A Gift From the Heavens
Copyright© 2026 by A Well Traveled Man
Chapter 3
During their week off, Mom went to town and returned with the local newspaper. She said the folks in town said there were yard and farm sales most weekends. Hudson said, “What is folks, and what have you done to my Mom?” and they laughed. Mom said folks are the same as people here, and Hudson said Mommy is picking up the local dialect, causing more laughter. She said they recommended picking up the Thursday and Saturday newspapers for the sales, and they are listed in the classifieds.
Mom and Hudson looked at Thursday’s paper and found three yard sales and one farm sale. She said,” Let’s go Saturday and Hudson agreed, but there will be no projects or anything requiring my labor. Mom promised that they would only get things for the house. Hudson forgot about the papers Old Man Cosgrove had given him, and he took them out of his laptop bag.
They were maps of the property, with locations marked with an X. One showed the house, barn, and stable area. His room had a built-in bookshelf, and that was one of the areas marked. Hudson inspected the bookshelf and found a button under the third shelf. He pushed it, and the bookshelf moved into the wall. There was a stairway down, and he took it to a room below his. He was shocked to see rifles, pistols, bows, and crossbows on one wall. On another wall was shelving with ammo for the firearms and arrows for the bow and crossbow.
There was a desk with a computer, a monitor, and a note on it. Henry said These will do me no good where I’m going, so I’m leaving them for you. This is a ranch with wild animals and an occasional trespasser. So always go armed when exploring the ranch and have a firearm handy if you get unexpected visitors. He wished Hudson good luck, and that ended the note. Hudson grabbed a .357 lever-action rifle and made sure it was loaded.
His dad, Ben, had taken him to the gun range several times, so he was familiar with handling and shooting them. The map showed a door, but there wasn’t one, and he found it behind a cabinet. It was a tunnel that led to the barn and stable. Hudson figured it was an escape route or a defensive shooting position in case of attack. No one would see him changing locations, which gave him an advantage. That made Hudson wonder what Old Man Cosgrove was into or what he did for work before retiring.
Hudson turned around and returned to the hidden room. He grabbed a Glock 19 and a double-barreled .45 Long Colt derringer. Then he returned to his room and put the Glock in the bedside table drawer. Hudson kept the derringer in his pocket, heeding Old Man Cosgrove’s advice. He’d need to bring up a rifle, too, but he could do it later. The next step was convincing Mom that firearms were needed on the ranch. She wasn’t happy when Dad took him to the gun range.
With all these firearms, Old Man Cosgrove must have had a gun range somewhere on the property. Once the remodeling was done, he needed to take the mule and explore the ranch. The other paper had locations marked, and he was curious what they were. Mom called him to dinner, breaking his train of thought, and he headed to the kitchen. While they ate, Mom said she was going to get involved in some activities in town. She needed to interact with people, and Hudson said he was sorry he didn’t meet that criterion.
Mom laughed and said she meant adults, and Hudson told her to carry protection. He doesn’t babysit or change diapers, and they laughed. She said What I mean is women’s clubs or even a part-time job to keep me busy. Hudson said, “Yeah, just stay away from the bars and cowboys,” causing more laughter. Hudson thought privately that it would give him free time to do whatever he wanted unsupervised. Plus, he understood that with the loss of Dad and not working, she needed interaction with adults.
The next morning, during breakfast, Hudson told Mom he needed to set up a dojo in the basement to practice martial arts. So he needs to find a sporting goods store or gym supply store to get what he needs. Mom asked why, and he said Sensi told him to practice three times a week. Besides, you don’t want me to practice on your dates, do you? Mom laughed and said,” We’ll go to town and see what’s available. They went to town, and the sporting goods store didn’t have what he needed.
But recommended The Athletic Warehouse and gave them directions. The clerk was right, and they had everything he needed and more. Mom complained about how much he was getting, and Hudson said there were always visitors. They laughed and purchased what he needed. It was lucky they took the F250 because it filled the truck bed and had to be tied down. On the way home, Mom saw a help-wanted sign in a law office window and stopped.
