Chapter 25
RANGER
I stare at Julian. No way in hell did he just suggest we put a donkey and four chickens in our motel room.
He crosses his arms. “We’ll sneak them into the room once it’s dark.”
“Julian…”
“Doc can’t stay by himself in the trailer. He’ll go crazy with loneliness. He’s a people person…a people animal. Whatever. Besides, someone could steal him.”
Incredulity fills my voice. “You think someone would steal a deaf donkey?”
“They might, and I won’t let that happen.”
“And you think people will steal chickens as well?”
He stares at me as if I just said the stupidest thing. “Duh. They’ll take them and eat them.”
“I’m not sure there are that many people left who can kill and skin a chicken.”
“And I don’t intend to find out if any of them live in this town. The animals are coming inside.”
I must be more fucked up than I realized before because bossy Julian is incredibly hot.
The way he puts his hands on his hips, his eyes spewing fire and his mouth set in an adorably stubborn way makes me want to jump him.
The fact that a donkey and four chickens will be watching is enough to douse that particular desire quickly, though.
I drag a hand through my hair, though I know I already lost this fight. “Those chickens will wreck the room. They’ll poop everywhere.”
Julian shrugs. “We’ll put a tarp on the floor, create a coop for them.”
It’s clear I don’t stand a chance, and I surrender to the inevitable. “We passed a Walmart Supercenter on the way into town. I’ll head over and get us the supplies we need.”
Julian smiles at me, his eyes tired and showing his worry and stress. “Thank you. For everything.”
I lean in and kiss him softly on his lips. “No thanks needed. Go get some water for Doc, and I’ll be back as quickly as I can.”
The sky is dark and eerily red, even here, a hundred miles away from the fire, and the faint smell of smoke tinges the air. The wind is in this direction, and even though it’s the middle of the day, it feels like it’s dusk. I turn on the radio as I drive off the motel’s parking lot.
“…and more firefighters have flown in from across the nation to help out. Two teams from Canada and a Mexican firefighters crew have arrived as well. The strong wind overnight made the Segura fire—which had been seventy percent contained—pick up in intensity again, roaring across hundreds of acres within hours. Local officials are urging the last residents to evacuate immediately, as they don’t expect to be able to hold off the fire much longer from destroying the town. ”
I wince, but at the same time, deep gratitude fills me that we were able to get out in time.
Julian is safe, and that’s what matters most. It’ll be a hard hit for him to lose his farm, but we can rebuild that.
Money matters, of course it does, but in the end, it’s only money.
I do hope and pray his horses will find a way out, but they’re super smart animals with a strong survival instinct, so my hope is not unfounded.
Once we’ve arrived at Walmart, I let Benny out of the truck. He licks my hand, and I crouch down and rub his head. “I’m okay, buddy. Tired and worried, but I’m okay. Thank you for checking on me.”
We walk in, Benny close by my side, and I don’t dally as I grab what we need.
A couple of cases of water. Boxes of meal bars and some other snacks.
Tarp, rope, straw, and god bless them, they have chicken wire, so I get a roll of that as well.
The room had a desk, so we can put them under there and create a coop with the wire.
I also get us some microwave meals. Everyone always bitches about how disgusting those things are, but once you’ve lived for weeks on freeze-dried food and MREs, those dinners are Michelin star-worthy.
Now I need food for Doc and the chickens. What the hell do chickens eat? I use my phone to do a quick Google search. Walmart doesn’t sell actual chicken feed, but apparently, they’ll eat vegetable peels, all kinds of fruits, corn, and more. That’s doable.
What about Doc? Thank fuck for good cell signal because once again, my phone comes in handy. Whole grain bread works, and fruit and veggies. Okay, then. I get enough veggies to feed an army of chickens and donkeys and hurry to the register.
Those self-scan checkouts are the best invention since the microwave.
Not only do they go way faster than regular checkouts, but it also means I don’t have to talk to other people.
It only takes me a few minutes to scan everything, and then I’m out the door.
On the way back, I listen to the radio again, and the news is bad.
For now, my house is safe, but it doesn’t look good for Julian’s.
When I get back to the motel, Julian has found a perfect spot to park the trailer. He’s inside, holding up the water-filled ice bucket from our room for Doc, who’s eyeing it suspiciously, then takes a tentative lap.
“Why isn’t he drinking?” I ask.
“Donkeys are notoriously fussy about drinking. They refuse to drink if the water isn’t clean or if the bucket or trough they’re drinking from is dirty. Must be some evolutionary survival instinct.”
And I learned something new again. I love watching Julian with his animals. He treats them like people, talking to them and constantly interacting. It’s endearing.
“I’ve got us a bunch of supplies, so I’m gonna set up a chicken coop.” I inspect the donkey again. “I’m still not sure about Doc, but we’ll see.”
Half an hour later, I’ve created a construction under the desk that should hold the chickens for at least a day or two.
A double layer of tarp on the floor, a comfortable bed of straw, and the chicken wire fastened to the four desk legs.
The provisional coop is still open on one end so we can put the chickens in, but I’ve got tie wraps to secure it.
Tie wraps and duct tape—every handyman’s go-to tools.
“That’s perfect,” Julian says as he inspects my creative solution.
Warmth fills my chest at the idea of being useful again.
Then Julian walks up to me and hugs me tightly, his arms holding me as if he doesn’t intend to let go.
“Thank you. I’m so, so happy you’re here with me. I would’ve been lost without you.”
The light inside me spreads, and it settles deep into my soul, where it chips away at the darkness that’s slowly getting defeated.
I press my cheek against Julian’s soft hair, breathing in his smell.
“There’s nowhere I would rather be right now than here with you,” I say, and I mean every fucking word.
He finally lets go. His eyes are suspiciously moist as he clears his throat. “I just checked the status of the fire again…and it’s not good.”
My heart hurts for him. “I know. I listened to the radio.”
“My ranch… I don’t think it’ll survive.”
“It doesn’t look good.”
“What will I do? With my chickens and Doc and Butler, and hopefully my horses, where can I go? It’s not like I can just move in somewhere temporarily.”
To hear him so dejected gnaws at my insides. It’s so unlike him, and I want to do everything in my power to fix this for him. “I don’t know, but we’ll figure it out. You’re not alone.”
I hold my breath after that last statement. That’s a big declaration from someone who insisted on keeping it casual.
But he sends me a sad smile. “Thank you. You have no idea how much that means to me.”
Honestly, when he looks at me like that, he could tell me we’d need to put the four chickens, the donkey, the goat, and his horses in the room, plus our two dogs, and I’d still say yes.