Chapter 7
Meleck
Waking up in a comfortable bed, working on acres of land before the sun comes up, eating good food, and being in the presence of a beautiful ass woman are a cowboy’s dream. It’s simply perfection and I couldn’t ask for a better morning.
I learned a lot from my grandfather. Growing up, he would always talk about seizing every opportunity before it gets away. His exact words were, “Son, go after life as if it’s something that’s got to be roped in a hurry before it gets away.”
When Wren mentioned her electrical problems at the bar, his words ran through my thoughts and I knew I had to seize the moment. There was no waiting till the morning; the moment was then and I took it before I lost it.
After our breakfast together and my entertaining convo with her sweet little sister Amara, I came back to the barn to check every outlet and measure all connections.
I also check voltage limitations. Before I disconnect the power or start with the breaker box, I decide to map out the new direction of the energy flow.
Luckily, I find a drill and start marking the new locations with holding holes I don’t know how long I’m drilling but she returns in the midst. The feel of her soft hand on my back grabs my attention.
“Hey,” she says and I stop. When I turn around, she has a perplexed look on her pretty face. “I guess that drill is louder than I thought. I’ve been calling you for minutes.”
The drill is small and handheld. While it makes noise, it’s not loud at all. Her location to me is why I couldn’t hear her. She’s standing on my left side. So I turn to face her and apologize, then pull on my left earlobe.
“I’m partially deaf on this side. A fucked-up hazard of military life. That’s why I was discharged,” I tell her and try to read her facial expression as I speak. It doesn’t change; she doesn’t have any reaction, just soft words.
“Oh, my bad. I didn’t know,” she says sincerely.
“Of course you didn’t. I didn’t tell you,” I say and she gives me a wry smile.
“Right. I mean… I couldn’t… Shit, I don’t know what the hell I mean,” she says, stumbling over her words in an innocent way. My revelation clearly caught her off guard and she’s having a normal but non-negative reaction of surprise.
“You’re good. Trust me. It’s been two years and I’m still adjusting to the shit myself.”
“Does it hurt?”
“No. I might have some slight ringing sometimes but no pain.”
“And I can’t do anything to aggravate it. Can I?” she asks and I appreciate the genuine concern in her sweet tone.
“The damage has already been done,” I assure her, then change the subject. “Is there a hardware store in town? I need to pick up the things I need to start this.”
“Yeah, Richard’s Hardware. Do you have a list? I can pick up the items,” she says and I hold in my laugh.
“You at the store? Do you remember what I said last night? The wire I said you needed last night?” I ask, already knowing she doesn’t.
“Um…something MB. MIB?” she guesses, proving the point I’m trying to make.
“Men in Black? Oh, okay. I’m going to the hardware store. You won’t have a clue what to get.”
“Well, I’m taking you but I need to feed my chicks and goats first,” she says.
“Is there feed and water in the coop and pen?” I ask.
“Yeah why?”
“I need you to unload your milk. I got to kill the power in here when we get back,” I say and she frowns a little.
“Today?”
“Yes. I can’t risk electrocuting myself; I’m already half deaf,” I say and grin. “I don’t want to be too fucked up for you.”
“That’s not funny,” she says while trying not to smile. “And you’re not fucked up.”
“Good to know. Do you have room in the house freezer for your milk?”
“No,” she sighs. “It’s a lot. I guess I’m going to ha—”
“Wait,” I say, unintentionally interrupting her. “On the back porch I thought I saw an outlet. We can temporarily move the freezer there while I work.”
“Oh, thank you ’cause I was about to crash out thinking I was going to lose my milk.”
“I got you but do you have a hand truck around here?”
“Yeah, in the shed by the coop. I’ll get it.”
“I know you’re used to handling all this on your own, but while I’m here, let me. I slept good last night and ate even better this morning thanks to you. I’m returning the favor, so let me do what I do. I can get it.”
“I don’t think it’s any favor. You are literally about to rewire this entire barn. I looked up what that costs up while taking Amara to school and I’m pretty sure I owe you three meals a day and a damn back rub,” she says half teasingly, but the shit sounds good to me.
“I mean; I won’t say no to any of that,” I say and she grins.
“I bet you won’t,” she says, still laughing and looking pretty as fuck.
Jeans, a sweater, and boots never looked so damn good.
