Page 9 of On the Land, We Shoot Straight

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he sheep were spread out around the house, neatly penned in and munching on the weeds under a flutter of light rain as Grady pulled up.

He got out and Lady and Dog sniffed at his legs.

He walked over to the house, unclipped the gate, and saw Cole sitting on the top step, a book resting open on his thighs.

“Hey,” Grady said as he came up the path, the sheep moving off at a quick walk as he passed.

“Hey,” Cole replied. “They’re lovin’ the grass. Was a bit dry out where they were.”

“Yep.” Grady swung himself down so he was sitting on the porch step below Cole, the wet seeping into his pants. It was a reverse of their positions from the night before.

They watched the sheep in silence. Grady glanced over his shoulder at the book in Cole’s lap. The pages were face up but Grady recognized it and snorted.

“What?” Cole asked.

“Don’t reckon that one’s gonna help either.”

Cole shook his head and smiled. “That’s not why I’m readin’ it,” Cole picked it up and marked his place with a sheet of torn newspaper, set the beat-up copy of Black Beauty aside.

“You get everything in town?” Cole asked after a while.

Grady pulled a packet of cigarettes out of his top pocket, tapped them on his thigh, slid the top one out between his lips, took out his lighter and lit it. He held the pack back to Cole.

“I’m good.”

Grady nodded and put the packet away. He slid the cigarette between his fingers, pulled it from between his lips and blew the smoke out.

“Got everything I needed in town,” he said.

“Cool.”

Grady glanced at him. He was sitting forward with his arms wrapped around his legs, eyes on the sheep. When Grady turned, Cole met his eyes and smiled, a quick quirk of lips before he looked away again.

Grady focused on his cigarette.

“Didn’t know you smoked,” Cole said.

“And I didn’t know you talked this much.”

Cole scoffed. Grady grinned.

“I don’t.” Grady butted out the cigarette. “Just every now and then.”

Cole nodded, still with the hint of a smile as he looked back at the sheep.

They were getting heavy with wool. Grady thought on how it’d have been better if he could’ve got them shorn sooner, but the team was booked up, and he’d had to settle for the date they offered.

He could’ve used a different team, but waiting was better than making a shit job of it.

“You got a black one.” Cole jerked his head at the black juvenile by the fence.

“Yep,” Grady said. “Dappled when she gets shorn, though.”

“Yeah, I know.”

Grady glanced at Cole. And well, yeah, of course he would know that.

Cole kept his eyes on the sheep. Grady sometimes got the feeling Cole spoke up and then waited to get slapped for it.

But it was like he needed to bust the words out sometimes.

Like they were bursting to get out, and he held them in until he couldn’t.

“’Course you do.” Grady stood. “You want a beer?”

“Are you makin’ fun of me?” Cole’s gaze was still firmly fixed on the sheep.

Waiting to get slapped? This was paranoia. But all Grady said was, “Nope.” And he went inside to get the beers.

Grady sat back down, handed Cole a beer.

“Sorry,” Cole said.

Grady shrugged. He wasn’t sure what the kid was apologizing for. He remembered being that young, young like everything felt serious and your feelings darted all over the place. Only he hadn’t had to do it with a bunch of older brothers and an asshole for an old man.

“Nothin’ to be sorry about.”

Grady watched Cole out of the corner of his eye as the kid picked the label on his beer, and he decided to throw him a bone.

“’Course you know about the sheep ’cause you grew up with ’em. Just ’cause you’re the youngest doesn’t mean you weren’t there.”

Cole watched Grady as he spoke, his look suspicious before it smoothed out and he nodded.

“What do you know about it?” Cole finally said and gave a cheeky smile over his shoulder.

Grady snorted a laugh. He got up and tapped Cole’s shoulder with his beer as he passed, told him he’d make a start on dinner.