Uncommon Company

To Lay Down With Wolves

©Jenny Bertel

I bought my first house when I was twenty six, having done very well for myself in the art world, straight out of college. I'd saved enough money to get the cabin up in the woods that I had always dreamed of, where I could paint and write and be at peace. It was wonderful. At night the trees sang to me as I lay in bed. I suppose a young woman, alone in the woods at night, I should have been scared but not much scared me anymore. I love it when the wind forces its way through slightly opened windows and makes that moaning noise that always frightened little children so much. I was never a normal child.

Mostly I was something of a hermit but if I got lonely up there I just hopped in my truck and cruised down the mountainside along a curvy little road to the local bar and restaurant and mingled with my fellow hermits. The bar was picturesque, dead animals on the walls and everything.

There were four people in the whole area my age. Two young men, brothers I think and a young newlywed couple. I was not doing well at getting to know them. It was hit or miss out here. We seemed to all be cool with each other when we did cross paths. One of the brothers always blushed when he said hi to me. He was the younger brother to my best guess.

Then finally one night about a month after I moved up here my doorbell rang. I had been laying on the couch reading and I jumped looking around like a moron for a moment because I had never heard my doorbell before. Truth be told I hadn't really noticed I had a doorbell.

All four of my fellow juveniles were at the door with a case of beer, a case of soda in case I wasn't a drinker and a welcome to the neighborhood gift. It was a four pack of girl's long john underwear in various feminine prints and an electric blanket in a lovely vivid blue flannel. The long johns were even my size, I was impressed so far.

One at a time they all introduced themselves. Dillon and Cord were the brothers. Cord was the one who blushed all the time. I was right he was the baby brother. Twenty one years old though he was a bit larger than his brother width wise but a few inches shorter, very muscular. He appeared the shy sweet type. He was dark blond and shaggy with big blue eyes that peeked cautiously out from under a worn cowboy hat. He reminded me of a dog I had seen at a shelter once, a husky with icy eyes and a wary but needy face.

His brother Dillon had a dark air about him. I had a feeling he would not be shy or sweet. Dillon was twenty four, tall and muscular with tanned skin and long chocolate brown hair that was thick and arrow straight. His eyes were a pale brown that held a lot of light for dark eyes. Very pretty, almost a dark shade of gold.

Tanya and Nicolas were the newlyweds, sweet couple. He looked very young for his twenty eight years maybe because of the short strawberry blond curls and the slight speckling of freckles across his cheekbones, she was a whopping twenty years old. Very nice girl but she giggled too much. I find cheerful people annoying. I formally introduced myself and told them they could call me Becca if they liked.

"We're all so sorry it took us this long to get here but we did get you the warm fuzzy stuff before the chill really set in." Said Tanya with a sheepish grin that made her mousy little face look about ten under her fluff of sandy hair.

"We brought beer and soda which do you want?" Said Dillon smiling. He then elbowed his brother in the ribs gently and Cord sat the case of beer down on the kitchen table.

"I'd love a beer actually." I replied with a smile. Dillon winked at me and tossed me a can. I normally hate it when men wink at me but his farm boy demeanor made it casual, like a handshake.

"This is a great cabin, Nick and I wanted to buy it but it was too much for us. You must have a good job." Said Tanya in amazement as she looked around.