I don’t usually get rattled by strangers, but today almost broke that rule. At the feed store, dressed in my usual ranch gear, a clerk mocked me, implying I was lost or needed help from a man. I’ve been running 240 acres solo for years, doing everything from fixing fences to birthing calves. Yet people still treat me like I’m pretending to be a rancher.

Back home, I found a note nailed to my barn door: “I know what you did with the west pasture.” That pasture is my pride—thirty acres I’ve worked hard to restore after my ex left it in rough shape. Confused and unsettled, I suspected a prank or maybe even Roy, my well-meaning but patronizing neighbor. I confronted him, but he denied it and hinted there were rumors about me switching buyers—small-town gossip at work.

The next day, I noticed strange footprints by the pasture pond and scratches on my barn door. Someone had been snooping. That evening, I caught a shadowy figure trying to break into the barn. They fled before I could see their face. It was no prank—it was a threat. I reached out to my circle: Roy, Lucia (a fellow rancher), and even the sheriff’s department.

Soon after, Roy spotted someone lurking by the creek, taking photos of my land. He got their license plate, and the sheriff traced it to a land consultant named Lillian Black. She worked for a development company trying to buy up local ranches. Their intimidation tactics were meant to drive landowners like me to sell out of fear.

With the community’s help, we pushed back. Word spread, complaints were filed, and the company backed off. Through it all, I learned that asking for help doesn’t weaken your strength—it reinforces it. I’m still here, still standing, still running my ranch on my terms.