Chapter 11
Waverly bounded down the stairs and grabbed an apple off the counter.
“Well hello there sunshine and rainbows,” Wynonna said over her coffee.
“Good morning,” Waverly almost sang the words.
“You have been in a very good mood lately,” Wynonna fished.
It had been just over a week since Nicole and Waverly’s first date. Everything was going smoothly.
“Yes, I have been, but aren’t I always in a good mood?”
“Meh, yeah usually it's obnoxious,”
“What are your plans for today?” Waverly asked.
“Well, I’m going to a used farm equipment auction to try and get us a new to us tractor, hopefully from this century,”
“Look at you, taking action, being a rancher!” Waverly patted her sister on the back.
“Actually, I don’t feel I know enough about farm equipment. Could you ask your friend Nicole if she could come and help me? She grew up on a farm…”
“Yeah, actually she’s coming over in like half an hour so you can ask her your self,”
“You two have been spending lots of time together lately,” Wynonna gave her sister a side eye glance.
“Is that a crime?” Waverly asked.
“No,” Wynonna hid behind her coffee cup, “I was just commenting,”
“I’ve got to go take a shower, I'll see you in a bit,”
Waverly busied herself out by the garden while she waited for Nicole. She couldn’t help the giddy feeling in her stomach when she heard the rumble of Nicole’s truck coming down the drive. She pulled off her gardening gloves and put her hands on her hips as Nicole pulled up next to the garden.
“Hey good lookin’, whatcha got growing?” Nicole called out.
“Nothing yet, just prepping it for winter for next year,” Waverly smiled.
“Hop in, I’ll give you a ride back to the house,” Nicole offered.
Waverly climbed up into the truck, “So Wynonna has a favor to ask of you,”
Nicole looked slightly nervous, “And what exactly would that be?”
“She is going to a used farm equipment auction and wants you to go with her, she thinks you might have more insight into tractors than her,”
“I mean, she’s probably not wrong,” Nicole shrugged.
“I know we were supposed to spend the day together before I go to work, but will you go with her? I would go to but you won't be getting back home until after I have to leave for work,” Waverly asked.
“Yeah of course,” Nicole sounded confident, but to tell the truth Wynonna still intimidated her a bit.
Nicole hopped out of the truck and walked around to meet Waverly in front of it. She shoved her hands in the pockets of her denim jacket.
Waverly pulled on the lapels of her jacket, “Don’t you look like a stereotype today?”
Nicole feigned offense, “What? What do you mean?” pulling her open jacket out to the sides with her hands to reveal the red flannel shirt underneath tucked into jeans that purposefully almost matched her jacket.
“You look like a Canadian lumberjack cowboy,” Waverly laughed, “but I dig it,”
Nicole took off her Stetson and wiped her boots at the door.
“Hey there, how is my favorite redhead?” Wynonna said as the two walked into the house.
“Hey Wynonna,” Nicole said in a knowing tone.
“You grew up on a farm right?”
“Yes I did,” Nicole nodded.
“So you probably know more about tractors and farm equipment than me, ya?”
“I think that’s a safe bet,”
“Would you pleasseeee come with me to a used farm equipment auction today?”
Nicole and Waverly shared a knowing glance, “Yes Wynonna, I’ll go with you,”
“Yes, thank you. You will only regret it slightly,” She kissed Nicole’s cheek before running upstairs to finish getting ready for the day.
“What did I sign myself up for?” Nicole looked at Waverly in slight shock.
Waverly shrugged, “I don’t know, a really interesting day? At least you have dressed the part,”
“Oh there you go making fun of me again,” Nicole said.
“I’m poking fun, but it fits you. It looks nice, hot even,” Waverly kissed her cheek.
“Alright,” Wynonna came bounding down the stairs. She had on a similar but parallel outfit. Tight black jeans, a flowy shirt capped by her classic leather jacket.
“You two kids go have fun, buy a tractor or something,” Waverly pushed the two out of the door.
“Do you wanna drive or should I?” Nicole asked.
“You drive, there was bourbon in my coffee this morning,” Wynonna said making a b-line for Nicole’s truck.
