by Brian Quest
The Ranch: Unity
The Ranch Series Book 3
Brian Quest
Contents
Copyright
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Copyright © 2016 by Brian Quest
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Chapter One
Winter had meant a lot of changes for the Smith family. Because of the intruders and the uncertainty they brought with them into the ranch’s main house, Andrew decided it was time to put the underground shelter he had built to good use. With Debbie, Connie, Beth and Amy in tow, Andrew, Thomas, Stewart and Keith made the move to the shelter through the thick and heavy snow, careful to cover their tracks as best they could. A barn also had been built for the eight horses and slew of chickens.
Every once in a while, when the wind wasn’t too strong and the snow wasn’t falling too hard, the girls were able to stick their heads out of the shelter just long enough to feel the cold breeze on their faces. A couple of times they even were allowed to go with their father to the barn to check on the horses and gather eggs left as gifts by the chickens. The winter is long in Montana, so going underground for the season was four months of time spent with family, laughing, crying, and sometimes even getting on each other’s nerves. The girls had times where they were inseparable and then there were moments when Andrew wondered if he should have gotten three more containers and given each girl their own room.
Christmas rushed up on the family like one of the winter storms. Since they were not able to go to town and get the traditional family tree, they made due with an artificial tree that had been stored in the shelter. Along with the supplies from the house’s cellar, Andrew brought along all of the trimmings and all of the house decorations, too. So they decorated the entire shelter. The lights usually hung outside on the main house were strung all over the shelter, giving it a sparkly and festive glow. It definitely was not their typical family Christmas, but in some ways it was even better.
On Christmas Eve, they all took turns placing family ornaments on the tree. It was a family tradition to tell a story about the ornament and what it meant to the person hanging it. Since Keith and Stewart really had no stories to go with the ornaments they hung, Andrew invited them to tell stories of their Christmases with their family. It was a very nice evening, and soon Andrew was sending Amy and Beth to bed. It wasn’t long after that Debbie and Connie followed.
As a special gift, Andrew and Thomas went out to the house and brought back the TV and DVD player along with a stack of movies. When the girls woke up on Christmas morning, they found the surprise all set up and ready to go next to the Christmas tree.
“Dad! The TV! Thank you so much!” Connie sang.
“Well, we figured that since you all put in such a strong effort to making living down here as good as it can be, you deserved to have something fun down here for you. We brought a lot of movies, too,” Andrew said, pointing to the other big, wrapped box under the tree.
“Yes!” Amy said, once again pumping her fist and grinning.
For the next week, the TV ran nearly non-stop, and Andrew was very pleased he had put out so many solar panels. He was even happier that for three weeks straight, there had been no clouds in the sky, helping to keep the batteries full. New Year’s Eve was a fun night in the shelter. They watched their favorite movie, Forrest Gump, and played board games. Debbie made a special dinner that consisted of steak and mashed potatoes, with a vegetable and biscuits, and Connie made an amazing chocolate cake for dessert. Aside from the fact they were well below the surface of the Earth, the inside of the shelter looked like any normal family celebration.
After the holidays, everyone in the shelter began to go a bit stir-crazy. Normal life on the ranch meant there still was work to be done, but in the shelter, it was a lot of long days inside. Andrew, Thomas, Keith and Stewart took turns working in pairs to venture out to the ranch and check on the cattle, making sure to keep an eye on the house and barn. It was a hassle going all the way out to the ranch, but the alternative would have left them all like sitting ducks, just waiting for more intruders.
The girls missed the ranch, and missed riding their horses. Even though life was harder with no power, it was still home and they still had the option to go outside more often than they did in the shelter. They couldn’t wait for winter to be over so they could at least enjoy some of the comforts the outdoors provided.
“Dad, when do you think we can go back to the house?” Debbie asked one night while the other girls were sleeping.
“I don’t know, Deb. I really don’t know.”
“Well, winter is almost over, and once it is warmer out, we will have a better chance of warding off the bad guys. Besides, we will have the ability to get away on horseback if we have to.”
“I know. Believe me; I have been thinking about home a lot, too. Let’s get through the rest of winter and see what spring brings for us.” Andrew didn’t want to get her hopes up, but didn’t want to discourage her from thinking about a better future.
“Tell you what. Tomorrow morning, the guys and I will go out and look around, and if everything looks good and the weather is right, you girls can go outside for a while. Maybe you could spend some time with the horses, grooming them, and then Amy and Beth could play in the snow. How does that sound?”
Debbie smiled and said, “That would be nice, Dad. I’m sure they will love that.”
“And, what about you? What would you love?”
“Don’t get me wrong, Dad. This shelter is really nice, but I would love to go home. I’d love to be where we grew up and where life was great.”
Andrew felt bad for his daughter and hugged her. “That old house really is great, isn’t it?” Debbie nodded her head and Andrew said, “Well, then, I will do my best to get us back home as soon as I can. It may be a while, but once the snow melts and the way is clear, I will give it some serious thought. I just want us all to be safe.”
