Country Wishes

by RaeAnne Hadley

  Now it was May, the snow was melting and they were able to start doing outside repairs as the days were warming up. Jack had helped her fix the wooden fence where a large bale had crashed off of the truck and snapped the post in two. He also finished building the horse corral with the wood he had bought the previous fall. She looked at his completed project with jealous eyes.

  “This looks incredible. Why couldn’t you have done this sooner so I could enjoy it?”

  He smiled and looked at his work. “It does look good, doesn’t it? And it wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. I should’ve done this sooner.”

  “Ugh!” She threw her arms up playfully and stomped away. It did look great but there was still a lot of work to do. She wished she had Jack home full time. They got quite a bit done when he was home. Unfortunately, he had to go back to work tomorrow. It was going to be a long week.

  She was heating up some coffee when he walked in the door. She held out a cup for him.

  “Thank you. Did you ever sit down and figure out our bills, what we need to pay off this place and what we need to put down on a new place?”

  “Yes. While you were complaining about staying here and the great money you make, I decided to see how it would all work out. I made a list and broke it down for you. I’ll go get the notebook.”

  She grabbed it from the bedroom and laid it out on the breakfast bar. She watched his face as he scanned the figures.

  “Impressive. I don’t think we will be able to get that much for the ranch though.”

  “You just leave that part up to me, alright? You keep helping around the place and I’ll handle everything else.” She didn’t want to tell him she made a wish in the town well so her dream had to come true.

  “Okay but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  “Fair enough. I’ve got to go down and get the girls from the bus stop.”

  He leaned over and kissed her on the lips. “Why don’t we pick them up and then head into town. We’ll eat out so you don’t have to cook.”

  “I like that idea.”

  “Yeah well don’t get used to it. We won’t be able to afford to eat out when I go back to being an electrician.”

  She punched him in the arm. “Geez you are such a pessimist.”

  “No, a realist. You are a dreamer.”

  “Yep. And I love my way of thinking.”

  “Let’s just go and eat, dreamer.”

  Rena was getting tired. It seemed like the painting was never ending, she found more and more things that needed repaired or replaced and to make matters worse, they had changed Jack’s hours to where he was working six twelve-hour days. The only day he had off he spent sleeping, trying to catch up on what he lost during the week.

  She was also running into walls when it came to finding a place to keep their horses. Boarding facilities were expensive and the cheapest place was almost a house payment. She tried to find smaller acreage, close to town as a compromise but everything she found was out of their price range. She was running into one dead end after another.

  She was scrolling through the real estate listings at bedtime when Jack peeked over her shoulder.

  “Find anything?”

  “No, aren’t you supposed to be sleeping?”

  “I can’t sleep. The light from the computer is bothering me.”

  She closed the lid and put it down next to the bed. “I’m sorry. I’m trying to figure out where and what we are supposed to do. This move feels so right but trying to find a place for us to go is impossible.”

  “I didn’t think you knew the word impossible. It’s never stopped you before.”

  “I’m just tired.”

  “Tell me about it.”

  “I know you are tired. You have a right to be tired. I’m emotionally tired. I’m so stressed out because I don’t know where or what we are supposed to do.”

  “Have faith and patience. Isn’t that what you always tell me? Besides, I know what you are supposed to do.”

  “You do? What?”

  “Me.”

  “Oh, god. You are such a man.”

  “Yes I am. Now let me show you how much of a man I am.”

  She giggled as her pulled her on top of him.

  “Shhh, you’re going to wake the girls.”

  “Well we don’t want that, do we?” She purred. She turned off the light and sat back. “Show me, handsome, how much you love your wife.”

  “Stay right there, wife, and I will.”

  She was humming as she began packing away non-essentials. She had also learned that cleaning out and de-cluttering a home made it appear larger and more appealing to potential buyers. By the time she was done with this home, it was going to look like a dream. She was determined. She had her music blasting and was singing along when something touched her shoulder. She let out a scream and whirled, fists ready to protect herself.

  “Jack! You scared the shit out of me. What are you doing home so early?” She noticed how pale he was and alarm filled her senses. “Are you okay? What’s wrong?”

  He went to the couch and sat down, unlacing his boots slowly. “There was an accident at the mine.”

  “Oh my god, are you alright? Is everyone okay?” She sat down beside him, checking him for injuries, her heart racing.

  “No, the guy I was working with, Dobson, I think he’s going to lose his hand.”

  “What happened?”

  “The wall gave way in the section we were working in. It loosened our supports for the ceiling and part of the ceiling collapsed towards the back. Dobson barely made it under the truck. A large chunk of rock caught his hand though and crushed it. I don’t think there’s any way they will be able to save it.”

  She closed her eyes and said a silent prayer for the miner and his family. She felt selfish for being thankful it wasn’t her husband. “Where were you?”

  “I was at the front, less than a hundred feet from where the collapse happened. Knocked the air out of my lungs and the noise was so loud. I couldn’t hear anything for a few minutes, and then we heard Dobson hollering. Luckily it collapsed on one side so we were able to get to him on the other side of the truck.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t want you down there anymore. This is just too much. You have your electrician’s license, Jack. It’s what you were doing before the recession hit and forced you to take a mining job. Go back to it, you enjoyed it.”

