4. Travis

I'm not sure what I was expecting when Ryder said ‘baby sister,' but Ava was not it. She is certainly not a baby. When she first stepped out of the car, all I could see were her long legs and wavy hair the color of honey. I may have had some impure thoughts. I snapped myself out of it quickly, reminding myself that she was my best friend's little sister. She can't be more than 25, which is much too young for me, anyway.

On the other hand, Mia is thrilled to have a cool young woman around. She thinks Ava came here just for her entertainment. It's probably good for her to have someone a little younger to look up to, at least for now. Roberta is great, but she's more of the grandmotherly type.

"Dad! Dinner. Everyone is waiting for you. Didn't you hear the bell ringing?"

"Oh, yeah, I'm coming."

"You know how Roberta gets when you're late."

"I know. But let's remember who pays Roberta's salary."

"Who?"

"ME. I do. I pay Roberta's salary. And everyone else around here."

"Oh, right. Well, come on. I'm starving."

I follow Mia into the main house, into the dining room, and sit at the head of thetable. It smells great. Roberta is a fantastic cook, which works out because I am not. Nor do I have the time to cook or teach Mia how to cook. Without Roberta, we'd likely starve.

"Wow, it smells great, Roberta. Thank you for this wonderful meal."

"Yeah, thanks!" everyone says. Roberta passes the plate full of fried chicken over to me first. I take a few pieces and pass the plate to Mia on my right. I do the same with the mashed potatoes, gravy, and green beans. I can hardly wait for everyone to serve themselves before I dig in. I need everyone to keep their manners tonight, even if we only have one guest.

Kenny, on my left, is the last to get food. I can hardly wait until his plate is full to take my first bite. Roberta's fried chicken is the best I've ever had. Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and flavorful all around.

"Mmm…Roberta, you've outdone yourself again. One of these days, you'll have to teach me how to make this."

"I've told you before, and I'll tell you again, anytime, Mr. Travis. I love sharing my secret recipes. The only thing is, I never write ‘em down. You've got to cook with me to learn ‘em."

"Do you teach cooking classes here at the ranch?" Ava asks.

"No, we don't. Never thought about that."

"Yeah, that might be a good idea. Mia, can you write that down in our book of ideas after dinner? I'd love to discuss it now, but our general rule is ‘no business talk in front of the guests.'"

"Yes, sir, Daddio."

"Ava, you've met everyone here, right?"

"Yes, I have. I met Kenny when I first drove in. And Mia introduced me to Roberta when I arrived. This is delicious, Roberta. Do you all always eat with the guests?"

"Yes, we do! Daddy thinks it makes the experience feel more wholesome. He's all about wholesome experiences and doesn't want people to think we're a cash cow."

"Mia." I give her a look, but she smiles innocently and continues.

"Plus, it's fun to get to know the guests. And if they aren't having a good time, they'll most likely talk about it over dinner with the other guests. We want to be around to hear what they have to say."

"Ahh, I see. That's a good idea."

"Yeah, so tell us about yourself, Ava," I jump in, trying to change the subject.

"Well, I'm here with TravElegance. A travel magazine my brother started. We're doing a feature story on Whispering Meadows! So, I'm here to take it all in. I want to experience everything the guests do. I also want to see how everything comes together in the background."

"That's boring work stuff. Tell us about you, Ava."

"Mia, don't be rude."

"It's ok. That was a lame, canned answer. So, about me. I am Ryder's much younger sister, as you know. I live in an apartment in the city. I've been writing my whole life. I'm also working on a little novel, which is a side project for myself. I love pop music and dancing, and I've never really been around a horse. Well, that is if you don't count the time I sat on one for a few minutes when I was a kid."

"What! You've never ridden a horse? How is that possible!" Mia squealed.

"Well, there aren't a lot of horses in the city! On top of that, my parents died when I was little, so Ryder brought me up. We didn't have much money or time for extracurriculars until the magazine started to take off."

"I'm sorry your parents died. My mom is dead, too."

"Mia, please." Sometimes, I wish this girl had a filter.

"Sorry, I'm supposed to say, ‘My mom passed away when I was little,' but I thought you wouldn't mind since you know what it"s like."

"I don't mind at all. Being in the dead parent club isn't something anyone wants. You don't have to soften it for me."

"Thanks," Mia smiled. I can't be mad at the girl when she flashes me that smile.

"I also love playing games, doing puzzles, drinking coffee, and running. What kinds of things do you like to do, Mia?"

"I love cooking with Roberta. We make the best chocolate chip cookies. You'll get to have some this week. We always make them for our guests. Oh, and I like music, too! And horses. I love horses. So much. Especially Shadow. She's mine–or more like I'm hers. She claimed me."

"Oh, I can't wait! Maybe you can introduce me to Shadow?"

"I'd love to! How about after dinner? Dad, is that ok?"

"If Ava is up for it, that's fine by me. But you have to give her some space to work, too."

"I know. I will."

"Enjoy this quiet, Ava. This time tomorrow is going to be a lot louder!"

"So, do you always schedule groups to come for a week?"

"It depends. We used to require a week-long stay. After we started hosting certain women's groups, we found it best for everyone to book for only five days. That"s more than enough time for them to get the whole experience. They're a fun group, but they can be a lot to handle."

We made small talk throughout the rest of dinner. The conversation flowed easily, which I was glad about. Sometimes, I hate eating with guests. I'm not usually in the mood to entertain and socialize after a long day's work. And my work doesn't end when I come off the ranch if we have guests.

Mia took Ava out to the stables to meet Shadow. I've just recently started letting Mia go to the stables alone. Manny has been pushing it for years. He's usually there and says she's a natural when it comes to horses. I just don't want anything to happen to her—I've lost enough already.

I sent Kenny home and helped Roberta clean up. Kenny put in a full day's work on the fence, and I could tell he was tired. I need him to rest up. I can't deal with these ladies without him.

"Well, Ava sure seems like a nice young lady, doesn't she?" Roberta says, passing a wet dish to me.

"She does." I dry the dish. I hope this isn't going where I think it's going.

"Quite good-looking, too. Stunning, actually."

"I didn't notice." I lie.

"Pffft…Travis, get your head out of the ground. She's gorgeous, and you know it!"

"I guess so."

"Stop it. Now you're acting like a teenager. You know, one of these days, you might want to find love again."

"No. I'm good. I had my love, and I lost her."

"You can have more than one love in a lifetime, you know. If you keep on like this, you'll end up a very lonely old man. Plus, Mia could use another feminine influence…a younger one than me."

I sigh and say nothing. I know she's right, but my love life is none of her business, and besides, Ava is much too young for me.

"Believe it or not, you're still young, Travis. You've got a lot of life ahead of you. And Mia, she's growing up. She's going to have her own life sooner than you'd think. Then what will you do?"

"Maybe I am dating, and I've just chosen not to share the details with you! Did you ever think of that?"

"Travis, I can read you like a book. You can't hide anything from me."

"Travis…come in…it's Manny…Travis?"

I dry my hands and pick up the walkie-talkie. "Yeah, Manny? What's up?"

"I need you to get down to the stables immediately. Bring towels and gauze and warm water–actually, bring the whole first aid kit."

"What's going on? Is Mia ok?"

"Just come. Now!"