Page 7 of Repentance and Absolution
“All right, all right. Sheesh. Grouchy.”
I laughed at him and urged Dixie forward, determined to enjoy the nice weather and a trip to town.
* * * *
It took about a half hour to get to town on horseback. It would probably take twice that in a wagon, but we’d be able to haul more. I’d thought about using some of our money to buy one, but they cost dear, and we didn’t plan to come into town much o’er the winter—only to get supplies when we needed them. I was hoping that would be about once a month, and we could always load up the mule to bring them things back.
Which was more reason to buy another animal. If we were gonna make do without a wagon, we needed to each have a horse. Plus, I figured a friendly new pet would distract Oscar from his sadness o’er losing Sprite and the trauma of almost being the victim of a violent rape and murder. T’was worth a shot, since we needed one anyway.
I’d heard about a gentleman wanting to sell a Morgan horse that was only about five years old and sound. I’d had Carson put a word in that I wanted to look the mare o’er with an intent to purchase. I was hoping she hadn’t been sold and that we could have a look at her.
The town itself was mostly empty at this time of year. Most folks went to parts south where they could find work, since the Port Essington fisheries closed down when the Skeena River froze up every year. But there were a few people out and about on this pleasant day.
We stopped at Jensen’s and hitched Dixie up, then went in to speak to Carson. He was behind the bar as usual and cleaning some of the spigots with a cloth so they’d keep their shine.
“Hello!” I said, before the door had shut behind us. We’d gotten to know him and Tim Jensen pretty well while they helped us fix up the kitchen part of our house.
He looked up and smiled.
“Jimmy! Oscar. Nice to see you.”
“How’re things with you?” I said, taking off my hat. I glanced at Oscar to make sure he remembered to remove his. Sometimes he forgot the basics of decency, and I had to remind him.
“Oh, you know. Nothing changes around here. Well, not much,” he said. “Can I get you something?”
“No, thank you. Do you know if that horse has sold yet? The one we spoke about last week?”
“Oh, the Morgan? I don’t think so. You want to go see her?”
“Yeah. Oscar needs a horse of his own, and I reckon she might be all right for him.”
Oscar rubbed at the brim of the hat in his hand and shifted his feet. I imagined he was worried she was already sold and he’d have to wait for another suitable animal—which, of course, would be tragic now that I’d got him all worked up to get one today.
“Sure. I can take you. I don’t start at the bar for another hour.” Carson grabbed his coat and hat. “It’s just down the road.”
We walked along the planked sidewalk, the heels of our boots ringing against the wood. The smell of the sea drifted in from the Skeena and for once wasn’t hidden under the stench of fish being gutted and processed. The wind was colder here, coming off the partially frozen river, and I pulled up the collar of my coat. I hoped Oscar was warm enough. He was so focused on looking at this horse that he probably didn’t feel it.
“How are you, Oscar?” Carson asked. “The room we shored up keeping tight?”
“Yes, sir,” Oscar said. “I reckon we did a good job with it, thanks to you and Mr. Jensen.”
“It was my pleasure to help out. As I’ve said before and probably will say again, it’s good to see the place getting fixed up, even if it’ll take a while.”
“I never had the learnin’ to do any construction, so I’m eager to see how it’s done. And I think Jimmy feels the same.”
“I do,” I said. “I know how to do a lot of things, but I’ve never built a house or anything close to one before. I’m very happy to get some help.”
“I figure when the spring comes, we can get to work on the rest of the place. You got big plans for it?”
I shrugged. “I reckon we don’t need much space.”
“You’ll probably want to put in a second bedroom…and maybe a sitting room?”
“Oh sure. Another bedroom would be good,” I said. “Although we’re managin’ for now.”
Carson chuckled. “You two probably kept close quarters while you traveled, so this isn’t much different,” Carson said. “I’m sure you can put up with each other till the spring.”
Oscar huffed. “Well, now, I dunno. Jimmy here has an awful loud snore.”
