3. Mags
3
MAGS
A text message from Rhett warns me that everyone from Bull Mountain Ranch is coming my way for dinner. They have a standing reservation on Friday nights, but since it's Saturday, I wasn't expecting all of them.
Thankfully, it has been quiet so far and I got a big delivery today, so I'm fully stocked and ready to feed the masses–so to speak.
It does have me wondering if it's a celebration of sorts though. Maybe a pregnancy? Is a wedding date being set? Although Charlie would’ve told me if there was any big news.
I’m still pondering all the possibilities when I see two of the ranch trucks with the bull’s head logo on their doors arrive outside. Five minutes later, the men and women who call Bull Mountain home stream through the diner’s door.
“Mags! Give us six of your best beers!” Toby says, his arm draped around his fiancée Dee’s shoulders.
“Seven,” Wy replies with a cheeky grin, earning an arched brow from me.
I turn to meet Red's crinkled gaze before switching back to Wyatt. "Boy, I love you like you were my own, but I ain’t goin’ to risk bein’ shut down. Even for you.”
Wy shrugs. "Worth a shot," he replies with a shit-eating smile that will get him many a willing girl in the future. He's a good-looking kid who’s sure to break a few hearts before he finds his One.
Red chuckles. “Six beers and a root beer for Wy. What about the women?” He looks at the rest of the group as they pass him on their way to the ‘Ranch’ booth they claimed years ago.
“Chocolate milkshake for me,” Lee asks as she comes up and hugs me. “Hey, Mags. Sorry for the short notice and all.”
I hug her back and grin as she’s claimed by Colt when she stands back. “Fine by me, sweetheart.”
“Beers for Cora and Dee, an acai smoothie for Star, and just an OJ for me, Mom. I’m workin’ tonight at the hospital,” Charlie adds, taking Lee’s place beside me and wrapping an arm around my waist. “Sorry for not warnin’ you. This is kind of an impromptu ranch celebration.”
I quickly create a tab for the group and watch all but Char file into the booth. Turning her way, I look for any clue as to what’s going on. “You want to tell me what y’all are celebratin’ then?”
She looks past my shoulder to the table. "It's better if you hear it straight from the source. Let me help you get the drinks and then you can come and find out.”
As we make our way to the table, the chatter and laughter of the Bull Mountain Ranch crew fill the air. Their warm camaraderie and easy banter are infectious, and I smile at the family we all count ourselves a part of.
I catch Red’s gaze and for the first time since they all arrived, I spot some unease in his eyes. Of course, Red being Red, he quickly schools it and paints a grin on his face. But I know what I saw, which just has me even more curious as to what tonight’s celebration is all about.
After Charlie and I have handed out the drinks I pull out my order pad from my apron. “Before y’all get too rowdy, tell me what meals you’d like so I can get Tony to make a start on them. Yeah?”
“How ‘bout we let the soon-to-be-adult choose first?” Toby says, nudging Wy with his elbow.
I catch a similar look in Wy’s eyes as I saw on Red’s face which has me on the edge of worry. Something’s wrong… or maybe not wrong, but definitely changing… then it hits me.
“Wait…” I say, pointing my finger at Wy. “You just went and got yourself that damn crab fishin’ job you applied for, didn’t ya?”
Wyatt lets out a huge breath and nods, a beaming grin transforming his face. “Yeah, Mags. They want me there in two weeks.”
Cheers erupt around the table from everyone and out of instinct my eyes seek out my best friend. Amidst the joyful chaos, Red's gaze is filled with a mix of pride and melancholy. Wyatt announced a good year and a half ago that getting a crab fishing post was on his bucket list, so this isn’t a surprise. It’s just that a part of me had hoped someone would’ve been able to change his mind to something less… terrifyingly real.
And that’s exactly what I can read in Red’s expression. He’s proud of his son for achieving his dreams, but that doesn’t mean that seeing it become a reality hasn’t stirred up conflicting emotions in him. Having already been through the loss of Anna, he’s now facing the reality of watching his only remaining piece of her go out into the world to start living his life.
I know exactly how that feels because fifteen years ago, I did the same when Charlie left for college.
"OK. OK. Settle down, boys. How about I order the usual for everyone and then order another round of drinks for y'all to celebrate Wy's news? Deal?"
Toby salutes me, making Dee giggle at his side. Austin nods. Charlie grins. Colt and Lee are mooning at each other like they’re in their own little loved-up world whereas Rhett and Cora smile. Wyatt shoots me a grateful look. “Sounds good, Mags. Thanks. I’m goin’ to miss Friday night dinners here. That’s for sure.” Hit me where it hurts, kid .
A lump forms in my throat that I quickly swallow down. Wyatt is family to me, just like the rest of them. Just like Red.
Wy and Red are special though. They’re my last remaining connection to Anna. She binds the three of us. Not for the first time, I wonder what will happen when Wy leaves Bull Mountain and our little town of Spring Haven. Will Red stay on the ranch? Will he start living his life? Maybe start dating? Will he hear the mountain's call?
Thankfully I stop myself from showing how I really feel about that thought . God! I’m losing Wy, I’m not sure I could bear losing my best friend too.
Plastering a smile on my face, I shoot Wyatt a wink. “Guess you should make sure you get your fill before you leave then.”
"Oh yeah. Thanks, Mags," he says, reaching out to rest his hand on my arm, his familiar forest-green eyes locking with mine.
“Charmer,” I say.
