Chapter 1
20th July 2020
“Sweet mother fucker of all that is good and-“
Unfortunately the rest of that rather creative sentence was promptly lost to the outrageous sound of a car horn, screeching out into the surrounding nothingness as Nicole Haught let her head flop down onto the steering wheel. She was a little lost… if ‘lost’ meant stranded on the side of a strange road, in the middle of absolute nowhere with only a crumpled chip packet, a mangy cat and a bored looking cow standing unhelpfully in the neighbouring field, for company
At the sound of the car horn, the cow however had the audacity to look mildly offended, gave a huff of indigence and sauntered off in the opposite direction.
“Brilliant, already sucking up to the clients I see,” Nicole muttered miserably, watching the cow’s backside shuffle away. Debating whether it would simply be more convenient to and hideaway in the trunk of her car to hibernate until next spring, Nicole reluctantly shouldered the door of her ancient 1994 Mercedes Benz open to see what minor inconvenience had triggered its much expected demise on this occasion. A considerable amount of smoke pluming from under the hood was the first indicator of what could have possibly put Nicole’s already awful journey on this momentary hiatus.
With a little- okay, a lot – of strain, Nicole yanked up the hood only to be engulfed by a cloud of fumes that had obviously been gathering under there for more time then anyone would dare to think about. Coughing and spluttering, she waved her hand through the air in a desperate attempt clear the smoke to pretty much no avail. To an onlooker, not that there were any around, it may have appeared that Nicole was performing some strange interpretative dance, if said dance involved swatting at an incredibly large mosquito.
‘Move to the country,’ they said.
‘It’ll be fun,’ they said.
No one said that.
In fact, Nicole’s dear friend and former ‘study buddy,’ Jeremy, had called three consecutive times the night before, just to double-triple check she was indeed in her right state of mind and not having completely fallen off the deep end.
“It’s called Purgatory, Nicole. Purgatory! Dear god I can practically taste the non-vegan chilli they make at their conservative barbecues already,” Jeremy had whined down the phone not sixteen hours ago.
“It’s a ‘ranching town’ Jeremy, not a day out with my mother.”
“Hell. You are literally going to hell.”
“Okay, now you really do sound like my mother.”
Yep. She was really doing it. She, Nicole Haught, city-born, parentally disowned, gay discovered, recently graduated top-of-her-class veterinary student, Nicole Haught was seeing fit to completely up root her entire apartment-based life and move to ‘Cowboy Country.’
As one does.
Thus, she found herself stuck on an extremely potholed lane, currently conducting a pointless investigation on what could possibly be wrong with her engine. There were multiple answers to this particular theory, that could range anywhere from this car being in its fourth and hopefully last turn of ownership, to the fact that this vehicle’s most adventurous excursion before this had probably been one of those odd, spiralling exits to a car park back in the city.
Whatever it was, after a brief analysis of the billowing engine, Nicole had come to the intelligent conclusion that this car was going absolutely nowhere anytime soon. Not without a decent set of tools handy, and somehow Nicole really didn’t think that a large amount of tranquilliser and a stethoscope counted in this instance.
After slamming the hood down and wiping her hands on her shirt, Nicole returned to the front seat of the detested car only to find that her phone of course had no signal resigning her to the fact that she would have to wait for some poor soul to eventually pass by and prey they were willing to help her out, or at least point her in the direction of the nearest tree she could faceplant into.
Nicole was not a superstitious person, but even she had to admit that the sheer amount of ‘bad luck’ that she had encountered on this journey so far was certainly throwing up an abundance of red flags that even the universe thought this move was a very bad idea. She had taken a wrong turn at least four times, her GPS had then proceeded to have a minor midlife crisis where it literally couldn’t decide what direction it wanted to go in for two hours straight before giving up completely, and then some charming stranger on a motorcycle had then proceeded to run her off the road where her car had then said ‘Bon voyage’ to it’s last lease of life.
To make things worse, Nicole had only gone and chosen to make a move half way across the country on the hottest day of the year so far. Smart move for someone who’s stuck in a dinosaur-mobile that’s air conditioning probably hasn’t worked since 1923.
Nicole mulled over the thought of possibly trekking farther along the road for any signs of civilisation or at least a half decent phone signal but then realised that she probably shouldn’t abandon her car. Then again it wasn’t particularly likely to be stolen, unless the cow returned having a new found interest in beaten up old relics that’s wheels were worryingly close to falling off. She then considered Calamity Jane, the slightly psychotic, very much large ball of ginger menace currently prowling the length of her cat-carrier in the back seat. She couldn’t leave the cat alone.
