Chapter 2
Jesse
Cody and I are waiting in the airport to pick up our clients that we’re taking out tomorrow for the first day of duck season.
Dad’s getting older, so Cody and I have taken over most of the guiding the last two years or so.
He still comes out with one of us, or he’ll take a small group of two or three out.
Mason helps out when he can but being a cop full-time takes first priority.
“They better get in soon. Lexie’s going to be pissed if I’m late,” I say, looking at the time on my phone.
Earlier this week, we got into an argument about her outward personality toward men in the bar.
While we didn’t come to an understanding that same night, the following day we worked it out.
She’s going to take it down a notch and I’m going to try to trust her more, knowing she just has an outgoing personality.
“Not much you can do. She’ll get over it.” Cody shrugs, crossing his tattoo-covered arms together and sitting back in the chair.
“And that right there is why you can’t keep a girlfriend,” I say.
He scoffs. “Kept Bree just fine.”
“Yeah, up till your wedding day. Good job.” I pat him sarcastically on the leg, and he laughs.
“You know that was not my doing.”
I nod knowingly. “I know.”
The twelve guys finally get off the plane. We stand at the baggage claim and wait for them to get their stuff. Learning everyone’s names and attempting to remember them is not something we’re good at but we try.
We get back to the property an hour and a half later.
As we drive down the driveway, we stop along the way to give a small tour of the property.
When we get to the end where the big house is, they file out and follow us inside, walking past the dining room where they’ll be eating all their meals and then straight back to the kitchen.
Mom and Addison are cooking the first dinner of the season.
The traditional pot roast with mashed potatoes, gravy, roasted carrots, salad, and some type of dessert.
Cody starts, “This is our mom, Maureen.” He gestures her direction. “She’ll be feeding y’all three times a day so you treat her with respect. If you don’t, we’ll have a problem.”
Mom smiles warmly. “Just let me know if there’s anything you can’t eat or allergies. Breakfast is at five, lunch is sorta grab and go, and dinner in early season like this is between seven and eight,” she informs. I watch them all nod in understanding.
“And this is Addison,” I add, holding out my hand toward my sister.
She hates the introduction part of this.
She’s shy, not one for attention, but she steps out from standing behind Mom and waves.
“She’s helping feed you all just as much, so don’t get on her bad side,” I add, her cheeks turning slightly red, but she laughs along.
“Great to meet you all!” Mom adds.
“Alright, now we’ll head down to where y’ all will be staying.” Cody cuts through the chatter and we all file back out toward the van to head to the lodge.
* * *
I’m in one of our pit blinds with five of the hunters who got in yesterday. Cody and Dad are out at another spot with the other seven.
They have two dogs with them, Enos and Cletus.
I just have Rosco—can you tell we’re big fans of The Dukes of Hazzard ?
My dad had us watching that fresh out of my mom’s womb.
He won’t admit it, but I think he wanted to name me after Uncle Jesse.
Our last three dogs were Bo, Luke, and Daisy.
The next three dogs we get are already set to be Boss, Hogg, and General.
Addison wants to get a female and name her Lulu, but that’s not the best call name for a hunting dog.
“Good boy.” I give Rosco a rough pat on his head when he finishes bringing back all the ducks we just dropped. He jumps back into the pit blind, sitting down right beside me like he’s supposed to.
Training the dogs is my dad’s job, but he let Cody and me take the reins with Rosco just to see how we’d make out.
Cody quit about three days in; he has nowhere near the patience my dad or I do.
That’s one trait I definitely inherited.
Dog training requires a lot of it—it can be intense.
It isn’t just about yelling commands or tossing out a few treats; it takes consistency, discipline, and a ton of time.
You can’t get too frustrated, even when the dog makes the same mistake ten times in a row.
Rosco tested me plenty, but he’s turned out to be one heck of a dog.
I glance at the hunters as they reload their shotguns and talk among themselves. Rosco is sitting still, his eyes locked on the horizon, waiting for more birds.
Rosco’s ears perk up first, a sign something’s coming. One of the hunters nudges me, pointing out in the same direction.
