5. Red
5
RED
“Dad, have you seen my red ball cap?” Wyatt calls out from his room. You’d think that having two weeks to pack, he’d be ready to leave on time. But a quick glance at the clock on the kitchen wall tells me we’re thirty minutes away from our planned departure and he’s still looking for things.
I shake my head with a smile as I enter his cluttered room. “You mean this one?” I hold up the red cap in question. Wyatt lets out a groan of relief, snatching it from my hand.
“You’re the best!” He grins and slips the cap on his head before spinning it backward. “Thanks.”
“No problem, kid,” I reply, patting his back before taking in the mess of clothes and gear spread across his bed. “Thought you were almost packed?”
Wyatt scratches his head sheepishly. “Uh, kinda?”
I chuckle, shaking my head. “Alright, bud. Finish up and come down when you’re ready. We’ve got a long drive ahead of us, so we’ll hit the road as soon as Mags arrives.”
Leaving him to his last-minute packing frenzy, pride mixed with a tinge of nostalgia swirls inside of me. Our boy—now a man— is grown now and about to embark on his own adventure. Time sure does fly by, doesn’t it?
“See you downstairs, yeah?”
“Yeah, Dad. Thanks. Just want to make sure I’ve got everythin’.”
“If you don’t, we can always grab stuff in Anchorage before your flight. As long as you’ve got the essentials, you’ll be fine. It’s not like you’re not comin’ back, kid. Hell, I’ll probably shut the door to this mess and leave it here for you.”
“I know, it’s just…”
“Yeah, Wy. I know,” I say before lifting my chin and making my way back to the kitchen.
“Is he still packin’?” Rhett asks from his spot at the kitchen table.
“Yep,” I chuckle as I grab a thermos to fill up with cowboy brew for the road before pouring myself a fresh cup to drink while I wait for Wy.
"You ever think back to when I was his age, scalin’ fences I had no business climbin’ just to get a taste of the rodeo?” he asks.
“The way I remember it, you didn’t climb the fence completely, you fell the rest of the way, remember? You were about to break your neck and I managed to break your fall.”
Rhett grins. “Oh yeah. That too,” he says with a laugh.
“You were a damn fool with a big ego and a hard head,” I muse. “But I couldn’t fault your determination. Look where it got us.”
“Yep. Bonded for life now. Wouldn’t have it any other way, old man.”
My brows jump. “Who are you callin' old? I've only got ten years on you."
“Yet you’re about to have an almost eighteen-year-old son workin’ his tail off on an Alaskan crab boat in the Bering Sea.” He shoots me a challenging smirk.
“How did I get to be so old?” I groan.
“Well, I’m sure me, my brothers and this ranch here have helped with all that gray in your hair.”
I quirk a brow at his own smattering of silver on his head. “Pot callin’ the kettle black there?”
Rhett runs his hand through his hair. “I’ll have you know my wife loves my salt and pepper hair. Apparently, it makes me look distinguished ."
“Mmm hmm…” I hum as I take a big gulp of my coffee.
“Do you have all the details about those meetin’s you’ll be havin’ on the trip?” he asks, pivoting the conversation seamlessly.
“Sure do. I’m goin’ to catch up with Rod at the Ninilchik rodeo about securin’ a contract for us havin’ first option on any retirin’ animals from him. Then I’ll visit those potential clients on our way off the peninsula before we head to Palmer. I’ve got it all scheduled,” I tell him.
"Good. It’ll be good for us, the ranch, and the bull stud movin’ forward.”
Twenty-something years ago when I caught sight of a kid jumping the fence and almost breaking his neck, I never would’ve thought that we would end up where we are now–ranch and stud owners, giving back to the rodeo industry that helped get us here and the animals that worked as hard as we did along the way.
I get up everyday thankful for what I’ve got and what we’ve built here. Getting to do it surrounded by men and women I think of as family just makes it all that much better.
“You sure you’re happy for me to make the final decisions then and there?” I ask.
His head jerks back and his brows jump high. “You kiddin’? I already trust you with my life, my money, my future, and my family. I think I can rest easy and let you take the lead on these business deals, Red.” There’s no missing the ‘duh’ in his tone.
I nod my agreement.
“You sure you’re holdin’ up OK? You don’t seem as sure about things as you usually are.”
I recognize the concern on his face. Everyone has had the same look since Wy got the job and announced he was leaving. It’s like they all expect me to finally crack or something when the truth is, I’m surprisingly good.
Is it going to be hard to put him on that plane in a few days? Hell yes. But something Mags said to me made me realize that this isn’t about me. I have to trust the man I've raised him to be and trust in myself that I’ve given him all the tools he needs to thrive.
Once I let that sink in, I knew he'd be golden.
