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Saachi was worried that Omega would complain at being squeezed into the cab of the truck between two adults, but the little girl didn’t utter a word of complaint. Come to think of it, Saachi had never heard Omega complain about anything before. Certainly, that had to come from her upbringing.
Saachi’s stomach churned as she gripped her schoolbag. That time was come and gone. For now, the little girl looked up at her oldest brother with glowing eyes as Hunter braced one arm on the steering wheel and leaned against the other on the windowsill. Saachi looked between the two of them as Hunter gave Omega a sly smile. Of course,
Hunter caught her staring and sent her a wink. Her heart fluttered.
Ben better be right about this. She didn’t think she could take it if the school board came at her for dating a student’s guardian.
But Princess Diaries had said it was okay, so that had to count for something, right?
They turned off the dirt road and under and old arch carved with “Fett Ranch, est. 1954.” At the top of each pillar was an old cow skull. Two horses looked up as they drove past, but quickly returned to grazing.
Despite the dreary February day, Saachi thought she was staring at a Georgia O’Keefe painting. To the left was a big gray barn, where Echo was lugging some tack around. He waved to say hello as the truck pulled up the driveway.
To the right was a two-story log house, with a green roof and green shutters on either side of the windows. It had a wraparound porch with an awning, and a van and a motorcycle were both parked out front. All around them was an endless expanse of land. Gorgeous green fields faded into a dark green pine forest, and Saachi was enchanted.
As soon as Hunter parked the truck, she slid out to take it all in. Omega wriggled past her with her backpack, and sprinted up to the house. She gave herself just enough time to toss her backpack full of schoolwork and the remains of lunch in the front hall, and then sprinted back across the drive to join Echo at the barn.
“Yeah, the usual,” Hunter said, slamming the driver’s door shut. “Do you mind waiting a moment? I gotta check in with Tech.”
“No worries.” Saachi shook her head, watching him walk up the porch stairs.
“Can you give me any more hints about this date you’ve got planned?” She asked.
Hunter chuckled, his breath misting in the cold air, “Where would the fun in that be?” His question was punctuated as the screen door slammed shut behind him.
It was a bit exciting to be surprised, but Saachi was worried she’d be wearing the wrong outfit. What if she was underdressed? Or, stars forbid, underdressed? She looked down at her teacher slacks and cardigan and folded her arms against the cold. One thing was for sure, her flats weren’t meant for the soft dirt of a ranch. But that didn’t stop her from wandering over in the direction of the horses she’d seen earlier.
She tried clicking her tongue to call them like she used to do at riding lessons, but they couldn’t seem less interested in her. One was gray, with a white mane and light speckles across her back. The other one was brown, with a blonde mane and sock-like pattern around his hooves.
“That’s Havoc and Maudie, short for Marauder.” Hunter came up to the fence beside her.
“Do they like people?” Saachi asked. The gray mare he’d indicated as Maudie tossed her mane before bending back down to paw at the ground with her hoof.
Hunter whistled and reached into his pocket. Havoc came running immediately, while Maudie took a moment to stop being interested in whatever she’d found in the ground.
“They usually keep to themselves, unless you give them one of these,” He pressed a sugar cube into the palm of her hand, perfectly square and sweet.
Havoc nickered as he leaned over the fence, sniffing for the promised sugar. Saachi hesitantly held out her hand with the sugar, terrified of the teeth on the horse in front of her.
“He won’t bite,” Hunter promised softly. Even as he spoke, Havoc gingerly lifted the sugar from Saachi’s hand with his front teeth before chewing it. A warm gust of air blew out from his nostrils, blowing the hair from Saachi’s face.
“Congratulations, Miss Gunder, you’ve just made yourself a new best friend,” Hunter declared. Havoc’s nose was incredibly warm in the dreary afternoon as he nudged Saachi’s hand, searching for more sugar. He became very interested in Hunter for a moment when Maudie was offered the same treat. Hunter rubbed both their noses, murmuring softly.
“Hunter!” Wrecker came running from the barn with Echo and Omega. “Thank stars you’re here!”
“Woah, woah, lads, what is it?” Hunter asked.
“Lulabelle’s gone. I set her out to graze this morning, but Echo hadn’t fixed the padlock on her gate yet.”
“She got out into the fields. We can’t find her anywhere,” Echo gasped.
“And they spotted coyotes over at the Naberries’s place!”
“What’s a coyote?” Omega asked. No one answered her.
The gentle smile Hunter had given Saachi a moment ago was gone.
