“Wait,” I say as a couple of the hunters lift their guns. They freeze. “They’re too high yet, we’re gonna let them spin one more time.”
I blow my call softly. The geese make their circle and lock up as they get ready to land.
“Take ’em!” I shout.
The pit explodes with the sound of gunfire cracking through the cold air. Feathers fall from the sky as seven geese hit the ground. The rest of them scatter as they fly away.
“Rosco!” I command, and out he runs. The guys hoot and holler at each other. “Nice shooting, guys!” I tell them. We watch Rosco work, gathering all the Canadian geese and dropping them in a pile in front of me.
By the time Rosco returns with the last one, his tongue is hanging out the side of his mouth. He’s tired, but his eyes are still bright with excitement. He jumps back in the pit beside me and I pat him on the head.
“Good boy.”
He pants and flops down onto the floor for a drink from his bowl.
“Not a bad start to the morning,” one of the guys says, chuckling as he reloads for the next group.
I glance at the pile of birds and nod. “Yeah, not bad at all.”
A few hours later, we’re done and cleaning up decoys when my phone rings. My guess is that it’s probably Cody or Dad telling me they’re cleaning up too and heading to the house. When I see it’s my sister, I’m confused.
“Yeah?” I answer.
“Um, so I got stuck in a ditch,” she says.
Uneasiness settles in my gut. “What? Where?”
She huffs. “Ten minutes from Bellamy. I was on my way home from the store. Mom had me run out.”
“Well, are you okay?”
“Yeah, it’s just mud obviously.”
“So just put it in four-wheel drive and nail it,” I suggest with a small laugh.
“You don’t think I tried?” she snaps, and I stop myself from laughing anymore. Clearly she’s annoyed at the situation.
“Well, are you off the road enough?” I ask.
Her teeth gritted, she says, “Yes. I just need someone to pull me out.”
“Well, I’m a little busy right now, Addie. Can you call your boyfriend?” I would’ve used his name but she has yet to reveal it.
“He’s not my boyfriend! We’re just talking,” she snaps as if she’s explained it to me a hundred times already. Which, if you added up all the times she’s corrected me and our brothers, she probably has.
“Well, whatever he is, can he help you?”
“He said he didn’t have chains or straps.”
“Where’s he from that he doesn’t have chains or straps?!” I argue.
“Glendune,” she answers. That’s a small town about twenty-five minutes south of us.
“You’re telling me he—” I start.
She cuts me off. “If I wanted a lecture, I would’ve called Cody!” she yells, hanging up before I can respond. I huff out a breath and slide my phone back into my pocket. I’ll give her a few minutes before I call her back.
A wave of frustration and guilt settles in. If I weren’t out here guiding, I’d have been there in a second, and Addie knows that. There’s not a single thing I wouldn’t do for her. That’s why she called me first. Just like she said, Cody would’ve given her the lecture she didn’t want.
