LUKE ARRIVES
“YOU IN THE BARN. COME OUT NOW.”
He wasn’t sure what to expect when he
opened the barn door, but it wasn’t a giant black gelding with a rider holding
a gun nonchalantly pointed in his direction.
“I’m sorry sir,” the man said. “My
truck died out on the highway and your place was the closest. I couldn’t leave
my horses in the trailer, it’s too cold for that. I rode one here, trailing the
other one and knocked on the house door. No one answered, so I took the liberty
of letting myself in your barn so we’d be out of the cold.”
“Who are you?”
“My name’s Luke, Luke Berenson.”
It was at that point a noisy tractor
pulling an empty trailer came around the back of the barn. It caused both the horse
and Luke to back up nervously “What in Sam-hill is going on here? I figured
you’d have your horse put away and some coffee cooking by this time, Han. And,
who the fuck are you mister?”
“I was just telling your son my name’s
Luke Berenson and my truck broke down on the highway. I couldn’t leave my
horses there to freeze, so we came here looking for some shelter. I did knock
at the house but there was no answer.”
“Well, that’s because we was out making
sure the cattle in the meadow are doing okay. Have to make sure the trough water doesn't freeze and
threw out some hay for them. Anyway, you’re welcome to some shelter. And, c’mon
up to the house once you get your horses situated. I’ll put the coffee on Han, while you take care of Onyx.”
Luke watched as Han put the rifle back
into the scabbard attached to the saddle. He was surprised to find the
horseback rider, Han, wasn’t all that big once his feet hit the ground. He
looked huge up on the horse, but he wasn’t as tall as Luke. Maybe the gun made
him seem bigger. “Well, c’mon with me and let’s see about getting your horses
taken care of.”
Inside the barn, Luke was directed to
two empty stalls and told to put his animals in there and to make sure they had
water, hay and some grain. Jesus Christ Luke thought. Does this Han think I’m fucking
stupid or something and have never taken care of my horses before? But he
complied with the directions and then waited while the boy took care of Onyx.
Luke attempted some conversation, but soon gave up when all he received were
single-word responses. Then, they walked together to the house. Again, Luke was
surprised by the boy’s ability to take long quick steps. He almost had to trot
to keep up.
In the warm mudroom of the house they
removed their boots and outerwear. That’s when Luke noticed the huge braid of
golden reddish-brown hair that fell down the boy’s back. It had either been
under the hat or beneath his coat. Luke thought the boy’s friends must give him
a really hard time about his hair.
The mudroom opened directly into a large kitchen. There were huge
windows on two sides of the room which allowed for views down into the barnyard
as well as far down the valley. The appliances, cupboards and countertops
looked fairly new and very well-kept. The big table in the middle of the
kitchen was huge and old and had seen many years of many meals taken on its
top. Luke wondered if any of the gouges or nicks had tales to go with them and
bet there were more than a few.
“Hannah,” the old man said, “I think I ‘d like to have something
to eat now. How about some scrambled eggs and toast with some of those Irish
potatoes you froze?”
When Luke heard Hannah, he realized what he’d thought was a boy
was actually a girl. He turned his attention to her and aside from the thick
long braid, there was nothing to suggest there were any female parts beneath
the big shirt and pants. He wondered how old she was. Luke watched her closely
while she moved around the kitchen. He decided she couldn’t be all that old,
maybe 14 or 15, but she was graceful and economical in her movements.
By the time Hannah finished cooking and putting food on the table,
Luke realized he was hungry too. She had put three place settings on the table,
one in front of him, so Luke assumed he was welcome to eat as well.
“I’m sorry sir, but I didn’t catch your name or that of your
daughter.”
“Oh well for Christ’s sake, I’ve lost my manners. My name’s Thomas
Wakefield and this is my granddaughter Hannah. I own this spread although it’s
just about to the point where it’s way too much work for Han and me.”
“Don’t you have any hired hands?”
Luke asked.
“We usually have a few in the summer and fall, maybe spring too
depending on how big the herd’s become, but no one wants to be working way out
here during the winter. It’s cold and nasty. If’n I was young, I wouldn’t try
to get myself a job way out here when the snow flies.”
“Does that mean you could use a good hand with his own horses?”
“Well, now maybe, depending on how much you want to be earning.”
“Room and board and a few bucks so I can get my truck fixed. I
usually do the rodeo circuit, but have had nothing but bad luck this year. To
be perfectly honest, I’m down to my last couple of bucks.”
“Well, okay,” Thomas said. “Soon as we finish off this food, we’ll
take the tractor out and haul your truck back. Han’s a pretty good mechanic.
Maybe she can figure out your problem and fix it. Might cost you nothing at
all.”
