Texas Big Man - Penny Wylder Page 0,1

And that’s what got to me. So I subletted my apartment for three months, loaded up my car, and hit the open road.

Family sticks together, and after he showed me that he really had thought everything through and had a plan that seemed like it would work, I agreed.

So I drive on. Despite the heat and the turtles, there is something strangely alien and beautiful about this desolate landscape. I can feel my attitude shifting. My mind relaxing. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel as this crazy plan became reality. I’ve definitely been concerned about the manual labor Trevor expected me to do, because aside from my spin class and pilates, it’s been a while since I’ve really gotten out and done some physical labor. But the closer I get to the ranch, the more excited I get to really challenge myself. I’ve always been a strong woman. Mostly because I’m stubborn, and I refuse to let any task get the better of me. Plus, since driving all these hours in the quiet of my car, my mind has been churning with ideas for my book. A couple of times I wanted to pull over to the side of the road to jot things down in my notebook, but I settled on dictating a few notes to Siri on my phone.

The only real downside to the ranch is that the closest city is two hours away. For Trevor, that was the appeal of the place. For me, it means there won’t be a decent cup of coffee for the next three months. I don’t pretend I make a good cup of coffee. I suck at it. All the baristas in a five mile radius from my apartment know me by name. But spending the summer out here is a small price to pay for no rent or utilities for three months. And who knows, maybe the gas station down the road will have a decent cup of coffee. Desperate times call for desperate caffeine fixes.

I check my phone—I’m getting close, but according to Trevor the entrance isn’t easily identifiable. At least not yet. He showed me his sketches for a large archway and sign marking the entrance to the ranch. I guess that’ll be one of my projects over the next few months.

I squint at the side of the road where my GPS indicates the entrance should be, and I speed right past it. It’s just a dirt road between a break in the dilapidated fence that had been running down the road next to me for miles. I make a quick U-turn turn and drive back, turning down the drive over the bumps, breathing a sigh of relief that I’m finally here. The drive was long, and I brought more luggage than I probably should have.

I pass a few run-down out-buildings, and a barn that looks like it has seen better days. That barn is going to need a lot more than a few coats of red paint. Entire portions of the tin roof are missing. And is that an old-fashioned well? Oh dear, my skin starts to crawl thinking about the water pressure in this place. I keep driving past a series of sheds with small pieces of machinery sticking out until I catch sight of a large house. It’s a two story house, and just as Trever told me, there’s a verandah that wraps around the front of the house and down one side. It’s certainly in better condition than the other structures, but frankly, I’m not sure that it would survive more than a gust of wind. Is that where we’ll be living?

No wonder that Trevor got this place for cheap. It is…well, it is a dump. I shake my head, once again wondering what got this into his head. My brother told me it was a lifelong dream, but I’d never heard him mention it at all. I never even knew he liked horses and all this open space. I just hope he really has a plan for this place and it’s not just one of his larks. I know he has lots of money to play with, but still, this place needs a lot of work.

I stop my car in front of the house and put it in park next to an old battered Jeep. I notice someone working on the verandah steps. It doesn’t look like Trevor, though. Who else could be here? Trevor and I said we’d meet here and then make