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ChapterOne
Some people knew from a very job age what they wanted to do with their life.
That had been the case with Roy Griffin.
Honestly, that had been the case for his brothers too—Jack, Parker, and Ronald.
Working at Hidden Creek Orchard was perfect for the four of them. For the most part, the brothers got along well, and they worked with three other brothers—the Spanglers. Colton Spangler was the new owner, and then there was Lawrence and Myles.
And yet, for whatever reason, while he knew this was his team job, he also couldn't help the feeling that something was missing.
Or maybe he needed something more.
Roy whistled to himself as he drove to the orchard that early morning. It was dark this morning, darker than normal for early spring.
As soon as he parked, the first fat raindrops descended, pounding on his windshield. He reached over in his truck to grab his umbrella and tried to open his truck door. The wind was so fierce that he had to really shove to open the door, and as soon as he opened his umbrella, it flipped inside out. As he struggled to try to salvage it, the wind and the rain beat at him.
A bolt of lightning flashed in the sky, followed by an immense thunderclap. He could see the trees bending and swaying with the wind, and he knew that this storm was not going to be good for them. He had to get inside and help his brothers—it wouldn’t do any good to be standing out in a storm like this!
He began running toward the orchard, but as he did, a loud clap of thunder sounded and the heavens opened up. Rain pelted him in sheets as he ran, and soon he was drenched. He got to the nearest building, Colton's office, just in time to see a white-hot flash of lightning illuminate the sky.
The storm was unrelenting, bringing hail with it that pelted the trees viciously. Roy heard branches breaking and cracking with each gust of wind and lightning strike.
Considering that no one else was in the office with him, Roy tried to call his brothers and the Spanglers, but the his calls kept calling, and none of his texts went through. Colton normally was the first one here every morning, so that he wasn't here already was a bit of a surprise. Then again, Roy had woken earlier today because of a dream he couldn't remember, so he had figured he would head to work early.
As more time passed and the storm didn't relent, Roy began to grow more and more worried. Colton had to be here somewhere, and Roy risked going back out into the storm. He quickly ran towards the barn on the far side of the orchard, figuring that might be where Colton had gone. Even if Colton wasn't there, Roy figured he should at least keep an eye out for the farm animals to see how they were faring.
The storm began to rage in full force now, and it didn't look like it was going to let up anytime soon. The powerful winds howled as it ripped through the trees, uprooting many of them with enormous crashes while others were bent over so far they looked like they had been snapped in half. Branches were shredded from other trees that looked like they were barely able to remain rooted to the ground.
As he neared the barn, he could see a few individuals inside. Colton and Lawrence. The brothers looked worried as they rolled out tarps and blankets. They were talking to each other, their voices barely audible over the loud crashing of thunder. The two men looked up as Roy came in, obviously relieved to see him.
“Thank goodness you’re here!” Colton said. “We need all hands on deck if we’re gonna make it through this one!”
"What do you need me to do?" Roy asked.
"We need to move quickly and efficiently to protect the orchard, its crops, and the animals. If we can... It won't be easy with that wind, but we need to cover vulnerable trees with tarps and blankets. If we set up support columns for the ones that are leaning, we might be able to prevent any more from being uprooted entirely. We also need rope, lots of it, so we can tie down anything that could be blown away by the wind, but before all of that, we need to start moving the animals into sheltered areas."
"Are my brothers here, do you know?" Roy asked.
"I think it's just the three of us," Lawrence said. "I hope the others aren't on the road, that they're not trying to reach the orchard."
"I can't imagine driving in all of this," Roy murmured.
He quickly sent up a pray that anyone on the roads was safe. While he knew this kind of storm wouldn’t last forever, it would still take a lot of hard work to ensure that the orchard survived this one intact, and he prayed for the safety of the cowboys already here too.
Roy nodded in agreement as Colton outlined their plan of action. They would also need to find ways to reduce water runoff, so that when the storm finally passed, there wouldn't be too much erosion and runoff entering the river. Additionally, they needed to be prepared for flooding in case that happened as well.
"If you two can tackle the tree and the crops, I'll make sure the farm animals are all safe," Roy offered.
"Thanks," Colton said gratefully.
Roy nodded to them both and quicklyran around the barn, gathering some hay bales and a few extra tarps for makeshift shelters for the animals. Then, he rounded up some of the cows and horses, leading them out of their pens into more secure areas.
It took time, and the animals were scared, but he managed to secure all of the animals into small stalls or shelters. Even though his brothers weren’t present, he felt a sense of unity by working together with Lawrence and Colton. Despite the unpredictability of the weather, there was something reassuring about being surrounded by people who were willing to work together in order to protect what they valued most—their land and livestock. As they continued their efforts, Roy vowed to do whatever necessary to protect their livelihoods in these trying times.
By now, the rain was so heavy that it seemed like one giant blanket draped over everything in sight, obscuring any view beyond a few feet away.Trying to fight against the storm was starting to feel like a futile effort despite their best efforts, so the three cowboys huddled together inside the barn and waited for it to pass. Unfortunately, it took several more hours for the storm to abate.
The three of them left the shelter the barn afford and walked around the orchard to see what damage had been done. The trunks of the trees they'd worked so hard to protect were warped and bent in unnatural ways. Fences had been blown down, leaving gaping holes where livestock could escape. Broken buildings slumped in the mud, and chunks of wood littered the ground as if a giant monster had come through to wreak havoc. In short, the orchard was in ruins. The terrible storm had devastated the orchard.
