11. Jared

11

JARED

J ared and Sylvester walked into the feed shop together the next afternoon.

Jared had spent the morning learning the ropes at the small dairy farm. He was impressed that Big Jim and his son could normally run it themselves, and even more impressed that the boy had been doing it on his own this last week and a half. He had confided to Jared that he'd been getting up at two in the morning in order to see to the cows before catching the bus. It was no wonder he'd been half asleep in school the days he had gone in.

Jared was more than ready to step in for the next two weeks if he had to, but he was pretty sure he could get a crew together to help out, and that Big Jim would be more comfortable with that.

Jared had spent the morning learning the ins and outs with Jimmy, finishing up a little after Cora and Sylvester arrived in the afternoon.

The two of them stepped into the kitchen to find Cora and Sylvester leaning over a collection of old photos that practically covered the entire table, while Big Jim pointed out the ones with Arthur in them.

While little Jimmy washed up for his lesson with Cora, Jared asked Big Jim what he needed at the feed shop since he was headed over there anyway. And he invited Sylvester to come with him, thinking the boy might enjoy seeing all those colorful bags of feed, and selfishly because he figured having the kid along might make his friends more generous about volunteering.

"So, this is where the people are who might help with the cows?" Sylvester asked as they approached the building.

"It sure is," Jared told him. "We all have to come here anyway to get our supplies, but there's a counter with free coffee where everyone likes to hang out when they're not too busy."

"Just like Port Royal," Sylvester said, nodding sagely.

"I can't say I know where that is," Jared admitted.

"It was a pirate stronghold in Jamaica," Sylvester told him excitedly. "And pirates would hang out in bars there, talking about adventures and putting together crews."

"Wow," Jared said, impressed. "I guess it is like Port Royal. Except no one in here is talking about stealing anything. I hope."

That made Sylvester laugh so hard he had to stop and bend over for a second. As they headed inside, Jared thought about all the warnings his father had given him the first time he visited the feed shop.

Somehow he didn't think he had to warn Sylvester not to climb up the shelving units, or not open anything. Sly was almost too well behaved. The only thing he might have worried about was the kid asking too many questions. But the guys inside wouldn't even mind that this time of year. They loved to talk about their farms, especially when it was slow.

"First we've got to go to the front and put in Big Jim's order," Jared explained. "Then we'll head over to the counter and talk to everyone."

The kid nodded, his eyes getting big as he took in all the various types of feed and other items stacked practically to the ceiling.

They made their way to Sal, who noted down everything they wanted. By the time Jared was ready to go to the coffee counter, Sylvester was already looking over there at the small collection of men standing around holding their cups.

"Hey, guys," Jared said cheerfully, heading over with Sylvester by his side.

"Who's this little feller?" Joe Cassidy asked with a smile.

"This is Sylvester Davies, the new schoolteacher's boy," Jared said.

"Nice to meet you," Sylvester said right away. "I'm called Rocky. Sometimes."

Jared couldn't help but smile at that. He wasn't sure how much Cora liked the nicknames he gave the boy, but little Rocky here was definitely enjoying them.

"Rocky, huh?" Joe asked him, his eyes twinkling. "That's a good nickname for a Pennsylvania boy."

"What brings you out here, Jared?" Ansel Williams asked .

"I'm picking up supplies for Big Jim Allen," Jared said, lowering his voice slightly in a move he'd learned from his mother when she was sharing juicy gossip.

As he hoped, they all leaned in.

"Did you all know he's laid up?" Jared asked.

"What happened?" Ian Cassidy asked.

There was worry in his eyes. All of them worried. It was part of the job. When you worked with big animals and dangerous equipment, terrible things could happen if you weren't careful.

"He broke his leg in two places and sprained his wrist," Jared said. "But he'll be all right."

"How?" Joe asked.

"He fell off his smallest ladder putting up Christmas lights," Jared replied, shaking his head.

The guys all laughed, as he had known they would. The silliness of the idea had broken the tension.

"Trouble is, he doesn't have help around the farm," Jared went on. "I just found out that his boy has been cutting school to see to the cows, and this one's mother is worried he'll be held back a year if he misses any more days."

"That Allen boy is a bright one," Joe Cassidy said, his brow furrowed. "He should be in school."

"He wants to be a livestock vet," Ansel Williams put in. "Did you know that?"

Ansel and his family had horses up at the Williams Homestead. And the Cassidys were a horse family, too. Having a trusted vet in town who could see to their livestock would be a big plus for them.

