Widow's Ranch

Chapter 16

Some Kind of Ship

The days began to run together, a whirlwind of activity that kept the group busy with chores and endless projects on the ranch.

As women worked tirelessly in the garden, Tally cared for the chickens and goats. Having grown up on a farm, she showed a great aptitude for this activity. Susan’s suggestion that Tally take over these tasks freed Alice and Leah to help with other pressing projects on the ranch.

One hot, blistering morning, the four women started working on the fences they had begun to build for the additional animals they planned to receive soon. The ranch was slowly taking shape, and the vision became more real daily.

Despite the hard work, camaraderie and shared purpose kept them going. One hot summer morning, Sarah and Bobby played alongside Tally as she fed the chickens and gave the goats water, chatting with them about when she was a girl, helping her own mother care for the animals. Sarah hung on her every word. She loved the animals on their farm, and she liked helping Grandma Tally corral the chickens and collect the eggs. But soon, her enthusiasm with the animals waned, and Sarah took her brother Bobby by the hand, and they raced around the ranch chasing butterflies and grasshoppers, sometimes getting in the way as the other four women worked to pull some of the fence tighter. Their laughter and innocent mischief brought a lightness to the laborious tasks, even as it sometimes added to the chaos.

As the sun beat down relentlessly, and the heat was oppressive, sweat dripped from their brows and made their muscles ache from the unaccustomed exertion. The atmosphere was tense, and tempers were beginning to fray.