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Valya had been in Hope County for two years now, and sometimes the natural silence of the wilderness surrounding her got to her. It crawled beneath her skin and made her veins itch like the worst of her own sins. It reminded her of Vegas, but she still preferred the stillness to the fiend she had started to become towards the end of her time there. Currently, she was sitting in the cab of her old truck, feet propped up on her dash, as she waited for her engine to cool off on the side of the highway. Her headphones were plugged into her ears, mp3 player in her pocket, as she bobbed her head along to the music flowing through them into her ears.
After a few minutes, she pulled herself out of the truck slowly. Her boots dropped to the ground, and she could feel the grass crinkling underneath her boots as she circled around to drop her tailgate and slide her toolbox out to carry it around to the front of the vehicle. She nestled it down carefully on the ground beside her feet, leaning over the engine to look at it curiously. It’d been trying to overheat the last couple of days, and she had a few guesses as to what it could be. She wished she’d made it back to the Snake Lair, her own garage, but had been trying to go out for one of her usual hikes in the Whitetails. She hadn’t even made it out of the Valley though.
She was humming along to her music, checking to see if anything was going to burn her if she stuck her arm down into the metal construct below her gaze. The music kept her from hearing her surroundings, but she still sensed when the air shifted around her as someone approached. She leaned down to her tool box, pulling out the thickest wrench she could get her hands on before she shifted her gaze to the road. She could see another truck pulling over near her own vehicle, faded red and worn from work of its own.
A large man sat in the cab, and the vibrations of the strong engine silenced as he turned it off and opened the door. He stepped out, holding the door open for a minute for a dog—it was a large breed, and from its gangly form she suspected it was still a pup—to jump out and circle around his legs excitedly. He snapped his fingers before pointing to his side, and the dog fell immediately into step with him as he started on his way over. She gave a heavy sigh at the realization she would have to remove her headphones, doing so as she set the wrench down on the edge of the still warm metal. She pulled her burgundy dyed hair back with a band around her wrist, offering the faintest of smiles as she eyed her company.
He was tall and wide, arms rippling with unseen muscle underneath a green flannel buttoned up in the front of him. The sleeves were rolled up at his elbows, and she could see burns and other assorted scars climbing his lower arms. The shirt was tucked into his worn in jeans, the bottoms coated with a thin layer of dust. His hair was red, shaved underneath the bit of length on top and swept carelessly to one side. His thick beard matched it well, and she felt a smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth as she caught him sizing her up as well.
“So what’s the damage? Any idea?” The question was a surprise, rumbled a lot like thunder on the wind. She didn’t take her eyes off him as she answered with a stiff nod.
“Pretty sure there’s a leak in the cooling system somewhere, but I can’t really tell on the side of the road. Not even sure why I got my whole toolbox out.” He joined her hovering over the engine, keeping space between them.
“Well, suppose if all else failed…if some creep tried to nab you then you could knock ‘em over the head with that wrench right there.” The stranger responded as he nodded towards the tool sitting on the edge of the truck.
“Perceptive man. I like that.” She laughed quietly, shrugging a bit as she realized he’d left her open to reach for it if she felt like she needed to. “Exactly why I’ve got that wrench out.”
Now he laughed, shrugging faintly. “Don’t mind me, ma’am. Just wanted to make sure everything was okay.” He seemed a little awkward, like he didn’t know what to do with himself.
“Been here two years, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen you before.” That was the truth, and she wondered why she never had before. He answered with a short laugh and the shake of his head.
“To be fair…I don’t often leave the ranch.” He turned to hold his hand out for her to shake, and when she reached for it she noted the scars on his knuckles as well. He also bore mechanic scars and she relaxed even more knowing he most likely wasn’t going to talk down to her. “Name’s Jacob.”
“Jacob…what exactly?” She asked, shaking his hand now with a little more ease. He also had a strong grip, and she returned the squeeze in a silent confirmation that if she needed to she could take him in a fight. Well, maybe she could. She could definitely fight him at least.
“Seed.” He definitely noticed, and she could tell by the humor in his eyes.
“Of the Seed Ranch? Well that explains it.” She pulled away, resting her hands on her hips now. “I’m Val Vitale.” A whine brought her attention back down to the dog and now she couldn’t fight the smile forcing it way to her lips. “And just who is this?” As if the animal knew she was talking to him, he gave a happy little hop before jumping up and planting his paws into her stomach. She gave a quiet grunt as she found her balance again, hands lifting to rub at his ears and neck.
