Chapter 49
Titanium – David Guetta ft. Sia
Gunner
The idea that pouring concrete into a huge hole would be interesting was a little weird.
Of course, we had to be there, but the other dozen people I wasn’t sure.
There was Calvin, Ella and Peggy, our friend Deacon who owned the feed store, Shane and Felicia who owned the lavender farm along with a handful of ranch hands and stable hands including Mikey and Tally.
Everyone was standing around, waiting expectantly, like something great was about to happen.
It was, in the sense that it was the start of something new and exciting. A fresh start as we literally rose from the ashes.
The smell of smoke had ebbed away and now there was only the faint aroma of charred wood from the old stable door that was propped up close by, covered by tarpaulin.
It was one thing that had survived the fire, and I was insistent that it was used in the new stables.
Me and my brothers had our names carved into it and trashing it would feel like throwing away part of our legacy.
It might have been a new start for us, but it was good to keep some of the old, too.
“It’s a big day, boys,” Calvin said, wrapping his arm around Ella’s shoulder.
“Sure is,” Nash replied. “You excited for your new stables, guys?” His smile at Mikey and Tally told me he was just as thrilled.
“I mean I didn’t spend any time in the old ones,” Tally replied, “but I’ve seen the plans. It’s going to be incredible.” Her hands were shoved into the back pockets of her jeans as she looked over to the team waiting to start. “I just feel honored to be a part of it all.”
The eagerness shining in her eyes was catching because seeing her made me desperate for us to get going, to start working together. To fulfil all our ambitions.
“It’s sad the old stables have gone, though,” Mikey added. “But not much we can do about that.” He nodded at the new security cameras around the yard. “I’d like to see them try again, though.”
“If I ever get hold of the basta—”
“Gunner,” Nash growled, his eyes moving in the direction of his kids.
“Let’s forget about them for today,” Shane said, slapping my back. “Just remember your mom would be proud of you boys.
The three of us exchanged a look, a mixture of sorrow and pride.
Shane was right, she was always telling us how everything we did was incredible, but it clutched at my chest that she wasn’t here to see what we were starting.
Admittedly, it hadn’t come about for the best of reasons, but maybe we could take a positive from it; the new, state of the art stables were just the beginning of a brand new future.
“We ready to go?” I was anxious to get started. It was time to move on and leave the sadness of the last week behind us.
“Hey, Bertie, you think we should bury something in the concrete?” Wilder asked, his hair blowing in the breeze as he held his Stetson at his side.
Shit he was just too easy. “You maybe,” I replied.
“I vote Wilder,” Nash cried at the same time.
“Dicks,” he muttered. “I was thinking of some sort of time capsule if you must know.”
“I think that’s a great idea, Uncle Wilder,” Bertie cried, clapping her hands excitedly. “Can we Momma, can we?”
Lily gave Wilder a tight smile. “We’re a little tight on time, baby. They’re about to pour.”
“We can do something really quick,” Wilder offered. “I have a tin box we could each grab something from the house.” He breezed over to Markus who was talking to the guy operating the machine pouring the concrete. “Hey, Markus, can we delay for say twenty to thirty minutes?”
“Sure, we should be okay, right, Eddie?”
Eddie nodded. “Twenty is the max. I don’t want it going off.”
“We can manage that.” He turned and gave us all a thumbs up. “Let’s go guys. Get something for the time capsule.”
“Okay, let’s go.” He gathered Bertie up and grabbed Lily’s hand. “We have twenty minutes.”
“Honey, give Billy to me,” Ella offered. “You’ll be quicker without him.”
As Lily led a toddling Billy to his grandmother, Wilder jumped excitedly on the spot. “Come on people, come on.”
It was typical of Wilder, to have an idea and expect everyone to run with it. What was also typical of him was to have the most thoughtful ideas that we would all be grateful for in the end. I had a feeling that this might be one of them.
As I followed Nash, his family and Wilder back to the house, I wished that Cassidy was there.
She had gone back to work that morning; in fact, she’d gone back to her apartment the night before and I’d hated every minute that she was gone.
I also hated that she wasn’t here to add something to the capsule because as far as I was concerned she was now a part of this place.
