The fire crackled and sent a few lazy sparks into the air. A lone cicada could be heard singing in the trees and Heath thought how much he once felt the same, like he was the only one of his kind out in the dark. He could recall hundreds of nights just like this one, eating a solitary dinner, making sure the black Modoc who seemed to be his only friend was bedded down comfortably, the only voice in the night his own if he cared to talk.
Heath leaned back against his saddle and watched as more sparks swirled towards the sky to become lost among the millions of stars strewn overhead. The cicada sang on, calling out for another's company and the blond cowboy tipped his hat over his eyes to enjoy the quiet of the evening.
"No way! There's just no way, Jarrod, let me tell you. I bet you don't catch a thing."
The night's serenity was shattered, but Heath just smiled quietly to himself as he listened to his brothers as they came back to the camp after washing the dishes and taking care of the horses.
"I beg to differ, brother Nick. Minnows are definitely the way to go."
"Ha! I'll take my nightcrawlers over your minnows any day."
"If you're so sure, why don't you put your money where your mouth is?"
"All right, counsellor, you have yourself a bet."
Heath's grin grew wider as he heard his brothers settle themselves beside the fire. If anyone had told him a year ago that he'd be sitting around a campfire on a fishing trip with two of the best brothers a man could ever have, he'd have first laughed and then asked the fellow what he was drinking so he could have a pull too.
A contented chuckle escaped from his lips.
"Now what's so funny?"
Heath tipped the hat off his face. "Nothing, Nick," but the lopsided grin was still there.
Nick snorted. "Well, something's got you grinning like the cat that got the cream." He nudged his dark-haired brother sitting beside him. "Don't he look mighty pleased with himself, Jarrod?"
"That he does, Nick," Jarrod agreed, pouring coffee for himself and his brothers. "Heath, are you sure you don't want to share whatever it is that's got you smiling from ear to ear?"
Heath shrugged as he accepted the steaming cup. "Reckon I'm just thinking all's right with the world. A fine night, a good fire and I'm here enjoying it with my two best friends, men I'm proud to call my brothers." He held his coffee in a salute and echoed his thought from earlier. "To the two best brothers a man could have."
Jarrod and Nick returned the salute with matching smiles.
"I assure you, brother Heath, we are just as fortunate, if not more, to have you as our brother," Jarrod told him.
"Brothers and friends, and that's a fact." Nick seconded.
As the three brothers sipped their coffee, the cicada's solitary song was joined by the refrain of another and they blended together in harmony.