Under the Wyoming Sky

[SweetAsSuga]

Closed for raiguy

What had she done to deserve this? String out at the bleak landscape that moved steadily closer as the plane began its descent, Victoria Arnold thought back to the events that had brought her to this godforsaken place.

*****​

Weaving through the midtown pedestrian traffic, Victoria carefully balanced her latte, the steam rising from the lid in a curling cloud, while speaking rapidly into her cellphone and scrolling through the appointments on her Blackberry. It was a balancing act that she had perfected, like many native New Yorkers, as soon as she'd learned to walk.

"No, Bill, I told you that I need those photos on my desk by eleven. I have a deadline, too, you know." She snapped, pushing through the crowd. A kid on a skateboard brushed past, bumping Victoria's arm and causing her latte to slosh out of the cup and burn her hand.

"Damn it, you stupid mother fucker." She muttered, nearly dropping her Blackberry as she tried to switch the to-go mug to the opposite hand.

"No, Bill, not you." Victoria said as Bill cursed in reply. "Look, just make sure you get those photos to me before i have to submit my piece." With a sigh, she hung up and crossed the street, flipping off a cab that narrowly missed hitting her.

At twenty-four, Victoria was well on her way to an established career at American Travel, a magazine that was quickly gaining ground as the premiere national travel magazine. Victoria had started working for them in college as a lowly intern. After graduation she'd been hired on as a full time writer and even had her own column, "After Hours", where she visited cities throughout the country and wrote about their nightlife. It was a great job and Victoria loved it. Who wouldn't love to get paid to go to clubs and bars where the drinks were always free and the men were hot? But, lately, her editor had been riding her to step out of the box and try something new. He had hinted at moving her to a new section of the magazine, and Victoria feared that he'd soon follow through on that if she didn't step up her game.

Getting into the office at exactly nine, Victoria made her way to her office, a small, glass enclosed space that was barely big enough for her desk and chair. But she had a secretary, whom she shared with two other writers, and a view overlooking the city. What more could she ask for?

A knock on the glass wall startled her. She'd barely even sat down and was caught in that awkward half-sitting half-standing squat.

"Devin, what's up?" She asked, plastering on a bright smile as her editor looked down at her.

"I've got a new story for you." He said, squeezing into the office. Victoria fell back, her chair squeaking in protest at the sudden weight. "I'm sending you out to Wyoming - "

"Wyoming? What kind of night life do they possibly have in Wyoming?" Victoria laughed nervously.

"You're not doing a piece on their clubs and bars. A buddy of mine owns a ranch out there. You're going to write about life on a ranch and what ranches are doing to become sustainable."

Victoria's jaw dropped. Was he fucking kidding? What did she know about ranches and horses and cows and whatever the hell else they had out there? She was a city girl through and through, the only horses she'd ever seen were the ones pulling carriages through Central Park. And she didn't want to get any closer to a cow than the steak she ordered for dinner. But Devin would hear no argument and, six days later, Victoria was loaded on a plane bound for Middle of Nowhere, USA.

*****​

Finding her Luois Vuitton luggage among the generic suitcases of her fellow travelers, Victoria grabbed the two bags off the conveyor belt and made her way out of the airport.

Squinting in the bright light, she pulled on her Prada sunglasses and glanced around the parking lot for any sign of her ride. Devin had said that his friend would be there to pick her up, but Victoria didn't see any type of vehicle, or person for that matter, waiting for her. Unless one counted the beat up truck just a ways down the sidewalk and the man in faded jeans, plaid shirt and hat who looked like he hadn't showered in days. And Victoria definitely did not count him as her potential ride. Seeing him push off his truck and make his way towards her, Victoria gripped her bags tightly, ready to go all New Yorker on his ass if he tried to steal them.

"I'm warning you," she glared at him, "I have pepper spray and I am not afraid to use it."

 

[raiguy]

Jared Price groaned. His friend, an editor named Devin, had called to pull a favor. Unfortunately, that meant he had to do it. He had owed Devin ever since Devin had helped him out his first summer on the ranch. He had needed a steady friend to help him get started on the sprawling 30,000 acre ranch he had inherited after his grandparents died when he was 23.