“Omega, go get Crosshair. Echo, get that lock fixed. Wrecker, get in the truck.”
“Who’s Lulabelle?” Saachi asked as Hunter’s siblings scattered to follow his orders.
“Our milk cow. She’s due with twins in a couple days,” Hunter headed for the barn, and Saachi followed. She helped him gather a tarp and rope before bringing them back out to the truck. Crosshair came running out of the house with Omega, a rifle slung across his back.
“I’m sorry, we’re gonna have to postpone that date,” Hunter sighed as he hopped up in the truckbed with Crosshair.
“No worries, I’m coming with you.” Saachi climbed in.
“Me too!” Omega struggled to pull herself up into the truckbed with the adults.
Crosshair and Hunter glanced at each other.
“Get in the cab with Wrecker. I’ll need you to tell him what direction I need him to go.” Hunter said.
Omega gave a little “Humph,” But nonetheless slid back off the truckbed and hurried up to the cabin with Wrecker. Once she was in, Hunter gave the roof a couple sound thwacks, and the truck took off in the direction of Lulabelle’s field. Saachi clung to the side of the truck as the wind whipped past. Even with her glasses, she didn’t know how Hunter and Crosshair could stare directly into the wind, looking for some imperceptible sign of their cow.
Cross studied his rifle intently for a moment, making sure he had enough bullets in the chamber. The toothpick in his mouth bobbed up and down as he nervously chewed the end.
Hunter leaned over the cab and knocked on Omega’s window. It obediently rolled down.
“Head west!” He told her over the rumbling, sputtering engine.
“West!” Omega obediently repeated the order to Wrecker, and the truck swerved in the direction of the treeline.
Saachi shivered as she tried to hold herself upright. As her joints began to freeze, A warm, flannel-lined jacket found its way around her shoulders.
“Take it," Hunter insisted, "I’m not cold,” He turned his attention back to the hills of the ranch.
Saachi wasn’t complaining as she slid her arms into the sleeves.
“Stop!” Omega echoed Hunter’s request even as the truck skid to a stop, and Hunter shook Cross’s shoulder.
“Up there, on the right of the hill.” He pointed.
“I see it,” a semblance of a grin played on Crosshair’s lips as he rested the rifle on the roof of the cab. He lined up and made one quick, but carefully calculated shot. Saachi could hear the “Yip!” of a coyote in the distance, and a flash of fur on the hill Hunter had indicated. A moment later, another, more distant creature repeated the cry.
“That was a warning shot, kriffers,” Crosshair grunted. A moment later, they were on the move again, up and down the hills, around the bends, through the mud puddles, and past ancient pine trees. Hunter spotted a clipped blade of grass and they made a turn here. A snapped twig and they kept going straight. The wind blew harder and the sky grew darker.
“The forecast mentioned a storm tonight,” Saachi said, pulling the collar of Hunter’s jacket up closer to protect her face. She had no idea how he wasn’t cold, even with his Army sweatshirt on.
“That’s why we gotta find her,” Crosshair said. They hadn’t seen any more coyotes yet, so maybe the one he’d shot at had warned the others. They could only hope.
“Do you think she wanted somewhere private to have her baby?”
“Probably. I think she knew her time was near.” Hunter grunted.
Saachi squinted into the growing darkness. If she was here, she might as well help.
“What color is she?”
“Black and white, your picture-book stereotypical cow,” Hunter said.
“With a red tag in her ear?”
Hunter and Crosshair followed the direction Saachi was pointing. Laying in the cover of a circle of pine trees was a black-and-white cow, watching them with big black eyes.
“Lula!” Wrecker swerved in the direction of the cow, throwing Saachi into Hunter, who gently caught her under her arms.
“Good eyes, Saachi,” He grinned.
The truck screeched to a stop in the mud,and Wrecker hopped out with Omega. Crosshair grabbed the tarp and the rope, and they all circled up around Lulabelle.
“She’s further along than I thought,” Hunter said as they all took in the cow’s bulging belly.
“Let’s get her on the tarp.”
“Are we gonna roll her on?” Saachi asked. They set the tarp right next to Lula’s back.
“Carefully,” Hunter nodded, “Watch her belly.”
“Attagirl, we’re gonna get you and your babies somewhere nice and safe,” Wrecker murmured. He kept talking softly as Lula lowed in distress, trying to keep her calm. He reached down beneath the cow, and with the rest of them to help her balance out, carefully rolled her onto the tarp.
