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Back on the walkway of Ash Falls, Stone decided to
look for the office of Brock Johnson. On one hand, he didn’t know what he was
doing. Why was he even considering hiring those boys to work for him? He
somewhat loathed the idea of his solitude being interrupted; he was looking
forward to keeping to himself and resurrecting that old farm. But on the other
hand, he had a feeling that all three of those boys were in desperate need of
guidance and that they needed something to do that would keep them out of
trouble.
He wondered what kind of role model he could be though. A few folks were ready to hang him; his old friend nearly punched him;
and the pastor wasn’t even willing to let the reformed criminal sit in a
church service! Plus, it seemed the
boys were only interested in him because of his rebellious past. Would they be
able to see beyond all the stories and legends and appreciate the change that
had taken place in him? Stone had prayed for the boys last night, and for wisdom
about what to do with them. Now he found himself here, on the doorstep of Brock
Johnson, right where the Holy Spirit had led him.
Stone followed the instructions that were painted on
the door, “Please Come In,” and stepped into a room where the back wall was
filled from floor to ceiling with books. Although it was small, the room was
handsomely decorated. There was a store bought couch, paintings that lined the
opposite wall, and a strangely designed rug that covered the floor. The place
even smelled expensive.
“Come in,” called a voice from another room.
Hypnotized by the eye-catching opulence, Stone had
almost forgotten why he was there.
In the adjoining room, which was just as attractive,
sat a well-dressed man, who was nearly consumed by the stack of papers and books
that surrounded him at his desk.
“How can I help you?” the man asked without
looking up from his writing. He was extremely clean and dressed well enough to
dine with royalty.
“You Brock Johnson?” Stone asked with hat in hand.
“That’s me. What can I do for you?”
“I’m here to talk to you about Daniel and
Nathan.”
“What have they done now?” he asked without
breaking his concentration.
“Nothin’, that I know of. They want to come work
for me out at my ranch. I told them I couldn’t hire ‘em until I talked to
you first.”
“Oh?”
“Yes, well, I wanted to make sure they had your
approval.” Stone felt strange talking to the top of the man’s head.
“I approve of them working, that’s for sure. What
kind of work did you have in mind, mister…uh, what did you say your name was
again?”
“I didn’t. I’m Stone Hawkins.”
At last, Brock’s handsome, chiseled face appeared.
“You must be the bank robber I heard about. It’s a
small town, and people certainly do love to talk, especially about other people.
Come to think of it, Nathan was saying something this morning about working.
Something about clearing a field and repairing a barn.” He shook his head as
he struggled to remember the trivial details.
“Yeah. I got myself a real fixer-upper and could
probably use some help getting the place up and runnin’.”
“Look mister, I’m not exactly thrilled at the idea
of my boys spending time with a criminal.” Brock leaned back in his padded
chair and placed his laced fingers behind his head. He looked Stone over as
though he was sizing him up. “But some hard labor and honest pay might do
those two a world of good. And I think we should have an understanding.”
“I’m listenin’.”
“As long as they work for you, I expect you to look
after them.” He sat upright. “And if they get into any kind of trouble,
I’m holding you responsible,” Brock stated with a pointed finger. “I
should warn you, they’ve had their share of mishaps.”
“Mr. Johnson, I wasn’t plannin’ on adoptin’
them,” Stone said, resenting the man’s tone of voice.
“As you can see, Mr. Hawkins, I’m a busy man and
my time is very valuable. There are only two lawyers in the entire town, so the
people around here keep me hopping. Now boys will be boys, and I expect some
trouble out of them, but I don’t have the time to run around and clean up
every little mess they make. And their mother, she’s not well; she just
can’t handle them. Do you see what I’m getting at?”
“I think so,” said Stone, calmer. “The only
condition I have is that they go to school, do well, and behave themselves while
they’re there.”
“You’ll have to get them to agree to that. I also
expect my boys to earn a decent wage.” Brock sounded as though he was ready to
start bargaining.
“I’ll pay them what they’re worth.” Stone
wasn’t about to hear words on that issue.
“Fair enough,” Brock said as though he’d lost
interest in the conversation. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a great deal
of work to get done.” He returned to his work without even offering a
handshake.
Stone gladly left the office.
“If you won’t set them boys straight, then I
will,” Stone said with heartfelt determination.
©2003 StoriesByEmail.com
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