[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
Tor stared at him. "Are you nuts?"
Jake shrugged one shoulder. "Maybe. His father didn't want him slacking off for three days, and we
can use the help. Maybe it'll help, if he comes out here and sees we're just like everyone else."
"And maybe Jacob and him will get into it again and everything will go to hell."
Jake turned to look Tor in the eye. "So we keep them apart. Fuck, Tor, I'm doing the best I can,
here. Don't give me shit for this, back me up."
"Hey, I'm on your side," Tor said, but his eyes sparked. "Just don't know if this is such a great idea.
What's this kid's name?'
"Nick Candanoza," Jake snapped.
Tor gave him a hard look. "This Nick's got some ideas I don't particularly agree with, is all, and I
don't like inviting that into my home."
"You think I do?" Jake looked back at the yard again. "This ain't for us, Tor. I won't fight Jacob's
battles for him, but I don't want him fighting ours, either. Maybe this can turn it around. One more
person growing up knowing we aren't evil because of what we do in the privacy of our own home."
"Our home," Tor repeated. "So help me, if this kid makes trouble on our land, I don't know what I'll
do."
"You'll hold your tongue and we'll talk to his parents and he can spend the rest of his suspension
away from here," Jake said firmly.
Tor laughed, the sound rough and sharp. "You parenting me now, Taggart?"
"Do I have to? I think I have enough going on with the one in the house."
"Fuck." Tor shook his head and stepped off the porch. "I'm going back to work. You do what you
have to. I just hope this works the way you think."
Jake watched him go, hoping right along with Tor. He had no idea if it would or not. With a sigh,
he turned and went into the house, the silence oppressive and laden with his own upset and Jacob's
anxiety.
They hadn't really talked much on the drive home, Jake unsure what to say and Jacob clearly will-
ing to put off any discussion for as long as possible. Not that Jake could blame him.
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Chris Owen
He went into the kitchen and found Jacob sitting at the table, his unopened books piled up in front
of him. "Did you eat?" he asked, going to the fridge.
"Are you really mad?" Jacob asked, his voice low.
Jake thought about that as he got out some leftover chicken. "I'm upset," he said, reaching for the
bread. "I understand why you did it, but I don't like it. Don't like that it happened at all, don't like
that you had to hear anything like that. Pissed off that you got in trouble at school."
There was a long silence from the table and Jake looked over to see Jacob staring at the table top. "I
don't know what else I could have done," he whispered. "I was just so mad."
Jake nodded. "It's hard, I know." God, did he know. He'd never been able to walk away, either. "It's
done," he said firmly, starting to slice up the chicken. "Now we just have to deal with the after-
math. And you have to get it set in your head that if it happens again, and it might, that you let it
go. I don't want you getting in trouble for this shit. Doesn't solve anything at all, Jacob. People are
going to think what they think, and punching them isn't going to change their minds."
"I know," Jacob said in a small voice. "What's going to happen?"
Jake built a sandwich and put it on a plate. "Well, Nick's coming out here. His dad didn't want him
sleeping in and taking it easy, so he's going to pitch in and help out around the ranch. So are you.
School work, ranching& this isn't a vacation, and you'll both know it."
Jacob nodded. "Thanks," he said when Jake passed him the sandwich. "You going to make us work
together?"
Jake shrugged. "We'll see how it goes. Depends on how the two of you act. I won't put up with shit
from either of you, and Nick won't be spouting off while he's here. If he does& well, he'll be going
home and I think his dad will be harder on him than I could be."
Jacob ate for a few moments. "He's& he never said anything before. I knew he didn't like me
much, but he's never been like he was today."
Jake shrugged. "Sometimes people just say shit, not getting what it does to people. Showing off,
talking crap. Pushing for the sake of pushing. I don't know."
"It sucks," Jacob said succinctly.
Jake nodded. "Yep. It does." He gestured to Jacob's pile of books. "Get some work done and come
on out to the yard. I'm going to go see what we can find for you to do. And I need to talk to Tor."
Jacob grimaced. "He's mad."
"Oh, yeah," Jake agreed. "But not at you."
Jacob sighed and took another bite of his sandwich. "Okay. I'll be out in a while."
139
Natural Disaster
Jake stepped back and nodded sharply, not really looking forward to the next couple of days, or
talking to Tor about it all. He hoped that after Tor cooled off a bit he'd let things lie, but he sus-
pected not.
Shaking his head to himself, he headed out the back door and went to the stable, walking slowly.
He could hear the radio in there turned up loud, and voices talking over it, at least three. He stepped
in, nodding to Elias, who was going over what looked like a receipt with Tor, and waved Fred over
to him.
