"We should head in now to go start dinner." Alice said to Naomi who was kneeling in dirt alongside her in the garden. Alice looked around and began gathering the tools they had used to weed.
"Okay ma'am." Naomi responded swiftly
She handed over the bowl of carrots and lettuce they had harvested from the garden to the little 6 year old girl with bright red curls. The reflection of the setting sun made her hair look like flames.
Alice stood up and dusted both hers and Naomi's garden overall as they went back into her little house through the back door.
Naomi had begun spending 2 weekends monthly with Alice since she was a little wee thing and that tradition had continued. Her mother; Alice's best friend Holly was such a sweet soul who deserves some time with her darling husband from time to time and a clear head to run their cattle ranch.
The Twisting Turn nicknamed Triple T farm was a few miles down her parents Ranch Thunder light. The McKinneys were in fact their next door neighbors, it had just made sense for a friendship to blossom between the family and their children as they were close enough in age for that to happen. Her brother Lukas was 1 year older than the McKinneys first child Noah and Holly was two years Older than she.
Their family was intact, almost blended, and the blending further sealed when the elder McKinneys died in a plane crash just after Holly and her husband got married a little over eight years ago.
Holly's parents had been excited to take their first vacation in 20 years when Holly had married Foreman's son; Pete. It was the first time the elder McKinney left the farm, but they trusted Pete, Holly, Old Fred the foreman and even Noah had come home to help out while they got their well deserved holiday.
Alice had been so excited to see Noah. She was no little girl anymore but the childhood crush on older brother's friend never passed. She knew Holly knew about her little crush on her brother and maybe that was the reason she insisted Noah helped out on the farm.
It had not been a great reunion as Noah barely noticed she existed amidst all the chaos. The day he arrived was the same day the crash happened. He had barely settled in when they got the news. The following weeks had been a blur, the funeral, the will reading and the huge fight that happened afterwards.
Noah was undeniably the model child, computer genius and his old hid first software to the DOJ at just 14. One would think he would have gone through to the university to study something tech related but he didn't. Noah graduated university at the age of 16 with a double major in Animal science and Agric business. His parents had told him not to do it for them because as always they had supported and encouraged his love for computers since he was just a child.
He took some tech related course in university to stop his parents from breathing down his neck, but he did love the ranch and life on it. He helped out as much as he could when he wasn't engrossed working on a new project.
He could have gone to any Ivy League college, everyone of them came with an offer which he declined for the closest college to the Ranch. When at 19 he made the move to Billings to begin his startup, it was hard on him. Holly and Steve had told her just as much. Noah was quiet but his dedication to his family and his Best friend - her brother Steve was never in question.
He had built software and for the military, scientists, gotten honorary doctorates from 3 Ivy League colleges, hired a CEO so he could do the work he enjoyed. He ran his company till he got tired of being the military puppet. Noah had been considering moving back to the ranch and his parents' trip had been his trail run; he had sold off his company a few months before because he could, boy genius kind of move indeed. Holly had told her it was meant to be a surprise for their parents when they returned. They never did return. She had just begun…
"Aunt Alice, I hear the phone."
Alice was jolted out of her thoughts by the little girl's comment. "Come on, let's go find out who's calling and get you some snacks." Naomi ran ahead giggling excitedly at the mention of snacks, she removed her garden gloves and added it to the pile of tools in the bucket she was holding. Alice dropped the tools by the door on the back porch before heading to the kitchen counter to where her cell phone was.
Usually the phone never rang out loud because she hated the sound of her ringing phones, the vibration was enough, but when she spoke to Holly that afternoon, her best friend had threatened to skin her if she didn't answer her call the first time. Since they were outside and Holly's parents were on their way from attending an auction, and was supposed to call again when they got to town so she could go drop Naomi at the ranch, she had grudgingly put on the ringer.
She saw she had missed 2 calls from Lukas, she called back and immediately she heard him choke back a sob, she knew. Alive didn't know how, she just knew.
*****
Noah woke to the beeping and vibration of his phone, he twisted and turned trying to reach his phone on the bedside dresser. You'd think he would be used to these late night calls by now, but he wasn't
Picking up the phone when he made contact, he didn't even bother reaching for the light switch by the bedside light or checking the caller ID, he swiped to pick up "Noah" he said to the person on the line.
"Good morning Mr McKinley, officer Martinez here from Rocky plain county sheriff's office, Sheriff Tate told me to reach out Sir. Sorry to bother you this early but we need you back in as soon as you can make it back to Rocky plain.
"Okay…why is that?" he asked with a tint of worry in his voice
"Well sir there has been a development that needs your attention." He could hear the hesitation in the officers voice
Noah grunted, reaching for the light switch on his bedside and saw it was 2:27 am for Christsakes!, he yawned and rubbed his eyes to clear the fog over them, he sat up and leaned back against the headboard wondering why his town's sheriff's office would call him this early. The only plausible reason was his sister. Holly was the only family he had left and she and her family was the only thing he had left in Rocky plain
"Officer I don't seem to understand what you mean"
He could hear shuffling over the phone, and an audible sigh of reluctance before the officer spoke again
"Sir your sister and her husband was involved in a car crash a few hours ago and you are the only family that's listed we just thought to call you"
He immediately sat upright, eyes bulging from their sockets " holy crap, what the heck happened she was fine when we talked yesterday, what the heck happened? How are they doing? What hospital are they in? "
While asking the questions he got up from the bed moving towards the closet park a duffel "They were coming from an auction in Helena and just on the highway toward town they..."
"Officer Mathias just tell me what hospital they are in, I'm on my way." Noah was already out of bed by now and was heading for the closet to pack up a few things. He pulled down his duffel bag from the top of his closet and started pulling things into the back hurriedly still holding his phone between his chin and shoulder
"ehm... Sir. it's Martinez and that's why...." He cleared his throat
"That's why we called sir, they didn't..."
There was a pause and Noah froze halfway through pulling a T-shirt over his head, before he could speak up office Martinez spoke
"They didn't make it Mr McKinley, by the time emergency services got there Mr Logan was gone but your sister made it to the hospital and was in surgery before we lost her, we called not only to inform you of that but also to tell you about your niece is fine and she's currently at a neighbor's… are you there sir" the officer asked when he anything on the other end
Noah stood immobile, speechless, he sure didn't hear anything else the officer was ranting on about after the first sentence, he didn't know what to say and when he was to utter an assurance to the officer the only word that manage to come out as a croak was a scream "no" before he crumbled on the floor his phone hitting the soft carpet first.
He hugged his knee to his chest swinging back and forth like he'd done when he was a kid, Noah wept.