Dirt & Desert

Josephine’s heart was fluttering as she walked out to meet Boone. She didn’t dare look back; she was too scared of what she would feel if she did. What if she turned around and he was watching her walk away, or even worse, what if he wasn’t?

“What are you smiling about, smiley face?” Boone asked.

Josephine quickly wiped the smile off her face. “What? I’m not smiling?”

“Yeah, sure you’re not.” Boone leaned his head back, looking towards the barn.

Josephine grabbed his arm and started pulling him in the opposite direction. “Come on crazy, you promised me fishing.”

They walked to the pond, and Boone gathered all their fishing equipment. A medium-sized green shed was placed under a tree near the pond.

They had many sheds like that placed across the ranch so that they could easily access tools, equipment, or anything they needed.

Their grandfather had the pond made years ago and created a beautiful habitat. He started by adding catfish to it, and from there, it continued growing and became a great fishing spot.

The pond was large, but you could easily swim from one end to the other. There was a dock with a small rowboat tied up to it, and one of the more giant trees had a rope swing hanging down.

Josephine and Boone spent many summers splashing and swimming in the pond. Boone’s favourite part of his day was when he could strip down and dive into the water to cool off from working in the hot sun.

As Josephine got older, she preferred cooling down in the pool located on the backside of the house, but she did enjoy the nostalgic feelings that the pond gave her.

Boone handed her a fishing rod, and in unison, they cast their lines out to the pond’s depths.

“So, are we eating what we catch tonight?” Josephine asked.

Boone had a long strand of straw between his teeth, and as he clenched down on it, he murmured, “You gutting them?”

Josephine had been gutting fish since she was nine. She didn’t shy away from things like that, but it wasn’t something she enjoyed doing.

In a sarcastic tone, she said, “Yeah, I’ll gut them. Because I definitely want to hear Dad tell me what a great job I did. Oh wait, no, that’s right. He will just complain.”

“Joe, you’ve got to let this dad stuff go. It’s going to eat you up inside if you keep at it. You’re getting what you want. Dad is signing the farm over to me at the end of the summer. I’m paying you your share, and you are free. Let it go.”

Josephine huffed, not wanting to talk about it anymore; she said, “I’ll gut the damn fish.”

They caught about five large catfish, so they had plenty for dinner. They put the fishing rods and bait back into the shed and carried the fish towards the house.

They passed by the barn, and Josephine fought back the urge to look in and see if Austin was still there. The day was ending, so he had probably already made his way to the ranch hand’s house. Everyone who worked on the ranch lived on the ranch.

That was one reason it was so appealing to locals to work there. They didn’t have to worry about paying rent or buying a truck. It was all provided to them.

The ranch was officially named Canyon Creek Ranch, but everyone called it the ranch. Their fifth-generation grandmother named it.

The story goes that when she was young, she got lost near Canyon Creek but was rescued by a tall, handsome man, who later became her husband.

So, when it came time to name the ranch, Canyon Creek Ranch was the obvious choice. Josephine had heard this story all her life, passed down from generation to generation.

There was a time when she loved the story, but as her hatred grew for the ranch, she believed it to be just a tale to keep generations of Dudleys stuck there.

The guilt of knowing how hard it was for them and how much they sacrificed to create this place made all the Dudleys fall in line. It was their responsibility to continue the legacy.

Josephine and Boone could see the house by now, but they turned down a little dirt road, and a small cabin greeted them. This cabin was used to clean the animals they hunted.

There was a time when the only food that came to the ranch was what was hunted, and Josephine was constantly reminded of that.

“Joe, go ahead and get started. I’m going to go to the house and check on Dad. If you need anything, give me a shout.” He tossed a walkie-talkie over to her.

“Okay, I’ll be up there when I’m finished. Can you light the grill? I love when we grill them.”

“Yep. I can do that.”

Josephine washed the fish and then lined them up on the table. She placed a large bucket on the floor to discard the insides and then set a large plate on the table to store the clean meat. She heard a voice as she started cutting into one of the fish.

“Now I’m the one who’s surprised.”

She looked towards the door, and Austin stood leaning against the frame. He was freshly showered. His hair was wet but still shaggy and out of place.

He wore a clean pair of jeans and a plain v-neck grey T-shirt. The sleeves made his muscles and tattoo visible. Josephine couldn’t determine what it was, but it appeared to cover his shoulder, and the ends reached his elbow.

It was colourful but not tacky. There were vibrant colours that reminded her of a sunset. Josephine didn’t usually like tattoos; she found them unnecessary.

Wanting to seem indifferent, she said, “What? You’ve never seen a girl gut a fish before?”

“Nope. Can’t say that I have, but please don’t let me stop you,” he said, peering at Josephine.

“Don’t just stand there. Grab a knife and help.”

