CHAPTER TWO
Connor had thought his own 1980 K10 Chevy Silverado was an antique, so he was surprised to find that Abbi drove an even older pickup. It was a blue Ford F-100 – a 1970's model he guessed. The transmission was stiff—grinding and lurching at every stop—causing Connor to think it was a standard.
She knew her way—that was for sure. The way Abbi took the hairpin turns told stories of previous trips skirting the rutted roads at night. The Ford's taillights glared a harsh red at one point and Connor had to slam on the brakes as a herd of mule deer froze in the headlights. Abbi laid on the horn, breaking the spell, and the animals scattered into the night.
Finally they pulled into a long gravel drive that ended in front of a single story frontier-style log house. A large barn and several smaller machine sheds formed a half circle around the parking area.
The wind was brisk and sharp out of the north. The gravel crunched underfoot as Connor thrust the door of his truck open and stepped outside. He took note of the snow, which was starting to fall harder.
Abbi motioned for him to follow her. She led the way to a small bunkhouse where soft light glowed through a dirty window.
Abbi rapped on the door with a closed fist and called out quietly, “Charlie? Jeb?”
Connor thought he heard scraping as a chair was pushed back. A moment later the door eased open.
“Abbi? What's wrong?” A gruff voice inquired.
“Nothing at all, Charlie” Abbi assured the cowboy. “I just wanted to let you know I picked up a stray—thought Mom and Dad might like to take him on as another hand.
The door widened and the man—all Connor could see was a silhouette—leaned forward to observe him.
“You think?”
“I do,” Abbi's voice held just a touch of sarcasm. “If you could show him where he could set his saddle and give him the top bunk, I'd sure appreciate it.”
Charlie hesitated. Connor got a glimpse of his face—an older man—tall and imposing.
“Alright,” Charlie finally agreed. He jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “Come on in.”
“Thanks,” Abbi said evenly. She looked over at Connor. “I'll see you in the morning.”
SOMETIME DURING THE night Abbi awoke to the sound of someone knocking on her bedroom door. She frowned and fumbled for her cell phone to check the hour—3:30 AM.
“Coming,” She said quietly, and her words were acknowledged when the knocking ceased. As she pushed back the covers the cold air caused her to shudder. Had someone forgotten to turn up the heat?
She stopped to look in on Skye before moving to the door. The little girl was sleeping peacefully under three layers of blankets. Her blond ringlets encircled her ears—already her hair had breached the collar of her pajamas and had to be swept out of her eyes by a barrette during the day.
When Abbi opened the door she was surprised to see several of her family members gathered in the living room.
“What's going on?” She asked, securing her robe at the waist.
“The electricity's gone off,” Cassie explained as she slipped a bulky sweater over her head.
Abbi nodded, but was still puzzled. “Are we going to start the generator?”
Cassie pulled a face. “It won't start.”
“What?” Abbi's eyes widened.
“Something's wrong with the motor,” Matthias announced as he and Abbi's father—Derek-stepped through the door.
“What do you want us to do?” Abbi asked, referring to Skye and herself.
Derek took a moment to catch his breath before he answered.
“Matthias and I are going to get the stove and fireplace lit—everyone can get bring out sleeping bags and spend the night in either the kitchen or the living room. Cassie,” He directed his gaze at Abbi's younger sister, “Why don't you go get the hands?”
“Speaking of which,” Abbi interjected. “I didn't get to tell anyone cuz y'all were asleep when I got home, but I brought someone home with me. I think he could be your new hand.”
Derek and Abbi's mother—Marianne—exchanged glances. “Is he willing to work for the wages we specified?”
Abbi nodded. “I explained everything to him and he's cool with it. I guess he's been looking for work but it's been a no-go.”
Derek shrugged. “Wouldn't surprise me given the economy. Cassie?”
“Yessir,” Cassie said. She was already bundling up in snow pants, a fur lined leather jacket and thick mittens.
Abbi's youngest brother Christopher, 11, and Emily, 8, were huddled by the fire as Matthias attempted to fan the flames into a full blaze. The sight brought Abbi back to the present and she headed for the bedroom. She touched Skye's cheek and was relieved to find it was still pleasantly warm. She regretted that she would have to wake her daughter, but in order to stay warm Skye would have to bed down for the night in the playpen next to the wood burning stove.
She gently stroked the baby's face and kissed her tiny fingers. Skye stirred and and blinked sleepy owl eyes up at her mother. Abbi smiled in the dark and hung the mass of blankets over her arm before lifting Skye and gathering her close. Going back into the main room she found that Chris had already dragged the playpen into position by the kitchen stove and was helping Marianne light it.
She laid Skye down and the little girl immediately whimpered.
“It's okay honey,” Abbi soothed. “I'm getting your bottle now.”