Nicole shook her head to herself as she fished her keys out of her pocket. They rode in silence for an uncomfortably long time, nothing but the soft country music playing from the radio to fill the air. Nicole chastised herself for not having spent more time with Wynonna before so this wouldn’t be as awkward.
“Thank you for coming with me,” Wynonna said, uncertainty in her voice, “I know you had plans with Waverly, and it's nice of you to pal along with me,”
Nicole could hear in Wynonna’s voice that a statement so candid and vulnerable was rare. Nicole smiled softly at the brunette, “It’s no problem Wynonna. Waverly and I were just going to dink around the farm and do work, maybe hang out a bit. I’m happy to help you,”
“I’m glad you stuck around. You seem like a good kid,”
Nicole chuckled, “Kid? I’m practically your age,”
Wynonna shrugged, “You have a young face,”
It was quiet for a beat and Nicole gripped the steering wheel tightly, “So, what are you looking for today?”
“I need a tractor that can at least get us growing and cutting hay,”
Nicole nodded, “Anything beyond that?”
“I’m not really sure,” Wynonna admitted, “We could always grow wheat or something but I just want to stay simple for right now,”
“Ok, I think we can find that for you,”
The drive was long, almost two hours. When they finally pulled up to the fairground the parking lot was packed full of pickup trucks. They entered the sea of baseball caps and Carhart jackets and got a map of the booths.
“Oh there's a food court,” Wynonna said excitedly.
“Let’s focus on the equipment, then we can get food,” Nicole said as she took the map out of an indignant Wynonna’s hands.
“Let’s go,” Nicole started walking at a pace that even Wynonna’s long legs were struggling to keep up with.
Nicole hunched over the engine of an old John Deer. She popped back up, rubbing her hands with an old handkerchief.
“When was it last run for farm use?” Nicole asked the old farmer.
A stream of tobacco juice hit the ground a bit closer to Nicole’s boots then she would have liked. The old man wiped the spit from his face.
“97’” he said around a wad of chewing tobacco tucked in his cheek.
“Well, thank you,” Nicole nodded and walked away with Wynonna.
“Well, that was a dud, that tractor is almost as old as me and hasn't run since I was potty trained,”
They walked down the isles, “This is one I think you should go for,” Nicole motioned to a couple of spots up the row.
Nicole introduced herself to a middle-aged farmer and ran through the questions she had with the previous lots.
“It’s a 2005, ran until last year when I upgraded. I needed something a bit heftier for my operation,”
“Any repairs?”
He nodded, “Aftermarket axles, broke one and decided to replace all of them. New control panel too,”
Nicole nodded, “Mind if I take a look?”
He popped the hood and Nicole swiftly scaled the front bumper and peered into the engine compartment.
Wynonna stood back, hands in her back pockets. She watched Nicole root around in the engine.
“Wynonna, come up, take a look,”
Wynonna snapped her gum and tried to scale the front as athletically as Nicole, but slipped. She caught herself and flung herself up.
“Careful,” Nicole smiled at her, “Ok, see the difference? This one is actually clean. The casing has a small crack,” Nicole gave Wynonna a tour of the engine with a small flashlight.
“Where did you get that flashlight from?”
“My pocket? Focus,” Nicole continued to show Wynonna points of interest.
They hopped down and Nicole thanked the owner.
“That tractor was in almost perfect condition. It obviously isn’t like new, but it’s the best you will get here,”
They saw a couple of other pieces of equipment and the attachments.
Nicole and Wynonna discussed strategy over funnel cakes, the only way Nicole could get her to focus. Nicole did her best to help Wynonna with what to bid on, how much and price cut-offs.
“Thank you for all your help,” Wynona said around a mouthful of funnel cake, powdered sugar on her nose, “I’m serious,”
“It’s hard to take you serious with powdered sugar on your face,” Nicole chuckled.
“Well, thanks for ditching your friend for me today,” Wynonna said as she wiped her nose.
Nicole almost choked, “I would consider you a friend too,”
“Yeah, I guess,” Wynonna tried to sound flippant, clapping Nicole on the shoulder.
