I've dreamed of the perfect marriage ever since I was a little girl: a marriage complete with a hardworking husband while I tended to the home and our children, preferably four little rugrats to call my own. I dreamed of a life filled with laughter...
Author's Note: I made an adjustment in an earlier chapter on my end, clarifying that Beau and Penny went back to their home for the school year. In this chapter, they're back for fall break.
Onwards!
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Penny parks with a jerk in front of the La Di Da Salon, a quaint salon located about twenty miles from the ranch. The owners are two sisters, Mabel June and Mae July Allen. They volunteer regularly at the ranch and have been trying to get me to go to their salon for months now. I've been in desperate need of a haircut, but I've been so busy that I've kept putting my hair on the back burner. That's why I didn't throw a fit when Penny forced me into her car this morning, even though we still have so much to do at the ranch. My ends are so split they could win an Olympic Gold Medal. I pinch the ends of my hair between my fingers so I can assess the damage.
Eesh.
"Because, Lottie, we smell like poop. We always smell like poop, and I want to not smell like poop for a day. Just. One. Day. So, today, we're going to be girly girls. We're getting our hair done, makeup done, and nails done so we can finally get whatever this crud is out"--Penny holds her hand up to emphasize the dirt inside her nails--"Then, we're going to buy perfume, and make ourselves smell like anything but poop. I want Beau to smell my vanilla-infused-honey-blossom-gardenia-soaked self from a mile away. Okay?"
My eyes widen in shock at her outburst. I turn my head to take a quick sniff of my shoulder.
"I don't think we smell that bad--"
"We smell like poop. Now, let's go." She hops out of the truck and faces me with a cocked eyebrow. "Are you coming?"
"Yes, Ma'am." I'm quick to follow her out of the car and into the salon. Penny is clearly on a mission today and I have no desire to be in this girl's way.
The place is small with about four chairs total. It's nothing like the salons I'm used to back in the city.
"Well, it's about time you girls showed up here," Mabel says, spinning an empty chair around and patting the back. "Come on, Lottie, you're in my seat. Penny, you sit in the chair next to her. My sister will be out in a moment. That husband of hers is at the store trying to remember what brand of toothpaste they use. It might be a minute."
"Not a problem," Penny says as I take my seat. Mabel shakes out the black cape before wrapping it around my neck.
"Let us get started then," Mabel says, and our day of pampering begins.
I fill the ladies in on everything that's happening at the ranch. Penny and Beau have been back for a few days now because Penny is on fall break from school. They've been helping us get the ranch ready for the upcoming winter. It's good having them back. So much has happened since they left: I've been going to therapy, Daniel and I have been seeing a marriage counselor, and Escrow closed on the ranch a few weeks ago. We are now the proud owners of all the animal madness at the Last Hope Ranch. We're working with architects to design not only the bed and breakfast but also our family home that won't be too far from the bed and breakfast. Both will be built similarly to Huck and Lucy's cabin, and we hope to have them built within the year.
