Lib Novel Page 29
Somehow he didn’t think he had to warn Sylvester not to climb up the shelving units, or not open anything. Sly was almost too well behaved. The only thing he might have worried about was the kid asking too many questions. But the guys inside wouldn’t even mind that this time of year. They loved to talk about their farms, especially when it was slow.
“First we’ve got to go to the front and put in Big Jim’s order,” Jared explained. “Then we’ll head over to the counter and talk to everyone.”
The kid nodded, his eyes getting big as he took in all the various types of feed and other items stacked practically to the ceiling.
They made their way to Sal, who noted down everything they wanted. By the time Jared was ready to go to the coffee counter, Sylvester was already looking over there at the small collection of men standing around holding their cups.
“Hey, guys,” Jared said cheerfully, heading over with Sylvester by his side.
“Who’s this little feller?” Joe Cassidy asked with a smile.
“This is Sylvester Davies, the new schoolteacher’s boy,” Jared said.
“Nice to meet you,” Sylvester said right away. “I’m called Rocky. Sometimes.”
Jared couldn’t help but smile at that. He wasn’t sure how much Cora liked the nicknames he gave the boy, but little Rocky here was definitely enjoying them.
“Rocky, huh?” Joe asked him, his eyes twinkling. “That’s a good nickname for a Pennsylvania boy.”
“What brings you out here, Jared?” Ansel Williams asked.
“I’m picking up supplies for Big Jim Allen,” Jared said, lowering his voice slightly in a move he’d learned from his mother when she was sharing juicy gossip.
As he hoped, they all leaned in.
“Did you all know he’s laid up?” Jared asked.
“What happened?” Ian Cassidy asked.
There was worry in his eyes. All of them worried. It was part of the job. When you worked with big animals and dangerous equipment, terrible things could happen if you weren’t careful.
“He broke his leg in two places and sprained his wrist,” Jared said. “But he’ll be all right.”
“How?” Joe asked.
“He fell off his smallest ladder putting up Christmas lights,” Jared replied, shaking his head.
The guys all laughed, as he had known they would. The silliness of the idea had broken the tension.
“Trouble is, he doesn’t have help around the farm,” Jared went on. “I just found out that his boy has been cutting school to see to the cows, and this one’s mother is worried he’ll be held back a year if he misses any more days.”
“That Allen boy is a bright one,” Joe Cassidy said, his brow furrowed. “He should be in school.”
“He wants to be a livestock vet,” Ansel Williams put in. “Did you know that?”
Ansel and his family had horses up at the Williams Homestead. And the Cassidys were a horse family, too. Having a trusted vet in town who could see to their livestock would be a big plus for them.
“I’ve told them I’m going to spend the day over there Monday so the boy can go to school,” Jared said quickly. “I figured I’d stop by here to see if anyone else can lend a hand. Big Jim’s going to be down for the count for two more weeks.”
The men began volunteering days, and offering other ways to pitch in, all talking on top of each other.
Jared felt a pang of gratitude in his chest to live in a place where everyone was so quick to lend a hand. He had been pretty sure a couple of guys would pitch in. But seeing everyone at the counter clamoring to be there for Big Jim and his boy was moving.
“Hang on, guys,” he said, looking at the little bulletin board.
There was a flyer for an agricultural talk at the library that had already happened last week. He pulled it down and flipped it over, grabbing a pen from the cup by the coffee.
“Let me make a schedule,” he said. “Then we can all put in the days we’ve got. Even part of a day is a big help.”