“I know, Dad. I love you.” She smiled and then said, “I’m tired, I think I’ll go to bed now.”
Andrew sat on the couch and leaned back, watching the twinkling lights on the Christmas tree. It was a family tradition to keep the tree up until the last of the snow melted…a tradition he secretly loved. Back at the house, every winter, he would sit on the couch with his wife well into the night just staring at the lights. She would fall asleep on his shoulder and he would sit there, arm falling asleep along with his wife. The twinkling lights and the smell of his wife’s shampoo made all of the hardships of life disappear. As he sat in the shelter, watching the very same twinkling lights, he felt her presence and it warmed his heart…no amount of cold wind would take that warmth away.
That night, the family slept soundly and in the morning, when the lights came on in the shelter, life picked up right where it had left off the night before. The smell of coffee and bacon filled the rooms and, one by one, everybody came out of the comfort of their beds and into the kitchen. Amy and Beth talked about what Disney movie they would watch after they ate. Connie announced she would be spending the morning in her room because she wanted to work on the drawing she had started the day before.
“Can that wait?” Andrew asked.
“I’d really like to finish it, if that’s okay?”
“That’s fine. I’m sure Debbie can keep an eye
on Beth and Amy outside.” Andrew knew that that statement would pique her curiosity.
“Outside? We’re going outside?” Her eyes grew wide…almost as wide as her smile.
“They are. You’re finishing your picture, remember?”
“Dad!” Connie yelped. “I’m going outside with them!”
“Before you get too excited, there is work to be done. You need to brush your horses and clean up the stalls. After you do that and take care of the chickens, then you can goof off for a little bit.”
Amy and Beth ran to their father and hugged him tight. Almost in unison they said, “Thank you, Daddy! Thank you!”
Nothing made Andrew happier than seeing his girls so excited, and he chuckled as he watched them eat their breakfast in record time. “Slow down! You girls don’t go anywhere until everyone is ready to go up top. Why don’t you make your beds and get yourselves ready? We’ll be done soon.”
Amy and Beth hurried to do as their father said while Debbie and Connie cleaned up the kitchen. When the men were done with their breakfast, they did their own dishes and hurried to get dressed so as not to make the girls wait too long. When everyone was gathered at the stairs leading to the hatch, Andrew led them up and out.
“It’s beautiful!” Debbie said, almost breathless, as she looked around.
A fresh blanket of snow was on the ground, and with the icicles hanging from the trees, it looked like their visions of a winter wonderland. They had seen snow before, every year of their lives, but this time it seemed so different. She wasn’t sure what she was expecting when she popped out of the shelter, but she never thought she’d have a renewed appreciation of a cold winter’s morning.
“Yes, it is, isn’t it?” Andrew replied.
“Come on, guys! The sooner we do our chores, the sooner we can play!” Amy said, hurrying to the barn. Even though she said the word “chores”, Andrew knew the girls couldn’t wait to get their hands on their horses.
When they reached the barn, Andrew put a few logs in the wood burning stove for warmth. Then he let the girls get to the task of brushing out the horses. He had a step stool already out for both Amy and Beth, and the girls quickly got to work. While they took care of the animals, the men made their rounds around the barn and over the shelter to check on the solar panels. Everything looked just as it had the many times they had checked before. So while the girls did their chores, the guys made a huge pile of snowballs. They did their best to keep them hidden behind a snowdrift, hoping to bombard the girls when they emerged from the barn.
“Now!” Andrew yelled, and the snowballs started flying. The girls never had a chance; they were hit over and over again.
The girls squealed and ran, ducking behind the door to the barn.
“Daddy!” Amy yelled when her father threw a snowball that hit her square in the chest.
Andrew ran to her, hoping he hadn’t hurt her, and when he was about a foot away from her, all four girls began kicking and throwing snow in his direction. Then they tackled him to the ground and before long, all eight of them were rolling around in the snow, flinging handfuls of the icy white powder at each other. They laughed and laughed, and after about fifteen minutes, they all were sprawled out on the ground, panting and breathless.
“It’s really cold out here! Can we have hot chocolate, Dad?” Beth asked.
“I think that can be arranged,” he answered looking at Debbie.
Debbie smiled and said, “I’ll go in and make some.” She looked at her two snow-covered little sisters and asked, “Marshmallows?”
“Duh,” Amy said. “Tons and tons of them!”
“Connie, wanna come and help me?”
“Sure.”
Debbie and Connie went inside to make the hot chocolate while the others buttoned up the barn and tried to cover up some of the tracks they made in the snow. Even though they were cold and wet, they all felt invigorated. It was nice to have gotten outside to spend time in the fresh air.
Back inside the shelter, the girls went to their rooms to change into some warm, dry clothes and so did the men. They all met back in the living room where Debbie and Connie had the hot chocolate waiting for all of them.
