Whiskey and Country

* * *

Geez. I woke up at the crack of dawn to roosters crowing. All my life, I’d thought that was an old wives’ tale. A story to make them interesting. Guess not.

The high-pitched sound made my skin prickle. I buried my head under the pillow. Nope. It didn’t work. And now I was wide awake and knew I would have a hard time going back to sleep. I usually got up around six when I worked at a construction site back home. And right now, I could tell those two additional hours made a huge difference.

Rubbing my fists over my eyes, I sat on the edge of the mattress after turning the bedside table lamp on. The one-room wooden cabin looked cozier than I remembered in the golden light.

Wooden walls, floors, and ceilings. A lighter shade of wood cabinets. A two-place white table and a queen bed in a corner. The masonry fireplace created a screen between the kitchen and the bedroom area.

A small bathroom comprising of a shower, sink, and a toilet was hidden behind a curtain in the opposite corner.

The place was small but perfect for a single person. It reminded me of those industrial loft apartments back home, but the country version of them.

When we arrived at the ranch last night, Harold gave me a short tour of the property as his wife helped Roseanne settle in her new environment.

I even spotted a trail I could run in the morning that circled the pond.

How I found myself living at a ranch, I had no idea, but here I was.

I slid my legs into a pair of joggers and grabbed my sneakers and a long-sleeved T-shirt, my phone, and earbuds and made my way into the crisp early morning spring air.

Relishing the burning sensation in my lungs from the cold air, I ran as if I had all the time in the world. My eyes and ears took everything in. The birds chirping in the trees, the sunrise as it cast a twinkle from behind the mountains far away, the sound of the stream as I crossed a wooden bridge. I was alive. And the reminder filled me to the brim with a warm and fuzzy feeling.

Being one with the nature around me quietened the voices in my head. My fears. My doubts. My painful memories. It only left me with calmness. And hope. Everything would be okay.

I ran with my arms open. As if I could imprint this peace in my soul forever. And lock it in my heart. To remember it every time my spirits failed to lift me.

I ran up a hill and stopped at the summit, bent forward, my hands propped on my knees as I caught my breath, admiring the scenery around me.

Once my breathing returned to normal, I spun around slowly, taking in the vastness of the blue sky.

“Bro, this is amazing. Can you see it from your cloud? This view? How did you know? I have no clue what I’m doing here, to be honest. Or how I really ended up here. Circumstances made it happen. But it’s like it was planned all along.” I scratched the side of my head. “I won’t pretend I understand how fate works, but every day, I can feel you around me, pointing me in the right direction. Toward my destiny.”

I tilted my head back, inhaled, and screamed at the top of my lungs, “Thank you.”

Shards maintaining my heart in a semi-permanent state of agony turned to dust.

A loud laugh bubbled out. I shook my head and exhaled.

At a slow pace, taking my time to sketch each tree, plain, fence on my mind, I returned to the ranch’s main building. They asked me to show up at seven after everyone had started their workday to really take the time to explain how it would work.

Commotion by the main house caught my attention, and instead of going to my cabin to shower before breakfast, curiosity pushed me to follow the people hurrying in the direction of the barn.

“What’s going on?” I asked a man wearing jeans and a cowboy hat.

“The twins are coming,” he said.

My brows shot up. Twins? “Oh. What twins?”

The guy halted and turned to face me. “Oh, you’re the new guy. I’m Russ.” He held out his hand, and I shook it.

“I’m Nick.”

“Well, Nick, Felicity, that’s one of the ewes, is lambing right now. She’s having twins. It calls for a celebration. When she was a lamb, she got strained from the flock and almost drowned during a storm. She’s a bit special to all of us. A fighter.” I could read the pride shining in his eyes.

“Can I come?” I asked, not knowing if I should or not.

“Sure. You don’t wanna miss that. Felicity is the ranch icon. It used to be Butterscotch, Harold’s horse, but he died, and the ewe took his prestigious spot.”

For the next hour, I watched the vet and a man I assumed to be Rupert, Harold and Barb’s son, caring for the lambing sheep as she delivered her twins.

“A boy and a girl,” someone shouted, and all the people around cheered.

My throat worked. I watched this miracle of nature occurring before my eyes. And I was grateful for every second of it.

“Hey new guy,” Russ called, snapping me out of my amazement. “Any idea for the names?”

All eyes converged in my direction.

I blinked, not sure Russ was talking to me, and pointed to my chest with my thumb. “Me?”

“Yes, you. Pick a name. It’s a tradition. The new guys always get the first choice.”

“Any name?”

“Yep.”

Before I could think about it, I said, “Barry.”

If I could’ve ever gotten Derek a dog, that was the name he had picked. In honor of Barry Hamilton, his favorite hockey player. The one who visited him in his hospital room and gifted him the jersey.

“Barry it is,” Russ said.

They all voted for the other name. Too absorbed in my own head, I didn’t really register anything. Busy, my brain replayed the last twelve hours since I met Harold and Barb on the side of the road.

A small hand tapped mine, and I came face to face with Barb. “Nicholas, I’m glad you’re here and that you didn’t miss the twins’ birth. Now come with me. We’ll get you settled.”

Flickers of joy spread inside me. I’d witnessed a life ending. And now I saw two lives beginning. The animals weren’t Derek, and they would never be, but somehow, they were a reminder that life goes on. That the cycle never stops.

For the next twelve days, I worked from dawn to dusk on the ranch, doing any work that seemed fit. I painted more fence pickets than I thought possible, fixed doors, pens, and floors, set hurdles, fed the livestock, and even learned how to ride a horse under Harold’s watchful eyes. The man had turned into a mentor. He took me under his wing and explained each tool and piece of equipment to me. He coached me as we moved cattle around.

“Nicholas, can I ask you something?” Barb asked one afternoon, meeting me by the piglet pen, her voice soft and her brows furrowed.

“Sure. What can I do for you?” I asked as I stuffed my gloves into my back pocket.

With a swipe of my sleeve, I dried the sweat pearling on my forehead, the spring sun blazing above me. A smile stretched my lips as she offered me the fresh glass of iced tea. I nodded my appreciation and took a big gulp.

“As you know, Rupert is about to be a daddy. The doctor said yesterday the baby could come early.” Wonderment highlighted her round face, pride pouring from each of her features, as her eyes glazed in the sunlight.

“He’s working long hours. Has been since he was just a kid. Always there for us. Ready to help. Deals with ’bout anything going on here. So that Harold and I can enjoy some free time. The thing is, we’ve been renovating the two-story cabin on the south side of the ranch. A surprise before the baby’s born. Nobody knows about it. Thought Rupert and Maureen could use it to jumpstart their new life as a family. They are high school sweethearts, you know. Nice girl. Her Mama is my hairdresser.” She sighed, cupping her heart. “Until now, they’ve been living on the upper floor of the stable. The one we transformed into an apartment a while back.” She paused to catch her breath. “Anyway, we have a problem.”

I waited for her to continue.