“Follow me to the coop so you can get the hand truck from the shed.” We exit the barn and trek through the ranch toward the coop.
I know the plan was for me to walk on to the shed but I’m honestly enjoying just being next to her.
So when she steps toward the coop, I do too.
“The shed is right over there,” she says, pointing to the small aluminum shed painted brown.
“I want to see your hens,” I tell her.
“Do you know how to collect eggs?” she asks and I just furrow my eyebrows.
She laughs and grabs the box of gloves in the little window. She hands me a pair then puts on a pair. Then we head inside.
Collecting eggs is basic. It’s typically done once a day. Growing up, I collected them every morning. The key is keeping the eggs clean and safe so we can eat them, which is why we wear gloves.
Wren has about twelve chickens. Once inside, I let her handle the collection and I take care of the boxes. I go behind her and clean the nesting boxes of feathers and debris then adjust the pads. The more comfortable the chickens, the more they lay.
As soon as we are done, I gently take the bucket of eggs back to the main house and place them at the back door. When I make it back, I find her in the goat pen, filling their food and water bowls.
“You couldn’t wait on me?” I ask.
“I’m just used to doing this. It’s my morning routine. I cook breakfast, collect eggs, then handle my goats. Biv and DeVoe are wild and I usually have to clean up. Bell is cool. He likes to stay under Whitney and TLC,” she says and I shake my head.
“Are those their real names?” I ask, amused as shit.
“Yes, they are,” she exclaims. “Be honest. Look at her. My pretty spotted Saanen. She looks like T-Boz, especially with her ears flapped down. It’s giving bob.”
Just to appease her, I squint and stare at the goat and shit. As crazy as this shit sounds, the damn goat kind of favors T-Boz. I can’t suppress my laughter.
“You wild for that,” I say, laughing.
“But you see it. So, naturally, the other two Saanen had to be Chilli and Left Eye. I can’t break the group up,” she says with a smirk. “Now, I don’t want to assume or offend by asking, but have you milked a goat before? I need to this morning.”
“I grew up on a ranch and I’ve been working as a ranch hand for the past two years. I can and have done everything you can think of on a ranch. So, to answer you, pretty lady, yes, I have.”
We spend the next hour milking TLC and Whitney then clean out the pen.
Not only is Wren absolutely beautiful, she’s fierce and hardworking.
I love how she isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty and the love she has for this land and her small animals is everything.
She puts her heart and soul into keeping this ranch running and that shit is admirable and sexy as hell.
When we finish with the goats, I carry the three buckets of milk inside the house.
She strains the milk and bags it, preparing it for the freezer while I move her freezer from the barn to the back porch.
Out on the porch, I notice the wood pile by the back door for her fireplace and see she only has two stacks of logs.
As cold as it is, and with me needing a log or two for the small freestanding fireplace in the attic, she’s going to need more.
We both shower, her in the house and me in the attic. It’s actually spacious and nice up here. I’ve been on some ranches where the housing wasn’t nearly as nice as this. While some ranches offer shared living spaces with actual beds, I’ve been on some that just offered cots.
She was right. It was a little dusty up here, but a broom and some wipes fixed that before I lay down last night.
I have a full-size comfortable bed, a dresser for my clothes, and a small portable closet.
There’s a small fridge and microwave and the bathroom has a full-size toilet, small sink, and a nicely sized shower.
Even with Christmas décor and a few boxes filling half of the space, I still have a lot of room for me.
However, the best part is the two round windows and the huge skylight over the bed.
I gazed into the dark night as I drifted off to sleep and now the sun is beaming down, providing a beautiful glow and hint of warmth.
When I’m dressed, I head downstairs, start my uncle’s truck, then walk to the front of the house onto the wrap-around porch.
The main house is a modern bungalow with a rustic log cabin vibe.
The structure is log and the walls are logs but the exterior has a blend of stucco and stone.
The chimney and base of the walls are also made of fieldstone, but the base of the posts on the porch and supporting the roof over the porch are surrounded by fieldstone.
When she opens the door, she flashes me a devious smile then snatches my Jaxson off my head.
“Your hat looks better on me.” She smirks as she places it on her head and I can’t argue. She looks pretty as hell with my shit on her head. “Come in. I need to grab my boots and purse.”