Chapter Twenty-Three
Monty
Hearing movement and some frantic whispered words in the room next door, Monty glanced up from his laptop.
Rue had gone to speak to Oakland and they’d left the house thirty minutes ago with Brier, leaving Monty alone with the omegas.
Rue had said to call him when they woke up, but from what he could hear, he felt like they might not want to see an alpha just yet.
He placed his laptop down and, rubbing suddenly damp palms down his thighs, he walked into the hallway and tapped on the door.
It was a jar, except Monty didn’t step inside.
He waited for an invitation. He hadn’t heard all of what had happened when Rue had left him after calling his dad, and he’d concluded it wasn’t good.
“Who is it?” Cace called out after some whispered conversation.
“It’s Monty… can I come in?”
The door opened, and it took considerable effort not to react to the state of the men in the room and the smell of horse shit.
They looked like they had a fight in the mud and shit, some faring better than others.
Monty glanced at the bed Ivo, Otis and Eric were in and quickly decided the sheets needed putting in the trash, judging by the color of them.
And if they smelled as bad as Cace, then most definitely.
Cace stood silently, wringing his hands.
“I wondered if you guys wanted to go get something to eat… you know, up at the bunkhouse?”
Cace looked at the others, indecision pouring off all of them.
“I was going, so y’all could come with me?
Oh, and if you like, we could visit with Cass.
He’s got these most amazing chickens.” He giggled in such a way to suggest he was sharing a big secret, trying to recall how far the men had ventured since they’d arrived on the ranch.
“They all have names, and some wear these cute handmade outfits!”
Ivo came to the edge of the bed. “They do?” he exclaimed, signalling they’d yet to venture that far. It was a slow process, but Monty got why.
He nodded enthusiastically. “They do! Some even have tutus on.”
“Really?” Eric asked sceptically.
“Totally, I’ll show you.”
More eagerly than Monty had hoped for, they got off the bed.
Monty wondered about mentioning that they should shower first but in the end, he kept his mouth shut.
They’d lived in awful squalor, so potentially they weren’t bothered by a little horse shit.
If they weren’t, then Monty could suck it up.
Sitting at the end of the bed, they tugged on their sneakers. The quiet in the room was unnatural and a little unnerving. It had been the same any time Monty spent time with them.
“Can we go see the chickens first?” Eric gave him a hopeful half smile.
It was a total win in Monty’s book, when the omega hadn’t smiled in front of him before. “Yep. It might even be feeding time for them. They can get loud, but they are so cute.” Monty kept up the litany as they left the house with him.
If he noticed how watchful they were of those going about their business, Monty didn’t draw attention to it.
He could hear the chicks and Cassidy’s laughter before the coops came into view.
“Wow!” Eric exclaimed and, for a moment, seemed to forget he was scared as he rushed to the fence, peering over.
Ivo and Otis were right behind him but Cace remained close to Monty. He was most definitely the more timid of the bunch.
“I promise they won’t peck at you,” Monty reassured, uncertain if that was Cace’s issue as he hung back.
Cassidy glanced up from where he was crouched, and his gentle smile said he knew who the men were. “Hey y’all, I’m Cass. Have ya come to meet my girls?”
The girls in question rushed to the fence in the same way they had greeted Monty when he’d first met them. He held back a giggle at how Eric took a step back, putting his hands behind his back.
Cassidy rose, his gaze on where he walked so as not to tread on any of the Seramas chicks, Monty figured. They were so small, no bigger than the size of a Coke can. He opened the gate.
“Now, girls, let's show a bit of decorum.” He smiled widely at the men as they crept a little closer.
“Could you do an introduction of your girls, Cass? This is Ivo, Cace, Otis and Eric.” Monty pointed each man out.
Cassidy scratched his chin, looking with affection at the chicks that Monty knew were his babies.
Having not seen Cassidy, spending most of his time cooped up in the house working, Monty had to work hard at not staring at the obvious bulge at Cassidy’s waistline that hadn’t been there a month ago. Was he pregnant?
“I have several breeds, and the Seramas—they’re the smallest and cutest, right? They’re like the teacup puppies of the chicken world. Sweet and lovable with curly feathers, aren’t you girls?” He picked up the closet chick, and it squawked in answer. Monty had witnessed the Cassidy effect.
The others all giggled, and Monty’s smile grew wider at how relaxed they became. They’d even gotten closer, including Cace.
“As you can see, they come in a wild assortment of colors, feather patterns, and feather types. They also make great pets because of their loveable nature.”
“Why do you dress them up?” Eric asked, his eyes on Lynda, who stalked majestically towards them in a bright pink and red striped knitted sweater.
Cassidy answered in a stage whisper, “The La Fleche breed, like Lynda and her sisters, looks like Satan had a hand in creating them.” He chuckled, nodding at the chicken he was describing.
“See the jet-black feathers and fleshy little devil horns? I don’t want her to have a complex about how she looks. ”
There were nods, and Eric, who was displaying the most interest, crouched down next to Lynda, rubbing his fingers together as if resisting the urge to reach out and touch.
Lynda appeared to tolerate Eric’s closeness more than she had ever done with Monty and his friends.
Cassidy had explained Lynda’s breed had a tendency to be more aloof around people, and, unlike the other breeds, they didn’t follow anyone.
Lynda knew who the boss was, and Cassidy had rightly pointed out it wasn’t him.
Cassidy stroked a finger over the little devil horns. “Lynda, say hello to Eric.”
Lynda needed no more prompting and stalked to Eric, pressing her beak against his fingers.
“Well look at that. She ain’t never done that before.” The surprise was genuine as Cassidy grinned at Eric. “She likes you.”
Eric went pink under the dirt streaking his face. “She does?”
As if to prove it, Lynda flapped her wings to get up and perch on the top of one of Eric’s knees.
The smile was heartbreaking with how much joy shone from Eric’s eyes as he looked at the others.
“I’ve made a friend,” he said softly, the excitement unmissable in the declaration.
“You have,” Monty murmured, blinking away tears.
“I think I see the one with the tutu on?” Ivo murmured to Otis.
“That one’s got a blue sweater on,” Cace whispered. “Oh, and that one is wearing yellow.”
“Where do you get their sweaters and tutus from?” Eric asked, running a finger over Lynda’s feathers.
Cassidy grinned, and so did Monty, knowing what Cassidy’s response was going to be.
“I make them. I love to knit, and I’m not bad with a needle and thread.” He shrugged causally, and Monty noticed how much the men were hanging off his every word. Was he looking to engage the men? It was a smart move, even if he wasn’t. “My girls like to look pretty.”
“I can sew. Maybe… I could make something for your girls? For Lynda?” Eric offered shyly.
Monty understood what a huge thing this was and what an understatement of his skills. Eric, like the others, had never ending talent with needle and thread. It was why Rue and his brothers had gone to the factory in Drinkwater in the first place. Their work was exceptional.
But the offer to do something that had brought nothing but pain into their lives was huge.
The noise around them increased, almost like the gathering chicks were answering Eric, demanding he do something for them, too.
“Now come on, girls. Is that any way to behave?” The squawking and wing flapping came down a notch at Cassidy’s reprimand, drawing more laughter from the men.
After the previous night, Monty took the visit with Cassidy as a high point of the day, and it gave him hope.
His gaze roamed beyond the pastures to the vast green, tree topped mountains.
Monty hadn’t needed to consider his answer about coming back, and if he was truthful, it wasn’t all to do with Rue and Kendrick.
Just maybe the omegas would find the peace they were looking for on the ranch, because if they were going to find it anywhere, it would be there.