workin’ on it.”
I stepped back from the table to admire my handiwork.
Mangy Gus growled at me.
“Howzabout when he was with Adeline?” I said. “He seem happy then?”
“Happi er , I guess. The four of us had some laughs. But your brother was always the last to join in and the first to stop. I remember Adeline sayin’, ‘Gus, if I had a nickel for every time you smiled…I’d have fifteen cents.’”
I cut loose with a chuckle. That was the sort of thing I wish I’d said. “What was she like, anyway? I barely know a thing about her.”
Lottie finally stopped stewing over her stew and looked up at me. “She was a scared farmgirl is what she was. Not the brightest you’d meet, but sweet as could be. She stayed sweet, too. Despite everything.”
“And she loved my brother?”
Lottie gave the stew another useless stir. “I think Gus was the first kind man Adeline ever met. The first who didn’t treat her like some sow in the pen. She’d have done anything for him. Would’ve made him a good little wife.” Locks of long hair were falling over Lottie’s face like a veil, and she pushed them back with an angry sweep of the hand. “God knows that girl didn’t deserve what happened to her.”
“Yeah…well…,” I said, all too aware I’d asked a yes-or-no question and heard neither back. “I reckon nobody deserves that .”
Lottie’s eyes flared up so fiery hot it hurt just to look at them, like staring into the sun.
“I know a few who do,” she spat, “and if they were here right now, I’d do ’em myself.”
I was still groping for an appropriate reply when Bob stomped in, wide-eyed and grinning.
“Guess what, Lottie? We’ve got us a new partner!”
He was in so jubilant a mood he didn’t see—or let himself see—the scowl on his wife’s face.
“What are you talkin’ about?” Lottie asked.
“Gloomy Gus, of course!” Bob boomed, and right on cue my brother trudged in after him. “I asked if he’d come in with us on the ranch, and he said yes!”
“I did not say yes,” Gustav said, speaking to me.
Bob made a beeline for a can of peaches on the table. “Maybe you didn’t say yes, but you didn’t say no, neither—and that’s as good as a yes from you!”
Old Red kept his eyes on me. “All I said was it’s a generous offer.”
“ What was a generous offer?” I asked.
“Well,” my brother began.
“You’ve seen the place, Otto,” Bob cut in. He somehow managed to pop half a peach in his mouth, chew, swallow, and lick his fingers even as he went on talking. “It’s more than one man can manage. In fact, I was just about to hire up for the fall shearin’. If you two was to settle in, I wouldn’t have to. I couldn’t pay more than six bits a day to start, but if you stuck around through the end of the season? Why, you could come in halvsies with us on the whole spread!”
He glanced over at his wife, and she gave her blessing with a nod.
“Leave those peaches be, Bob” was all she said.
Me, I had a little more to say on the matter.
“Sweet Jesus, Brother…have you forgotten why we’re here?”
“Of course I haven’t!” Gustav barked back.
“Then tell ’em.” I nodded first at Bob, then Lottie. “Tell ’em right now.”
“Yes, Gus,” Lottie said quietly. “I think you should.”
Her husband swallowed hard and wiped a sleeve across his syrup-smeared chin.
“Lottie. Bob,” Old Red said. “Why don’t you have a seat?”
The three of them slowly settled in around the table, and though I hadn’t been invited, I joined them. As we took our seats, Mangy Gus skulked off and curled up in a corner. He seemed to sense that something bad was approaching fast, and Lottie and Bob did, too. All of them slouched. All of them looked down.
I knew exactly what was coming, of course—the next two things, really. My brother would tell his friends why we were back in San Marcos…and just like that, they wouldn’t be his friends anymore. Surely
I stepped back from the table to admire my handiwork.
Mangy Gus growled at me.
“Howzabout when he was with Adeline?” I said. “He seem happy then?”
“Happi er , I guess. The four of us had some laughs. But your brother was always the last to join in and the first to stop. I remember Adeline sayin’, ‘Gus, if I had a nickel for every time you smiled…I’d have fifteen cents.’”
I cut loose with a chuckle. That was the sort of thing I wish I’d said. “What was she like, anyway? I barely know a thing about her.”
Lottie finally stopped stewing over her stew and looked up at me. “She was a scared farmgirl is what she was. Not the brightest you’d meet, but sweet as could be. She stayed sweet, too. Despite everything.”
“And she loved my brother?”
Lottie gave the stew another useless stir. “I think Gus was the first kind man Adeline ever met. The first who didn’t treat her like some sow in the pen. She’d have done anything for him. Would’ve made him a good little wife.” Locks of long hair were falling over Lottie’s face like a veil, and she pushed them back with an angry sweep of the hand. “God knows that girl didn’t deserve what happened to her.”
“Yeah…well…,” I said, all too aware I’d asked a yes-or-no question and heard neither back. “I reckon nobody deserves that .”
Lottie’s eyes flared up so fiery hot it hurt just to look at them, like staring into the sun.
“I know a few who do,” she spat, “and if they were here right now, I’d do ’em myself.”
I was still groping for an appropriate reply when Bob stomped in, wide-eyed and grinning.
“Guess what, Lottie? We’ve got us a new partner!”
He was in so jubilant a mood he didn’t see—or let himself see—the scowl on his wife’s face.
“What are you talkin’ about?” Lottie asked.
“Gloomy Gus, of course!” Bob boomed, and right on cue my brother trudged in after him. “I asked if he’d come in with us on the ranch, and he said yes!”
“I did not say yes,” Gustav said, speaking to me.
Bob made a beeline for a can of peaches on the table. “Maybe you didn’t say yes, but you didn’t say no, neither—and that’s as good as a yes from you!”
Old Red kept his eyes on me. “All I said was it’s a generous offer.”
“ What was a generous offer?” I asked.
“Well,” my brother began.
“You’ve seen the place, Otto,” Bob cut in. He somehow managed to pop half a peach in his mouth, chew, swallow, and lick his fingers even as he went on talking. “It’s more than one man can manage. In fact, I was just about to hire up for the fall shearin’. If you two was to settle in, I wouldn’t have to. I couldn’t pay more than six bits a day to start, but if you stuck around through the end of the season? Why, you could come in halvsies with us on the whole spread!”
He glanced over at his wife, and she gave her blessing with a nod.
“Leave those peaches be, Bob” was all she said.
Me, I had a little more to say on the matter.
“Sweet Jesus, Brother…have you forgotten why we’re here?”
“Of course I haven’t!” Gustav barked back.
“Then tell ’em.” I nodded first at Bob, then Lottie. “Tell ’em right now.”
“Yes, Gus,” Lottie said quietly. “I think you should.”
Her husband swallowed hard and wiped a sleeve across his syrup-smeared chin.
“Lottie. Bob,” Old Red said. “Why don’t you have a seat?”
The three of them slowly settled in around the table, and though I hadn’t been invited, I joined them. As we took our seats, Mangy Gus skulked off and curled up in a corner. He seemed to sense that something bad was approaching fast, and Lottie and Bob did, too. All of them slouched. All of them looked down.
I knew exactly what was coming, of course—the next two things, really. My brother would tell his friends why we were back in San Marcos…and just like that, they wouldn’t be his friends anymore. Surely
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