Page 40 of Nate

“I’m sorry, boss.”

“Is it your fault there was a wreck, Jobe?”

“No, sir.”

“Then don’t be sorry. I’ll talk to you later.” Nate hung up, put his phone in his pocket then headed toward the toolshed.

As he pushed the wheelbarrow toward the stalls, he saw Beau enter the barn.

“Morning, Nate,” he said as he strode toward him.

“Hey, Beau. On your way out?”

“Yeah, I’m heading to the office. I thought you did this on Wednesdays or Thursdays?”

Nate sighed. “I do. Jobe was to do it, but there was a wreck on Copper Ridge, so he was late. I’m going to hire another guy.”

Beau nodded. “You do what you have to. You’re the boss.”

Nate grinned. “Well, I’m one of the bosses.”

Beau chuckled. “Yeah, but trust me, they fear you more than they fear me. They know you’re the one who can hire and fire. I’ll see you later.”

“Yes, sir.” He chuckled when Beau shook his head as he walked from the barn, then Nate picked up the rake and shovel, and entered the first stall.

As Nate finished the first stall, his shirt was already wet with sweat, so he removed his hat, took the shirt off and hung it on a peg. He pulled a handkerchief from his back pocket, wiped the sweat from his brow and placed his hat back on his head.

When he started on the fourth stall, his phone buzzed from his pocket to see Jobe had sent a message.

Bart quit.

“Damn it,” Nate swore, then sent a message back.

That’s his choice. I’ll be cleaning the stalls.

Yes, sir.

Nate didn’t mind mucking out the stalls. It came with the territory, but now they were a man down. With all the work on their plate, they couldn’t afford to be short-handed.

By six o’clock, Nate had made his way back home, exhausted and covered in grime. He entered through the back door and sat down on the bench, removing his boots with a sigh. Standing up, he peeled off his dirty clothes and watched as dust and dirt particles floated in the air.

Making his way to the bathroom, Nate turned on the shower and let out a groan as the warm water hit his sore muscles. Placing his hands against the wall, he closed his eyes, leaned his head under the spray and allowed the water to wash away the physical and mental exhaustion from working two chores. As he glanced down at the drain, he couldn’t help but notice the water turning brown from all the dirt and sweat.

After washing his hair with shampoo and then his body with soap, Nate couldn’t deny how drained he felt. Doing the work of two men was taking its toll on him. Tomorrow, he knew he would have to take matters into his own hands by posting a job opening at The Feed Store.

After drying off and wrapping a towel around his waist, Nate headed to the mirror and wiped away the steam with his hand before shaving. Even that simple task felt like a job.

Once finished, he tossed the towel onto the shower rod and made his way to his bedroom. After slipping on a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt, he walked to the kitchen in search of something to eat. He didn’t have much of an appetite after such a long day, but he knew he couldn’t go to bed hungry.

****

Markie sat at her desk, looking at charts on the computer and was happy to see that Bobo had gone home. She knew his owners loved him and would take good care of him. As she looked at a file on a kitten being dropped off by its owners, she clenched her jaw when she read the reason,she meows too much.

“Idiots,” she said.

“Who?” Tess asked from the doorway.

“The people who dropped off the kitten because it meows too much.” Markie looked at Tess. “Don’t some people know that cats do meow?”

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