He was lucky that he had majored in Animal Husbandry in college, as the ranch was primarily a cattle farm. He had inherited the same ranch hands that his grandparents used, knowing that they would be very good. He had grown up on the ranch, after his parents passed when he was 4, so he knew the foreman and the other hands would be okay with his taking over.

He had listened to the favor, apparently an interview from some hotshot writer at the magazine he worked at.

"Do I need to do anything special?" he asked Devin, wanting to know if he needed to show up t a certain time or anything.

"I know you have an old truck on that ranch, so use that when you pick her up. Oh, and try to look just as nasty as can be. That shouldn't be too hard for you," Devin said.

Jared just chuckled before agreeing. He knew Devin had his reasons for asking, but decided to just go with what he was asked to do. Now at 27, he guessed that the article would also be good, as he was running a ranch that was almost fully self-sustained. He had enough cattle, poultry, and agricultural plots, as well as fish tanks and orchards, to take care of food. His grandparents had found a natural gas well that provided all of the energy the ranch needed.

******​

Jared was still working with the livestock on the ranch when he looked at his watch.

"Oh shit, it's time to go pick this reporter up. Hey John, can you take over here? I need to head out for a little while, make sure I get there on time. Hell, I don't even know who Devin sent out!" Jared said.

John just grinned and said, "Get outta here before you do something to fuck the operation up."

Both John and Jared knew that was not true at all, but it was the only way Jared would leave. He just chuckled and reined his horse in, heading to the stables. He quickly stripped the horse down, brushing it down quickly, and then letting it settle into its stall to feed and rest.

Jared remembered Devin's request to show up looking as grimy as possible, and in an old truck, to pick up the reporter. He pulled on his hat before heading to the old Chevy full ton diesel. He waited for it to warm up, before starting it, letting it turn over. Once it finally caught, he smiled. Somehow, it was still running even after close to 30 years of work.

He headed into town, to the small airport. He parked outside and waited. Since Devin didn't tell him who to look for, he just waited. Finally, a woman stepped out with what looked like big city clothes, and no sense of where she was. He stepped up to help her, but then backed up hearing her warning.

"Are you here from the magazine to report on a rancher?" he asked, trying to put her at ease, especially with the threat of pepper spray. He made sure to keep his hands at ease before telling her his name, and that he knew Devin Morris was sending some reporter out to meet him.

"Are you the one Devin sent out, or am I waiting for someone else?" he asked, a little of his impatience starting to show through the encounter.

 

[SweetAsSuga]

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Victoria looked the dirty cowboy up and down, taking in the mud on his jeans and the dust and grime that covered his shirt and face. Oh god, were those sweat stains under his arms...gross. "Do not tell me that you are Jared Price. God-fucking-dammit, I'm gonna kill Devin when I get back to the city."

Running a frustrated hand through her hair, Victoria tucked the pepper spray back into her purse and made her way towards the truck, making sure to give the cowboy a wide berth. She reached for the truck's door handle, carefully gripping it with the tips of her fingers so as not to get her whole hand covered in the muck that covered the handle.

"Oh god," she groaned as she swung open the door and looked inside the truck. It was no better than the outside. Fishing inside her bag for something, anything, to wipe the seat down with, she finally emerged with one of last season's Hermes scarves.

Now how did that get in there, she wondered as she draped it over the seat before climbing into the truck and resting, gingerly, on the edge of the passenger's seat. Only after she was settled, with her purse balanced in her lap, did she apply a generous amount of anti-bacterial soap to her hands and arms.

It wasn't until she'd placed the soap back in her bag that Victoria realized the cowboy was still standing on the sidewalk where she'd left him, staring at her as if he'd seen a ghost.

"Well, are you coming or not?" She snapped through the open window, more than ready to have this assignment over with.

 

[raiguy]

Jared wasn't sure why this woman looked so familiar. He had gone to college in the big city, but that seemed like a lifetime ago. He was sure he hadn't seen this girl at his college in New York, but decided not to worry about it as she seemed to make a huge fuss about his truck's condition. He shook his head and sighed.