She was a part of its future. She was my future.
So, as I wandered back to the house, I took out my phone and called her knowing she would be on lunch.
“Hey, sweetheart.”
That beat before she answered me was always filled with excitement. The anticipation of her sultry tone, the wonder of what she might say.
“Hi, baby. This is a pleasant surprise.”
Yep, sultry and sexy and I was already halfway to a stiff dick and now was not the time. I adjusted myself and carried on walking toward the house.
“Have they laid the concrete yet?” she asked. “Jenny Evans stop running.”
“I’m sorry, I forgot you were on lunch break supervision. I’ll be quick.”
“It’s okay.” She giggled softly. “You’re a good distraction. So, tell me, what can I help you with?”
It was my turn to laugh. “Oh, there’s plenty you could help me with sweetheart.
” She gave a little moan on the other end of the line, and my erection grew a little more.
Loosening my stride, I smiled as Jamie, one of the ranch hands, passed me.
He was too engrossed in something on his phone to notice what was going on South of my belt.
“Wilder had this stupid idea of burying a time capsule in the foundations.”
“That’s a brilliant idea!”
“What is it with you and Lily pampering to that boy?” Shaking my head I started up the steps of the porch, noticing the two colorful pots full of flowers that Lily had put there.
They were new and a good addition, bright and pretty like life was starting to be again.
“The point is we have about fifteen minutes to find something to put in it and I was wondering whether you had anything here that I could put in for you?”
There was a beat of silence followed by a sigh that I recognized as her ‘God I love you cowboy’ sigh.
“Sweetheart?”
“You want to put something of mine in there?” There was that sigh again.
“I love you, too, sweetheart.”
Chuckling, I pulled open the door and wandered inside the house only to have Bertie barrel into me.
“Hurry Uncle G, we don’t have much time.”
She had her arms full of stuff including a toy clown which gave me the willies. “Good choice, short stuff.” I pointed at the clown. “I’ll be five minutes I promise.”
“Okay, see you back there.” She ran away yelling, “Daddy, Momma hurry.”
“She sounds better, how's she doing?”
“I think this time capsule thing of Wilder’s has helped.” I started to climb the stairs, and I had a light bulb moment. “He did it again, didn't he? We thought he’d come up with a stupid idea when all along it was for Bertie.”
“He did.” Cassidy’s laugh lightened my soul. “And on the nightstand next to your bed there’s a beaded bracelet that I made when I was about fifteen. Oh, and there are some white lace panties in the drawer you set aside for me.”
“You want me to put those in?” I pulled up just outside my room, my mouth dropping open. “Sweetheart there is no way that—”
“I don’t mean for the time capsule,” she whispered, so soft and sexy that I felt the honker making a reappearance. “I was thinking you could maybe wrap them around yourself next time you know…”
Full on hard, I cupped myself and groaned.
“You’re cranking.” The laugh down the line was loud, dirty and addictive.
“I do not fucking crank, do not believe Wilder, the little shit.” Grabbing the bracelet from the nightstand, which was next to her glasses that she used when she took her contacts out, I pulled open the drawer.
I whispered a curse when I saw not only white lace panties, but a red thong and the matching bra that I knew didn’t quite cover Cassidy’s nipples.
Her fuck me bra. “You are one dirty girl,” I told her.
“Just something to remember me by when I’m not there.” She giggled. “Tell Bertie I’ll bring her some work over this evening, and I hope the time capsule, and concreting goes well, baby.”
“See you later and bring enough clothes for the weekend, but Cassidy.”
“Yeah.”
“No panties.”
Before she could answer I ended the call, grabbed the photograph I had of me, Mom and my brothers along with an old keychain I’d made in high school.
It was a wooden horseshoe, and I’d made it for a girl I liked.
I then caught her eating with her mouth open and decided to keep it.
I’d used it for years until about a year ago when the ring snapped, and it fell off my keys.
“Gunner, hurry.” Wilder’s head was popping around my bedroom door, his eyes wild with excitement. “We don’t have long.”
“I’m coming, I’m coming .” I followed him down the stairs, grinning at Nash as I met him on the landing and then went back to place my precious items in the time capsule. Grateful for my past and excited for my future.