Christmas at Blue Moon Ranch. Lynnette Kent

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      The dark eyes went round. “Man, you need tractors and seeders and spreaders and rakes and chains and trailers. You need tools for building and mending fences, just for starters. How many head do you have coming?”

      That would refer to cattle, Daniel assumed. “How many do you think I should have?”

      Toby gave him a look of pure disdain. “Don’t you know anything?”

      “Sure. But I’m new to the ranch business. I’ve got a lot to learn.”

      The boy shook his head in disgust. “You’re telling me.”

      “Speaking of learning…” Daniel glanced at his watch. “It’s noon on a Tuesday afternoon. Shouldn’t you be in school?”

      Scuffing the dirt floor with one toe, Toby avoided his eyes. “Nah.”

      “There’s no school today?”

      Hands in his jeans pockets, Toby shrugged, still staring at the ground.

      “I guess that means you’re playing hooky.”

      “What’s that?”

      “Skipping school. Cutting class.”

      “Oh.” Another shrug, and then another sneeze. “School’s useless.”

      “Why is that?”

      “’Cause when I grow up I’m gonna run this ranch, just like my dad did. I don’t need school for that. I can learn what I have to know staying home, working with my mom and the hands.”

      “Did your dad go to school?”

      Toby looked up at him with a surprised expression. “I don’t know.” And sneezed again.

      Daniel nodded. “You should ask your mom about that. I’ll take you home so you can talk to her.” He turned toward the barn door, but the boy hung back.

      “She’s gonna be mad.”

      “Probably. I imagine she likes to know where you are during the day.”

      Toby hung his head and sniffed. “I’m in big trouble.”

      After letting him anticipate the worst for a minute, Daniel put a hand on his shoulder to move him forward. “You might as well face the inevitable like a man. Get it over with.”

      “What’s in-inevble?”

      “Something you can’t avoid.”

      “Oh.” He sighed. Sneezed. “Yeah.”

      Once they were in the truck and headed back to Willa’s house, Daniel said, “How’d you get out of going to school, anyway? Do your brother and sister know you’re not there?”

      “I said I was sick this morning. Once Robbie and Susannah left and Lili and Rosa were in the garden, I just went out the front door.” He shrugged. “No big deal.”

      “Pretty slick.” But Daniel had a feeling Willa would think it was a very big deal, indeed.

      After a minute of silence, Toby said, “So what did you do to your leg?”

      “My truck hit a landmine in Iraq.” After eighteen months, he could say it without gritting his teeth.

      Toby looked out the side window. “That’s what happened to my dad.” His voice was subdued. “He died.”

      “I know. I’m sorry. Three of my friends got killed when I was hurt.”

      After a minute, Toby glanced at the hand controls Daniel used to drive the truck. “Do you mind having a…a limp?”

      An honest question deserved an honest answer. “Well, what would you think, if you couldn’t play ball anymore—very well, anyway—or sit down easily, walk smoothly or stand up for a long time without your leg feeling like it was on fire?”

      “I’d hate it.”

      “Sometimes I do. But at least I came home.”

      “You were lucky.”

      “Yeah, I was.”

      He could hear other questions seething in Toby’s brain, but the boy didn’t give voice to his thoughts. They rode down the driveway of the ranch house without another word. Once Daniel stopped the truck, Toby took a deep breath and wrapped his fingers around the door handle. “Thanks for the ride. I—”

      Before he could finish, the door was yanked open from the outside. Willa stood there, clearly furious.

      “Tobias Rafael Mercado, where have you been? What do you mean, sneaking off without telling anyone? You’re not too old for a spanking, mister, and this may just be the day you get one.”

      She grabbed his arm and pulled him off the truck seat to stand in front of her. Bending down, she looked him straight in the eye. “Lili and Rosa have been worried sick, Toby. Why would you do something like this to them?”

      Toby had adopted the toe-scuffing technique again. One shoulder lifted in a shrug.

      Straightening up, Willa blew out a short breath. “We’ll talk later. Go to your room…and stay there.” The boy turned to start for the house, but she put a hand under his chin and made him look up at her. “Do you understand, Toby? Do not leave your room.”

      “Yes, ma’am.” With a slump to his shoulders, dragging his feet, he went into the house. In the stillness of the day, the slam of a door could be heard clearly.

      Willa stood for a moment with her shoulders hunched, too. Then she straightened up and looked at Daniel through the open truck door. “Where did you find him?” Her cheeks were bright red with what he figured was pure embarrassment.

      “In the barn at my place. He was up in the loft, and he sneezed. Maybe he really does have a cold.”

      “If he was sick, he should have stayed home in bed instead of worrying my aunts to death.”

      “I guess so.”

      “He’s been a handful recently. Always up to something.” She said it almost to herself…or as if he were a friend she’d turned to for advice.

      But Daniel knew she didn’t want help from him. He put his hand on the key to crank the truck engine.

      “Wait.” Willa reached out, and he turned off the engine again. “I haven’t said thank you.”

      “Not necessary.”

      “Of course it is. I appreciate you bringing him home—you saved us hours of worry.”

      “Anytime.”

      “I hope not.” She flashed a smile that took him straight back to last night, СКАЧАТЬ