The Healing Ranch

Chapter 6

"Well that's the last of my stuff! Don't have much floatin' around. What do I do next boss lady?" Tate called to her, while sliding a box into the bunkhouse. After yesterday's inspection, Tate had declared the bunkhouse livable, with only a fine layer of dust, a rusty door hinge and a small leak in the roof. He had decided to move in right away and fix the small problems as he went along.

"Seems to me like it might be lunch time! Mind washing up before you come in?" Megan teased, but he just smiled and strode off to the water barrel beside the porch. She had the impression that he would've washed up without her teasing. He was a country boy through and through.

She wheeled up the small ramp of their porch, feeling the familiar burn in her arms. Some days she wished she could just walk again, but God had decided that having two working legs just wasn't for her. She was pulling leftovers out of the fridge when Tate walked in, his brown hair ruffled and his hat dangling from his fingers.

"What's for lunch?" He asked with a smile, walking over to the cupboard to pull two plates and glasses down. He looked down at the things he pulled out and then turned to Megan. "Uh.. is your dad eating with us?"

"Oh nothing special. Just some deer smokies and macaroni from last night. And no. Dad is in town. My neighbour, Adam, was Dads best friend and he likes to take him to town or for a drive every few weeks. He comes over here quite a bit too." She busied herself with pulling out the food, without looking back at Tate.

"That sounds delicious to me. But that's pretty cool that he still does that. Gives you a break too." She turned to look at him and held a hand out for the plates. He handed them over and she started filling them.

"Yeah. I still feel bad though. Dad isn't easy to handle and it's not something his friend should have to put up with." He moved around her to pour milk into the glasses before bringing them to the table.

"Seems to me that he likes doin it. Doubt he'd bother otherwise. Besides your dad is his best friend." She stuck the first plate in the microwave and finally turned to look at him.

"Yeah I suppose." She handed the first plate over to him and stuck hers in the microwave. A couple minutes later they were eating in silence .

"This is good. Haven't had deer meat in awhile." Tate commented after a long period of silence.

"Yeah. I'm lucky that Adam still hunts and drops off some of the meat. I surely would miss game. Kind of grew up on the stuff." She smiled a little as he nodded his agreement.

"Ever been huntin?"

"Sure have. Dad used to take me all the time as soon as I got my hunter safety. Then after my accident and dad's diagnosis my Uncle Rex took me out a couple times. It wasn't the same though." She sighed, and looked down at her empty plate. So much hadn't been the same.

"You hunted in your wheelchair?" Tate looked shocked, and was holding a forkful of macaroni halfway to his mouth.

"Yeah. Uncle Rex was bound and determined I could still do the things I loved. I mean we made it work but it wasn't the same. Looking back now, I think Rex was lost after what happened to me and after he started loosing dad. He just wanted life to be back to normal and I was the way he got it." She took a bite and chewed slowly, letting the memories of her uncle fill her mind. He had been a broad shouldered, big man, with a jolly laugh, expressive brown eyes and blonde hair. He had always been close to her.

"But it wasn't the best for you?" Tate looked at her with that same softness in his eyes as he had yesterday.

"I wouldn't put it that way. It was great for me. Obviously I was pretty upset after what had happened, and he made sure I didn't sink too low. He believed in me when Andrew and Dad thought I should be babied. He taught me that I can do anything and is the reason why I'm so independent. I learned to work around my disability. I'm thankful for that."

"What happened to him?" Tate spoke quietly as if he was unsure whether he should ask or not.

"Heart attack about two years ago. Sometimes I wonder if it wasn't heart break though. He lost his brother, his mother and his niece was disabled all within a year of each other." She finished up and then grabbed her plate and wheeled to the sink. She didn't want Tate to realize how much she had suffered then too. Somehow he still knew. He stood up behind her and brought his empty plate over.

"And you lost yourself, your dad, your uncle and your grandma?" He was right behind her but she didn't turn.

"I did. But I made it through. And I'm ok now." She turned and smiled at him, blinking back tears. As he looked down at her something fluttered in her chest and when he smiled slowly at her she swore her heart skipped a beat.

"You are a brave, strong woman Megan. I hope you know that." He squeezed her shoulder before placing his hat on his head and turning to go start working.
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Meghan hummed as she wheeled around the kitchen, preparing supper. Right in this moment she was happy, as she did normal stuff around the house and felt like a normal person.  Just as she pulled the chicken out of the oven and put the salad on the counter, someone entered the kitchen.

"Such pretty hummin comin from this general direction. Wonder where it could be comin from." Tate's teasing tone floated through the room and she turned and smiled at him.

"Just me. I hope chicken parm is alright with you?" She motioned to the cooking chicken behind her and he nodded.

"Better than alright." Supper was fun, their conversation light and teasing. Megan was happy to have someone to talk too since usually her meals were rather lonely. Afterwards she moved towards the huge stack of dishes by the sink.

"I'll wash you dry." Tate came up beside her and nudged her chair out the way.

"Wait no! You go relax or something!" She laughed.

"Nope. My momma didn't teach me to go and sit down when there's kitchen work to be done." Ignoring her protests, he bent and grabbed the soap and started washing. She grabbed the towel and waited for the dishes to start piling up. She was drying a bowl, deep in thought when suddenly soapy water sprayed all over her. She looked up in shock to see Tate laughing at her as he scrubbed a pan.

"Hey!" She squealed and then whipped him with her towel. It connected with his back and she watched him wince.

"You play mean woman." He shot a wicked grin over his shoulder before splashing more water at her. She tried to dodge but still got soaked. Winding up her towel again, she sent it flying towards him, laughing as he skipped backwards. It turned into a war, with laughter and shrieks coming from both of them. Finally the kitchen was soaked and so were they. They finished the dishes, still laughing and he helped her clean up the kitchen.

"Aww look at what you've done. I'm drenched." Megan laughed as she looked down at herself.

"I'm so sorry ma'am." Tate said in a fake polite voice before sending her a wink that caused her to double over laughing.

About an hour later, they were both cleaned up and sitting in the living room. It was dark and her dad had gone to bed after coming home from being with Adam all day.  Tate stood up to go, stretching and yawning.

"Guess I better turn in. Gotta a long day ahead of me."

"Yeah? What are you doing?"

"Oh probably fixin fence. Ridin the fence line. Maybe go into to town for some parts to fix up the barn. I'll see where the day leads." She nodded.

"Sounds fun."

"Mmmm. Loads of it." He rolled his eyes but she turned her head quickly. She didn't want him to see the wistful expression on her face. She missed ranch work. Something told her that he had seen it anyway, because when she looked back he was studying her thoughtfully. She waited for him to say something, but all he said was goodnight then headed for the door.

Later, she found herself smiling in bed. Having Tate around did make her happier and she looked forward to the coming weeks.
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It's been a long time I know. I promise I haven't forgot about this story and have been itching to write it. I've just been super busy with school and then I was on vacation for a week. Thanks for your patience and I really hope this chapter was ok! ~ S