The Whole Package

“I just don’t want to rush you into anything. We can wait.” I close my eyes and just enjoy the feeling of her in my arms. “I’m not going anywhere.”

There’s a crash in the stockroom and we both tense. I take her hand and we step out of our hidden corner and see a box has been smashed nearby. The stockroom door is swinging back and forth as if someone just walked out of it.

“Do you think anyone saw us?” Bailey asks, and I shrug.

“I don’t think they could see, but they may have heard. Doesn’t really matter though.” I bring her hand up to my lips and kiss it. “Let’s get Hazel and go home.”

“Sounds perfect,” she says and we walk to the lockers.

Hazel and Kyle are sitting on the bench and he’s trying to teach her how to play rock, paper, scissors. She’s slower than he is, but he’s patient. Hazel laughs and then turns to Bailey and tries to teach her how to play. I love watching the two of them together.

When we leave I make sure to stop and get pizza on the way, and that makes Hazel happy. On the drive home Hazel sings in the back while Bailey tells me about her day. I can tell something is bothering her, but just when I begin to press her a little to tell me, the whole car falls silent.

I pull up into the driveway and there’s a big truck with an enclosed trailer attached and a police car there. The blue lights are flashing and I can see it’s already stressing Hazel out.

“Why are the police here?” Hazel asks, and Bailey just shakes her head.

“I don’t know, but maybe you should wait here and let me talk to them,” she says as she opens her door.

“Can you hang tight, Hazel? I’ll go with Bailey to check it out,” I say as I turn around and look at her. She starts biting her fingernail, but she nods and scoots away from the window.

I jump out of the SUV and go around to where Bailey is. The cop comes over and a man in a jean jacket and cowboy hat stands back a little bit in the distance. There are two younger guys with him standing up against the trailer, and I wonder what’s happening.

“Are you Mrs. Webb?” the officer asks, and Bailey nods.

“I’m Shawn Reed, her fiancé,” I say and put my arm around Bailey’s back.

She doesn’t flinch when I say the word or pull away from me. Instead she leans on me for support and I love the way it feels.

“I got a call from Jim Hopper,” he says and points his thumb over his shoulder. “His farm is on the other side of the creek that runs south of your property line. He said you’ve got one of his cows pinned up in your fence. Do you have any explanation for it?”

“She just wandered up here a couple of months ago. She was standing in the front yard and we put her in the fence to keep her from going towards the road and getting hit by a car.”

“Yeah, he made it sound like that’s probably what happened. He just wanted to call us to come check it out in case there was a problem.” The cop motions for the farmer to come over and he does.

One of the guys with the farmer begins to open the trailer while the other opens the fence and puts a rope on the cow.

“Sorry to scare you, I just wanted to get my cow back. I’m selling to the butcher this week and I need all the heads of cattle I can get.”

“You’re going to kill her?” Bailey says as she puts her hands over her mouth.

“Sugar!”

Hazel screams, and we all turn to see her coming out of the SUV in tears. Bailey rushes to her to try and stop her, but she’s already beyond consoling. She must have heard Bailey, because she’s sobbing and trying to push past her to get to the cow.

“You said you’re going to sell her?” I say, turning to the farmer.

“Yeah, she’s no good as a dairy cow anymore. I’m going to sell her for beef.”

Hazel cries even louder at his words and I’m trying to keep my anger in check.

“How much?” I shout, and everyone goes quiet. I hear Hazel sniff from behind me as I look the farmer in the eye. “How much are you selling her for?”

“Two thousand dollars.”

“I’ll give you five thousand. Do we have a deal?” I hold out my hand and the farmer looks at it for a second then takes it.

“Absolutely.”

“Then have your guys put Sugar back in the fence and I’ll get you your money.”

“Shawn.” Bailey looks up at me with tears in her eyes.