Wynonna wrote a check and handed it over to the clerk while Nicole set up the delivery of the blue New Holland tractor and two front-end loader attachments. They headed back to town, the drive less tense than the ride out.
“Hey, let's celebrate,” Wynonna suggested, “Let’s go to Shorty’s. Waverly is working tonight, we can tell her the good news!”
Nicole hesitated, but she liked that Wynonna seemed to like her company, “Ah, yeah, that sounds good,”
When they pulled up to the saloon it was still early enough that Waverly hadn’t gotten to work yet.
Rosita was behind the bar, pouring beers for the hangovers from the lunch crowd and the early dinner crowd.
Rosita looked at her watch, “Wow, you’re running late for a Saturday,”
Wynonna slid onto a bar stool, “Yeah, I had to take my handy-dandy farmer to go make a big girl purchase today,” Wynona jerked her thumb to Nicole. Nicole just smiled at the bartender and sat down.
“What did you buy?”
“A tractor for the homestead,” Wynonna tapped the bar, “Got a bargain,”
“So it’s a celebration kind of night?”
“You bet, a bottle of whiskey for the two f us,”
“Oh, no, no,” Nicole protested, “I’ll just have a beer,”
“Nonsense, you drink like an Earp tonight,”
Knowing she wouldn’t win, Nicole conceded.
“Also, lets put in an order for onion rings,”
“Oh, going all out tonight?” Rosita commented as she set two shot glasses and a bottle between them.
“All out,” Nicole nodded.
Wynonna poured the whiskey and handed Nicole a glass.
“Thank you again for your help,” Wynonna said before the whiskey went down the hatch.
Waverly drove to work, she had been disappointed in not getting to spend time with Nicole today but was happy that Nicole and Wynonna got a chance to bond. She slowed her jeep down as she entered town. When Waverly pulled into Shorty’s parking lot she was surprised to see Nicole’s truck parked outside.
Waverly walked inside to see Nicole and Wynonna babbling over a bottle of whiskey in a booth in the corner. Waverly went up to Rosita at the bar.
“They’ve been here for a few hours,” Rosita said as she poured a beer.
Waverly gave her an apologetic look before heading over to the booth.
“Your ass is top shelf man, top shelf,” Nicole said as Waverly walked up. Nicole's stetson was resting on the coat hook and Nicole had her flannel shirt untucked and unbuttoned.
Waverly’s eyebrows shot up and she put her hands on her hips.
“Oh, hey Waverly,” Wynonna said.
Nicole choked on the whiskey and could feel the blush creeping up her neck and face.
“Hey you two,” Waverly said.
“I was telling Nicole here about how Stephanie Jones used to say I have a flat ass,”
“And I was saying it's not,” Nicole gulped.
“Yeah, I heard that bit,”
Wynonna was swiping through her phone, “Look what I bought us,”
Waverly looked at a photo of Nicole and Wynonna standing in front of a blue tractor. Wynonna swiped to a picture of them standing with their arms spread wide. The next photo looked like a mock-up of a rap album cover; Nicole stood, arms crossed, hand on her chin and Wynonna was crouched, pointing at the camera. Another photo had Nicole standing behind Wynonna like a cheesy prom photo with her hands on Wynonna’s hips.
“Look’s like you two had fun,” Waverly nodded.
“Wynonna insisted we come to celebrate after,” Nicole piped up.
“Oh, I’m sure she did,” Waverly agreed, “Nicole how are you getting home?”
Nicole’s face screwed up into deep thought, “I hadn’t thought about that,”
“We’ll figure it out later,” Waverly touched her shoulder, “You two have fun,”
“We will,” Wynonna lifted a shot glass and an onion ring.
Waverly went back to the bar, “They really tied one on,”
“That they did,” Rosita slung her bar cloth over her shoulder.
“I’ll probably drive Nicole home on my break. I’m sure Wynonna will find a way home,” Waverly looked back over at the two who were laughing loudly.
“You seem… bothered,” Rosita pointed out.
Waverly let out a sigh, relaxing her shoulders, “Nicole and I were supposed to go hiking tomorrow but I can tell that she won't be up to it looking at the dent they put in that bottle,”
Rosita nodded, breaking away to grab a bottle from the beer chest for a customer.
