When Love Calls You Home, Part 11
by Kandy Williams

Over the next two weeks, Stone and his hired hands tackled the awesome workload that awaited on the Hawkins Ranch. While the boys diligently attended school during the day, Stone went to work on his house and barn. He replaced all the glass in the windows, put on a new roof, fixed the porch, and even gave the place a homey feel on the inside by hanging up curtains that Cody’s sister had made. Though the barn was in better condition, it was too small for Stone’s needs, so he started constructing an addition, along with a larger corral. Once the boys joined him after school, they spent time clearing part of the field. Since it was getting to be late spring, Stone doubted that he’d be able to plant 30 acres. Instead, he wanted to try to plant 10 acres, and that proved to be quite a challenge, even with his fine helpers.

Stone made frequent trips to town, and each time his heart raced at the thought of running into or seeing Josie, but he never did. It troubled him how strongly he still felt for her, and how often she invaded his thoughts. He didn’t want to be guilty of lust or to covet the (future) wife of another man, so he prayed that his feelings would fade, and that he could find contentment in running his ranch.

In a short amount of time, Stone’s farm consisted of two oxen and six horses. A portion of the field was cleared and readied for planting. About the only thing Stone seemed unable to master was the domestic chores of cooking and cleaning. But luckily for Stone, Cally occasionally sent Sarah over to help with washing and to whip him up a simple dinner, or Cody would bring along some leftovers. And it wasn’t often that Stone went to town without seeing the Hendersons, who fed him religiously, and free of charge.

During this time, Stone was also enjoying the company of Buck, Rowdy and Cody. To his surprise, they provided little mischief. In fact, they were dependable, hard workers who never complained, took directions well, and seemed to run on an endless supply of energy and spunk. Buck, who was a devastatingly handsome young man at seventeen, took a lot of pride in his duties and probably wouldn’t have worked any harder if it had been his own place. Rowdy liked to exercise his growing strength and, like a sponge, he seemed to absorb all the knowledge and know-how that he could from Stone. The youngest of the bunch, Cody, became more like an extension of Stone. He worked beside Stone every chance he got and ate up Stone’s praise like it was nourishment.

Stone only wished that Brock and Jake could see their sons like this! He could prove to them that their absenteeism was what fueled the boys’ rebellion, and show them that their kids were just yearning to have their basic emotional needs met with love and attention. How he wanted to shake some sense into those two! But knowing that would be foolish and ineffective, Stone savored his time with them and was determined to take full advantage of it, believing it was an opportunity from God to sow seeds of love and encouragement into their lives.

“So how’s school?” Stone asked the boys one afternoon. They’d all been working hard in the field and it was finally time for a break. So they spread themselves out on a shaded embankment and sipped cool water from their canteens.

“We’ve been learnin’ about all kinds of stuff, like the telegraph and how it works. And I’m getting better at my long division,” Rowdy shared.

“Good. How ‘bout you, Cody? You like learnin’ ‘bout those things?”

“It’s all right. I learn more bein’ here with you though,” Cody said.

“I’m glad you think so,” laughed Stone, “but you make sure you get your head filled up at school. A man with a head full of knowledge can do anything. You plannin’ on goin’ to college, Buck?”

“Nah. That stuff ain’t for me. I just want to run my own place, like you,” answered Buck, who was picking at the dry grass.

“Nothin’ wrong with that,” Stone said. He reached for his Bible, which he usually kept close by, and began to read.

“Stone, what’cha always readin’ that Bible for?” Rowdy wondered.

“Gotta feed my spirit, same as I do my body.”

“You really believe all that stuff in there?” Buck asked sarcastically.

“’Course. This here book saved my life.”

“How can a book do that?” asked Cody as he rolled onto his stomach.

“All I had to do was start readin’ it. It showed me ever’thing that was wrong with my life, and that havin’ money wasn’t the answer to happiness.” Of course, Stone knew that to be true now more than ever: his pockets were lined with plenty of money, but he gladly would’ve thrown it all away for another chance with Josie.

“Try tellin’ that to my pa,” Buck said.

“Your pa don’t believe in the Bible?”

Buck thought for a moment before answering.

“I guess so, but makin’ money is what’s important to him. When he’s around, all he talks about is school and getting good marks so I can go to college, and be like him.” Buck snickered since the very idea was absurd to him.

“Well, like I said, schoolin’ is important, real important, but your character tells others what kind of man you are.”

“What’s character?” Cody asked.

“It’s the way you live and the rules you live by; it’s what you believe.”

“All my pa believes in is money,” said Buck with a hint of anger.

“Mine too,” added Cody.

“And are they happy? What about your mas, they happy?” The three looked at each other with a sad disappointment. No one gave Stone an answer, but he wasn’t expecting one. “See fellas, chasing after things like money is a waste, ‘cause in the end, it don’t mean a thing. I learned that the hard way. Cost me ten years of my life and my gal. But once I started to trust in the Lord and follow His ways, things started fallin’ into place. I’ve got this farm, and my freedom. Put your eyes on the Lord, and he’ll take care of that which concerns you.”

Buck reached over and took Stone’s Bible. He leafed through it carefully and glanced at some of the pages. He couldn’t deny that he was curious, but doubt was heavy in his heart.

“I don’t think my pa’d like me takin’ up religion,” he said.

“Pa and ma use to take us to church and all, when we’s younger, ma said so,” Rowdy said.

“Yeah, church ain’t so bad. Some of the folks are real nice, and they hug you, like you’re part of their family,” said Cody. Stone was a bit surprised to hear this from Cody, considering that just a short time ago he didn’t care much for people who showed their affection. But Cody had been faithfully attending church with his ma and sisters for several weeks, and despite the fact that he didn’t want to go at first, he ended up enjoying himself more than he could’ve imagined. Of course, he wasn’t quite ready to share that fact with his ma.

“Who wants to sit and hear old Tom-cat rant and rave?”

“It’s not just about church, Buck; it’s about your heart. You need to let go of all that anger and strife you’ve been carrying against your pa. Give it to the Lord and let Him fill you up with love and understandin’.”

Buck didn’t know where to begin, or whether it was really possible for something like that to happen to a fella.

“Like I said, my pa ain’t one for religion no more.”

“You know Buck, you’re practically a man now, and the day is about to come when you gotta step out of your pa’s shadow and stand on your own two feet. You’re gonna have to make your own decisions and take care of your own family someday.” Stone wanted to sound encouraging, but feared that he’d failed miserably.

“All I can figure is that God must love you best, Stone,” said Cody. He had turned on his back, folded his hands behind his head and stuck a piece of straw into his mouth.

“What makes you say that?”

“’Cause o’ the way things turned out for you.”

“He’ll do the same thing for you, or anyone else for that matter, if you just give Him a chance.” With that Stone looked thoughtfully at Buck.

“Yeah, maybe.” Buck said.

“Ain’t no maybe about it, son,” Stone said as he playfully slapped his hat across Buck’s knees. “We’d better get back to work, the day’s wastin’ away.”

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Nolan Chart