by Jan Springer
The guys were leaving this morning and last night she had made them a cornbread cake, a bunch of homemade granola bars and apple fritters, and then this morning she’d whipped up two loaves of zucchini cake using zucchini from the garden. The cakes were ready to take out of the oven and they would have no shortage of sweets during their week long cattle drive.
She eyed the six bear-proof steel storage containers that held the non-perishable food supplies she had already packed.
Mentally, she checked off her list.
For breakfast, she had packed for each of them pancake mix, maple syrup, dried blueberries, freeze dried strawberries. Plenty of instant coffee. Whitener. Sugar. Corn meal and wheatlets. Powdered cheese for the cornmeal and canned peaches and pears to complement the wheatlets.
For lunch they had plenty of canned soups, cowboy beans, and canned vegetables, rice and potatoes. Supper they had their choice of canned and freeze-dried stew, pasta and preserved tomato sauce.
JJ smiled as she grabbed her oven mitts. And, of course, they had their sweets.
Since they would be working on their own most of the time, each of them also had their own ultra-large coolers, which contained fresh fruits and vegetables, steaks and other perishable items.
It would take six days to seven days get all the cattle to the railroad area where arrangements had been made for the train to stop and have the cattle loaded on the cars. Then it would take an estimated one-day ride on their machines to get back to her.
JJ’s breath backed up as she thought about their reunion. She wished she could go along with them, but there some cows and their newborns that needed tending. She had also made arrangements for daily flight instructions with Kaley. JJ had wanted to bring up the subject to the guys many times over the past couple of weeks, but she just didn’t have the nerve.
Besides, they would just worry about her if they knew she had resumed her lessons. They needed their full attention on the cattle drive, not on her flying a plane.
JJ opened the oven and retrieved one of the loaves. She had just set it upon the top of the stove when she heard the stomping of feet up the back stairs.
Oh shoot. They were already coming inside to get their gear. She had hoped to hide the cakes until they were cool and then wrap them. She removed the other cake and set it beside the other one. Maybe if she hurried she could hide them…
“Hey baby. The machines are ready to go. Do we have everything packed? Oh it smells good in here. Let’s eat,” Dan said as he entered the kitchen and his gaze snapped onto the two loaves.
JJ laughed. Unbelievable!
“You guys just ate an hour ago.”
“Are those for me?” Dan said with a wink.
“Not so fast, Buster. They are mine,” Rafe growled as he entered the kitchen right behind Dan.
“Sorry guys, but those cakes are all for me. Where’s the knife? Gonna have me a piece and some coffee. You know how I love steaming hot cake,” Brady added as the three men crowded in around JJ and the cakes.
As Brady went to open the knife drawer, JJ grabbed a wooden spoon and gently smacked Brady on his knuckles.
“Ouch!” He gasped in mock hurt and held his hand to his chest.
Rafe and Dan laughed.
“I will make the coffee. You guys go sit down in the living room and go over your plans one more time before you head out,” JJ instructed as she shooed them out of her kitchen waving her spoon at them.
They laughed and settled themselves in the living room. She figured getting them distracted with work might allow her to save at least one of those cakes and allow it to cool a bit before she cut it up and wrapped the pieces.
“Coffee coming right up,” she called out. She should have known they would want some cake before heading out. She just never learned.
Within fifteen minutes, JJ had a plate piled high with steaming cake slices and the guys were supplied with coffee. She settled between Dan and Rafe who sat on the living room sofa. They spread a map across her lap and showed her the areas each of them would be working. She’d already been shown all this information but the men were so proud of their spread that their excitement was always contagious, and she never tired of gazing at the maps.
“I left a list of the barn chores that need to be done out on the workshop bench in the barn,” Brady said from where he sat on the lounge chair across from then.
JJ nodded. “Good.”
