The McCall Ranch

By Loretta S. Reed

In The McCall Ranch, Heaven McCall’s quest for identity leads her to the truth she’s long sought: her legacy as a McCall. But with this revelation comes a tangle of mystery, drama, and murder that she never anticipated. As Heaven navigates these treacherous waters, two men stand on the horizon: Billy Ray, whose past is as enigmatic as his presence, and Tony Donatello, whose intentions are as mysterious as his sudden appearances. Who will be her ally, and who will stand in the way of her dreams? Only time will reveal the surprises that lie buried within the McCall Ranch.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Jun 21, 2024
• ISBN: 9781685625160

Loretta S. Reed

Author Loretta S. Reed is from Ryan, Oklahoma. Her mother raised six children alone, and taught them strong values. Loretta was almost 70 when she started writing this book, so you are never too old to live your dream or to learn something new. She had the idea for The McCall Ranch about 20 years ago. Finally, XXX said it was time to write the book. Loretta has three children, nine grandchildren and eleven great grandchildren. She, her husband, and their children were always very close. Loretta married her husband when she was 17 and had the children by the time they were 22 years old. Now she has a great family. Loretta loved to make up stories when was small. Someone asked how she wrote this book about the mob, and she said, “Small town, big imagination.”

Book preview

About the Author

Author Loretta S. Reed is from Ryan, Oklahoma. Her mother raised six children alone, and taught them strong values. Loretta was almost 70 when she started writing this book, so you are never too old to live your dream or to learn something new. She had the idea for The McCall Ranch about 20 years ago. Finally, XXX said it was time to write the book. Loretta has three children, nine grandchildren and eleven great grandchildren. She, her husband, and their children were always very close. Loretta married her husband when she was 17 and had the children by the time they were 22 years old. Now she has a great family. Loretta loved to make up stories when was small. Someone asked how she wrote this book about the mob, and she said, Small town, big imagination.

Dedication

I would like to dedicate The McCall Ranch to my husband of 54 years, David Reed. He passed away from cancer but got to read the book. Also, to the rest of my family and friends. They have supported me throughout the writing of the book. I would like to thank Christy for her support, a great friend, who read a rough draft and told me to write the book.

Copyright Information ©

Loretta S. Reed 2024

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher.

Any person who commits any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Ordering Information

Quantity sales: Special discounts are available on quantity purchases by corporations, associations, and others. For details, contact the publisher at the address below.

Publisher’s Cataloging-in-Publication data

Reed, Loretta S.

The McCall Ranch

ISBN 9781685625153 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781685625160 (ePub e-book)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2023921893

www.austinmacauley.com/us

First Published 2024

Austin Macauley Publishers LLC

40 Wall Street, 33rd Floor, Suite 3302

New York, NY 10005

USA

[e-mail]

[phone]

Acknowledgment

I am grateful to all of those with whom I have had the pleasure to work with during the publication process. The staff of Austin Macauley Publishers have been wonderfully trying to help me navigate the ins and outs of writing this book. Thank you very much.

Chapter 1

A New Beginning

Jenny and Charlie Smith lived in Lancaster, Kentucky. Charlie was an alcoholic. He loved Jenny but when he was drinking, she was his target. He wanted to hurt someone because he was hurting.

Charlie came home wasted like all of the other times. Jenny was in the kitchen cleaning up. She had made a great dinner for Charlie but he hadn’t been home to eat it. So she was putting everything away.

Charlie came through the living room into the kitchen. He said, What the hell are you doing?

Jenny said, I am cleaning up. I cooked you a great dinner, but you didn’t show, so I was cleaning up.

Charlie walked over to Jenny and slapped her so hard, it knocked her up against the cabinets. Then he hit her again; this time she fell to the floor. He got on top of her and started choking her. Jenny pushed him with all her might but he was so strong even in the condition he was in.

She couldn’t catch her breath. If she didn’t do something, she was going to die. Why would Charlie want to hurt her, much less try to kill her?

She managed to push his face. He got mad and hit her hard on the cheek. Finally, she brought her knee up to his groin. He fell off her in pain.