“I really am. He’s only gone until January, then he’ll be back in town with a bunch of money in his pocket and a lot more stories to tell. If he decides to go back and do another stint, then that’s what he’ll do. Or he’ll find it’s not for him and move on to somethin’ else,” I say, recounting the result of the many talks Wy and I have had in the past few weeks.
Rhett nods. “Sounds like a good plan. Smart one too. He’s a good kid.”
“He sure is.”
“Sure is what?” My son says, walking into the room with a big duffel hooked over his shoulder and his red cap still sitting backward on his head.
“It’s a good day for a road trip. That’s all,” Rhett replies with a grin. “Think you packed enough?”
Wy rolls the bag off his back so it lands with a loud thump on the kitchen floor. "Hope so."
I chuckle. “Any more and we’ll need a big rig to transport it, kid.”
“Yeah, yeah.” He rolls his eyes. “I’m just goin’ to head to the barn and say goodbye to the guys. That OK?”
A glance at the clock says we've got time. "Of course. We'll meet you there if you want. Saves walkin’ back.”
It’s then Wyatt’s stomach lets out a loud grumble, getting a startled laugh out of me. “You hungry already?”
His mouth tips up. “Nah. Just makin’ room for all the goods Mags is bringin’ on the trip.”
“Hey, now. We’re not bringin’ her with us to feed us, you know?”
“I know, but she always brings food. You know it, I know it. Hell, even Rhett knows it.” He looks at the man in question. “Am I right?”
Rhett shrugs. “You’re not wrong . Mags’s love language is food, and none of us are ever goin’ to complain about it.”
“See, Dad. Besides, I don't know why you’re complainin’. With me not here, she’s just got you to look after. Means more of Mags for you. It’s a win-win.”
My head jerks back. “What do you mean she looks after us? I look after us.”
“Yeah, you do,” Wy replies, his gaze softening. “But Mags is always just there. She’s Mags . She’s like a backup you for me, and a backup Ma for you.”
I suck in a silent breath. "She's not tryin' to be your Ma, Wy. She'd never want to replace Anna. You know that, right?"
Wyatt rolls his eyes. "That's not what I meant. I'm just sayin' that she looks out for us. She always has. Before Ma passed and even more so after. She's as much a member of the family as Rhett and everyone else. She's got your back. She's always had it. And that's why I'm not worried 'bout leavin' you here alone. I know Mags will make sure you're OK."
I open my mouth but for once I'm speechless.
Thankfully Rhett saves me. “Now that you’ve slapped your Dad in the face with a proverbial wet fish, you better get your stuff out to the truck and your butt to the barn. Y’all are due to leave soon.”
Wy shoots me a look before hefting his bag back onto his back. “Fine, fine. I’m goin’,” he grumbles, his voice light as he heads out the door, leaving Rhett and me alone in the kitchen. There’s a moment of silence between us before Rhett clears his throat.
“He’s right, you know,” Rhett says, his gaze meeting mine. “About Mags.”
I let out a slow breath, feeling the weight of his words settle in the air around us. “Yeah,” I reply softly. “Wouldn’t have been able to get where I am today, where he is today, without her help. She’s been another surprise over the years.”
He frowns. “What does that mean?”
“Just that when I first met her and Anna, she was the best friend—the welcome third wheel, if you will. But when Anna passed, she became the rock I thought I’d never have again. It’s almost like Mags, Wy, and I were able to grieve together and slowly pick up the pieces and keep goin’.”
Rhett's eyes stay locked on mine. "Absolutely. I'm glad she could be that for you. Us too." I can tell there's something else he wants to say. “Is that all there could ever be between y’all? Just friends?”
“Rhett…” I warn. I'm impressed that he has been man enough to ask me flat out rather than just gossip like the rest of the family. They think Mags and I haven't heard them talking. It's become quite amusing over the years. “Just because all of y’all are loved up and happier than a pig in mud doesn’t mean I need to run out and find myself a woman to warm my bed. I’ve got blankets and socks to do that.”
Rhett bursts out laughing, throwing his head back with it before he gets up to wash his empty mug out. “You let me know how those blankets and socks go for you, Red. You don’t have to go lookin’ for somethin’ if it’s meant to be, that’s all I’m sayin’. Sometimes the mountain spirit brings them to you.”
“Be off with you, you ol’ romantic bastard,” I scoff. “I’ve got to finish packin’ the truck so we’re ready to leave when Mags gets here.”
“Yeah, yeah. Shoot the messenger, why don’t you,” he says, grabbing his cowboy hat from the hook by door and putting it firmly on his head. “See you at the barn. Don’t get lost now.”
Famous last words though because when it does come time to leave, wouldn’t you know it, I can’t seem to find my damn keys anywhere.