Over the summer, they had been showing her the routine she would follow when they were gone. She doubted she needed to look at the list. JJ knew what to do. Feeding the cattle in the pens. Cleaning out their stalls. Putting down fresh straw. Making sure the temperature didn’t get too cold in the barn. She knew how to run the generators in case the electricity went out. She had also been busy canning some of the vegetables from the garden and storing them in the cellar for the winter. She would do more while they were gone.
Before the guys returned, she hoped to learn how to make pumpkin pie from one of those huge orange pumpkins out in the garden. She also had a little surprise in store for them when they got back. She bit her lower lip as an excited tremble whispered through her. She could hardly wait for them to come home, and they hadn’t even left yet.
“Lady, I know that look,” Brady said in a thick voice.
JJ’s breath caught at his hot gaze. Dan and Rafe stopped talking as they focused their attention on her.
“All I am thinking on will happen when you get back. No time now. It will be that much sweeter with the three of you when you return.”
They groaned in disappointment. She could not believe she was saying no to sex. She should have her head examined. But she had everything timed perfectly for today. She needed to keep her men on their schedule, so she could stick to hers.
“Come on, eat up. The cake is getting cold and the daylight is burning.”
She grabbed a slice of cake and took a big bite, following it up with a sip of sweet coffee. She did have to admit she was a good baker. The guys followed her lead and began to eat. She was thankful, at least for now, that her baking took precedence over sex.
Yeah, she really should have her head examined.
* * * * *
The day dragged without having to make lunch and supper for the guys. Kaley would be arriving late afternoon and JJ utilized the time doing the required chores in the barn and tending to the cattle. She had to admit that she did feel sorry for the cows, knowing that they would be spending the upcoming winter months outdoors in the cold elements, getting fattened up on the hay and nutritional supplements the guys would bring out to them on a daily basis. But when the warm weather arrived and the snow melted, the cows would have tons of grass to eat. The guys had told her that when the cows were five years old they would be ready for market.
Many of the young cows that had been calved earlier this year were already in the various meadows surrounding the ranch, weaned from their mothers. Well, at least the cows on Moose Ranch had it better than the commercial variety, who were fed corn and other supplements, growth hormones, antibiotics and slaughtered within two years of their life.
But JJ tamped down on her sorrow. This organic beef ranch was a way of life. Her way of life. She could not imagine being anywhere else but here.
* * * * *
As she emerged from the semidarkness of the barn, she shielded her eyes from the mid-October afternoon sunshine. The low drone of an approaching plane made her pick up her speed.
Kaley was here!
JJ rushed into the ranch house, washed her hands in the bathroom, grabbed a clean top and warm track pants out of the laundry basket where she had folded her clothing earlier, quickly changed, grabbed her gear and headed back out.
She made it down to the dock just in time to help Kaley secure the float plane to the dock. Kaley watched patiently as JJ did the external preflight inspection and complemented her on a job well done when she was finished.
“I was serious back at the hospital. You really are
a natural at this. And you should start flying solo too. One more time with me today, and then you’re on your own. Okay?”
JJ nodded. Kaley’s praise made JJ’s cheeks heat with a blush.
“Go on in. I’ll cast off,” Kaley instructed.
Nervousness snapped through JJ as she stepped on board the plane and lost the wide-open space to the steel wall interior.
Thankfully, she didn’t experience the overwhelming, killing anxiety that had haunted her during the earlier flight lessons, but it was uncomfortable anxiety just the same. She needed to keep her nervousness under control before it screwed with today’s plans. Tossing her knapsack onto a back seat, JJ moved up the aisle into the cockpit and settled into the pilot’s chair. The familiar smell of fuel and oil soothed her rattled nerves.
When Kaley joined her, JJ began the interior pre-flight inspection, glad for the now familiar routine that would help her overcome her anxiety. Moments later, JJ’s heart leapt with excitement as she rushed the bush plane over the choppy waves. When the pontoons left the water, the feeling of lightness made JJ smile.
Wow! She was flying again. Who would have thought?
