Dead’s truck broke the horizon, trailing a dust cloud behind him, and then Quickdraw in his big old Chevy, towing a camper behind.
They parked on the grass, and Dead was the first one out. There was no mush or hugs. He looked Two Shots up and down and told him, “You look out of shape. What’s for dinner?”
Two Shots chuckled and jerked his head toward the house. “I wondered why Cheyenne bought enough to make eight pounds of spaghetti tonight.”
Quickdraw got out and looked around. He nodded his head, and that was it. No words were needed. He liked this place just fine, she could tell.
She didn’t know how long they would visit for, but that wasn’t what mattered. What mattered was they showed up, because that’s what friends did. That’s what a good herd did.
They didn’t know it because she was just a human, but to her, they were her little herd, too. Her boys.
She hugged them up, one-by-one, even Two Shots because he just looked so happy, and hugging a happy person was a different kind of magic. It filled a soul.
They chattered while she remained quiet, just soaking in having them all here, away from the cameras, away from the stress. They could just be themselves.
Two Shots: witty, protective, hers.
Dead: funny, already eating candy, sensitive.
Quickdraw: burly, quiet, complicated, beast of a man.
She was lucky, but she wouldn’t tell them that. Their egos didn’t need the boost.
They sat on the porch stairs, right where Two Shots took his pictures of every sunset, and it struck her as beautiful.
She backed to the doorway, knelt down with her phone, and took a picture of their backs as they looked out over the pastures.
And in that moment, she made a couple vows.
One, she would take care of Two’s heart, as he took care of hers, because he was so special, so worth the effort.
And two, she was going to get these boys where they were going. Whatever fate had in store for them, she wanted to be there for it. She wanted to support them and be a part of their stories, even if it was just a small role.
They were going to be legends.
She didn’t know where her certainty of this came from; it just existed inside of her. She believed in them more than she’d ever believed in anything.
Because Two Shots Down had pulled her in closer, she was going to be a part of something so much bigger than herself.
She wasn’t being dragged through life anymore. Cheyenne was up and walking on her own two feet, and she wasn’t alone.
Two Shots turned around and gestured her over. She sat between him and Dead and laughed as Two Shots pulled her in and hugged her close to his side.
He’d given her this herd.
Cheyenne didn’t walk alone anymore, and she was certain she never would again.
Now she walked with beasts.