She couldn’t take much more of this. She was sure he believed the rumor of her having an affair with her boss, John Stevens. She had been faithful to Charlie their whole married life. How could he doubt her?

She stood up and looked down at Charlie rolling around on the floor. He got up quickly and ran out the back door to throw up.

She sat down at the table and took a sip of her tea. Her throat was already getting sore. When Charlie came back into the kitchen, he looked at her and said, Why did you hurt me?

Jenny looked at him and said, Hurt you? Look what you did to me. She showed him her neck.

He started to cry. Then, he said, Jenny, I am so sorry. I was drunk, I would never hurt you on purpose. I love you.

Jenny started to cry too; then she said, Charlie, I love you too; always have. We are going to have a stop hurting each other. We have to make some changes or you are going to kill me. Charlie, the drinking needs to stop.

Charlie said, I have tried.

Jenny said, I know.

Charlie said, I know I get so drunk, I don’t know what I am doing. I am so sorry. They talked for a while, then went to bed. Tomorrow is going to be a new day, she hoped.

It was the summer of 1949, when Jenny and Charlie Smith came to Danville from Lancaster, Kentucky. Charlie lost his job at the feed store and Jenny quit hers at the law firm of Steven and Wilson.

Within the last year, Charlie had been drinking heavily, although she didn’t know the reason. She suspected it was about a rumor of her having an affair with John Steven, which was so far from the truth. She tried to talk to Charlie about it, but he would always walk away. She didn’t know how to get through to his alcoholic mind.

She loved working for the law firm. They had been so nice to her in the ten years she worked there. She didn’t want to quit but if she stayed, things could only get worse.

She went into John Steven’s office to turn in her resignation. It was hard but she knew she had to. John tried to talk her out of it but to no avail.

She told him about the rumor, and he said you and I both know a rumor is all it is.

Jenny told him he might lose clients and she didn’t want that. She said, You have been a great boss. But it is time for me to move on. Would you give me a reference?

He said, Yes, of course, I will but I really hate to see you go. It won’t be the same. You have been my right hand. She teared up, thanked him, and walked out.

When she got to her car, she had a good cry. She had to go home and tell Charlie she quit her job and wanted to start over in another town. Maybe that is what they needed, a fresh start.

When she got home, Charlie was drunk. She knew she couldn’t talk to him now; maybe tomorrow. He had been drunk for a week. If she said something he didn’t like, he would beat her. She was at her wit’s end.

The next morning, he was hungover. She told him she quit her job. He flew into a rage. But she got him to calm down. She said, Charlie, you lost your job and I quit mine, so we could start fresh. What do you say?

Charlie sat looking at Jenny for a while. Then, he said, Let’s do it.

She said, I was thinking Danville, Kentucky. I heard it is a pretty place to live. Maybe we could find a house at the edge of town. We wouldn’t have neighbors. Maybe you could get a job at the local feed store. I really want to start fresh.

He said, Me too.

They packed their belongings in the pickup and headed for Danville. They were so excited about their future. Jenny heard Danville was horse country. She couldn’t wait to see all of those pretty horse farms.

When they got there, Jenny said, We have to find a place to live. But for now, I am hungry. They saw the Blue Bird Café was open. They had to watch how much money was spent; it had to last until Charlie got a job. They ordered coffee and a piece of pie. The waitress was friendly, so they asked her if she knew of any houses for rent maybe at the edge of the town.

She smiled and said, The old Burns’ farmhouse is empty. I don’t know if he will rent it but I will ask. The waitress walked over to an older man. They talked for a minute, then he walked over to their booth.

He said, My name is Carl Burns. I hear you want to rent a house at the edge of town.

Jenny said, Yes, we came from Lancaster and need a place to live.

The old man said, Follow me and you can take a look at the house. It’s yours if you like it. The rent is 25.00 a month.

Jenny thanked the waitress and they followed the old man out of town. Sitting in a stand of trees stood a little doll house. It was white with blue shutters. Mr. Burns took them inside. It had a cute living room with a small fire place. She went to the kitchen; plenty of cabinets and it had a small pantry. There were two bedrooms and a bath; perfect.

They told Mr. Burns they would take it. They paid the first and last month’s rent. He said, You seem like fine folks, I hope you will enjoy living here.