After they reached altitude, JJ took the opportunity to gaze down at the lush beauty surrounding them. The canopy of trees was abound with colors of fall foliage. Vibrant green from pine, spruce and other evergreens. Crimson-red maple trees. Bright-yellow birch. Rusty orange, browns and golden hues from other trees.
The abundance of lakes were like blue buttons in the colorful fabric of autumn.
“Breathtaking, isn’t it?” Kaley said as she peered out her window.
“I never knew such beauty existed,” JJ admitted.
“Most people don’t. Consider yourself one of the world’s bravest souls, JJ. Never underestimate what you can do, despite any lingering doubts.” JJ caught the wistful tone in Kaley’s voice as she said that last sentence.
“You are speaking from experience, aren’t you?” JJ prodded.
With the exception of that the one time Kaley had opened up about the car crash that had caused all her scars, she’d been a secretive and mysterious woman.
To JJ’s disappointment, Kaley merely nodded.
“Just remember. Baby steps. Always baby steps. Sometimes you wobble and fall, or take a few steps backward. But then you get right back up and do more baby steps. With that mantra, you can conquer anything.”
An unfamiliar confidence soared inside JJ as she focused her attention back to flying the plane. She liked this new feeling of accomplishment. She liked it a lot.
* * * * *
As Brady tossed hunks of canned ham into the pot of vegetable soup, he watched the flickering flames of his campfire and waited for Rafe and Dan to join him. The past few days had melted together with the hard manual labor of rounding up the cattle.
Instead of using horses, they used the sturdy four-wheelers to guide the animals along the corralled paths that led from the meadows toward the large holding area by the railroad line. They had been doing this same cattle drive route for several years now and it never ceased to amaze Brady at how much thought and work had gone into designing their network of fenced meadows with adjoining pathways and carving out quite a profitable living in the middle of vast Northern Ontario wilderness were few people lived.
He was proud of the herds he’d brought to the holding pens. The black beef were sturdy, lean and healthy. Until last year, they’d grown just black Angus. But then they’d decided on trying out the brown breed too. It appeared they were well-suited to the rugged wilderness environment. In another four years there would be a mix of black and brown Angus. Both varieties would bring a good price at the market. City folks were looking for prime organic beef and they paid a pretty penny for the fantastic taste and all the hard work that went into creating free range, antibiotic-free steaks for their table.
A flurry of activity from beside him had Brady reaching for his rifle. Two chipmunks rushed out of the nearby foliage, one hot on the heels of the other one. Brady relaxed and leaned the rifle back against the fallen log where he sat. It wasn’t the greatest idea to be exposed to the elements out here like this.
The dark silhouette an old cabin stood nearby, but the roof had caved in during last year’s heavy snow. A replacement shelter was on next year’s agenda. They planned on getting a solid cabin that would hold under the extreme weather.
Until then, they’d set up camp in the small meadow by the debilitated cabin and were using a large canvas tent to sleep and cooked their meals out in the open.
With darkness descending, the cattle began to fall silent with only an occasional moo. Somewhere far off a loon cried a lonely song and overhead the dark blue rolling clouds blew in an icy wind. He would not be surprised if they got some snow overnight.
An unexpected snowstorm had caught them off guard during their second year here. The storm had dumped a good foot, trapping them. Thankfully at daybreak the warm sunshine had melted the snow or they would have had to abandon their vehicles and caught a ride with their cattle in one of the many railway cars headed into Thunder Bay. Then they would have flown back with North Country Air.
To avoid any surprise snow, they’d made the cattle drive a week earlier every since then. So far, they’d been lucky and hadn’t experienced another storm like that one.
Over the past weeks, he’d been thinking a lot about JJ and her desire to fly. She hadn’t mentioned it anymore, so he had kept quiet. Except of course when he looked at the transportation bills. He couldn’t help but be vocal at the new prices.
