Page 282 of The Texas Sterling Collection
“As I recall, he graduated as valedictorian. Quite a brilliant man. But he made me sad,” Mabel sighed. “He couldn’t emerge from his shell.”
“Rumor had it he preferred the company of men.”
“What rumor?”
“He never changed out of his uniform with the other men after we played baseball, so we figured he feared undressing in front of us.”
“A lot of men are shy,” Mabel said.
“Yes, but I think it was more. After college, Hermann moved back to the family farm about forty miles from the college. He lived with his sister and brother. None of them ever married.”
“So you kept up with him?”
“No,” Grover shook his head. “But after we graduated and got married, we lived in Belton for a while, and I worked at the feed store, remember?”
Mabel nodded, warming up to the conversation. “I figured we’d be in Belton the rest of our lives. I never imagined you would get a burr under your saddle to buy land out here in the middle of nowhere.”
Grover chuckled. “I don’t hear you complaining now. But anyway, the Brombergs used to come in to buy feed or seed, so I got to know all three of them. Close family, but no spouses and no children.”
“Thus, your comment about Hermann not getting married. Lots of people never marry.”
“Yes, but what kind of life is that? Never finding the right person to love and settle down with. Would you have been happy spending your entire life with your sister instead of settling down on this ranch with me?”
“I can’t imagine life without you, Grover. I can’t imagine living my life without the love we share. It must be awful not letting yourself find love.” Mabel gasped at her own words, stunned.
Grover let out a breath. “I don’t want Joey to end up like Hermann. If he loves Felix, I want him to recognize and acknowledge the love. It’s better than spending his life avoiding relationships because he’s either afraid or ashamed of his feelings.”
Mabel closed her eyes, deep in thought. “I wanted Jacob and Joey to each give us grandchildren.”
“Me too, but seeing Joey and Felix in such deep despair hurts my heart. I hope I’m wrong, but I sense the current chasm between them involves feelings they want but think they cannot have. And you did refer to Felix as our third son, so he wormed his way into your heart.”
“Yes,” Mabel sighed. “But I never expected him and Joey to develop such a close relationship so fast.”
“I would rather Joey be happy with Felix than lonely and depressed for the rest of his life,” Grover said. “Wouldn’t you?”
Mabel nodded. “I suppose. I’m sorry I got so upset.”
“I need to talk with Felix to find out if we're worried for nothing. Cornelius asked me to help make a man out of him. Our two boys, Joey and Felix, are no longer boys. They’re men. Men who care very much for each other.” Grover stood. “I’ll track down Felix on his fence ride and encourage him to open up and tell me why he is finding ways to distance himself from Joey. Maybe he'll shed some light on why Joey disappeared. Is it because Joey misses his best friend? I don’t know. But watching those two punish themselves is no good.”
“And I’ll try not to make them uncomfortable if we discover their relationship went in a direction we didn’t expect.” Mabel stood, put her sewing down, and came to kiss Grover. “And I’ll have supper ready when you return with Felix.”
Chapter Twelve
Keeping Sparkle at a slow pace, hoofbeats interrupted Felix’s fence riding. He spotted a horse and rider galloping toward the spring. He hoped Joey didn't come to tell him he found his little filly. Discovering that Joey found someone else would crush him.
The rider stopped at the spring, spotted Felix, and trotted over. He recognized the rider. “Pa Sterling. Is everything okay? Did you find Joey?”
Pa shook his head. “Felix, we need to talk."
Felix tensed. Memories of his father slammed into his head. That’s the same thing his father used to say before he got in trouble for whatever he did that his father didn’t like. “Uh-oh. You sound like my father.”
Grover coughed. “My apologies, Felix. You're not in trouble; I’m not here to scold you. Mabel and I are concerned. You’ve been unhappy for two weeks, and we figured out today that your unhappiness began when the letter arrived from your father.”
Felix nodded. “Yes, sir. I’ve learned a great deal since moving to Sterling Ranch. You and Ma Sterling treat me like a son, and I appreciate being treated that way, rather than like a possession. You and Joey encouraged me to try new things. You complimented me when I did well and helped me when I didn’t do so well. Father didn’t like me trying new things and shouted at me when I attempted something he wanted me to do but didn’t do right the first time.”
Grover pointed down the fence line. “Let’s ride and talk. Mabel is working on supper, but we have time to ride a bit more fence before we head back to the house.”
Felix nodded, still unsure what Pa Sterling wanted to talk about. “Have I done something wrong?”
