Chapter 51

MONDAY MORNING — SEPTEMBER 16

Monday morning, Jeremy and Roy Taylor were loading one of the equipment trucks on Johnson's lot in preparation for their trip to Carla's farm. An extra crew had used the tools in the shop over the weekend and hadn't returned everything to the truck. Jeremy looked at Roy and frowned as he tossed tools into the back.

"Hey, Roy," Jeremy said. "You've been here a lot longer than I have, and even I know that Lee insists that we put the tools in their places. He's gonna chew our asses when he see this." Jeremy picked up one of the three-foot long box-end wrenches that Roy had just tossed into the truck, and pushed it into the clips in the tool rack that were made to secure the wrench.

The clips and racks in the truck were designed so that a worker could tell at a glance if a tool was missing, not to say anything about easily finding the correct tool when it was needed. Being on a job without one of the specialized tools would mean that someone had to go back to the company lot to find a replacement before that part of the job could be accomplished. After hours wasted on several occasions, Johnson and Lee had designed the system. This way, the tools were always available on a jobsite, and it was easy to check to see if everything was accounted for when the work was finished.

Roy jerked his head around to stare at Jeremy. "You just take care of your shit, and I'll take care of mine, Kid. I was working here two years before your prima donna ass showed up."

Jeremy didn't say anything, just got in the truck and began stowing more of the equipment in their proper places.

Roy tossed a heavy air-driven impact wrench on the truck and stood looking at Jeremy. As Jeremy stepped down to go around to a side compartment, Roy said, "Saw you come in with the sluts this morning."

Jeremy ignored him. Opening the side door, he checked to see if anything was missing from the racks there. "Better make damn sure that you use a rubber on them, like I did," Roy continued. "Of course, they didn't charge me, but I imagine the price was pretty steep for you."

Jeremy knew that Roy was lying, but just sighed and let it pass. The bigger man walked up behind him, pointing unnecessarily at an empty set of clips, "The three-inch socket is gone," Roy said

"Yeah, I see. I'll go find it in a minute, just as soon as I finish checking the other boxes."

"How much did they charge you?" Roy asked with a sneer.

"Look, Roy, are you still drunk from the weekend, or is it a hangover?"

"None of your fucking business. And, I asked you a question. How much did the whores charge you?"

Jeremy slammed the door of the side tool cabinet shut and turned to face Roy. "Roy, you know damned well that they aren't whores."

"Bullshit!" Roy exclaimed. "The only reason that one got the crane operator's job is that she's fucking Johnson. Everybody knows that job should have been mine. I was the backup operator, but when the job came open, the fucking whore got it."

"Look, 'everybody' also knows that she's certified and you're not. If you wanted the job, why didn't you get certified, then you would have had a shot at it. And to set you straight, they are good friends of mine. They aren't whores or sluts, either."

"Yeah, then why are you riding with them?"

Sighing, knowing that it would get out sooner or later, anyway, Jeremy said, "No use us driving three different vehicles to work. We just rode together."

Roy thought for a second. "So you're living with the bitches?"

"Yeah, they were good enough to share their house with me so I could save more toward my college fund."

"Yeah, well, the sluts better stay out of my way. I'm about fed up with their shit."

Jeremy glared at him. "One more time: they're not sluts. And if you don't keep your voice down, they're going to hear you. Now why don't you help me load the truck so we can get on the road?"

"Oh, so your punk ass is giving orders now, is it? And I'll call the sluts anything I please," he said, stepping up and stiff-arming Jeremy hard on the shoulders, staggering him backward.

"Cut it out, Roy," Jeremy warned. "I think you're still drunk. If we get in a fight, Lee will fire both of us, and if you keep on calling the women names..."

"You're gonna what? Get your ass kicked?" Roy yelled, trying to stiff-arm Jeremy again.

Jeremy knocked Roy's hands aside before they connected with his shoulders, then pushed Roy away from him. This pissed Roy off and he swung. Almost before Jeremy realized what he had done, he blocked the punch and hit the bigger man in the solar plexus with the heel of his hand.

Roy staggered back trying to get his breath. Jeremy frowned at him. "You need to go home and sober up. If you try to hit me again, I'm going to put you down."

"Fuck you!" Roy screamed, swinging for Jeremy's face as hard as he could.

Jeremy blocked again, stepped a half-step backward and snap-kicked Roy in the face. Roy went over and landed on his back with a thud — stunned.

"Leave me alone, you idiot before you get the both of us fired," Jeremy said, none too quietly.

Lee stepped around the back of the truck as Roy scrambled to his feet, blood pouring from his nose and cut lip.

"You son-of-a-bitch, I'll kill you for that," Roy screamed.

"You try to hit the kid one more time and I'm going to put you in the hospital," Lee said as he walked toward Roy with a two-foot piece of pipe clutched in his hand. "And by the way, you're fired!"

"You can't fire me," Roy yelled, waving his hand at Jeremy. "You saw this son-of-a-bitch kick me."

