Chapter 7

C hapter S even

Hazard saw Bryce most every day, but Danny kept him really busy. Bryce was working with Hazard’s mom to go over the books, and apparently, he had a lot of catching up to do. At least that’s what Mom said. She also told him with a slight smile that Bryce was a quick study. That had Hazard smiling as well. He wondered if it was strange that he was proud of Bryce for that.

He exited the barn where he’d spent the morning preparing four stalls for horses that were coming in. It seemed, Bryce’s father had made an arrangement to board them some time ago and didn’t tell anyone. Mrs. Maverick told him that morning after she got a call that the horses were on their way.

“Good job,” Danny said. “Appreciate you dropping everything to get the stalls ready.” He followed him out of the barn. “We’ll put them out in the paddocks during the day.”

“Okay. But we’re going to have to supplement feed. There isn’t enough new growth.”

Danny nodded slowly. “I’m aware.” Instinctively, they both looked skyward to where the blue extended unimpeded all the way to the horizon. “We have barely enough for now, but….”

“I know. We need rain.” It was always dry this time of the year, but this season was exceptional.

“You know, we could enlarge the paddock for them. We got those temporary barriers in the back of the barn, and there’s fresh grass outside the current boundary.”

“Good idea. I’ll get a couple of the guys on that.”

“I’d also recommend watering that area of grass. We have the water for that, and we’d only need to do it about every three days. The grass will grow, and we can avoid using some of the hay we’ve put up.”

“Let me look into that,” Danny said, before striding off with a definite purpose. Hazard was pretty much done for the day, and Dusty joined him in watching Danny carry out whatever mission he was on.

“You done?” Dusty asked.

“Yeah.”

“A group of us were going into town. You want to come?” Dusty pulled off his hat and fanned himself with it.

“I can’t. I got something to do.” He turned toward the distant stand of trees to the south.

“What?” Dusty plopped his hat back on his head. “It is hot and drier than shit. I heard Danny say that they may need to sell some of the head early because there isn’t enough water.” He bit his lower lip. “And a smaller heard means less hands.”

“Then do you want to do something?” Hazard asked.

“To save jobs, sure.” He turned, motioning over a few of the other guys, including Wes, a kid they’d hired on a few months ago. “What do you have in mind?”

“Look, grab shovels and some pry bars and meet me out at that stand of trees as fast as you can. I’ll explain once we get there.”

Some of the men looked at him like he was crazy. “I’m in,” Wes said, and hurried away. Dusty followed him, and Hazard got a shovel of his own before heading out on an ATV across the dry range toward the old water hole. After ten minutes, he heard other motors following behind him.

“What’s with the hole?” Wes asked once he pulled to a stop and climbed off, following Hazard through the ring of trees.

“There used to be water here. That was before the Carson family dug wells. Then it dried up. But those wells were capped and filled in a few years ago, so I’m hoping that the water will return.”

“The hell you say,” Dusty said after he and a few others joined them.

“Bryce told me. If we can get water in this part of the ranch, then we can open it up to grazing. Then they aren’t gonna need to sell head, and everyone keeps their job.”

Wes was the first one down into the hole. “Where do we start?”

“Let’s get that rock out and then see how far down we can dig. You can see it’s dry now, but there was water here once, and there can be again.” He levered the rock, and two of the others joined him. They got it moving and hefted it upward before pushing it along the dirt and up to the rim.

“We should get bigger equipment.”

“Can’t,” Wes said. “We’d never get it through the trees.” They had managed to get that rock out and deepened the one-time water hole by about two feet.

“It’s got to be ten feet deep already,” Wes said as he began digging. “The soil has water in it,” he reported as he tossed the dirt upward. “How far down should we go?”

Hazard rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m not sure.” He had been starting to wonder if this was a fool’s errand, but then Wes and Dusty began pulling up wet dirt. That meant that there was water, but he had no idea how far down they were going to have to go to get to it.

“I suggest we go down a few more feet if we can,” one of the guys said, and everyone got to work, with Wes and Dusty digging deeper and the rest of the men widening the hole and getting the dirt out of the depression to avoid a collapse. It was hard work, but by the time the sun was setting, they had dug one hell of a hole in the ground.

“Shoot,” Wes said as he climbed out. “I thought we were getting close once it started getting damp.” He and the others all climbed out, reaching the surface through a series of rock steps. “Do we dare go deeper?”

“No,” said a voice from behind them. Bryce approached the rim and looked down at their handiwork. “This isn’t worth putting yourselves at risk.” He did smile, though. “I appreciate the effort each of you put in.”

“We were doing it for the ranch,” Wes said.

“I know that.” Bryce clapped the kid on the shoulder. “But sometimes you’ve just got to accept reality. So go on back to the ranch and get yourself some dinner. There’s still evening chores to do.”

They all wandered back to the four-wheelers and took off toward the ranch compound.

“Sorry. I was just trying to help.”

“I know that,” Bryce said. “And it shows how dedicated all the men are to try. But they are going to need to dig really deep in order to reach water, and by that time, the sides will have caved in.” He took another look down in the hole. “That’s really something, though.”