By this time, Luke was sure there was something wrong with the
granddaughter, but he wasn’t going to say anything. She’d barely spoken two
words all through breakfast. She kept her eyes on her plate and didn’t look up
or act interested even when Thomas said she was a good mechanic. Luke hoped she
wasn’t too good since he’d made the problem with his truck himself. It had
seemed like the best idea at the time in order to have a way in to this house,
but he wouldn’t last long if she discovered what he’d done to make the truck
inoperable. He’d have to work on it himself before she got there and replace
the fuses he’d removed.
When Thomas told Luke to get ready to go get his truck, Hannah
fussed over her grandfather. “Gramps, you aren’t going back out into the cold.
You’re going to sit here and enjoy the peace and quiet and another cup of
coffee. I’ll take Mr. Luke and the tractor down for his truck. You know I can
do it as well as you.”
Thomas seemed to hesitate, but let Hannah push him back down into
his chair. “Well, if you’re sure Han. It surely is colder than a witch’s tit
out there.”
They donned their outerwear and boots in the mudroom and then went
out into the cold. She led him down the small hill and through the barnyard to
the shed in which the tractor was parked. Hannah detached the trailer from the
tractor, heaved in a big chain and told Luke, “Get in.”
Hannah drove slowly out of the shed and started down the road to
the highway. She pulled the scarf away from her mouth and said, “Thank you for
being willing to help out here for a bit, that is if you are. There’s way too
much for my gramps to keep up with. I am so scared this winter is going to kill
him off. How long do you think you can work for gramps?”
“Is your grandfather ill?”
“Yes, sort of. He’s got a bad heart, but I can’t let him go, can’t
have him go before I’m ready.”
Luke realized she had tears in her eyes and as the tractor came to
a halt in front of his truck, he turned her toward him and pulled her in for a
hug. He could feel the sobs shake her body, but she didn’t allow him to comfort
her for long. She pulled away, wiped her eyes, turned away from Luke and said,
“Thank you for that. I appreciate your sympathy, but the best idea would be for
you to keep your hands to yourself. Gramps wouldn’t like it.” But maybe I liked
it, Hannah thought to herself as she climbed down from the tractor. It had felt
good to be held and have her back rubbed. She’d also felt something at the base
of her abdomen when Luke’s smell wafted up her nose. It left her wondering.
Working together, the two of them disconnected the trailer from
the truck and got the truck hitched up to the tractor. Hannah would drive the
tractor and Luke would steer his truck. When they arrived back at the
outbuildings, she continued with the tractor to another building with closed
doors. She got down and opened the doors and pulled the tractor as close as she
could and still keep it outside. She turned the tractor off, got down and met
Luke as he got out of the truck and came toward her.
“We’ll have to push it into the shed from here. That way it will
be out of the weather and when it’s not quite so cold, or we can bring in an
electric heater if you’re in a rush, I can take a look and see if I can figure
out what’s wrong. Gramps is right, I’m a pretty good mechanic.”
Between them, they got the truck inside. Luke was amazed at how strong the girl was. He thought he’d like to see her without the bulky clothes just so he could see her muscles. Based on the strength she'd exhibited, Luke thought she had to be pretty ripped when it came to her musculature.
Then, they had to return for the trailer. It couldn’t just be left
on the highway or someone would probably come along and tow it away. When they
got it back, Hannah drove to the off side of the big shed where another horse
trailer was parked under the roof that extended out from the shed.
“We’ll have to leave it here for now.” Hannah said, “You go on to
the house while I put the tractor away. I also want to check on the animals in
the barn.”
“That’s okay. If you don’t mind, I’ll tag along and check on my
horses as well. And, maybe you could give me some idea of what you’d like done
in the barn and elsewhere. I know the orders will come from your Gramps, but it
never hurts to learn as much as you can however you can.”
In the barn, Hannah went to check on Onyx and then on the only
other horse that was stabled besides the two Luke brought. That horse was black
as well, but seemed to be fairly old. There was a lot of silver or white hairs
throughout its coat that seemed to catch the light and glow. Hannah moved from
Onyx to the other horse, murmuring and stroking its head.
“This your grandpa’s horse?” Luke asked.
“Yes, this is Sampson. He’s Onyx’ father and has belonged to
gramps from the time he was birthed here on the farm. Kind of like me and Onyx.
I was there when he was birthed, saw him take his first steps and we bonded
almost as fast as he and his mom did. I would have been bereft here if Onyx hadn’t
been born just after I moved to Montana. He may have been a black colt, but he
was the only light in my life then.”
“What happened?”
“Oh, pay me no nevermind. It’s just been such a hard day already and it’s not even half over. C’mon, lets head for the house and you and Gramps can talk about what he’d like you to be doing around here, that is if you’re staying. Are you staying?”
