FADE IN:

EXT. RURAL AMERICA - DAY

Sweeping views of farm and ranch land.  It’s a dreary
winter day.  COWS chase green grass near HAY BALES
stacked as high as the tallest building you'll find around here.  TRACTORS maneuver in the mud; their tires leaving even more damage. Iced over ponds and creeks dot the pastures.  Brittle trees line the roads washed out from the rains.

          Mark Twain once said, Buy land, they’re
          not making it anymore.

                (beat)
          This is more true today than it was then.

 
INT.  TIBIDEAUX FARMHOUSE, LIVING ROOM - NIGHT

 

It’s sprawling and modern, yet cozy.  A FIRE in the wood-
burning stove creates a soft glow.  TWO DOGS are curled
up beneath the hearth.  Ragged and dog-eared livestock
magazines litter the coffee table next to crystal candle
holders.  

Pots and pans CLANG in the b.g.

JACK TIBIDEAUX, 30s, comes in the back door, stirring
the dogs from their nap.  He’s handsome, tall and
strong - a horseshoer’s build.  He takes off his flat
hat and silk wild rag around his neck, hanging them
on the vintage rack on the wall.

 

                       JACK

                  (calling out)
           Hey!

                        NANCY (O.S.)
           Hey!

He takes a look around.

                        JACK
           I see the power came back on.

                        NANCY (O.S.)
           Yeah, late this afternoon.

Jack looks down at his MUDDY BOOTS and takes a step back
outside.

NANCY TIBIDEAUX, 30s, emerges from the kitchen to greet
him.  She’s naturally cute.  Her long, red hair tied in a
ponytail with not a stitch of make-up on.

                        NANCY(CONT’D)
           The water finally came on around eleven.

Jack comes back inside, bootless.  The fringe on his worn and patched chaps SLAPS against the leather.  He slips out of them and peels off his thick pea coat, revealing mud-caked clothes.

                        NANCY (CONT’D)
           Whoa.  You’re a mess.

                        JACK
           Ya think?

He scans his water soaked jeans and stretches out his
arms.

                        JACK (CONT’D)
           Come here.

                        NANCY
           No way!

He pulls her close as she struggles for freedom.

                        JACK
           You know you love it.

                        NANCY
           You’re dripping on the rug.

A shiver takes him over.

                        JACK
           Man, I’m chilled to the bone.

                        NANCY
           Go sit by the fire.
                  (proud)
           I made it myself.

Jack looks over to the now dying fire.

                        JACK
           I can see that.

She glances at it too.

                        NANCY
           Whatever.

Nancy heads to the kitchen with Jack following.


INT.  TIBIDEAUX FARMHOUSE, KITCHEN - SIMULTANEOUS

Nancy busies herself with dinner prep and Jack heads to the fridge for a beer.

                        NANCY
           How was it today?

                        JACK
           Icy and wet.  

                        NANCY
           Sorry babe.

He smiles sweetly at her.

 

                       JACK
           I know, but what are you gonna do?

                  (beat)

           Anything happen with you today?

                        NANCY
           Not really.  Oh, the bank called this

           morning and they want to do the cattle

           inspection.

 

Jack takes a big swig of his beer.

                        JACK
           Now?  Didn’t we do it in the spring last
           year?

                        NANCY
           Yeah, that’s what I was thinking.
                  (beat)
           But, get this, she called around nine and
           I didn’t catch the phone.  The message
           said they wanted to do it this afternoon.

Jack nearly spits out his beer.

                        JACK
           Seriously?

                        NANCY
           Yeah.  I thought it was weird too. 
           First, like you’d be here at nine in the
           morning.  During calving season.  During
           feeding season.  And second, that you’d
           just have the afternoon wide open.

                        JACK
           I wish.
                 (beat)
           Is that all she said?

                        NANCY
           Yeah.

                        JACK
           That is kinda weird.  I’ll give her
           a call tomorrow and we’ll set it up, I
           guess.

Jack steals a carrot from the cutting board and kisses
Nancy on the cheek.

                        JACK (CONT’D)
           I’m gonna take a shower and warm up.

                        NANCY
           You should take a bath.

He grabs another beer out of the fridge and heads out of
the room.

                        JACK
           Oooh, can I have lavender in it too?

Nancy just laughs to herself.


EXT.  TIBIDEAUX RANCH - MORNING

Horses and calves munch on hay in the front pasture as a
small truck makes its way up the paved driveway, stopping
at the garage of the brick house.

 

MADISON KELLER, 40s, steps out of the truck with
clipboard in hand.  She glares at her surroundings as she
makes her way around the house to the front door.


INT.  TIBIDEAUX FARMHOUSE, BEDROOM - SIMULTANEOUS

Nancy is snuggled in bed with the dogs. 

She barely stirs as the doorbell CHIMES.  The dogs,
however wake and are off and running.


EXT.  TIBIDEAUX FARMHOUSE, FRONT DOOR - SIMULTANEOUS

Dogs BARK on the other side of the door as Madison presses her face against the glass next to it, peering inside.

 

She KNOCKS on the door with furor.


