Page 11 of On the Land, We Shoot Straight
“Nope.” Grady started to head for the front. They’d barely put the crop in and people were already asking about Harvest Fest. Grady wasn’t a superstitious man, but he couldn’t see the sense in tempting fate like that. Not that he’d been to Harvest Fest since he left high school anyway.
Joel fell into step behind him and hummed. “Reckon it’ll be good this year. Some city bands are comin’ down.”
Grady didn’t have anything to say to that, so he said nothing.
They stepped back outside into the drizzle and headed for the parking lot behind the diner, pausing as a big rig slowed and made the wide turn for the road that’d take him to the interstate.
“Next month?” Joel asked as Grady got to his truck.
“Probably.” Grady got in and started the engine.
9
T
he sheep were spreadout around the house, neatly penned in and munching on the weeds under a flutter of light rain as Grady pulled up. He got out and Lady and Dog sniffed at his legs. He walked over to the house, unclipped the gate, and saw Cole sitting on the top step, a book resting open on his thighs.
“Hey,” Grady said as he came up the path, the sheep moving off at a quick walk as he passed.
“Hey,” Cole replied. “They’re lovin’ the grass. Was a bit dry out where they were.”
“Yep.” Grady swung himself down so he was sitting on the porch step below Cole, the wet seeping into his pants. It was a reverse of their positions from the night before.
They watched the sheep in silence. Grady glanced over his shoulder at the book in Cole’s lap. The pages were face up but Grady recognized it and snorted.
“What?” Cole asked.
“Don’t reckon that one’s gonna help either.”
Cole shook his head and smiled. “That’s not why I’m readin’ it,” Cole picked it up and marked his place with a sheet of torn newspaper, set the beat-up copy ofBlack Beautyaside.
“You get everything in town?” Cole asked after a while.
Grady pulled a packet of cigarettes out of his top pocket, tapped them on his thigh, slid the top one out between his lips, took out his lighter and lit it. He held the pack back to Cole.
“I’m good.”
Grady nodded and put the packet away. He slid the cigarette between his fingers, pulled it from between his lips and blew the smoke out.
“Got everything I needed in town,” he said.
“Cool.”
Grady glanced at him. He was sitting forward with his arms wrapped around his legs, eyes on the sheep. When Grady turned, Cole met his eyes and smiled, a quick quirk of lips before he looked away again.
Grady focused on his cigarette.
“Didn’t know you smoked,” Cole said.
“And I didn’t know you talked this much.”
Cole scoffed. Grady grinned.
“I don’t.” Grady butted out the cigarette. “Just every now and then.”
Cole nodded, still with the hint of a smile as he looked back at the sheep. They were getting heavy with wool. Grady thought on how it’d have been better if he could’ve got them shorn sooner, but the team was booked up, and he’d had to settle for the date they offered. He could’ve used a different team, but waiting was better than making a shit job of it.
“You got a black one.” Cole jerked his head at the black juvenile by the fence.
