neck.
“Good. I’ll leave you to Chuck. He’ll show you the ropes, literally,” Tess said with a smile. As she turned to mount Stella, Pedro quickly stood beside her.
“Gracias, señorita ,” he whispered and held out his hand.
“De nada,” Tess said. “And that is the extent of my Spanish.” She turned to Manny. “Please tell your father it is I who thank him for helping us.”
Manny nodded and spoke to his father, who watched Tess. When he spoke to his son, Tess waited for the translation.
“My father said we will work hard to bring the cattle to market. This is a beautiful ranch with good pastures.”
Tess nodded and looked around. “Like a sea of grass.”
“Mar de hierba ,” Manny said to his father.
“Ah,” Pedro said and smiled. “ Sí .” He bent down and plucked a few blades of the thick grass. “Mar de hierba . Bueno .”
“Let’s hope it’s very bueno .” Tess mounted Stella and pulled at the reins. “It sounds so romantic when they say it,” she said to Chuck.
“Good morning, Mrs. Redmond,” Jed called out from the doorway of the kitchen.
“Good morning.”
“Everything go all right this morning?”
“Very well. All the men fed and on their way. Your daughter included.”
“They’ll be gone most of the day so you won’t have to worry about lunch. However…”
“I know. Come six o’clock, there will be several hungry men ready for dinner.”
Jack walked in sleepily behind him. Jed turned and laughed at the tousled dark brown hair and sleepy face. “Well, good morning, Jack.”
“Hi, Mr. Rawlins.” He yawned and slipped into a chair. His mother ruffled his head and put a glass of orange juice in front of both of them.
Jed watched the boy with interest. He reminded him of Stephen when he was a teenager. Steve was a quiet child, so unlike Tess, who was running any time her feet hit the ground. The tortoise and the hare, he thought.
“Mr. Rawlins?” Jack asked, breaking him from his reverie.
Jed blinked a couple of times and looked over at Jack. “I’m sorry. I was daydreaming, son,” he said fondly.
“I was just asking if it was okay if I went to the stable to see Clover,” Jack asked as he ate his cereal. Jed smiled tenderly at the youngster. His mother watched the quiet scene.
“Sure you can. I bet she misses you,” Jed said with a smile.
“Thanks. I miss her, too. Is it dumb to miss a cow?” He looked up from his cereal.
So much like Steve, he thought. He shook his head. “No, it’s not dumb at all.”
“Good. Okay, I’m done. See ya,” he said quickly and slid off his chair.
“Hold on, young man. Wash your hands,” his mother said and pointed to the sink.
“But I’ll just get them dirty in the stable,” he grumbled but obeyed. He looked at Jed. “She has a thing about clean hands,” he whispered.
Jed chuckled as he drank his coffee and leaned in. “It’s a mom thing. Go on now, do as you’re told,” he said with a wink.
Jack ran to the sink, splashed water on his hands, dragged them through a towel, and dashed out the screen door. Both adults laughed at the retreating figure.
“He’s a good boy, Mrs. Redmond. You can be proud of him. He reminds me of my son, Steve, when he was a young one.”
“Tess mentioned having a brother. Does he live here, as well?” she asked as she cleaned the dishes. When Jed didn’t answer right away, she looked back at the table. The look on his face made her heart ache.
He stared off and looked as if he may break down. He shook his head. “No, Mrs. Redmond. My son died in a riding accident a couple of years ago. He was thrown from his horse,” he said, and Mrs. Redmond heard the incredulous undertone.
“Oh, God, I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be, you had no way of knowing.”
Mrs. Rawlins sank in a chair across from him, shaking her head. “Unbelievable,” she whispered sadly.
“Yes, it was. He was an excellent rider just like Tess,” he said and chuckled. “They
“Good. I’ll leave you to Chuck. He’ll show you the ropes, literally,” Tess said with a smile. As she turned to mount Stella, Pedro quickly stood beside her.
“Gracias, señorita ,” he whispered and held out his hand.
“De nada,” Tess said. “And that is the extent of my Spanish.” She turned to Manny. “Please tell your father it is I who thank him for helping us.”
Manny nodded and spoke to his father, who watched Tess. When he spoke to his son, Tess waited for the translation.
“My father said we will work hard to bring the cattle to market. This is a beautiful ranch with good pastures.”
Tess nodded and looked around. “Like a sea of grass.”
“Mar de hierba ,” Manny said to his father.
“Ah,” Pedro said and smiled. “ Sí .” He bent down and plucked a few blades of the thick grass. “Mar de hierba . Bueno .”
“Let’s hope it’s very bueno .” Tess mounted Stella and pulled at the reins. “It sounds so romantic when they say it,” she said to Chuck.
“Good morning, Mrs. Redmond,” Jed called out from the doorway of the kitchen.
“Good morning.”
“Everything go all right this morning?”
“Very well. All the men fed and on their way. Your daughter included.”
“They’ll be gone most of the day so you won’t have to worry about lunch. However…”
“I know. Come six o’clock, there will be several hungry men ready for dinner.”
Jack walked in sleepily behind him. Jed turned and laughed at the tousled dark brown hair and sleepy face. “Well, good morning, Jack.”
“Hi, Mr. Rawlins.” He yawned and slipped into a chair. His mother ruffled his head and put a glass of orange juice in front of both of them.
Jed watched the boy with interest. He reminded him of Stephen when he was a teenager. Steve was a quiet child, so unlike Tess, who was running any time her feet hit the ground. The tortoise and the hare, he thought.
“Mr. Rawlins?” Jack asked, breaking him from his reverie.
Jed blinked a couple of times and looked over at Jack. “I’m sorry. I was daydreaming, son,” he said fondly.
“I was just asking if it was okay if I went to the stable to see Clover,” Jack asked as he ate his cereal. Jed smiled tenderly at the youngster. His mother watched the quiet scene.
“Sure you can. I bet she misses you,” Jed said with a smile.
“Thanks. I miss her, too. Is it dumb to miss a cow?” He looked up from his cereal.
So much like Steve, he thought. He shook his head. “No, it’s not dumb at all.”
“Good. Okay, I’m done. See ya,” he said quickly and slid off his chair.
“Hold on, young man. Wash your hands,” his mother said and pointed to the sink.
“But I’ll just get them dirty in the stable,” he grumbled but obeyed. He looked at Jed. “She has a thing about clean hands,” he whispered.
Jed chuckled as he drank his coffee and leaned in. “It’s a mom thing. Go on now, do as you’re told,” he said with a wink.
Jack ran to the sink, splashed water on his hands, dragged them through a towel, and dashed out the screen door. Both adults laughed at the retreating figure.
“He’s a good boy, Mrs. Redmond. You can be proud of him. He reminds me of my son, Steve, when he was a young one.”
“Tess mentioned having a brother. Does he live here, as well?” she asked as she cleaned the dishes. When Jed didn’t answer right away, she looked back at the table. The look on his face made her heart ache.
He stared off and looked as if he may break down. He shook his head. “No, Mrs. Redmond. My son died in a riding accident a couple of years ago. He was thrown from his horse,” he said, and Mrs. Redmond heard the incredulous undertone.
“Oh, God, I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be, you had no way of knowing.”
Mrs. Rawlins sank in a chair across from him, shaking her head. “Unbelievable,” she whispered sadly.
“Yes, it was. He was an excellent rider just like Tess,” he said and chuckled. “They
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