Jay piped up. His grandma Joan nodded encouragingly as well. Bart tried not to look betrayed. They’d adopted him when he was little after his parents had died and raised him like their own son with occasional help from Wally. Bart loved them dearly and he knew they meant well, but sometimes he felt like he was being micromanaged by a team of out-of-touch senior guidance counselors. "I think you’ll be surprised by how much fun you can have when you spend some time in the real world and not in World of Warlocks.” Wally chipped in, issuing a frustrated groan from Bart.

"It’s World of Warcraft, dude! And I’ve spent plenty of time in the 'real world’! That’s what school is for!”

“Well, you haven’t been getting any high scores there, either.” Wally countered. “Joan showed me your report card.” Bart gave him a dirty look.

“Bart, honey. Why don’t you just give it a try?” Grandma Joan said, stepping forward and taking his hands in her own. “Just try it for a week and if you don’t like it then give us a call and we’ll send you home. And if you end up loving it you can stay there for the summer.” Bart considered the option for a moment in silence. He couldn’t say no to Grandma Joan. And it was only for a week. Surely seven days of summer camp wouldn’t kill him, right? And then he could just call home and come right back and spend his summer doing what he really wanted to do without his family hassling him.

And so Bart agreed to the deal and had been promptly shipped off to Wild Canyon Summer Camp two weeks later.

Now, as he looked out at the modest ranch in the actual middle-of-nowhere New Mexico, he was beginning to regret that decision. “Looks awesome, right?” The driver prompted, turning to Bart with an honest grin.

“Ummm, sure?” Bart replied, only because he didn’t want to upset the guy. He was so friendly and he had one of those sincere faces that made you think twice about lying to him. “It looks… different?” Bart offered, glancing at the name tag pinned to the guy’s chest. 'Roy,’ it read. He’d introduced himself when he’d picked Bart up at the airport, but Bart had already forgotten it sometime during the drive.

Roy laughed. “You got that right! Trust me, there’s no other place on earth like Wild Canyon. It’s one of a kind. C'mon, grab your bag and I’ll give you the tour!” He said, clapping Bart on the shoulder before jumping out of the van. Bart stifled a sigh and followed suit, pulling his duffel off the back seat and following Roy up the gravel path to the main building. He couldn’t see them, but he could hear cows lowing somewhere in the distance. The smell of hay, dust and manure assaulted his nose and made him sneeze.

“This is the main house, but we all call it 'The Tower’ because it’s the only building on the grounds that has two stories. Upstairs is lodging for the staff and counselors, and downstairs is the kitchen, mess hall, showers, rec room, and office.” Roy explained, clomping up the porch steps in his cowboy boots and reaching for the door knob. No sooner had his fingers touched it than it swung open from the inside. “Hey, Uncle Jim!” Roy greeted the man inside cheerfully, who returned it with equal enthusiasm. Bart could see the family resemblance. Jim looked like an older version of Roy with a beard and a reasonable haircut. “Hey, kid! You must’ve made good time from the airport. Feels like I just saw you leaving only a minute ago. Guess we don’t call you Speedy for nothing, huh?” He laughed. Bart raised an eyebrow. So that explained why they’d seemed to pass every single car on the highway coming here. He might’ve thought more of it at the time if he wasn’t so used to Wally’s driving, which was hair-raising to say the least. As it was, the ride had still seemed to take forever in Bart’s opinion, but he kept that to himself.

“You must be Bartholomew!” Jim said, jerking Bart out of his thoughts as he reached out to shake Bart’s hand.

“Yeah, that’s me. People just call me Bart, though.” He said, trying not to wince as his fingers were nearly crushed. Jim had a very firm grip.

“Bart it is!” Jim replied with a laugh. “Welcome to Wild Canyon, Bart. You can give me your bag there and I’ll put it in your cabin for you while Roy shows you around. Dinner’s in an hour. I’ll see you both then!” Jim said, slinging Bart’s duffle over his shoulder and giving them both a wave before closing the door behind him.

“Uncle Jim’s been helping run this place for years. I actually grew up on a Rez not far from here. That’s where he found me and we reconnected. I remember coming here when I was a kid. I mean, I wasn’t ever a camper in the program, but the ranch was so close and I just wanted to play with the other kids. Nobody ever seemed to care. I was always welcome here whenever I wanted. This place was almost going out of business by the time Uncle Jim found me, but when he saw what a great place it was and how much it meant to me, he decided to do everything he could to help save it. Even scored some recent funding from Queen and Wayne Enterprises if you can believe that! Don’t ask me how, because I still don’t know. The Rez even granted us an easement and we were able to expand a bit with the shared land, so now this place is doing better than ever. I mean, there’s always some fixing up to do, but we put most of the funding into the programs for the campers like you.” Roy told him. Bart half-listened as he looked around the place. The inside was actually pretty nice compared to the grounds outside. He could tell it had been recently remodeled. It was even air conditioned, which was more than he had expected when they first pulled up. At least he could be reassured that he wouldn’t die of heat stroke if boredom didn’t kill him first.

