Page 14 of Eyes Like a Hurricane

Kieran snorts, “What? Why? Why would your first assump-tion be a dead body? I’m one of the most laid-back people you know. Lord, no. I have a cooler with paninis I made before you woke up and some sparkling water. Your stomach is roaring louder than Niagara Falls.”

Swatting his arm and grinning like the cat that got the cream, I turn and make a beeline for his car. I hear his footsteps pounding behind me as they echo through the empty downstairs. I hit the front door with more force than I intended and skip down the stairs, taking two at a time. I’m by no means fast. I can run far, but I’m not a sprin-ter. Kieran overtakes me within a yard of the last stair. His long stride quickly covers the ground, leaving me in the dust as we head to the back of his Durango.

I hear him pop the trunk but am too busy sucking in air and trying to slow my heart rate to a normal pace. I look up from the ground just in time to see him bring his blue cooler to the ground. He extends the handle and proceeds to roll it back to the house.

At the bottom of the stairs, we each take a side and carry the cooler through the door and all the way into the kitchen. Kieran hands a large chunk of chicken breast to Chloe, who takes it outside. Leo and Paisley appear at the sliding glass door just as Kieran puts the last sandwich on the counter. I see a tomato and mozzarella with balsamic drizzle and immediately snatch it up. First come, first serve or my house, my choice? I don’t really care, I just know I don’t want the roast beef and horseradish one. Cracking open the can of seltzer water, I tip it back and take a long drink.

Paisley looks through the different options before turning toward the fridge. “I’m going to put my sandwich in here until later. I’m not very hungry yet after that huge breakfast. How are you hungry after the waffle?”

I shrug as I jam the sandwich in my mouth. After swallowing, I reply, “It’s been three hours. That’s kind of a record for me.”

We thank Kieran for thinking ahead and bringing such a delicious lunch. Paisley finishes helping me clean up the small mess we'd made, then asks, “What should we do for the next few hours? Do you want to go get any basics? Do you have all you need? I know the movers will be here in a few hours. They should make pretty quick work unloading, and then we can head to the local bar for some fries and fun. Did you hear Anders say there was going to be a live band tonight?”

I respond, “That sounds perfect. Let’s run to the grocery store and pick up staples for the fridge and pantry. My desire to bake my grandma’s Cowboy Cookies recipe is growing intense. We should have plenty of time before the movers arrive. They said they would be here at 3 p.m. and that it should take them a max of two hours to unload my meager belongings. I sold off everything I wouldn’t need or wanted to buy new, so I reallydon’t have much coming. Honestly, I think my collection of books took up the most space.”

Leo takes that opportunity to steer us back toward the music and dancing. “I think if we plan to get there at 7:45 p.m., we can hear the music that starts at 8:00 p.m. We need to make sure we get good seats. I heard they have a pool table for you, Miss Ais, you shark, you.”

Rubbing my hands with renewed energy from the carbs at lunch, I get excited about the prospect of hustling the pool tables tonight. My beautiful cue stick is in the back of my car, waiting for an unsuspecting victim. Fifty-eight inches of purple stained Birdseye and Grade “A” North American Maple, with the perfect taper, is just waiting to be chalked. Hopefully, there will be some good competition in this town.

Clapping to get our attention, Kieran announces we should quickly unload my car so we can head into town. We have a busy day planned before the fun night out. It has been a long time since I last went to a bar with western dancing. I plan to dig out my cowboy boots, just in case “The Git Up” song plays. Glaciers patrons won’t know what hit them when Leo, Paisley, and I hit the dance floor.

Chapter 14

Lachlan

I’ve been ready for two hours. I fed and walked Finn. I checked in with Ingrid and Axel. I even took a walk through the barn and checked on the horses. I’ve spent the last hour pacing downstairs, watching the sun slowly set over the pastures. For two hours, I have wondered if I picked the correct shirt. Do I wear my Stetson or no Stetson? She wore a trucker hat yesterday, so maybe I should grab my cap from the barn. I don’t want to risk smelling like a farm animal, so I'll stick with the Stetson. Yeah, she blushed when I’d tipped my hat to her in North Bend.

