A Rancher for their Mom. Leann Harris

face screwed up as he thought. “No.”

      “Horses are the same.”

      “Oh.”

      The horses stilled as Joel waited, but curiosity won out and the black horse moved closer to him. Joel held up the carrot, waving it around. Slowly the black horse drifted toward him. Joel held the carrot still, and the horse accepted it.

      “Sadie’s eating it,” Todd whispered.

      Joel rubbed the horse’s forehead, then ran his hand down her neck. She accepted his touch. As he worked to win the horse’s trust, he felt the gazes of the boys and their mother on him. Their interest and admiration warmed him in a way that surprised him.

      It took less than ten minutes for Joel to win Sadie’s trust, and she allowed him to slip the rope over her head.

      “Wow,” the boys whispered.

      Joel slowly led Sadie out of the corral to his trailer. He paused at the tailgate. The boys peered at him, their little bodies tense. Sadie only paused a moment before she walked into the trailer.

      “How’d you do that?” Todd demanded.

      “When you do something that isn’t familiar to you, you’re nervous, right? It’s the same for horses.” Joel glanced at April and found admiration on her face, too. It was common sense, but his heart soaked up her reaction.

      It took less time for him to coax Helo to his side, and he slipped the rope over his head. When he had both horses secured in the trailer, he turned to the two boys.

      “Are y’all comin’ to the rodeo next weekend?”

      The kids turned to their mother with pleading expressions. They were good, Joel admitted to himself. They could put the hurt on anyone.

      “Can we?”

      Joel saw the answer in April’s bleak face. That was why she was selling her horses early.

      “We’ll see.”

      “But, Mom,” Todd whined.

      The woman tilted her head and her eyes narrowed.

      Nothing else was said.

      Joel pulled his truck around and headed out.

      As he drove back to the rodeo, Joel’s heart ached. He understood the woman’s pride that she could take care of her own. He only wished there was something he could do to help.

      * * *

      Later that afternoon, Joel drove into the parking lot of the Caprock Feed & Seed store to pick up extra feed for the rodeo. On his way back from this feed run, he might stop by the Dairy Queen he’d spotted and have a chicken-fried steak burger.

      Entering the store, Joel saw April talking to the clerk. He didn’t spot either of the boys, but Cora stood by her mother, holding April’s leg.

      “So, Sully, what do you recommend I plant in the other fields, beside the hay for my own animals?”

      He hadn’t noticed earlier how musical her voice sounded. Now he knew he’d be haunted by it when he laid his head down tonight.

      “I know you don’t want to plant cotton like the majority of the farms around here, but you could try a field of wheat, soybeans or sorghum. Manufacturers want sweet sorghum for syrup,” the clerk said.

      “Or you could try planting sunflowers.” The words popped out of Joel’s mouth before he thought.

      April jerked and turned toward him. “Sunflowers?”

      “Mr. Joel,” Todd yelled in excitement, darting out from behind a tall pile of sacks of feed.

      Wes followed and hurried to Joel’s side. Cora made a beeline to him.

      He picked her up and she patted him on the chest.

      “Mr. Joel.”

      Joel’s heart melted at the munchkin’s twinkling eyes. When he looked up, a frown wrinkled April’s brow. Was her expression from him holding Cora or the advice he’d given?

      “Sunflowers are a good cash crop. Several of the farms and ranches around my family’s ranch started growing them. The crop requires little work and when harvested, there are multiple places to sell them.”

      The clerk’s stare bored into Joel.

      “I’m Joel Kaye.” He stuck out his hand.

      “He’s with the rodeo, Mr. Sully,” Todd helpfully announced. “He knows how to throw a lariat and has a birthday in March and is a cowboy.”

      Sully shook Joel’s hand.

      “Jack sent me here for the feed he ordered.”

      The man’s attitude changed. “It’s ready, but let me finish with Mrs. Landers first.”

      “That’s okay, Sully. I need to think about your suggestions on what to plant.”

      Sully nodded. “Drive around back and we’ll load the order.” He disappeared into the back.

      “I didn’t mean to butt in.” Joel stepped closer to the counter. April’s hair fell around her face, tempting him to reach out and touch the shiny rich brown strands.

      “No, I appreciate it. I’ve been wondering what to do with the fields my father-in-law normally cultivated. Sunflowers. I hadn’t thought of that.”

      “I wouldn’t have, either, but as I told you several of my neighbors planted them as a cash crop and they liked the results.”

      Sully appeared again. “It’s ready.”

      Joel didn’t know whether to laugh or scowl at Sully’s impatience. When Joel tried to put Cora down, she protested. April took her daughter from his arms and hushed the girl. Joel nodded and walked outside to his truck.

      He drove around the building and backed his truck up to the loading dock. Sully helped Joel transfer the bags of feed from the wooden pallet into the truck. Halfway through, the boys appeared on the dock.

      Sully looked at the pair. “Y’all here to help?”

      “We’re too small,” Todd answered. They carefully watched and whispered to each other.

      Once they finished loading, Sully drove the small forklift back into the warehouse.

      Joel opened the truck door.

      “Mr. Joel,” Wes began.

      Joel stopped and turned toward the boys.

      After a couple of intense whispers, Wes walked forward. “After you left this morning, Mr. Moore, the man who helps Mom with the ranch, got hurt. She called the ambulance for him. He can’t work for a while. We heard Mom crying after the ambulance left.”

      “And praying,” Todd added.

      Wes’s solemn gaze locked with Joel’s. “Mom’s real worried about the ranch.”

      Todd’s head nodded in agreement.

      Like a shot to his gut, the boys’ words hit Joel hard. The worry in their eyes would’ve touched the hardest of hearts.

      Wes took a deep breath. “We want to hire you to help Mom plant her fields.”

      Todd’s head bobbed. “Yeah, we want to hire you.”

      Joel hadn’t seen that one coming. “I’m still with the rodeo, boys.”

      Todd’s shoulders straightened. “But are you working this week? You’re having spring break like we are. Don’t the animals have spring break, too? Won’t you have time?”

      Spring break? Joel’s eyes widened. Well, he’d just complained to Hank about all the downtime he had on his hands this week with nothing to do.

      They waited.

      Todd