Chapter 6
Chapter Six
Chirping birds penetrated the fog of sleep, and Felix cracked open his eyes.
Where did the birds come from? Cheerful birds.
Were they inside? He studied the wall. Not his wall.
He bolted upright. His eyes darted around the room.
Then it hit him. Sterling Ranch. He yawned, stretched, rubbed his eyes, and climbed out of bed.
At the window, he parted the billowing curtains.
The cool morning breeze grazed his skin.
Goosebumps traveled down his stomach and legs as he gazed out the window.
The two large oak trees housed the birds, chirping a happy song about the new day.
Between the trees, he spied the sun peeking over a distant mesa, bathing the ranch in rich, yellow light.
A distant voice sounded outside, and he figured it was Joey taking care of the animals.
He poured water into the basin and splashed the cold liquid on his face.
He considered a shave but decided against it.
Since Joey’s handsome face sported stubble, why not his?
Handsome face? What was he thinking? He remembered asking his father about a man who had been in the store, and Felix referred to the man as handsome.
The scowl on his father’s face was his first clue to his erroneous thinking, or at least the error of his speaking.
The second clue was his father’s stern voice admonishing him for thinking of another man as anything but rugged.
Sighing, he grabbed a spare handkerchief from his bag, wet it in the basin, and washed under his arms and between his legs.
He wet the cloth again, squeezed out the water, hung it on the rail over the basin, and reached for his boxers and socks, both of which were well aired overnight.
He dressed and headed downstairs, his boots echoing on the wooden stairs.
In the kitchen, Grover’s deep, resonant voice greeted him. “Good morning, Felix. The outhouse is out the back door and down the path. You’ll have no trouble finding it in the morning light.”
“Thanks, Mr. Sterling.” Felix crossed the kitchen to the open back door. “Morning, Mrs. Sterling.”
“Mornin', Felix.”
The hinges squeaked as he nudged the screen door open and clomped down the steps.
The door banged shut behind him. The well-worn trail led him toward the outhouse.
Ambling down the path, he took a lungful of the fresh, cool morning air.
Life on a ranch seemed relaxing and pleasant.
After all, he was roughing it. The left door squealed as he pulled it open.
He had used an outhouse at school. Still, he grimaced as he tugged down his pants and placed his butt in the oval opening cut into the flat surface.
A mail-order catalog lay next to him, with several pages torn out.
He figured out what it was for besides passing the time.
He finished, returned to the kitchen, and washed his hands before turning toward the table. Mabel reached for Felix and hugged him. “Did you sleep okay?”
His family didn’t hug or show other affection. Felix discovered he liked the Sterling hugging. He returned the hug as best he could, given his inexperience. He had no idea how long hugs should last, so he stepped back. “I slept very well, Mrs. Sterling. Thank you.”
“Oh, honey, let’s not be so formal.” She wrapped a hand around his bicep. “You’re family to us while you’re here. Why don’t you call me Ma Sterling, and you can call Grover Pa Sterling.”
“Thanks, Ma Sterling. I like that.” Felix grinned.
On the surprise ride to the ranch yesterday, he figured being stuck in the middle of nowhere with strangers would be uncomfortable.
Still, the Sterlings were not strange at all.
He wished his own family were as relaxed and friendly.
He shuddered at the thought of his mother motioning toward his father and saying, 'You can call him Pa.
It was so ridiculous it almost made him laugh.
But he managed to keep it to a tight-lipped smile.
The screen door hinges squeaked, and Joey stomped the dust off his boots before coming in and letting the door bang shut behind him.
His gaze drifted toward Felix, and his face broke into a smile.
“Hey, Felix. It’s good to see you up and at ’em this morning.
” He hung his hat on the wall rack by the back door, glancing at his mother while he did so.
“Joey, don’t slam the door.” Ma Sterling scolded him.
“Sorry, ma.” Joey washed his hands in the sink and wiped them on his pants to dry.
“Joey, towel.” Ma tsk’d at him.
“Where have you been, Joey?” Felix stood behind the same chair he occupied at supper the night before, hands on the chair back.
“Out tending to the horses.” Joey grabbed the kitchen towel and finished drying his hands. “I always check on them first thing, making sure the food and water supplies didn’t run out overnight.”
Felix remembered Pa Sterling saying something about him learning to be a cowboy. He figured being a cowboy included taking care of the horses. He did that in Blackfield, so he would pick it up the easiest. He pointed at Joey. “Next time, wake me. I’m here to help.”
