Wayne Gray

Great summary and thoughts, too. Good questions. Really, we don't have enough information to answer them intelligently. Not yet. But this story is one of the best I've done in terms of what I call "tightness." Where every scene pushes the story along, and there's little wasted "screentime." Every scene shows something integral to the plot, or at least it shows a point I want to get across. So keep an eye out. You may figure things out before the story overtly reveals them. And that's always fun and satisfying. Thanks for reading and commenting. More to come soon.

There's a reason Branford paired Ash with Taggert. We'll find out what that is later, but Branford is a smart man. He may be a little rough around the edges, but he's perceptive, plans, and has a reason for almost everything he does. That does include the pair assignments. Ash does like working with Taggert. Currently, he's internally assigning efficiency to why he likes working with Taggert. And that's true. Though that may shift as time goes on. Thanks for commenting and reading, Chris. I hope to see you again soon.

I don't like to see any creature in pain, no matter how necessary it is. So I understand the aversion. It's just a little odd for someone with Taggert's competence to have the reaction he did. And it did not go unnoticed. More to come. We'll have to see if Taggert finally decides Ash and the Ranch are safe. And we'll have to see why he needs that at all.

Yep. I mentioned this earlier, I think in chapter two's comments, and you're not wrong to point them out. I debated them because of that, but ultimately decided the tags should actually reflect the story. And here we are.

That seems to be the prevailing theory. Perhaps time will tell if it pans out. I like this crew of men. They're rough, but fair. And so long as someone is pulling their weight, they're willing to adjust a bit to accommodate them. And that's what they're doing for Taggert. It'll become more apparent down the line what I mean when I say "accommodate," and I can't really elaborate much right now without giving away a major plot point. So... you'll just have to trust me for now. Thanks for reading and commenting. More is coming soon.

He does have a right to be, and to move as slow or as fast as he wants when it comes to engagement and opening up. Ash can tell there's something going on under the surface with him. And he instinctively wants to be helpful. Which... may actually be counterproductive at times. But you're right, Taggert can also sense that Ash is supportive. Taggert does seem the type to despise needing support, but that doesn't change the fact that he does. But it can make him a bit prickly toward those trying to be good to him. Thanks for reading and commenting. I really do like this one, so it's great that it's getting reads and comments.

That's a very loaded line, isn't it? Good choice to pick out. It could mean many different things, and in Taggert's case, it may verge on the extreme. But I suppose we'll just have to see. I'm glad people can sense Taggert's fragility. Branford, Ash, and James can, and that's just from what they've observed in the span of a little over a week. But he's doing the work, and he's doing it well. He obviously has experience and capability, and could be an asset to Nasser Ranch. These are practical men, and they recognize when someone is contributing. They won't toss Taggert aside just for being odd - but they're protective of their established hands too. I hope that came across. Thanks for reading and commenting. There's more coming.

You'll come to know the other cowboys better as the story progresses. Rupert and Dale both need... engagement from their partners. And Taggert doesn't provide that. At least, not from what we've seen so far. So Ash is probably right. The other guys would probably find it hard to work with him. At least, on anything requiring coordination between them. Ash is more patient than both Rupert and Dale. He's willing to take a little more time and try a little harder. It's not that the other guys are bad people, but Ash knows them and their preferences. As for Taggert's aversion to branding, many people find it less than fun to watch or be around. I didn't particularly enjoy helping with it myself. But it is odd to find someone in the industry reacting the same way Taggert did. Maybe time will tell us why. You'll just have to keep reading to find out. 😛 Thanks for reading and commenting. More to come.

Chapter 3: Branding Day A few days passed, each filled with fencing and small projects. Though currently, Ash and Taggert spent the first part of their day working with Branford to load his truck. "Thanks for the help, boys." Branford checked the big bale on the flatbed truck, ensuring it was tied down. Taggert and Ash had just finished with that, but Branford was a believer in "trust but verify." "Sure thing," Ash replied easily. "You'll have help unloading?" "Yeah. James is

If I have to sit quietly, it'd never work.

The one time you don't want agreement, it comes quite readily. 😛

Typical Wayne. He's such a menace.

Ahhh. Okay. That is probably already explained somewhere. Sorry if that's the case. Thanks for explaining it. Now that I know the cause, I am fine waiting it out, because I do plan to use the Suggestion feature.

It's just really weird that it affected part of the site, and only for some of us. Others in the DiC were getting to the stories just fine. Very strange. But at least it is back now.

I couldn't! But now I can. So all is well.

And now it's working fine. Weird.

Aaaaaaand now it's working. Never mind, I suppose.

Hmm. I can't even click on the stories Tab. It just times out, every time.

It's a good theory. But I won't spill the beans early. All you can do is wait and see! I know I'm a bad man. I know. Thanks for the comment!

Can anybody click on "Stories"? It's giving me a time out, 500 error. I already reported it in "Help" but maybe it's just me.

The rest of the site seems to work fine. But when I tried to reply to a review on one of my stories, I found GA was timing out. I experimentally tried just clicking on the "Stories" tab, and the same thing happened. Is anyone else seeing this?

See, tim? Options abound!

you don't have to can stuff. Just make it and eat it all!

It's those pesky temperature gradients. Glass doesn't like going from boiling to cold. My husband makes sure to heat the jar clampy thing that grabs them so they don't blow up on us. We've not had one pop during that transfer, but we've had them crack while cooling. That's always a bummer.