Chapter 8: First Impression

"Oh? That's great news. Yes. Sure I can make into town tomorrow, nine? Alright Rick, see you then." I hung up the phone puzzled.

Larry looked up at me a silent question.

"Was Rick." I said needlessly. "The loan has been approved. I'll have to go in tomorrow and sign the papers."

Larry raised one brow.

"I dunno either. Anyway, you were saying?"

With Larry a conversation always tended to be a bit one sided. He pointed back to the paper a finger under the estimated cost, the finger moved back towards a list of the work that was needed.

I shook my head. "Can't."

Larry nodded, he'd known that, he was just showing me what I'd asked to see.

"And if we do it ourselves? Working whenever?" I waved a hand.

Larry peeled back the top sheet and pointed at another figure.

"Ah come on Larry, we don't have anything here we can use to savage? I mean all this lumber, surely there is lumber somewhere? What about that old barn over on the East, by the state road?"

Larry merely shrugged, thinking loudly, for Larry anyway.

"Right. Ok. I'll go now and take a look see. I'm not sure it's even still standing."

"It's standing." Larry said simply.

"Oh? Then it's usable? That barn was made eon's ago, I'm betting that wood, even seasoned as it is, would be better than what we could buy now."

"Ever take apart an old barn?" Larry dropped the page he'd folded back and the figures from the new estimate flashed once again before my eyes.

"No." I frowned up at him. "But I never rode a horse till I sat in the saddle either." I grinned at up him. A very Lurch like sounded came from his throat.

"I'll go with you."

"Alright Larry, saddle Pat's horse as well."

There was no telling how late I'd be, safer if she was with me, for the house anyway. This morning she'd passed up the Cap't and decided to try her hand at pancakes. I sent a silent prayer up in thank you for the smoke detector.

"Pat!" I called following Larry out of the room. "We're going riding, change clothes."

Whatever she'd been doing in her room hit the floor with a thud. I smiled, knowing she was already scrambling into old clothes even as my foot touched the first step.

It had already been two weeks since Kevin left. For days my heart beat fast anytime I'd hear the gravel on the road thinking it was him. 'I'll be back' he'd said like the Terminator. I snorted out loud. I was a fool, he wasn't coming back, and I had work to do.

"Mom! Where we goin?" Pat was pulling her shirt over her head and yelling out the door to me as I walked by. "I thought you were too busy? We riding into town? We..."

I ignored her for a bit, let her mind run wild on adventures.

"Do I need the canteens mom? Hey are we sleeping out? Are..."

"Ok, I give up. Yes, you need the canteen, no we're not going to town, we will be back by evening. Fill my canteen up and find your other boot, meet me down with Larry, and for heaven's sake, stay out of the mans way!" I shouted as she thundered down the stairs.

Bottled water worked just as well, but the canteen always seemed to make her feel like she was going on an adventure. There was time enough later to grow up. I sighed. My mind returned to work matters.

We'd been short handed, it would be so much easier to hire a crew to repair the stables, rails corals. It seemed the more we worked the further behind we got. But even with the money from the bank there wasn't enough to go around. I was using that money to invest in horses. I had an idea to purchase a herd of steer, raise that, sell it, and repeat for two years, after which, if all goes well and the meat prices stay or raise, then I'll be able to make up my mind which road I want to take.

I tossed my tennis shoe aside and tugged on the boots.

I could either sell. I swallowed and stood, stomping my feet in my boots. Or keep at it with steer. I grabbed my hat off the dresser. Or do what I really wanted to do, turn this into a refreshed working ranch but I needed more capital than I had, and more than I could get my hands on, for raising the horses I had in mind. I thought I'd start with a mixed...

"Come on..." Pat had met me in the kitchen and hauled me out by my hand.

"Coming geeze." I smiled, happy she was rearing to go. "Everything in order?"

"Larry's got yours ready, Billy's bringing mine now. And Larry went back for his own." Pat said. "Here's the canteen." She thrust this at me and ran to join Billy who was leading her mount out now.

"Easy..." I reminded her. She tended to still be overjoyed around the horses and some really didn't like it, never sure when she'd be popping up around them. Her horse however, greeted her with a whinny and lips already twitching for the apple treat known to be hidden.

"Hey Jack." Jack turned his head chewing his own left over apple. I smiled, Pat always had to be fair. "Ready boy?" I checked the cinch and mounted.

"Billy I can do it" Pat climbed up and in the saddle like she'd been born in it. It had taken the horses longer to get used to her than it did the other way around. The very first day we arrived she'd taken off waving her arms and wanting to ride. She'd taken her share of set backs and learned that being dumped on your backside wasn't fun. This old mare, Cindy, was perfect for her. Cindy seemed to understand and enjoy the girls joy and was more tolerant than the other horses, yet at the same time Cindy knew who was in charge, and most of the time it wasn't Pat.