“Tomorrow.” Joey winked. “This is your first full day. We’ll explore the ranch today and work you into the routine.”
The pleasing sensation flowed through Felix’s stomach at Joey’s wink.
Some sort of private signal between them.
He enjoyed the idea of signals between him and Joey—unique signals between friends.
Special friends. How did he come to be eighteen without friends?
Oh yes, all the boys at school taunted him.
Did he cause it somehow? Did he expect them to dislike him and set them up to do so in his mind?
“Sit.” Mabel winked at Felix. “I’ll have your breakfast in a minute.”
“Thanks, Ma Sterling.” He sat, and the wonderful aroma of frying bacon made his stomach rumble.
Mabel came and tousled his hair. “Somebody’s hungry this morning.” She winked again at Felix.
Felix caught the winks. Perhaps it was a Sterling thing. First Joey, then Ma Sterling. He realized a smile took over his face. He didn’t smile much at home. But here, a smile on his face seemed natural.
Mabel put plates of bacon and eggs in front of each man. Butter and a crock of homemade peach jam were already on the table. A platter of steaming, homemade baking powder biscuits clunked at the center of the table before she sat with her men.
The conversation died while they ate. Felix gobbled down the eggs and bacon, then dragged the last bit of biscuit across his plate to scrape up every morsel, popping it in his mouth and licking his fingers.
He couldn’t figure out if being on the ranch or having his new family made it so good.
Felix’s mother cooked, but nothing like this.
Joey laughed at him. “You want jam for those fingers, Felix?”
Grover chuckled, and Mabel reached over and tugged his ear. “You go right ahead and lick those fingers, Felix. Don’t pay Joey no mind.”
Felix smiled and talked around the biscuit stuffed in his cheek. “Thanks, Ma Sterling.”
Joey’s chair scraped the floor as he stood. “You ready to go for a ride, Felix?”
“You bet. I’m ready to saddle up Sparkle and ride the ranch.”
“You’re giving him Sparkle?” Grover hid a smile behind his mug of coffee, poised for a sip.
“He said he wants a spirited horse, Pa. Sparkle is gentle-spirited, so perfect for Felix, I’m thinking.”
“Okay,” Grover shook his head and spoke with a chuckle. “If you think he’s ready.”
After watching the exchange between Joey and Pa Sterling, Felix pushed his chair back and stood. “I rode a horse most of my life, Pa Sterling. I can handle a horse with spirit.”
Grover smiled. “If Sparkle gives you any trouble, you tell Joey, okay?”
“I’ll be fine, Pa Sterling. I’m looking forward to having Joey show me around.” Felix hoped his confidence came through in his words. He needed his new summer family to trust him. And to prove to himself that he could do whatever they expected.
Joey started for the back door, then stopped and turned to Felix. “I need to run upstairs for something. I’ll be right back.” He bounded out of the kitchen.
Joey’s boots clomped up the stairs two at a time, then pounded the floor to his room and back to the stairs.
Curiosity gnawed at Felix. Was this a ranch thing? A cowboy thing? He grabbed his old brown fedora from the hat rack on the wall next to the door. “What’s he doing?”
Ma Sterling gazed at the ceiling as boots clomped the upstairs hall. “I have no idea.”
Heavy footfalls tromped down the stairs and back through the hallway into the kitchen. In Joey’s hands, a hat. With a broad grin, still breathing hard, Joey presented Felix with a light gray cowboy hat that looked new. “You’ll need this while you’re here.”
Felix didn’t know what to say or do. Nobody ever gave him anything except on Christmas or his birthday. “Joey, I…” Words caught in his throat.
“You’re here to learn to be a rancher, right, Felix?”
The sincerity in Joey’s eyes told Felix this gift came from the heart. He nodded.
“Ranchers wear cowboy hats. I have one. You don’t. Your hat is fine for riding around town, but I want you to wear this one.”
With shaking hands, Felix removed his old hat, accepted the new hat, and tried it on. It fit much better than the old battered brown fedora he brought from home. He glanced at Joey. “How does it look?”
“Perfect.” Joey’s smile lit up his eyes.
“Joey, that’s your best hat.” Mabel smiled and reached to adjust the hat on Felix’s head.
“But Ma, Felix needs a ranch hat, and I don’t use this one much.” Joey toed the floor with his boot, tossing a sheepish glance at Felix from the corner of his eye. “Besides, Felix is my best friend, so he deserves my best hat.”