IN THE HEAT OF THE VALLEY -Chapter 1: The long trip home

Caden St John had not been home since the war started in 2001. he'd been out of the Marine Corps for 4 years when New York was attacked and immediately quit his job as a fabricator on the coast of Washington and joined the fight. As the years went by and the war raging on, he never allowed himself leave to come home. just staying in the fight mostly in the Helmand province of Afghanistan. remembering back he recalled it to be a lot like a camping trip into hell. in late 2009 he was honorably released from duty on a medical discharge from sustaining injuries from an RPG blast That took out the CH-46 he was flying in and surviving a gunshot wound from a 7.62 round to the chest after the crash. It was declared a miracle that he had survived.

Caden's plane landed at the Sea-Tac airport in late August with a shuttle ticket back home to a farming community on the other side of the Cascade's where he had grown up. He stepped outside and looked out from the terminal toward Mt. Rainer and took in a deep breath of air. A sense of something filled within him. Something that had been lost along the way. for the first time in years he felt a new beginning forming, and hint of peace in all that was behind him. At that moment Caden decided to throw his shuttle ticket into a garbage can and walk home.

Charley Wethers arrived at the Diamond Ring ranch just after twelve noon in her Chevy 3500 dually she had turned into a mobile Vet clinic. The temperatures were soaring up above the 100 degree mark as she pulled up the long drive. She took the hanky from around her neck and soaked up the moisture from above her breasts. The drive was long and normally inviting for she loved this country but as dry and hot that it had been lately she'd just assume spend the day with her own animals. Sitting in the pools down at the creek reading a book on the property that she had purchased out in the country. Charley was a strikingly beautiful woman, with dark brown hair and penetrating green eyes. She grew up as a tom boy. She loved her fathers ways of the outdoors and mechanical hobbies. They had restored a Chevy blazer together and had painted it sublime after her favorite muscle car the Hemi Cuda. She had always wanted to become a Veterinarian and live amongst a country lifestyle taking care of animals. She had never married and after a couple of failed engagements she wondered if she would ever find love again. As the truck came to a stop next to the corral a voice over the radio caught her attention:

"Thunder storms forecasted for the late afternoon".

In most conditions a cow can give birth without any assistance but if the calf is positioned abnormally or of a larger size in the birth canal, the cow may need assistance. This is the case for the visit. Charley is needed to restrain the cow (so she doesn't move around) and to check if the calf is coming out head first so she can reposition it if need be.

Caden was making his way along the Manastash ridge in the late afternoon. Both excited and restrained by seeing the valley again. He'd stopped by Dean Rogers grave site at the top for a moment to say hello to an old friend and to silently ask for advice from the heavens as he looked on to the Valley below. Dean had been a mentor to him as his wrestling coach and a former Marine that had inspired him to join straight out of Highschool. The day Caden returned home from his first enlistment Dean had fell to the floor of his classroom and passed away shortly after from wounds he'd suffered in the Vietnam war years back. Clouds rolled in overhead and began to take on vertical development and all became still. Caden knew he'd better make his last leg down the ridge into the valley before Mother Nature started her show.

The birth was a success with little help to the Heifer that had given birth for the first time. Charley removed her boots and coveralls and cleaned up. She shook the ranchers hand and a large boom sounded off overhead.

'Looks like it's going to be a good show' The rancher smiled.

'And just in time too!' Charley replied back as she turned and ran to the truck.

As she made her way back down the drive lightning crashed violently in the distance and was answered back with an explosion of thunder. She came to a bend in the road and the rain showered down almost blinding her from being able to see anything out in front of her. She heard a large pop and the truck violently took over and swerved to the right coming to an abrupt stop as it wedged itself into the ditch. She sat for a moment as the sudden panic wore off and stepped out into the soaking gale to find the tire on the passenger side front was flat. She immediately went to work trying to work the jack as the road turned to mud and the ditch began to rise with water. Suddenly a mans voice startled her.

'Mam, are you okay?'

She turned to him trying to make out who it was.

'Yes I'm fine!'

'Here, let me help you!'

'No, I can handle it! What are you doing out here anyway?'

'Oh, just out for a peaceful walk, in this beautiful weather.'

Lightning exploded behind them and ripped a tree 50 yards away in half as thunder sounded off like a cannon.

'Mam we have to get to shelter right now! Look there is a shack just down the road! Come on!'

Charley wanted to tell him to go to hell but she knew they were in danger.

'Okay. Here help me get these blankets out of the back!'

They grabbed a couple items out of the back of her truck and made a run for the shack. He kicked in the door and she followed him in. He slammed it behind them and wedged it with some kindling laying along the wall as the thunder called out once more. The shack was deserted and had a table standing in the middle of the single room. A stove sat in the corner next to the door and a bunk with a rolled up mattress towards the back.

