When the Sun Sets

37

The next morning we were cleaning up the mess left behind by the locals. I was sweeping the platform and Ethan was picking up beer bottles with Desiree.

Aiyanna and Willow were washing dishes. Daven and Kieran were taking down decorations. Kelly was washing huge pots and pans.

"So I was thinking we could start a garden behind the carriage house." Willow was scrubbing away.

"That sounds good. Too bad that our preserves and seeds burned up with the house." I sighed, gathering the dust.

"That's a tragedy but we can probably buy seeds. Do you know what you would want to plant?" I swept the dust up on the dustpan.

"I want field peas." Ethan responded.

"Cabbage." Daven looked at us.

"Potatoes." Desiree placed the last of the trash in a bag.

"We should start an orchard too." Aiyanna put the last dish in the dying racks.

"Apples,pears, peaches… Kelly sighs. “That would be great.”

I notice Beth Ann on her horse approaching the ranch.

“Good morning, it’s a fine day out, isn’t it?” She motions her horse to stop and she jumps off the saddle.

“It sure is, Beth Ann.” I smile, leaning against the fence.

“So, I wanted to let you know that I’ve decided to make you the heir to my fortune. I don’t have any living children and of course, my family don’t want my money so I figured you’d be the best option.”

“Wow, that’s generous of you.” I respond, standing up straight.

“Lucky you.” Ethan looks at me as he wraps the trash bag.

“You all get some too, so don’t be whining.” She smiled at all of us.

“Thank you, Beth Ann.” I feel a lot better but I don’t want her to think I’m waiting on her to drop dead.

“No problem, darling.” Beth Ann sighed. “I heard them say your parents are back together, Kieran.”

“We figured they were. I hope Dad doesn’t bail on Mom this time.” Kieran sighed.

“Same or we’ll have to kick his ass.” Ethan was now putting the bottles on the back of a wagon.

“Alright, Rose. I’ll let y’all finish tending to your place.” Beth Ann walks back to her horse.

“See you later, Beth Ann!” I holler. She gets on her horse and rides away. I look back at my friends and at the ranch. It was a good place to start over. The nearest town was Lakeystay which was a mile down the road and there was a lot of good hunting ground around as well.

“So, should we get some animals?” Kieran put his hands to his waist.

“Like what kind?” Aiyanna dumped the dish water on some potted plants.

“Chickens, goats, pigs, stuff like that.” Kieran looked around.

“I want chickens. Like the kind that lays blue and green eggs.” Desiree looked excited.

“I want the pigs with black patches on them, they’re so cute.” Willow crossed her arms, smiling. “And delicious.”

“I think some cows would be nice. Free milk and cheese.” Ethan was leaning against the fence.

“You’re lactose tolerant, is that really a good idea?” Aiyanna walked up to us.

“But it’s good, isn’t it?” Ethan smiles at her. She rolls her eyes, pretending to be annoyed.

“That’s what you think. I don’t like being in pain.” Aiyanna shakes her head.

“We should probably head to town to get the seeds and start to loosen the soil.” Kieran wiped sweat from his brow. “Who’s doing that?”

“We’ll get the seeds.” Aiyanna offered.

“I’ll go with you.” I start to walk to the stables.

“Same.” Desiree responded.

“Did y’all need anything from town?” Willow looks at the boys.

“Get some beers, a tin of that healing balm and maybe a bag of candy.” Kieran responds to Willow, heading towards the shed.

“Fair enough.” Willow responded. Desiree and I got on Erendira while Aiyanna and Willow got on Welsit. The sky was crystal clear and there were a few wispy clouds in the sky.

“I’m glad we get to do a little girls’ trip.” Willow responded, looking at all of us.

“Same, I love them but sometimes it’s gotta be just us, you know?” Aiyanna was brushing knots from her hair with her fingers.

“Nah, I get it.” I remark, softly brushing my hand against Erendira’s mane. “So what else did y’all wanna do besides get seeds and stuff for the boys?”

“We could go look at fabrics and pick a pattern.” Willow responded, fiddling with her hair. “Or get some cookies from the bakery.”

“All of that sounds like a lot of fun.” I looked ahead at the road.

“Let’s do it then.” Aiyanna has a big smile on her face. We arrive in town and we place the horses near the general store and enter. A woman is wiping the counter and she looks up to see us.

“Welcome! How can I help you?” She puts the rag away.

“Do you guys sell seeds here?” I asked her.

“Yes, ma’am. We got the highest quality seeds in all of Nuevo Laredo. Which ones were you planning’ on getting?”

“Field peas, cabbage, potatoes, corn, and if you have any, carrots.” I look around the store. There’s candies, some snake oil and a few things in the displays.

“You’re in luck, I have all of these in stock.” She takes out a few paper bags with drawings of the vegetables on them and she takes out a bag of potatoes with roots. We also grab the stuff that the boys requested. Willow pays for everything and we throw it in the saddle bags. We then walk over to the bakery where a man has just taken out a tray of conchas, or buns with either pink, white or brown topping. We ended up ordering those and a bag of empanada cookies filled with cajeta, or caramel made from goat milk.

We then head off to the fabric store where there were having a sale. We oo’ed and ah’ed over several flowered or checkered fabrics. That was a wonderful day.