“That’s Lobo. He’s a good boy.” Jacob seemed to be laughing in his head at the entire ordeal as she pulled the dog off her so she could drop down to her knees and whisper quiet praises as he bathed her face in excited dog kisses.
“Well, of course he is. Well behaved too.” She planted her own kiss to the top of the animal’s head before he rolled over and she absentmindedly rubbed at his chest and belly.
“Any way I can help you get off the side of the highway?” The question was fair but the subject change was so fast her head was almost spinning.
She thought before she nodded, looking up at him as she asked her question. “Think I could get a tow to my garage?”
“What garage is that?”
“The Snake Lair.” She waited to see if he knew where her garage was.
His eyes widened a touch in surprise as he grinned. “No shit, you run the Lair?”
“Sure do.” She confirmed as she stood back up, Lobo now standing back up to press against her side for further pets.
“That’s not too far from here. Yeah, I’ll give you a tow. You got straps or are we using mine?” He asked, snapping his fingers again and the dog pulled himself away to go stand beside his master, the massive man setting a hand on his head and rubbing his ears gently.
“Do I have straps…you got a sense of humor there. I like that too.” She laughed as she put her wrench up, closing up the tool box and carrying it back around to the bed of her truck. She settled it down before closing up the gate and moving to the driver’s side and rooting underneath the seat. She pulled out the rolled up straps with a look of triumph before heading back over to him.
“That’s good to hear. No one believes I’m funny.” He laughed out loud this time and she hummed in thought.
“Guess they aren’t listening, huh?” Val answered, moving around to close up the hood, and kneeling down to hook up the straps on her end. “Go ahead and back your truck up. I’ll hook shit up and hop in the cab. Someone’s gonna have to steer the beastie.” She slapped the hood of her vehicle as if to indicate what she was referring to as if he didn’t already know.
“Yes ma’am.” The words of confirmation came with a nod, and as he walked back he whistled for Lobo and once the door was open the dog jumped into cab to wait in the seat patiently. She watched him turn on his own truck, maneuvering so he could back up. She guided him with waving hands until he was close enough, before she held up her hand for him to stop. She quickly ducked back down and hooked up the straps, moving around to her door again and climbing in. After throwing it into neutral, she gave the other a thumbs up in his rearview mirror and off they headed.
It really wasn’t a long trip to her garage. The hard part was unhooking the straps and getting the engine to run long enough for her to move it into her garage. She could see clouds rolling in on the drive back and she wasn’t going to risk being stopped by the promise of rain. She motioned to him, pointing to the spot beside her in the building—indicating he could pull in there. He seemed almost confused at first but did as she said, parking and killing the engine to climb back out.
“Any reason I’m parking inside?” He asked as he came back to her side.
“Well, I could use another pair of hands. Mostly to hold a flashlight in the awkward places.” She already had the hood back up and a light clamped onto the propped up hood and hooked up.
“Yeah, no problem.” He grumbled, looking around her large and very organized work space. His eyes settled on a set of stands not designated for tools and extra parts. “Is that a snake?”
“Sure is. Actually, there’s three of them, but the big one you’re talking about is Reggie. He’s a rescue; little grumpy when he’s hungry but a good boy.” She responded, pulling off her jacket and the extra shirt she was wearing, moving over to set the articles of clothing on the work bench beside the tanks. Reggie stretched up as she moved closer, curling up near the corner closest to her and she opened the tank to reach in and pet the head reaching up for her. She felt her goofy grin, reserved for her own pets, spread across her face as she cooed quietly to him. “He’s an absolute sweetheart, yes he is. Mama will hold you in a bit, baby. First things first, I gotta find this leak. Yes she does, Mama’s gotta find a leak.”
“That’s real fuckin cute.” Jacob answered, still keeping a bit of space between him and the tank. She guided Reggie out of the way so she could lock the tank up again, and turning to Jacob with a wide grin.
“I know he is, but what am I?” She challenged, and briefly he looked at her with embarrassment. ‘Oh, so you were talking about me. Caught ya.’ She gave her own quiet laughter. “I’ll introduce y’all formally later. If you want, you can put Lobo in the house for now. Door’s right over there.” She nodded to the door that led inside her small home, before she grabbed a few rags and looked to him. “Now how about we find that leak?”