Nicole looked over her shoulder to observe the creature fighting stubbornly with bars of her cage. Upon making eye contact, Calamity Jane hissed at her unimpressed owner, heckles raised and swiping furiously at the air as though she could claw Nicole’s eyes out from there. Okay, there was very little risk of the cat being stolen. Nonetheless, Nicole knew deep down she would never do that to the deranged satan-spawn probably wishing for Nicole’s painful demise at that very moment.
Calamity hated Nicole, Nicole hated Calamity. It was a mutually beneficial relationship. One Nicole, unfortunately, seemed to have an attachment to.
She spent a little while trying to make sense of excessively crumpled map that she had purchased for ‘emergencies,’ only to remember there was a reason she had chosen not to pursue Geography back in high school. Figuring that it wouldn’t be any help for anyone who should happen to pass by for her to be hidden away in the front seat, Nicole then proceeded to clamber on top of the of the car hood so she could be visible to whatever poor sod she was hoping would come to her rescue.
Nicole leant back against the wind shield of her car, putting a single earbud in and scrolling through her playlist until she came across a song she felt she could withstand in her current sour mood. With the sound of Billy Joel’s ‘Uptown Girl,’ playing into her ears, Nicole closed her eyes for a moment and sighed. She was making the right choice, wasn’t she?
Around a month ago, after graduation, Nicole had been sat on her couch, hauled up in her tiny apartment back in Vancouver, painfully scouring the internet for every single job she could possibly apply for. She had finished school quite a few weeks prior with full honours in her ‘Veterinary Medicine’ degree, fully qualified and desperate to get out and working in the profession she had practically been dreaming of her entire life. She had come across everything from opportunities at the biggest practice in the city, to wildlife observation jobs down on the coast. Nicole had applied for what she could, mainly focusing on the more mainstream possibilities available right there at home.
It was around four gruelling hours into her search when she came across an odd little advertisement buried so far down into the depths of Google that Nicole wondered if she was the first person ever to click on the link. It had described a tiny, country veterinary practice somewhere in the wilds of Alberta, looking for a vet with any experience to help man the fort. There was really very little information on the advert, and for some unbeknown reason, Nicole conducted her own research investigation to find out a little more about the town ‘Holliday Veterinary Practice’ claimed to be situated.
Purgatory, as it turned out, looked to be something at out of an old Western movie. Complete and and utter cowboy territory by the looks of things, and a world so alien to Nicole that the only time she had ever come across a horse was during a surgery observation she had been apart of only a year into her course.
And yet, the more she studied the rodeo articles and obscure pictures of the mountainous terrain that had popped up on her browser, the more Nicole couldn’t find it in herself to look away. It was another twenty minutes of this before Nicole found herself typing the email address of the so called John Henry into a drafted application.
She had awoken the next morning internally – and maybe externally - screaming at herself at what in the absolute hell’s name and at whatever god and other benevolent forces of nature she had been thinking. That is, until an email popped on her phone.
She had gotten the job.
As in outright, no interview required, ‘how soon can you get here?’, gotten the job.
She should have been wary. Probably cautious about how unbelievably easy it had been.
Which was obviously why she had then put her apartment on the market the very next day.
Nicole had always been one to break the mould a little, but even she had to admit that in hind sight this move was absolutely crazy. She was fresh out vet school and had somehow managed to find herself signed up to a full on, full time position and by the sounds of it, one of the only other people to be working at the practice. Not only that but Nicole was a city girl, born and raised (even if it was much to her distain,) and while it had always been her ambition to break away from the city in some way and really get out there and work in the field, this was oh so very soon, and oh so very strange.
Not a month before hand, Nicole had been sat with Jeremy on the floor of one their lecture halls, discussing what brand of pot noodle might be best to aid a hangover when one must pull an all nighter in order to study for an impending exam the following day, (Nicole having spoke from personal experience.)
And now here she was packing up her a whole life to escape everything she knew; be it estranged family, comic book loving friends and a failed relationship, all to live in a tiny little rodeo town, with possibly the strangest name Nicole had ever heard of.
Yup.
Nicole pulled her wallet from her back pocket, and fished around for the business card she had been sent in the mail along side her contract. Nothing could possibly go wrong when the logo of the veterinary practice Nicole was abandoning her whole life for was a dog in a Stetson, right?
Taking another deep breath, Nicole replaced the card back where it had been, finding her hand lingering over the five dollar bill that had its own dedicated slot in the back of her wallet.
Ah yes.
The five dollar bill that, when Jeremy had nearly spent it after asking Nicole if he could borrow some cash for lunch, had Nicole snatching it from the poor boy behind the counter at the coffee shop, practically hissing at him like an irate cat. Speaking of…
Calamity Jane must have been having some extreme difficulty with her fiendishly clever escape plan of hurling herself at the bars of the cage until they broke, because she made a particularly frustrated noise that pierced through the serenity of Nicole’s music. She hopped down, and made her way around to the side of the car just to ensure she wouldn’t be having to put her small veterinary kit into action earlier then initially planned.