The crunch of gravel alerts me that Callum must be driving up. With one last look in the mirror, I grab my hat off the peg by the door and head out to meet him before he shuts off the truck and gets out.

I bound down the stairs and hop into the car before Callum even puts his truck in park. He bites back a laugh when he turns to look at me. “Button down, huh? Should I feel honored?” he asks.

“Uh yeah, I really wanted to look nice for our date, man,” I say, forcing out a laugh. I can hardly sit still. In half an hour, I get to see her again.

Callum chuckles. “Yeah, I went all out too, buddy. Look, I wore a clean shirt for you. I let Noah and Trent know about our date, so they can come watch you meet your soulmate.” Then he winks.

I bite the inside of my cheek and rub the back of my neck. This will be good. More people will help keep the conversation flowing and help with my nerves. “I feel like I should hate you, but at the same time, yeah, that sounds good. I can’t wait to kick your ass in a round of pool.”

We pull up to Glaciers Bar & Grill and find a spot right in front. It looks like most people are planning to arrive closer to the band’s opening set, which bodes well for us.

Callum and I hop out of his truck and stride toward the front door. I open the door for him and am hit with the smell of grease and beer. There is also the smell of saddle leather from all the ranch hands and locals. I hear the crack of a cue ball and wonder who all is playing tonight. Callum and I love to run the tables.

We sidle up to the bar and both get a pint of whatever Alex thinks we would like on tap. She hollers down to Jake, and he slides her two frosted pint glasses from the freezer at his knees.

After we both have our beers, we look for open seating. I motion for Callum to follow me to a spot against the wall with six seats. I sit with my back against the wall, allowing me to see all the patrons of the bar. It also gives me a direct view of the door. I want to know when she arrives. The moment she arrives.

Noah and Trent walk in minutes later and get their drinks before coming over to join us. We start discussing the plan for the week. We have quite a few regulars coming in and one new client. I also bring up little Linnea's idea. “Hey guys, what do you think about us getting two alpacas? They are friendly andenjoy companionship. They also can be sheared, and their wool is great for knitting.”

Three heads turn to look at me. One with amusement, one with confusion, and one with skepticism. Before they can respond, I continue, “Okay, hear me out. I think they may be beneficial. We don’t need an entire pack or herd, just two to get going. The little girl I got Finn from asked if we had alpacas. She was upset about losing Finn yesterday, but her dad agreed she could visit the ranch at the end of the summer. I was thinking if we, I don’t know, emailed or texted her dad a picture of Finn with an alpaca, she would be thrilled.”

Callum responds first, “I think one or two would be doable. They don’t require a lot of upkeep. Just think, we could ask the new vet for help.” The cheeky bastard lifts his pilsner to his lips and takes a sip of beer to hide his smile.

Noah and Trent still have no idea who the new vet in town is or what my connection to her might be, so they respond more analytically. Noah says, “Yeah, I think it’s doable. A few of our clients would really enjoy them. I’m in.”

Trent clears his throat, “I’m gonna play Devil’s advocate here and ask the big question. Do we have enough stall space for them? I know we have the pasture, but they need indoor space during the cold months.”

I nod. “Good point. I believe we have one extra stall, but I'd prefer to save that for emergency use. We have enough funds in the coffer to build a small four-stall barn off the entrance to pasture B.”

We all sit there in silence, contemplating if that would work when the door opens. In walks a beautiful red-haired woman and two guys I haven't seen before. Trent spits out his beer, and we all turn to look at him. His eyes are locked on the redhead as if she is the only woman in the room. Granted, sheis pretty, like a younger version of Julianne Moore, but she isn’t my blue-eyed dream girl. I turn my head back to the table to continue our conversation.

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