Page 63 of On the Land, We Shoot Straight
“Reckon we got ’em all?” Cole asked.
“I reckon.”
“I saw the flock huddled under the far trees,” Cole said, his smile beaming at the lamb pushing into his hand and taking the bottle. “Reckon they got some good shelter.”
“I reckon.”
Grady picked his way through the lambs and threw the towel he had in his hands over Cole’s shirt where it was soaked through from his hair.
“You should go on up and shower,” Grady said. He pressed the towel around Cole and felt the water seep through it. Cole shivered.
“I just got one more.”
“I’ll do it.”
Cole looked up at him as the lamb he was currently feeding kept butting the empty bottle for more milk.
“You know how?”
Grady huffed at him.
“All right, all right.” Cole straightened, handed him the bottle, and went to leave the room.
Grady crouched in front of the last lamb, held the bottle up and pressed it to his mouth. The lamb got the message, went to his elbows and started drinking.
“Good,” Cole said from behind him.
Grady looked over his shoulder and raised both eyebrows. “You reckon I ain’t done this before?”
Cole shrugged. “Ain’t no tellin’ with you guys.”
Grady shook his head and turned back to the lamb. He was the smallest one, the one they’d yanked from between the tree.
“Go on and shower, I’ve gotta make these beds up since they beddin’ in here now.”
“Well, they can’t be outside.”
“They’re normally outside,” Grady muttered. He heard Cole mumble something in response but chose not to hear it.
Cole came back in not ten minutes later like he’d rushed through showering to check that Grady had done it all properly. He nodded his approval when he saw all the lambs in little makeshift blanket beds around the fire, the grill put up to protect them from getting too close.
Grady was sitting back against the couch, thinking he needed a warm drink and something to eat, and he was going to need to check the sheep and the fences again at first light.
Cole told him to stay there, and Grady heard him moving about in the kitchen. He came back in and handed Grady a plate of heated-up mashed potatoes and stew and a mug of coffee.Cole sat in the armchair with his own food and drink and Grady thanked him.
“Old Man Willy was right,” Grady said once he’d finished eating.
He heard Cole’s cutlery clatter, and he looked up at him.
“What?” Cole asked.
“Willy reckoned I shoulda got the shearing done earlier.”
Cole nodded curtly. He looked down at his plate. It wasn’t like him not to have something to say on Grady’s opinion on how things were done. His jaw was clenched, and he’d gone a paler shade of white. Grady tried to catch his eye.
“You all right?”
Cole jerked his head.
