has.”
Bob chuckled and waved his
hand to indicate that Jory make a right turn onto an even smaller road.
“I can promise you that he ain’t. Rance Howell is tough as new leather,
but he’s dang near as old as I am. I know I ain’t up to the ever’ day
hard work that I used to do, but he ain’t got to that point yet. It’ll
take him a while to get there. Me, I’m glad to make sure the boys feed the
horses and keep the stalls clean,” he grinned back toward Raale. “And to
teach city girls how to ride, but you ain’t gonna catch me dropping no rope
over a steer’s head or throwing bales of hay up on the hay wagon. I’m too
old for that.”
“Bob,” Mesa spoke from the
back seat. “When’s the last time you saw Uncle Rance?”
“Sunday afternoon me’n Gibby
went to see him. He’s shore wantin’ to come home.” The man’s voice
sounded wistfully soft. “I’d a brought him, too, but I knew Ms. Shirley’d
be down here raising he…” Remembering the child in the back seat, he
amended the word he’d begun. “Eck. She ain’t made no secret that
she wants him left up there at the home.”
“Are the doctors ready to let
him leave?” Jory joined the conversation.
Bob shrugged. “What
good’s it do to ask about somethin’ that can’t happen? It’d just get his
hopes up for a let-down. That ain’t good for us old folks.”
Mesa reached up and patted
the old man’s boney shoulder. “Well, he is coming home. I’ll
hire a couple of nurses to help out for a while, but Uncle Rance is not staying
up there any longer than the doctor thinks necessary.”
The old cowboy flashed a
smile at her as he pointed at the house sitting on the edge of a fifteen acre
lake. “Just pull up there next to the porch. The boys’ll be here in a
minute to get y’all’s stuff unloaded.”
“Oh my goodness!” Mesa
exclaimed. “Uncle Rance said he’d made some improvements, but I didn’t
know he’d built on to the cabin.”
They were looking at a large
two-story log cabin with a wrap-around-porch; nestled back against a stand of
evergreen trees that edged the lake.
Bob hopped out of the SUV and
pulled Mesa’s door open. He was grinning from ear to ear. “Rance
and the boys did most of the work themselves.”
She just stood drinking in
the sight. She’d expected the rustic four room cabin Rance had moved into
all those years ago and this was certainly way beyond that.
“Rance was seeing a woman
from town sometime back and I think he was planning to get married, but she got
the cancer three years ago and moved up north to live with her son and his
wife. She died after about a year. Rance went all the way up there
for the funeral.” Bob explained the changes. “When they was
planning to get married, they wanted room for her family to come visit. I
was sorry it didn’t work out. That’s probably the happiest I ever seen
Rance.”
“Mom,” Raale tugged on her
mother’s hand. “Can we go inside? I needs to potty.”
Mesa laughed and started
toward the cabin. “This is so much better than I expected. I think
I remember there used to just be an outhouse.”
“What’s a outhouse?” Raale
queried.
Bob chuckled as he followed
them.
“Well,” Mesa turned the
question over in her mind a few times trying to decide how to answer.
“It’s an out-door bathroom, except there isn’t anything in it but the potty
seat and that’s made out of wood, and it doesn’t flush.”
Raale paused, her dark eyes
searching her mother’s face to decide if she was kidding. “Ewww.
For real?”
When her mom nodded, she
sighed deeply. “Well, I’n glad it’s not like dat anymore. I’d be
scared to go dere.”
The ranch hands arrived and
made short work of unloading the SUV and putting the contents where they were
told, while Mesa, Jory and Raale explored the house.
Inside, they were delighted
to discover three bedrooms on the
Bob chuckled and waved his
hand to indicate that Jory make a right turn onto an even smaller road.
“I can promise you that he ain’t. Rance Howell is tough as new leather,
but he’s dang near as old as I am. I know I ain’t up to the ever’ day
hard work that I used to do, but he ain’t got to that point yet. It’ll
take him a while to get there. Me, I’m glad to make sure the boys feed the
horses and keep the stalls clean,” he grinned back toward Raale. “And to
teach city girls how to ride, but you ain’t gonna catch me dropping no rope
over a steer’s head or throwing bales of hay up on the hay wagon. I’m too
old for that.”
“Bob,” Mesa spoke from the
back seat. “When’s the last time you saw Uncle Rance?”
“Sunday afternoon me’n Gibby
went to see him. He’s shore wantin’ to come home.” The man’s voice
sounded wistfully soft. “I’d a brought him, too, but I knew Ms. Shirley’d
be down here raising he…” Remembering the child in the back seat, he
amended the word he’d begun. “Eck. She ain’t made no secret that
she wants him left up there at the home.”
“Are the doctors ready to let
him leave?” Jory joined the conversation.
Bob shrugged. “What
good’s it do to ask about somethin’ that can’t happen? It’d just get his
hopes up for a let-down. That ain’t good for us old folks.”
Mesa reached up and patted
the old man’s boney shoulder. “Well, he is coming home. I’ll
hire a couple of nurses to help out for a while, but Uncle Rance is not staying
up there any longer than the doctor thinks necessary.”
The old cowboy flashed a
smile at her as he pointed at the house sitting on the edge of a fifteen acre
lake. “Just pull up there next to the porch. The boys’ll be here in a
minute to get y’all’s stuff unloaded.”
“Oh my goodness!” Mesa
exclaimed. “Uncle Rance said he’d made some improvements, but I didn’t
know he’d built on to the cabin.”
They were looking at a large
two-story log cabin with a wrap-around-porch; nestled back against a stand of
evergreen trees that edged the lake.
Bob hopped out of the SUV and
pulled Mesa’s door open. He was grinning from ear to ear. “Rance
and the boys did most of the work themselves.”
She just stood drinking in
the sight. She’d expected the rustic four room cabin Rance had moved into
all those years ago and this was certainly way beyond that.
“Rance was seeing a woman
from town sometime back and I think he was planning to get married, but she got
the cancer three years ago and moved up north to live with her son and his
wife. She died after about a year. Rance went all the way up there
for the funeral.” Bob explained the changes. “When they was
planning to get married, they wanted room for her family to come visit. I
was sorry it didn’t work out. That’s probably the happiest I ever seen
Rance.”
“Mom,” Raale tugged on her
mother’s hand. “Can we go inside? I needs to potty.”
Mesa laughed and started
toward the cabin. “This is so much better than I expected. I think
I remember there used to just be an outhouse.”
“What’s a outhouse?” Raale
queried.
Bob chuckled as he followed
them.
“Well,” Mesa turned the
question over in her mind a few times trying to decide how to answer.
“It’s an out-door bathroom, except there isn’t anything in it but the potty
seat and that’s made out of wood, and it doesn’t flush.”
Raale paused, her dark eyes
searching her mother’s face to decide if she was kidding. “Ewww.
For real?”
When her mom nodded, she
sighed deeply. “Well, I’n glad it’s not like dat anymore. I’d be
scared to go dere.”
The ranch hands arrived and
made short work of unloading the SUV and putting the contents where they were
told, while Mesa, Jory and Raale explored the house.
Inside, they were delighted
to discover three bedrooms on the
Similar Books
