Mandy was in her room on a Saturday morning, trying to decide if she was ready to pack away her dolls and other childhood things. She enjoyed playing with them once in a while, when she knew Dan wouldn’t catch her at it and tease her for being such a baby. However, she could use the space they took up for other things. School started on Monday and she felt the need to organize her room and get ready to face the new school year.
It was tough being too old for toys, too young for boys.
She heard the yard dogs clamoring outside and peered out her window to see what had set them off. She saw a tall, skinny boy standing beside the gate of the fence that protected the lawn from the rest of the ranch. He stood as still as a statue, while the dogs carried on all around him.
Dan’s voice carried ahead of him as he dashed out the back door, the screen slamming behind him. “Hey, Rafe! How ya doing?” Dan chased the dogs off and invited the boy inside the stone fence.
Mandy vaguely recognized the boy. He’d gone to the same elementary school in Wimberley that she and Dan had attended. Of course now the two boys would be starting high school this fall. Except maybe Rafe had dropped out of school a couple of years ago. Either that, or his family had moved away. She hadn’t seen him in a long time.
Now he was back. Curious—as usual—Mandy raced downstairs and walked out on the porch. She was surprised by what he said.
“I’m looking for work.”
Dan laughed. “You serious? Aren’t you going to school?”
“I intend to enroll on Monday, but I need a local address. So I thought maybe I could work here on the ranch for your dad evenings and weekends until I finish up with school.”
Dan reached over and touched a gash just above Rafe’s eye and Rafe flinched. “What happened?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Your dad?”
“Forget it.”
“Are your folks still living in East Texas?”
“Yeah.”
“Do they know where you are?”
“No.” He frowned at Dan. “You gonna tell ’em?”
“Not if you don’t want me to. Won’t they be looking for you?”
Rafe laughed, but he didn’t sound amused. “Not hardly.” Rafe looked past Dan and saw her watching them. He looked away. Dan turned around and saw her.
“Quit being so nosy and go back into the house,” he yelled.
Without a word Mandy went back inside. She went looking for her mom and found her in the front yard, working in her flower garden as usual.
“Mom, there’s a guy here wanting a job.”
Her mother sat back on her heels and looked quizzically at Mandy from beneath her wide-brimmed straw hat. “Why are you telling me, honey? Your dad handles that.”
“He’s just a kid.”
Her mother grinned. “Really? How old is he?”
“Dan’s age. They used to be in the same class until Rafe moved away or something.”
“Rafe?”
“That’s what he goes by.”
Her mom got up, dusted her knees, removed her cotton gardening gloves, straightened her hat and walked around the house. She saw the boys sitting on the back steps and joined them.
Mandy followed her, daring Dan to say anything about her presence.
“Hello. I’m Dan’s mother, Amelia Crenshaw,” she said, holding out her hand to Rafe. Mandy noticed that her mother acted as though there was nothing unusual about his appearance.
He looked at her hand uncertainly, then reluctantly took it, shook it quickly and released it. He bobbed his head without meeting her gaze. “Hi. I’m Rafe McClain.”
“Amanda tells me that you’re looking for work. Is that right?”
Dan glared at Mandy. She gave him a sunny smile in return.
Rafe cleared his throat. “Yes, ma’am.”
“After school, of course ”
“Yes’m.”
She smiled. “Why don’t you come inside and have something to drink? Dan’s father should be coming in for dinner in an hour or so. You can join us and discuss the matter with him.”
Mandy sensed Rafe’s embarrassment. He kept looking at everything but her mom. “That’s all right,” he mumbled. “I can come back later.”
“Nonsense,” her mother said gently, smiling at him. “You have to eat like the rest of us. Dan can show you around the place after you get something to drink.” She walked up the steps and across the porch as though there was no doubt in her mind the boys would follow her into the house.
“Snitch,” Dan muttered, walking past Mandy and pulling her hair.
“What’s so secret about wanting a job?” she asked him, swatting at his hand.
Rafe glanced at her and smiled. “Nothing. There’s nothing wrong.” She smiled back, liking the boy with the black, sad eyes.
Later, over the noon meal, her dad asked Rafe a bunch of questions about what he was trained to do, but nothing about why he needed a job and a place to stay. Mandy had a hunch Dan had already filled him in on that part when she wasn’t around.
And so it was that Rafe McClain made his home on the ranch on that day in late August. There was a small cabin—really only a large room with a bathroom added off the side—that was just over a rise from the house and barns. A small creek ran nearby and the place was shaded with large—and obviously old—live oak trees.
Her dad had suggested that Rafe move in there.
Nobody talked about the fact that he didn’t have any belongings. He just showed up at mealtimes wearing some of Dan’s old shirts and jeans. Her dad insisted on paying him in addition to his room and board—and gradually Rafe acquired a pair of shoes that weren’t falling apart and had his hair cut. He worked from dawn until time for school, then from after school to dark or later.
Sometime during the following four years, Mandy developed a crush on Rafe. She could still remember the pangs of adolescent angst where he was concerned. He, on the other hand, hadn’t known she existed as anything but Dan’s pesky little sister.
Too bad she hadn’t left things that way. Life would have been so much better for both of them if she had.
The sounds of voices and the routine of activity around a working ranch roused Rafe the next morning. He opened his eyes and lay there, remembering why he was back in Texas. He sat up and groaned, feeling the stiffness in all his joints.
He forced himself out of bed and stalked over to the dresser in search of some briefs. When he pulled the drawers open, he let out a silent whistle. These were not discount store items. He picked up a pair of silk boxer shorts and smiled. The kid certainly believed in his comfort. He’d have to give Dan a rough time the next time he saw him.
If he saw him.
Damn. He hated the not knowing. He opened the closet door and stepped inside a spacious walk-in area. Racks of suits, dress shirts and shiny shoes were on one side. Jeans, Western-cut shirts and boots were on the other.
Interesting. It looked to Rafe like a town and country wardrobe