"Need a favor," Jake said, taking Fred outside, away from the radio blaring.
"Sure, what's up?"
Jake quickly explained what had happened and asked if he'd mind bringing a passenger out in the
mornings and back with him at supper. By the time he'd gotten to the part about Nick Candanoza's
dad wanting his boy to work, Fred was grinning. "I can do that," he said with a nod. "Want me to
put the fear of God in him, too?"
Jake blinked and shook his head. "Shit, no. Not that I wouldn't want to give him a shake if I was
fifteen, but I'm not and you aren't either. None of that, all right?"
Fred sighed, still grinning. "Yeah, yeah, okay. Call me at home tonight and tell me the address. Oh,
and let them know it'll be just before six and I don't have time to hang around waiting."
Jake snorted. "I think Candanoza will have the kid outside waiting on you. He was kind of un-
happy."
"Good," Fred said, kicking at the dirt. "Suppose you want us to keep our opinions to ourselves
around Jacob?"
"I'd appreciate it," Jake said. "Won't help any if he starts thinking anyone approves of him fight-
ing."
Fred nodded again and slapped his thigh with his gloves. "You're the boss."
Jake grinned. "I am. Don't suppose Tor's calmed down any?"
"Not a lot," Fred admitted. "He's the boss, too, and I kind of want to get back to work, you know?
He's a little cranky at the moment."
"Great," Jake said under his breath but not in the least surprised. "Think I'll go check the survey
pegs for the new corral. Kind of& stay out of his way for an hour or so."
"Good plan," Fred said, grinning again. "Maybe if you feed him well at supper he'll be in a better
mood."
"Maybe," Jake said, though he doubted it. Tor wasn't going to settle until they'd cooled their tem-
pers and talked reasonably.
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Chris Owen
It was going to be a long day.
***
"Are you going to sleep at all?" Tor said in the dark.
Jake rolled over and looked at the clock. "God, I hope so. It's after midnight." He'd been lying there
for an hour, waiting for sleep to come, but it seemed as far off as it had when he'd gone to bed. It
didn't help that Tor had been damn close to cheerful all evening. It made him nervous.
"What are you thinking about?" Tor asked, an arm slipping around Jake's waist. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl fopke.keep.pl
Tor stared at him. "Are you nuts?"
Jake shrugged one shoulder. "Maybe. His father didn't want him slacking off for three days, and we
can use the help. Maybe it'll help, if he comes out here and sees we're just like everyone else."
"And maybe Jacob and him will get into it again and everything will go to hell."
Jake turned to look Tor in the eye. "So we keep them apart. Fuck, Tor, I'm doing the best I can,
here. Don't give me shit for this, back me up."
"Hey, I'm on your side," Tor said, but his eyes sparked. "Just don't know if this is such a great idea.
What's this kid's name?'
"Nick Candanoza," Jake snapped.
Tor gave him a hard look. "This Nick's got some ideas I don't particularly agree with, is all, and I
don't like inviting that into my home."
"You think I do?" Jake looked back at the yard again. "This ain't for us, Tor. I won't fight Jacob's
battles for him, but I don't want him fighting ours, either. Maybe this can turn it around. One more
person growing up knowing we aren't evil because of what we do in the privacy of our own home."
"Our home," Tor repeated. "So help me, if this kid makes trouble on our land, I don't know what I'll
do."
"You'll hold your tongue and we'll talk to his parents and he can spend the rest of his suspension
away from here," Jake said firmly.
Tor laughed, the sound rough and sharp. "You parenting me now, Taggart?"
"Do I have to? I think I have enough going on with the one in the house."
"Fuck." Tor shook his head and stepped off the porch. "I'm going back to work. You do what you
have to. I just hope this works the way you think."
Jake watched him go, hoping right along with Tor. He had no idea if it would or not. With a sigh,
he turned and went into the house, the silence oppressive and laden with his own upset and Jacob's
anxiety.
They hadn't really talked much on the drive home, Jake unsure what to say and Jacob clearly will-
ing to put off any discussion for as long as possible. Not that Jake could blame him.
138
Chris Owen
He went into the kitchen and found Jacob sitting at the table, his unopened books piled up in front
of him. "Did you eat?" he asked, going to the fridge.
"Are you really mad?" Jacob asked, his voice low.
Jake thought about that as he got out some leftover chicken. "I'm upset," he said, reaching for the
bread. "I understand why you did it, but I don't like it. Don't like that it happened at all, don't like
that you had to hear anything like that. Pissed off that you got in trouble at school."