"Sure did," Lee laughed. "And, I saw everything else, too. He can obviously stomp your ass without breaking a sweat, although, it looks like you're either too stupid or too drunk to realize it. I've already warned you twice that you were on thin ice for being late, plus that attitude of yours. You should have paid attention. Now get your ass off the lot. And before you say anything else, we'll mail you your check paid through today, but if you go in that office raising hell, your pay stops as of now. Better think about it," he finished as Roy blustered.

After a few seconds, Roy snatched off his hard hat, turned and frisbeed it away as hard as he could throw. The hat sailed twenty feet or so before striking the end of a steel "I" beam, then clattered to the ground with a large dent and a scrape down the side.

"Might as well carry the hat with you," Lee said, fighting not to grin. "You just bought it. I'll have payroll deduct the cost from your paycheck."

"Fuck you!" Roy screamed as he stomped off. "When I catch you out, I'll kick your ass, too."

"Why wait?" Lee yelled, his temper getting into the mix now. "I'm right here. Save you looking for me later."

"Ah, fuck you," Roy yelled, still headed for his pickup. As soon as he was inside and had the engine started, he floorboarded it, slinging gravel and fishtailing toward the gate. Narrowly missing the gatepost, he slid sideways onto the street, almost hitting an oncoming car.

By then, the whole crew was watching. Connie and Denise came running up. "Are you okay?" Connie gasped, out of breath. "We were all the way over on the other side of the lot checking out the crane. Did he hit you?"

Lee laughed at the women making over the kid. "Get the truck loaded. Looks like we'll be working short for a while. I'll go tell payroll to cut the idiot a final check minus the cost of a hard hat." Chuckling, he headed toward the office.

Inside the office, he told Margie in payroll to figure Roy's time and cut him a final check. "Be sure to mail it before the day is out," he said.

The tall redhead grinned at him, "I'm glad you fired him. I never did like that prick. He always had some snide comment to make. He undressed me with his eyes every time he walked in here."

"Yeah, it was overdue. I just hate to fire people. But he had his chances," Lee said walking toward Johnson's office.

Johnson handed Lee a cup of coffee as he walked in. "What was all the ruckus out there? I saw everybody running toward one of the trucks, then some idiot peeled out of the lot."

"Ah, I fired Roy for fighting. But if I hadn't fired him for fighting, I would have had to fire him for sexual harassment."

Johnson took his seat behind the desk, blew gently on his coffee, then took a tentative sip. "Was he going on about the women again?"

Lee planted himself in the seat across from Johnson and crossed his legs. "Yeah, he was screaming about them being whores and sluts, bitching about not getting the crane operator's job. I've told him at least three times that he didn't get the job because he's dangerous. He put an "I" beam through the side of one of the feed bins we were installing, and damn near killed my ass in the same day. He drinks too much and is too hot headed."

Lee took a sip of the coffee. "Shit that's hot, but it sure tastes good. I guess he decided to take it out on the kid when he saw them all come in together in the same pickup. The kid kicked his ass."

"Well, if the kid tangled with him, he might be a little hotheaded, too," Johnson asserted.

Lee looked up at Johnson. "The kid did everything but kiss his ass to keep from fighting him. He waited way longer than I would. He didn't have any choice. None. He's a hell of a lot more easy going than I am."

Johnson laughed. "Well, that may not be bragging on him too much."

Lee grinned back at Johnson. "Ah, hell. You know what I mean. The kid warned him, and backed off both times. When Roy lost it and attacked for real, the kid ended it. Don't think he's a hothead. He's not."

"Okay. Okay. You know I don't run your crew. Now let's talk money. I got another call from this Henson. He said that his boss was thinking about buying another farm next door to the one you are working on. Said that they might be needing more silos and feed bins. What's this guy, some type of entrepreneur of something?"

"I guess you could call him that. But he bought that farm to keep that woman and her daughter from being foreclosed on. This Henson thinks Matthews is the best thing since sliced bread. And they're damn sure not afraid to get their hands dirty — any of them. They worked their asses off all night, a lot of the time with a shovel. And that cute little blond that belongs to Henson can run a loader as good as any man I've ever seen. And she ain't a damn bit afraid to show it."

Johnson leaned forward, putting his Styrofoam cup down on his desk. "Henson says that there's no major rush on these three, as long as we get them installed in the next few days. But we made some good money on the first three. If he needs another six for the other farm, there might be a bonus in it for you and your crew. He said that Matthews was pleased with the work and your attitude. He did some pretty tall bragging on you. Well done."

"Thanks," Lee sighed. "Beats the bitching of the last guy."

"Shit, don't worry about it. You couldn't please that guy if you gold plated that tank we installed for him."

Lee sat for a moment. "When are you going to fix the air in the crane? Even though we're into fall, it still gets hot in that thing because of the engine being so near."

"I already fixed it once. Is it broken again?"

"Nobody has done shit. Bert came out and looked at it a while back. Said something about ordering a compressor; then he was gone. That's the last I've seen or heard anything about it."

"Shit. Is that woman bitching about it?"

"Not really. But the sweat rolling off her face says a lot."