Hudson asked if she wanted him to go in first and soften them up. She laughed and said I’ll be back in a few minutes. She went into the law offices of Mullens and Rhodes, and Hudson hoped they would hire Mom part-time. She didn’t need the stress and headaches of a full-time job. Mom came out thirty minutes later, excited, saying she got the job. It’s part-time, three days a week, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I start on Monday, and Hudson said, “Hold on there, Missy.” I have to meet this lowlife lawyer, and they laughed.
Hudson asked if she offered his services free of charge, and Mom said no. Thomas Rhodes is a State Senator and only practices law part-time. Hudson said Oh shit, a politician and a lawyer; I’d better get my shotgun ready and they laughed again. Hudson told Mom seriously be careful. Politicians will say anything to get what they want, and lawyers are in the same class as used car salesmen. On the way home, Mom said Working with David Berch taught me to be aware.
Upon arriving home, they ate lunch. Hudson carried his purchases to the basement. It took the rest of the afternoon to hang the four heavy bags and install the exercise mat. He tested the heavy bags and held up to his hard punches and kicks. Mom called him for dinner and reminded Hudson that they were going to the yard sales and the farm sale tomorrow. We’ll leave early and get breakfast at McDonald’s. We also need to buy a Saturday newspaper and see if there are more sales listed. Hudson said I was so excited I may not be able to sleep. They laughed, then finished dinner and went to bed.
While eating breakfast at McDonald’s, they searched the classifieds and found one more farm sale listed. Hudson said we should check the farm sales first, then the yard sales, and Mom agreed. The first farm sale had two shotguns Hudson wanted. One was a .410 pump action, and the other was a 12-gauge pump. He told Mom he wanted the .410 for her and the 12-gauge for him. She said we don’t need them on the ranch.
The man selling the items told Mom she was wrong. We have wild animals, snakes, and an occasional trespasser or thief. You’re a fool not to have something handy to defend yourself. Mom asked why he was selling them then, and the man said he was moving in with his newly divorced daughter in the city. There I’ll have my pistols handy for the ex-husband, and they laughed. Mom reluctantly agreed to purchase the shotguns and ammo.
At the second farm sale, there were a lot of things, but nothing they needed. They went to the first yard sale, and Mom bought two floor lamps for the living room. At the second yard sale, she bought a throw rug for the den, and they decided to head home. On the way home, Hudson had Mom stop at a sporting goods store, and he bought two pairs of ear muffs to wear while shooting and cleaning supplies for the shotguns.
Arriving home, they unloaded the Land Cruiser and took the purchases inside. Hudson set up the lamps and throw rugs, then took Mom out the kitchen door. He had the shotguns, ammo, and ear muffs. She didn’t want to do it, but Hudson convinced her that living on a ranch was necessary. He showed her how to load the 410. After putting on their ear muffs, he showed how to hold it, load a shell in the chamber, and fire it.
He gave Mom the shotgun, coached her on the proper stance, and held the butt firmly in her shoulder. Hudson told her how to aim and load a new round into the chamber. He told her to keep her finger off the trigger until she was ready to fire it. Once she had the proper stance, the shotgun aimed with it against her shoulder, he told her to fire it. Hudson had her fire the shotgun until empty. Mom said that wasn’t bad, and Hudson said Not bad for your first time. But we’ll need to practice a few times a month.
The next day was a madhouse as Mom got ready for her first day at work. She showed him how she wanted the paving stones laid, and Hudson said he’s got it. Like a giant dick pointed to the driveway and the balls next to the porch. Mom laughed and said, “Like a column, and Hudson added that satisfied her desires.” Mom lost it laughing, and when she recovered, told Hudson to stop reading her books. Hudson checked the gas and oil in the mule in case he had time to explore.
The gas was low, but the oil was fine. He checked the five-gallon gas cans, and they were empty. So he loaded them into the F250 and drove to the nearest gas station, five miles away. He filled the F250 and three five-gallon gas cans. On the way home, he saw a yard sale and stopped. The lady said she was ready to close, and Hudson saw a computer monitor and a new-looking desktop computer. He asked about it, and the lady said it was her late husband’s.
