AllFreeNovel
Share Us
FORSALE: 60-ACRE RANCH, WITH HOUSE, BARN, AND WELL. LIVESTOCK AND EQUIPMENT OPTIONAL. DISCOUNT FOR CASH SALE.
The address and phone number were written in smaller letters at the bottom of the sign. Interesting, Cooper thought as he jotted them down in his memory. He’d gotten good money for his two-bedroom Seattle condo, in a city where real estate prices were over the moon. Could he afford to invest in a small ranch?
But what was he thinking? He and Trevor were still getting settled in their rented house. To buy property when he had no idea how long he’d be staying here would be insane.
But he could at least satisfy his curiosity by making a phone call and having a look at the place in the next few days. Maybe Trevor would even like it. At least, it wouldn’t hurt to keep his options open.
Still thinking, he swung off the road, turned around, and headed back to Branding Iron.
Chapter 3
Cooper was still mulling over the idea of the ranch when he drove up to his house and pulled into the driveway. Trevor was sitting on the front steps, a sour look on his face.
“I didn’t have a key to get in,” he said. “If you’re not going to be here after school, you need to give me one.”
“Sorry. I’ve got a spare. We can figure out a place to hide it.” Cooper glanced at his watch, wondering if his son had skipped last period. “It’s early. How long have you been home?”
“Not long.” The boy shrugged. “I’m starved—what is there to eat?”
“There’s plenty of that good lasagna left. We can warm it up in the microwave. Come on in.” Was Trevor skipping lunch? Cooper wouldn’t have been surprised, but he’d let it ride for now.
He took a small helping himself and let Trevor fill his plate with the rest. “Hey, Dad,” Trevor said between bites, “I made some new friends. They want to take me hunting with them on Halloween night. Can I go?”
“Hunting? At night, on Halloween?” Cooper’s instincts sprang to full alert. “What kind of hunting is that? There’d better not be guns involved.”
“No, no guns. We’ll be hunting these little birds. They’re called snipes, and they’re supposed to be really good eating. Have you ever heard of them?” Trevor’s dark eyes shone with excitement.
Cooper stifled a groan. “Tell me more,” he said, hoping the boy might figure out the truth for himself.
“The snipes come out at night, and they run along the ground, sort of like quail,” Trevor said. “To hunt them, one person stands at the end of a field with a big gunnysack, holding it open. Two other people drive the snipes down the field toward the sack. Sometimes they jump right into the sack to hide. If not, the sack holder has to grab them and toss them in.”
“Let me guess,” Cooper said. “You’re the one who gets to hold the sack.”
“Yup. My friends say it’ll be a lot of fun. And afterward, we can build a bonfire and have a snipe roast.”
Cooper sighed, knowing he was about to shatter the boy’s trust. “Son,” he said, “I hate to break this to you, but snipe hunting is a joke—one that’s been around for years.”
Trevor stared at him, heartbreak creeping around the edges of disbelief.
“The snipes aren’t real,” Cooper said. “And the kids who’ve promised to chase them down to you will just go off somewhere and leave you there, holding the bag. If you’ve heard that expression, now you know where it came from.”
Trevor slumped in his chair. “That’s a stupid trick. And it’s mean.”
“I know. Somebody played it on me when I was about your age. I stood there in the dark, holding that bag until my arms felt paralyzed. Sometime after midnight, I gave up and went home. The next day at school, everybody had heard the story. They all made fun of me.”
Trevor sat silent for a long moment. “So those jerks aren’t my friends after all.”
“I’d bet against it. Who are they?”
“Skip and Cody. They’re ninth-graders. They dress and talk like cowboys, but they’re probably fake, like a lot of other people around here.”
“It sounds like you need to find some friends your own age,” Cooper said.
“The kids don’t like me. They think I’m weird. I wasn’t weird in Seattle. I had real friends there. Friends like me.”
Cooper had been down this road before. He didn’t have the patience to go down it again. “Trevor, you’ve got a brain. Use it to solve your problem. That’s all I’m going to say. Now load the dishwasher while I run next door and use your Aunt Grace’s phone. When I come back, I want to see you doing your homework.”
“I did it in class.”