For the next half hour Roy showed Bart around the rest of the ranch. They saw the kitchen where a beautiful red-haired woman named Kori was making dinner for the camp. The food looked questionable, but Bart hardly noticed as he was too distracted by her eyes. They were the brightest shade of green he’d ever seen, and he would’ve been instantly smitten if only he hadn’t seen Roy steal a kiss from her on their way out. Damn.    

After seeing the rec room and showers they stopped by the office to take care of Bart’s program registration. They were met there by another young man about Roy’s age named Dick, who assigned Bart to cabin number four and invited himself along for the tour immediately after Roy mentioned that they were heading to the stables next. Roy didn’t seem to mind, and Bart didn’t either. The two seemed to be good friends, and Bart was entertained by listening to them banter back and forth with each other as they walked.

They moved on to the stables where a woman named Barbara was teaching a riding lesson in the corral. A small group of campers watched in awe as she expertly navigated her horse around some barrels and fences. Bart noticed that Dick looked especially fascinated, although he somehow doubted that it was because he was interested in riding technique. They watched together for a few minutes before Roy led Bart onward towards the pasture. Dick, to no one’s surprise, opted to stay behind.

The pasture was occupied by about a hundred cattle. Among them was a green-haired boy about Bart’s age who was napping under a tree. “Shhh-” Roy pressed a finger to his lips and crept towards the tree, motioning for Bart to follow him. Roy grinned mischievously as he dropped to a crouch and reached his hands out towards the boy, who appeared to be completely asleep and totally unaware of the danger about to befall him. Suddenly, Roy grabbed the boy’s shoulders and shook him hard, shouting in his face. “AAAAH! EARTHQUAKE!!!” Roy bellowed. The boy woke with a loud yelp, his green eyes wide with confusion and terror for all of a second before he figured out what was happening. “Dude!” He exclaimed indignantly, shoving Roy away who collapsed onto his back in a fit of laughter. “You’re gonna spook the cattle!” But Roy seemed unperturbed as he regained his breath, smirking at the boy’s concern.

“No, I’m not. Because you’re here, Gar.” He said, sitting up and readjusting his baseball cap. “You’re the animal-whisperer! They’re always calm around you no matter what.” Bart looked around. True enough, the cattle seemed just as content and unconcerned about the disturbance as they had been when they’d arrived.

“Fine, but you’re still a dick.” Gar grumbled, sitting up and stretching his arms.

“No, Dick’s over by the stables.” Roy countered, and Gar swatted him then laughed.

“Shut up, man.” He snickered. Bart liked him already. He seemed laid back and had a good sense of humor, which Bart always appreciated. “Oooh, is this another newby?” Gar asked as he noticed Roy wasn’t alone.

“My name’s Bart.” Bart introduced himself, offering Gar a hand up.

“Garfield.” Gar replied, accepting Bart’s hand and pulling himself to his feet. “But people just call me Gar.”

“Gar was actually a camper like you last year.” Roy said, getting up and brushing the dirt off his hands. “But when we saw how good he was with the cows we decided to keep him on as a ranch hand. Sometimes we even pay him.” He joked.

“Not enough to put up with you, though.” Gar shot back. They all laughed at that.

“Hey, where’s Jason?” Roy asked, “I thought he was out here with you today?”

"He said he wanted to go for a trail ride and that he’d be back for dinner.” Gar said, shrugging nonchalantly. “I already got dibs on his dessert if he’s late, so don’t even try.”

"Fat chance, green bean. Speaking of dinner, we should head back." Roy said to Bart, turning back towards the main house. They both waved goodbye to Gar, who waved back and said he'd see them later.<\p>

"Looks like you got to meet almost everyone already! And don't worry, the ones you didn't you'll get to see later tonight at the bonfire. We always have one when we get a new camper so we have a chance to get to know you better." said Roy. Bart perked up at that. At least a bonfire sounded like fun. Maybe his week long banishment here wouldn't be so bad after all.

"Sounds great!" Bart replied, following Roy onward to dinner and the rest of the full week ahead of him.

[mish-tique]

did i read that right??? calando bodice ripper?

fuck i want that so bad tell me everything (please)

Yes!! You absolutely read that right.

It has: mail order bride trope, hurt/comfort, slight angst, confusion and misunderstandings due to huge language barrier, sooo much fluff, domestic vibes, kind of found family and so many cute carlando moments.

And in a way its a tiny bit slowburn?

Its a historical romance (obv), and might not be as smutty as some bodice rippers but i feel like it checks all the other boxes for being considered one 😭😭

Also this whole post is making it sound like its fully written and complete but. Its not. Whoops. Me and Paranoid Pandora just basically plotted out everything, like enough to write a whole book.

Its too much to be able to summarize it but if you want to read every scrap and thought we had till now, there is a server in which we posted everything and you can join it just to read it if you want! Just lmk if you want a link

[mish-tique]

not me and @paranoidpandora getting ready to shake up the carlando tag with our bodice ripper thoughts if we ever get to it. i love this plot sm