JJ’s idea of getting a plane for ranch use was a good one. But it just didn’t sit right with him taking advantage of her. Having her up in the air at the mercy of the elements and whatever else that could go wrong with a plane made him kind of crazy with worry.
She sure had changed from that vulnerable, frightened woman who had shown up here almost a year ago. Now, she was comfortable around them. She demanded sex, which she appeared to enjoy immensely. He’d also noticed that her anxiety and panic attacks were almost nonexistent now. Unless she was able to hide her attacks better from them.
Brady nibbled on his bottom lip and stirred the soup. It smelled good. His stomach growled and his mouth watered with anticipation. He hoped the guys would get here soon because if they didn’t, there wouldn’t be any soup left for them.
Well, at least he wouldn’t be stuck washing the dishes tonight. Cattle drive rule. First one into camp did the cooking. The second one in got the night off. The last guy in washed the dishes.
He grinned and grabbed the mess kit.
Happiness whispered through Rafe as he spied the campfire flickering up ahead. He had just finished driving his last herd into one of the holding pens and his stomach was pretty damned empty. He had left his vehicle parked out by the pens opting to do a bit of walking to give his leg some exercise. It still went stiff by the end of the day, and all that sitting while he angled cattle out of the meadows and along the trails to get them here made his leg that much harder to keep limber.
It didn’t help any when some of the cattle were stubborn, refusing to be herded along the fenced trails that would lead them to the railway yard. Perhaps, instinctively they knew they would be heading to the slaughterhouse. Or maybe they just enjoyed the freedom of grass lush meadows opposed to the narrow fenced trails.
Those stubborn types of cattle reminded him of himself and Brady and Dan and the reason they had left the rat race of city life. They had come here to pursue freedom. To live off the land and to be their own bosses.
He exhaled a white plume of mist and quickened his pace. Damn cold night. But just one more night out here. Early tomorrow morning the train was scheduled the stop here, and they could begin loading the cows.
It would be an all-day event. By nightfall they would drive the machines along the trails that led to another cabin about ten miles from here. As his luck would have it, that cabin would be the same shelter where he had had his freak a
ccident. He sure was not looking forward to reliving his nightmares at that place.
When he spied Brady sitting by the fire, eagerly sipping from a steaming mug. Brady nodded toward a lidded pot set on a steel grill amidst the campfire.
“Vegetable soup with slabs of ham. There is some sliced bread and I’ve spread butter on them.” Brady nodded to a nearby tree stump they were using as a table.
“Damn, that smells good. Is Dan back?” He asked as he scooped the soup into a tin cup and eagerly grabbed a thick slice of buttered bread.
“Looks like you got the night off, my man.”
Rafe grunted his thanks. It would be a relief to just sit, stare at the fire and think of JJ and eat.
“Finished my herd. You?” Rafe asked.
Brady nodded. “Couple of hours ago. Dan should be in soon. Went out for his last round shortly after I got here.”
“Looks like a fine bunch of cattle this year, eh?” Rafe asked.
Pride floated through him as Brady grinned.
“I’m thinking we have more than enough saved for that extra special birthday present for JJ. I’ve already got things wrapped up so to speak.” Brady replied.
Yes! They’d never told JJ that they now knew her birthday. Over the months they had asked her, but she had kept it a secret for some unknown reason. Thanks to Brady prodding his sister Jenna, they now knew the date.
Her birthday was just around the corner. He hoped she liked what they had gotten for her.
When Dan shuffled into camp, his ass was sore, his ears cold and his stomach was an empty hole.
Brady and Rafe were already here, so that meant dishes to do for him tonight.
Crap. But that was okay. It was their last night at this outdoor camp anyway. He hadn’t realized how much he would miss JJ and now, with the roundup almost over, he missed her even more.
“Found a carcass out at the edge of one of the meadows,” Dan said as he sat down on a tree stump that he was using for a chair. A satisfactory fatigue embraced him now that the drive was finally winding down. He accepted a steaming mug of soup and a thick slice of buttered bread from Rafe.
