Page 281 of The Texas Sterling Collection
Grover shook his head. “When did you last see Joey as happy as the first few days after I brought Felix to the ranch?”
“About two years. Since Jacob left for college. Wait, when he realized Jacob would leave, so three years.”
Grover tapped the table with a finger. “And how about the past couple of weeks?”
“I’ve never seen him so down.”
“And Felix?” He opened a palm.
“No better than Joey.”
“Have you talked to Felix?”
“Not since the day the letter arrived from his father.”
Grover pounded a fist on the table. “You’re right. The letter started this whole rift between them.”
“Felix spoke between sobs when I consoled him. He cried in my arms for ten minutes, and it looked like he'd cried for a couple of hours. And Joey sobbed in his room across the hall. The letter impacted both boys. Felix said his father never called him by name or asked how he liked ranching, but only tried to control him. Felix never mentioned Joey.”
“That tells me the letter is part of the reason Felix pushed Joey away. I suspect his father’s control spans the distance. When I picked him up, he kept looking to his father for an explanation, but Cornelius said nothing. Felix tried to act unbothered as we rode to the ranch, but his actions said he dreaded the summer.”
Mabel nodded. “He stiffened when I pulled him into a hug on his first day. I bet he's never hugged at home. There's no telling what kind of things Cornelius puts into his head.”
“It’s amazing how fast Joey and Felix bonded. I’m guessing Felix experienced friendship for the first time. Joey has been lonely since Jacob left. Putting those two together gave them both something they needed.”
“How did the boys act after the trip to the Bowdens?” Mabel asked. “Any different?”
“They were quiet when they first got back, but as we unloaded the bales, they started joking with each other. It didn’t seem like anything happened on the ride from the Bowden's.”
Mabel picked at a spot on the tablecloth. “I hesitate to ask because I’m digging a hole I’m not sure I want to dig. But do you think those two have some kind of physical relationship?”
Grover shook his head. “I've not seen anything obvious, but Joey's been different since he walked into the kitchen and met Felix. Not immediately, although he enjoys having another guy his age to help with the ranch chores. But something about how he boasts about Felix’s accomplishments makes me think the friendship is more than we see. It’s like Joey took him under his wing.”
Mabel glared at Grover. “Let me make myself clear.” Her turn to pound the table with a fist. She pointed a trembling finger at her husband. “I do not want Joey to have a physical relationship with Felix. Aside from me finding such things unacceptable, those two face problems if something more develops. While they are close to each other, at least before the letter arrived from Cornelius Bonner, they need to understand that most people are opposed to two young men being more than friends. Plus, it’s against God’s law, and I won’t have it.” Mabel stood, tossed a dismissive wave, and stomped from the kitchen. “It’s weird for me to even talk about.”
* * *
Grover made his way to the sitting room, where Mabel sat sewing. He sat in his easy chair. Their conversation upset her, so he chose his words carefully. “The morning I picked up Felix, I witnessed Cornelius telling Felix he would spend the summer on Sterling Ranch. Felix’s reaction told me his father never mentioned it, which surprised me. The reaction revealed the scope of his father’s control over him. The letter he sent to Felix further confirmed the dominance. The way Felix warmed up to us as a family tells me he craved affection and recognition. Not physical affection so much as needing a sense of belonging. If Felix has stronger feelings for Joey, he's dealing not only with confusion about it, but with the need for his domineering father to treat him and his siblings like we treat him.”
Mabel huffed, not taking her focus from her sewing.
“I remember when I first saw you at Reuters College,” Grover said. “The prettiest gal I ever laid eyes on stood beside Jim Robertson.”
“I remember your besotted expression.” Mabel looked up from her sewing. “I blushed.”
Grover chuckled, happy that Mabel at least talked to him. “I’m glad you came to your senses and dumped that nobody.”
“That nobody now owns a successful feed supply company in Dallas.” Mabel raised an eyebrow. “I’d be in high cotton if I married him.”
“You prefer being hitched to a city slicker instead of a rancher out in the beautiful rolling plains of Texas?”
“I didn’t say that.” Mabel shook her head. “And what made you think of our days at Reuters College?”
“Do you remember Hermann Bromberg?”
“The tall, lanky, mousy guy who always kept to himself?”
“Yes. I don’t think he ever made friends with anyone. He seemed so lonely.”
