Clark rode well, there was an instinctual quality to his horsemanship; and his easy mannerisms betrayed his farm and country roots. He had learned from his parents, his grandmother Kent, and from Alfie the farm hand, a kind and affectionate, but equally practical kinship with both the farm's animals and also the wilder natural world.

Lana watched him; from horseback Clark inspected the light brown herefords; the white faced cows that the Kent's had loosed into their fields, spring was in the air, and the heavily pregnant cows would soon give birth.

He acknowledged her, his hand tipping his wide brimmed hat in an extravagant motion copied from some cowboy feature. She climbed atop the field gate to gain a more equal perspective, as the young Kent guided his dark gelding to her.

"Howdy" he chimed running with the cowboy theme.

"Clark Kent the days of the open range ended in the winter of 1886.

"Thousands of cattle died in the snow that year.; and that's something you'd know if you'd gone back to school this semester."

Clark nodded. "Grandma told me all about that winter."

Lana stuck her tongue out at him and jumped down ..

Clark joined her, in a fluid motion his hand touched the top most bar as he vaulted effortlessly from the saddle to earth. The horse skitted, but Clark nonchalantly looped the long reins around the gate.

"Father has been asking after you." Lana said pretending not to notice his acrobatics.

"I'm sorry but I haven't had the time to visit your folks and you, as much as I'd like, I hope they're well."

"He's really disappointed in you Clark, he thought you had ambition, that you'd maybe make a doctor.

"Although I always told him you never looked at a page of those medical books of daddy's long enough to read any of them."

Clark smiled. "I like looking at the pictures."

"of peoples insides? I do declare Kent, you are the strangest boy." Lana's voice trailed off uncertainly.

Clark didn't look like the youth who she had spent the last days of the last school year sitting across from her in class.

"Your Father has been working you hard."

"Not so much, no more than he should; it has to be done."

"Look at your shoulders Clark, you've really filled out already."

"My Mom bakes the best cakes and cookies; well mostly everything, she's been feeding me up.

Besides, being outside in the sunshine really agrees with me."

Lana couldn't argue with him about that, there was already a maturity about Clark that seemed at odds with his years.

"So. You come out this away for any reason?" Clark asked.

"I was taking a walk. A constitutional. My Father heartedly recommends them.

Any way now I've seen you can't I begin to persuade you to come back to school?"

Clark lent against the Gate, and patted the horse.

"The cows are due to calve."

"Clark, wasn't it a bumper harvest last summer. Surely your dad can get help?"

"It was; but the price was very poor, there was too much grain, no one made much of a profit.

Lana things are bad."

"Which is a good reason to think about a professional career, if not medicine, what about law? - like your uncle."

"There is a dark cloud on the horizon." Clark stated.

Lana looked across lightly misted blue skies; her puzzled face spoke volumes.

Clark frowned – it was like there was something he needed to tell her, wanted to say, but he didn't know how to begin.

Lana reached out and took his hand. Clark let her.

"I've been looking at the land, across these plains." He explained. "You know they've never been ploughed like this - not like we've be doing."

"I know Clark, Smallville and lots of towns like us have done really well out it."

Clark nodded. "Sure while you and I have been growing up these have been real good years, so everyone says - good enough that most folks, including my Pa, went out and bought tractors, and trucks and the like.

"And the harvests have been good, and folks have done good out of them.

"But the soil Lana, some thing's not right - here, Texas, right across the prairies; and the air is dry, we're not getting the rain as we should."

"I'm not sure I understand what you're getting at Clark. You talk like you've been checking up on the whole of the Great Plains."

Clark stood up straight and stepped back. A moment passed; and then he smiled.

"Sure Lana most nights I run trans-state across to Texas and Oklahoma, and all before breakfast." He winked.

She laughed. "Fool!" She said laughing, why don't you take me home so I can say hello to your Mom."

Clark nodded laughing, they mounted his horse; Clark effortlessly lifting Lana up behind him, and without thinking she wrapped her arms around his waist, inhaling the dusty earthy scent of him all too close, and her heart skipped a beat as they galloped away in the direction of the Kent Farm.