Chapter 2

When I pulled off the county road toward my little rock house, I thought I'd made a wrong turn somehow, but I hadn't, because I could see the house. I just didn't know where the iron ore gravel road had come from.

I was surprised again when I saw the shed that Bob had found the time and weather to throw together. I looked it over after I parked my truck in the obvious carport section on the side. I knew it was for my truck because the gravel road ended there.

The barn was forty by sixty and had six stalls in the rear, and a twelve-foot wide central hall. There was a big tack near the front; on the other side of the hall there was an office, and a feed room.

The corrugated iron sheeting on the roof looked suspiciously new, and all the exterior walls were covered with board and batten, which at least looked used. I couldn't resist climbing up to check out the hayloft. It was completely floored with more used lumber and it was full of Coastal Bermuda hay.

The stalls were for horses, or mules, and they had wooden feed troughs with hayracks welded up out of five eights rebar. I could tell the stalls were meant for mules too, because there was a big Missouri mule in one.

In the tack room, I found a set of harness for the mule and a packsaddle rig. The mule was not dismayed to see me come into his new home unannounced, he just kept idly pulling hay from the rack and munching quietly.

The mule wasn't the biggest surprise in the new barn. That award went to the sixteen cubic foot chest type freezer that occupied a large part of the office area. Looking inside, I found it half full of wrapped and labeled beef and pork, along with six different pans containing frozen dishes that had computer printed labels along with instructions taped to the aluminum foil that sealed their tops.

I'd seen about all of it when I heard a vehicle approaching, so I went back outside and was standing under my new carport when George drove up.

"Bob got a little carried away with this project," George said, as soon as he got out.

"It is a lot more than I'd expected and it's certainly well built. I don't know how to thank you, but with the way my luck ran down in Shreveport, I can sure afford to pay for it now," I said.

"You won't believe it, but me an Ethel saw you on TV. Channel Six did a piece about the tournament on the ten o'clock news one night, and there you were, sittin' at the final table," he said.

"I think I remember someone with a TV shoulder cam now that you mention it. I did good enough in the tournament, but I found a new calling after I busted out," I said, grinning.

"How's that?" he asked.

"Where do you think all those guys go after they get knocked out?" I asked.

"Home, I guess."

"Some of them do, but a lot of 'em ain't lost enough money yet, so they hang around a few days and play in private cash games. Lucky for me there were some still there," I told him.

"I never even thought of that."

"Me neither, but I'd barely cashed out before somebody asked me into one. I don't want to brag, but I cleared over a hundred and fifty thousand dollars while I was gone," I said.

"Oh," he said, and he looked slightly upset for some reason I didn't understand.

"I guess you'll be moving down there now," he said.

"What? Not a chance. I'm glad to know I can probably make some money somewhere if I need it, but the way I figure, I won't need any more for the next three or four years. I don't have much to spend it on," I said.

George couldn't help smiling his widest at that, but he didn't say anything more about it.

"I guess you found the freezer and food Ethel sent down here," he said.

"I did, and it was a big surprise too."

"She decided she had to have stand up freezers now, it's gettin' so it's hard for her to bend over and fool around in a chest type anymore. We didn't have a place for that one after the two new ones got delivered from town, so we hoped you wouldn't mind if we gave it to ya.

"I hope you'll try to take it like a man, but I'm afraid that Ethel has decided she needs to make sure you got plenty to eat down here. That ain't all either; she's making noises about you needin' to come up for Sunday dinner. I'll try to settle her down about it if you can't," he said.

"Just tell me what time to show up. I haven't been to a real Sunday dinner in years but I'm pretty sure it won't hurt me a bit," I said, and strangely, I knew I meant it.

"I guess you found Jasper too?" he asked.

"Is that the mule's name?"

"Yep. Bob thought you might want him to tote stuff for ya if you ended up having to stay out overnight foolin' with the coyotes," he said.

"I wouldn't have thought of it on my own, but that is a great idea. It's always easier to get 'em early in the morning or right around sunset."

"That's what Bob thought too. We didn't bring a horse down here cause we figured you'd want to pick out your own. Have you got any tack?" he asked.

"Nope, not a bit."

"That's ok, we got plenty, if you find a saddle you like in it. If ya don't, a guy comes 'round with a tack trailer 'bout ever month or two. He hit's us on his way between horse auctions," George said.

"And if ya need a place to shoot in any of your guns, or just want to bust a few caps, we got a little range cobbled up not far from the house, you can use it anytime ya want, we had old Skeeter, the guy that put the gravel on your road, push us up a big backstop with his dozer."

"That sounds like a hell of a deal, I'm sure I'll be making noise out there sooner or later."

