Jamie did as he was told and sat down to drag off his sneakers and thin socks. The right sneaker came off just like it should, in one piece, but the left one was almost cracked in half, and there were two sizable holes in the bottom of his socks.
“What the hell?” Leland took the sneaker and shook it at Jamie, like a man about to scold a dog over a shoe it has just chewed up. “How long have you been wearing these in the state that they are?” He turned the sneaker over to look at it more closely. “Did the sole crack or something? I notice traces of duct tape here.”
“Um.” Shrinking back against the chair, Jamie tried to dig up an explanation that wouldn’t sound like he was a complete idiot who hadn’t noticed his sneaker was falling apart. “A while,” was all he could say, leaving out the part where his plans to buy new sneakers had been foiled because the guys he rented a house with said he owed them money.
That was all far behind him now, so he should be able to get over it, only it was difficult. And here was Leland, seemingly pissed, looking at Jamie with hard eyes because Jamie hadn’t been able to make things work on his own. Only what Leland eventually said was not what Jamie had been expecting.
“Look, Jamie,” said Leland, in the same calm, steady voice he’d used before. “On the ranch, it’s important to have good footwear and to take good care of your feet. We do a lot of walking and a lot of riding so, in future, if you need new boots, you need to speak up. Got it?”
“Yes, sir,” said Jamie. He wanted to squirm in his chair, and he would have if Leland’s scrutiny had gone on much longer. Instead, Leland waggled the packet of socks in front of Jamie, took the other sneaker from him and threw both in a small, round, metal trash can next to the rack of moccasins. Then, with his booted foot, he scooted the new boots across the linoleum floor closer to Jamie.
“Put those on, then walk back and forth so we can see.”
Feeling a bit like he was on trial, Jamie slipped off his old socks, and didn’t say anything when Leland threw those away, too. Then he put on the new socks, and laced up the new boots, and was just about enjoying the small squeaking sounds the new leather made when Leland bent down to push on the toe.
“Yeah, that looks about right. Now, get up and walk.”
Jamie felt like he was on parade, or a small show pony being asked to trot in front of the judges. Or maybe he was just very tired, very hungry, and completely out of his depth to be thinking such thoughts. Luckily, Leland seemed to approve of how the boots fit, and stood up and gestured that Jamie should stand up, too.
“Bag those up for me, will you?” he asked the young lady behind the counter as he pushed all the items toward her. “Bill says to put them on the company tab.” He turned to Jamie. “If you need anything else, just come get it. The cost can be deducted from your pay.”
“Thank you,” said Jamie in a very small voice as he watched Leland heft the large, plastic bag the clerk handed him. The box with the hat in it, Leland handed to Jamie.
“You’ll need that to keep the sun off. And though it might seem too warm for ‘em, you’ll need to wear long-sleeved shirts when you’re working, too. Okay?”
“Okay.”
Bearing the hatbox in his hands, Jamie followed Leland out of the cool, air-conditioned store to where Gwen patiently waited, still tied to the porch, flicking her tail behind her. Stomping in his new boots down the small flight of wooden steps, Jamie almost stepped on Leland’s heels when Leland suddenly came to a stop.
“Up you get,” Leland said.
“What?”
“You ride, and I’ll lead. Gwen’s done enough work carrying two for one day, I think.”
Leland helped Jamie get his new boot in the stirrup. They were almost too big and round to fit into the stirrup, and Jamie could easily see why they would be good work boots but not good riding boots. Once Jamie was astride, Leland tied the plastic bag of new gear to the saddle horn. Untying Gwen’s reins, he led the horse along the road and into the glade of trees that grew between the parking lot and the lodge.
Jamie was pleased that the layout was becoming more familiar to him and even more pleased to see the quiet moment Leland took to pet Gwen and whisper something to her as they went. He felt a thrill at being so high up, high enough to look down on Leland’s broad shoulders, to be able to measure the length of his stride. It was a completely different world, being on horseback, and it was nothing like he’d expected it would be. Maybe buying that Greyhound bus ticket to the back end of nowhere had been the best idea rather than the worst, after all.
They walked along the road through the glade. Jamie clenched the saddle horn and held the box with his hat in it close against his stomach, where the corner poked him every now and then. Once out of the glade, they passed the dining hall, which was now bustling with cowboy-type people who were going inside. How different it looked now that he’d secured a job and belonged there, more solid, more approachable. More like home.
Leland led Gwen past the dining hall, where they turned into the shade of a group of pine trees to follow a wide path to a building that stood against a hillside.
“This is the staff quarters,” said Leland. “Can you manage all of this?” he asked Jamie as an older woman with a flowered apron and a tight bun came out of the building. “Hey, there Stella.”
“The room’s all ready,” she said. “Do you have the key?”
“Yes, I got it from Maddy. Here.” Leland waited as Jamie dismounted, once again to unsteady knees, his new boots feeling like they weighed a ton. “These are your keys. Looks like you’re in room 301. Why don’t you head up and grab a quick shower, and I’ll meet you in front of the dining hall when you’re ready. That’s the building we just passed.”
A small wave of dismay swept over Jamie, though he scolded himself for it. Leland wasn’t dismissing him, he was telling him to take a shower and meet up for something to eat. All of this was so good, so wonderful and amazing, that he hardly knew how to take it all in.
“Thank you,” he said as he took the keys and juggled the hatbox in his hands as he tried to take the plastic bag from Leland, and his green duffle bag, as well.
“Here,” said Leland. He put the plastic bag on the ground while Gwen nuzzled him from behind as though looking for treats. Slinging the duffle bag over Jamie’s shoulder, he took the new straw hat out of the box and plonked it on Jamie’s head. He tucked the now-empty box under his arm. “You might as well get used to wearing it. I need to take Gwen to the stable and get her unsaddled and watered. See you in a bit.”
“See you,” said Jamie, echoing Leland’s words, trying to make them his own.
As Leland gathered up Gwen’s reins and headed back down the small path between the trees, Jamie hefted the plastic bag and smiled beneath the brim of his new straw hat. The keys to his new life dangled from his fingers, and he smiled even wider as he stepped inside and looked at the number on the wooden rectangle attached to the keys. It said 301.