  He pulled her towards him, kissing her neck. “I don’t either. That scared the shit out of me. I thought we were all dead, I never thought I was going to see you and the girls again.”

  “Don’t go back. We will figure it out. I’ve paid everything for the next month; we still have some of your bonus in savings. I’ll list the house tomorrow. It will sell no problem.” She searched his face, trying to see what he was thinking. “I don’t want to lose you.”

  He took a deep breath and shook his head. “What if the house doesn’t sell? What will we do then? And don’t tell me it will. I’m asking what if it doesn’t sell.”

  “Then you go ahead and get a job in Millflower. We can come down and see you on the weekends until the ranch sells. Or maybe we can rent it until it sells. We have plenty of options. And we can take advantage of you being at home. We can get double the things done around the house.”

  “Okay.”

  She smiled tentatively. “Okay?”

  He smiled back. “Okay.”

  “Nice! Okay, I’m going to take some interior pictures then head outside to get exterior pictures of all the barns, the coops, the pastures and the house. I need you to go down and pick up the girls at the bus stop at four.”

  “Whoa, don’t I get a chance to relax?”

  “Nope. We have a ranch to sell and you are unemployed so let’s get it done.”

  She kissed him quickly on the lips, grabbed the camera and headed out doors. “Love you, babe.”

  She picked the best angles to take the best pictures to feature the property. She
knew she could list it on several websites for free and she’d use her social media accounts to post it there too. She didn’t know how to explain it without sounding crazy but she had faith, she just knew the ranch would sell; that they were supposed to be making this move. It felt right in her gut.

  She stood on the top ridge of their property and looked down at their homestead. As much as she was motivated to save her family and return to a happy life, part of her was already grieving the loss of the ranch. She had so many happy memories here. The animals, the neighbors, the views; this was her sanctuary. When she had bad or stressful days, she could come home and put it all behind her. It was all going to be someone else’s place, someone else’s home. She hoped they would love it as much as she did.

  She watched Jack drive down to pick up their girls at the bus stop. That was why she was doing this. So the girls would get their father back and she would get her husband. Sometimes sacrifices needed to be made.

  She trekked back down the hill and hooked up her camera to the laptop. She quickly created an account and listed the house on Zillow. She then went over to her social media and posted it on several sites there. By the time she was done, the rest of the family came in through the door, both girls talking excitedly.

  “So you can pick us up from the bus stop now? And you’ll be home for supper every night?”

  Jack chuckled. “Yep. I’ll be home for supper every night for now.”

  “So, are you ever going to mine again?” Anabeth held his hand.

  “No, angel. I am not going underground anymore.”

  “Woo hoo! Best day ever!” She screamed and danced around him.

  “But it means that we need to move sooner than what we were planning. As soon as you girls get out of school. So, we need your help to get ready. You need to go through your stuff and decide what you really want to keep and what you are willing to throw away or donate. And the things you don’t need right now, you can pack in a box.” He looked at both girls. “Do you think you can handle that?”

  “Yes, sir.” They both answered at the same time.

  “Good. Now go get ready for supper.”

  He walked behind Rena and slipped his arms around her. “Did you get the pictures taken?”

  She leaned back into his chest and closed her eyes. She loved listening to his heartbeat. “Yes, I did. And I got the house listed on Zillow and several other social media sites. Now to just sit back and wait for people to contact us.”

  “It might take a little while before people start responding.”

  “I know. But it only takes one to make the offer.” She pulled out of his arms and grabbed plates from the cupboard. “Help me set the table?”

  “You bet. What are we having anyways?”

  “Lasagna.”

  “And my day just got even better.”

  Chapter Six

  They were enjoying their evening meal when Rena’s cell phone chirped.

  “Expecting to hear from someone?”

  “No. It’s probably just Lindsay. She was hoping we could talk this weekend but I really need to get some writing done.”

  “Do both. I’m home now. I’ll take care of the girls Friday and Saturday night.”

  “You’re so good to me.”

  Her phone chirped again, then again.

  “Maybe you should check that. Maybe something happened to Lindsay.”

  “No phones at the dinner table, remember Dad?” Shari reminded them.

  “It’s okay this time. There might be an emergency. Mom can check it just this once.”

  Rena grabbed her phone and checked the messages. “Oh my gosh.”

  “What’s wrong, babe? Is it Lindsay?”

  “It’s not Lindsay. It’s about the house. We have twenty-five emails inquiring about the ranch and I have seven text messages. I also have voicemail. It looks like I’ve missed seventeen phone calls.”

  “That’s crazy. What did you put in the listing?”

  “Just the stuff about the house. Regular stuff that people put in ads for houses.”

  “What price did you list it at?”

  “The same price we agreed on. Not a penny more.”

  The phone rang at that moment and she quickly picked it up. “Hello? Yes, the ranch is still available. Saturday will be just fine. Yes, ten o’clock will work. Ok, see you then.”