A large drop of water hit Saachi on the nose, and Omega squeaked and reached up to the top of her head. The foretold rainstorm was upon them.
“Saachi, get that other corner,” Hunter and his brothers each took one of the other three corners of the tarp, preparing to lift.
“You sure she can lift it?” Crosshair asked.
Saachi huffed and fisted her hands around the thick, rough material, “I spent five years carrying encyclopedias to and from the library. I can carry a cow for two minutes.”
Hunter nodded, “Omega, open the truck bed.”
The trees provided some shelter from the rain at the moment, but the streams of raindrops were becoming more and more noticeable over by the truck. By the time Omega made her way back to them, her hair was soaked.
“Ready?” Hunter asked.
The three of them nodded.
“Lift!”
Wrecker took most of the weight, thankfully. Saachi had to run to keep up with the brothers as they expertly maneuvered the cow over to the truckbed. Hunter hopped up, pulling Lula the rest of the way in.
“Omega, get in the truck!” Hunter said as the rain grew louder. Wrecker was already starting the engine. Saachi grasped Hunter’s hand and he yanked her off her feet as the truck shot forward. She collapsed into his chest in the rain, and his arms came up around her, holding her close.
“Thanks for coming with us, Saachi.”
“No problem,” she gasped. It was strange, she knew it was cold, so very, very cold. She felt it in her nose and in the tips of her fingers and the toes in her shoes, but her torso, the part of her that was covered by Hunter’s jacket, felt absolutely invulnerable.
Crosshair kept lookout, crouched over Lula with his rifle in his shoulder, though the rain was just enough to deter the coyotes itself. Lula mooed every so often, some sounds more agitated than others.
Through the downpour, a warm light came into view. The barn door was wide open, waiting for them. Echo waved a greeting, and Tech was just behind him, running around to prepare the barn to receive two baby cows.
Wrecker backed into the barn so that they wouldn’t have to carry Lula through the rain again. Havoc and Maudie whinnied a greeting from the stalls as everyone got out of the truck.
The five brothers gathered around Lula and her tarp. They all seemed to know what to do without even talking about it. They brought Lula out of the truck and into her nice, warm stall filled with fresh hay.
“Good girl, good girl,” Echo rubbed her neck as Tech took out his stethoscope.
“Heart rate is normal, though perhaps we want to get her dried off before she catches a cold. Giving birth is going to be hard enough.”
Wrecker showed Saachi and Omega where the towels were, and all of them worked together to carefully help Lula dry off. As Saachi rubbed her towel over Lula’s belly, she could feel the babies moving.
“Are they ready to be delivered yet?” She asked.
“Almost. She is nearly dilated.” Tech reported from Lula’s rear.
“Woah,” Omega perched on the wall of the stall, safely out of everyone’s way, “I can’t believe I get to see baby cows being born!”
Saachi smiled up at her, “Maybe you can write a report on what you learn for extra credit.”
Omega made a face at that suggestion. “Yuck!”
Wrecker laughed.
Tech sent them all every which-way for the tools he needed, not caring that Hunter and the others were also still soaking wet and should probably get out of their wet things as well. Not that they would have left if he told them to anyway.
It felt like hours of making Lula comfortable had passed before Tech finally rolled up his sleeves and stuck his hands inside the cow. Wrecker and Hunter held her, keeping her from bolting while Echo and Crosshair waited with blankets at the ready. It was another anxiety-inducing thirty minutes as the babies were carefully maneuvered out and wrapped in the blankets before they were laid down next to their mother.
“Almost makes it all worth it.” Crosshair rested his long, lanky body against the stall door, breathing heavily as they watched Lula tenderly clean her babies with her tongue. The first one was completely black all over, while the younger one followed his mother’s color pattern.
Wrecker sniffed and rubbed at his nose. “You did good, girl,” He told Lula proudly.
“Can I give them their names?” Omega asked. She slid down from the stall wall and stood over the babies with eager curiosity.
Her big brothers looked at each other, each quietly asking each other for their permission.
“Sure thing, kid.” Echo said.
Omega knelt in the hay, patting the tuft of fur on the black one’s head.
“This one is Azi.”
She turned to the second one, still in the process of being cleaned.
“And this one is Gonky.”
Crosshair snorted. “Interesting choice.”
“Where’d those names come from?” Wrecker scratched the back of his head.
“From the story Saachi is reading us in class. They’re two robot friends that go exploring on a planet that’s been abandoned by humans in the distant future.”