'Here, let me help you.' He said in a calming voice. 'You're freezing cold.'

He took one of the blankets and wrapped it around her and held her trying to stop her from shivering and realized he had not held a woman in a very long time let alone one as beautiful as she was. She looked up into his eyes and suddenly felt herself go calm. She saw the scars on his face in the dull light, and recognized that he had seen a lot in his time. She found him to be ruggedly handsome and felt that there was something very gentle about him.

'What is your name anyway, stranger?' She asked as he held her.

'Caden'. He smiled down at her with ease.

'Nice to meet you Caden. My name is Charley.'

'Charley? I like that.'

'My father always called me that. It's short for Charlotte.'

The rain hammered at the tin roof with no sign of letting up. The sounds of the thunder and lightning was letting up a bit and Caden went to the window to have a look.


'Looks like we're going to be stuck here for awhile'


He looked back, and she looked at him in disbelief.


'What are we going to do?' she asked.


'Well, there is plenty of wood here. I'll at least start a fire so we can get warm.'


Caden placed some of the kindling into the stove and rolled up some newspaper he'd found up on a shelf and lit up the end, reaching in to place it under the stack of wood.


'Here, I have a change of clothes in my pack.' He reached into the bag pulling out a fleece sweater and handed it to her as the fire crackled to life.


'Take this Charley.'


She thanked him and he turned away so she could take off her wet shirt and pull it over. Caden went deeper and pulled out a flask of scotch.


'Here this will help warm you a bit until the fire gets going.'


She smiled and took a long pull as he watched her in a bit of amazement.


'That's the stuff.' she replied, and passed it back.


Caden took a slide and set the flask on the table next to her as he pulled off his waterlogged shirt. She watched him from across the table and her eyes went wild when she saw his wounded scars in the flickering of the fire light.


'Oh my god what happend to you?!' She asked.


'Oh, sorry. I was wounded in a fire fight over in Afghanistan a few months back.'


She took another drink without taking her eyes off of him.


'You were in the war over there?'


'Yeah.'


'What branch?'


'Marines.'


'Oh my' she thought to herself starting to feel a bit tipsy as the little shack started to warm up.


'Are you still in the Marines?'


'No, they finally had enough of me.' He sat down next to her and took his turn on the flask.


'Where are you from?' she asked.


'Here originally (thinking how weird that sounded to himself). 'This is the first day I've been back in nine years. Some homecoming huh.' He laughed and passed the scotch back to her.


'How long do you think we'll be stuck here?'


'At least until the rain lets up. Then we can see if we can even get to that tire on your truck to fix it. Looks like we may be staying the night here.'


'Oh my.' She whispered.


'I'll get this bed laid out and get you set up. I'll be fine on the floor.'


'Caden?'


'Yes Charley?'


'I can't let you sleep on that floor'


Caden smiled: 'A warm dry floor is luxury for my kind Mam. I'll be fine.'


They continued talking and discovering each other and the night carried on as the rain sang to them in a pleasant harmony outside amongst the darkness. The light from the fire was very inviting. Almost like that of a winter night amongst loved ones sharing that special comfort. They talked as if they were long time friends catching up on lost time.


The time came for bed and it was decided there was no hope or hurry for that matter on attempting to rescue the truck until morning. Caden pulled the blankets back on the bed as she stood behind him.


'There you go Charley safe and sound.'


She took hold of him and pressed her open mouth to his. wetting his lips with her tongue. He could taste the sting of scotch on her and answered back feverishly, grasping the back of her neck with a gentle firmness as he slid his other hand down the small of her back letting his fingers dip into her panties and angle up the curve of her buttocks ready to charge, holding back steady like a true Marine. She found him very powerful but respectfully gentle all at once and let out a moan as he worked his lips and tongue down her cheek and onto to her neck pecking at her the whole way. He picked her up off of the wood floor where she was standing barefoot on her tippy toes, and she wrapped her legs around his waist as he swung her around and took her to the bed. They carried on like primitive man, tugging and bending like comedians to get there clothes off. They held their for a moment suspended in seeing each other for the first time in their true form. He reached down and kissed her like a lover. Looking deep within her as she looked up the same at him. 


'We shouldn't do this.' they both spoke out in sync in the shared idea of a thousand thoughts racing through their minds. Ultimately giving way to respect in the idea of doing the right thing.


Caden rolled off of her and they both layed for a moment in thought looking up into the heavens as the light from the fire danced in ritual about them. Charley rolled to him laying her head to his chest hesitantly letting her fingers explore the scar of his chest wound as if try and heal it. 


'Good night beautiful. He whispered.'


'G'night.' She breathed out. And they both fell asleep as the rain slowly dissipated into a calming tap, tap, tap, upon the roof above them.

- WAIT FOR IT...