I guess you can’t take the rodeo out of the boy, can you?”
“No, sir, you can’t. I figure that’s a good thing though.”
“Well, I reckon the horses would agree. You’re not feeding them again, are you? I don’t need me a bunch of fat, slow horses on this farm. My daddy wouldn’t abide it, and neither would I.”
“No, sir, of course not. Just spending a bit of time saying hi to the boys and girls before I get on with my chores.”
Hero whinnied loudly behind him, as if in disagreement, and the two men shared a smile.
“All right then,” Williams continued. “I just wanted to let you know the baler was jamming sporadically the last time we used it, and I wanted to make sure you knew. We won’t be needing it for a while, and the tractor is still your number one priority, but it still needs tending to.”
“Yes, sir, no problem.”
“I’m heading into the city later today, so you won’t have anyone to keep tabs on you. I’m hoping though you’ll have that tractor running before the end of the day. It’d be one less thing for me to worry about around here.”
“Shouldn’t be a problem. It almost started for me yesterday a couple of times. Anything I can help you with in town?”
“Nope. I’m good. I’m not so old that I can’t handle a few uppity big city lawyers on my own.”
“Anything I should be worried about?”
“You fix the tractors, I’ll worry about the lawyers. It’s still my farm for now.”
Dawson nodded silently, and Williams’ face softened slightly.
“Don’t worry, boy, it’s just another bullshit corporation that wants to get its hands on this fine piece of Texas farmland. It won’t happen while I still draw breath. Not with my family farm. You’ll still have a job tomorrow.”
Dawson smiled back.
“Sorry, sir, wasn't trying to be nosy.”
“I know you’ve got a family, Dawson. That’s not nosy, it’s just looking out for those you’re responsible for. I can respect that.”
Dawson nodded, but said nothing.
“Tomorrow’s another day, boy. So, get your ass back to work. That tractor isn’t going to fix itself. It’ll be up and running tomorrow when you show up, and my horses will be even fatter than they already are. Right?” Bert nodded, agreeing with himself.
“Yes, of course it will be,” Dawson said emphatically as Williams headed out the barn door.
Chapter 14 ~ Miss Charlie
“Hey, Chase, are you still up there?” Dawson yelled up the quiet stairs to Chase’s bedroom. Silence. He tried yelling again with the same results. Just as he started up the stairs, Veronica appeared from down the hallway and started down the stairs. She was holding a doll and whispering something into its ear.
“Have you seen your brother?” Dawson asked. Veronica pulled the doll in a little tighter, and pretended that she didn’t hear anything. Just as she was about to pass, Dawson put his hand out to stop her.
“It’s OK, sweetie, you’re not going to get in trouble for ratting out your brother or anything. I just want to know where he is.”
She clutched her doll tighter. “You really like that new doll, don’t you?” Dawson smiled and sat down on the step, motioning Veronica to do the same. She sat and cuddled next to him. Dawson smiled as he put his arm around her. He could remember sitting on the steps with her mom and having talks with Chase when he was about Veronica’s age. It seemed to be a bit of a family tradition. Always stopping to talk on the stairs. It seemed to happen mostly when trouble was brewing. The stairs were neutral territory, and seemed to help the kids say what was on their mind. In their rooms, they’d just hide under their sheets, and in Mom and Dad’s room they’d barely set foot in, then bolt the second they were given permission. The stairs were just comfortable for everyone.
“What did he do now?” Veronica asked.
“Well, he didn’t actually do anything. It’s what he didn’t do.
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