  She got off the phone and beamed at her family. “We have our first showing. Saturday.”

  “Yay!” The girls whooped and hollered. Jack smiling along with them.

  By the time they had finished their dinner, Rena had twenty more inquiries about the ranch. Many weren’t serious buyers but a few seemed to be genuine. It only takes one, she kept reminding herself.

  The next couple of days were spent frantically packing and deep cleaning the house and property. Corrals were mucked out; dead branches in the tree groves were cleaned up, new paint on the barns. She was amazed at how much they were able to accomplish with Jack being home.

  “I need to have you help me more often around the ranch. I can’t believe how fast everything is getting done.”

  “I’ll admit it’s been easier and more enjoyable than I thought it would be. And the place really looks nice.”

  “Well, you’ve done a fantastic job. Thank you, honey.”

  “If you don’t need me right now, I think I’m going to go check out that old loafing shed up on the side of the hill.”

  “The old one that doesn’t have any sides? What are you going to do with that, tear it down?”

  “Maybe. I think it’s an eye sore and something needs to be done with it.”

  “Jack, its fine. The property as a whole is what’s going to sell it.”

  “Yeah but we need to sell it for the price we are asking and we need to make sure it appraises for what we are asking for. If we don’t, we can’t afford to move.”

  “If it’s meant to be, babe, it will happen.”

  “You keep saying that…”

  “And I keep believing it. Maybe you should too.”

  He kissed her cheek softly. “I’ll try. I’m still going to go look at that shed.”

  “That’s fine but those people are coming to look at the place in an hour.”

  “All the more reason for me to stay out of the way. Have fun with the showing.”

  “Gee thanks.”

  She watched him walk up the hill towards the dilapidated building, appreciating his body. He hadn’t changed in all of these years. Never got a pot belly or let himself go. His wide shoulders still muscular and strong, his waist narrow and his butt…oh my, his butt was still sexier than hell.

  She felt the heat in her belly and wondered if they had time for a quickly but the screaming and fighting of the girls but a damper on her thought quickly. Maybe tonight after she got the girls down. Maybe.

  “Girls, knock it off. Do you have your rooms done?” She tromped into the house, praying that the people who showed up today would buy the house.

  “It was our first showing. Who sells their house on the first showing? Have faith and a little patience. It will happen.”

  “Yeah but in the meantime, we have no income coming in.” Jack grumbled. She could tell he was starting to worry about the money.

  “We can sell the plow truck and there’s a lot of equipment we don’t need, especially if we live in town. And it’s not like we’ve blown through your bonus. I’ve been very careful about paying the bills and just buying the necessities at the store. We’re doing fine on hay. Breathe honey.”

  “It’s just not going to last forever. Sometimes I wonder why I go along with your Lucy ideas.”

  “Lucy ideas?”

  “Yeah. You remind me of Lucy of I Love Lucy. You come up with crazy ideas and schemes. I’m just going to start calling you that when you start to do it.”

  “Well, my Lucy ideas have kept our marriage interesting.”

  “And given me gray hair.”

  “Don’t blame all of thos
e on me.”

  “Oh no, this side is Anabeth, this side is Shari and the top is all you.”

  “Well, it makes you look sexy.” She purred, trying to ease the conversation into a more enjoyable subject.

  She was glad the girls had fallen asleep so easy, it allowed her and Jack to go to bed at a reasonable time. Hopefully she could convince him that there were other ways to reduce stress.

  “Hey hot daddy. What'cha doing?” She nibbled on his ear.

  “Looking at a sexy momma, that’s what.”

  “Well show me how sexy you think I am.” She began to unbutton his shirt, kissing his neck along the way.

  “That’s not a problem.” He flipped her over on her back and began to ravage her neck.

  She went hot and weak at the same time; thoughts of bills and selling the ranch flew out of her mind. She succumbed to the pleasures he lavished on her.

  She spent the week showing the ranch and answering phone calls and emails. She was amazed at the response she was getting. Interested buyers from all over Colorado and the surrounding states. She even had a doctor from Utah contact her. They were moving to the area in a month and wanted to see it in two weeks.

  I hope it’s under contract before then. She wanted the ranch to sell quickly but knew she had to be patient. So she scheduled an appointment and took the doctor’s contact information.

  Jack had run the girls into school and to pick up a couple of items at the hardware store. She took the quiet time to think about everything that’s happened the past month. Jack was still stressed about the money but already seemed happier. She knew him getting back on a normal sleep schedule was making a huge difference and the dark circles had all but disappeared under his eyes. He didn’t look so haggard and his temper wasn’t as short.

  She knew he was also relieved that he didn’t have to go back underground. He’d received news that Dobson had lost his hand and they were now fighting with infection. It was unsure at this point if they would have to take his entire arm.

  She tried to hide her stress and her sorrow. She knew she was the one who had planted the idea of moving but the closer they got to it, the sadder she became. She loved her animals and her way of life and with Jack being there to help out around the property, the work wasn’t as exhausting.