He was a graphic designer, and Hudson read her mind, then asked what she wanted for the computer and monitor. They settled for $250, and she gave him a box of CDs and software. Hudson asked about the three boxes of books, and she said it was her husband’s work library. He gave her another $50 and continued home, thinking he needed to use his skills more now that they were in a new place. Threats were everywhere, and who knows what Old Man Cosgrove was into or the trouble it would bring.
Arriving home, Hudson unloaded the gas cans, filled the mule, and took his purchases to his room. He hooked up the computer and was shocked. It wasn’t over six months old, had the most advanced processor and graphics card, and had the maximum memory. It had two 4-terabyte hard drives, and the software would take some time to explore. Hudson transferred his files to the new computer, and it seemed ten times faster than his old one.
He did maintenance on his clients’ websites, then Mom called him to dinner. While they ate, Hudson said they needed to work out an emergency code. Text a 1, and I’ll drive the F250 through the law office door. Text a 2, and I’ll come with guns blazing, and a 3-text means my boss needs a kick in the balls. Mom laughed and said, “I don’t think we’ll need that,” and Hudson said, “It’s better safe than sorry.” Oh, by the way, if they want you to sign an NDA, call me to review it before signing.
The next morning, Hudson was in his dojo, attacking the heavy bags using his martial arts skills. He finished practicing the attack points on a heavy bag. Returning to his room, Hudson showered, dressed, and met Mom for breakfast. When done, she was leaving, and Hudson said Be sure you have your pepper spray, stun gun, and protection. Mom laughed, waved goodbye, and left.
He spent almost two hours digging out the walkway. He spread the sand out evenly and carefully set the paving stone. The final step was to fill the cracks with wet sand and pack it. He cleaned up, ate lunch, then drove the mule to the first point on Old Man Cosgrove’s map. Hudson didn’t see anything and climbed the hill. About halfway up, he saw a camouflaged opening in the hillside. He opened it and went inside using his cell phone flashlight app. There was a tunnel, and he followed it to a steamy pool of water.
Hudson put his hand in, then stripped and got into the pool. The water felt great, then he passed out. When he awoke, he was floating and got out, feeling revitalized. Hudson dressed and returned home, thinking, no wonder Old Man Cosgrove kept it a secret. Returning the mule to the barn, Hudson went to his room and saw the time. He said shit, he’d been gone almost three hours. Then he heard Mom arrive and went to the front door.
She was checking the paving stones with her hand to check if they were level. Hudson said You should know I pissed on the sand between the stones. Mom jerked her hand away and saw Hudson laughing. Mom said, “Please tell me you didn’t do that,” and Hudson said she could have joined him, but you had to work. Mom laughed, shaking her finger at him, and they went to the kitchen.
While they ate dinner, Mom said she spent most of the day familiarizing herself with the different rules and procedures from California. Hudson asked if Tommy was a good boy today, and Mom laughed and said yes. He said, “Dam, I was hoping to get a 3, at least.” Mom said he was in court for most of the day. Hudson asked if as a defendant or a lawyer. She giggled and said,” he was in court as a lawyer, and he wants to meet you.” We’ll tell him I don’t swing that way, but I’m flattered by the invitation.
They laughed, and Mom asked Hudson to come to the office on Wednesday morning. He said, “All right, but I’m wearing my cowboy boots just in case.” Then Mom handed him the NDA that Thomas Rhodes had asked her to sign. Hudson read it and laughed, saying this was total bullshit. We’ll make up one for him to sign for you and see how he responds. They finished dinner and went to bed.
During breakfast on Tuesday morning, Mom said she needed to update her business wardrobe and asked Hudson if he wanted to come with her. He said,” Sorry, I would love to, but I have a root canal scheduled at the dentist. But you can send me photos, and I will give my opinion. Mom laughed and said, “Good try, but I’m not sending photos.”
She left to shop for clothes, and Hudson went to the hidden room below his bedroom. He figured there was more than the map showed, and he first hacked into the computer. Not finding anything, he went around the room tapping on walls until he hit a hollow spot beside the ammo shelf. He found the lever, and the shelf moved, revealing ten file cabinets. Hudson opened one, read the file, and it told him everything he needed to know. Old Man Cosgrove was in the CIA or with some intelligence group.