Helitak Daze

Helitak Daze - Chapter 4

July 1:  The Fan Fire is sending out enough smoke to be noticed by the public. (Like the Shoshone fire, advanced little for several weeks.)

July 3:  The Red Fire by Lewis Lake is growing.

Fourth of July was always a family affair. Cody had a small ranch and Cathy, his wife, was the best cook in Yellowstone. Everyone brought something. Katlin made appetizers, as she wasn’t that great at country cooking. Italian, no problem, tasty pre-party bites, easy, potato salad, tasteless. Go with your strengths, no point in crying, because you couldn’t make smoked brisket.

Stark held open the kitchen door and entered with Kat. “Hello, Adonis.” Cathy smiled. Stark frowned in confusion.

Randy’s wife, Patty, looked him up and down. “Afternoon, David, Kat.”

Bear’s wife was the worst. Patting his butt, she gave him a smile, “If only I was 10 years younger and single.”

Dave was blushing from head to toe. “I don’t understand what has gotten into them.”

Kat cleared her throat. “Up at the Shoshone, we may have gotten talking about my lack of a boy friend and the fact that you are available. I didn’t want them to get any ideas, so I may also have mentioned that we did have a past.”

David was shocked. “I didn’t think you wanted anyone to know.”

“It sort of came out. I was explaining my emotional baggage back then. I may have also mentioned that you knew your way around a woman’s heart and body. I guess someone must have let it slip and you know how word gets around.

David felt giddy. “You thought I was good?”

Kat looked him in the eye and smiled. “You know you were my second time. From what I remember, I liked it a lot. But, please, don’t get any ideas.”

“You thought I was good. That is enough for me.”

“David,” she touched his arm, “I have always liked you and thought that you would make a perfect husband, in every way. You also know, you would not have my full heart and you deserve more than what I can give. Look on the bright side, by the end of the week, every eligible woman between 18 and 50, within a hundred miles, will want to sample your wares.”

The day was hot, somewhere in the 80’s, clouds dotted the azure sky. It was a perfect day to celebrate our Independence. Katlin loved the western celebration. This was nothing like the picnics they had around Philadelphia growing up. She had great memories, from her very young childhood. Grandpop was a pyrotechnic. He, her mother and aunts used to set-off the fireworks for the local township. As a small child, her mom would build a nest in the trunk of the old Chevy, so she could watch them up close, but still be protected from falling cinders. Once her cousins were born, the family drifted apart. Here, family still mattered. In front of her today, was a slice of Americana.

Katlin surveyed her surroundings. A sprawling century-old rancher made of fieldstone, to help protect it from grassfires. It sat about a mile off the highway on 500 acres of cattle land. Rolling hills as far as the eye could see were dotted with cattle, sheep and a few working horses. Cody’s grandmother had planted shade trees around the yard, to remind her of her Virginia roots. A large slate patio, with fire pit, would be used in the evening, when the temperature dropped. For now, the children ran wild, with the dogs, and the adults worked to get food on the tables.

Some of the children splashed in the watering hole, others chased sheep and calves, practicing their roping skills. Teenagers moved off to the barn to get away from the pesky adults. Older folks sat under the trees, fanning themselves, in the unusually hot air. The men set up saw horses and planks for serving tables, while the women brought out the food.