His gambling, drinking, and general lack of interest in the running of the ranch over the past six months had forced his father to make drastic decisions. Decisions that he was now attempting to ake up for.
Over the past few weeks, Thomas had been endeavoring to better himself and the ranch. The image of the drunken man in front of the saloon plagued his conscience, more than anything he never wanted his son to see him in that light. He hadn’t touched a drop since his conversation with Ezrah Gideon.
His mind wondered to Rosaline, and what she would think of him if she saw him lying drunk in the street.Why did he care what she thought of him?He reasoned with himself that her opinion of him mattered because she was the woman who would be raising his child.
He turned his thoughts back to the ranch and what needed to be done to bring everything back up to scratch. This was the future and legacy he would be leaving for his son. He didn’t want it to be tattered or tarnished in any way. The memory of his mother and his wife and the man he used to be, was a big part of that legacy.
The fields closer to the house seemed in decent shape, it was the herds to the back of the ranch that took the brunt of it. They were sparse at best. He’d had time this morning to look at the ranch itself. The barn needed repairs, the fences needed fixing, the roof was sagging, and a fresh coat of paint wouldn’t do any harm.
The laundry was missing a few windows that had presumably been knocked out in a storm. The only building that wasn’t in a state of disrepair was the coop. The memory of the previous day brought a smile to his lips.
He couldn’t deny that Rosaline’s scream had rattled him to the core, fearing the worst as he had set off at a run. His heart had been pounding like a drum when he had reached the coop. But the thought of her bewildered eyes and the rooster strutting along the fence made him laugh to himself.
There was a growing warmth for her in his heart. He may never love another woman again, but a warm friendship seemed like a likely prospect for the future. Robbie also seemed to be taking a liking to her. He had been a bit startled the previous day when he saw his son in Rosaline’s arms. The boy hadn’t let anyone carry him like that since...
The galloping of hooves made him turn to see his father approaching on horseback.
Arthur stopped by the fence and began to dismount.
Thomas noticed how he took his time to remove his feet from the stirrups and painfully swung his leg over the saddle before carefully lowering himself to the ground.
Thomas frowned. “Are you alright Pa?” He asked with concern.
Arthur made his way over to Thomas without saying a word. He folded his arms and leaned against the fence, surveying the thinning herd. “I didn’t see you at breakfast this morning.”
“I wanted to come and check the rest of the herd,” he said, looking over the livestock. I only managed to take stock of the corrals closer to the house yesterday.” He mimicked his father’s posture and rested his arms on the fence. We’ve lost quite a few of the prized bulls.”
“There wasn’t much else to be done. Desperate times call for desperate measures.”
Thomas felt a pang of guilt at the honesty in his father’s voice. It wasn’t meant to hurt him. Arthur Stratton believed in telling things as they were, and never sugar-coated the truth. He did not possess a dishonest bone in his body.
“There was the usual running costs to be paid, food for the house, and fodder for the animals. Then the debt collectors that came knocking in your absence.”
Thomas drew back in shock. “Pa, I honestly didn’t know, I thought they were only coming after me.”
“You had your own pain to deal with.” He winced as he shifted his weight on the post but kept his eyes on the farmhands herding the cattle in the distance, refusing to acknowledge his pain.
“You’d tell me if there was something wrong?” Thomas asked without looking at his father.If his father had hidden his debt collectors’ visits from him, what else had he not been willing to share?
“Just tired is all. There’s been a lot to do around here, and as you’ve undoubtedly seen on your rounds, there’s plenty of areas that have been neglected. I couldn’t see to Robbie, the house, and all of the ranch.”
It pained Thomas to see his father looking so tired. How had he not seen the lines that were now etched into his face? Growing up, his father had always been the strongest and most independent man that Thomas had ever known. They all relied on him. “Have you seen the doctor?”
“I don’t see the point, he’s going to tell me what I already know. I’m getting old,” he smiled wanly.
Thomas straightened and lifted a boot against the wooden post of the pen. “I’m sorry I haven’t been around enough, Pa. I’m trying to do better. I know that’s not going to fix what has already happened, but I’m trying.”
Arthur turned to his son and placed a rough hand on his shoulder. “Trying is the best place to start,” he said, and his eyes were bright and hopeful.
Thomas looked away. He didn’t feel he deserved the proud look he saw in his father’s eyes. His anger grew towards God.All of this was his own fault, his own misgivings and failings as a son and a father. Why did God keep punishing the people around him?First his wife and then his mother. The thought of his father being ill was too much to bear. But perhaps he was imagining things and his father was just tired. It was almost enough to make him pray that it was so.
***
Thomas entered the house and made his way down the passage towards the study. He was weary from his talk with his father. They had stood together for a while by the cattle and talked of all the plans to bring the ranch back up to scratch. A moment to himself was all he needed right now in the quiet of his study.
He frowned. As he neared the study, he thought he could hear humming. Entering the study he found Rosaline on her hands and knees with her sleeves rolled up to her elbows. She was humming as she scrubbed the carpet.
His attention was immediately drawn to the guitar that was laying on the desk, no longer where it usually stood against the shelf. “Who said you could come in here?” he roared in anger.
