winter winds

“They might,” Calder said, glancing up as they neared the old Victorian house. “Here,” He said, holding out his own coffee. “I still have a little left.” He knew Colton would prefer to have something to hold, and something to focus on if he felt uncomfortable; he figured the coffee would do. Plus, coffee always seemed to make everything better.

“Maybe,” Calder said, shrugging thoughtfully. They had seemed to really enjoy one another’s company. Maybe they were together, after all. And he knew it had to put Colton at ease that they might not be interested in either of them romantically; truthfully, it made him feel better, too. He hadn’t really even thought of dating since Jean, and it wasn’t on his mind now, either. 

He also sense his brother’s uneasiness, and didn’t say anything else. Much as he wanted to be kind to the new citizens of Pine Ridge, and much as he knew their mother surely would have suggested inviting them for Christmas, it was Colton’s holiday, too. He wanted Colt to have a good Christmas, and he loved their peaceful holidays together, too. So he didn’t say another word about it.

Colton let the conversation fade off into comfortable silence. Neither brother had the greatest experience with relationships, and they rarely spoke of it. It would seem their conversation had veered a little to close to that topic for both of them. 

He picked up his mug after turning onto Cornelia Street, only to find that he’d finished his coffee on the ride over. Which meant he had nothing to ground him with if he felt uncomfortable or to anxious to speak. 

Calder’s brow furrowed; their mother would surely have given them one of her trademark looks and an, “Oh, boys!” if she’d known they were arriving to meet their new neighbors without a gift in hand. Not that he could have whipped up anything near as good as what she would have made.

“I think the generator counts,” He said. “And maybe we can bring them coffee tomorrow, too,” He added. He would have suggested turning back for more now, but they’d emptied the pot and were already on their way.  Turning back in this storm would be treacherous; it would be easier, he thought, to just circle back once they’d cleared a pathway for themselves and other drivers. 

“I wonder if they have plans for Christmas,” He added. The holiday was in just eleven days, and if they didn’t have family in town, he hoped they wouldn’t be lonely.

Focusing on maneuvering the truck and plow through the snow helped Colton keep his mind off the kick of anxiety that raced through him at the mention of the holiday. Their mother would have invited the young women over if they didn’t have family near by. It was the right thing to do. But Colton had come to enjoy their peaceful holidays since their parents’ passing. Granted the ranch hands and their family would often be around to celebrate with, but the idea of Christmas morning or Christmas Eve being more than him and his brother had him on edge.

Calder climbed into the passenger side, taking a long drink of his own coffee before fitting it into it’s cup holder next to Colton’s. “I’m not sure,” He said honestly, holding his hands up to the vents for heat. His fingers were still a little numb. “I don’t think they have family in town; if they did, we would have heard about them coming.” It was true: Pine Ridge was one of those small towns where everyone seemed to know everyone. If someone had distant nieces or cousins moving to town, he was sure they would have told everyone about it. And it was true, Pine Ridge had tourists or visitors from time to time, but not many people moved out to stay. 

“Maybe something happened back home, wherever back home is for them, that made them want a fresh start,” He said thoughtfully. “They seemed pretty self-sufficient when I saw them…they must have been, to have moved everything in by themselves. And it looked like they drove themselves out here, too.” From this, Calder gathered they were both pretty capable; still, even the most capable person might struggle in a blizzard like this. “They were laughing and talking, though,” He added, remembering seeing them seeming to be having a great time talking to each other as they carried boxes. To him, that suggested they were good-natured; moving could be stressful, but they’d seemed happy to just be together.

Colton smiled a bit. It was nice to hear that regardless the circumstances that brought them here, they seemed happy. He was the first to admit that life was rough, but he also knew that it was the good things in your life that made you lucky. So, granted, love might not be his strong suit. But he had the ranch, his brother, the horses. Employees that were more like family than anything else.

Putting his coat and boots back on, Calder set the coffee mugs aside to look for the hat and gloves he had just cast off. He hoped they were alright in this snow. He knew Pine Ridge could be a beautiful, idyllic place to visit, but not many newcomers were prepared for the long winters.

“Sounds good,” He agreed, following Colton out to the garage. They each had a truck, but setting up the plow to just the one was the best idea for now. There wasn’t going to be getting to any of the people on Cornelia Street, let alone in town, without it at this point.

Calder had to pull the door hard to get it shut again, and he made sure it was securely latched before heading after his brother. Generators or no generators, they would come back to a tundra in their house if the wind blew the door open while they were out.

Colton took one of the travel mugs Calder had prepared for them before he climbed up into the driver’s side of the truck. The snow chains had been attached to the tires this morning, the plow was secure, and the truck cab was warm.

