Free Seeing You by Dakota Flint Page A

me, “Yeah, I think I’m starting to. Night.”

Chapter Eleven
     
    The first sketch was left on the dresser in my bedroom a week after the dinner with Erin and the family, rolled up with a rubber band around it. Just back from checking on cattle in the south meadow, I didn’t know what it was at first. I only realized it was from Wade when I uncurled it.
    It was a charcoal sketch of Mack, left leg resting on the first step of the bunkhouse porch. He had a beer bottle dangling in one hand by his side, and his hat was off. Mack was laughing, looking much better than when I first returned to the ranch.
    It was a good sketch, captured the feeling of camaraderie we felt sitting out on the porch in the cool summer evenings, showed that larger than life quality I’d always associated with Mack.
    Feeling a bit puzzled, I wondered why Wade gave it to me, furtively left in my room like it was a secret gift. But I was glad he was sketching again.
    I decided I’d go thank Wade in person, see if he’d give me a clue as to why he gave the drawing to me.
    I found him eating a sandwich at the kitchen table in the main house, and I took a seat when he invited me to join him. Wade smiled at me. “You go down to the south meadow?”
    “Yep, just got back. Should get ready to move cattle.”
    “‘S what I figured.” Wade nodded his head and continued to eat.
    I set the sketch down on the table, and his eyes flicked down to it then back up to meet mine. He didn’t say anything.
    “Thank you, Wade. It’s nice. Mack probably would have liked it more than me.” I let the last word lilt up as if I had asked a question.
    “Welcome. Yeah, he probably would have.” And that was it. He didn’t add anything else, just went back to his turkey on wheat.
    “All right, then. Back to work. See you at dinner.” I got up to leave, and I caught the small smile playing around Wade’s mouth. It looked secretive.
    Hmmm.
     
    The second sketch was left in the same place, the same way, a week later. I was curious to see what this one would be, and I felt a thrill of excitement as I unrolled it.
    Surprised, I studied it. It was a drawing of Erin and Mike and the girls, sitting around the dining room table at their house, probably drawn the other night after Wade and I went for dinner. Wade had managed to capture the animation in their faces, like a snapshot in time, a sweet remembrance of a family moment.
    I was still puzzled and felt as though I was missing some vital piece of information, but I pushed the thought aside. It was a nice drawing of my family.
    I wondered what Wade would say, so once again I sought him out to say thank you. I found him sitting out by the pond, shirtless, sweat streaming down the curve of his spine despite the brisk air, and my step faltered.
    He must have heard me, though, because he turned his head and looked at me over his shoulder.
    “Hey, Wade,” I said as I joined him on the grass by the edge of the pond.
    “Hey, Dylan.” He tossed a pebble into the pond, disturbing the smooth surface of the green-brown water.
    “I got the drawing you left today. It’s…special. Thank you.”
    “You’re welcome.”
    “Did you give one to Erin?”
    “Nope.” Another pebble was tossed. I waited.
    Nothing. So, that was it. I sighed, oddly reluctant to push for more.
    “Mack and the hands are heading into Big Timber tonight to blow their paychecks in their usual Friday night free-for-all. I was thinking about joining them. You wanna go?” I looked at him out of the corner of my eye, absently plucking grass by his right knee. I could smell him, sweat and man and Wade with that hint of pine-scented soap, and I wondered what he’d do when we all went to town and he stayed behind.
    He looked at me for a moment and then said, “Yeah. Sure.”
    I tried not to look as surprised by this as I felt. Wade hadn’t gone out for a night of fun since I’d been back on the Lazy G. Something relaxed inside of me.
    “All right.