The Ranch

Business had not been good lately, Lina thought to herself as she worked. Clients were scarce, the weather was unpleasant, and it was becoming more and more challenging to make ends meet. She was dreading the upcoming meeting with a financial advisor at the bank that she could only afford because he was an old family friend. She hated that money was always at the forefront of her mind these days. In the past, it seemed to flow in without much trouble. She wasn’t sure what had changed, or how to fix it. As much as she loved her ranch, Lina was worried that it just wasn’t sustainable at this point to keep it up and running. Things needed to turn around very soon to have a chance at staying afloat. The ranch had been in her family for five generations, and she had long dreamed of running it herself. It was all she had ever wanted and all she knew. It would be heartbreaking to be the one responsible for shutting it down and selling it off in pieces.

She reflected back on how her father Matthew successfully transitioned it from a working dairy farm to a dude ranch over two decades prior, when she was a little girl. She could vaguely remember how he and her grandfather had argued for months before her father got his way and started making changes. They sold off most of the cattle, added cabins available to rent, a small petting zoo, a fishing pond, and offered guided trail rides on horseback. It seemed they had instant success upon opening, and were soon booked out weeks in advance. Her father prided himself on encouraging visitors to get the full ranch experience and assist with hands-on chores as well as the fun activities. Most people seemed to appreciate it, and left with a greater sense of respect and understanding of both the livestock and the people taking care of them. He always made it look nearly effortless to run this place. He had a magnetic personality and an encouraging smile that quickly made those around him feel at ease. Lina missed that smile terribly since he passed six years ago. Unfortunately she did not share his easy success, but she did share his enthusiasm for the work. She cared deeply for the animals and tried her best to make clients feel welcome and comfortable, just as her father taught her.

As she finished mucking out the last stall for the day, tears streamed steadily down her face. She felt like a failure and imagined her ancestors looking down on her in bitter disappointment. How could she ever give up her family home, her business, and all of the animals in it? She could lose everything in an instant and had nobody to blame but herself. She looked sadly down the barn aisle at each horse, who were unaware that their comfortable lives were in jeopardy. She felt she had failed them too. Her horse Whiskey munched contentedly on his dinner beside her. Lina leaned into him and allowed herself to wallow in self pity for a moment. She determined that she would have to find a way to keep him with her at least, no matter what the financial advisor recommends. She was startled out of her thoughts when she heard a shuffling sound above her coming from the corner of the barn. She squinted up and saw it was one of the resident barn owls. She realized that she hadn’t actually seen one herself in quite a while. She wiped her tears away and smiled to herself, remembering fondly how her grandfather used to swear that seeing a barn owl before sunset always meant good luck. She patted Whiskey once more and put her tools away before closing up. She headed towards the house and breathed a sigh of thanks to the little barn owl for lifting her spirits. As she walked in, the business phone line was ringing. Could her luck be changing already?