Quinn's Story
Copyright© 2026 by writer 406
Chapter 37
Simon had arranged for Quinn to take logic class and a finance class in Stanford’s summer session.
The session didn’t start until July.
Quinn asked the Colonel if he could go to Montana for a month.
The Colonel said, “When does the summer session start?”
“July eighth,” Quinn said.
“The same crew in Montana?”
“Yes, Cody and I have been talking,” Quinn said. “They have a fencing job at your ranch through the end of June.”
The Colonel looked at him with pale eyes. “You’ve been planning this.”
“Since February,” Quinn said. “I wanted to have the details before I asked.”
A small smile moved in the Colonel’s face. “Go. Have fun. Come back ready for a summer at Stanford and your senior year.”
Quinn drove rather than fly. He wanted to show the guys his new jeep. Cody was fixing the main gate when he drove up. Cody had just turned eighteen. He was broader, more settled in himself, some of his boyishness burned off. He howdied Quinn with a huge grin
“Boy ain’t you a sight for sore eyes. Glad you’re here. You got taller.”
“Couple of inches”
“Come on help me tighten this gate, then we go see the guys in the bunkhouse. We been waiting to go explore the breaks for months.”
Rafe, Shane, Dusty and Tommy were at the bunkhouse, they looked the same. Farmers’ tans, the same easy competence. After oohing and ahhing over his jeep, they all went up to the main house for Helen’s usual dinner feast.
The next morning was work. They fixed fence tore and down an old line shack that had caved in from last winter’s snow.
He easily fell into the rhythm of the work, the five o’clock mornings and Helen’s cooking. The democracy of hard work done right. He felt more at home here than any place he’d ever been with the exception of Maria’s kitchen. His past didn’t exist here. He was measured by his work ethic and the content of his character.
He thought to himself, one day this is where I’m going to live.
When they caught up with the work. They took three days to camp and explore the Missouri Breaks. Cody brought a extra trail bike for Quinn. They went on a Saturday, six of them, with the trail bikes loaded in Dale’s truck and a trailer fixed to his jeep’s hitch. The trailhead was at the end of a dirt road that stopped at BLM land.
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