To Reap and to Sow by J. R. Roberts Page B

thing he wanted to think about was a good man like Wes losing a fine barn like this due to a careless fire being set.
    There were no hooks and no lanterns close enough to be a worry. That much, at least, put Clint’s mind to rest on the subject.
    But Clint’s mind wasn’t at rest.
    In fact, he couldn’t get his eyes off those rags. Something about the way they were just piled up there so carelessly made them stick out like a sore thumb. Clint looked around at the rest of the barn just to satisfy his own curiosity. He wasn’t about to go crawling around into every nook and cranny, but he could see more than enough to answer his question.
    The rest of the barn was, indeed, as tidy as he’d first thought. Clint couldn’t find one thing out of place apart from a few pieces of straw blowing across the floor or a small spot of chipped wood in one corner. Because of that, Clint found himself drawn back to the pile of rags.
    He shrugged and let out a breath. It seemed the rest of him wasn’t so quick to let its guard down. Too much time spent dodging bullets, he figured. It only seemed right that an hour on a quiet farm wouldn’t be enough to loosen all those knots he’d gained from having to draw blood to save his own life.
    Looking toward the door, Clint could hear Wes and Lynn laughing and talking some more. He decided to join them rather than spend another minute trying to figure out a pile of rags. He laughed once to himself and kicked the pile with his toe as if proving how silly his frayed instincts were.
    And, with that single tap of his toe, Clint was shown just how sharp his instincts were.
    The pile of rags wasn’t exactly what it seemed. In fact, the rags weren’t piled up at all. They were covering something. Clint’s boot had moved a few of them just enough for him to get a look at what they covered.
    â€œGood Lord,” he whispered as his eyes caught the sparkle of gold under the rags.
    He nudged the pile again to find underneath the rags a hunk of gold almost as big as his head. It was enough gold to steal the breath right out of him.

FOURTEEN
    Wes and Lynn didn’t even notice Clint as he walked out of the barn. They were so busy swapping stories that they seemed surprised when they finally caught sight of him.
    â€œThere you are,” Lynn said. “Is Eclipse all settled in?”
    Clint nodded and replied, “Yep. I just hope he doesn’t get to liking it too much in there. He might get spoiled.”
    â€œA happy horse runs faster,” Wes said. “Don’t worry none about his feed, though. I don’t have anything in there that’d do him any harm.”
    â€œI’m sure you don’t,” Clint said. “This is a fine place you have here.”
    â€œThank you kindly.”
    Making sure to watch Wes carefully, Clint added, “I wandered over to get a look in your barn. Hope you don’t mind.”
    Wes may have flinched a bit, but it wasn’t anything too serious. The older man nodded and put on a shaky smile. “If you like what you saw, I’ve got plenty of work for you to do.”
    â€œI may just take you up on that,” Clint replied.
    Both Lynn and Wes looked at him with an equal amount of shock on their faces. “You would?” they both asked in unison.
    Clint laughed at their reaction and shrugged. “I can think of plenty worse places to spend some time. Of course, I wouldn’t want to impose or go where I’m not wanted.”
    Wes started walking toward the house. “You don’t have to do any work around here. You’re welcome to have something to eat and stay as long as you like.” When he reached the top of the steps leading to the front porch of his house, he stopped and pointed down the road. “Here comes Tina.”
    Lynn spun around on the balls of her feet and pulled in a deep breath. When she saw who was driving the one-horse cart approaching the