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When a knock sounded on the door a few minutes later, he waved them in and nodded for them to take seats. He looked at each one of them and cleared his throat.
“I’m just going to come right out and say it. The ranch is being sold. I’ve bought a place in Clifton,” he said.
The men sat there with stunned looks on their faces.
“Has someone bought the ranch yet?” Lind asked him.
“No, I haven’t even talked with a realtor, but I’m going to as soon as I can. I’m sorry, guys. Maybe whoever buys this place will keep you on, or you could always go to Clifton and work for me.”
“I’ll go,” one of the younger men, Jude, said.
“If you’re serious, you have a job,” Cody told him.
“I am serious. There’s nothing here for me. I’m single, I’ll go. I love working for you, Cody, and if you’re serious about keeping me on, I’m more than willing to go.”
“Consider it done then.” Cody nodded.
“Me too,” Axel added. “Nothing here for me, either.”
“Good.” Cody looked at the other two. “Lind, I understand if you don’t want to go. I’ll give you a damn good reference, though.”
“Let me talk to my wife.”
“Sure.” Cody looked at Carl. “I can give you a reference too.”
“Hell, I don’t have any reason to stay here. I’ll go.”
Cody was glad to see them eager to go. They were damn good men and worked their asses off. He wished Lind would go because he ran the place. The other three were young, in their early twenties, and not yet cut out to be a manager. If Lind didn’t go, Cody would have to hire someone for that job.
“I’m glad to have you all go with me. Lind, please check with Rhoda. I’d love to have you go because I’d hate to hire a new manager, but I understand if you don’t want to move. Just let me know soon.” He pushed to his feet. “I hated to tell you men that I was selling, but it turned out much better than I thought. The ranch I bought is bigger, so I’ll have to hire more men, but having three of you with me, who knows what they’re doing, is great. You can go finish your chores. I’ll see about getting a bunkhouse built at my new place, and if you move there, Lind, there’s already a manager’s home.”
A week later, Cody drove up the driveway to his new home, pulled around to the back, and pushed the remote to open one of the garage doors. After pulling in, he stepped from the truck, shoved the door closed, opened the back door, pulled a box out, and walked up the steps to enter the house.
A truck was delivering a lot of his things tomorrow, but he packed what he could into his pickup. Clothing and necessities. He couldn’t wait to get settled in. He entered the kitchen, placed the box on the counter, and returned to his vehicle for another box.
He made several trips, carrying in boxes, then sat at the kitchen island and glanced around. He was happy he had bought the house.
His cellphone buzzed from his pocket, and he stood to remove it. He took a deep breath when he saw Lind’s number on the screen. Cody was sure Lind would tell him he wasn’t moving to Clifton. He hit Answer and put the phone to his ear.
“Hey, Lind,” he said.
“Cody, how’s it going? Are you getting settled in yet?”
“I’m working on it.”
“I bet. I spoke to Rhoda about moving, and she suggested visiting Clifton to see if we like the area. I can’t promise anything yet, Cody, but I think she has a good idea. I’d hate to commit to you about moving and then want to come back here.”
“That makes perfect sense to me, Lind. Do you two want to stay here?”
“Oh, no. She made reservations at a bed-and-breakfast. They had an opening, so we’re heading there tomorrow. I’ll call you when we get there. We’re staying for a week. That should give us an idea about how we feel about the place.”
“All right, Lind. Sounds fair to me. Call me once you settle in, and I can show you the ranch.”
“Will do. Hey, I’d better go. The barns still need cleaning. I’ll talk to you soon.”
Cody disconnected with a deep sigh. He sure hoped Lind would move here. He hated hiring a new manager, but he’d do what he had to do.
****
