Chapter Two - Julianna

Free at last.

Julianna rolled her suitcase behind her as she exited the small airport in St. George, Utah. The doors automatically slid open in front of her, and the heat of the day crashed over her. She wished she hadn’t stowed her baseball cap in her luggage.

A shuttle sat next to the curb a few yards to Julianna’s right, the logo for Zion Ranch and Resort faded on the side. A smiling woman leaned against the side of it, her face tilted up to the sun, almost like she didn’t care whether someone decided to hitch a ride or not. She was just enjoying the day.

Julianna pulled in a long breath. She could do this.

In spite of her family’s expectations, she’d managed to make it all the way from Minnesota, and she hadn’t freaked out once. Her parents had thought she’d make it as far as the end of the driveway before changing her mind.

No, she’d never been outside her small town, and certainly not by herself. Like her parents, she was a homebody. She liked comfortable. Predictable.

But there was nothing in Lakeview for Julianna. Along with comfortable and predictable, Julianna was also invisible.

And so she’d decided she was going to take control of her life—do something new and unexpected. It had been fate when Julianna had seen that post on her social media feed. A resort in Utah was hiring for the summer. You just had to be eighteen, which Julianna was—barely. Close enough that they’d hired her.

Ten weeks. Seventy days.

And they were going to be life changing.

They had to be because she couldn’t allow herself to go back to being invisible.

So, Julianna squared her shoulders, put on a smile that she hoped came across as confident, and walked up to the shuttle.

When the woman hadn’t yet acknowledged Julianna, she tried for the classic clearing-the-throat routine, but it came out more like a hacking cough.

The woman started, her heel slipping off the curb, and she fell into the van’s side.

“Are you okay?” Julianna asked, leaping forward to help.

The woman waved her off, laughing. “Yeah, yeah. Sorry, I got caught up in the moment. The clouds are beautiful today.” She stole another glance, like she couldn’t get enough.

Julianna didn’t know the last time she’d taken a moment to look up at the sky, but when she tilted her face up, imitating the woman, all she got was a face full of sun, and she quickly shut her eyes.

The woman’s eyes crinkled as she laughed. “Face this way.” She circled her finger midair, indicating for Julianna to turn around, so they were both looking in the same direction. “Now try again.”

Julianna felt her cheeks warm with embarrassment, and she really didn’t care about the clouds anymore, but she did as the woman asked and looked up.

It was then that she understood why the woman hadn’t wanted to look away.

“Wow,” Julianna said softly. The sky looked like the type you only saw in movies, where the clouds were as puffy as cotton candy and appeared so close you thought that if you just reached out far enough, you could touch them. Julianna leaned against the shuttle, imitating the woman. The clouds were moving surprisingly fast, and she wanted to ask them what their hurry was—why they couldn’t stay a while longer.

It was the first time in months that she’d slowed down long enough to enjoy the moment—to feel at peace.

“Hello,” a voice said.

It was much closer than Julianna would have expected, and she jumped. When her gaze whipped away from the clouds, she lost her balance—and fell into the shuttle. Just as the driver had done moments before.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.” A girl who looked maybe a year or two older than Julianna stood in front of them. She had wild mousy brown hair, freckles, and the most piercing green eyes that Julianna had ever seen. On top of all her frizz was a cowgirl hat. A plaid shirt and jeans completed the ensemble.

Julianna wondered if she was supposed to have all that stuff. She knew they were technically going to be working at a ranch, but it wasn’t a real one. They just said that for marketing purposes. Real ranches didn’t have places to get a massage, and they didn’t make your bed each morning and leave a chocolate on your pillow.

“Nice hat,” the driver said, then turned so she faced both girls. “You’re my only travelers on this shuttle. The rest are either coming on the next one, or they procured their own way to the ranch.” She held both arms out to her sides. “I’m Kat, short for Kassandra. Welcome to your first day of working at Zion Ranch and Resort.”