"I've told them I'm going to spend the day over there Monday so the boy can go to school," Jared said quickly. "I figured I'd stop by here to see if anyone else can lend a hand. Big Jim's going to be down for the count for two more weeks."

The men began volunteering days, and offering other ways to pitch in, all talking on top of each other.

Jared felt a pang of gratitude in his chest to live in a place where everyone was so quick to lend a hand. He had been pretty sure a couple of guys would pitch in. But seeing everyone at the counter clamoring to be there for Big Jim and his boy was moving.

"Hang on, guys," he said, looking at the little bulletin board.

There was a flyer for an agricultural talk at the library that had already happened last week. He pulled it down and flipped it over, grabbing a pen from the cup by the coffee.

"Let me make a schedule," he said. "Then we can all put in the days we've got. Even part of a day is a big help."

As soon as he had a basic chart written out, the guys took the pen one by one, each filling in a day or two. It was a great start, but it wasn't close to covering the full time.

Feeling inspired, Jared hopped up on a chair.

" Hey, neighbors ," he called out. " Big Jim Allen got hurt and needs a hand on his farm. If anyone's got a little time to lend to him and his boy, come on over. "

Joe Cassidy chuckled at Jared for his antics, but a moment later Ward Sullivan stopped over to take a slot, as did two of the Garrett boys, and then Sal himself took a time and offered to put the sheet up at the check-out when Jared was done, in case anyone else wanted to sign up.

By the time the pen got back to Jared, nearly every slot was filled. And he was sure the last few spots would be before long, with Sal posting it.

"This will mean the world to Big Jim," he told them. "You know he'd never ask."

"We've all got his back," Joe Cassidy said. "Just like he had mine last winter when I had my knee replacements. He was over more than once to lend a hand, and I won't forget it."

The others piped up too. It seemed that Jim Allen was as generous as any of them, even though he was alone on that small farm with his son.

Jared glanced down at Sylvester to see what the boy made of all this.

But Sly's eyes were lit up as he watched two kids about his age darting around the store, playing a version of hide and seek that seemed to involve more running than hiding.

"Go on," Jared told him. "You can play with them."

Sylvester practically burst forward, and the kids waved to him to join them.

Jared watched after him, wondering if his mom would have let him run like that. She worried so much about his asthma.

But sometimes a kid has to be a kid , Jared thought to himself.

And besides, he had the inhaler tucked into the breast pocket of his flannel if anything went wrong .

"Are you falling for the mom, the kid, or both?" Ansel Williams asked him softly.

Jared turned to him, surprised.

"You know how word gets around," Ansel said, chuckling.

"Well, now that you all know about Big Jim falling off his little ladder, maybe I'll get some peace to figure it out," Jared joked weakly.

"Don't take too long," Ansel teased. "Word's also getting around about how pretty she is."

Jared was shocked at the flare of jealousy that burned in his chest at that remark.

"She's a widow," he said automatically. "She might not be looking for anything like that."

"Doesn't mean she won't find love again anyway," Ansel said with the hint of a smile.

Jared felt like a fool, which was a common occurrence when you talked before you thought. Ansel was a widower himself, and he'd fallen madly in love last year and even gotten married again. He and his son were incredibly happy with Ansel's new wife and stepdaughter, Winona and Parker. To see them now, you'd think the four of them had been together forever.

"Sorry, man," Jared said, rubbing his forehead. "I'm an idiot."

"Not at all," Ansel said. "I'm glad you don't just think of me as a walking tragedy."

"Or a walking rom-com," Jared teased. "After last year."

"I'm just me," Ansel said, shrugging. "And she makes me feel like myself, but maybe a slightly better version than the one that sulked around for years before she came along."

Jared nodded in understanding.

Cora made him feel like a slightly better version of himself, too. But he was pretty sure he had no such effect on her. She was already a wonderful person.

" Look at me ," Sylvester called out as he streaked by the goat feed with a little girl hot on his heels.

"He'll keep you on your toes," Ansel chuckled.

Jared found himself picturing a future where that was true, weekends spent throwing a ball in the yard and reading pirate books together at bedtime, and then relaxing with Cora afterward.

The old Jared would have laughed at an idea like that. But now it seemed like the most natural thing in the world.

Maybe being around Cora and Sylvester really was changing him.

And maybe that meant there was a chance it was changing her, too. Was it possible that he wasn't the only one starting to think about them as a family?

He didn't know the answer to that, of course. But as he left the feed shop, he was excited at the chance to find out.