She went to the sink and immediately slapped her forehead. There was no running water and the pitcher in the refrigerator was, of course, ice cold. Chris immediately noticed her dismayed expression.
“I'll heat some water up on the stove,” he immediately said, pulling the tea kettle out of the cabinet.
“Thanks,” Abbi sighed tiredly and picked up Skye once more. She pulled one of the blankets out of the playpen and wrapped her daughter up before taking a seat in the armchair in the corner of the kitchen. Marianne had placed the chair there many months ago by the picture window so she could look out over the range—whether to keep an eye on the children or ponies Abbi was never quite sure. Marianne was obsessive when it came to her Appaloosas—Abbi sometimes felt that they were as much her children as her own siblings.
“It's ready,” Christopher announced, pouring a thin trickle of the water from the kettle over his upturned palm.
Abbi opened her eyes. “Thanks,” She said. Then asked, “Where are you gonna sleep?”
“Mom and Dad and Emily and me are gonna sleep in their room with the propane heater,” Chris informed her.
“Oh.”
Abbi laid Skye down and propped up the bottle for her. While the little girl was fully capable of holding the bottle herself, she preferred the hands-free method.
Abbi looked toward the fireplace where Matthias now had a nice blaze crackling. Emily sat beside him with her arms wrapped around herself, still shivering.
Although
many supposed Emily was her sister, nothing could be further than the
truth. The strawberry blond was actually her niece. Abbi had not seen
her two older sisters, Erica and Jessica in what seemed like quite
some time. Erica was happily married to a state patrolman and was a
stay-at-home mom living about 100 miles north of the ranch. Jessica
was a reporter and journalist who was frequently gone for long
periods of time. She was 27, glamorous, and single. She also did not
spend much time with her daughter, who had mostly been raised by her
grandparents.
Needless to say, Abbi did not appreciate her older sister's parenting methods. At least Abbi had gotten married before becoming pregnant and she had not moved home with the intention of letting her parents raise her child. Although Abbi had lived with her family since the divorce she liked to think she was self-sufficient and earned her keep on the ranch.
The front door groaned and Cassie and the cowhands filed inside, stomping the snow off their boots. Abbi raised her eyebrows.
“That much already?” She asked in disbelief.
“That much what?” Cassie was confused.
“Snow.”
“Oh—it's a good three inches for sure,” Cassie confirmed, pulling off her mittens.
Charlie and Jeb immediately headed toward the warmth of the open fireplace. Abbi noticed they had their bedrolls tucked under their arms. Connor hung back, a little unsure. Abbi slapped her palm to her forehead. But of course—he had not been issued a saddle roll as of yet.
She held up a finger, signaling him to hold on a minute. Going back to her bedroom she dug through the closet until she located an extra sleeping bag tucked away in the corner. While in the privacy of the bedroom, she also slipped into a pair of long johns and wrangler jeans, pulling a turtle neck over her head as well. It made sense to sleep fully dressed—the layers would be warmer and she wouldn't have to change in the morning when it would be really cold. While she was at it, she grabbed some socks and a couple of Skye's woolly one-piece suits. She would lay them out by the stove tonight so they would be toasty in the morning.
Abbi closed the bedroom door behind her and made sure the bathroom door was closed as well. There was not much use for it now and the more doors were closed the easier it would be to heat a room. The kitchen and main room were adjoined but with a stove in the kitchen and fire in the hearth in the living room they would be able to keep a comfortable temperature.
She handed the sleeping bag to Connor, noticing that Cassie and Matthias had already made their beds beside hers in the kitchen. It surprised her, but it shouldn't have. She, Cass, and Matthias had always been closer than the rest of the rest of their siblings. It made sense that they would all bed down together.
Abbi turned to the cowhands and motioned toward the couches. “Feel free to settle anywhere you like,” she informed them—but mostly for Connor's sake. After all, they did have 2 couches and a settee. Nobody had to sleep on the floor.
Going
to the kitchen Abbi checked Skye one more time before settling down
herself. It was easy to look through the doorway and see the men in
the living room. She chuckled to herself. Charlie, of course, was as
stubborn as heck and as if in defiance of his age had bedded down
immediately on the floor. Not to be outdone Jeb—the 18-yr-old
soft-spoken rookie—had made a space nearby. As if by instinct
Connor had followed suit.
Abbi chuckled quietly and shook her head. Men.
ABBI HEARD MATTHIAS stirring and forced her aching body into an upright position. The first light of the new day was attempting to gleam through the window. Abbi immediately looked at the clock on the wall and was startled to realize was almost 9 o'clock. Thick clouds hung low over the horizon and although the wind was blowing fiercely around the log structure, the snow had stopped.
Abbi noticed Cassie was missing also. She realized that her sister must have already gone out to the barn feed the horses. Her gaze went back to Matthias who was buttoning up his heavy coat by the door.