I smiled.

"Larry's almost done." Billy said leading Jack over to me.

"Larry said what you had in mind." Billy nodded. "Won't be easy. Maybe worth hirring a few summer boys from in town to help take it apart. Bet if you offered free rent for the summer and offered low wages..." Billy stopped trailing off.

"Insurance." I said but agreed I'd ponder it. If nothing went wrong then it was an idea. They could take apart the old barn I could transport it back and forth in the truck and...

"Off we go!" Pat said happy to see Larry leading his horse from the stable.

She took the lead, eager to be off, then stopped and turned in the saddle looking back. "Um ... were we going?"

Everyone laughed.

"We should be back around dusk Billy." I waved and nudged Jack. "We are going wood hunting." I tapped Pat's hat brim as we rode past. She wrinkled her nose at me and kept pace.

"Trees?"

"Nope, an old barn." I said and went to thinking over the local teens for the summer labor. Only about 2 months left now. It was well into June.

"You're gonna shot the barn?" Pat looked at Larry, who rode with the riffle.

"Only if it bites." I said with a serious face.

"Oh Mo-ther!." Pat said rolling her eyes.

The rest of the day passed pleasantly. My mind wandered from Pat's growing up to money issues, to labor issues and back to Pat's growing up. The barn had been perfect. Thick old seasoned wood held together with rusty nails. The wood was in great condition. Actually the entire barn was. It was a shame to take it down. But it wasn't needed where it was. We didn't grow tobacco here any longer, hadn't for more than my lifetime, and it was time to re use it. It would save thousands in lumber. But what would it cost in labor?

"I'm tired." Pat whined for the 100th time. "I'm hungry too."

"We're almost there." I said for the 50th time, having managed ignored her half of the time. "Don't you recognize the old pine?" I pointed. I'd been trying to show her land marks that didn't change easily. "And there, you can see the lights of the stable yard.

"Good can I ride ahead?" She whinned.

"Go. Just take care of Cindy when you get there, I'll know if you don't!" I warned, and off she went.

"You're going to use the lumber then?" Larry asked at my other side.

"Yeah." I smiled at him. "It's sturdy already seasoned wood. Not all of it will work, frankly it's more than I'll need. I won't need the support beams. Didn't I hear of people wanting those for beams in their homes? I'll have to look into that, maybe I can actually sell those." I was thinking out loud. "There is enough there we can make a new holding area, a new corral and make the repairs that's needed. The costs will be low but there will be some, we'll need hindges, nails..."

The good thing about Larry is he listened, took in what was said and would add it all to his own thoughts. Tomorrow I'd have a list of plans, detailed even to measurements along with a list of supplies needed, tools and the like. How anyone did without their own personal Lurch was beyond me. He'd been a part of this place since before I was here.

"How long have you been here Larry?" I asked suddenly, my mind haven't derailed off of supplies.

He shrugged.

"Why hadn't Da made you foreman before now?"

"Didn't wan it." Larry said simply.

"Why not?" I asked and waited quietly.

"Why?" Larry asked back.

I was about to fire off a list of why then decided not to bother. Nor ask why now. I knew that answer. It was simple. He was needed. I had no one else.

"Company." Billy said nodding his head at the truck by the back door.

My heart lept into my throat. Kevin? I dismounted quickly but before I could take a step he continued.

"Mrs. Morgan from up the way there." Billy nodded past the stables, as if she was nested in some tree.

"What's she want?" I asked, brushing my hair from my face, feeling very silly. Billy shrugged. "How long has seen been here?" I asked looking down at my filthy clothes. Billy shrugged. "Can you take care of Jack?" I patted the horse and left without waiting for an answer, shrugged or not.

Billy lead Jack and Cindy off and he and Larry saw to the horses. I walked in the back to find Mrs. Morgan happily chatting away with Pat, dishing out a huge plate of dinner. I smiled in spite of myself.

"Mrs. Morgan, how nice of you..." I began.

"Not at all, here sit down. That Billy of yours said you'd be out till late so I thought to make myself useful."

"Just let me wash up ... Pat..."

"Aw Ma..." Pat protested but ran to wash up.

I took my place finally at the table, as clean as one could get with a quick trip to the bathroom sink.

"Pork Chops" I couldn't help but smile.

Patricia just nodded already diving into her cold apple sauce.

"A very nice treat Mrs. Morgan but I have to ask..."

"No, it's me that has to ask you..." She began, sitting down at the table joining us. "I was talking to Hilary and she suggested that Tom said you may need ... that is ... Oh Posh! Can you use an extra hand around here?"

"Hand? Ranch Hand? Actually yes with the firing of that fiend I was a bit short and could use some help taking down that old barn..." I stopped letting my voice trail off.