Wanted

Chapter 9

After his bath John perked up a little. He felt good, cautiously confident even, that for once things might go his way. He had kept it together so far. He was glad he hadn't bolted right away when Walls had threatened him with his belt. He felt excited and hopeful but also nervous. Was Jeremiah really going to come back for him?

Once he got outside, Walls nabbed him and showed him around his ranch, while the children had to do their chores. Walls was surprised and pleased about the change in the boy's demeanour. He found him quite spunky and full of beans, maybe a little too much though but after what he had seen on the boy's back and his behaviour so far it was good to see him behave like a child.

John wanted to see and touch everything, meet every animal and asked a million questions. Whenever he could he ran ahead, despite Walls having to call him back several times because he ran into a direction where Walls hadn't intended to go yet. He was forever telling him to slow down, but John took every opportunity to run, skip, and climb up on things and jump down the other side. Twice this level of energy got John into trouble with Walls.

The first time was when he raced into the barn ahead of the rancher and startled a heavily pregnant mare in the process. Walls had come running after him and was very tempted to give the boy a clip behind the ear as he would have done with his own children but just in time remembered the boy's injuries at the back of his head, so he stopped himself with a sigh.

"Come here, John!" he told the boy in a quietly calm but firm voice. The boy, suddenly wary of him again, did the opposite and slowly backed away from Walls at first. "Come here, now!" Walls repeated a second time, with some more vehemence in his voice, but then also reassured him. "I am not going to hurt you. That horse is pregnant and wasn't well lately, we need to be calm around her. Come here and do as you're told," Walls insisted.

The boy still wary, slowly walked towards him. Ready to duck, he was not taking his eyes of the big man who looked down at him in displeasure. Walls was considering whether he needed to punish the boy and how, there was not much variety in his repertoire, and had it been his own boys they'd already be heading for the sawhorse. But then he heard John remorsefully and with quivering lips ask, "Will she be alright, Mister?" after which Walls decided punishment was not needed this time. The boy had learnt his lesson without it.

Afterwards they continued and went to see the rest of the livestock. "Who is that bucket of water for Mister?" John asked, when they left the pigsty where Walls announced that they had seen all the animals now.

"For you," Walls said with a chuckle and John looked at him bewildered.

"Huh?" John went.

"To slow you down," Walls explained with a grin. After the incident in the barn, he had John carry a bucket full of water along and the boy had obediently complied. It had worked too, but now the boy looked mad. With a scowl in his face and folding his arms in front of his chest, he put the bucket down on the ground, refusing to continue to carry it.

"Let's not waste it," Walls said good naturedly, "we'll give it to the vegetables. Come along I show you."

Walls then picked the heavy bucket up again and carried it himself the rest of the way while John started to speed up again in the direction of the gardens and orchard behind the big ranch house.

And this was where John got into trouble the second time. Like a squirrel and in no time at all John had climbed one of the apple trees. Walls did not mind. The trees were mature enough at this stage. Having brought the saplings with them, they were the first things they had planted when they came to this place and his own children often played in them. And he allowed it, despite his wife's disapproval. She feared they could fall and hurt themselves.