"All right," Johnson said picking up the phone. "Tell her I thought it was fixed. I'll stir Bert up. Damnit, I can't seem to hire anybody worth a shit, lately."

Grinning, Lee downed the last of his coffee, tossed the cup in the trash, and headed outside. Guess I need to quit calling him, Kid. He sure knocked Roy on his big ass. Damn, that was a great way to start a day. Chuckling to himself, he waved at Margie and went back to his waiting crew.

"It's going to seem odd without you two around here," Jeff said at the breakfast table.

"We've had a wonderful time," Margaret said, looking at Frank, who grinned back, both obviously thinking about something private. "And since we're family, and this is our home, we'll be back Friday night, latest. You're going to see a lot of us until we wear out our welcome..."

"You can't do that," Diana broke in, "so just stop talking about it. You'll be home Friday, latest. And Bill," she said, turning to Madison, "please keep us posted on what's going on."

Bill paused with his eating, and smiled at Diana, "Like I mentioned, the lawyers and the detective have dug up some dirt on Jill's boyfriend about his medical practice. In addition, we know that he's instigating this for some reason. We think he's trying to get as much money out of her as he can. Whatever the reason, our lawyers are going to drop the bombshell about his practice on them Tuesday. She signs a reasonable divorce — I don't want to mess over her — with me getting full custody of Linda, or we go to court with the abandonment, and we turn the lawyers loose after him. I think that when they get through, he won't have a license to practice, and there will probably be a whole bunch of lawsuits filed by various people because of what he's been doing.

"If he is the one that's instigating the divorce — which I believe — then he will push her to go ahead and sign. The lawyers are confident it will fly. She's getting a reasonable settlement; she just has the choice of signing during that hour or going to court with the judge already aware of the abandonment issues. I want to get this over with. Unless something goes badly wrong, Linda will be back, ready for school late Tuesday."

"All right, we're going to hold you to that. We'll be looking forward to seeing the three of you then."

"Uh, boss," Dave said as Evie refreshed his coffee and offered the others a refill. "I talked to Carla last night. She said that the extended weather forecast isn't looking very good, anymore..."

"Have you got anyone else you can send them for a few days?" Jeff broke in.

"Not with our crews here. But Korey says he has several people in Denver that came from a farm. He's going to check this morning. If he has someone that can operate the equipment, we'll start around-the-clock operations until we either get everything in, or the rains set in.

"Lee called me just before breakfast. He says he'll have another silo in before they quit for the day. He said he had to fire one of his people this morning, so they'll be working one short, but they'll stay until the silo is in, and working."

Evie grinned at Jeff, obviously wanting to say something, hardly able to hold it back. "Tell them," she urged her husband.

"No, you do it," Dave laughed.

Beaming, she spoke to the group. "Fred called us back a little while after Carla hung up. They all went to church yesterday. It seems that most everyone there thought that Carla had lost her place and was moving, or had already moved. That's what she had told them last Sunday. The church is way out in the country, and there are a lot of farmers that go there. Most of them have either already gotten their crops in, or are close to it. To make a long story short, Carla and Jessica are going to get a big surprise either today or tomorrow. The people who had her horses are probably already there with their hay equipment, and others will be coming."

"The Thompsons next door have told Carla that she can use their storage if need be, since they sold their crops and are selling the farm, or at least part of it, tomorrow," Dave added.

The Matthews all smiled as Jeff responded, "If Korey can find someone, send them out late this afternoon ready to work tonight, anyway. We want to do our part. Hell, I can run one of those things. I made a few rounds with Fred. I'll work with them tonight."

Dave cleared his throat, "Uh, Jeff, you've got the thing with the lawyers about the Thompsons' place in the morning early. Let us take care of this, and you can do it later, if need be."

"You sure everything is ready for the silo crew?" Jeff said, a little disappointed.

"Foundations are in, new wiring, everything for the silos. A crew is starting the barn foundations and floor today. We're back on the classrooms and labs as well. Although we're going to hold off on the indoor range until we catch up with other things," he said, finally starting to eat again.

"Other than the worry about the meeting Tuesday, how are you feeling this morning?" Helen said, grinning at Bill, knowing that her husband had used the healer on him again last night.

"Like a million dollars," Madison said.

"I missed you in the pool this morning."

"I decided to take a day off from drowning in your wake," he kidded.

"We all swam with her this morning," Jennie said, "so we can relate to the drowning part," she finished, giggling.

Madison seriously doubted that, after the swimming exhibition, but he just grinned at her and kept eating.

A few miles away in the valley, Carla, Jessica and Fred had walked out the back. Waving at the workers who had helped Saturday and were already back readying the equipment for the fields, Jessica heard something and looked up the drive.

Grabbing her mother's arm as she stood talking to Fred, Jessica hissed, "Look."

Two trucks carrying combines eased down the hill from the front section. While they stared, a tractor pulling a baler came into view, then shortly two more combines topped the hill under their own power.

Fred stood behind the women, putting a hand on a shoulder of each, unable to keep the grin off his face.