“I guess we had to try,” Hazard said, disappointed that their efforts hadn’t come to anything.

“Thank you for that,” Bryce said, before kissing him. “I wish I could show you just how much I appreciate what you tried to do.”

The wind came up, blowing the old leaves around and shaking the trees overhead. Instinctively, Hazard looked to the west. “Maybe our prayers are going to be answered.”

Bryce sighed. “I sure as hell hope so.” Thunder rolled in the distance, and the wind picked up once more. “Let’s get back.” He sniffed and shook his head.

“What?”

“I don’t smell any rain on the wind,” Bryce told him. “The air still feels dry, which means we could have a storm that would ignite prairie fires without bringing any damned rain. We need to get back. Now.” Bryce led the way on horseback, and Hazard took off on the four-wheeler across the open land. More thunder rolled, and lightning flashed as the sky grew darker. They reached the yard and put their equipment away, closing the equipment shed. The wind picked up even more, and lightning split the air, followed almost immediately by thunder. Hazard turned to the west, hoping like hell there was water in those damn clouds somewhere. There had to be.

“See that line,” Hazard pointed before tugging Bryce toward the barn, the others heading for shelter as well. The wind blew harder, followed by more lightning and a clap of thunder that split the air.

“Shit,” Danny cried, looking out one the side windows. “It hit to the north.” He hurried over, smoke rising slightly before blowing east. More lightning followed, and then it sounded like stones hitting the roof. Hazard turned toward the door, where rain pelted the earth in huge drops.

“Thank God,” he said softly.

“Dusty and Wes,” Danny called. “You two be ready to head out as soon as the rain lets up. We need to be sure the fire is out, and you call back if you need help.” They all stood in the doorway, watching the life-giving rain. Hazard said a silent prayer for whatever they were getting.

The rain lasted less than twenty minutes, and almost as soon as it let up, the sun poked out from under the western edge of the clouds, quickly drying up what the ground hadn’t already soaked in. Wes and Dusty hurried out and breezed across the open range on four-wheelers.

“Do you think that was enough to buy us some time?” Hazard asked, but Bryce shook his head.

“I doubt it. Whatever good it does will be gone by tomorrow. The rain was enough to give the grass some water, but not much else.” He watched to the north. “At least it appears to have put out the fire before it could get a chance to really get started. That’s something to be thankful for.”

“I suppose.”

“Maybe the weather pattern will shift, and we’ll start to get rain more often. But I’m running out of time. My father is telling me—and I agree with him—that we can continue the way we are for only another week and then we’ll have to arrange to sell. The land we’re using is going to get overgrazed in less than a month, and it’s going to take some time to arrange the sale of cattle and transportation. So, a week is about all I have.”

“Okay,” Hazard said. “I wish I knew something I could do.”

Bryce turned to him. “You’re doing it already.” Their gazes met for a few seconds, and Hazard knew he wore a dopey smile.

“What’s going on between the two of you?” Willard asked snidely from the doorway before turning away from Hazard as though he wasn’t there. “I’m going to need some money.”

Bryce shrugged. “You haven’t done anything to earn any so… no. Sorry. You’ve been out with your friends, bumming around all week. So you haven’t earned anything. You heard what Dad told you, and I mean it. Either work or there will be no money. If you don’t like it, you can get a job in town or hit the road and make your own way. I have a ranch to run, and in case you don’t know, we have issues that we’re trying to work through.”

“Yeah, I know how you work through those issues.” He smirked, and Hazard wondered if Willard had found out about things between him and his brother. “You like to be the king of the ranch, the perfect brother who does everything the way Daddy wants. There’s a big world out there.” He swept grandly with his arms. “And I intend to experience it.”

“By all means, do so. But don’t expect the ranch to foot your bills.”

Willard looked like he was about to blow his top. Turning, he stormed off toward the house, banging the door closed. Bryce sighed but said no more about Willard.

“It’s going to be okay,”

“I sure as hell wish I knew how. With a smaller herd, we’ll need fewer men, and I hate letting anyone go.” The tension he carried in his shoulders made Hazard wish he could fix it for him. “But we aren’t going to need as many men.”

“They know that,” Hazard said. “We all do. Why do you think the men were out there trying to see if water was possible? Because they know what’s coming and they wanted to do what they could to stop it. None of them blame you or your family.” Hazard turned to where Willard slammed the front door of the house so hard, the boom reverberated across the yard. He carried a bag, which he threw in the back of his truck, and peeled out of the drive before fishtailing as he reached the road. “I’d say you have bigger issues.”

“He’s gone,” Bryce said.

“Yes. But he isn’t going to stay gone, and you know that. He’s angry and running to his friends, but they’ll tire of him. Soon enough he’ll be back, and he’s going to be even worse than he is now.” He wanted to hug him and hold Bryce until all this crap went away. It wasn’t fair that everything should land on his shoulders. “What can I do to help?”

