The Cowboys Fire

Chapter 8

Connor POV

Today has been one of those days that just refused to end. From start to finish, there has been one emergency after another.

First our prize bull, Ramos, escaped into the west paddock. Which happened to be the paddock with the damaged fence on the border with the river. That took every one of the hands and three of the brothers a total of 2 hours to coax him back to where he belongs.

Two trucks and one trailer are on blocks waiting for parts that are on back order which resulted in Logan swearing like a drunken sailor, in my office, at supplier.

As a consequence, there is an increase in demand on the horses. One of which is due to foul any day and has William pacing the stables like an expectant father. It also means he is unable to help anywhere else on the ranch.

If any of them expect there to be a home cooked dinner tonight they are going to get reality slapped into them fast.

Stepping up the back porch I feel my phone vibrating in my jean pocket, I don’t have the energy to answer it. If it’s important they’ll ring back and I’ll try and answer it then.

It rings off, I open the back door and I hear the house phone ringing, hmm. I see Jackson heading for it so I make my way to the fridge for a beer. Taking a long pull of it, feeling the cold liquid running down my throat.

I’m so focused on the beer that I don’t listen to Jackson’s side of the phone call until I hear my name mentioned. Turning around, I realise Jackson has been trying to get my attention.

“Mom and pop want to know how Lilly is settling in and wondered if they could speak to her since she doesn’t have a phone they haven’t heard from her since she got on the greyhound” he asks with a puzzled look on his face.

The floor drops out from beneath me as I remember what I should have been doing today. Oh Jesus, mom is going to kill me. Panic settles in. Jackson realises that I need help and tries to reply to our parents.

“She’s .. .. erm she’s .. .. Lilly is .. ..having some time meeting the horses so can I get her to ring you back when she comes in? Yes I promise. Talk later. Love you” he hangs up the receiver and we all take a large breath.

“Please tell me someone picked her up?”

“No”

“Nope”

“Not me”

“No”

Each no might as well be another nail in my coffin as far as my mom will be concerned when she finds out.

“Ok, it’s what half 5, the grey hound was supposed to have gotten in at what.. .. 1? I hedge.

“11 i***t” Aiden answers disapprovingly.

“Jesus, Jackson call the diner see if they have seen her, I need a truck” I look to Logan.

“No can do, they are all waiting for parts. You can have a quad, or mom’s buggy.”

“.. .. or a horse” interjects William.

“That never happens again Logan, it’s irresponsible to leave us without a truck. Fine, Aiden and I will take quads, Logan you get the buggy so she has a ride when we find her” Jackson puts the phone down again.

“Dolly says a young lady came in to the diner at about 12:30, said she was a new hire and to point her in the direction of the ranch. It was only after she’d gone Dolly realised she was on foot”

“Oh heavens, she just out of the hospital and she is walking here from town. Does she have a death wish, stupid girl. William stay with the horses obviously, Jackson get your telescope on the roof with that expensive heat seeking filter you keep telling us about. Everyone take a radio. You see her you let everyone know. Go!!” Everyone disperses to their tasks. God this is the last thing I need. .

I speed down the back steps only halted by a small knock on the front door. I head back inside and see my brothers to open the door. What I see on the other side kicks me so hard straight in the gut that I almost bend over. Before us stands a small blond young woman under a dusty hoody and baseball cap. She has a backpack and is carrying a small hold-all. Where is the rest of her belongings? Am I going to have to go hunting for the rest of her crap?! She looks so small and her face is so pale. Already I doubt she’s going to be any use to me.

“Am I in the right place, I’m Lilly” a quiet yet melodic voice comes out of her.

“You are, come in. What were you thinking walking all that way from town. You should have asked the diner to call us and let us know you had arrived and waited there until someone arrived”

I plow on.

“This is a busy working ranch not a summer resort, expecting someone to be free to head to town at a set time is small minded and presumptuous. What’s worse, when our parents find out about this, it’s us who will be in trouble for disappointing them”

A small smile disappears from her face at being chastised.

“Sybil and Andrew have weathered the five of you for almost four decades and haven’t been disappointed in any of you yet, I doubt this will cause it” even after everything and such an awful day, she still has it in her to make jokes. Jackson asks,

“They told you about us?”

“I have seen Sybil and Andrew pretty much everyday for the last two years, of course they have”

It’s strange to hear them called by their names. A glass of water comes out of know where and she downs it in one.

“I’m sorry, I ran out of water a few hours ago” guilt slams into my chest. She is a city girl, and doesn’t belong around here. Why did I say yes?

“How about we get you settled in your room and we will bring you some food and lots of water. Then you rest and we can all continue to feel guilty and apologies tomorrow” Jackson says.

Sure let’s all of us escort one tiny woman to the bunk house and wait on her. We have time. I’m angered further by the site of all my brothers seeming keen to do so.

“That would be great, thank you” I’m unable to speak. She better not get used to this.

“Where did you leave the rest of your bags, I’ll go out in the quad and grab them” I ask, hoping for a bit of space to think.

Her cheeks colour and her face dips in embarrassment.

“This is everything”

Well at least she packs light and isnt planning on staying long.

“Ok” Jackson picks up her hold-all and escorts her to the bunk house. The rest of us close ranks.

“Why in gods name did we put her in the bunk house??” Logan growls.

“Because she is here as staff not family, and she is here to hide.” I growl at my brothers.

“Let’s pull some food and drink together and try to show her we are not animals” Logan rounds them up and they all grab something and then head to the bunk house. I haven’t even checked the room since the hand left a month ago. I have no idea what to expect. .

Luckily he cleaned it before he left and all there is, is a small layer of dust.

“This is great, but you didn’t all need to show me” she says and I’m shocked she isn’t running for the phone to call mom and rat us out.

“I said this but they insisted” I reply.

“Is there a shower nearby?” Lilly innocently asks. The hall is now full of the hands, as if called by her melodic voice. Innocently Jackson answers her. “You’re sharing a bathroom with Wainright next door, which is a jack and Jill, through that door over there. He is a good man, our foreman and I think you will like him as he has a similar way about him as our parents do” Lilly smiles at that. We’ll see how long she lasts in here with 15 men.

“What time do you rise in the morning?” She is full of questions.

“5am but you don’t need to be, you are here to heal somewhere safe primarily and only helping us out secondary” I interject. I’m not wanting her all in my space.

“Oh.. .. ok, well I better get settled then” she is subtly encouraging us to leave but it’s not sitting well with them. My brothers head out slowly and head for the house because I am dragging them with me.

Entering the house we all sit around the table in silence for a while. It’s been an awful day but none of us have much of an appetite anymore. So after a while we all slope off to our own rooms. Unable to settle the lump of coal in my stomach, I shower in my bathroom and go to bed thinking of a new stranger in our home who looks like trouble if ever I saw it. The sooner she moves on the better.