To her mild relief, good old Calamity Jane was still standing on four bowed legs, staring up at Nicole through the car window with nothing but the purest of hatred in her eyes.
“Nearly there, you demonic little tiger,” Nicole muttered, trying to convince herself just as much. It was at that moment ‘Let Her Go’ by Passenger, started to play softly through her earphones.
Nicole tried her best not think of the last time she, herself had played this song. But as always, she failed. Dismally.
During her time as a very broke, very tired veterinary student, Nicole had to come up with some rather creative ways to be able to scape some money together. She did have a part time job at an animal shelter in the heart of the city, which she absolutely adored. Unfortunately, spending seven hours every Saturday playing with puppies, didn’t exactly provide the most desirable of incomes, and with the expenses of owning her own apartment and well… school (although she didn’t like to spend to much time thinking of how she overcame this conundrum), Nicole often found herself barley with two pennies to rub together.
After a year or so of watering old Mrs. Ferrison’s plants from next door despite Nicole trying to tell her multiple times they were fake, and that rather horrific occasion she had babysat for her professor who’s child made Calamity Jane look tame, Nicole had taken to the streets of Vancouver, guitar over her shoulder and tried her hand at busking.
She had always had a bit of a flare for music, and loved it nearly as much as she loved animals. Nicole had taught herself guitar over a summer vacation back in high school and it had been a secret passion of hers ever since. It didn’t hurt that she could some what hold a note either.
She had gone busking a considerable amount of times over the past few years, with a varying amount of success. However much or little she would make though, Nicole had absolutely loved it. It had been nearly a year since she’d picked up a guitar with school being what it was and Shae being well… Shae, but with that all being far, far behind her now, Nicole wondered if it was about time she put her musician pants on again.
‘Let Her Go’ had always been one of her favourites to play with it being one of the first songs she had ever learnt, but the had been a particular sore spot for Nicole ever since the last time she had played it. A very similar reason that had a little – everything – to do with the five dollar bill that had been stowed away in her wallet for the past three years.
Calamity Jane let out another indignant yowl that Nicole could have sworn nearly shattered the glass of the window she was leaning against. But apparently this time around, it was for a good reason. Somewhere in the distance, was the sound of car making its way towards them down the beaten old lane. Nicole yanked her earphones out, and ran to other side of the car.
Sure enough, what looked to be an old pickup truck (because of course) was trundling along at quite the pace from the direction Nicole had just come from. In fact, the truck was accelerating at a break neck speed and Nicole had to practically throw herself out into the middle of the road to get it to stop, only to stumble back into her car as the truck narrowly missed running her over all together as it came to a screeching halt.
Nicole was sandwiched between her own car and the end of the truck and she patted herself down to just make sure all of her limbs were still intact. Breathing heavily and finding that all of her appendages were indeed still attached, Nicole caught sight of a large, black motorcycle that was strapped haphazardly into the bed of the truck. She immediately recognised it to be the one that had already caused her first near-death experience of the day.
Whoever this person was, they really had a knack for trying to give her an aneurysm.
“Absolutely not.”
“Wynonna.”
“Come on, Doc. I have people to do, places to see.”
“I don’t imagine that’s how the sayin’ goes- “
“You know what I mean. Lets go. They might not have seen us yet.”
“I can assure you that they most definitely have.”
The voices belonging to the owners of this grim reaper on wheels, were leaking out of the front seats where they had the window cracked open. Nicole took the opportunity to carefully squeeze her way out of in between the two vehicles before the truck door on the drivers side swung open, and a man extracted himself from inside.
Okay, seriously. The universe was really having her on now.
The man in question literally looked like he had walked off the set of well… Calamity Jane ironically. He adjusted the hat that was perched a top of his head tugged at the holster slung low over his waist and then walked towards Nicole, a kind smile making his thick moustache bristle.
“Afternoon Miss, how might we- “
There was a loud cough from inside the truck.
“-I be of assistance?”
And the accent to boot.
Nicole tried her best to compose her features into something that didn’t resemble her flabbergasted surprise at being greeted by someone who looked like they belonged in the school PowerPoint presentation she had done on Billy the Kid when she was twelve years old.
“Uh, my car- “
She pointed unnecessarily at her Mercedes.
“- kind of… like, died.”
The man chuckled warmly as he looked over the car one hand brake adjustment away from being on deaths door.
“Well that is mighty unfortunate.”
“I- uhm, yeah..” said Nicole, managing to tare her eyes away from the strange man just as he looked back at her. “You don’t happen to be mechanic do you? Or have a something I could use to try and fix it?”
