Page 5 of Tame Me Daddy

I flushed. "That obvious?"

"Little bit. But hey, we all start somewhere." She shrugged. "I was scared of horses my first week. Now I help with the training."

"I'm not exactly scared of cattle," I lied. "Just . . . respectful of their size. Plus they’re hungry for blood."

Maya laughed. "Hungry for blood?”

“Everyone says it.”

We laughed together for a while. If felt good.

The conversation drifted to music, then to the local town—small but with "the best tacos you'll ever eat" at a place called Elena's. Maya talked easily, filling silences without demanding muchin return. It was a kindness I hadn't expected but desperately needed.

The landscape grew more varied as we drove—clusters of trees, small rises in the land, occasional creeks. I caught glimpses of cattle in distant fields. The vastness was both intimidating and oddly calming. So much space to breathe.

"That's Johnson Creek," Maya pointed to a ribbon of water glinting in the distance. "Runs through the northern edge of Warwick property. Good fishing, if you're into that."

I wasn't, but I nodded anyway.

"There's a swimming hole too. We sometimes go after work in summer. Nothing better after a day of dust."

The idea of socializing after work made me tense. When would I have time to decompress? To let my little side out even briefly? I'd need to establish boundaries carefully, find excuses to have alone time.

"I'm not much of a swimmer," I said.

"No pressure. Some folks just bring a beer and watch the sunset." She glanced at me. "Ranch life can be intense, but we make sure to have some fun too. Otherwise, what's the point, right?"

Her easy acceptance made me wish, not for the first time, that I could just be normal.

But I wasn't.

The truck turned off the highway onto a narrower paved road. A wooden sign announced "County Road 22" in faded letters. Maya rolled down her window slightly, letting in the scent of dust and wild sage.

"Almost there," she said. "About ten more minutes to the ranch entrance."

I took a deep breath and tried to quiet the storm in my chest—fear and hope battling for dominance. For better or worse, this was my life now.

*

The truck slowed as we approached a massive wooden archway that spanned the entrance road. Thick beams of dark wood rose from stone bases, topped by a heavy crosspiece bearing the words "Warwick Ranch" in iron lettering. Below the name, a stylized cattle brand—a W with a curved line beneath it—had been burned into the wood.

"Welcome to Warwick," Maya said, her voice carrying a hint of pride though she'd only been here a couple months herself.

The entrance road stretched ahead, unpaved but well-maintained, bordered by white post fencing that gleamed in the afternoon light. Beyond the fencing, open pastureland rolled toward distant tree lines. The vastness of it stunned me—so different from the close, green valleys of Vermont.

"How big did you say this place was?" I asked, trying to take it all in.

"About two thousand acres, give or take. The Warwick family's been adding to it for generations."

We rounded a gentle curve, and the full vista of the ranch opened before us. My mouth actually dropped open.

In the distance, a large two-story house rose from a slight elevation—white clapboard with a wide porch wrapping around at least two sides, a steep roof with multiple dormers, and mature oak trees providing shade. Not ostentatious, but substantial. The kind of house that had stories embedded in its walls.

"That's the main house," Maya explained. "Grant lives there. His grandfather built it in the forties."

To the left of the main house stood a cluster of buildings—some modern metal structures, others older wooden ones with character. Pickup trucks and utility vehicles were parked in a graveled area. People moved between buildings with purpose.

"The big metal building is the equipment barn—tractors, trucks, tools. The red one beside it is the main horse stable. Beyond that are the cattle barns and handling facilities." Maya pointed as she spoke. "Grant's been upgrading everything systematically since he took over five years ago. New cattle chutes, better water systems, solar panels on most roofs now."

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