Cowgirl Up ✔️

Chapter Thirty One

I eyed the farm Hilux, wide eyed.
I don't think I've ever seen the beast so fully loaded!
It's tray was absolutely packed with swag's, cooker's, eskie's, rope's, portable fence's and a whole lot of other stuff.
Uncle Lukas held a clipboard and marked off item's with a pen as they were loaded one by one to the beast.
Anybody would think we were running away for a month the way the Ute was loaded.
"I think we're good to go."
Uncle Lukas finally declared.
"By the look of that, we are!"
Heath exclaimed, wide eyed and gestured to the Ute.
I had to agree.
Uncle Lukas shook his head.
"I've seen it worse."
"Same."
Blayze agreed, jumping down from the left rear tyre guard to land in the dusty farm yard floor.
"Was that three year's ago?"
Troy questioned, cocking his head to the side.
"Yup."
Uncle Lukas nodded.
"My first year on board."
Alex chimed in.
"That was the drought, right?"
"Sure was."
Uncle Lukas agreed.
Jake, Heath and Shayne just looked confused.
I didn't blame them.
I felt pretty confused.
What was I missing?
"Us, the Jackson's and the Adams' got the cattle and hit the track, drovin' 'em to find feed."
Blayze explained to those of us in the dark.
"The worst year I've seen out here."
"I was seventeen the only other time our family's done it since I've been alive."
Uncle Lukas explained.
"So it's only happened twice that I know of. Hopefully we don't have to do it again."
Blayze grinned.
"Well it was kinda fun!"
Uncle Lukas rolled his eyes.
"If that's what you call fun."
We all laughed.
"C'mon we were livin off the land for three week's! Then that huge rain came in and we all headed home in it!"
Blayze insisted.
For me, right now, a three day Muster was going to be test enough.
"So we shouldn't be whinging after a three dayer?"
Shayne asked with a grin.
Blayze pointed a finger at him.
"You try bitchin' about a three dayer and I'll kick your arse. Three day's roughin' it is nothin!"
Uncle Lukas rolled his eyes.
"We'll all be knackered afterward, coz we'll have been workin' hard. But I think it's safe to say, being it's now March, we won't have to do the same drought drove. If we did have to it would be up to each man-"
His gaze flashed to me.
"-or woman- if they wanted to hit the track with us."
Blayze grinned.
"I'd be in for sure! Wicked peace out there!"
Uncle Lukas clapped him on the back.
"Sweet! Then I can stay with my wife and kid's!"
"Go for it."
Blayze nodded.
"Then I might just get the peace I was talkin about."
We all laughed and Uncle Lukas shoved at his shoulder.
Laughing, Blayze sidestepped.

Sleep eluded me.
My phone screen told me it was 10:00pm.
The house seemed to be silent, yet I for some reason still couldn't sleep!
My alarm is set to go off at 5AM.
We'll have coffee and breakfast, saddle up and head over to Adamsbrooke to start the three day Muster in the morning.
I sighed, flipping over to lay on my stomach
Why can I not get comfortable tonight?
Of all the night's to not be able to sleep...
I know I'm partially excited and partially nervous.
It's my first official three day Muster.
I don't want to slow everybody down.
I clamped my eyes shut, hoping to find sleep.
If I can't sleep I won't be good for anybody tomorrow, least of all Phoenix.

Five AM rolled around way too soon.
I jolted into a sitting position when my alarm tone blared into the darkness of my room.
Reaching onto my bedside table, I picked up my phone and shut off the alarm.
Time to get up and get ready.
I tossed my blanket aside, swung my leg's out of bed and stood, grabbing the hem of my pyjama t-shirt and pulling it over my head.
Within a few minutes I was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt and had my sock's on and a jumper to take with me incase the weather got cool along the way.
March can be an unpredictable month out on the land.

I stepped into the kitchen to find Mum and Grandma hard at work preparing breakfast.
It was barely 5:15 and my stomach churned at the idea of forcing down food at such an hour.
Though if I was going to last the day, I was going to need the energy.
"Mornin Darlin."
Grandma greeted me with a smile.
Mum turned around and she smiled.
"Hey Baby."
"Morning."
I greeted them both.
"Caramel coffee?"
Mum offered.
Oh hell yeah!
"Oh my god please!"
Mum laughed and turned back to the coffee machine, pressing a button and the machine purred to life.
"Excited for the muster?"
Grandma asked.
"Yeah."
I pasted my own smile into place.
The coffee machine stopped purring and Mum lifted the mug off the small tray, then lifted the just finished milk frothing jug and tipped some of it's contents into my mug.
She scooped a couple of teaspoon's of sugar into the mix and gave it all a fast stir, then turned to hand me the mug.
"There ya go baby."
"Thank you."
The caramel coffee sure was a surprising treat on a morning like this.
I made my way to the out dining room, carrying my coffee carefully and trying hard to keep my eyes open.
This sure isn't a time I want to make a habit of getting up and motivated at.