Saachi’s chest swelled with pride. Reading to her class was one of her favorite parts of the week, and she was glad to see that Omega might be enjoying it just as much as she did.
“Will they be alright for tonight, Tech?” Hunter asked.
“I would say we need to keep the heat lamps running, and as long as all of the locks are secure, they should be fine,” He gave Echo a pointed look.
“For the last time, I am sorry!” Echo groaned.
“I’ll stay with ‘em tonight, just to make sure they’re okay,” Wrecker said, his meaty hands on his hips.
“Are you sure?” Hunter asked.
Wrecker nodded, “I can take it!”
Echo rolled his eyes, “Take a few extra blankets from the house. We can’t have you catching a cold either.”
“Yes,” Tech agreed with the minor adjust of his glasses, “I believe we should all retire for the night.”
“What time is it?” Saachi asked.
“Twenty-two hundred.” Crosshair flicked his toothpick into the wheelbarrow full of manure down at the other end of the barn. Saachi took a moment to let that sink in. She had been on this ranch, Hunter’s ranch, for over four hours. Any restaurants or reservations he had in mind were long over by now.
But, she realized as she watched Omega squeal with delight as Azi licked her hand, maybe she didn’t mind so much.
Echo took Omega’s hand to gently pull her away from the cows.
“Can I bring Azi and Gonky to show the class on Monday?” She asked.
“No, the school is not built for farm animals,” Echo said. For a moment, the image of chickens fluttering about Principal Kenobi’s office or pigs tracking mud through the halls teased Saachi’s imagination.
“What if you brought a picture to show the class? They would love that!” Saachi suggested.
Omega grinned, and sprinted for the house.
“I gotta get my camera!” She called from the porch. Echo ran after her, and Crosshair and Tech were also making their way through the rain to their nice, warm home. Wrecker was already too in love with Lula’s new babies to care about how cold he was.
Hunter stopped Saachi in the barn doorway.
“You doing okay?” He asked. He grabbed the sleeves of his jacket, pulling it tighter around her shoulders.
“Yeah, I’m good. This was nice.”
“Definitely not on your bucket list of dates, though, huh?” Hunter winced.
“Definitely more interesting than dinner and a movie would have been.” She promised him.
Hunter chuckled, but he wouldn’t meet her gaze as she tried to look him in the eyes, to promise him that it really was okay.
“At least let me get you something to eat before I take you home.”
“I’d like that.”
“And you can dry your clothes too, if you want?”
“Oh stars, that sounds heavenly right now!” Saachi nearly swooned into his arms, and Hunter chuckled.
“Come on, Tech always likes to make hot cider when it rains.”
Inside the ranch home was noticeably warmer than it was outside. Tech was already putting a pot of water on the stove in the kitchen immediately to the left, while Echo and Omega started a fire in the sitting room to the right. The house was full of warm, earthy tones, The log exterior was evident in the paneled walls which boasted various landscape paintings and still lifes. Hunter took Saachi’s shoes, and she dug her toes into the thick, warm carpet that covered the floor.
The furniture was worn, and none of it seemed to be from the same set. Echo settled into the brown leather easy chair with his feet up, while Omega sank back into the huge cushions of the velvety green couch. The chandelier hanging from the sitting room ceiling was made of several entwined deer antlers, and the fireplace in the focus of the room crackled warmly.
“Omega, you want to go get dressed for bed?” Hunter asked.
“Okay,” Omega hopped down from the couch, but hesitated in the hall.
“Can I come get some cider afterward?”
Hunter chuckled, “Sure thing, kid.”
Omega skipped down the hall, and Hunter followed behind her. Echo was not nearly as soaked as his brothers, but he grumbled something about drying off and followed his brother and sister in time for Crosshair to join Saachi in the sitting room. He’d changed into sweatpants and a sweatshirt that had “MARINES” emblazoned on the front, and took up the seat abandoned by Echo.
“You stayin’ the night?” He grunted, chewing the end of a fresh toothpick. Saachi took a moment to realize he was talking to her.
“Um, I don’t think so? Hunter said something about drying off my clothes…” Saachi looked around uncomfortably. The house had seemed so cozy and inviting, but Crosshair’s question made it feel much bigger. Saachi didn’t want to impose any more than she had to.
Cross shrugged at her answer, and turned on the TV. College football was playing. Saachi watched for a moment, just barely following along. She heard enough from the Gym teachers while monitoring her class to know just the basics of the game.
