The two men led the young horses toward barn C, with Jessie and Lloyd following behind. “There was a name on the 4-H pavilion,” Jessie said, almost as soon as the two of them started walking. “Josh McBride. Do you know who he was?”

“No, not really,” Lloyd shrugged. “I think it was some little boy that got killed in a car wreck or something, but I don’t know for sure. The building’s been called that since before I got here, and that’s been ten years ago, now. I bet old Leon, there would know. He’s been here forever. Ask him.”

“Oh, that’s okay.” Surprisingly, Jessie’s heart began to ache when she heard how the boy died, and she suddenly felt as though she was prying into someone else’s business. “I just thought…”

“Hey Leon,” Lloyd yelled ahead to the old ranch hand. “Do you know the story about the boy the pavilion is named after?”

Leon had just walked the filly into an empty stall and slipped her halter off. He came back out closing the stall door behind him, and with the halter draped over his arm, dug the tobacco out of his cheek with his forefinger and dropped it unceremoniously on the ground at his feet. “Little Josh,” Leon said, almost wistfully. “Boy, it’s been a while since I thought about him.”

“I’m sorry.” Jessie winced. “I didn’t mean to pry…”

“You’re not prying,” Leon smiled. “He was a great kid. Quite a little ranch hand, too.” Leon slowly shook his head. “He and his mom were killed when their truck went off the road up on the pass. A real tragedy all the way around.”

“I’m really very sorry,” Jessie repeated. “It sounds like you knew him pretty well.”

“I did,” Leon nodded. “Knew his parents even better. We went to school together, even rodeoed together for a while. His dad took their passing real hard.”

“Oh?”

“Blamed himself for it ‘cause he was drivin’ when it happened. Fell asleep at the wheel.”

“My God, that’s awful.”

Leon shook his head. “Wasn’t his fault, though, and everyone but him knew it. It was springtime and he’d been runnin’ himself ragged, what with all the spring chores his ranch had him doin’. He went downhill pretty fast after the accident. Started drinkin’, sold off all his livestock and eventually lost his ranch altogether. Me and a couple of others bought up his saddle, truck and a few other things when they auctioned his place off and gave ‘em all back to him.”

“Is he still around here?”

“Henry?” Leon looked surprised that Jessie even thought to ask. “Naw. He left right after that auction and nobody around here that I know of has seen him since.” Leon hesitated. “Too bad, too. Far as I know, he never even knew folks around here donated the money to have that building put up in Josh’s name. I think someone tried to find him at the time so he could be at the dedication, but it was like he just fell off the planet. Far as I know, he may even be dead somewhere.” He hesitated again. “I hope not, though. Henry was a hell of a nice fella, the best kind, ya know? The kind of man that’d give you the shirt off his back, and tell you to keep the money that was in the pocket.”