Page 34 of Nixon’s Promise

“Are we supposed to bow down and kiss your ass since you finally rolled out of bed at noon and decided to grace us with your—”

“Zack,” McKenna chastised.

Yeah, it was time for Nixon to talk to the boy. He had every right to be angry at his sister but sniping at her wasn’t helping. McKenna had enough to worry about, she didn’t need the two of them at each other’s throats.

“What’s that smell?” Mandy’s nose scrunched.

“Chicken shit,” Nix told her.

“Chicken shit? It smells like…”

Mandy trailed off because, there really was no way to properly describe the foul odor. It simply smelled like chicken shit.

“It’s used as fertilizer,” Zack said, rolling his eyes.

Time to move on.

“Zack, use the Kubota to load that manure and go dump it by the woods.”

“I can use the wheelbarrow.”

“You could, but it’d take you less time if you used the Kubota.”

“But, it’s horse crap.”

“I got a pressure washer,” Nix told him, then moved to McKenna and asked her for her gloves. Once she handed them over, he passed them to Mandy. “Follow me.”

Mandy and Nix headed inside the barn and he walked straight to Sally’s stall. It was already half mucked out. “Start on this.”

“This? What’s this?” Mandy asked, still full of piss and vinegar.

Nixon stood back, crossed his arms over his chest, and looked at the girl. Really studied her. She was beautiful, just like her sister, and when she grew up, he had no doubt she’d be just as stunning as McKenna. But she was completely empty inside. He didn’t know if it was because she’d lost her parents, had no direction, was full of raging teenage hormones—therefore bitchy but she’d grow out of it—or if she was just plain old lazy. Nix figured it was a combination of all of the above.

“How long have you had Sally and Goat?” he asked.

“A few months.”

“And did you want them?”

“Yeah.”

“How many times have you mucked out their stall?”

“Mucked?”

“Cleaned,” he sighed.

“I don’t have time. Micky does it.”

“You work?” She shook her head. “Play sports? Honor society meetings? Band? Researching a cure for cancer? Trying to stop world hunger? Feeding the homeless? Anything?”

Mandy didn’t answer. She just stared.

“Right. So, you wanted an animal, one that requires a lot of time and attention. One that is hard work and you do nothing to make sure that animal is cared for. You just expect that your sister will do it. You treat your friends like that?”

“No,” she balked.

“But you’ll treat your sister that way. The one person other than your brother who will always have your back. Your team. You treat them like shit, and your animals, too.”