The Clean-Up Begins

“What do you think you’re doing?” Travis asked, pulling on his boots.

Jan pulled the knitted pullover down over her jeans and reached for the new wellies she’d bought before coming out to the station to live.

“Jan, I’d feel better if you were here in the house…where I know you’re safe.”

“There has to be something I can do…I’m your wife Travis…I intend to do my part here. I’m not helpless... all I need is to be pointed in the right direction.” She tied her long blond hair back into a ponytail.

“It’s slogging around in mud today, assessing the damage…that don’t sound like something Jan Rollings would be into.”

“Maybe so…but I’m Jan McGee now,” she said, setting her hat on her head, “I happened to be married to the owner of this rather large cattle farm and I’m sure HE can use all the help he can get.” She smiled and pulled her jacket out of the closet. “Besides, I have all these new country clothes to wear,” she grinned and walked out of the bedroom.

Travis picked up his own hat and followed her down the hall.

“Do you want to take a thermos, Travis?” his mother asked, back from her ordeal in Coffs.

“That would be nice,” Jan answered for him and went with Sarah to the kitchen. She was soon back with two thermoses of coffee.

They met Kelp out in the yard as the men were deciding what to do first. When Jimmy saw Jan, he smiled a little to himself.

After deciding on their day, Jan was assigned the barn, muck out all the wet straw and put down dry from up in the loft. Tee was assigned as her helper and the two of them set off through the wet and muddy yard to the barn.’

“Glad to be home, Tee?” Jan asked.

“Yeah…I mean, it was okay, you know, it just wasn’t home. I was worried about Bear.”

“I think Bear was missing you too... he didn’t want to stay in his bed... he wanted to sleep with Travis and me.” Jan reached the barn and looked around. The dogs were still in kennels in one of the stalls and she let them out.

“Did you let him…sleep in the bed, I mean?”

“I did after your Uncle went to sleep.” She winked. “Tee, go see what kind of condition the paddock is in. Maybe we can put these two horses out for awhile until we get their stalls cleaned out.”

“Yes ma’am,” Tee ran off and climbed up on the railing. It was still muddy with standing water here and there.

“It’s a mess,” he reported, “I wouldn’t want to be out there.”

“Do you have any idea what to do, Tee?” Jan asked, tipping hat back.

“Um no…clean it out, I guess.”

“Okay, we’ll start at one end and go to the other…that sound good?”

“Sounds good to me,” Tee said, picking up a pitch fork.

The men divided up in twos, Travis and Kyle, Bill and Jock and Ian with Jimmy. They decided to go on horseback since there was danger of getting vehicles stuck in mud and water.

Sarah worked with Tomalee, the cook Travis had hired shortly after the murder when the housekeeper and her niece, the maid, quit. They were preparing a tremendous meal for everyone out working on the station.

Travis and Kyle made their way to a high point where Travis could see the state of his property. There was still a lot of water down in the valley.

“It’s moving, at least,” Travis said.

“How long before it drains off?” Kyle asked.

“I don’t know for sure Kyle...a few days maybe. I can see where it’s gone down…damned mess.” He turned his horse.