Chapter 2
Joseph Yellowtail was standing on the roof of the church, trying to figure out exactly the position to get into to fix the shingle that had come loose in the last storm.
He had been up on the church roof half a hundred times to fix the shingles, and he didn’t understand why they didn’t stay in the places he nailed them.
All the other buildings he worked on didn’t seem to have this problem, but there was something about the slope of the church’s roof that made it particularly tricky.
He didn’t mind; he was grateful for the distraction. Life hadn’t exactly been easy lately, with Daniel’s passing, and he was still trying to figure out what his next move was going to be.
Joseph’s mind flickered briefly to his mother, ten years gone now.
If he had been her, he would have packed up and moved on without a second thought.
She never stayed anywhere that held too many ghosts.
The ranch would be abandoned, a ranch that Joseph had worked on for nearly four years now, and all the animals would likely die or run free.
The roof there would fall in eventually, and the house that had been so warm and inviting would fall into ruin. However, it wasn’t as simple as leaving buildings and animals behind, and Joseph knew that.
“How is it going?” Nathan’s voice startled Joseph out of his thoughts. Joseph had known Nathan almost as long as he had known Daniel Pritchard. The three of them were fast friends, enjoying outdoor work with their hands, and new adventures.
Daniel and Nathan were just as open to going on a hunting trip with Joseph, using the Crow ways, as they were to walking through town with him, which Joseph knew was unusual. He knew there were many towns that wouldn’t be open to a Crow, or any tribal member, simply strolling through main street.
Joseph had always felt different from other Crows though. His mother had been nomadic, preferring to leave when things weren’t to her liking, and they moved from place to place often, either alone or with a couple other tribe members who shared a similar mindset.
Because of that, Joseph had never really learned to call anywhere home.
He made friends wherever he went, but Little Hope felt like his resting place for now.
In addition to Daniel and Nathan, he felt accepted by the congregation of the very church he was working on, even though he was honest that he wasn’t entirely sure what he believed.
When he had woken up one day and found his mother had passed from a sudden illness, with the cold winter air blowing outside, he had been so broken that he didn’t know what god to blame or lean into for his support.
The Christian Church in Little Hope had welcomed him with open arms, after he had moved around for years, and he had never thought about leaving again.
At least, he had never thought about it since Daniel died. Now, he wasn’t sure what to do.
“It’s alright,” Joseph answered. “It’s just this shingle. Again.”
“Let me help,” Nathan said, hauling himself the last few steps up the ladder and coming onto the roof with Joseph. “Careful, I’m coming over here.”
“This roof really isn’t a two-man standing situation,” Joseph said, managing a smile as he maneuvered around Nathan so he didn’t fall. Below them, the dirt almost sparkled with the heat, and he carefully wiped the sweat from his brow.
“It might not be a two-man standing situation, but the shingle is a two-man job,” Nathan said. “Alright, you hold it down and then I’ll nail it. That way, this side won't curl up, and you’ll get a tight seal.”
“We can try,” Joseph said with a shrug. “But this is what I did last time, so…”
“Third time is a charm,” Nathan said, as they got to work. “How is Matt holding up?”
“He’s…alright,” Joseph said. “Silent as always, but I can see it all over his face. I mean, I don’t even know if he really understands that Daniel is gone forever. He just seems to be lost somewhere in between. Daniel is gone and maybe he will come back.”
“Poor boy,” Nathan replied. “I wouldn’t know what to do if I was his age either. And he’s already lost one family.”
“We think,” Joseph said, as he pressed down on the shingle. “He’s never been able to tell us about his family. Just…lost.”
“Well, I suppose we are all a bit lost now,” Nathan said. “I can’t believe he’s gone either.”
“He was a good man,” Joseph said, as Nathan put the final nail in the shingle. “That should do it for now. Thank you for your help.”
“No problem,” Nathan said. “I’m sorry I couldn’t come earlier; I was out on the Pearson ranch until just now.”
“It’s alright,” Joseph replied. “Work is mostly done now. I think I’ll leave the rest until tomorrow. Matt is next door and he’ll be eager to head back soon.”
“Mrs. Towns will be feeding him quite well at least,” Nathan said, with a smile as they made their way back down the ladder.
“Well, that’s good, because pies aren’t my strong suit, but hers are amazing,” Joseph replied. “I should see if she has any extra for our dinner. Lord knows that Matt has been eating a lot of apples and fire-cooked meat.”
