Catching Kent by Ruth Ann Nordin Page B

the back of his neck. “Are we done?” he asked
Eli as the boy put his rake away.
    “ Yes, though the chore will
need to be done again in the future,” Eli said and took his rake
from him so he could put it with the other one. “No one likes doing
it so we have to take turns. But we’ll get to play on the piano
this evening, right?”
    “ I promised I would if you
showed me how to pitch in and help out around here.” Kent was tired
of feeling like he wasn’t doing his part to help the Larsons out.
He smiled at the boy. “You might even get to play another simple
song tonight.”
    “ Alright!”
    “ I said it was simple. No
more than three notes.”
    Despite his disappointment, Eli
nodded. “I’ll be playing less simple songs in the
future.”
    “ As long as you stick with
it and keep practicing. That’s the key to being a good pianist. You
can’t give up, even if you have to keep playing the same songs to
the point where you want to quit.”
    “ I won’t give up. I want to
be as good as you.”
    Mr. Larson came into the barn and
handed Eli a pail. “Take care of the cow. Mr. Craftsman is here and
I want to purchase some of his cattle.”
    “ Yes, Pa.”
    As Eli went to the stall where a cow
waited for him, Kent turned to Mr. Larson. “Is there anything else
I can do to help?”
    Mr. Larson shook his head. “Take a
break. Everything’s good for the moment.”
    Kent followed him out of the barn
while Mr. Larson went over to Mr. Craftsman’s wagon which was
pulling three cattle. Mr. Craftsman’s son called out a greeting to
Mr. Larson as he hopped down. The cattle mooed as the wagon came to
a stop.
    Since Kent didn’t feel like going back
inside the barn, he sat on the bench next to the barn. It faced the
house, and when Kent caught himself glancing at the front door for
the third time, he realized he was hoping Rose would come out.
Criticizing himself, he forced his gaze off the door and pulled off
his gloves. Setting them and the bandana on the bench, he inspected
his hands, surprised to see a blister forming on his right thumb.
Other than that, his hands were smooth, giving away the fact that
he’d never done any physical labor.
    “ Are you going to the
bachelor auction Joel Larson’s having on Saturday?”
    Kent looked up at Mr. Craftsman’s son.
“Pardon?”
    “ Joel Larson. Rose’s uncle.
Don’t you know about the bachelor auction?”
    Massaging his hands, Kent shrugged. “I
think I heard something about it, but I didn’t pay much
attention.”
    Rose had been giggling about something
that he had brushed off as one of her many fantasies involving
him.
    “ I’m going to be one of the
men who’ll be in the bachelor auction,” the young man said. “My
name is Stan Craftsman, by the way.”
    Kent nodded. “Kent Ashton.”
    “ It’s for a good cause, you
know. The bachelor auction. It’s to raise money so Joel can buy
better medical supplies and equipment.”
    Figuring Stan wanted him to say
something, Kent finally replied, “That’s good. And Joel’s a good
doctor.”
    “ I heard you were attacked
in an alley. Did they find the men who did it?”
    “ No.”
    “ Sorry that
happened.”
    He shrugged. “I’ve been through
worse.”
    “ Really? Worse than being
left for dead in an alley?”
    Kent didn’t feel like telling Stan his
life story, so he asked, “What is this bachelor auction you’re
going to be in?”
    “ Oh, it’s where women get
to bid on the man of their choice and then spend the afternoon with
him.”
    It was then that Kent remembered the
man who told Rose he hoped she’d bid on him that day they were in
town. Rose had more than one man who was hoping she’d try to spend
the afternoon with him. Clearing his throat, he shoved aside the
unpleasant image of a group of men surrounding Rose and begging her
to bid for them.
    “ I have heard about the
bachelor auction,” he finally told Stan.
    “ I’m hoping Rose bids on
me,” Stan admitted, adjusting his