“Yes, Hannah, I’d like to stay.
It seems like you and your grandpa could use a little help just as I could. You
need some muscle power and I need some money, so it should work out just fine.”
Back in the house, Hannah checked on her gramps who’d been dozing
in their absence. “I’m going to get some stuff done Gramps, so why don’t you
and Luke talk about what you’d like him to do. He has agreed to help us out for
a bit.”
“Well, that’s just dandy, young man. You have no idea how much I
appreciate the fact you’ll be stayin’ on a while. I always feel as though I’m
working Han way too hard. With your help, maybe I can give her some time off to
do other things she likes.”
Standing behind her grandpa, she shook her head at Luke to let him
know the time off would be for her gramps and not for her. He slightly nodded
and she gave him a thumbs up before disappearing down a dark hallway.
Luke and Thomas talked about Luke’s ranch experience with Thomas
asking questions and Luke responding. By the time they finished, Luke had
agreed to go with Thomas each morning and evening to check on the cattle out in
the meadow. It wasn’t a real open meadow, but more of a bowl which kept the
worst of the cold, snow and sleet from the animals. There was also a large
shelter, not big enough for all of them at once, but they could move about and
share the space as needed. Thomas said he’d been doing it this way for decades
and had never lost an animal to the weather.
Actually, Thomas talked about how he and Luke would make those
trips, but Luke already knew Thomas would be staying behind if Hannah had
anything to do with it. Thomas also wanted Luke to help Hannah in the barn and
to take her into town once a week to pick up supplies. Thomas said he’d been
doing it, but Hannah had been getting upset about him driving her around and
doing stuff he’d always done.
“Well, sir, maybe you need to look at things a bit from Hannah’s point
of view. She told me you had a heart attack last year; and while she may not
say anything to you, I think she’s mighty scared you’re going to overdo and end
up back in the hospital.”
“That ain’t a gonna happen, I goddamn guarantee it.” Thomas
snapped back. “I may be older than dirt, but I’m in good shape and don’t have
any plans to go back to the hospital any time soon.”
“Maybe now that I’m here, you could ease Hannah’s mind by doing a
bit less, especially when it’s so cold outside.”
“Hmmm, I’ll give it a think. Now, do you s’pose you could fill up
my coffee cup again?”
They spent the rest of the afternoon talking about this and that
and getting to know one another. Luke found Thomas to be a very interesting
rancher who’d been born in the house and lived his entire life on the land. He
envied Thomas his background and knowledge of who and what he was. Luke had
never really known his own father or grandparents. His mom had had a series of
men that came and went in their lives until Luke felt he was old enough to go
out on his own even though he was only 16. He didn’t tell Thomas any of this
because it was an embarrassment.
Hannah returned to the kitchen and began to make what Luke assumed
would be dinner. “Can I give you a hand with anything?” Luke asked.
“No thank you. Granny taught me how to make this venison stew and
it doesn’t take but two hands. Appreciate the offer though. Once we get it on
the stove, it will be time to go check on the cattle.”
“Luke and I’ll be doin’ that,” Thomas said a bit loudly.
“No, you won’t be doin’ that, Gramps. You’re going to stay here
and make sure this stew doesn’t boil over on the stove. It’ll be much quicker
for me and Luke to make that little trip.”
Thomas started to get up, saying, “Now Han….”
Hannah turned from the counter and looked at Thomas. Her eyes were
wide open and her chin quivered. “Please gramps. Please just humor me. Let me
and Luke go to the meadow.”
“Well, if you’re gonna get all upset, fine. I’ll just stay here.”
Thomas slumped back into his chair.
Hannah danced across the room, bent down to hug and kiss him. “Thank
you gramps. Thank you. That makes me so happy.”
Thomas grunted, but Luke could tell he was pleased by Hannah’s
attention.
The cattle were just fine and Luke was amazed at their location. It
really was a little bowl surrounded by forest and small hills that kept the
wind from blowing through. Then it was back to check the horses in the barn,
give them some grain and hay and finally back to the house for some very tasty
venison stew and fresh bread rolls.
Luke leaned back in his chair and looked at Hannah calmly eating
her own dinner. She seemed to be able to do almost anything the ranch and her
grandfather required. He wondered how he was supposed to get close enough to
her to fulfill the job he’d actually been hired to do. Well, he thought, this
was only the first day and it had seemed to go fairly well. I’ll just have to
have a little patience and look for ways in which I can become indispensable to
not just Thomas, but especially to Hannah.
At that point Hannah looked up. Luke smiled and winked. Hannah
looked away.
No comments:
Post a Comment