Henry took a minute to look around the place. He found it interesting someone would use heavy, rough-sawn wooden beams to hold up the roof and make up part of the ceiling, hold the hardwood floor down with brass screws, and use quality cedar for the window frames and door jams, while at the same time leave the corner joints in the place with gaps, some of the beams out of plumb, and cracks in some of the windowpanes. Still, the place was much better than anything he was used to, and as he started for the door, he nodded his approval.

The fresh-faced college kid he had spoken to earlier came bounding through the open screen door and almost ran headlong right into Henry’s chest. “Whoa!” the kid squeaked as he stopped just short of crashing into Henry. “Hey, she put you on, huh? Good, we could use the help right now. We’re short ‘cause she fired Ben about a week ago. He was a good hand, but kind of a jerk to the guests. Jessie, she don’t like that much. I’m Jim. Jim Thorson. I’m from Minnesota, originally. Moved here at the end of the summer. I was going to go back to school, but decided to take a year off. What’s your name?” The kid jutted his hand out.

Henry looked down at it, and not being used to having that much chatter spewed at him all at once, wasn’t quite sure what to do. He looked at Jim, and then at his outstretched hand, then back at Jim. “Henry,” he said taking a firm grip on the boy’s hand. He didn’t see the need to offer his last name. “’Scuse me,” Henry eased past the kid and out the door.

“Glad to have ya around,” Jim said, following Henry to the door. “I look forward to working with ya.”

Friendly guy, Henry thought. Kind of like a Labrador retriever. Ain’t got much use for one of them right now either.

CHAPTER 14

It was something he had heard Annie tell Josh a million times—be specific. She would remind him of it whenever he was doing his homework. When he was preparing for a test at school, and when he played his guitar. She insisted on it when describing where he’d last seen the cattle during his turn to check them, and when he did the head count on them. “Always be specific,” she’d say. Now, only three-and-a-half hours into his new job at the guest ranch, Henry was wishing he’d followed that advice. He had told Jessie he’d take any honest job she had to offer. It was clear to him now; he should have been more specific.

As promised, Jessie had taken some time to show him around the place. She showed him the dining room, the office where he’d need to go to fill out his paperwork, the laundry room, which was behind the dining room, and the horse facilities. Henry was impressed not only with the place, but also with the ease at which Jessie switched from playing cordial host to him, back to owner/manager of the ranch. She would switch whenever an employee would come rushing up to her with some urgent catastrophe that was going on in some respective department.