The Sisters of Nowhere

s e v e n : d i n n e r

Wyatt had never sweated so much in his life. Mr. Penny had put him to work bailing out the cow stalls, mucking the barn, and forking hay up into the loft.

The barn was dark and stuffy and Wyatt was grateful every time he had to go outside to fetch another bail of hay just to get some fresh air.

His muscles ached from the strain, but there was something rewarding about it.

When he had money, he'd never had to work for anything. He could snap his fingers and get whatever he wanted. But now his wants came with a price, which made more sense.

He needed money, therefore he had to bail this hay. He needed a place to sleep, therefore he would help Hal with his chores.

Wyatt wiped his brow for the millionth time that day just as a shadow moved across the doorway.

"Doing good there, son," Oscar said.

Wyatt straightened instinctively. "Thank you, sir."

"My thresher got snagged on a root in the field," Oscar sighed, rolling up his flannel sleeves. "Knocked three of the gleaning prongs clean off, which means the end of my workday 'til I get it fixed."

"Sorry to hear that," Wyatt replied.

"Ah, that's the farmer's life, I reckon. Full of disappointments that hopefully pay off in the end."

Oscar grabbed a pitchfork and began helping Wyatt bail the hay.

Wyatt watched him work for a moment, mesmerized.

Oscar stepped once, plunged his pitchfork into the pile, and tossed it up into the loft in one smooth motion.

Oscar, sensing his gaze, glanced up at him with a glittering eye. "You'll get there, son. I've been doing it since I was a boy."

Wyatt moved to the other side of the pile, helping Oscar at half the speed. "Why become a farmer?" Wyatt asked in-between shovels. "It sure is a lot of work."

"Because I believe in honest sweat and hard times," Oscar replied. "Folks need doctors and lawyers and policemen once a year, but they need a farmer three times a day, seven days a week. Makes it all worth it, I think."

Wyatt didn't even realize that he hadn't been bailing as he listened, transfixed by this man--a stranger--with the deep lines in his brow from countless days in the sun. Wyatt thought, possibly for the first time, that this was a man he could look up to.

"Why'd you ask me to work here?" Wyatt asked after a quiet moment.

Oscar glanced up, the muscle in his jaw flinching. A cloud passed over his face, but he masked it with a grin. "Because I thought you had a little farmer in you."

Wyatt wanted to ask why he'd really hired him, but Oscar was already bailing again.

They worked the rest of the time in silence until the hay was properly stored.

Oscar clapped him on the back. "Come on in for dinner."

Wyatt hesitated. "I should get back--"

"Just a quick bite. All Hal can feed you are tomatoes and I know you'll get sick of them quicker than you can say Jack Robinson."

Wyatt knew he'd get sick of tomatoes before that, considering he didn't like them at all in the first place.

But what he really wanted was to get to that rose bush. He'd been able to clear out some of the weeds, but he needed a few other tools from town to get it started. Then he realized that he didn't have the money to pay for new tools anyway.

He followed Oscar to the house and he could already hear the clatter coming from inside when he got to the porch.

Someone was singing at the top of their lungs with an out-of-tune piano playing in the background.

"I can't find my pen!" a panicked voice cried. "I have Mr. Krites's obituary due in the morning! Do we want this house to be haunted by a drunk ghost for the rest of eternity or is anyone going to help me?"

"Girls, I need someone to take the potatoes off the stove, I've got my hands full!"

Oscar passed him a grin. "Home sweet home."

The house fell completely silent when Wyatt walked through the door.

Three women--Rose, Marigold, and Ophelia-- stared back at Wyatt for a long second before Marigold smiled.

"Look who it is!" she said.

"Wyatt Best, I've heard a lot about you already!" Rose greeted, placing a casserole dish on the table and wiping her hands on her apron before stepping forward.

Wyatt held out a hand, but Rose crushed him in a firm hug.

Wyatt stiffened.

He hadn't been hugged since...he couldn't even remember. People had tried to hug him at his father's funeral, mostly older women who smelled like mothballs and brandy, but Wyatt had managed to dodge them all with a bright smile and a sidestep.

But Rose wrapped him up before he could even think.

The girls snickered behind her after seeing his shocked expression.

"Er, thank you for breakfast this morning," he said uncomfortably.

"Thanks for all your work out there," Rose said. "Don't you just love the smell of fresh hay?"

Wyatt had actually moved past that stage long ago. Now fresh hay smelled like hard work.

"Here, we have a place for you," Ophelia said, flashing a dazzling smile and pulling out a chair in the middle of the table with a grand flourish.

Wyatt met Marigold's eye from across the room and she shook her head with a laugh.

Something warm touched Wyatt's heart as he observed this scene. He couldn't identify what this reaction insinuated, so he made a mental note to study it later.

Rose brought out a platter of chicken, green beans, and mashed potatoes just as Birdie came dancing down the stairs.

"You'll never guess where I found--" she stopped short when she saw Wyatt.

She looked absolutely horrified at seeing him there in her house before she schooled her features into a more polite expression and moved down the stairs in a proper manner. "Mr. Best," she said crisply.

Wyatt blinked. He'd never been greeted in such a way before, so he replied, awkwardly, "Er, Miss Penny?"

"Alright, that's everything," Rose announced, coming out of the kitchen with some sort of cobbler and placing it in the center of the table.

Everyone took their seats, linked hands around the table, said grace, and Oscar began serving everyone their food.

"Did Dad work you to the bone?" Marigold asked Wyatt.

"Me?" Oscar asked, feigning offense. "When I got to the barn, I had to do half his work for him!"

It took Wyatt a moment to realize he was joking and he grinned, relieved. "It's almost true, except I think the cows like me better than him..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hey everyone! Hope you're having a good week so far! I made a blueberry cobbler inspired by Rose's, so that was exciting XD

~Will Wyatt survive all this work?

~Will Birdie ever warm up to him? XD

~General thoughts?

Thank you so much for reading! {Don't forget to comment, vote, and share!}