“Reckon when you’d rather be doing something else,” said Bernie.
“Yes, sir. Pa wanted to work in a bank and count money.”
“Does sound easier.” He loosened the reins from the post. “But there’s something to be said about money earned doing physical labor.” The boy hung on his every word and Bernie sensed the lad missed conversing with a man. “Before we go for more water, let’s bed Blaze down. He’s yearning for a dry place to spend the night.”
“Are you sleeping over, mister?”
“If you’re good with the arrangement,” said Bernie. “Sure would like to keep an eye on your mother until she’s up and around.”
“Where will you sleep?”
“On that rug in front of the fireplace since you got it all warmed up for me.”
“Suppose that’d be all right,” said Davey. “Last man that tried to sleep over got walked to the end of the lane at the end of Ma’s gun. When she came back, all the doors and windows got locked and she let me sleep in the big bed that night.”
“Your Ma sounds like a spitfire.”
“Sure is. Pappy said even though she was a little itty-bitty gal, her heart and character was bigger than the whole country.” Davey swung open the barn door. “You traveled the whole country, mister?”
“A lot, but not all of it.” He glanced around the barn, also in sad need of repair. “I see you have a milking cow.”
“Yeah, Ma says milk’s important for a growing boy. But she really wants chickens more than anything in the world. Pa got extra wood stacked in the barn to build the coop and sometimes we sit on the pile and count the imaginary birds that will live there. It’s kind of fun to be silly sometimes, don’t you think?”
“Laughing keeps your spirit up. No harm in it.” He scrunched his brows and stared at Davey. “Did you say chickens were your mother’s biggest wish?”
“Oh, no sir. Her biggest wish is to see me go to school again next fall.”
“Is there a reason why you can’t? Belle is not too far away.”
“Only went two weeks, then Pa died and the horse went lame and needed to be put down. The old wagon we came west in is all tuckered out and stuck under a pile of snow. Makes Ma cry when she sees all the work that she can’t do, so we don’t talk about it.”
“I happen to know how to do a few things, and I could teach you. Just while your Ma is getting better.”
“That’d be nice, mister.” Davey brightened and it did Bernie’s heart good to see the sadness disappear from his eyes.
“Why don’t you call me Bernie?”
“Ma says it’s not polite to call big people by their first name.”
“Suppose she’s got a point, and good manners are mighty important. Why don’t you call me Mr. B – short for Bernie Drysdale? Sort of sounds more like we’re starting out on friendly footing.”
Davey opened the gate leading into one of the stalls. “You can put Blaze here, Mr. B. He’s a grand looking animal. Bet he could pull that old plow without breaking a sweat.”
“He’s never tried, but you’re probably right. Blaze usually does whatever I ask him.”
Bernie threw his saddle and blanket over a rail and took a brush and gave his horse a few quick swipes. Davey arrived with an armload of hay. “Blaze may as well eat Gerties share. The old people just left all their summer hay here in the barn. Made Ma really happy. Said they were generous folks, but Pa said they wouldn’t need it in the city and left it behind for the greenhorn farmers.” He ran to the corner and came back with a pail half full of water. “Blaze can drink from her bucket too.”
“Do you miss spending time with a horse? Know I’d be lost if I didn’t have Blaze to talk to.”
“Horses don’t talk, Mr. B,” Davey said in a tone that suggested Bernie should know better. “Used to come to the barn to help with the chores and never once heard old Gertie utter a word I understood. A lot of neighing and nickering.” He imitated the horse’s actions while making his version of the sounds. Eventually, he dropped onto the dry straw and rested his elbows on the feed bin. “Ma says the long trip west and then falling on the ground is what done her in.” A slow grin spread across his face. “I’ll bet you figured I was trying to make your Blaze sick with bad hay – so you’d have to stay forever.” The boy bit his lip and kicked at the rails that formed the walls of the stall. “Sorry. Pappy said when my mouth got loose there was no stopping the nonsense that worked its way out. We best be filling the water pail again and get back to the house with Ma.”
“Lead on.” Davey raced ahead, and Bernie marveled at his way of jumping from sadness to excitement in the blink of an eye. He could easily grow to like this lad.
Chapter 3
Bernie found the makings for a soup base in a cupboard where other skimpy food supplies sat. A few spices flavored the small pot, enough to make it passable for the woman when she wakened. Leastways Bernie hoped she’d waken and wondered if he ought to ride back to town for the doctor. Davey said it had been two days. If the fever didn’t break tonight, he’d go first thing in the morning.
Davey pointed him to a large
