#65c
Wayne ate dinner fast, wanting to have a look at the lower pasture fence before they let the stock out and he had to go to work. Willie materialized out of nowhere, asking if he could go along.
"Sure, tell Clora where your going and get your duds on," Wayne was an agreeable sort as long as the kids were tall enough to do their own walking. He was intently trying to get over his problem, thinking he couldn't act that way with Lilly and her girls.
Lilly had already declined to a pasture stroll in the rain, her girls frozen at the thought of going with the lanky man.
Wayne and Willie were at the junction of the driveway and the county road when Will came cruisin up, on his way home after a double shift.
"Hey Dad, man you look terrible," Willie stared at his Dad.
"Thanks kid, I really need encouragement," Will said tiredly. "I came to get you and take you back to school before I crash in bed."
"Hey Dad, the guy's had to do some shooting last night, it was cool. Some dude was trying to kill one of the steers." Willie was impressed with the physical side of the confront ration.
"Shootin huh?" Will passed his hand over his face. "Anyone get hurt?"
"We don't think so, Ben wanted Mark to do two warning shots and we're on our way to have a look. Want to come along?" Wayne asked, wondering if Will should be out driving at all. He did look wrung out.
"Yeah, has anybody been there yet?" Will didn't want to try and investigate a contaminated site.
"Don't think so," Wayne reiterated, "see there," and he indicated the ground covered with glass nubbins where Mark shot out the windshield. And the other one hit the fence about here," he pointed to the shattered board. "This has to be repaired before the cows can use the paddock," he muttered to himself.
"This explains a couple of things," Will harrumphed a small laugh. "The hospital called last night, they had a couple of guys with glass cuts that were covered with manure. They thought perhaps the kids had been in a car wreck, so they let us know."
Will thought for a minute, and then decided to cue Wayne in on another interesting fact. "There was a woman with that assortment of gobblins, and I'm pretty sure it was Deena."
Wayne shrugged like it was no big deal, "Dad," Willie interrupted, "Wayne wants to marry Lilly, he asked her last night."
Will just shook his head as he bird dogged the tracks, glass and any possible piece of evidence. It took a notebook to keep track of the family members, so he let Willie's announcement go in one ear and out the other.
"I've got to get ready for work, how about I take Willie back to the school?" Wayne offered, and shot a look at Willie to see if he was agreeable.
It was so tempting that Will nodded, checking with Willie as he yawned.
"Dad, you're like a dead man walking, you'd better get to bed. How come you worked a double shift anyway," Willie halfway scolded.
"Tuition is due at the first of the year sport, this.." and Will pointed to himself, "is what fuels your schooling." he smiled wryly as he reached out to pretend cuff his son.
"Yes Sir! Thank you Sir!" Willie snapped out and sent his father a salute. Laughing, he danced the boxer training dance just out of reach.
"Brat." Willie smiled proudly at his son. "If you would Wayne, it would be very appreciated." the lawman was slowly relaxing and letting his fatigue show. The rain started in sheeting curtains, cutting short the stand around and BS session. Wayne and Willie piled in the the junker car to get out of the rain, hooting as Will moved slower and got pretty wet.
Clora had Wayne's lunch and supper packaged in his soft sided cooler, two Thermos's of coffee and a hard plastic container full of cookies. Wayne sent a sideways glance to Lilly and said aloud, "Clora, if you weren't married, I'd sweep you off your feet, thank you."
"You're my brother, you big goof, knock it off," Clora ordered without turning around from the stove. "Be careful or I'll send liver sausage sandwiches next time in your lunch." That was enough of a threat to straighten Wayne right out. The man positively abhorred anything liver, and Clora used that to her advantage.
Lilly swiveled her head following the exchange between Wayne and Clora, acting amazed that Clora would back talk to her brother. When she caught Wayne looking at her, she shut down and turned out the lights within. Wayne gathered up Willie, his books, papers and uniform and off they went into the raging storm.
Clora finished browning the roast she intended for supper, added a bit of coffee to the Dutch Oven and placed it carefully in the oven. A roast for Sunday supper was a left over habit from Grandma Evie. If they could afford meat, Grandma always sprang for Sunday roast.
In a small way, that kept Evie alive in Clora's heart, simple pleasures from a long ago remembrance in time. Clora felt so energized and alive, she was a whirling dervish as she spun through the house sending Wayne off to work and Will upstairs to sleep. Mark retreated to the living room with the paper and Lilly and girls went to the school room where they huddled over some of the library books.
Clora made a rice pudding to cook with the roast, started rolls to raise, set the sponge for a sourdough batch of bread. Just for fun she opened the cupboard over the sink and cleaned, inventoried and re arranged the seldom used stacks of platters and 'good' serving bowls. Finished, she was looking for another task when Mark called from the front room. "Come in and sit down, for heaven's sake, it's Sunday," he protested.
Clora had to straighten the living room before she could sit down and read a portion of the paper. The afternoon was fading into dusk when the lights went out.