“Saachi,” Hunter placed a hand on her shoulder, and she jumped at the touch.
His hair was pulled back, allowing her to get a good look at his tattoo. And his eyes. What had been so frightening when she first met him now seemed so open and welcoming.
“Sorry,” He apologized for startling her, “I got you some dry clothes. You can change in the upstairs bathroom and I’ll put your wet things in the dryer.”
He pressed a thick flannel shirt and a pair of soft jeans into her hands. Saachi pulled them to her chest and smiled at him.
“Thank you.”
“Anytime,” Hunter led her to the stairs. “Bathroom’s upstairs on the left,” He pointed it out as Echo slid past on the handrail.
“What? Faster than walking down the stairs.” He shrugged at Hunter’s disapproving look. Saachi laughed, and started up the stairs. She followed Hunter’s directions, and was nearly plowed over yet again as Omega ran downstairs for some apple cider.
Saachi changed quickly, peeling off the wet clothes like the gold stars she put on her students’ tests, and changed them out for Hunter’s clothes. They didn’t have a very distinctive scent, like men did in most romance novels she read. She expected everything to smell like hay and grass, but it just smelled clean. She found the washer and dryer quickly enough, in the hall closet, and tossed her clothes in on a “Quick Dry” cycle. By that point, she was absolutely exhausted, and a drink of cider sounded really good.
Hunter and his brothers were in the kitchen with Omega, sighing contentedly over their cider. Tech had brought blankets and a thermos out to Wrecker already, and was taking his turn getting into warm clothes. Echo and Omega joined Crosshair in the sitting room for the game with their mugs of delicious cider, and that left Hunter alone in the kitchen, enjoying a moment’s peace.
“Is there enough for me?” Saachi asked meekly.
Hunter turned to look at her, his mug frozen halfway to his mouth.
“Uh...yes, yes there’s plenty more.” He scrambled to grab a fresh mug and ladle some of the cider from the pot into the mug.
“Ah!” He tried to hide it as the hot drink spilled out the sides and onto his hands.
Saachi quickly grabbed a checkered towel and placed it over his hands to help clean up. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.” He gasped, handing her the mug. She gave it a gentle blow to cool it down before braving a sip.
“Is every day always this crazy?” She asked.
Hunter chuckled, “You should’ve seen when the thunderstorm rolled through last year.”
“I remember that! The power was out at the school for a week!”
“Two weeks here,” Hunter held up his fingers. “Tech was about to build our own power grid before the electric company got out this far.”
“Wow,” Saachi took another sip, “Do you have any other animals out here?”
Hunter shook his head, “A couple chickens, and Wrecker has this darned idea that we could eventually raise sheep out here, but other than Lula and the horses, that’s it.”
Saachi hummed, trying to imagine baby lambs running about with little Azi and Gonky getting used to their legs. Omega would definitely try to sneak one of them into school.
“Well, I don’t know if there’s still a surprise waiting for me, but what did you have planned for our date?”
Hunter sighed, running a hand through his hair as he rested his elbows on the yellowed countertop. “I was hoping to take you to a nice place like Chili’s or Texas Roadhouse.”
“Texas Roadhouse?” Saachi snorted into her mug.
“What, you don‘t like Texas Roadhouse?”
“I love Texas Roadhouse!”
“Good,” Hunter chuckled, “And...I dunno, there was a dance at the bar on the other side of town, I was wondering if you would want to go to that after dinner.”
“I love dancing, so jot that down for next time.”
Hunter looked up at her, his eyes soft.
“Next time?” He asked, barely above a whisper, “You...you want there to be a next time?”
Saachi shrugged. “Yeah, well, if you want there to be a next time, that is.”
Hunter stood up and smiled. “I’d like that. I’d like that a lot.”
“Good.” Saachi grinned.
They stood there, staring at each other for a while, until a crack of thunder made them both jump.
“Storm’s getting worse,” Hunter peered out the window, briefly glancing at the light in the barn.
“Are you okay with spending the night here?” He shut the curtain, turning to Saachi, “I can stay on the couch, you can have my bed.”
“Hunter, that’s ridiculous, I’ll take the couch.”
“No, you’re my guest. If I can’t give you a proper date tonight, the least I can do is let you sleep in an actual bed.”
Saachi bit her bottom lip, and took another sip of her cider.
“Make me breakfast in the morning. And we’ll call it a date.”
Hunter smirked. “You drive a hard bargain, teach.”
Saachi grinned. Maybe Ben had been right about this after all.