"Good. Nobody uses it much anymore 'cept Bob's boys, Dave and Chuck. They like to burn a bunch of powder when they get in the mood," he said, laughing about it.

"We'll probably get along fine then."

"So I can tell Ethel that you'll be by Sunday, at one?" he asked.

"I'll be there, and maybe Bob and you can show me where to start lookin' for those coyotes."

"We can for a fact. I'll see ya Sunday.

"Uh oh, there's one thing I forgot to tell ya," he said, looking a little sheepish. "I was poking around in my desk, up to the house, and I came across another key to your front door. I made the mistake of mentioning it to Ethel, and she made me bring her down here so she could snoop around. I hope you won't call the law on her, but I can probably bail her out if ya do."

"Don't be silly. I hope she wasn't too upset about my housekeeping."

"I ain't gonna say nothing else. I'll just give you this key so she won't be tempted again, and I think I should move along before you see what she made us do," he said, grinning when he handed me the key and then taking off.

I couldn't think of a thing she could have done that would make me upset after all the food she'd sent me. I could probably get by for six months on the frozen pork and beef, not to mention the lasagna, meatloaf, and other country style meals ready to warm take a ride in the microwave.

I wasn't upset at all when I walked in, but Ethel had surely been busy while I was fucking around down in Shreveport. My airbed was gone and there was what looked like an antique four-poster bed with a canopy that had - whatever you call the crap that looks like curtains to me - hanging down. I don't know what size you would call it, but it was bigger than a king size. I wondered how many women old Ethel thought I'd have moving in down here.

That wasn't even nearly all of it though. I had a new chest of drawers, and this one had two, six-high stacks of drawers. My rope for hanging clothes was replaced by two giant armoires, and I had a large vanity with a tall mirror and matching chair. Sadly, she didn't leave me any makeup. All of the bedroom items obviously matched each other.

There was a dining table and four chairs and it also seemed to go with the bedroom things. Thankfully she'd only scattered two armchairs and one sofa around. Of course, there wasn't that much extra room now.

It was all nice though, and it made the little shack seem almost like a real home. The new side-by-side refrigerator freezer caught my eye next and when I opened it I saw someone had filled both the refrigerator and the freezer with food.

My modest cabinet space was now overflowing with home canned foods, in jars with computer printed labels on each, and dishes. One of my drawers was now officially for cutlery and I had matching knives, forks, and spoons.

Ethel had been busy while I was down in Shreveport sinning. The bathroom was well stocked with towels and washrags, and the commode even had one of those toilet covers, and a matching toilet rug, not to mention the bath mat outside the shower's door.

I fixed myself a big supper and after eating I poked around in my new things, trying to get in my mind where everything was and what was a new arrival. I told myself that I needed to get that spare key back to Ethel as soon as possible. I couldn't think of any place where she had space for additions, but I wasn't taking any chances. I finally crawled into my new bed around nine PM.

I woke at five AM, right on the money. I had coffee made and was out in my lawn chair with my first mug when George came down my new driveway. I went inside, poured him a mug of coffee, and handed it to him as he got out of his truck.

"Thanks, don't tell Ethel, but you make better coffee than she does," he said, taking a sip and then removing a lawn chair of his own from the back of his pickup.

"You can bet that I'm never going to say a thing to Ethel that might make her mad. I couldn't believe how much nicer my house was when I went inside yesterday."

"She tolt me you wouldn't mind, but I was worried anyway," he said.

"Don't be," I said, reaching into my pocket for the spare key and handing it to him. "You need to give her this key back as soon as you get home, and you can tell her that anything she gets in the mood to do to my house is fine with me."

"Got anything on the program for today?" he asked, after a few minutes.

"Not really. I see I don't have to worry about finishing my mowing."

"Yeh, Dave and Chuck figured out that mowing was more fun than working on the barn and they nearly fought over turns on that Kubota. Funny, I don't ever member 'em liking it that well when I had it at my house," he said.

"I guess I'd better thank them too, when I meet them."

"I 'spect you'll meet most everyone tomorrow at dinner. And that brings up why I come down here so early this mornin'," he said.

"You don't need a reason to come down anytime."

"Well, I had one today anyhow. If ya got time, I think you should come on up to the house and see 'bout pickin' out a horse and some tack. I know damned well Ethel ain't gonna let you get away for it tomorrow. She don't pay no attention to going to church or the like, but if somthin' seems like work to her, she won't put up with doin' it on Sunday.

"I thought I could go ahead and show you where we've had coyote problems too, while you 'as up to the house," he said.

"Sounds like a deal to me. Think I've got time to fix a couple of eggs and some toast before we go?" I asked.

