knees and rested his head against his thighs.
“What happened, Todd?”
Tears rolled down the boy’s cheeks. “After you picked up Sadie and Helo, Mr. Moore came to work. He got the pitchfork down, but Mom called him up to the house. I wanted to help, so I got the fork and tried to put straw in Sammie’s stall. Wes walked into the barn and saw me. He said he’d tell on me for messing with the pitchfork. I got scared and put it against the stall wall and left the barn.” He shrugged. “I guess it fell down and that’s how Mr. Moore stepped on it. It was my fault.”
It was, but this little boy didn’t need that rebuke. “Do you see why you were told not to mess with the pitchfork?”
He nodded and with the back of his sleeve wiped the tears from his face.
“I understand that you never would’ve wanted Mr. Moore to get hurt.”
“I didn’t want that” came the wobbly reply.
“I didn’t mean to ruin my grandma’s cake, either. We have to fess up when we do wrong. Gran and Ma forgave me, but my sister wasn’t as nice and reminded me of it often.”
Todd glanced up at him. “Girls are like that.”
“True.” Joel heard a movement and glanced over his shoulder. April stood at the corner of the barn. Todd didn’t notice.
“I think you need to tell your mom what happened. You’ll feel better.”
Todd stared at his hands. “Really? We can’t just keep it a secret between us?”
“I think it’s best if you tell your mom.”
Taking a deep breath, Todd thought a moment. “’Kay.” He stood and waited for Joel to stand. “Let’s go.”
Todd marched to the house, much like a condemned man to the gallows.
Admiration filled Joel’s heart for this little cowboy.
* * *
April finished putting sandwiches on the table when Joel and Todd walked into the kitchen. When she’d gone out earlier to look for the boys, she’d overheard Joel and Todd talking. She’d quietly backed away and rushed inside the house. The last thing she heard was “Tell your mom.”
“Lunch is just sandwiches and cookies, but I’m told I make a mean sandwich.”
“I’d like that.” Joel nodded toward Todd.
Thanks, she mouthed.
After the blessing, the kids dug into their lunch. Todd reached for his sandwich but rested his hands by his plate.
“Todd, aren’t you hungry?”
He shook his head.
April leaned close and whispered, “Do you need to talk to me?”
He nodded.
“Joel, would you watch things for a few minutes?”
“Sure.”
Todd slipped from his chair and headed toward the office.
April followed.
“What’s happening?” Wes asked.
April didn’t hear Joel’s explanation, but followed her son into the office.
“I got to tell you something,” Todd began.
April closed the door and sat in her chair. “What do you need to tell me?”
Todd’s lips quivered. “It’s my fault that Mr. Moore got hurt.”
Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.
Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».
Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.
Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.