He noticed Abbi was up and mouthed to her, “I put wood in the stove.”
Abbi nodded, afraid to answer lest she wake Skye. Matthias quietly slipped out the door and Abbi stiffly pushed the covers back and rose to her feet. She looked around for the tea kettle—knowing she should heat some water for Skye's bottle, in case the little girl would be up soon.
She located the kettle beside the sink and filled it with water from the pitcher. Hot chocolate and coffee would be a must for everyone after they got in from feeding the stock. Abbi glanced at the thermometer positioned just outside the kitchen window and her jaw dropped. -25 degrees. It hadn't been that cold in Wyoming for as long as she could remember.
Abbi shivered just thinking about it, grateful for the combined warmth of the fireplace and stove which were quite efficient at heating the house given that they were provided with a constant supply of dry firewood.
It was strange that Charlie wasn't up yet, Abbi thought. She glanced into the living room and bit her lip to keep from laughing aloud. While Charlie and Jeb had endured on the hard wooden floor, sometime during the night Connor had opted to move to the comfort of the sofa. Smart man, she thought. He doesn't follow the crowd.
Not that either Charlie or Jeb could be considered “the crowd”. They were an odd pair—the crusty old cowboy and the silent skinny youngster from Colorado. Charlie was as hard on people and animals alike as a Wyoming winter wind and in an odd way Jeb had thrived under his critical eye.
Abby looked in again on Skye and removed the cap on the tea kettle so it wouldn't whistle when it boiled. It looked like her daughter would be sleeping for a while longer and Abbi was needed in the barn.
ABBI HAD WRAPPED a scarf around her face but the wind still cut her breath short when she stepped outside. Fortunately her sunglasses still took the brunt of the swirling snow peeled off nearby drifts.
They had gotten a good 15 inches of snow during the night—a rare cumulation for a single snowstorm. And the wind was blowing hard—Abbi guessed around 30 or 40 miles per hour. By the look of the clouds to the northeast, they could have more snow on the way.
When she reached the barn she found Cassie and Matthias had fed most of the horses but were already having a problem with water. Up until now they had depended almost entirely upon cheap electric stock tank heaters, but with the lack of electricity the tanks and stall buckets had completely frozen over. Abbi immediately wondered how the cattle were doing. They were dependent upon water tanks placed out on the range. Matthias and Derek had attempted to fix a homemade solar powered heater for them but with the storm and the wind Abbi seriously doubted that the water had remained thawed.
“What do you want me to do?” Abbi asked, stuffing her gloved hands deep into her coat pockets to keep them warm.
Cassie handed her a hatchet. “Chop ice.”
“Chop ice,” Abbi repeated. “Why was I expecting that answer?”
“Cuz it needs to be done.” Cassie slapped the lid on one of the feed barrels. “I'll come out to help you and Matthias in a few minutes.”
Abbi shrugged and went in search of her brother. She located him heading for the stallions' paddocks, where he informed her he had already taken care of the water for the broodmares and fillies. Abbi twirled her hatchet absently as she headed back toward the barn. It looked like most of the immediate work had been done. Next—the hard part.
Reentering the barn she found Charlie, Jeb and Connor inside. Charlie was meticulously inspecting the horses as if he suspected no one else was able to get the job done.
Abbi stepped inside the tack room to store the hatchet.
“Good morning,” she greeted them. To Charlie she added, “We've got everything here just about finished.”
“Time to ride out then,” Charlie announced briskly, already heading for the tack room.
Abbi blocked the doorway. “No you don't cowboy. First we're all going to go in for breakfast and some warm coffee.”
“Move
aside,” Charlie scoffed.
Abbi folded her arms and shook her head firmly. “Not as long as I'm helping pay you, old man. If you want you can go see if Cassie needs help finishing up the water. But if she's got the same idea as you Charlie, don't you dare let her ride out right now. That's an order.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Charlie grumbled.
“Jeb—that's an order.”
Jeb returned her gaze blankly.
“Connor—you see to it,” Abbi added. “If any of them tries anything just come tell me and I'll beat them up. Hear that Charlie?” She called out after the retreating cowhand.
“Whatever,” he retorted, shaking his head and snorting at her stubbornness.
Connor touched his cowboy hat. “Ma'am,” he said politely before following Jeb and Charlie.
Abbi stood motionless, gaping at his retreating back. When was the last time anyone had treated her like—well—like a lady?
Oh right—that's right. Billy.
She suddenly wasn't so impressed after all.
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Chapter Three coming soon! If you would like to sign up to receive an email when the next chapter is posted, you can fill out the form below. Please drop me a comment and let me know if you are enjoying the story so far. Or, if you'd rather, you can email me at freedomsflightphoto@gmail.com