“I’m afraid my skill sets don’ really apply to that area of expertise, Ma’am.”
There was a loud cackle from inside the truck.
“You could say that again.”
The man turned back to glare at the truck as though his piercing gaze could melt the metal that stood between him and the offending source of the voice. He then faced Nicole again, smile fixed back in place.
“Prey tell, where exactly are you headin’?”
Nicole rubbed the back of her neck, glancing hopelessly at the map that was still sprawled across the drivers console in the front seat.
“Purgatory. Don’t suppose you’ve heard of it?”
The man smiled wider still, moustache twitching happily on his upper lip.
“I may be familiar with such a place, yes,” he drawled, as he considered Nicole for a moment. His brow furrowed slightly as a sudden occurrence seemed to dawn on him.
“Ma’am, what exactly- “
It was at that particular moment the passenger door of the truck burst open and another figure emerged, flicking an abundance of dark hair over her shoulder.
“Are you going there of your own free will?”
The girl came to halt by the man’s side, smirking ever so slightly as she raised sarcastic eyebrow at Nicole. She was very pretty, all witty decisions and smart attitude, with her hair tumbling around her shoulders and a leather jacket tied around her waist.
“Erm… yes?” Nicole replied uncertainly.
“Why in holy hell would you do that exactly?”
“Wynonna.”
The woman – Wynonna – patted the man sweetly on the chest and turned her attention back to Nicole, folding her arms across chest.
Nicole rubbed the back of her neck nervously.
“I’m moving in from Vancouver.”
The man’s bright expression reached new heights as he stared at Nicole in surprise. He removed his hat and in his excited fever, shoved it on Wynonna’s head.
“Miss Haught?” The man enquired.
Nicole nearly dropped her phone.
“How did you- “
“Allow me to introduce my self, Miss.”
The man held out his hand.
“My name is John Henry Holliday, but most people just call me Doc.”
Nicole promptly dropped her phone.
This was her boss. She was meeting her boss
Shit.
Here she was meeting her new boss, stranded on the side of the road, wearing a shirt covered in car gook, and a howling ginger nightmare obtained in the backseat.
Scrambling to get her phone, Nicole hastily accepted the handshake from John Henry- Doc, as Wynonna huffed and yanked the hat off her head.
“Its err- good to meet you, sir.”
Damn it Haught, get it together.
Doc chuckled again, snatching his hat back from Wynonna who was attempting to spin it on her finger like a basket ball, just short of dropping it all together.
“Doc, is just fine, Miss Haught.”
“Nicole, please.”
“So you’re the city bumpkin coming to bring the practice into the 21st century, huh?” Wynonna said, looking Nicole up and down.
“Wynonna.”
“Doc, you have posters in the waiting room older then me.”
“I’ll have you know my practice is in perfect alignment with the expectations of the modern day society.”
“Jeez-Louise, are you?
Nicole cleared her throat awkwardly. Doc and Wynonna turned away from each other as if they had only just remembered the presence of their apparent new counterpart.
“Sorry Red,” said Wynonna and she held out her hand, offering Nicole a smile “Wynonna. Wynonna Earp.”
Accepting the handshake, Nicole asked “Do you work at the practice too?”
“She does not, although the supply of my coffee in the staff room would seem to suggest otherwise,” Doc interjected.
“I’m doing you a favour. To much caffeine isn’t good for the dexterity of one’s hands.”
“Darlin’ wouldn’t you like to kno- “
Nicole coughed… loudly.
Doc turned sheepishly away from Wynonna, and smiled apologetically. Wynonna rolled her eyes and readdressing Nicole with a coy smile.
“So, seems you’re a bit stranded,” said Wynonna helpfully.
“It would appear so, yes,” Nicole agreed uncertainly.
“One the side of the road.”
“Yep.”
“In the middle of nowhere.”
“Mhmm…”
“In a place you don’t know.”
“Thanks for pointing that out, yeah.”
Wynonna looked at Nicole’s car.
“That’s a shame.”
And with that, Wynonna turned on her heal and returned to the safety of the truck.
“I do apologise for my uh- friend, Miss Haught. She’s not exactly accustomed with the wayward of art of basic human interaction,” Doc sighed, lifting his hat momentarily to run a hand through his hair.
“I heard that Holliday! Lest we forget that I’m your landlord as much as your ‘friend’ as you so delightfully put it,” Wynonna yelled from inside the truck.
Nicole bit back a laugh as Doc turned a little pink and fiddled with his holster menacingly. As far as starting new career went, Nicole certainly never imagined this is how it would go.
Calamity Jane hissed impatiently on the obvious pretence of now being ignored by at least three people, causing Doc to lean down and peer through window of Nicole’s car.
