“I put those receipts in your accounting book,” he said. “For the saddles and the salt.”
Clay made a very good unofficial right-hand man. He was young, but he was eager to learn all there was to know about a ranch and how to run one. He was also too cute for words, blond haired and blue eyed, and way too young for Leland. Not to mention he had very strict ideas about fraternizing with employees who reported directly to him and even those who didn’t. Those kinds of complications were unnecessary and easily avoidable.
“Thank you,” he said, taking off his hat, now that it was the end of the day. “How’s Jamie holding up?”
“He’s a hard worker, all right,” said Clay. He echoed Leland’s movements, holding his hat in his hand. “But he didn’t want to take breaks. I had to explain to him all over again about the altitude and all.”
“Thank you for keeping on top of that,” Leland said. “I’ll speak to him about it when I see him.”
“He’s new,” said Clay. “When he did drink some water, it was too fast and he almost barfed. You know how it goes.”
“I do indeed.” Shaking his head, he knew he would have to have a talk with Jamie. “You boys off to town after the dance?”
“Yes, sir,” said Clay, almost proudly as he put his cowboy hat back on. “The Rusty Nail is holding us a table.”
“Not too late now,” Leland said. “Trail ride tomorrow.”
“Yes, sir,” said Clay again, and with a cheeky wink, he was off.
Leland made his way through the growing darkness to his small cabin, grateful, as he always was, for the privacy and the quiet. Sundays, the day guests arrived, were always busy, but now that Monday, the first full day, was at an end, the week’s events planned and underway, he could relax. Kick his boots off. Hang up his cowboy hat.
After a quick shower, he went to the front porch in his sweats and t-shirt and sat in the Adirondack chair, propping his bare feet up on the rail. He might have gotten himself a root beer to enjoy, but it felt like too much work to get up and fetch it.
While he thought he was all alone enjoying the quiet gloom, looking up at the stars among the pine branches, he heard footsteps on the little gravel path that led up to the cabin’s porch. There, to his surprise, stepping into the circle of bright air when the porch light came on, was Jamie.
He was wearing the shirt he’d had on at the dance, a pale yellow snap-button shirt that made him seem to glow like a slender firefly.
“Hey, Jamie,” Leland said. He stood up, surprised at his own pleasure to find him there. “What can I do for you?”
Jamie came closer and mounted the two wooden steps to the porch. Then he just stood there, his eyes wide, breath coming a little quick. There was no way of telling what he wanted, but he was pale, as though something truly bad had happened.
“It’s okay, whatever it is,” Leland said, coming to the edge of the porch to meet him halfway. “Tell me what I can do to help.”
“I didn’t know,” Jamie said, his voice ghostly faint. “Honest I didn’t. And I didn’t know what to do, but I figured—”
He stopped to take a breath as his voice grew thinner with each word.
“I figured whatyouwould do,” Jamie finished with a gasp. And with that he reached into his pocket and pulled out a thick fold of cash, which he held out to Leland. “I didn’t know. I honestly didn’t know.”
“Didn’t know about what?” Leland asked as he took the money, a stack of fifties and hundred-dollar bills. It did seem to be an awful lot for Jamie to be carrying around, especially since he’d arrived at the ranch footsore, looking like he’d not had a hot meal in days.
“Maddy came to me just after dinner with more paperwork and explained the rule about tips,” Jamie said. “She said we weren’t supposed to keep tips, but had to turn them in. So I’m turning it in.”
“Where’d you get the tip?” Leland asked, as it wasn’t usual for guests to tip on the first day.
“Mr. Ayers gave it to me when they left that day,” said Jamie. “Only I swear I didn’t know about the policy when he did it.”
Seeing as how Jamie’s background seemed to be rather troubled, the fact that it had taken him such a short while to hand over the money spoke of a conscience well-wrestled with.Andhe’d said he’d done it because it was what he thought Leland would have done.
All of this spoke to Leland’s heart in ways he’d not expected upon first meeting Jamie. Leland liked to set a good example to the younger staff on the ranch, but never before had he seen the results of this in such a determined way. The thousand dollars would have gone a long way to seeing Jamie down the road. Nobody would have known.
“That’s right,” Leland said, curling the money in his fist. “There’ll be a party at the end of the season and we split up whatever’s left and hand it out.”
“So I’m not going to lose my job?” asked Jamie.
It was clear this was important to him, and Leland realized Jamie was looking upon his position as an opportunity for a new start, not just a job to get cash before heading out again. At least that’s what it seemed like. Leland wanted to find out more, wanted to ask Jamie up on the porch. Then maybe Leland could fetch two root beers and dig a little deeper about Jamie.
“No, Jamie, you aren’t.” Leland smiled, wanting to be encouraging. “Besides, they gave you this money before I hired you, so it’s rightfully yours. Here.”
