Serendipity Ranch (2 page)

He was one of the luckiest people alive, and he never took it for granted. Things just happened that ended up tilting in his favor. His sister used to tease him about being a cat with nine lives, especially after the incident that had occurred shortly after the freak camping accident that claimed her husband’s life. He and Howard Stone had met while attending San Diego State University. He had majored in pre-veterinary medicine while Howard was a business major. They became instant friends, shared an apartment, and partied together until Howard graduated two years ahead of his friend. After Howard landed a job as a stock broker, the older man taught Preston how to “play” Wall Street. Right before Preston’s graduation, he contacted Howard to play on a hunch. Howard scoffed at the decision but followed through anyway, promising Preston that if it came through, he would buy a big house and marry the love of his life, Preston’s older sister Janie. The wedding took place three months later, and Sara was conceived in the big, custom ranch house that overlooked Blossom Valley in the east county hills of San Diego.

Preston had moved up to UC Davis to complete his veterinary training, then returned to Wyoming to work with the local vet near his parent’s horse ranch. Against his father’s advice, Preston had stubbornly purchased a piece of property adjacent to the family home with the intent to use it for expansion in the future. Howard, wanting a short getaway from office life, suggested that he and his old friend make a “pilgrimage” to the high hills of northern Wyoming to explore the property. Janie protested the trip. She was raised in the area and tried to warn him about flash floods and lightning storms. He refused to be talked out of going, insisted everything would be alright, and that he would be back in a week. With a kiss goodbye to her and four-year-old Sara, he left.

Everything happened so quickly. One minute the two were hiking up the path, and the next minute they were struck by a flash flood that sent Preston tumbling down a rocky slope, breaking his leg as he fell. Howard sped to call an emergency rescue team who arrived via life flight. The sky thundered violently as Howard stood by, watching as they pulled his best friend into the helicopter. But when he stepped out of the way, he tripped on loose rumble, banged his head on a boulder and never woke up.

Howard had been a good guy. He had loved Jane desperately, although Preston doubted his passion equaled that of his strong-willed sister. His friend approached everything in a precise and businesslike manner, and Preston suspected his lovemaking was much of the same. Yet, Janie adored him, they were content with one another, and they had produced a beautiful, charming little girl.

A year after Howard’s death, upon the insistence of Janie’s shrink that the woman needed closure, Preston came down from Wyoming to take his sister and niece to visit the spot where they had lost Howard. As Janie mourned quietly with her little daughter in her arms, Preston roamed down the slope where he had fallen. Then something caught his eye.

The term “striking it rich” meant nothing to him until that day when he came upon a kimberlite pipe. Excavation revealed a large diamond deposit, including a rare 5 carat red diamond. At that moment, Preston promised himself to never take life for granted. Following her doctor’s recommendation, he encouraged Janie to pursue her dream job of interior decorating. Unbeknownst to her, he marketed her work to several high paying resorts and set her on a path to healing and self-confidence.

After the recent passing of both his parents, he decided to sell the ranch and move away from the cool, depressing days and frigid, isolated winters of his home state. Preston closed his eyes, feeling the warm breeze caress his forehead. He loved the desert’s heat and had jumped at the chance to join his sister and his beloved niece. Very little of Jamul reminded him of Wyoming’s high prairies, and he liked it that way. East of San Diego, the warm, early summer left the ground brown and dry with as many areas of meadow as there were steep hills and huge rocky mountains. It was the sky that was most dissimilar. Instead of dark turbulent clouds, the skies were a shocking, brilliant blue.

It was that first evening with his family that the precocious child had informed him of her desire to design special houses and produced the beginning of a very impressive model. Preston wasted no time in finding the perfect place for her to see her dream through. He had chosen Jamul because he liked the country hospitality that usually resided in rural areas like this little hidden part of San Diego.

His thoughts shifted to the foolhardy woman driving the bright yellow Thunderbird. He only caught site of her long, black hair whipping behind her and the single finger gesturing to him from out the window. Her vulgarity and impatience were intolerable. Good thing he’d never have to see her again, otherwise he would give her a piece of his mind.

“No, Boo, I’m not going to get grumpy. I promise, girl.” He chuckled as the larger border collie licked his elbow before being shoved aside by Gem, a ball in her mouth. He loved these dogs. They provided the perfect companionship without the irritating habits that came with the female of his own species. Well, most of the time. Gem was unrelentingly verbal when it came to her ball and dinner time.