“Who’s this lovely lady?,” asked Doc fondly. For a brief moment Nicole caught the same sort of pure admiration in his expression that she herself held for any other animal that wasn’t the she-beast in the back of her car. It made Nicole feel oddly comforted to know that she would probably be working along side someone who cared just as much as she did.
They were vets after all.
“Calamity Jane,” Nicole replied, “I wouldn’t bother- “ she interjected suddenly as Doc tapped endearingly on the glass, “- if she was out and about she’d probably try and bite your finger off.”
Doc laughed as he withdrew his hand.
“How simply charming.”
Nicole smiled at him, finding that in the short interaction she had had with her new, giddy-up employer, she rather liked him.
“Hey!”
Wynonna was suddenly hanging half way out of the truck as if she was Tarzan swinging from a tree.
"You two gonna stand around being dorky… admittedly sexy, vet-nerds all day, or are we giving Haught a ride?”
🐱
About twenty painstaking, cat-scratching, useless vehicle…ing minutes later, Nicole somehow found herself wedged in the back seat of the old blue and white pickup that had nearly ran her over not long before. There had been a slight predicament on how exactly they would manage to get Nicole’s cat, car and Nicole herself to town in one piece.
After indeed confirming they couldn’t exactly abandon the Mercedes on the side of the road, Doc had then proceeded hitch the car to the back of the truck with a tow rope so that it could follow behind if the truck travelled at a sensible pace. It had then been a question of how to transport Calamity Jane; easier said then done when being in close contact with the cat carrier was pretty much the same as willingly petting a savage lion.
Nicole had eventually settled to have the carrier on her lap, keeping her head craned back in order to avoid the odd swiping claw. Some of Nicole’s possessions had also been removed from the car for safety reasons as well, including her travel veterinary kit (gifted by her former professor), a box containing ‘House Nicknacks’ as written on the outside and her rucksack.
This part hadn’t been particularly hard, as Nicole really didn’t have much with her. Other then a couple of suitcases full of clothes and a few boxes containing the essentials like a coffeemaker and Calamity’s toys of course, Nicole had pretty much whittled her packing down to the absolute bare minimum. If anything it had proved just how little she was attached to from her previous city life, something vaguely worrying as she had lived in that apartment for the better part of five years.
As the truck crawled along the country lanes, the fields became more and more expansive with every fence post they past and to Nicole’s awed bewilderment, a vast expanse of mountains could just be made out, faintly clinging to the horizon. Doc had mostly filled the silence, enquiring after Nicole’s journey and her life back in the city. He had explained a little about the practice, although to put it into his own words “A mighty little thing, but words couldn’t do it justice.”
Nicole really didn’t know what to take from this comment, but after Wynonna’s snort of amusement, she chose not to think to much into it.
“So, Wynonna what do you do?” Nicole asked politely, after she had finished explaining the last stage of her final practical exam to Doc.
Wynonna looked up from her phone, catching Nicole’s eye in the rear view mirror.
“Horses. Cattle. Whiskey. Not much else to it really,” she shrugged absentmindedly.
Nicole’s confusion must shown point black on her face, as Doc quickly came to her rescue.
“Wynonna’s kin own one of the more prominent cattle ranchin’ estates around these parts. They have also more recently taken to housin’ a number of estranged horses as well.”
“That part was not my idea,” Wynonna muttered grumpily, slouching back further into her seat.
“What did you mean earlier when you said you were Doc’s landlord?” Nicole asked curiously.
At this Wynonna perked up, struggling to rotate herself around in her seat in order to maintain the conversation.
“He rents about a dozen acres of our land. He calls it’s what he has a house but its basically a glorified stable.”
Doc grunted in annoyance, glaring at Wynonna before refocusing his attention on the road ahead.
“He rents a dozen acres?,” asked Nicole in a disbelief, gripping the cat carrier as they hit yet another bump in the road, “How big is your ranch exactly?”
Wynonna shrugged.
“Dunno, I’d say around eight hundred acres?” She said, turning to Doc in question who gave a slight nod of the head in agreement.
Nicole felt her mouth flop open in a fashion most probably comical. Wynonna snorted as she observed Nicole stuttering to compose some sort of verbal reaction.
“It’s not that bigger deal Gingersnap. We’re not even the biggest around.”
Nicole, who had considered her seven by seven foot bathroom in Vancouver the height of her spacial finesse, couldn’t even imagine what eight hundred acres might look like. She thought oddly of the entire Atlantic Ocean.
“What about you, Red? Do you ride?” Asked Wynonna, as she swatted Doc’s hand away from the stereo.
“Horses?”
“No the Lochness Monster, yes horses.”
Upon Nicole shaking her head in reply, Wynonna let out another snort of laughter and Nicole even caught Doc trying to suppress a small grin in the rear view mirror.