“Geese,” he says, and a flock of at least fifty are coming our way.
“Okay, get ready, guys. Here they come,” I say.
The hunters start shifting, checking their guns and adjusting their positions.
Rosco stays still beside me but his body is shaking with excitement.
My heart starts to pound as they come in closer.
It doesn’t matter that I’ve done this thousands of times, the excitement is still a high every time.
“Wait,” I say as a couple of the hunters lift their guns. They freeze. “They’re too high yet, we’re gonna let them spin one more time.”
I blow my call softly. The geese make their circle and lock up as they get ready to land.
“Take ’em!” I shout.
The pit explodes with the sound of gunfire cracking through the cold air. Feathers fall from the sky as seven geese hit the ground. The rest of them scatter as they fly away.
“Rosco!” I command, and out he runs. The guys hoot and holler at each other. “Nice shooting, guys!” I tell them. We watch Rosco work, gathering all the Canadian geese and dropping them in a pile in front of me.
By the time Rosco returns with the last one, his tongue is hanging out the side of his mouth. He’s tired, but his eyes are still bright with excitement. He jumps back in the pit beside me and I pat him on the head.
“Good boy.”
He pants and flops down onto the floor for a drink from his bowl.
“Not a bad start to the morning,” one of the guys says, chuckling as he reloads for the next group.
I glance at the pile of birds and nod. “Yeah, not bad at all.”
A few hours later, we’re done and cleaning up decoys when my phone rings. My guess is that it’s probably Cody or Dad telling me they’re cleaning up too and heading to the house. When I see it’s my sister, I’m confused.
“Yeah?” I answer.
“Um, so I got stuck in a ditch,” she says.
Uneasiness settles in my gut. “What? Where?”
She huffs. “Ten minutes from Bellamy. I was on my way home from the store. Mom had me run out.”
“Well, are you okay?”
“Yeah, it’s just mud obviously.”
“So just put it in four-wheel drive and nail it,” I suggest with a small laugh.
“You don’t think I tried?” she snaps, and I stop myself from laughing anymore. Clearly she’s annoyed at the situation.
“Well, are you off the road enough?” I ask.
Her teeth gritted, she says, “Yes. I just need someone to pull me out.”
“Well, I’m a little busy right now, Addie. Can you call your boyfriend?” I would’ve used his name but she has yet to reveal it.
“He’s not my boyfriend! We’re just talking,” she snaps as if she’s explained it to me a hundred times already. Which, if you added up all the times she’s corrected me and our brothers, she probably has.
“Well, whatever he is, can he help you?”
“He said he didn’t have chains or straps.”
“Where’s he from that he doesn’t have chains or straps?!” I argue.
“Glendune,” she answers. That’s a small town about twenty-five minutes south of us.
“You’re telling me he—” I start.
She cuts me off. “If I wanted a lecture, I would’ve called Cody!” she yells, hanging up before I can respond. I huff out a breath and slide my phone back into my pocket. I’ll give her a few minutes before I call her back.
A wave of frustration and guilt settles in. If I weren’t out here guiding, I’d have been there in a second, and Addie knows that. There’s not a single thing I wouldn’t do for her. That’s why she called me first. Just like she said, Cody would’ve given her the lecture she didn’t want.
I call her back and wait for her to pick up. I’m not sure she will—she sounded pretty angry.
“What?” She growls.
“I’ll drop these guys off and come get you, okay?”
“No, it’s fine. Mason said he could,” she explains, and I’m relieved.
Mason’s nicer than Cody, but I know he’ll still give her a little bit of a hard time too. Being the youngest brother and closest in age to her gives him a lot of opportunity for a jokester relationship. I know she’ll still be fine though.
“Oh, okay, well good.”
“Yeah, thanks.” Her tone indicates she’s still annoyed with me. I feel compelled to try and smooth things out.
“You know I didn’t mean to brush you off, right? I’m sorry if it came across that way.”
“It’s okay, I know you’re out.”
“Yeah, but I’m still sorry,” I insist and clear my throat. “I’ll see you later,” I remind her, and we hang up.