Heartfelt stories that actually matter… a journalist. That’s where I need to be.
It’s what I went to school for…
But, what if it was a terrible idea?!
What if it flops?
People love me for my opinion.
What if I lose my rankings and my audience with this experiment?! What if they want the cattiness and pettiness of a talk show over the honesty of a show with meat and heart?!
What if I fail?!
I can’t fail.
I won’t fail.
Eliza McCormick does not fail!
I’ve got this shit!
Sure it’s different, possibly insane, but I can do it. I have to.
Failure isn’t an option here.
I’m so engrossed in my own head that I almost miss that we’ve turned off the main road and onto a much smaller one. It’s slightly narrower and slightly less bone jarring.
Something catches my attention and I gasp as I catch my first glimpse of the Double Down Ranch.
Holy shit!
We drive through a massive black iron gate with the words Double Down Ranch welded to the top. The gate is wide open and it’s huge. The wording of the ranch is accompanied by what looks like a large bird with a horseshoe in its open beak. It’s actually really beautiful.
Archie is on his phone, “Get a shot of the gate with the logo and then leave the camera rolling as we drive up to the house… Yes… Try to get it now… We’ll use it in the opening of the show… Yes… Awesome…”
I can’t help it, I lean in to better see the house getting larger as we get nearer. “Oh, wow… this is beautiful.”
Our driver chuckles, “Ain’t it just?”
It is. It’s beautiful.
Natalee gasps beside me and mutters, “Holy, dream house. This is flipping gorgeous.”
My eyes are flitting from side to side, trying to see everything at once. But, it’s impossible to take it all in. There’s so much to see.
The gates were just the tip of the iceberg. The driveway, or road, I guess, is long, but it’s a straight shot to the house. On either side of the driveway are fenced in paddocks. I can see multiple horses and a barn on the left along with about five other buildings. The right side is also fenced, but it encloses a garden with what appears to be a greenhouse. I can see way back behind the garden what looks like another barn and more scattered buildings.
Holy shit… again! This is huge. I mean, I imagined a ranch would be large, but this almost looks like its own small city.
The van finally rolls to a stop beside the house and our driver hops out to open the door for us. Archie slides out and stretches with Natalee and me following close behind him. Several other crew members file out behind us and I stare at the house as the rest of our entourage parks.
The house is breathtaking all on its own. It looks like a ranch house should look. Or what I think one should look like. It’s built from sun-faded wood and is two stories. A full length porch runs along the front, encased with a bannister of the same sun-faded wood. There are also large wooden columns that probably provide support as well as beauty. Several rocking chairs are scattered on the porch and at the far end, I can see a wooden swing.
The door to the house opens and a handsome man, wearing a Stetson, of course, and an older woman step out. She is wiping her hands on a red rag and her face is covered with a welcoming smile. I can’t help but smile back as my eyes meet hers.
Natalee gasps beside me and I hear her mutter, “Oh, sweet Jesus…” Looking at her quickly, I see her staring at the man in the Stetson now standing at the top of the porch steps. The driver is apparently forgotten.
Reign yourself in, girl. Good lord. No need to lose your shit at the first sight of testosterone.