INT.  TIBIDEAUX FARMHOUSE, BEDROOM - SIMULTANEOUS

The continued KNOCKING startles Nancy and she rushes out
of bed and to the front door.

                       NANCY
                 (to herself)
           Oh god, oh god, oh god.


INT.  TIBIDEAUX FARMHOUSE, FRONT DOOR - SIMULTANEOUS

Nancy swings the door open only to find Madison on the
other side.

                       NANCY
           Oh man, you scared me.  I thought
           something happened to Jack.

                       MADISON
           Oh, no, it’s only me.

Nancy is both pissed and confused.

                       NANCY
           With that knocking, I thought for sure
           there was an emergency.
                  (beat)
           What can I do for you?

                       MADISON
           Well, I called yesterday.

                       NANCY
           Yeah.

                       MADISON
           I didn’t hear anything.

                       NANCY
           Jack didn’t get home until late. 
           He planned to call today.  

Nancy opens the door a bit more and Madison immediately
steps inside, eyeing the room.

                       NANCY (CONT’D)
                 (taken aback)
           Is something wrong?

                       MADISON
           No.  We just need to do the inspection.
                 (beat)
           I thought y’all were gone or something
           and thought I better come by.

                       NANCY
           Like we were out of town?

                       MADISON
           Yeah.

                       NANCY
           You just called yesterday morning.  Jack
           hasn’t even had a chance to call you back.

                       MADISON
           Well, I just thought I better check
           everything out.

                       NANCY
           Okay.  Well, Jack’s down working for
           one of the neighbors, he needs to check
           with him and find out when he can do it.

                       MADISON
           Which neighbor?

                       NANCY
           The Whites.

Madison shuffles her feet, but doesn’t budge.

                       MADISON
           When do you think he’ll be able to?  Since
           the freeze is over, we thought it would be
           a good time.

                       NANCY
           I wouldn’t know.  I do know it’s a muddy
           mess here, so I can only imagine what
           Palmer looks like.

                       MADISON
           So you think early next week?

Nancy is aggravated, but keeps it under wraps.

                       NANCY
           Again, I would have no idea.  He is
           speaking with them today and planned on
           calling you later.

                       MADISON
           Okay, well, we’ll plan on early next week
           then.

With that, Nancy opens the door to let her out.

                       NANCY
           Sounds fine.  I’ll make sure he gives you
           a call.


INT.  TWEETY JOHNSON’S HOUSE - NIGHT

Small house, cluttered.  TWEETY JOHNSON, 60s, is a big
boy.  He relaxes in his Lazy-Boy, reclined as far as the
chair can muster.  Beer can in one hand, remote in the
other.

On T.V. we SEE:

A NEWSCASTER reporting on another winter ice storm
approaching.

BITSY JOHNSON comes in and pulls out a TV tray table
from the corner, setting it up next to Tweety’s resting
spot.

He clicks the remote, changing the channel; on T.V. we SEE:

A WEATHERMAN, standing in front of an interactive map,
describing the latest developments.  Then, flashes of
washed out roads, fallen trees, icy roads, snow.

                       TWEETY
           Man, this sucker isn’t lettin’ up.

Bitsy heads out of the room.

                       BITSY (O.S.)
           Any good news?

                       TWEETY
           Doesn’t look like it.

She returns with a massive plate of food and sets it on
the tray table.  Tweety struggles with the chair, but
finally gets it in the upright position, sliding his
dinner in front of him.

                       BITSY
           What about the cows?

                       TWEETY
           They’ll be fine with the weather, they’ve
           got the trees, but I sure would like to
           spread them out a little more.

                       BITSY
           Well, we know that ain’t gonna happen.

                       TWEETY
           We’ll see.

                       BITSY

           Did you hear about another lease?

 

                       TWEETY

           No.  Nothin' available right now.

                   

As he clicks the remote through the channels, a sly grin spreads across his face.

EXT.  TIBIDEAUX PALMER LEASE, FRONT 160 ACRES - DAY

A fine mist hangs in the air adding to the already
miserable cold temperatures.  

Jack stands beside an open iron gate as Madison’s truck pulls through the entrance.  As he shuts it behind them, Madison and WAYNE CATCHER, 60s, file out. 

 

Jack heads to a horse trailer where his horse is tied to the side - saddled and ready to go.

                       WAYNE
            Where are they at?

                       JACK
            In one of the back pastures.

Wayne looks back at the truck.

 

                      WAYNE
            Oh, should we get back in?

                       JACK
            Not if you don’t want to get stuck.

Jack unties his horse, mounting him with ease.  They trot through the pasture of wet, yellow grass; heading for some trees in the distance.  The other two tentatively follow on foot.

 

                      WAYNE
            You feed them back there?

                       JACK
            Yeah, like I told her, I’m not on

            a regular feeding schedule here. 

            There’s still green grass and old

            feed back there.  So, I don’t have

            to put out hay every day yet. 

 

                       WAYNE
            Oh.

                       MADISON
            Why didn’t you move them up here?

                       JACK
            When would I have had time?  This had

            to be done right now for some reason

            and I'm trying to accomodate that. But, 

            I just can't move them just to move them 

            right back.               

 

Wayne nods and Madison takes in her surroundings.

