Page 256 of The Texas Sterling Collection
“Yes. I’m surprised you didn’t learn of that in school. Buffaloes remained plentiful here up until a few years before you were born. By then, the herds were hunted almost to extinction.”
Felix couldn’t imagine buffalo roaming free. His schoolbooks contained drawings of buffalo, but not in this area. The further they rode, the more of nature he saw. A twinge of excitement stirred in his gut. Spending the summer on a ranch might not be the disaster he expected. His father’s life was in the dry goods store he owned, so Felix wasn't exposed to the beauties of nature so close to his home. He loved studying the sciences in school. Botany, zoology, and biology. What he saw today, he had seen only in books.
“I don’t know about you, but I’m getting kinda hungry.” Grover grinned at Felix.
Felix handed Grover a sandwich and unwrapped his own. They ate in silence as Felix surveyed the vista surrounding them. The rolling plains were beautiful. More beautiful than he imagined.
Finished with their sandwiches, Grover pulled a bottle from behind the seat and offered it to Felix. “Water?”
Felix took it. “Thank you.” He uncorked the bottle, took a few swallows, and handed the bottle to Grover. He took a few swallows and held his hand out for the cork. “Indians once roamed this territory. Primarily Comanche, although a few other tribes also inhabited the area.”
Felix handed the cork to Grover. “Indians? I thought Indians lived back in history.”
“Then you learned the Indians populated the entire country before settlers arrived and started pushing west. Indians still lived around the area when I was born in 1855, although not as plentiful as in history.” He placed the bottle back behind the seat. “We sometimes find arrowheads on the ranch.”
Felix drank in every bit of information Grover gave him. Summer on the ranch sounded better, although he remained uncertain about being around people he had never met.
“There she is, Felix. Our home and your summer home.” Grover pointed to a couple of buildings about a quarter of a mile away, surrounded by trees.
“It looks nice, Mr. Sterling.” While they traveled miles from Blackfield, if Mrs. Sterling and Joey were as friendly as Mr. Sterling, the summer started as a learning experience he would never forget.
Chapter Five
As they neared the house, Felix took in the scene. Two grand elm trees framed the front, their canopies extending over the yard. The second-floor windows, almost hidden behind the trees, included blue shutters. Three brick chimneys pointed skyward, one from each end and one from the back. A tall red barn with a corral stood a distance away. A windmill turned in the afternoon breeze, filling a cistern on a tower next to the windmill.
They pulled up to the house. “Welcome to our spread.” Grover climbed out of the carriage and tethered the horse to the hitching rail.
Felix climbed down and grabbed his bag from the back. “I like your place,” Felix said. Being in a strange place with strangers, his palm sweated against the strap of his bag as he walked around the carriage.
“Let’s go inside so you can meet the missus.” Grover opened the picket gate and motioned Felix through.
Felix walked up the stone sidewalk leading to the roomy front porch. Fingers of tension wrapped around his chest. He never developed close friends and dreaded being thrust into a one-on-one relationship with a stranger. Especially since the other guys at school never included him in activities. Not that he wanted to play sports or talk about girls, but sometimes he felt like an outsider. Joey sounded like an athletic man who was a rancher and a rodeo competition winner. Felix was none of those things. “You mentioned Joey. Is he here, too?”
“He should be in the barn tending to the horses,” Grover said. “When he sees we’re home, he’ll come to put away the carriage and curry the horse.”
They stepped onto the porch, and Felix caught an enticing aroma wafting through the screen door, making his mouth water. “Mmmmm...something smells wonderful.”
“Mabel’s apple pie. She makes the best apple pie in the region.”
Felix sensed pride in Grover’s voice. His father never showed pride in anything, so the emotion surprised him. He remembered Grover talking about Joey and his first place in the calf roping competition. He sounded proud of his son. Felix’s father never showed pride in anything he did—only criticism.
Grover chuckled. “Watch out for her. She’s a hugger. She’ll treat you like a son.”
Opening the screen door, Grover motioned Felix inside and pointed at the bottom of the stairs. “Set your bag there. Joey will show you your room upstairs in a bit. Let’s go meet the lady of the house.” Felix dropped his bag on the floor and set his hat on top of it. Walking behind Mr. Sterling down the long central hallway, Felix glanced into a sitting room on the left. Pocket doors stayed open. The room appeared comfortable and inviting. The wooden hallway floor creaked under their weight. The kitchen was still warm from baking. The brown-crusted apple pie cooled in the window above the sink, the breeze filling the room with the delicious aroma of apple pie. He hoped it was for supper.
Grover extended his arm. “Mabel, this is Felix Bonner.”
Mabel Sterling wore a long apron over her gingham ankle-length dress, her graying hair pulled back into a bun to keep it out of her cherubic face, with a few strands hanging around her ears. “Welcome to our ranch, honey.” She grabbed Felix into a firm hug. “Grover mentioned you’ll be staying with us for the summer.”
Felix tensed. His family didn’t hug. “Yes’m. My father wants me to learn ranching.”
“Well, you came to the right place.” Mabel released the hug. “You look about the same age as Joey. I’m guessing you and him will get along great.”
“I graduated from Blackfield School last month.”
“Joey has one more year.” Grover took a seat at the kitchen table. “Then he and I will talk about college.”
Felix thought of his own yearning for college. He did well in school and wanted to continue, but his father had other ideas. “My father says college is for sissies. He said I must work in the family store, marry, and start a family.”
