Once Upon a Cowboy. Pamela Tracy

felt a pull in his lower back, but it was only a dull ache, not a blinding pain that flashed every time he so much as twitched. You’d think the minor traffic accident would have made things worse. Instead, it was just another day of not knowing if he’d be bedridden or moving.

      That’s what happened with acute lumbar strain and multiple vertebra damage.

      He heard the tractor start again and quickly die. He heard another vehicle, too, and at first thought it was Billy driving away. Instead, an engine turned off and someone, maybe Ryan, shouted, “Hey.”

      Joel went to the window and opened the curtains wide. Max McClanahan II was already heading toward Jared. Joel could just imagine the gist of their conversation.

      Max would be saying something like, “How fast were you chasing Joel when he hit our fence?”

      And Jared might be saying, “If I’d been chasing him, he’d be gone. How much damage and what’s the cost?”

      Nope, Joel didn’t need any help imagining the conversation happening right under his window, especially when he saw Max extend his arms wide and laugh.

      Guess there wasn’t just a small hole in that fence. Jared didn’t laugh in return. Just shook his head. Joel couldn’t believe he’d neglected to get Billy to show him the damage yesterday. Five bucks. That’s all Joel had. And, in just a little over the past twenty-four hours, he’d managed to add more hospital bills and now a fence.

      “Dad, I gotta go potty!” A small boy opened the door to Max’s truck. A little girl tried to scamper behind, but was caught in the seat belt until Billy went over to help her out of it. Max raised a hand, signaling for the little boy to head for the house.

      No, very little had changed at Solitaire Farm. True to form, Joel was the last one out of bed. And, by the time he made it downstairs, Max and his kids had already headed back home.

      Twenty years ago, Max had considered the McCreedy home as his and popped over on a whim. Jared and Joel had done the same at the McClanahan place. Max’s mother was the best cook in Iowa. All through school, Max had been one grade above Joel and one grade behind Jared. He’d been the class clown, always struggling to make it through with Cs, never making first string and he was the first of their group to notice hair loss.

      Judging by the smile on his face when he looked at the two kids, none of that mattered anymore. His life was going pretty well. No doubt, in Roanoke, Iowa, quite a lot about his high school friends had changed in the last eight years. They were planting families, growing careers and harvesting community.

      They were also all older and wiser, while Joel had just gotten older.