                       MADISON
            How many acres is this lease?

                       JACK
            480.

                       MADISON
            And how many is this pasture?

                       JACK
            It’s broken up, but basically 160.

Jack trots slightly ahead of them with a small grin on his face.  Madison looks like a wet rag doll already.

                       MADISON
            Oh.


EXT.  TIBIDEAUX PALMER LEASE, BACK 160 ACRES - LATER

Fifty cows and lots of newborn calves mill about.  Some
munch on grass, some hide in the thick trees; taking
cover from the weather.

Jack unhinges a wire gate and Wayne and Madison make
their way through it.  He closes it and heads past
them. 

They come upon a creek running across their path.  Jack and his horse head right in as Wayne and Madison stop on the bank.  

The trusted horse wades through the water, in some places dipping up to his knees.  When he gets to the other side, Jack turns to see they haven’t crossed.

                       JACK
            You comin’?

Madison is drenched and shaking.  She looks to Wayne and motions her head “no”.

                       WAYNE
            Can you just push them out so we can see
            them?

                       JACK
            I thought you said you wanted to count
            them?

                       MADISON
            We do.  You’ll just need to push them all
            out here.

                       JACK
            I’ll see what I can do.

Jack turns his horse toward the tree line on his right and follows it.  Cows move out from the trees into the open as they move forward.  Wayne and Madison become specks in the b.g.

 

When he's out of ear shot:

 

                       JACK (CONT'D)

             You've got to be fucking kidding

             me!  Just push them out?

 

 

EXT.  TIBIDEAUX PALMER LEASE, BACK 160 ACRES - LATER

Thick trees surround a pond.  Cows are barely visible in
the pine branches.  Jack walks alongside his horse and cusses to himself as a branch snaps back and hits him across the face, knocking his hat off and leaving a scratch on his face.

 

He picks up his hat and slaps his leg with it.  He puts it back on and spreads his arms wide.

                       JACK
             Hup!  Hup!

Cows rustle branches, coming into view.

                       JACK (CONT’D)
             Hup!  Hup!

He pushes them into a clearing as another branch slaps
him across the chest.


EXT. TIBIDEAUX PALMER LEASE, BACK 160 ACRES - LATER

View from binoculars:  

One hundred or so cows graze in the open pasture. 
Newborn calves nurse from their mothers.

Wayne pulls the binoculars away from his eyes.

                       WAYNE
             148.

Madison makes a hash mark on her clipboard.

                       MADISON
             Got it.

                       WAYNE
             67.

She checks another one off.

                       MADISON
             Got it.

Jack emerges on the outskirts of the herd and trots back across the creek to join them.

                       WAYNE
             I have to tell you, this isn’t at all
             what I expected to find.

Jack is concerned.

                       JACK
              Oh?

                       WAYNE
              Yeah, you’ve got a couple in there that
              could use a little more protein, but all-
              in-all that’s a pretty good bunch.

 

                      JACK
              What were you expecting?

                       WAYNE
              Pretty sick animals.

                       JACK
                 (completely shocked)
              Why would you think that?

                       WAYNE
              A guy came into the office and said you
              weren’t feeding anything out here.

Madison shuffles her feet.

                       JACK
              What?
                  (beat)
              Who?

                       WAYNE
              I don’t know.  Some guy.

                       JACK
              How would anyone know what I’m doing?

                       MADISON
              Someone probably wants the lease.

Wayne nods.

                       JACK
              Seriously?
                   (beat)
              Wow.  I really don’t know what to say. 
              Why didn’t you say anything to me?

                       MADISON
              Not the way it works.

Jack contains his anger.

                       MADISON (CONT’D)
              We still have to count them all.

                       JACK
              I got out what I could.

Wayne scratches Jack's horse behind the ears.

                       WAYNE
              Yeah, that’s fine.  We’ll come back out
              when this weather clears up a bit or when
              you start them on regular feed.  I can

              see this place does still have some
              decent grass.  Cuts down on the hay cost,
              huh?

                       JACK
              Yeah, for now.
                   (beat)
              I can’t believe someone would do something
              like this.

                       WAYNE
              People need land.

Wayne looks over to a shaking Madison.

                       WAYNE (CONT’D)
              Why don’t we get out of here.

Jack blots at some blood coming from the cut on his face.

                       JACK
              Sounds good to me.

And with that, they head back through the gate and
pasture, feet and hooves splashing with every step.


EXT.  TIBIDEAUX PALMER LEASE - FRONT 160 ACRES - LATER

As Wayne and Madison make their way back to the truck, neighbor Tweety Johnson comes down the main road, kicking up mud behind him.  He stops in front of the entrance. 

 

Just then, Jack comes out from behind the horse trailer and waves to Tweety.  Tweety responds in kind and then hits the gas pedal sending Madison scrambling to get out of range of the mud his truck is throwing.

 

Wayne and Madison give each other a knowing look and as Jack approaches:

 

                      WAYNE

             You know, Jack, I think every-

             thing's gonna be just fine.  

 

He pats Jack on the back and with that, they look around the vast landscape of wet grass and pine trees as far as the eye can see.

 

 

FADE OUT.