wouldn't have been all that drama. I would have headed straight to those duck blinds, right off the bat. I couldn't believe it took you guys hours to figure that out."
Taylor laughed under his breath before taking a drink of his beer and glancing over at Mitch.
"Does Melissa still want you to give it up?"
Mitch put the bandanna back in his pocket and nodded. "You know how it is with the kids and all. She just doesn't want anything to happen to me."
"How do you feel about it?"
It took a moment for him to answer. "I used to think that I'd do this forever, but I'm not so sure anymore."
"So you're considering it?" Taylor asked.
Mitch took a long pull from his beer before answering. "Yeah, I guess I am."
"We need you," Taylor said seriously.
Mitch laughed aloud. "You sound like an army recruiter when you say that."
"It's true, though."
Mitch shook his head. "No, it's not. We've got plenty of volunteers now, and there's a list of people who can replace me at a moment's notice."
"They won't know what's going on."
"Neither did we in the beginning." He paused, his fingers pressing against the can, thinking. "You know, it's not just Melissa-it's me, too. I've been at it for a long time, and I guess it just doesn't mean what it used to. I'm not like you-I don't feel the need to do it anymore. I sort of like being able to spend some time with the kids without having to go out at a moment's notice. I'd like to be able to have dinner with my wife knowing that I'm done for the day."
"You sound like your mind's already made up."
Mitch could hear the disappointment in Taylor's tone, and he took a second before nodding.
"Well, actually, it is. I mean, I'll finish out the year, but that'll be it for me. I just wanted you to be the first to know."
Taylor didn't respond. After a moment Mitch cocked his head, looking sheepishly at his friend. "But that's not why I came out here today. I came out to lend you some support, not to talk about that stuff."
Taylor seemed lost in thought. "Like I said, I'm doing all right."
"Do you wanna head somewhere and have a few beers?"
"No. I gotta get back to work. We're finishing up at Skip Hudson's place."
"You sure?"
"Yeah."
"Well, how 'bout dinner, then, next week? After we're back in the swing of things?"
"Steaks on the grill?"
"Of course," Mitch answered as if he'd never considered another option.
"That I could do." Taylor eyed Mitch suspiciously. "Melissa's not bringing a friend again, is she?"
Mitch laughed. "No. But I can tell her to rustle someone up if you want her to."
"No thanks. After Claire, I don't think I trust her judgment anymore."
"Aw, c'mon, Claire wasn't that bad."
"You didn't spend all night listening to her jabber on and on. She was like one of those Energizer bunnies-she just couldn't sit quietly, even for a minute."
"She was nervous."
"She was a pain."
"I'll tell Melissa you said that."
"No, don't-"
"I'm just kidding-you know I wouldn't do that. But how about Wednesday? You want to stop over then?"
"That'd be great."
"All right, then." Mitch nodded and pushed away from the truck as he fished the keys from his pocket. After crumpling his can, he tossed it into the back of Taylor's truck with a clank.
"Thanks," Taylor said.
"You're welcome."
"I mean about you coming by today."
"I knew what you were talking about."
Chapter 11
Sitting in the kitchen, Denise Holton decided that life was like manure.
When used in a garden, manure was fertilizer. Effective and inexpensive, it provided nourishment to the soil and helped the garden become as beautiful as it could be. But outside of the garden-in a pasture, for instance-when stepped in inadvertently, manure was nothing more than crap.
A week ago, once she and Kyle were reunited in the hospital, she definitely felt as if the manure were being used in her garden. In that moment nothing else but Kyle mattered, and when she saw that he was okay, everything was right in the world. Her life, so to speak, had
Taylor laughed under his breath before taking a drink of his beer and glancing over at Mitch.
"Does Melissa still want you to give it up?"
Mitch put the bandanna back in his pocket and nodded. "You know how it is with the kids and all. She just doesn't want anything to happen to me."
"How do you feel about it?"
It took a moment for him to answer. "I used to think that I'd do this forever, but I'm not so sure anymore."
"So you're considering it?" Taylor asked.
Mitch took a long pull from his beer before answering. "Yeah, I guess I am."
"We need you," Taylor said seriously.
Mitch laughed aloud. "You sound like an army recruiter when you say that."
"It's true, though."
Mitch shook his head. "No, it's not. We've got plenty of volunteers now, and there's a list of people who can replace me at a moment's notice."
"They won't know what's going on."
"Neither did we in the beginning." He paused, his fingers pressing against the can, thinking. "You know, it's not just Melissa-it's me, too. I've been at it for a long time, and I guess it just doesn't mean what it used to. I'm not like you-I don't feel the need to do it anymore. I sort of like being able to spend some time with the kids without having to go out at a moment's notice. I'd like to be able to have dinner with my wife knowing that I'm done for the day."
"You sound like your mind's already made up."
Mitch could hear the disappointment in Taylor's tone, and he took a second before nodding.
"Well, actually, it is. I mean, I'll finish out the year, but that'll be it for me. I just wanted you to be the first to know."
Taylor didn't respond. After a moment Mitch cocked his head, looking sheepishly at his friend. "But that's not why I came out here today. I came out to lend you some support, not to talk about that stuff."
Taylor seemed lost in thought. "Like I said, I'm doing all right."
"Do you wanna head somewhere and have a few beers?"
"No. I gotta get back to work. We're finishing up at Skip Hudson's place."
"You sure?"
"Yeah."
"Well, how 'bout dinner, then, next week? After we're back in the swing of things?"
"Steaks on the grill?"
"Of course," Mitch answered as if he'd never considered another option.
"That I could do." Taylor eyed Mitch suspiciously. "Melissa's not bringing a friend again, is she?"
Mitch laughed. "No. But I can tell her to rustle someone up if you want her to."
"No thanks. After Claire, I don't think I trust her judgment anymore."
"Aw, c'mon, Claire wasn't that bad."
"You didn't spend all night listening to her jabber on and on. She was like one of those Energizer bunnies-she just couldn't sit quietly, even for a minute."
"She was nervous."
"She was a pain."
"I'll tell Melissa you said that."
"No, don't-"
"I'm just kidding-you know I wouldn't do that. But how about Wednesday? You want to stop over then?"
"That'd be great."
"All right, then." Mitch nodded and pushed away from the truck as he fished the keys from his pocket. After crumpling his can, he tossed it into the back of Taylor's truck with a clank.
"Thanks," Taylor said.
"You're welcome."
"I mean about you coming by today."
"I knew what you were talking about."
Chapter 11
Sitting in the kitchen, Denise Holton decided that life was like manure.
When used in a garden, manure was fertilizer. Effective and inexpensive, it provided nourishment to the soil and helped the garden become as beautiful as it could be. But outside of the garden-in a pasture, for instance-when stepped in inadvertently, manure was nothing more than crap.
A week ago, once she and Kyle were reunited in the hospital, she definitely felt as if the manure were being used in her garden. In that moment nothing else but Kyle mattered, and when she saw that he was okay, everything was right in the world. Her life, so to speak, had
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