There was a long silence from the table and Jake looked over to see Jacob staring at the table top. "I
don't know what else I could have done," he whispered. "I was just so mad."
Jake nodded. "It's hard, I know." God, did he know. He'd never been able to walk away, either. "It's
done," he said firmly, starting to slice up the chicken. "Now we just have to deal with the after-
math. And you have to get it set in your head that if it happens again, and it might, that you let it
go. I don't want you getting in trouble for this shit. Doesn't solve anything at all, Jacob. People are
going to think what they think, and punching them isn't going to change their minds."
"I know," Jacob said in a small voice. "What's going to happen?"
Jake built a sandwich and put it on a plate. "Well, Nick's coming out here. His dad didn't want him
sleeping in and taking it easy, so he's going to pitch in and help out around the ranch. So are you.
School work, ranching& this isn't a vacation, and you'll both know it."
Jacob nodded. "Thanks," he said when Jake passed him the sandwich. "You going to make us work
together?"
Jake shrugged. "We'll see how it goes. Depends on how the two of you act. I won't put up with shit
from either of you, and Nick won't be spouting off while he's here. If he does& well, he'll be going
home and I think his dad will be harder on him than I could be."
Jacob ate for a few moments. "He's& he never said anything before. I knew he didn't like me
much, but he's never been like he was today."
Jake shrugged. "Sometimes people just say shit, not getting what it does to people. Showing off,
talking crap. Pushing for the sake of pushing. I don't know."
"It sucks," Jacob said succinctly.
Jake nodded. "Yep. It does." He gestured to Jacob's pile of books. "Get some work done and come
on out to the yard. I'm going to go see what we can find for you to do. And I need to talk to Tor."
Jacob grimaced. "He's mad."
"Oh, yeah," Jake agreed. "But not at you."
Jacob sighed and took another bite of his sandwich. "Okay. I'll be out in a while."
139
Natural Disaster
Jake stepped back and nodded sharply, not really looking forward to the next couple of days, or
talking to Tor about it all. He hoped that after Tor cooled off a bit he'd let things lie, but he sus-
pected not.
Shaking his head to himself, he headed out the back door and went to the stable, walking slowly.
He could hear the radio in there turned up loud, and voices talking over it, at least three. He stepped
in, nodding to Elias, who was going over what looked like a receipt with Tor, and waved Fred over
to him.
"Need a favor," Jake said, taking Fred outside, away from the radio blaring.
"Sure, what's up?"
Jake quickly explained what had happened and asked if he'd mind bringing a passenger out in the
mornings and back with him at supper. By the time he'd gotten to the part about Nick Candanoza's
dad wanting his boy to work, Fred was grinning. "I can do that," he said with a nod. "Want me to
put the fear of God in him, too?"
Jake blinked and shook his head. "Shit, no. Not that I wouldn't want to give him a shake if I was
fifteen, but I'm not and you aren't either. None of that, all right?"
Fred sighed, still grinning. "Yeah, yeah, okay. Call me at home tonight and tell me the address. Oh,
and let them know it'll be just before six and I don't have time to hang around waiting."
Jake snorted. "I think Candanoza will have the kid outside waiting on you. He was kind of un-
happy."
"Good," Fred said, kicking at the dirt. "Suppose you want us to keep our opinions to ourselves
around Jacob?"
"I'd appreciate it," Jake said. "Won't help any if he starts thinking anyone approves of him fight-
ing."
Fred nodded again and slapped his thigh with his gloves. "You're the boss."
Jake grinned. "I am. Don't suppose Tor's calmed down any?"
"Not a lot," Fred admitted. "He's the boss, too, and I kind of want to get back to work, you know?
He's a little cranky at the moment."
"Great," Jake said under his breath but not in the least surprised. "Think I'll go check the survey
pegs for the new corral. Kind of& stay out of his way for an hour or so."
"Good plan," Fred said, grinning again. "Maybe if you feed him well at supper he'll be in a better
mood."
"Maybe," Jake said, though he doubted it. Tor wasn't going to settle until they'd cooled their tem-
pers and talked reasonably.
140
Chris Owen
It was going to be a long day.
***
"Are you going to sleep at all?" Tor said in the dark.
Jake rolled over and looked at the clock. "God, I hope so. It's after midnight." He'd been lying there
for an hour, waiting for sleep to come, but it seemed as far off as it had when he'd gone to bed. It
didn't help that Tor had been damn close to cheerful all evening. It made him nervous.
"What are you thinking about?" Tor asked, an arm slipping around Jake's waist. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]