“Well that’ll have to change.”
“What?” Nicole said feeling as though some kind fellow had just dumped a bucket of cold water on her head.
“We use horses more then cars here,” chirped Wynonna, “Half the speed and twice the crap but better all the same.”
Nicole had an ridiculous image of herself galavanting across a field in slow motion like something out an old rom-com, adorned in full cowboy get-up, saddled up on the back of horse. She wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it.
She then wanted to groan at the fact she didn’t completely hate it.
From what Nicole had understood from the pictures, Purgatory was a hubbub, ranching town nestled somewhere amidst miles and miles of country nothingness. As Nicole caught her first sight of an abundance of buildings, seemingly cropping up from nowhere and silhouetted rather beautifully against the mountain range they were heading straight for, she deduced she was absolutely right.
Nicole had to pinch that this was actually happening and the closer to her would be her fresh start, the more she was glad that she was crazy enough to do this.
Doc and Wynonna glanced at each other in amusement as Nicole leaned forward between the two front seats, the carrier under one arm and gazing through the windshield like a puppy with its head stuck out a car window.
“Did you get out of the city much, Haught?”
“No,” Nicole replied distractedly, “lived there my whole life.”
“Wow, that’s a whole lot of city,” said Wynonna “You’re not gonna miss it?”
Nicole sank back into her seat and mulled over the question for a moment. The answer should have been yes logically, but when she really thought about it she couldn’t bring herself to say it. After a moment she just gave a noncommittal shrug.
“I went to Vancouver once,” Wynonna continued, bending her legs so they came they came to rest on the dashboard “Lots of mountains there to though, don’t see why you’re getting so fussed about this.”
“Yeah it was great…” Nicole sighed, “But I didn’t even leave the city centre until I was eighteen so…”
“Ya know it seems like there’s a lot to unpack there,” said Wynonna clearing her throat, “Wouldn’t wanna you know, put you out or anything.”
Doc, seemingly appalled at Wynonna’s lack of tact, elbowed her in the ribs proceeding to play it off as adjusting the sound on the stereo. Wynonna spluttered, glaring at him but then having the grace to look a little apologetic.
“Unless you, err want to, obviously,” Wynonna corrected awkwardly, making Nicole roll her eyes.
“No you’re fine, confiding in asshole bikers who attempt to rear-end me wasn’t exactly on the agenda for this afternoon, so.”
Wynonna turned around in her seat again, glowering at Nicole for a second before breaking out into an easy grin.
“I was surprised you even noticed with that that stick up your-“
“Wynonna!” Doc growled suddenly.
Wynonna huffed and folded her arms like a child who had just been reprimanded by a stern parent. Nicole tried her best to bite back a smile.
It was at that moment they past a large, scuppered sign hanging in plain sight at the side of the road.
‘WELCOME TO PURGATORY! YOU’LL NEVER WANT TO LEAVE!’
Given what she was heading towards, Nicole questioned whether she ever would.
🚗
Nicole really didn’t know what to expect.
Upon taking the job, it had been arranged that John Henry- well Doc, was going to arrange for Nicole’s new living accommodation while she sorted out everything in preparation for her move from the city. It had made sense at the time, given the somewhat short notice and the fact Nicole wouldn’t have had a hope in hell to know where to start looking.
All that she knew was the address stuffed in her back pocket, and where ever she was ending up was something she could afford to pay rent on within the confines of her new salary.
Now, as the truck dawdled through the streets of the sleepy town, Nicole began to grow nervous again.
“That’s the practice,” said Doc, as he pointed out of the left window. Nicole caught sight of a humble, red brick building with the words ‘HOLLIDAY VETERINARY PRACTICE’ emblazoned above the door. She smiled at the familiar logo stuck visibly in the window.
Along the way, they also passed a ‘Chrissy’s Diner’, the local high school, a small convenience store, a tac shop or two and-
“Most importantly, that’s Shorty’s,” said Wynonna with a flourish as they drove past what looked to a Western bar that hadn’t been redecorated since the early 20th century, “Where you will no doubt go to drown your sorrows after you realise what a mistake moving to this dump was.”
“It’s not a dump,” said Nicole quietly.
There were indeed quite a few houses the main town as it turned out, however they passed each one without slowing down. Nicole assumed that she would be living in an apartment after all, just because she had never known or been able to afford anything different. But as they passed what seemed to be the only apartment building, and started heading away from the main town, Nicole became increasingly worried that she would actually be living in a stable.
And as it turned out, Nicole wasn’t completely off the mark.
Around twenty minutes later, they were once again surrounded by rolling green hills and patches of forest, the odd barn or out building visible somewhere in the distance. Doc took a right down a small dirt track that lead them through an out crop of trees.
