Shepherds Abiding In Dry Creek by Janet Tronstad

Author:Janet Tronstad
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Steeple Hill
Published: 2007-05-20T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

The barn was nicer than Marla had expected. It was cold outside, but she felt the heat the minute she stepped inside. There were hay bales lining one side and glass windows on the other. Several cows stood switching their tails in the sunshine that came in through the tall windows. Everything was neat and cozy. It made her feel good that Les kept such a warm, clean place for his animals, especially because in the spring most of the animals would probably be mothers and little babies.

Les pointed Marla and the kids toward the workshop room that he had made in one section of the barn.

“But what’s up there?” Sammy asked before they reached the workshop.

Les looked up. “The hayloft. No one goes up there, though. It’s not safe.”

Marla could see where boards above her were sloping down. There were even a couple of places where a board had broken off and there was a hole in the ceiling of the lower part of the barn. There were thick beams holding the boards in place so they wouldn’t be able to fall, though, so people were safe walking around below the loft. And Les had strung a rope across the wooden stairs at the side of the barn leading up to the hayloft to warn people not to climb the stairs.

Sammy shrugged as he stared up at the loft. “It looks okay. I’ve been in worse buildings.”

There were some deserted buildings in Los Angeles and Marla was appalled to think that Sammy had actually been inside any of them. “That’s why we came up here. You need to stay out of places like that.”

“I should have fixed the hayloft last year.”

“Oh, I didn’t mean your place. You don’t have to fix anything for us.”

“I just didn’t think I’d have company out here in the barn.”

“We’re not exactly company. You’re doing us a favor by helping with the shepherd.”

“I’m happy to do it. It’s not a favor.”

“Well, it’s certainly a kindness.”

Les opened his mouth, then closed it again. “Well, thank you.”

Marla nodded. She was glad to have that settled.

Marla noticed that both Sammy and Becky had been watching her and Les.

“You don’t have to worry about me. I won’t go up there,” Becky announced a little primly. “I just want to see the lambs.”

“You’re a good girl,” Les muttered.

Sammy grunted. “That’s because she still thinks Santa is watching.”

Marla flushed. She didn’t want to discuss their lack of Christmas presents in front of Les. He was so nice he would probably think it was a hint for charity, and that was the last thing she wanted. She wanted Les to be real with them. That couldn’t happen if he saw them as people needing charity. In her experience, no one ever gave charity without looking down on the person they gave it to.

“Santa still needs to do his shopping,” Marla said. She vowed she was going to go home and put in an order from the J. C. Penney catalog. She knew by heart the page number that had the Suzy bake set advertised.

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