Laughing, Debbie said, “Amy, I hope this is enough marshmallows for you,” and handed Amy a saucer with a cup overflowing with fluffy little white marshmallows. They were all over the saucer.
“Perfect!”
Everyone let out a big laugh and then they put on a movie. For all of them, it had been the best morning they had experienced in a long time. Andrew couldn’t remember the last time they all had had so much fun, and realized it pays to go without for a little while to appreciate all that you do have. At that moment, he appreciated being surrounded by family and friends. He appreciated the laughter they all shared. He appreciated how the simple white snow transformed the sometimes dark and scary woods into a bright and magical place.
Chapter Two
With a few more distracting, fun-filled snow days, the rest of the winter went by fairly quickly. Spring entered their lives like a steamroller, melting the snow within only a couple of weeks. It was a pleasant change, but with the quickly melting snow came a new challenge…mud. There was mud everywhere. It was a test for the shelter hatch, and one that it passed with flying colors.
Because of the ground conditions, the girls would have to spend their time in the shelter, dreaming of the time when they could go back outside. They went back to watching their old movies and drawing and fighting and laughing and listening to their silly music. Meanwhile, the guys also dreamt of the day when they would be free to roam the ranch. They also secretly longed for the day when they wouldn’t have to be subjected to the movies Finding Nemo and Cinderella.
“After lunch I think we should go check out the ground between here and the house. We’ll have to go by foot so the horses don’t sink in the mud, but we need to get a feel for how long we’ll have to wait to get the horses out again.” Andrew spoke with authority, missing the days of handing out the daily duties.
“You got it, Boss!” Keith said with a chuckle.
“Great. Someone needs to volunteer to stay here with the girls.”
“And listen to the fantastic music? I’m in!” Stewart said.
“Oh, stop pretending like you don’t enjoy the stylings of One Direction and Adele! I hear you whistling their songs in the shower!” Thomas said, tossing a biscuit at him.
“I do not like their songs!” he said defensively, tossing the biscuit back at Thomas.
“Whatever.”
“Eat your soup before it gets cold, guys,” Debbie said. She turned and looked at Thomas and said, “You joke about Stewart liking the music, but I bet he doesn’t know you have your own copies of Adele’s CDs!”
“What?” Thomas snapped, looking guiltier more than anything.
“I knew it! I knew you were hiding something!” Stewart joked.
“Again, whatever!” Thomas looked down and focused on his soup, not looking up from his bowl again.
“So, we’ll head out as soon as lunch is cleaned up,” Andrew said, changing the subject back to work.
“Don’t worry about it, Dad. Just finish eating and we can clean up the dishes. You guys need to assess the situation out there.”
“Great, then let’s get back to eating!”
An hour later, Andrew, Thomas and Keith headed up to the mud to see how bad it really was. It seemed to stretch out as far as the eye could see. The closer they made it to the ranch, the wetter the ground became. When they reached the tree line, they realized the pasture had become more of a lake than a grassy knoll. The cattle had made their way to the edge of the field, where the water met the trees, and even had found a small area of grass that somehow had survived the tough winter.
“Well, it looks like it’s going to be a little while before we get back to being real ranchers,” Andrew said, disappointment obvious in his voice.
“We are always real ranchers…just taking a break for
a little while.”
“I guess you’re right, Thomas, but it still sucks.”
They waded their way back to the shelter, careful to track as little mud as possible into the clean living room. With boots on the steps, they went right to the bathroom and removed their muddy pants. They traded them for clean clothes that had been dried on the lines strung from one end of the container to the other and folded neatly. Once all traces of mud had been removed from their bodies, they went out to the living room and plopped down on the couch. Well, Keith and Andrew plopped on the couch. Thomas plopped into his recliner. Debbie looked in on them and could see the disappointment on their faces.
“Not good, huh?”
“There is mud from here to the ranch and a lake in the pasture. It’s gonna be a while,” Andrew answered.
“How long is a while?” Debbie asked, not even trying to hide being upset.
Andrew thought for a second and then said, “If the sun stays out the way it has been, I would say maybe a few more weeks.”
“Man, that sucks.”
“That’s exactly what I said,” Andrew added. “Spring came early, so I guess a few more weeks will put us back on the ranch around the time we expected to be there anyway. So nothing lost.”
“Yeah, but it would have been way better to get there now!”
“I know, but we take what we can get, right? We’ll keep an eye on it and as soon as it looks better we will consider moving back. Okay?”
“Okay, Dad.”
Debbie finished sweeping up the drying mud at the door to the shelter and then went to her room to read her book. She lay on her bed and, with the book propped up, closed her eyes and pictured what the day would look like when they made their way back to the ranch and the house that she missed so dearly. It seemed like forever since she used to sit in front of her bedroom window reading her mother’s journal, and listening to the sounds of the horses whinnying in the barn; not to mention the wolves howling in the distance and the rustling of the leaves on the trees. The sounds of nature comforted her.