He smiled and walked over towards her. He stood behind her, and as he leaned over her to grab a knife, she could feel his torso pushing against her backside.

She didn’t dare move, but the butterflies were back. His silver necklace had a small round medallion that lightly grazed against her neck as he was pulling away with the knife.

Austin stood next to her, picked up a fish and started cutting. Josephine was done with the first fish, so she put the clean meat on the plate, scooped up all the guts and slopped them into the bucket with her bare hands.

She thought that maybe the idea of her stinking of fish would turn him off. It would most definitely turn her friends from New York off. They would find it disgusting and probably judge her for fishing in the first place.

Grabbing another fish, she started slicing. “You know, there was a knife right over there on the counter.”

He looked over like he had no idea it was there. “Oh really, didn’t even notice it.”

“Mmhm, I’m sure,” she said with a small smile.

“So, you like fishing?”

“I like fishing with Boone.”

“Y’all are pretty close, huh?”

“Yeah, he’s the best. He’s pretty much been my big brother and father all rolled into one.”

“Ah, daddy issues.”

She abruptly stopped cutting the fish and swiftly turned the knife in her hand and stabbed the table with it. Austin looked at her, shocked but impressed with how Josephine could handle a knife.

“I don’t have daddy issues.” Josephine pulled the knife from the table and started cutting into the fish again.

“Okay, got it. No daddy issues. Sorry.” He put his hand on hers, and she stopped cutting; she made eye contact with him. With sincerity, he said, “Really, I’m sorry.”

She smiled, and they continued to clean the fish. “It’s not daddy issues, but my dad and I, we just don’t see the world in the same way. It’s a difficult relationship, and it became even more difficult when my mom died.”

“I get it. Me and my old man didn’t have a good relationship either. He was a drunk and a loser. I left home when I was sixteen. I refused to become like him, so I got out before it was too late.”

“What about your mom?”

“Never knew my mom. She left before I was old enough to have any memories of her.”

“Oh, wow, sorry. That must have been hard.”

“Eh, yeah, I mean, would I have preferred a childhood growing up on a ranch like this, sure. But it is what it is. I made a life for myself and worked hard for it.”

Josephine was becoming impressed with Austin. There was a lot more to him than the other cowboys she knew. He had obviously been through some hard times, but he was a gentle soul.

“You should be proud of yourself for accomplishing so much on your own,” she said.

“Yeah, I suppose I am. Well, looks like we are done with the fish. Let me get rid of the bucket for you. I can clean up here. You go enjoy your dinner.”

Since he helped clean the fish, she didn’t want to seem rude, so she asked, “Why don’t you come eat with us?”

Austin was taken aback by her offer. “Really? Are you sure?”

“I mean, you helped clean them, and there is plenty. I’m not an asshole; of course, you should come and eat.”

He laughed. “An asshole? Josephine, I am sure you are a lot of things, but an asshole, I know you are not.”

They both started washing their hands in the sink, and Josephine said, “You just wait until you see me in the morning before I have had my coffee, feeding the damn chickens, then you tell me if you think I am an asshole or not.”

Austin tucked Josephine’s hair behind her ear. “I would love to see you in the morning.”

She didn’t want to, but she couldn’t help but blush. They took a moment, lost in each other’s eyes. Josephine did not welcome this feeling, but the butterflies fluttered throughout her body anyway.

Moving away, trying to avoid the moment, she said, “Well, come on, grab the fish, let’s get up to the house.”

They walked up the path, and Boone stood in front of the grill. Randy was sitting at the big wooden table, having a beer.

“I knew it. I told Boone there was no way you were cleaning any fish,” Randy said, causing Josephine to become annoyed.

“No sir, this was all Josephine. I got there right at the end and offered to clean, but she invited me to come eat instead. I ain’t ever saw a girl cut into a fish like her. I was impressed.”

Josephine appreciated that Austin stood up for her. Ever since her mother died, she felt like she was alone in this fight with her father, but hearing Austin praise her in front of her dad made her feel protected.

Randy scoffed, “Boone, start grilling. I’m going to get another beer.”

Randy came back out and handed everyone a beer, even Josephine. They sat down and ate, and when everyone was finished, Randy said goodnight and went to bed.

“Joe, since you cleaned the fish, I will take care of the plates.”

“Thanks, Boone, that’s mighty kind of you.” She turned to Austin. “Do you want another beer?”

“Sure,” he said.

As she walked inside the house, she didn’t understand why she offered him one. She should have said goodnight and retired to her room, but it was still early, so she pushed her uncertainty down and walked back outside to Austin.

He was standing with his back facing the porch. For the first time in her life, Josephine appreciated the tight jeans. She walked over to him and handed him the beer.

Taking a sip, he said, “Come with me. I want to show you something.”