For a moment, Ty couldn't figure out what Bill was saying.Come to us,he’d said, as if inviting Ty inside of a warm circle of acceptance and comfort. But he couldn't be saying that, surely.
“You mean a job?” asked Ty, his heart pounding. “Don’t you have to ask the boss first?”
“The boss?” asked Bill.
“Yeah,” said Ty. “Don’t you have to ask Leland, the boss?” He tried to clear his throat without it sounding loud and nervous but failed. “I mean, I’m not saying no, but I figure it’s his sayso.”
“Son,” said Bill, quite gruff and serious now, though when Ty turned to look at him, there was a twinkle in Bill’s gray-blue eyes.
“I own this ranch, and sure, Leland runs it, but he runs it for me.” Bill pointed to his chest with his thumb. “What I say goes, and I think you’d be a good fit. We’d pay you in room and board and if you’re not as sure around horses and cattle as you are around trucks, we can teach you what you need to know. Why, Clay here is one of our best instructors.”
Bill pointed to where Clay was holding a slice of carrot for Cinders, except the pony was more interested in the bits of frost melting in his blond hair, and was nibbling at it.
Clay laughed, and Bea slipped beneath the pony’s neck to wrap her arms around Clay’s middle and hug him tight. Then Austin came up and kissed behind Clay’s ear and between the three of them was a Christmas morning cloud of love and affection and joy.
Ty’s throat thickened and maybe it was the sense of the importance of the day or the love and affection and joy that seemed to be filling the barn, making a big enough circle to include him inside of it.
He honestly had no idea what he was feeling exactly, but he knew he wanted more of it. More of what the little family in front of him had. More of that, and maybe someone to kiss him like Clay and Austin were kissing each other. More of the love.
“D’you mean it?” asked Ty.
“Sure,” said Bill. “Like I said, this is usually Leland’s area, but I think he’d be good with taking you on. So what do you say?We sure could use someone who knows their way around an engine.”
Bill turned to Ty and Ty did his best to focus on the moment, to clear his brain.
His eyes felt hot, and his heart was racing. This was such a chance, such a good chance, he could hardly believe it was being given to him simply because he could attach a few wires in sub-zero weather.
“Yes,” said Ty, half-breathless. “I need to get the rig back to Eaton Trucking and then terminate my contract, which is already terminated at the end of the year anyway.”
“Then it’s perfect,” said Bill. “Hey, sweet Bea,” he said now to Bea, who rushed up to them both and hugged them hard. “Ty’s coming to work for us, and what do you think about that?”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah!” Bea hopped up and down then dashed back to her two dads, and playfully pushed them to the side so she could be the one to carefully close and latch the door to Cinder’s box stall.
“Come back New Year’s day,” said Bill as casually as if he’d been handing Ty another cup of hot coffee rather than saving Ty’s life and giving him a future worth going towards, all in one stroke. “We’ll put you up in the staff quarters and we’ll make sure to have clean sheets on the bed for you.”
Yes, Ty meant to say. He meant to say it aloud, but his throat held the words back as he watched Bea race up to him. She threw herself against him and hugged him hard, then grabbed his hand with a sturdy pull.
“You missed breakfast, and Dad always says you should eat it.” She smiled up at him, her eyes full of Christmas joy, now that she’d been able to ride her new pony. “We’re having grilled cheese and ‘mater soup for lunch.”
“What’s that?” Ty asked, not sure he’d heard right. “What’s ‘mater soup?”
“Tomato soup,” said Austin, coming up to them with Clay in tow. “It’s good to warm your insides on such a cold day.”
“Yes,” said Ty, aloud this time. He looked at Bill and nodded at him. “Yes.”
Bill shook his hand and patted Ty’s shoulder, leaving a warm spot behind. Maybe there’d be a job application to fill out or some kind of background check, but Bill seemed a handshake-seals-the-deal kind of guy and Ty was going to do everything he could to live up to that trust.
As they shut the barn door, and trooped single file along the plowed edge of the dirt road, Ty knew he was lucky. He had a warm red scarf to wear, and a little girl hanging onto his hand like she never meant to let go as they walked to the dining hall, and a sense of warmth and goodness in his heart.
He’d driven through a blizzard on an impossible task, and arrived to land in a world of Christmas morning, to a prospect of a future life, and to the promise of clean sheets on New Year’s day. All of which meant he’d not miss out on his own life, and the possibility of finding someone of his own to call home.
The End