"Look. We need to make a few stops if this is how you are going to handle the dirt this job comes with. We need to get you work boots, work pants, work shirts, gloves, chaps, and a hat. Don't argue with me on this, because you are going to get dirty. You can throw it away after you are done, but we don't want to ruin your precious couture clothes with my filth," he said as he walked to get her bag, the sarcasm evident.

He loaded her bag into the bed of the truck, securing it with a rope. He then closed her door, making sure not to slam it for fear she would snap. He climbed in and turned the engine over, hearing the big diesel catch. He put the truck in gear before driving into town towards a farm store.

He looked at the reporter and then opened the door after parking. "Unless you are wanting me to do your shopping for you, you need to come with me and pick out your sizes and preferences," he said, not really caring how she reacted. He could see why Devin sent her out. They were going to hate each other, it seemed.

He opened the door for her and then followed her in, before nodding to Gertrude. "We need a full set-up for the lady. Put it on my card, and take her with you to get what she'll need. Get her at least two week's worth of clothing, and make sure they can handle the work!" he called after her as she took off with the reporter. The last time she had set someone up, the jeans practically fell apart while they were on the ranch with him.

 

[SweetAsSuga]

What fresh hell was this? Victoria stared at her image in the mirror, an image that she barely recognized. Sure it was her face staring back at her, but the godawful clothes that donned her lithe body were meant for some hick about to hit the trails, not a sophisticated city woman. Dressed in a pair of jeans, which, judging by how they irritated her skin, were not the best quality of denim, and an equally itchy red and brown plaid shirt, Victoria felt like a country bumpkin. It was not a feeling she enjoyed.

"You've got to be kidding me." She said, looking at the sales woman's reflection in the mirror. "Don't you have something a little more...stylish?" While they clothes hugged her body in a sexy cowgirl kinda way, everything she had on was so ten years ago it wasn't even funny.

The woman made a barking sound that Victoria could only assume was a laugh.

"Oh you're a funny one." She said, shaking her head.

Victoria could only glare at her in response.

"Do you at least have anything decent for shoes?" Victoria huffed, trying not to lose patience with the woman.

"Honey, the only kind of shoes you're gonna be needing out on Jared's ranch are a pair of sturdy boots."

Boots! Victoria loved a cute pair of boots. Instantly her mood brightened and she waited while the woman went to get her size. Her smile quickly fell when the woman...had Jared introduced her as Gertrude...returned with a pair of dull brown cowboy boots.

Taking them, her expression pinched and very unhappy, Victoria cursed Devin for giving her this assignment. She'd been here barely two hours and, already, she wanted to get the next flight back to New York, back to civilization.

After struggling into the boots, which pinched like hell, Victoria moved back into the main room of the store where Jared waited.

"Happy now?" She asked, dropping the other clothes she'd picked onto the sales counter. As Jared paid for the clothes and an extra pair of boots, Victoria fought the urge to scratch at the rough fabric covering her body. God she hated this place.

 

[raiguy]

Jared looked the woman who was coming home with him over. He could tell she was ready clothes wise, but knew that she was in for one hell of a surprise when she was ankle deep in cow shit. "You'll do," he said, paying for the clothes.

He grabbed the bags that Gertrude packed the clothes and boots in, and threw then in back, on top of the woman's luggage.

He was keeping a civil tone, but knew that things would possibly get ugly if she didn't fix her attitude. He knew that he could potentially end her career with a bad report to Devin. That last kid he sent on this type of assignment had gotten a bad report, and they were doing something for some dead end magazine.

He made sure he knew what Devin was up to, and figured this was a test of the reporter's fortitude to get a story. He didn't know what the big deal was about his ranch though. Yeah, it had been in his family since before Wyoming had gained its state status. He had made it almost fully self-sufficient, but he knew others who had done that too.

He just shrugged and opened her door, before closing it after her and moving to his side. He climbed in, started the pick up, put her in gear, and started the long drive to his ranch.