“Always. Learned it from the best. Right, Dad?” Wy turns to Red whose gaze switches between the two of us.
To his credit, Red just chuckles and ruffles his son's hair. I take that as my cue to leave. "Y'all food will be ready soon."
I walk away wondering why there's a suddenly this weird feeling in my belly. It’s not a bad one, just new. I make a mental note to seek out Landry's wife, Starchild, for a tarot reading sometime soon. Maybe she'll be able to help me work it all out. Until then, I have orders to put in and hungry people to feed.
When plate after plate of my World-Famous Corned Beef Hash have been demolished by the crew, I catch Red slipping out the back door of the diner. Curious, I follow him outside.
When I get there, I find him leaning up against the back fence, looking up at the star-studded sky.
I stop next to him, copying his stance before nudging him with my elbow. “Fancy findin’ you out here.”
A small grin curves the corner of his mouth. “Knew you’d come lookin’ eventually. You always seem to know where I am.”
“Am I that predictable?”
He meets my eyes. “Nah. Just knew you’d come. That’s all.”
A comfortable silence falls between us as he returns his attention to the sky.
“So how are you feelin’? And don’t give me the answer you think I want to hear either.”
He sighs and runs his fingers through his thick salt-and-pepper hair. "I'm happy for him. Proud as punch, you know?" He looks at me and I nod. "It's just…"
“I know,” I say softly, understanding the weight of unspoken words hanging between us.
The night Anna and I first met Red and his rodeo friends at a rodeo event, I knew it was one of those life-changing moments. The second they laid eyes on each other, I knew they'd found their soulmate.
As their relationship flourished and deepened, so did my friendship with Red. He used to say that me and Anna were a package deal. Once they were married—in fact, at their wedding reception—Red announced to everyone that he felt like he’d not only gained a wife, but her best friend too.
Since Anna's passing, our friendship has become an unbreakable bond. It was like we filled the Anna-sized hole that we had in our hearts.
We've always had a way of communicating without talking, just like now. Red's gaze reflects a mixture of emotions - pride, fear, a hint of sadness, and a little bit of wonder all wrapped up in one.
"Change is hard," I say. "It's worse when it's your flesh and blood growin’ up and leavin’ the nest. Believe me.”
Red nods slowly, his head tipping up to the stars above. “He hasn’t left yet, and I already know it’s goin’ to be hard.” He sighs. “Feels like just yesterday the kid was runnin' around my ankles while I was trainin’ Rhett on the road.”
“Or beggin’ me to let him help here in the kitchen to make one of his concoctions ,” I add.
Red chuckles. “Or when he’d come home from school with dirty clothes and scraped-up knees?—”
“And a grin that could light up the whole dang room when he told us all about his day.”
“I lived for his stories. I used to make sure I’d finished up for the day so I could be there when he got home. Now…”
I lean my head against his shoulder, and he wraps his arm around me as we both let the memories wash over us. "Now you've got to trust in the man you've raised him to be. The man you molded, Red. He's got a good head on him and he wants nothin’ more than to make you proud. You know that, right?”
“I am proud,” he replies. “He’s the best of me and Anna.”
“That he is,” I say. “He's goin’ to do great out there, Red. You raised him right.”
“What trouble are you two kids gettin’ up to?” We turn and break apart to find a smirking Wyatt standing behind us.
Red smiles. “Just reminiscin’. Nothin’ for you to worry about, kid.”
Wyatt raises an eyebrow. “Reminiscin’, huh? I’m thinkin’ it’s more like you talkin’ ‘bout me leavin’ in two weeks.”
I smirk up at my best friend. “I think he’s got your number, Red.”
“Wouldn't be me otherwise,” Wy replies.
Red chuckles again, the sound warm and familiar. “Just like your mother.”
Wyatt's smile softens at the mention of his mother, a flicker of emotion passing through his eyes before he masks it with a playful expression. “Ah, well, I learned from the best then. You and Mom.”
The three of us stand there for a moment, the weight of unspoken words hanging in the air once again.
“Y’all leavin’ now? Is that why you came to find us?” I ask, changing the subject.
Wyatt shakes his head. “Nah. I actually wanted to ask you two somethin’.”
Red arches a brow my way before looking back to Wy. “OK…”
I reach out for Wyatt, resting my hand on his shoulder. “Hey. Whatever you need. You know that.”
Wy rubs at the back of his neck, his head dropping to the ground. He takes a deep breath and then looks from his Dad to me. “I was wonderin’ if you’d come with us when I leave?”
I suck in a breath because that was not what I expected him to ask. Before I can answer, he rushes on. “I know you’re busy and all with the diner and maybe you don’t want to. But I know it’s goin’ to be hard on both Dad and I even though we won’t admit that,” Red chuckles and I can’t help the snort that escapes me. “It just feels like you should be there. Nah, more than that. I want you there. You and Dad.”
I don't need an unread letter from Anna to tell me what she'd want me to do right now. I don't even need a minute to think about it. I can sort out all of the logistics of me taking a trip out of town later. Red and Wy are my people, as much mine as Charlie is. If they need me, I'm there.
“Mags…” Red says, his voice low and deep. “You know damn well it’s OK with me so don’t even wonder about that. You’re family. You’re my best friend. Wy wants you there and we both probably need you there. So, what do you say? Wanna come on a road trip with us so I can put my boy on a tiny plane to Dutch Harbor?”
When I give them my answer, it’s as easy as breathing. “ Yes .”