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It wasn’t just the room. The whole ranch had transformed, and his whole life had transformed.
At the last anniversary of his father’s death, they’d been fixing to sell the ranch to Rosy Pastures. Now, though, that was a distant memory.
The ranch was doing well. The new business model had taken a while to get used to, but after an intense start, things were smooth. Aside from all the interesting new jobs they had to do, all the normal ranch stuff was going well, too.
The livestock was much healthier and better cared for, and there was a sense of order to the place that hadn’t been here before. Things weren’t perfect — the land where their mother had grown crops was still fallow. That was a project for the future, but the basics were being run right. Anita had done an amazing job getting the word out about what they could offer and soon enough people were coming from near and far to enjoy their stay at Littecreek Ranch.
Chuck couldn’t have been more proud of his brothers, or more relieved that things were going so well. He had worried so much that his parents’ legacy would be lost when they passed away, but now he could see that wasn’t the case at all. The ranch was thriving, and the three of them had persevered in spite of challenging circumstances. It filled him with a deep sense of satisfaction.
This anniversary felt different than last year’s. It was a true celebration instead of a sad goodbye. They all raised their glasses in honor of their parents and clinked them together as they smiled in appreciation for all they’d accomplished over the past year.
“To Dad,” Duke said.
“To Dad,” Trent echoed.
“And Mom, too,” Chuck added.
The three brothers took a sip of their drinks and hugged.
Chuck looked over at the corner of the room. It was a private party. All the guests of the ranch were having supper in the ranch house right now, but there were a few more people here than last year.
Millie was there, as well as Takis and Bunny. Millie was looking well. The country living had put a little meat on her bones. She was exercising every day with the horses, and she was becoming strong and lithe. Her cheeks were tanned, too, from being out in the sun all day long. If it weren’t for her British accent, you could have mistaken her for a country girl.
Takis and Bunny had changed, too, sculpted by the natural environment. They looked tougher. Leaner. And much, much happier.
“Here’s to your dad,” Takis said, standing up. “I’m grateful to him for everything he did.”
There would have been a time when Chuck would have been angry with Takis for joining in at a moment like this. But not anymore. He knew that Takis was a respectful, good man. He spoke with Chuck from time to time about his father and mother, and it was always with genuine, warm-hearted curiosity.
“Thank you, Takis,” Trent said.
“Now,” Duke said, “let’s celebrate the way dad would’ve wanted us to.”
“Yay!” Bunny squealed. “We get to shoot guns!”
Chuck felt a deep happiness inside him. There had been ups and downs, but he’d arrived at a good place, with good people. When Rosy Pastures called him to offer him the job again after the welcoming party, Chuck had instantly turned them down. They’d offered him more money — a stupid amount of money, in fact — but he wasn’t interested. He knew that he was in the right place.
As they decamped to the shooting range, he looped his arms around Millie’s waist and looked up at the stars.
Millie looked up, too, and in a moment he’d never forget, they saw something together—bright white streaks across the black night sky. Shooting stars. Two of them.
Millie squeezed his hand, and whispered. “It’s them, watching us.”
“You think they’re happy?” Chuck asked, his voice catching with emotion.
“Course they are. You’re happy, so they’re happy.”
He squeezed her hand, rubbed her fingers, and he sent love, a beam of it, up into the night sky, across the universe, to his parents, wherever they were. And he felt that love reflected right back at him, overwhelming and so, so bright.