The sound of a bell alerted him to company. Janie slowly drove through the electric gate and parked in the carport where the goats couldn’t jump on her hood. She exited her car and stood still as she was bombarded by two excited dogs and the three horses that Preston had brought down from Wyoming.

“How’s my Milly?” Janie asked, hugging her brown quarter horse. Milly pushed the woman with her nose, seeking the treat that Janie hid in her pockets. Sara, meanwhile, raced to fling herself into her uncle’s arms. He swung her around, chewing on her neck as she giggled loudly.

“Your face hurts, Uncle P! Stop it! Mama, he’s trying to snack on me again!” she shrieked, laughing wildly as he pressed his unshaven cheek into her throat.

“You’ll get over it. Hey Janie, thanks for bringing her over. I was getting hungry,” he kissed his sister, still holding his giggling niece in his strong, long arms.

“She’s getting a bit too old to be chewed on, don’t you think, little brother?”

“I still bite you. Besides, I haven’t been your little brother since I was her age,” Preston proclaimed, looking down at his sister from his lofty 6’2” frame.

Janie poked him in the stomach. ”You’ll always be my little brother. I don’t care how tall you are. When can I get my kid back? She packed to stay for two weeks.”

“I’ll keep her forever if you let me. You know, she designed this house to be big enough for all of us.”

“We are not moving in. First, you’re a slob. Second,” she grinned, “you’re a slob.”

“And you’re a nag, but it doesn’t stop me from wanting to live with you.”

“Mama, Uncle Preston isn’t a slob. He’s just distracted. I’ve seen him clean,” Sara piped in, defending her uncle as she wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing his handsome, rugged cheek.

“Yeah, I clean. So there.”

Janie laughed, slugging her brother on the arm. The truth was that he was more of a neat nick than she was. He was the only person she knew who could live and work on a ranch and not track dirt into a house. “You need to get yourself a woman, Pres. Someone who can keep you in line.”

“You know very well that the last thing I either want, or need, is another female badgering me. These two are enough,” he pointed to the border collies. “They provide all the love and companionship I need.”

“Not
all
,” Janie answered back mischievously, her eyes twinkling. “I hope.”

“Get your filthy mind out of the gutter before I forget I’m a gentleman and smack that back end of yours. What are you giggling about, little girl? You don’t think I can do it?” he asked his niece.

“Mama would send you flying, Uncle Preston. She’s got a mean right hook.”

“So she says. How about if you go and milk Nana for me? She looks full,” Preston said, putting the skinny, brown haired girl down. Sara nodded and ran for the milking supplies. “She’s such a great kid, Janie. She needs a dad, though.”

“When I meet the right guy, then it will happen. In the meantime, you are her role model. I’ll be out late tomorrow. Are you sure you’re okay keeping her?”

“Must we always have this discussion? I like her around almost as much as my dogs,” he teased.

“Alright then. Sara? Be good for your uncle and make sure he tidies up around here.”

“Ok, Mama. Good luck on your presentation!”

After milking the goat, Preston and Sara walked along the half-finished house, discussing her ideas for completion. She wanted the structure to be eco-friendly with energy supplied largely from solar and wind power. There were three levels in the design. The bottom-most was built into the mountain and was to house the theater, workout room, and wine/root cellar. The second floor was also the main level, containing the kitchen, living room, dining room, sitting/garden room, garage, and recreation room with an outside pool and Jacuzzi. The third floor had the master bedroom, two guest rooms, library, and Sara’s “art room”. Centered on the third floor was an outside deck that divided the master bedroom from the other half of the house. The main source of contempt for the construction designers were Sara’s “secret passages”. She wanted corridors between rooms and floors to sneak around in. Preston agreed to her design, under two conditions. One, that none of the passages led to his room and two, that they were big enough for him to climb in and chase her. Sara agreed.

He took her to the stables and corral area, showing her the newest addition to his own design. He had dug out a large pond that was partially shaded by huge boulders. It held several levels for the goats to climb, many little caves and cubbies, and a filter system to keep the water fresh for the animals.

Sara clapped her hands, rubbing the head of a pygmy goat that nibbled on her shirt. “This is perfect! The dogs are going to love it, too. They’ll get to swim anytime they want.”

“Gotta spoil all my girls, huh? Me and old Dave here,” he laughed, watching the Palomino roll in the dust with the dogs.