“I didn’t recognize them,” Calder said, slowly beginning to worry a bit. If they were new residents, there was a good chance they didn’t realize how severe Wyoming blizzards could be. “Once we plow the main drive, that might be the best next stop.” 

He caught the tone of worry in his brother’s voice, and realized who he thought might have bought the place. He was relieved not to have recognized them, too. He would never have left Rachel or Megan stranded, but he strongly preferred not to see them again, either of them, if at all possible, and was sure Colton felt similarly.

“The generator is a good idea. Let’s load it in the pickup,” He suggested, grabbing two travel mugs and filling each up with coffee for the two of them before they headed out. 

Colton nodded as he finished the last of his coffee. Relief flowed through him at the thought of not having to deal with either of his exes. Though a new wire of anxiety lit up in him at the thought of encountering anyone new. While he could handle the tourists that came and went, and those he grew up with...he had a tendency to get anxious around new people. He knew he was considered the quiet one, and while that didn’t bother him, it wasn’t necessarily because he chose to be that way.

“I’m glad,” Calder said sincerely as he crossed into the kitchen to pour himself a cup of coffee. He and Colton lived on the stuff; they seemed to drink it at all hours of the day. It was the perfect way to warm up, especially in a storm like this. He hoped the ranch hands had some fresh coffee and good food to go home to, as well. They’d all been a part of the same family, in one way or another, for as along as he could remember.

“That’s a good idea. Thank you for doing that,” Calder said, taking a long sip of coffee and sighing in contentment. It was a relief to know any power loss would be short lived; it always tended to happen in these storms, and the temperature was sure to drop quickly.

Frowning, Calder shook his head, trying to remember. “Two young women, I believe,” he said, thinking back. He had seen them moving things in when he was on his way to see a client, and had vowed to stop by and offer his help as soon as he returned.  He would have stopped on his way, but the Jacobson’s mare was in labor, and he knew he needed to get there as soon as he could. By the time he finished up, they had appeared to be all moved in. 

“Maybe we ought to stop by and check on them, offer to plow their drive,” He suggested. Cornelia Street was closer to the ranch than the town itself, which meant they were on a beautiful property, but also meant that the towns plows might not get to them very quickly. Pine Ridge was small, but all of the streets would need plowing, nevertheless.

Colton raised an eyebrow in surprise at the mention of two young women. Tourists were pretty common in the area, it was idyllic after all. But new permanent residents were far and few between. It had to be someone they knew. “Who were they?” He questioned his brother, praying it wasn’t Rachel and/or Megan. It’s never fun when your only two ex’s decide to be best friends. Especially when neither break up was especially amicable.

“They’re alright. Just wanted to make sure they were warm enough, had enough hay, that their water hadn’t frozen over…” Calder grinned a little; he knew Colton had checked on the horses as well, and knew if their father was still there, he would have done the same thing. For the Flynn’s, the animals weren’t just ranch property, or a way to bring in visitors; they were like members of the family. 

Speaking of surrogate family members… “Did the ranch hands all make it home?” He asked. The roads were only supposed to get worse as the storm went on. He figured the two of them could head out to help with plowing some of the roads in the country and neighbors driveways. Pine Ridge was small, and everyone tended to help out neighbors in need. 

The scent of coffee and the sight of the mug in his brother’s hand finally caught Calder’s attention, and his eyes lit up. The pot hadn’t been fresh when he’d gone out, which meant Colton had brewed a fresh pot up; it was just like his brother to be that thoughtful, and he appreciated it. 

Colton grinned as he watched his brother realize there was fresh coffee. If there were one thing the two had in common, it was their incessant need for coffee at all hours of the day.

“The last to get home texted while you were out at the barn.” He answered, grateful that everyone had gotten home safely. Most of the hands that worked on the ranch with them had been working their since they were kids, or they were the kids of the hands that had been there when they were kids. One big, happy family their mother used to say. It was true.

“I also made sure we had plenty of gas for the generators, and that all the generators were in working condition.” Because God knew that the power would go out. It always did.

Calder Flynn pushed the back door shut behind him, making sure it was securely latched before stomping his boots to get the excess snow off. The snowstorm was picking up, and there had to be almost a foot of snow out there already, with more piling up by the minute, and no sign of the snow stopping. He’d wanted to make sure the horses were all safely in their stalls, and that the stables and barn were all warm enough and everyone was fed.

Now that he was back inside, he took off his gloves and hat, brushing snow from his shoulders as he called out to his younger brother.

He turned at the sound of a door slamming, signalling his brother’s return. Already heading towards the back of the house as his brother called for him.