"Ya better not, Ethel's expectin' ya for breakfast."

George was right as rain about that. Breakfast was being put on the table by the time we got inside. I barely had time to meet Ethel before she showed me to a chair and brought me a plate, and Ethel had big plates.

I had five fried eggs, what looked like a pound of bacon and that much sausage too, hash browns and fresh baked biscuits, with plenty of coffee that I thought was a lot better than mine, no matter what George said. I had my work cut out for me for a while.

I also met Bob, Bob's wife Wanda, Chuck, Dave, and the ten men and two women that worked on the ranch, since all of them ate breakfast at the same time. I learned later that they all ate together for most meals.

After we'd finished, Bob and George took me into a big room that was obviously their office and showed me some aerial maps and topographical maps of their property. I was impressed, especially with the aerial photos.

They had two places marked where they'd lost stock and three more where they'd seen sign. After I got the lay of it, Bob led me to his desk and called up Google Earth on his big flat panel to give me another view of the area we'd been looking at. I was impressed. Of course I'd heard of the Internet but I didn't have any idea it had such things on it.

"Don't you have a computer?" Bob asked, after I mentioned it.

"No, I wouldn't know how to use one if I did," I said.

"Hah, that's just what I told him. I can tell ya right now that fightin' it ain't gonna do ya no good," George said.

"What?" I asked.

"Bob takes after his mama. You can expect to find one sittin' on your desk in a few days, specially since you gave me that key back for Ethel," George said, laughing at me now.

"But, I don't even have a desk," I said.

"You mean, you don't even have a desk, yet," George said, laughing at me some more.

"If you think I need a computer, I can go out to Wal-Mart and pick one up. I've seen them out there," I said.

Bob snorted and then told me not to waste my money on that junk.

"I'll get Whooper to build you one this week," he said.

"Who is Whooper," I asked.

"Down to the feed store in town. His daddy and momma own the place and he has his computer workshop in a corner not far from the front desk. He works on 'em between time when he ain't loadin' feed," George said.

It sounded like a joke to me at first, but when they kept on I figured out that they meant it. It had been a long time since I was in the feed store and it just didn't sound right. I shut up about it though and decided to drop in down there and see if they were pulling my leg.

We sat around drinking coffee and looking at maps for another half-hour or so, and then George led me out toward a big barn for a look at the horses. He has some nice ones.

I'd about decided that my best choice would be a big gray gelding that they called Simon. He was built well and moved nicely and like all of their horses, he was fat and slick. He must have been gelded early because his long nice neck hadn't developed the normal thickening that a stallion's usually does.

Of course, they led the best horse out last, a stallion. He had wider and more muscular forequarters than Simon, with bulging forearms, and his buttocks, thighs, and gaskins were simply outstanding. Even though he had a slightly thicker neck than Simon, his throatlatch was clean, and his all legs were straight, and looked almost perfect.

I could see his main detraction right away, but I certainly didn't mention it. He had a slight bulge on the bridge of his head, just below his eyes. It was the horse equivalent of a "Roman Nose" and that's what it's normally called.

He didn't really have much of one, but he didn't have the more desirable Arabian-type face. Still, his head was short and small, and his muzzle was trim. I actually thought that the near perfection of the rest of him made the slight show defect on his head stand out.

His coat and color were probably the best I'd ever seen. He was a dark, rich, sorrel and he practically shined. The star, strip, and snip enhanced the intelligent look in his eyes somehow, and the white socks on both rear legs and boots on the front ones just put chrome on his classy paint job.

He was spectacular, but I hadn't ridden in a long while, and I could still remember my old horsemanship mentor telling me, "It takes a professional to handle a stud horse."

"God, he's a beauty, but I think I'd better take Simon. I might live longer," I said.

"You're welcome to him if that's what you want, but I have to ask why you think he's better than Joe Bob, the stallion."

"He isn't better, in my opinion he isn't even close, even though Simon is an extra good horse himself. Simon hasn't got anything hanging that might steal his attention while I've got my mind on something else," I said.

"That's true, but Joe Bob is one of the easiest to handle stallions we've ever raised. He's a stud horse all right, and if he smells a mare in heat he will want some pussy, but he's never done anything stupid under a saddle because of it," George said.

"You make him sound tempting," I said.

"He ought to be. For my money he's the best horse on the place, and as far as a using horse, he can't be beat.

"We quit standing him to outside mares, except for people that already know about him and want him specifically. It wasn't because he ever threw a bad foal, it's just that he's as likely as not to gift 'em with that little bulge just below their eyes, and that kind of thing ain't in fashion now-a-days," he said.