Free Borderland by S. K. Epperson

him running off with someone I don't
know and definitely don't like."
    "Dislike
aside, we're talking about a used radiator here, Myra. Unless you're down to
nickels and dimes, a used one isn't going to hurt much."
    "It'll
hurt more than you know," she said. "But that's beside the point. Cal
wouldn't know what to do with a radiator if we had one."
    "Oh,
I think he would," Nolan said. "He's pretty quick. I noticed that
without him telling me."
    Her
mouth tightened. "You must have aggravated him. He usually doesn't tell
anyone unless he feels the need to defend himself. . .or me."
    Nolan
smiled again. "He was defending you."
    "Okay,"
Vic said as he swung open the screen door. "All put away. Nolan, did you
ask Myra about taking Cal out tomorrow?"
    "Just
now," he said. "She doesn't like me so she won't let him go."
    Myra
sucked in her breath and looked at Vic. "I can't afford a radiator right
now, used or otherwise. I'll need every penny I have to stay alive until
August."
    "Does
that mean you were counting on Vic's having the wheels to take you to town once
a week until then?" Nolan asked.
    "Nolan.
. ." Vic warned.
    "Because
if you were, you must be able to see your mistake by now. If I can't find the
salvage yards, we can't find a gas tank for the Lincoln. If we can't find a gas
tank for the Lincoln, we can't fix it. And if we can't fix it, Vic can't drive
it. Which means he can't drive you. Get it, Mensa Mom?"
    Instead
of flaring up and stomping off, as Nolan had expected, she merely delivered an
icy smile. "I get it, Uncle Nolan. If Cal wants to go, I won't stop him.
But if anything happens to him…”
    "Nothing's
going to happen to him," Vic assured her. "Nolan can take care of
himself."
    Myra
raked her gaze over him. "Judging from the bandages on his hands and the
scars on his body, I have my doubts about that."
    Nolan
grinned and heaved a huge sigh while batting his eyelids. "She
noticed."
    This
time she did stalk away. Nolan chuckled and looked at Vic. Vic was frowning.
    "Do
you have to do that?" he asked.
    "What?"
Nolan replied innocently.
    "Antagonize
women who don't immediately fall head over heels for you. You can be such an
asshole sometimes, Wulf."
    “I
know."
    "Well
if you know, then why do you do it?"
    Nolan
looked at his beer. "Mental stimulation as opposed to physical. Come on,
Vic, it's fun. Right now she's honing the edges of that sharp little wit for
our next meeting. And she'll probably lie awake tonight trying to come up with
the perfect insult. I'll do the same thing, because I love arguing with a woman
who wants to put me in my place. I enjoy the challenge."
    Vic
shook his head in disgust. "She's a nice lady, Nolan. I was prepared to
believe the worst, but she's very honest and sincere. And she's
struggling."
    "Aren't
we all," Nolan said into his beer. Then he looked up. "Did she talk
about her husband?"
    "No.
Why?"
    "No
reason. Cal didn't talk about him, either. That made me curious."
    "Why?"
Vic repeated.
    "Because
teenage boys and young widows usually pepper their conversation with references
to the late man in their lives. Cal talked about your dad, not his own."
    "So?
Maybe the kid was close to Dad. I'm glad someone was." Vic finished his
beer and stood up. "It's getting dark. I'd better round up the
girls."
    Nolan
nodded and watched him leave the porch in the direction of the barn. Only
seconds after he disappeared into the dim interior he reappeared again, both
girls and Cal in tow. The blond boy was smiling as he approached the house.
Nolan looked at the smile and wondered how long the kid had been starved for
company. Genius or not, the isolation had to be rough on him. Tomorrow, Nolan
decided, he would take his gloves out of the trunk and see if Cal could throw a
baseball.
    "Bath
time," Vic said, interrupting Christa's prattle about baby kitties. Andy
immediately began to argue with the command as she clomped up the steps of the
porch. "Can't we stay up a little longer?" she asked. Then she