Wednesday 3 September 2014

Wednesday, September 03, 2014 - ,

At the End of the Rainbow

by Leigh Smith
Published: Jul 31, 2014
Words: 32,254
Category: western, romance
Orientation: M/F
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OPENING EXTRACT
Melody had just finished a most grueling work schedule, and she never wanted to repeat the process. An exciting adventure for sure, but she didn't think she would have the stamina to do it ever again. What she wanted most was to sit back, relax, and try to enjoy life. The last eighteen months were non-stop - working, traveling, and waking up in a new place practically every day. She imagined it as being like a lab rat in a maze, and it was finally over. Unfortunately, it didn't turn out as they had all expected, it was a tremendous let down, but it was over. Her candidate hadn't won.

She decided she was going to take her sister's invitation to spend some time with them. Penny, her husband Cole, and their two kids lived on a ranch in Montana. They raised horses and bison. Cole Nelson's family had settled in Montana somewhere during the last century, and the ranch passed from generation to generation. Right now, Cole and his brothers and their families lived on 10000+ acres. In the summer and during the Christmas holidays they operated a dude ranch, so at this time of the year there were cabins available and plenty of time to visit without interfering with anyone's life.

Penny had been trying to get Melody to visit for years, but she had always been too busy or wanting to go somewhere sunny where she could laze around on a beach. Now she finally had the time. Penny was thrilled; she would have her sister for a long-term visit. Silently, Penny was making all kinds of plans and a list of all the eligible bachelors she could think of to keep her sister Melody entertained. Cole told her to keep a lid on the matchmaking, but this was her sister - she was thirty-three years old and needed a life other than work.

Melody had been to the ranch many times before but only for a few days at a time. Her last visit had been over the Christmas period when the dude ranch was open to guests. Penny coerced her into helping out with a teenage activity, and she vowed to never do that again. Things should be quieter from now until Christmas, and she planned on either being gone by then or absolutely refusing to get involved, no matter how much Penny begged. She looked forward to having an empty calendar and asked Penny to give her a few days of downtime before she planned any activities that included her.

Penny honored Melody's request and even insisted that she stay in the main house for the first few days so that she and the kids could spoil her. During the first couple of days Melody caught up on a year's worth of missed sleep. She allowed Penny and the kids to wait on her, so that all she did was eat and sleep. Then, on the fourth morning, rested and starting to feel antsy, she was ready to start living life again.