“That there is my own abode,” said Doc warmly, as they passed a fenced off area of land a little way along. A collection of barn like structures resided in the far left of the field, and from what Nicole could make out, one of them resembled a small ranch house and, given the horse which was poking its head out of the door, an even smaller stable.
“Wait but that means…” said Nicole, as the realisation slowly dawned on her.
“That’s right Haughtshot, you’re on Earp land now,” said Wynonna smugly.
“McCready.” Doc corrected shortly.
“Tomato, Tomarto,” Wynonna shrugged.
“And I’m- “
“Living on my land, yes.”
“On your Aunt and Uncle’s land,” Doc corrected again.
“Henry, kindly shut the fuck up.”
“Wait but where- “
Nicole’s question was answered for her as Doc took another right down a short, gravelled track, and then came to a stop moments later. They had parked up next to what appeared to be a barn sat in the middle of a newly fenced meadow, with a number of trees circling the perimeter.
“Home sweet home, Haught,” Wynonna smiled, and she got out of the truck, slamming the door behind her.
Setting Calamity Jane down carefully in her seat, Nicole then scrambled to follow Wynonna as Doc to clambered out.
On closer inspection, Nicole found her jaw hanging open slightly for what must have been the millionth time that day. It was indeed an old barn, however rather beautifully restored and refurbished into a bungalow type deal. Light was seeping through a large window where the barn doors must have once been, there was a small decking and seating area leading to the front door and the whole outer building had been artfully draped with potted and hanging plants.
“I was goin’ to see if I could get you an establishment in town,” said Doc as he came to a stop at a gawking Nicole’s side, “However Wynonna had a rare wave of hospitality, and kindly offered this. I’d certainly wager its nicer then anything I myself might have managed to acquire for you.”
Nicole turned to them both, nearly completely lost for words.
“There’s no way I can afford this, surely…” Nicole said in disbelief after a moment or so.
At this Wynonna chuckled, and ruffled Nicole’s shoulder.
“That’s the good thing about having friends who live on ranches Haught.”
“There’s no I can accept thi- “
“You can and will. This is my annual act of good faith, after this I’m done for the year.”
Nicole shook her head slightly.
She was ready to wake up now.
Oh screw it, no she wasn’t.
“This is… wow, seriously guys, thank you.”
Wynonna shrugged.
“No biggy,” she said, lifting up a plant pot to where a key was stowed underneath, “It’s my sister you should probably be thanking anyways. She’s the one who insisted she didn’t want it going to waste.”
“Your sister…?”
“Miss Earp is the one who so delightfully renovated this property,” explained Doc, “She had plans to move in to it last year, however her circumstances changed and she was unable to do so.
“Yeah, circumstances,” Wynonna muttered bitterly under her breath, before adding, “She’ll probably be around to annoy you later once you’ve settled in, being the - you know – nice, sociable one in the family.”
“Really? I was under the impression that was you.”
Wynonna rolled her eyes in…. approval? If that was possible.
“She’ll probably drop in when she’s done with work.”
“I’ll be sure to thank her.”
“I apologise in advance for the tour she’s likely to give you.”
“I’ll be sure to look forward to it.”
Wynonna unlocked the door and handed Nicole the key.
“This is where am a na-ma-stay out.”
“What- “
“Okay even for me that was bad,” Wynonna sighed “In other words, I will not be helping you with your bags.”
“Of course.”
Wynonna stuck out her hand again.
“I’ll see ya soon Haughtstuff.”
“Oh dear god.”
“Just shake my hand and it will be over quicker.”
Nicole shook Wynonna’s hand, however Wynonna held her grip for a second as she considered Nicole for a moment. She squinted her eyes as if trying to see something from a great distance.
“Just double checking… we haven’t met before have we?”
“What?” Nicole said in surprise, “No, trust me, I’d remember.”
“Yeah, I have that effect on people.”
Wynonna released Nicole’s hand, smirked at Doc, who in the mean time had detached Nicole’s car and removed her possessions and cat from the truck, and turned to go.
“Wynonna?” Nicole called.
Wynonna looked at her over shoulder.
“Thanks again.”
Smiling, Wynonna saluted before climbing into the truck and starting the engine. With a tip of the hat from Doc, she drove away.
“I’ll assist you in unpacking your car before I leave you in peace, Nicole,” said Doc.
Thanking him, Nicole unlocked her Mercedes.
🧳
28th November 2017
Dear god, Nicole was tired.
Two exams, five lectures and three essays later, and Nicole was sure she accurately represented a zombie out of the ‘Walking Dead,’ however for many reasons, she was forcing herself to remain standing in an upright trajectory.