Jenny said, It’s perfect and so cute. I’m sure I can make it into a doll house. Mr. Burns, thank you so much for everything. You are a kind man. He smiled and then walked out. Charlie got some quilts out of the pickup and made them a bed on the floor. Tomorrow, they would unpack everything as now they were exhausted.

The next day, they unpacked and talked about how lucky they were to have found this place. After a few days, everything was put away. It was a home now.

Charlie went into town to the local feed store. He got a job loading and unloading trucks. He went home to tell Jenny. She was so happy after he went to work that he hadn’t had a drink since they came to Danville.

Charlie did well the first couple of weeks. But within a couple of months, he was fired. He had been drinking heavily and would pass out behind the feed sacks.

When he came home that night, he told Jenny they fired him because they didn’t like him. But she knew the real reason. Since he wasn’t working, he was drinking all day and would beat her at night. She loved him but it had to stop.

She knew she would have to find a job. Their money would run out soon, more so with Charlie drinking. And they had bills to pay. She knew she couldn’t tell Charlie until she was already working.

On Friday, Charlie passed out on the sofa, so she decided to go to town and try to find a job. She got the local newspaper and searched the want ads. There was an ad for a secretary for the McCall ranch.

When she and Charlie were at the café their first night in town, they heard about H.D. McCall. They said he had oil wells in Houston, Texas, and race horses here.

Since she had been a secretary in Lancaster, she was sure she would like the job. She would have a lot to learn. It wouldn’t be the same as working in a law office. So she decided to give it a try and set out for the McCall ranch.

Chapter 2

The McCall Ranch

What is McCall ranch going to look like, Jenny asked herself. Long before she got to the ranch, she could see the huge iron gates with the name ‘McCall’ above them. When she reached the gates, she rolled down her window and pushed the intercom button. A very lovely voice asked who it was. Jenny being nervous, weakly said that she came about the secretary job.

Within seconds, the large gates opened. As she was driving up the long driveway, she was having second thoughts but tried to push them aside because she knew she needed the job. While she drove, she saw white fences on both sides of the driveway and huge barns on the East side.

As Jenny approached the front of the house, she was in awe. This was the largest and most magnificent home she had ever seen. On the porch were huge white columns and plants on each side of the door. She thought looking at the house, she didn’t belong there.

But she managed to get out of the pickup. As she walked up the steps on to a grand porch, her heart was pounding hard; she thought it would leave her and her legs were like jelly.

She didn’t know if this was such a good idea. She didn’t think she would feel right working for someone this rich. It was intimidating.

She was about to ring the doorbell but the doors suddenly opened. On the other side of the door was a beautiful woman, Sarah McCall, extending her hand to Jenny, and she introduced herself. Jenny told her who she was.

Jenny told Sarah she was there to apply for the secretary job. Sarah escorted her to the great room. She excused herself to go to the kitchen to have Hattie make her a cup of tea while she waited for H.D…As she waited, she looked around the room. She couldn’t believe people had homes as gorgeous as this.

She wondered how H.D. had become so rich. Charlie would love this; he had always wanted a large house. She wouldn’t know what to do or how to act living in a home so big.

H.D. came in a few minutes later. He told Jenny they could talk in his office. They went down the hall, and she almost turned around. The office was so beautiful, all western. There was a row of shelves on one side of the room. On the shelves were horses, trophies, and pictures of him and Sarah. There were western pictures on the walls, and leather furniture.

He sat down at his desk on a large brown leather chair and Jenny sat across from him. They shook hands. Jenny was hoping he couldn’t tell how badly she was shaking. Her impression of H.D. was that he was a kind man and handsome in a cowboy way.

Hattie knocked and H.D. told her to come in. She put the tea on the desk and walked out. Jenny told him she and her husband, Charlie, moved from Lancaster where she worked at a law firm. H.D. offered her a cup of tea but she declined because she was shaking badly, as he could see. So they did small talk while he drank his tea, then he got down to business.

She said she worked for Steven and Wilson. He told her that he had heard of them. She gave him her resume and referral. He was impressed and hired her on the spot.

They talked about what duties she