I'm No Stranger To The Rain

Scarlett Renegade was a born and raised country girl that loved life. She was raised up on a three hundred acre ranch raising fine Herefords and pure bred Rocky Mountain Horses along side of her father, Laramie Renegade. For years they ran a very successful ranch raising the finest Rocky Mountain Horses and healthiest Herefords. Scarlett knew one day she would take over the ranch and do everything exactly like her Pa had done. Every morning he was up at five thirty, downstairs by six for coffee and out the door at six thirty to make the rounds. Ma would always have breakfast ready around eight thirty and Pa was never late. Ma was a bit of a city woman. She worked for a traveling company as a hobby seeing as Pa was able to support Ma easily with the income from the ranch. Scarlett was never much of a momma’s girl but defiantly a daddy’s girl from day one! Scarlett went to school in Bighorn and was not very social for she was more concerned about the ranch. Her best friend was another rancher’s daughter named Rylee Hackney. The girls were passionate about their families’ ranches as they were the only living heirs. Scarlett hardly ever went to parties or football games like most of the teens in the area. Her heart was at the ranch and to wonder around the mountains with her surefooted horses however in the spring and summer she often went to rodeos to barrel race and rope where she made a name for herself with her talents but she still had a long way to go before she could be ranked up with her good friend Stetsen Red Horse who was a very well known and successful rodeo gal, rancher, and dancer. Everything was going more than great these days. Nothing could stand in Scarlett’s way. Or so she thought.

It was a week before spring break and Scarlett had a big vacation planned. Pa was sending her up to see Stetsen Red Horse in northern Montana to see how she ran her ranch and possibly buy a couple horses or buffalo if she felt it would benefit the ranch. This was her first big opportunity to make a decision like this for the ranch. In all actuality it was a test to see if Scarlett could really run the ranch without her Pa there telling her what to do! It was Wednesday afternoon, one more day till she went to Old Paint, Montana to see Red. This day seemed to be never ending as Scarlett sat in her History class secretly looking through a Cowboys and Indians magazine she borrowed from Rylee when out of no where she felt like she had been kicked in the guts. Rylee sitting right next to her flinched when she saw her friend have a spasm. “You okay Calamity? You look like you just got kicked by a mule! Scarlett forced a smile and said lunch isn’t setting good I guess. Up front their teacher, Mrs. Jinks went on about the depression which was obviously depressing and enough to put half the class to sleep until there was a knock on the door. A familiar voice sounded on the other side of the door, “I need to talk to Scarlett Renegade.” Before Mrs. Jinks could turn around Scar was out of her seat thinking that perhaps the horses got loose and Hank was here to yank her out of school to help. Scarlett squeezed her way out into the hall where Hank stood covered in dust holding his flimsy old cowboy had with both hands. The expression on his face meant something worse then horses out. Scarlett’s heart began to race as she looked at him waiting for him to tell her what was wrong with a fear rising more and more every moment they stood in silence. “Scarlett, I’m not sure how to tell you this.” Her hands began to shake for he called her by her real name instead of Scar, Rocky, or Calamity like usual. “There was an accident on the ranch today. Lyle Whitley tried dumping off some of his fighting bulls claiming your dad had bought them. Whitley was just trying to get rid of them any way possible seeing as he doesn’t own a ranch anymore. Well Whitley ended up unloading them in the south pen next to the late calving heifers before any of us could get there to stop him but your dad came out and told Whitley to get his piece of shit stock off the ranch before they kill something. We tried for an hour to try and get them back in the trailer but those sons of bitches were mean as hell and didn’t want to go. Finally your dad had the idea to rope the bulls and pull them into the trailer. He was sitting on the fence roping them…” Hank had stopped and began to rub his eyes. Scarlett was now getting pissed. “What happened” she demanded with fire in her eyes. “One of the bulls knocked him off the fence and two of them attacked him.” Scarlett’s heart stopped beating. Her lungs seemed to collapse inside her chest as the tears swelled up. “And?” she insisted. Hank’s tears finally fell as he whispered, “We couldn’t get him out in time.” Scarlett’s vision became blurry as her head began to get dizzy before she fell hard onto her knees. She kept shaking her head and hissing no as she heard Hank beginning to sob above her. She looked up at him with the tears streaming down her face. “NO!” she screamed at the top of her lungs as she looked at Hank who was a blubbering mess. He took one look in her eyes and had to turn and leave as quickly as possible for this girl’s was making his heart break even more! Scarlett went back to staring at the floor while still chanting no as the tears kept slipping down her cheeks. The door opened behind her and a familiar hand touched her shoulder. “Let’s go sis!” Scarlett looked up at Rylee with swollen eyes. “He’s dead!” Rylee nodded and said my cousin Kenny text messaged me the news just now!” Before another word could be said the door opened again and Mrs. Jinks sternly yelled, “Get back in class now you two before I send you to detention again or worse get you suspended!” Scarlett’s eyes were burning from the sting of the tears and now the rage as she stood to her feet. “Go to hell you old hag! See if I give a flying fuck about school!” Rylee’s eyes about popped out of her head as she realized what her friend had just said to a teacher of all people! Scarlett picked up her pace as she went to her old Chevy with Rylee close on her tail. Out at her truck stood the high school heartthrob, Jay Kelley. “Hey babe, you feel like going for a ride? You, Me, and Rylee there?” Scar was not in any mood to be sweet talked by the biggest liar in the county or in the mood to ride in a truck and have to gag the whole time on his potent cologne. “Jay, get away from my truck now and leave me alone!” Jay, unaccustomed to rejection took a step toward her with a half concerned expression, “You all right babe?” Scarlett was using everything she had to hold herself back for this was no time for flirting and being arrogant. As Jay took a step closer Scarlett’s body tensed up even more until he reached out and touched her hand. WHAM! Jay never saw what happened as he lay on the ground listening to the old pickup door slam followed by Scarlett saying something that sounding like Huck Off before screeching out of the parking lot like a bat out of hell.

Back at the ranch there was a police unit in front of the house while an unfamiliar trailer over in the distance shook drastically. Scarlett knew the trailer held those evil bulls who had just taken away her father’s life. Fire rumbled from deep inside the petite young girl as she saw images of what had happened playing over and over in her mind. She finally trudged into the house as she saw her mother sitting on the couch with a tissue in one hand and a pen in the other. She only looked at Scarlett once and then went back to writing her report. From that moment on her mother would treat Scarlett like an outcast.