Finding Course

3

Katherine

A few days later, I was woken up by the loud roar of a chainsaw. Having never used one myself, it was easy enough to guess that's what it was. At the shock of the abrupt wake up call, I shot out of bed and looked around for danger on instinct. The noise stopped, and I heard Daniel bark instructions to somebody before having a coughing fit. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I looked out the window to see the sun shining. How long had I slept in? I glanced at my phone charging on the lone whitewashed nightstand. It read 10:03 AM. What? How had I slept that long? It must be the weather. I wasn't necessarily an early riser, but I certainly didn't sleep in that late on a regular basis.

I heard another voice, the person Daniel must have been talking to, but couldn't quite make out who it was. That wasn't a surprise though, I was still learning everyone's voice. Still feeling groggy and tired, I put my red and black checkered bathrobe on and padded out to the kitchen. The coffee pot sitting on the counter was by far the newest piece of kitchen equipment in the house by at least ten years. Lucky for me Daniel held caffeine as a high priority.

The pot was still hot, situated on its warming plate. The carafe was a little under half full. Perfect. I grabbed a clean mug from the exposed shelf and filled it to the brim. Slipping on my pair of boots, I trudged out onto the front porch. They'd become my footwear of choice, and were way more practical for the uneven, muddy yard.

Finding the porch empty, my brows furrowed. At hearing muffled laughter, I tilted my head to the side. I made my way around the side of the house to see Daniel sitting on top of a freshly cut woodpile. There were stacks of wood situated near the house, and from the looks of it there were still quite a few logs to cut into smaller pieces.

"Sorry about the noise," he said in greeting to me as he nodded at my coffee mug and gave me a once over. I'm sure I looked out of place standing there in boots and a bathrobe, but he still smiled in my direction.

"Mornin' Katherine," Jack of all people called from the other side of the pile, holding the offending chainsaw in his hands. He was dressed in dark jeans, work boots, a gray t-shirt, and an open plaid flannel. He definitely looked the part of "lumberjack" but he totally pulled it off.

"Good morning." My voice was hesitant, unsure of what I'd just walked in to. Jack grinned and set the chainsaw down on the muddy yard.

"Ready to stack some wood?" Daniel asked in a teasing voice. Even though his tone was teasing, part of me wondered if he actually expected me to help. I had absolutely no idea how to chop wood. Stacking it seemed easy enough, but I had no gloves and I knew I would be significantly slower than they were. Both wolves stared at me, and an awkward silence started to set in.

"It's a joke, Katherine," Jack chuckled, his eyes dancing with amusement. I must have looked like a deer caught in headlights.

"Right," I gave a nervous laugh, still a little unsure. "Can I make some breakfast?" I offered. I love cooking, and I was good at it. I may not be a trained lumberjack, but I could make a delicious eggs benedict.

"That sounds awesome," Jack sighed and looked to Daniel. "Finish one more section and then we take a breakfast break?" he suggested.

"Sure," he gruffed in response. I nodded, leaving them to it. It didn't take long for me to grab some pans and start making the Hollandaise sauce. The chainsaw started back up again and I busied myself with preparing food. Thankful I had taken the liberty of stocking up on some necessities, I was pleased to find the carton of orange juice I'd purchased. Orange juice with breakfast was my go-to. Every time my parents made breakfast for me as a kid, or I went out to eat at a diner, I always had orange juice. Second to coffee, it was a must have.