“Did you really buy that ranch in town? It looks scary.”

“Yup. It’s an old, abandoned farm house with a lot of property. I was thinking of making it into a dude ranch like the one Grandma and Grandpa had. You can help me with that one, too. We need to keep it conservative and preserve the original structure as much as we can.”

“That’s boring.”

“I know, but it’s also real life. Boo! Gem! To me.”

* * *

“What crawled up your ass and died?” asked the annoyed man as he watched his cousin punch a wall.

“I’m so tired of the jerks in this world,” Serena answered. “First the idiots at the DMV and then that asshole on the way up the mountain. He could have had the common decency to pull over and not make me go around him.”

“Maybe he didn’t see you?”

“Then he was blind as well as stupid. You can’t miss the lemon-mobile. Plus, I was honking. Jerk. These guys buy expensive trucks and think they own the place.”

“Most of them do. Don’t you have a job interview tomorrow?” Drew asked, trying to change the subject.

“Yeah, up the road. It’s for that eccentric old idiot building the mountain house that his ten-year-old niece supposedly designed. Hey, I’m desperate. There isn’t a lot of work out there for nouveau architects. If I can convince this ignoramus that I’m smarter than a ten-year-old, I might land a job.”

“Not with that attitude. Maybe the kid’s got some good ideas. It will also give you a chance to show off what you’ve got.”

“Yeah, right. I know I have plenty of talent and vision. I just don't give a damn if no one else sees it,” Serena said defensively. “Either way, for what he’s paying, I’ll find a way to deal with an eproctolagniac and a spoiled little kid.”

“I probably shouldn’t ask….”

“It’s someone who gets aroused by smelling their own farts. Get a dictionary.”

“You’re really disgusting for a girl, Serena. And mean.” Drew grumbled, standing.

“I’m pretty disgusting for anyone, but who cares? Do you have to leave so soon? I was about to poison your lemonade,” Serena grinned evilly as she handed him a glass.

“If you learned to be nicer, maybe then you would make some friends,” Drew sipped the tart beverage.

“Which is why I don’t waste my energy. I have no interest in making friends. I don’t need anyone to interfere in my life.”

“I love you, Serena, but there are times I really don’t like you. You need to let the past go and move on. You’re miserable.”

“If I promise to miss you, will you leave?”

Drew sighed, shaking his head. He leaned over to kiss her temple and walked outside to sit with the chickens. They were far better company than his cousin nowadays.

Chapter Two

The sun shone brightly the next morning as Preston fed and watered the animals with Sara’s help. She pointed to the east-facing road and the traffic they could see coming over the mountain.

“See, Uncle P? That’s why your exit road faces south, so you don’t get blinded going down the mountain.” She paused. “I hope the people you are interviewing will listen to me.”

“Honey, I will make them listen if I need to. The first one will be here in an hour. Go get cleaned up and put out your blueprints while I finish the milking.”

Preston rubbed his large hands over the heads of the goats as they fought each other to board the milking stand. Silly things. He had never known a goat that actually enjoyed being milked! Several nibbled at the nape of his neck and rubbed their heads against his shoulders as he adjusted the pail. His animals were all sweet and affectionate, and they gave him hours of entertainment. No, he didn’t miss having a woman around. His cock did, but not his heart or his ears. He detested nagging.

His last relationship had ended when he informed Genève that he was selling the ranch to move to San Diego and open a practice near his sister. His decision conflicted with her ambition to marry into a well-to-do family with a secure business, and she threw a fit that would have made a two-year-old proud. When she realized that he had not invited her to come with him, she accused him of being selfish and called him an idiot who didn’t stand a chance on being successful, no matter how much he thought he could sell the ranch for. Preston had just stared at her, saying nothing as she went on with her tirade. Getting no reaction from him infuriated her. With a final flip of her blonde hair, she stormed out of his parent’s house, slamming the door so loudly that it knocked pictures off the wall. When he did not follow her, she turned around and swore she would never speak to him again. Not that he cared. Except for fabulous sex, and the fact that her father’s buffalo ranch adjoined the Riley’s, they had nothing in common. She loathed animals, liked to drink and party, and adamantly refused to get dirty performing chores. When she discovered his financial independence, she called him to apologize, offering to move to California with him and promising him the moon. He calmly refused her offer and wished her well with her life.