“How long have you and Nicole been seeing each other?”
“What, why did you ask that?”
Rosita looked concerned, “Sorry, didn’t mean to freak you out, but I know everything that happens in Purgatory. Also, I’m not blind,”
Waverly sighed again, “Like two weeks?”
“Ah, nice and new,” Rosita leaned against the bar.
“Very new,”
“Does Wynonna know?”
Waverly picked at the hem of her shirt, “No. I wanted to make sure this was going to work before I rocked the boat,”
“So today was a trial run to see if they got along,”
“Yeah, kind of,” Waverly headed behind the bar and started mixing a drink for a customer, “And they do, maybe too well,”
Wynonna poured Nicole another shot.
“No, I probably should start drinking water,”
“Ah, come on, you aren’t bailing on me so soon, are you?”
“I promised Waverly we would go hiking tomorrow and I’m super hungover she’s going to be so mad,” Nicole held her face in her hands.
“You and Waverly have been hanging out a lot lately,”
“Yeah?” Nicole asked, looking up from her hands.
“I’m just glad you two are friends, she needs someone strong and steady right now,”
“I’m happy to have you guys too. You have certainly become like family to me,”
“Thank you for driving me home,” Nicole squeezed Waverly’s hand.
“Of course, what was I supposed to do, leave you? Make you get a ride home with Weird Willy?”
Nicole chuckled, “Hey, maybe that hot tub in the bed of his pickup is nice?”
Waverly parked in Nicole’s driveway and got out. Waverly went inside while Nicole swayed in the cold breeze, trying to get her wits about her.
Waverly set some ibuprofen and a glass of water next to Nicole’s bed and laid her out some clothes.
Once Nicole was tucked into bed Waverly headed back to Shorty’s to complete her shift.
Nicole was sweating much more than was appropriate for the brisk late September morning.
“How are you doing back there?” Waverly called over her shoulder.
“Great, just fine,” Nicole huffed.
Waverly stopped and handed Nicole a bottle of water.
“Aren’t the mountains beautiful?” Waverly asked.
“Yes, very,” Nicole nodded, “God, when did I get old?”
“What do you mean?”
“I used to bounce right back from a night of drinking, but look at me,” Nicole motioned to the clammy sweat on her forehead.
“I mean… you did try to keep up with Wynonna, that’s on you,”
“We had a good time though,” Nicole stood up straighter.
“You guys did,” Waverly confirmed as they started moving again.
“I think she likes me,” Nicole smiled.
“She let you share her whiskey, she loves you,”
“She said she was thankful you had a friend like me,”
“Really?”
“Yeah,” Nicole huffed, “It was a touching moment,”
“Does it bother you that I haven’t told her about us yet?” Waverly asked.
Nicole stopped, “ No, not at all. I hope you didn’t think that I brought that up to put pressure on you,”
“I’m sorry that I haven’t told her yet,”
“You don’t need to be sorry, Waves. I would never ask you to do something you aren’t ready for. You can, and should, tell her, or anyone, at your own pace,”
Nicole closed the distance and hugged Waverly.
“I appreciate that. I’ll do it when the time is right,”
“Like I said, it's your decision. But I would prefer if you told her before we got married if it came to that, but even then it would be ok, whatever you choose,”
“You are so sweet,” Waverly pulled away, “But the whiskey is oozing from your pores,”
Nicole laughed, “I’m sure I smell awful,”
They finished hiking up the mountain and sat perched on a ridge while they ate the breakfast Waverly had packed.
“So, the poker spectacular is on Friday,” Waverly started.
“What is that?” Nicole asked.
“It’s an annual poker tournament to raise money for charity. This year the proceeds go to the High School rodeo team. I was wondering if you would like to go?”
“Absolutely,” Nicole nodded enthusiastically.
“It’s a black tie kind of event,” Waverly warned.
“Even better. After our last date I want an excuse to see you in a fancy dress again,” Nicole kissed her.
“Perfect. You can meet all my friends and we can be all fancy,” Waverly clapped her hands together, a spark in her eyes.
“It’s a date,”
“It’s a date!” Waverly confirmed.