“Isn’t Kassie short for Kassandra?” the other girl asked, an eyebrow raised.

“If you’re the type who likes the name Kassie.” Kat leaned in close. “But I’m not that type.” And then she straightened and released another round of infectious laughter. Julianna liked her already.

Kat placed a finger under her chin, and her gaze flitted between Julianna and the girl with the hat. “You must be Julianna,” she said, pointing to the other girl.

“Nope, sorry. Penny.” She extended a hand, and Kat shook it.

“Pleased to meet you. Short for Penelope, I’m assuming?”

Penny’s lips tilted up on one side. “You’d think so, but my parents didn’t want to take the chance that I’d actually want to go by my full name, so they went with the nickname from the get-go.”

“Penny it is.” Kat turned to Julianna. “Let me guess, you go by Julie.”

“Nope, no nickname for me.”

“Not even an occasional Jules?”

Julianna had never considered the need to shorten her name. Sure, it didn’t roll off the tongue, but what was wrong with that? She liked her name. “Just Julianna.”

Kat nodded, her eyes bright, like she suspected that would change by the end of the summer. “Okay, just Julianna, let’s throw your suitcase in here and get on the road. Your journey today is not quite finished.”

Kat opened up the back of the shuttle and placed both Penny and Julianna’s luggage in, then ushered the girls through the side door.

As they buckled their seatbelts, Penny asked, “How far is it to the ranch?”

“An hour and a half. But it will go by quickly. We’ll be driving through Zion National Park to get there, and if you’ve never seen it…well, you’ll just have to experience it for yourselves.”

“I’ve never been anywhere,” Penny whispered, like it was a dark secret that she’d rather Kat not know about.

“Me neither,” Julianna whispered back. And then they both laughed, like it was their own inside joke.

They leaned back into their seats, and Julianna released a contented sigh.

“Excited for the summer?” Kat asked, looking at the girls through her rearview mirror.

“Very,” Penny and Julianna replied in unison. And then they laughed again.

And just like that, for the first time in four years, Julianna had made a friend.

* * * * *

“Wowza,” Julianna said, stepping out of the shuttle. “This is…incredible.” A giant three-story barn sat in front of them, a large field stretching out behind it. There weren’t any cows, but there was a swimming pool. Julianna thought she’d probably enjoy that better.

“I know, right?” Kat bounded out from the driver’s seat and opened the back door to the shuttle. “You’ll get to explore all of it on your days off. As long as there are openings, you can join the guests on the activities.”

Julianna took her suitcase from Kat. “What kinds of things do you have?” She knew they at least had a zipline because it had been featured on their website. Julianna tilted her head back until she saw it—at the top of the third story of the barn. It went over their heads and all the way into the middle of the field.

Penny followed her gaze. “That is really high.” Her voice shook slightly, like she wasn’t a fan of heights. Julianna didn’t know if she was or not. She’d never had the chance to test it out.

“It’s not so bad,” Kat said, handing Penny her duffel bag. “But if you’d rather keep your feet on the ground, we have everything from shooting clay pigeons to four-wheeling. There’s also rock climbing, rappelling, archery, paintball, and, of course, hiking through Zion National Park.”

“Oh, lovely,” Penny said, though Julianna could have sworn that she was now three shades paler than she had been.

“If you look down that way, you’ll see the stables.” Kat pointed down a dirt road that led past the barn. “Because, seriously, what ranch would be complete without horseback riding?” Kat eyed Penny’s cowgirl hat when she said it and gave her a friendly wink.

“Awesome.” Penny’s enthusiasm was nothing like what it had been on the drive over. It seemed forced, like maybe she hadn’t realized what she was signing up for.

If Kat could tell how nervous Penny was, she didn’t give any indication, instead rattling on like there was nothing out of the ordinary. “You both already received your assignments?”

