“Well, we’re off,” said Arnie.
“Safe journey home,” said Walt, at last speaking his mind.
The men got in the truck and trundled slowly across the valley to the gap at the far side, and disappeared in a chuff of diesel smoke. Leaving Zeke and Cal all alone beneath the width of the sky, the sharpness of the mountains.
“Well, I reckon we better take that smart fence down so we can pack up and head home to the valley,” said Zeke, because, of course, that’s what made sense.
He’d never been a man of wild imaginings or fanciful thinking, so even though it might have been magical to stay one more night, they were duty bound to return as soon as they could. Chores and obligations awaited them both.
“Could we stay?” asked Cal. He’d lifted his chin, and the sunlight flared on his cheeks, though his eyes were in shadow.
“What?” asked Zeke. It was as if Cal had heard his thoughts and responded to them.
“We’ve got another pack or two of freeze-dried meals and coffee,” said Cal. “There’s plenty of grass for the horses, and water—” His eyes were enormous. “I’d give anything to stay one more night.” He gulped. “Please, can we stay?”
“Sure,” said Zeke. “One more night will be fine.”
He would look forward to the peace and the darkness. He’d have to hold his own desires in check for one more night, but there was no power on earth that could have made him say no to Cal.
Chapter 22
Cal
The efficiency and kindness of the handlers with the mustangs had been amazing. Both Arnie and Walt had made low clucking noises as they’d hung the metal tags around the mustangs’ necks, urging them, six at a time, into the trailer. They never rushed or pushed, and the whole process went so smoothly, it was hard to believe.
Maybe the horse cookies had soothed the mustangs’ nerves, or maybe those two cowboys had simply been good at their jobs. The task was done now, and it was only noon. Cal wasn’t surprised when Zeke said they should head on home.
I reckon we better take that smart fence down and pack up and head home to the valley.
The words churned a hole in Cal’s heart because while Farthingdale Valley was home, and the ride there would be fun. After that, when they came back to the work compound, he’d have to deal with Preston’s shit. And frankly, at that point, he’d rather get eaten by a bear. And he’d much rather just be with Zeke.
“Could we stay?” Cal asked.
He didn’t let himself beg, but tried to see Zeke’s expression beneath the shadow of his cowboy hat. All he got were the linesof that hard jaw and glimpses of Zeke’s eyebrows as he looked over the valley for a long minute.
“We’ve got another pack or two of freeze-dried meals and coffee,” Cal added. “There’s plenty of grass for the horses, and water—I’d give anything to stay one more night.” He gulped. “Please, can we stay?”
“Sure,” said Zeke, in his slow, careful way. “One more night will be fine.”
Cal wanted to jump up and give Zeke the biggest hug, but Zeke turned his face away, like he had when he’d been moved to tears by the mustangs and their coming adventure. So Cal stepped back and looked at the three horses in the confines of the metal paddock, giving Zeke his space.
“Could we let them out to graze?” asked Cal. “Instead of taking the temporary fence down right away, we can give these guys some green grass.”
“Weareall out of horse cookies and feed,” said Zeke. He huffed a laugh under his breath, as if chiding himself. “Let’s do that.”
They guided the domestic horses into the pen meant for wild ones. The grass was cropped in many places, but there were still lush circles the horses could feed from, plus the open access to the pool of water at the river’s edge.
For a while they watched the contented horses go at it, then Zeke winced as he stepped back, as if stepping toward some imaginary task. But there was nothing they had to do besides purifying water for their meals, and making something to eat for lunch, and later for dinner. Beyond breaking camp in the morning, there was nothing to do.
Cal was quite sure Zeke didn’t know what to do with himself without some chore or task.
They had cups of coffee and the last of the cheese and crackers for lunch, and ate standing up while the wind blew freely across the grasses.
“You want to take another dip in the river for your leg?” Cal asked as they cleaned up from lunch.
Cal’s suggestion made Zeke look at Cal, his eyes bright.
“I could take a dip, too,” Cal said, sweet and earnest. “Ice baths are supposed to be good for you, right?”