“Nothing wrong with that, either,” Nathan said with a smile. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Joseph?”
“See you then,” Joseph said, and the two shook hands and then Nathan headed off.
Mrs. Towns' house was right next door to the church, and she had offered to watch Matt anytime Joseph had to work, which Joseph was very grateful for. Without speaking, Matt wouldn’t be able to thrive in the local school, and Joseph wasn’t sure that was even the best place for him.
Matt followed him around like a shadow, but he communicated mostly by writing in the dirt or on a slate, too shy to do more than nod.
“Oh look, there’s Joseph,” Mrs. Towns said, when Joseph appeared at the door. Matt was sitting at Mrs. Towns table, playing with wooden figurines. When he saw Joseph, he got up politely and nodded to Mrs. Towns before picking up his coat and going to the door.
“Thank you,” Joseph said. “I really appreciate it.”
“I told you, anytime,” Mrs. Towns said, with a nod. “He was fine. Quiet, but fine.”
“Ah well,” Joseph said. “We have…all been through a shock.”
Joseph had thought the most shocking thing in town was six-year-old Matt appearing out of nowhere, with seemingly no family or background, and Daniel taking him in. That had been the talk of the town for ages, and everyone said what a kind heart Daniel had.
Now, though, the most shocking thing was that Daniel was six feet under, and no one knew what to do with the poor abandoned child.
“Indeed we have,” Mrs. Towns said. “Safe travels back to the Pritchard ranch.”
“Thank you,” he said, as he led Matt outside. “Did you have a nice time with Mrs. Towns?”
Matt nodded as Joseph unhitched the horse that he had tied up. The Pritchard ranch wasn’t so far out of town that they couldn’t walk, but Joseph wasn’t sure how late he was going to be, and he didn’t want to walk back in the dark with Matt.
“That’s good,” Joseph said as he boosted Matt up to the horse's back. “When I get back, I have to brush out the colts and then we can have supper. Do you want to help me?”
Matt nodded again and Joseph swung up on the horse himself before spurring it forward.
It was still blazing hot outside, and Joseph spurred the horse faster only for the breeze in his long dark braided hair.
He felt as comfortable on a horse as he did with his own legs.
His mother had taught him to ride when he could barely walk, explaining to him that he needed to match the horse’s soul if he expected to be carried safely.
Animals were as scared as people, she said, and as members of the Crow Tribe, they always needed to treat them with respect.
“What did you do while I was working?” Joseph asked Matt as they rode. As usual, he didn’t get an answer, but he felt Matt’s little arms squeeze his waist, at least indicating that he had heard.
The ranch eventually came into sight, and Joseph slowed the horse down as they approached. Even though it had been nearly a week, he still expected Daniel to come out onto the porch and greet them.
Joseph dismounted carefully and then reached to help Matt down as well.
“Do you want to go inside right away?” Joseph asked and he shook his head. “I see. Well…Did Daniel ever teach you how to brush out a colt?”
Matt shook his head, and Joseph led the horse toward the barn. They had three colts in the barn and all of them seemed to neigh when they approached.
“It was a good season,” Joseph said, as he put away the horse that they had ridden in on. “Don’t you think?”
Matt nodded again, watching with his ever-present wide eyes.
Joseph felt like Matt had a lot to say, and he knew that the child spoke and understood English perfectly fine.
The curiosity of where Matt had come from and what happened to him, but he knew that it was unlikely to find out through Matt.
Whoever had abandoned the child, they weren’t around to explain.
“Here,” Joseph said, offering the child a brush. “You brush slowly, small strokes, you don’t want to startle it. The baby colt is probably more afraid of you than you are of it.”
Matt looked up at him and followed his motions, slowly brushing the little colt’s fur.
Joseph leaned back against the wall, watching Matt.
He didn’t really know what was going to happen to Matt, let alone what was going to happen to his own life.
Joseph knew that they both couldn’t stay on Daniel’s ranch forever.
He also didn’t know if he could just take Matt and raise him.
Joseph hadn’t thought more than a few days into his future in years. This was beyond what he was used to.
“Well, I thought I’d find you out here,” a voice said. Joseph looked up in surprise. Usually, no one was on the ranch but the people who belonged on it.
When he saw who it was, he resisted the urge to roll his eyes.