The Fire in Ember - DiAnn Mills [4]
A familiar know of fear clawed at Bert’s stomach. She didn’t have the money to pay either of these men.
“One hundred dollars and you bring your mare over when you’re ready. This is the best deal you’ll get from anyone around here.”
“Two hundred.”
John lifted his hands and shook his head. “I’m done. You got your horse, and now you got yourself a boy to work off his debt. I’m riding home. Got too much work of my own to do. Good day, Mr. Oberlander.” He touched the brim of his hat and whirled around, taking half a dozen steps to his horse.
“Wait up. Hundred dollars cash will do and the breedin'. You take the kid.”
John whipped out a money clip and counted out five twenties. She’d never seen so much money. He stared up at her. “I hope you have some muscles beneath your scrawny hide, ‘cause you’re going to work off every penny of this.”
Mr. Oberlander laughed. “Pleasure doing business with you, John.”
This isn’t going to be easy.
John never thought of himself as having a temper. In fact he thought of himself as a patient man. Being big brother to four boys and facing responsibility for their welfare head-on meant using his head and heart, not his fists or his mouth.
But a twist of fate had made him madder than an agitated hornet’s nest. He hadn’t struck a deal with Oberlander about his land, and he’d lost one hundred dollars of his money on a no-account kid.
He looked over his shoulder at the boy riding behind him. “I want to know your name.” He spoke like a man in charge, even though defeat mocked him. “I paid your debt, and you owe me a few things.”
“I’ll work hard.”
“I guarantee it. The only thing you’ll have time for stealing is a few extra hours of sleep at night. I have four younger brothers and my mother waiting at the ranch. What do you want them to call you?”
“Bert.”
“Thank you. Now where are you from?”
“Not from around here.”
“Where are your folks?”
“Doesn’t matter.”
John wanted to give the kid a generous piece of his mind, but what good would acting like Leon do? Besides, the kid had already been beaten and needed to have his eye and mouth tended to. “I bet your mama is worried sick about you.”
“She’s dead.”
Things about Bert were becoming clearer. “Sorry to hear that.”
“Happened a long time ago.”
Once Bert decided to talk, he did all right. “What about the rest of your family?”
“Doesn’t matter.”
“Right now I figure you owe me at least four months’ hard work for what you cost me. What do you know about ranching?”
“Nothing.”
Make that five months. “We start before sunrise. You’ll get three meals a day, and I expect you to mind your manners. Whatever I tell you to do, put some effort into it. No argument or you’ll skip the next meal. There’ll be no cussin', and you’ll go to church on Sunday.”
“Ain’t never been to church.”
“So along with being a horse thief, you don’t follow God? Looks like you need lots of help.”
“I didn’t steal the horse.”
“Were you riding Oberlander’s horse when those ranch hands found you?”
“Didn’t know they were Mr. Oberlander’s men, but yes.”
“That’s ‘Yes, sir.’ I don’t know where you’re from, but when someone’s caught riding a horse that doesn’t belong to him, it’s stealing. And let me make it clear, you will treat those older than you with respect. So I’d better be hearing good manners. If you don’t have any, you’d better be learning some.” John had a whole lecture—more like a sermon—swelling inside him. “I hope you learned your lesson today. I saved you from a hanging, and I hope I don’t live to regret it.”
John started to add more, but he needed to spend some time thinking about the money he’d lost and how to approach Victor Oberlander about purchasing the acreage separating the two ranches. Oberlander had always been a fair man and a shrewd businessman. John had used both tactics this morning in hopes the man would remember the generosity when it came time to discuss the selling of some of his property.
But it might not happen before Evan’s birthday,