Penny looked like she was still struggling to find her words, so Julianna spoke first. “I’m in the kid’s camp.” She didn’t know what that was, but it sounded like it could be fun.

“Ooh, that’s one of my favorite assignments in the place. Everyone always wants to be an activity guide, but I personally think the kids’ camp is where it’s at.”

Julianna wondered if she should ask what that meant, but Kat’s attention was pulled away by a man walking out from the barn. “Look at me, chattering away,” Kat said, a lovely pink hue now tinging her cheeks. As if the man’s presence had caused it. Yes, he was good-looking, in a lumberjack kind of way, with his plaid shirt and the beginnings of a beard, but he also looked a bit gruff. Like she and Penny were just the beginning of many things on his to-do list. Maybe he was Kat’s boss.

“The first to arrive,” the man said, striding up. He smiled and stuck his hand out, his whole demeanor completely transformed. “I’m Jimmy, and I manage the activity barn, which means that if you are a guide, we’ll be seeing a lot of each other over the next three months.”

He looked between the two girls, as if waiting for them to confirm whether they were indeed activity guides.

“I’m in the kids’ camp,” Julianna finally said, partially raising her hand.

Jimmy gave a nod in her direction, but his gaze seemed stuck on Kat, who had taken a few steps back. “I’m not involved in the camp,” he said, “but you will be housed on the second level of the activity barn, so we’ll still pass each other from time to time.” He managed to break his gaze away from Kat and turn his attention to Penny. “And where are you lucky enough to be this summer? Kids’ camp as well?”

Penny seemed to have lost her voice, but after a moment of awkward silence, she said, “Um…no. I’ll be an activity guide.” She looked like she wanted to throw up at the admission.

Yikes.

Jimmy didn’t seem to notice. Instead, his expression lit up. “That’s wonderful. I look forward to working with you.” His gaze returned to Kat. “We’ll be having a good old-fashioned chuckwagon dinner tonight to welcome everyone, but until then, Kassandra will help you find your bunk and get settled.”

Kassandra? It was strange that he was so formal with a woman who clearly thrived on informal. If it bothered Kat, she didn’t give any indication, though her smile may have momentarily dipped. It was difficult to tell because it had quickly returned, as big as ever. Too big.

Kat was about to say something, but her words were cut off by an approaching car. More like a boat, actually. And it was off-roading on the gravel, making its way to the barn.

“A limousine?” Penny squealed.

Okay, a limousine boat. There wasn’t much difference in Julianna’s mind.

Jimmy placed his hands on his hips and released a long sigh. “And so it begins.” Rather than stick around to welcome the newcomer, he spun on one heel and quickly made his way back into the activity barn.

Kat seemed to feel the same sentiments as her co-worker and motioned for the girls to follow her. “Because you are first to arrive, you get first choice. Do you want to sleep on the second floor of the barn or underneath the lodge?” She nodded toward a long one-story building that bordered the swimming pool, then lowered her voice. “Just a word of advice—the apartment under the lodge has fewer girls, more privacy, and your own shower. But if you want to hike across the field and up the hill to use the guest showers, that’s your call.”

Julianna and Penny shared side glances, then laughed.

“The lodge sounds lovely,” Penny answered.

Kat released a dramatic sigh. “I guess if personal amenities are your thing, I won’t try to stop you.” A grin then burst across her face. “Right this way.”

Penny followed Kat, but the limousine was now parked in front of the barn, and Julianna hung back. What kind of person not only rode in a car like that to a dude ranch but then instructed their driver to take them off-roading in it? They really couldn’t bother to walk from the parking lot down to the barn? It was like fifty yards.

Curious, Julianna slowed her steps and moved toward a low wall that separated the gravel from the grass. She sat down and pretended to be insanely interested in the barn, and then the blue sky above her, which had considerably fewer clouds than earlier. Anything to not look like she was waiting to see who was going to step out of that limousine.

As it turned out, it was well worth the wait.