The most obvious one being is she was currently standing in front of a crowd of people in the middle of a busy high street, half way through a rendition of Ed Sheeran’s ‘Little Bird,’ in the hope of being able to buy Jeremy a birthday present. Somehow she didn’t think collapsing half way through the second chorus would do anything to increase her tips.
The second, and perhaps most poignant reason in that moment, was for the fact of a very, very pretty girl standing at the front of the onlookers, staring at Nicole with rapt attention as she worked her way through the remainder of the song. Somehow she didn’t think collapsing half way through the second chorus would do anything to improve her chances there either.
The girl had been there ever since Nicole had set up the microphone forty minutes before, clapping at the end of every song and smiling at Nicole every time she started another, which had absolutely nothing to do with Nicole dropping her guitar pick at least three times.
Originally, she had been in the company of a second girl, however after five minutes, her dark-haired companion had become visibly bored and had sauntered off some place else in search of entertainment, leaving her to encounter the entirety of Nicole’s performance alone. This also meant that Nicole was simultaneously having a minor mental breakdown at that very moment.
Eventually, Nicole drew the song to a close and the crowd broke out into a smattering of applause. She smiled politely, actively avoiding eye contact with the girl in fear of actually dropping her guitar if she were even to glance in her general direction. Nicole took a moment to readjust the capo and pluck a few strings in preparation for her next song as the gathering dispersed slightly, a few people dropping change into the open guitar case at her feet.
As the last man filed passed, a few pennies missed their target and Nicole bent down in an awkward attempt to try and retrieve them.
“I really liked that one.”
Nicole’s head snapped up to see the girl, who last time Nicole had checked (and she had checked), was standing a safe distance away in the crowd of spectators, now smiling down at her.
The pennies promptly scattered all over the floor again.
Swearing under her breath, Nicole scrabbled around, trying and failing to pick them up again. The girl giggled, crouching down and managing to stop a couple from rolling away.
“Thanks,” said Nicole as the girl handed them over, “Err- for this and the erm song…thing.”
The girl laughed again, causing Nicole’s ears to turn pink. Nicole clambered to her feet, at the same time trying to recompose herself and her guitar in a way that she hoped might look vaguely cool. The girl followed, dusting herself down and readjusting her jacket.
“What are you playing next?”
“Err…” said Nicole, her brain choosing that exact convenient moment to completely short-circuit, “Let Her Go by Passenger I think.”
“That’s one of my favourites,” smiled the girl.
“Then this ones for you then,” Nicole spluttered before she could stop herself, “I mean, you know, I’ll play it like… for you… since you’ve been here from the start - o-only if you want me to, obviously.
“I’d err…like that… thanks.”
The girl backed up so that she was once again standing at the front of crowd, waiting for Nicole to start. Nicole adjusted the microphone, and cleared her throat, awkwardly.
“This ones for… erm…”
Nicole looked at the girl helplessly and she hid a laugh behind her hand, before whispering, “Waverly!”
“Waverly…” Nicole repeated, smiling at her nervously.
The girl beamed at her, and Nicole thought her heart was going to fall out of her chest as she slipped into the opening chords.
🎶
20th July 2020
Nicole huffed as Calamity Jane leaped from sofa to sofa as she ran away from her distraught owner.
“Look you ballistic little asshole, the only way I’m letting you outside is if you are wearing this collar. So for the love of god- “ Nicole made a swipe as the cat launched herself over her shoulder,“-stay still!”
As far as ‘moving in’ went, the whole process went extremely quickly. The house…barn… was already beautifully furnished in a way that made Nicole’s old apartment look like an open yard sale. It was homely, and minimalistic and pretty damn perfect as far as Nicole was concerned. She already felt that the few possessions she had unpacked were cluttering up the whole aesthetic that seemed to be embedded into the barns very walls. The entire thing was practically open plan, with even the bedroom suspended on a mezzanine that was built into the taller part of the barn.
Given her rather horrendous start to the day, to have ended up in a place like this made Nicole think maybe the universe was on her side after all.
“Calamity!”
Calamity Jane hissed at Nicole from her precarious position on top of a book shelf, a wobbling vase threatening to plunge to floor at any moment. Before Nicole could contemplate whether clambering the shelf herself would be a viable option, there was knock on the door.
Nicole had almost forgotten about the expected drop in of the very person who she apparently owed all of her gratitude to. She dropped the collar onto the coffee table, and quickly set about straightening all the cushions.
“This isn’t over,” she muttered to Calamity as she went to answer the door. Continuing her glaring contest with the cat over her shoulder, Nicole pulled it open.
A crash of a plate suddenly brought Nicole’s head jerking round to face whoever stood outside, and she felt every coherent thought disintegrate on the spot.
Okay… the universe definitely wasn’t on her side.
“Nicole?
“Waverly?”