Free A Feather in the Rain by Alex Cord Page A

raising.”
    Holly said, “When?”
    â€œWhen, what?”
    â€œWhen are you going to call him?”
    â€œOh, a day or two. I’ll wait till he gets my letter. Why?”
    â€œNothing…” She shook her head and went to the fridge for a Coke.

23
Darkness
    H e put on a jacket and walked out to the porch and into the chill of the thick November night. Dozer rubbed his leg and flopped at Jesse’s feet as he leaned against the post and looked to the north. The sound, Holly Marie, came softly, as his voice tried to find the wind that would touch her hearing.
    Abbie was warming up a horse while Jesse struggled with an eight-foot length of galvanized pipe, plumber’s goop, and a couple of wrenches to repair a leaky water line to a row of stalls in the barn. Ricardo returned from the post office with a stack of mail, dropped it on a bench, and came to lend Jesse a hand.
    Two hours later, Jesse flipped through the mail to the letter from Bear and opened it. For the rest of the day, he imagined Holly watching him work and wondered what she would think of his way of life. For more than twenty years, the only love he’d known was that which he shared with his son. He could count the times in all his life he’d heard the words, I love you. He thought about that andwhat it would be like to hear, I love you, Jesse.

    J esse could hear the smile in Bear’s voice, “You were just sensational. You ought to be a movie star, man. Have you ever seen yourself on tape?”
    â€œNo…I don’t think so.”
    â€œWell, it’s great and I want to thank you for letting us use it. It’s gonna do a lot of good.”
    â€œHow are y’all doin’ with your horses?”
    â€œThey’d been getting fat and sassy until you got Holly going. Now she’s out there riding every day. She’s even got me back to riding again. We’re having fun. She’s right here, I’ll let you talk to her. Come and see us. Ruby sends her love. Thanks again.”
    The next thing he knew, she was on the phone. With her “Hello, Jesse…,” the warmth of her breath was in his ear. Irises were blooming, school was out, and summer had arrived.
    He said hello. While he was trying to think of what to say next, she said, “Everybody here thinks you ought to be a TV star. We think you already are.”
    All he could do was chuckle a little. “How are you gettin’ on with your horses?”
    â€œPretty good. So far I haven’t gotten myself bucked off. I keep trying to remember everything you told me. I think I’ll need some more lessons.”
    What an invitation. He couldn’t believe she’d said it. There’s a line a man could do stuff with. “Well…we’ll have to see that you get ’em.” Oh, that was good. Real good. He wondered if his brain had gone soft from too much time alone.
    â€œYeah…Bear is yelling, ‘come on up and visit.’”
    â€œWell…thanks…I’m, I’m kinda stuck here for a while…but…that’d be nice. I’d like to do that.”
    â€œHow is Buckshot doing?”
    She remembered his name. Amazing. “He’s doing real good.”
    â€œI know it’s in December. What are the dates?”
    How does she know The Futurity is in December? She’d never even heard of The Futurity until he told her about it.
    He gave her the dates. She told him good luck, she was sure he would win and that Bear, Ruby, and she would have their Indian friends hold a ceremony to guarantee it. I’ll send you a copy of the tape so you can see how good you are. You’ve got to promise to let us know how you and Buckshot make out.”
    He hadn’t felt this light of spirit since high school. He sat on the front step of the porch and watched raindrops make craters in the dust. He twirled his spur rowel with a fingertip and said, “What in hell am I