Bryce watched where his brother had gone, seeming kind of lost. “I can only deal with things one day at a time. Maybe he’ll cool off and realize he needs to pull his weight.” That was a pipe dream, and Hazard knew it, but he kept his thoughts to himself.

“Bryce,” Mrs. Maverick called as she came outside. “Can you come inside?” He nodded and turned away. “Bring Hazard with you.” Then she closed the door.

“What is this all about?” Hazard asked, and Bryce shrugged.

Hazard sat where Mrs. Maverick indicated, and then she left the living room. Hazard caught Bryce’s gaze, holding it as both Bryce’s parents came in and sat down, along with Hazard’s mother. Oh shit. This is so not good. He wondered if he and his mother were the first casualties of the cutbacks to come.

“What’s going on? Hazard and I have plenty of work to do.” Bryce seemed on the attack.

“Do you boys have something to tell us?” Mrs. Maverick asked, alternately looking at each of them.

“About what?” Bryce snapped. “Look, if this is about the ranch, I’m not going to be called in here to face an inquisition every time I make a decision.”

His father’s lips formed a straight line. “This has nothing to do with the ranch, but what you two were doing the other night under the tree in front.” Hazard felt himself pale, but he refused to look away. “We may be old, but we know the sound of people having… well, relations. And you two weren’t nearly as quiet as you thought you were.”

“You aren’t mad?” Bryce asked.

“You bet your damned ass I’m mad. You two cavorting in the damned front yard in plain sight. With each other….” He rolled his eyes. “What the hell are you thinking? That’s what beds are for, goddammit. You do not need to be doing that sort of thing out in the front of the house where anyone could see you… or hear you.”

“Dad… I…,” Bryce stammered, and Hazard turned to him.

“It’s going to be okay,” Hazard said, and took Bryce’s hand… in front of their parents. “You knew?” Hazard asked his mother, who nodded.

“We’re mothers, and we know our sons,” she told him. “Neither of you showed much interest in girls. Look at Bryce’s brother. He chases every woman that crosses his path. And yet both of you have barely noticed the women around you. At first, we thought you were both serious guys, but that never changed….”

“And then you noticed each other,” Bryce’s mother added. “And everything seemed to change. You two have been inseparable for weeks.”

“I thought you were just becoming friends…,” Bryce’s father added. “Until the other night.” He leaned forward slowly. “I do not want to hear that again.”

“Lyle, there is no need to bring that up again,” Bryce’s mother said gently. “It was hard on all of us when we realized what was going on. But we’ve been talking, and we all realized that if you found each other and you make each other happy, then we aren’t going to stand in the way. Your father had the hardest time of it.”

“Helene, you don’t need to make me sound like someone from the stone age.”

“Dad, it’s okay. I understand if you have a hard time with it. Most fathers would. I mean, you all have dreams for your sons, and having one who’s gay doesn’t necessarily meet what you expected.”

“Son, it wasn’t that. I just know that the road is going to be harder for you. People aren’t going to accept you for who you are. At least not all of them, and….”

“I know, Dad,” Bryce said, and turned to him. “I think we both know that.”

Hazard nodded. “But….” He was more than a little overwhelmed. “Look, Bryce and I are just beginning to figure things out, and I don’t think either of us will be flying Pride flags or taking part in parades.”

“I know that,” Mom said gently. “But we’re worried about you—both of you. And if you are together, then it isn’t going to take long for the men to find out. And that’s going to be another matter. Some of them will leave, and a few might even cause trouble. You need to be prepared for that.”

Hazard swallowed hard. “Are you saying that we should keep quiet, hide who we are like it’s shameful?” He didn’t want that. “That’s like lying, and I can’t do that. I’m not going to yell it from the rooftops, but I won’t lie.” He stood and headed to the door. “Now, I think my personal life has been talked about for long enough.” Part of him was relieved that no one seemed angry, and he wasn’t being told to leave. But having parts of his life dissected was not something he was comfortable with.

“We just care about you both,” his mother said. “And we wanted to talk things over rather than create a ton of drama around your coming out.” She made it sound so reasonable. “Please don’t be angry with us.”

“Then stop talking about my life, our life. Just stop.” His head ached. “I’m happy that you’re accepting of the fact that Bryce and I are dating, I really am, but….”

“Hey.” Bryce stood and took him in his arms. “This is a good thing. Our parents may have been a little stalkerish in how they went about it, but they aren’t freaking that we’re seeing each other.” He leaned closer. “And we can use a bed instead of finding bark scratches on my butt in the morning. Okay?”

Bryce’s father cleared his throat. “I think it’s best if we bring this conversation to an end. As you said, you have work to do, and I’m exhausted.” He got to his feet, and Mrs. Maverick helped him out of the room and down the hall. Hazard’s mother stayed where she was.

“Is there anything else you want to surprise me with?” He tried to keep from smiling and failed.

“No.” She stood and went to the kitchen, taking the few dishes with her. “I’m going to finish cleaning up here and then head to our place and go to bed. I trust you two will be quiet.” She left them, and Hazard hugged Bryce, resting his head on his shoulder.

“I guess the only question to be answered is… your place or mine?”