He kept quiet for most of the ride, not really bothering her, nor wanting to be bothered. He could tell she was thoroughly pissed off, and he knew that her attitude would result in an attitude from him. Still though, he didn't know her name, so decided to ask. "Umm. What's your name? Devin just said he was sending a reporter out. I didn't get any other details," he asked softly, his deep, gravely voice coming over the diesel engine.

 

[SweetAsSuga]

His question, asked with such child-like uncertainty, caused Victoria to laugh. And not a fake or mocking laugh, but a real, honest-to-goodness laugh. The fact that Devin had never even told Jared her name, let alone anything about her, was such an amusing concept. Devin, who was so anal about the particulars of an article, who wanted every fact double and triple checked, hadn't even bothered to give Jared her name.

"It's Victoria," she said, for the first time smiling at the cowboy, "Victoria Arnold. Did Devin even tell you why he was sending me out here?"

She shook her head when he confirmed that Devin hadn't told him much.

"Look, I'll be honest here, I'm not used to covering anything outside of a city. I visit different cities and write about the clubs and other night life they offer. Devin's playing some sick joke on both of us by sending me out here to write about your ranch and the way that you've moved it into the twenty-first century."

Pulling her sunglasses on, Victoria sank back into the seat,unafraid of getting her new clothes dirty as they were not up to her standards and she had no intention of keeping them longer than necessary.

"Essentially, I'm going to be following you around for awhile, seeing how the ranch operates and all that. If you allow guests to stay on the property I'll be talking to them as well and seeing what amenities you offer."

She glanced at Jared from the corner of her eye. Now that she was completely scared out of her wits she could see that he was kinda handsome in a rough and tumble kind of way. Definitely not the type she was used to being attracted to, but, somehow, she found him sort of sexy.

"And I want to apologize," she said slowly, as apologizing was not something she was prone to do. Victoria felt badly, though, about the way she'd treated him. She wasn't a completely heartless bitch after all. "You know, for the way I acted when you picked me up...and back there in the store. I'm not exactly the kind of girl that likes to be caught off guard. I am a bit of a germ-a-phobe, though, so don't be surprised if I keep a bottle of Purrell around."

She flashed a smile his way and hoped that the two of them could start over.

 

[raiguy]

Jared was taken aback by Victoria's apology. He quickly examined his behavior and grimaced. "I'm sorry as well. I was less than courteous with you. I know it's no excuse, but I'm just used to being on the ranch and having my orders followed," he said sheepishly, looking over at her.

He wondered why she was here. Devin usually had a reason, and Jared was thinking he might actually know. Especially with the way the girl acted around him. Jared just hoped he was wrong, as it would mean he needed to have words with Devin about meddling in someone's private life.

"Well, Victoria, we might have a bit of an issue. The ranch is pretty dirty. I know that we could probably arrange it so that you just watch, but to fully understand my ranch, you'll need to immerse yourself. For that, you're going to get dirty. Very dirty. We can outfit you with some good gloves, but that bottle of Purell probably won't do too much. Is all of that going to be okay?" he asked as they pulled between the gateposts with the J.P. Price sign. It was a depiction of his brand, with the J being the stem for both Ps to come off of.

He pulled up to the house, smiling as always when he saw it. It was his pride and joy. The roof was lined with solar panels, and several wind turbines could be seen off to the side. The house was a sprawling ranch house, with two stories beneath the visible top. He had designed it that way so that his ranch hands had somewhere to live other than the cabins most ranches used.

The bottom level were apartments for the ranch hands, while the second level was where the showers were, as well as the pantry, and other storage. The top level held the kitchen, a master suite, and three guest rooms. This was where Victoria would be staying, and Jared prided himself in keeping accommodations that put five star hotels to shame. The only difference was that there wasn't a butler or bellhop to wait on guests here.

He also knew that Victoria would be happy with the amenities, having everything as cutting-edge as he could. He liked to stay up to date with his toys, yet everything was well used and in perfect working order.

He pulled to a large separate garage, parking the truck before getting out. He hustled around to Victoria's door, helping her out of the truck, before grabbing handfuls of bags. He smiled as he looked at Victoria. "Grab what you are comfortable carrying, and I'll show you where you'll be staying," he said, wondering what she thought, but deciding not to ask.