by Will Hobbs
Cloyd knew the plan by heart. He was pleased that he understood it so well, pleased that he was learning so many new things. When they jacked the framework tight between the two walls, the bulging one would start to give. Every day when he came home from school, he’d go down in the basement and crank the jack a little more. The crack in the wall would close up. When the wall was straight-up-and-down again, they’d simplify the supports that held it.
It was lunchtime, and it was warm in the kitchen with the cookstove fire going. The old man was fixing sandwiches. Walter made up the grocery lists, and Cloyd did the shopping in town. Every few days he’d go to the store during the lunch break at school. He had some friends this year, and sometimes they went with him. The teachers let him keep the groceries in their lounge; they even had a refrigerator for the fresh things. Walter insisted on doing the cooking. Cloyd thought that was fine. The doctor had said Walter needed to be doing things, only nothing strenuous.
On the kitchen table, with Walter’s help, Cloyd struggled at writing a letter to his sister and his grandmother. He told them about Walter, how they’d gone into the mountains, that Walter had been hurt, that he was taking care of Walter until he got stronger. He knew Susan James had made sure they’d heard all those things, but he wanted to tell them himself. “I like the mountains, but I miss the desert,” he wrote. “It’s getting cold here now. Already it snowed once. I feed the horses in the morning, two bales of hay. Pretty soon I will shovel snow off the pond and chop a hole for them to drink. Blueboy is my favorite. He’s strong and smart. When I come home, Walter is going to bring Blueboy, too. He’s mine to keep.”
For dessert they had doughnuts, the store-bought kind caked with powdered sugar. The old man broke one of his long-standing rules by suggesting they eat them in the parlor, where unavoidably the powdered sugar fell to the carpet. “Blends right in,” Walter chuckled. “Reminds me of a joke I’ll bet you’d like.”
The trace of a smile crossed Cloyd’s face. “Oh?” he said, anticipating one of the old man’s tall tales.
“This fellow was feeding doughnuts to his horse. Another fellow asks him what for. The first fellow says, ‘To find out how many he’d eat before he asked for a cup of coffee.’”
Cloyd flashed a wide smile, and his round face shone like the sun. The old man was holding his breath, his head bobbing up and down, cheeks puffed out, lips drawn tight. Cloyd began to laugh, Walter’s breath exploded, and then the old man was laughing too until his ears turned red.
They heard a vehicle pull up outside, and both went to the window to see. A young man was getting out of a white pickup with big red letters on the side.
“Durango Hardware and Nursery,” Walter said. “Must be lost.” The old man took his jacket from the peg in the mudroom and went outside to see if he could give directions.
The driver had taken off the glove on his right hand to turn the pages of his order book. “Here’s your receipt,” he said mechanically. He tore out a small yellow page and handed it to the old man. “The seedlings are in the back of the truck.”
“Seedlings?” Walter protested.
“All paid for. Twenty-two peach trees. You are Cloyd Atcitty, aren’t you?” the young man asked, reaching for his back pocket. “The manager gave me this map.”
Cloyd stepped up. “I’m Cloyd Atcitty,” he said. “I bought them. It was a surprise,” he explained, motioning toward the old man with his lips.
For an instant, Walter’s eyes found Cloyd’s. The boy was glowing with pleasure.
“I never heard of anybody growing peaches around here,” the driver offered skeptically. “Too cold, isn’t it?”
“I suppose it is….” Walter admitted, winking at Cloyd. “But we’ll sure give it a try.”
WILL HOBBS is the award-winning author of many popular adventure stories for young readers, including Bearstone and Beardance. His picture book, Beardream, illustrated by Jill Kastner, is a companion to these novels. Seven of his novels have been chosen by the American Library Association as Best Books for Young Adults. A graduate of Stanford University and former language arts teacher, he lives in Durango, Colorado, with his wife, Jean. Longtime backpackers and river runners, they have spent many years exploring the mountain and canyon settings of Will’s stories.
To learn more about the author and his books, visit Will’s Web site at www.WillHobbsAuthor.com.
