The two had walked as far as the stream at the bottom of the meadow. It was a few hundred yards and Joe judged it was enough for Jamie's weakened state. The young man looked around him, remembering all the times he had played with Scamp.
"See that coppice?"
"Yeah?"
"My sister came thundering down here once after me. I'd gotten into trouble with Pa and I'd come here to lick my wounds. Scamp immediately knew where I'd be. We had a little cave...well, we called it a cave but it wasn't really. Just an indent in that rock front there. See? It's still within the treeline and the cave faced away from the river. I haven't been there for years."
"So your father was a monster to you too?"
"No, he wasn't a monster."
"Knock you about, did he?"
"No. And he didn't knock you about, either."
"Didn't he?"
Jamie was panting slightly so Joe sat him down on the bank. "No, he didn't. Look, you deserved that tanning he gave you. You were out of control. Believe me, we'd have got it a lot sooner. Even Scamp. If she'd behaved like you...boy! She'd have been skinned – if not by Pa, then by Adam or Hoss. Same with me."
"So he did mistreat you."
"No, he didn't. We got the odd paddling but only when we deserved it. And he'd always warn us. Like he warned you."
Jamie clicked his tongue and stared out at nothing. "He's your father. He isn't mine."
"That's why he'd have done it a lot sooner. And probably harder. He wouldn't have let us say half the things you said. It'd have been, 'Joseph, Marie, Hoss, whoever...Room. Now.' And phsst. That'd be us. We'd feel as if we'd sat on a red hot stove."
"But I bet he wouldn't have ordered you to work until you dropped. Threatened to starve you if you couldn't do it!"
"Well, you starved yourself."
"But he threatened to."
"He wouldn't have starved you, Jamie."
"He said he would. And I bet he wouldn't have worked you half to death."
"We were always getting extra chores. In fact, that was his usual punishment."
"What, working on the ranch like a hand for two months? With no pay?"
"If we'd done what you did, he would have."
"And the rest of your family laughed at you, did they? Like you and your brother? Standing at the bottom of the stairs in tears of laughter as I was screaming in pain."
"Oh, that's what's bugging you, is it?"
"I will never forgive you for that, Joseph. Or that brother of yours."
"Back to Joseph, are we?" Joe smiled as Jamie narrowed his eyes in rage. "OK, maybe we shouldn't have laughed. But you'd just crippled my calf, dammit. I was so angry I could have throttled you. You'd gone out of your way to hurt every single one of us. You were like a venomous snake. Someone had to defang you."
"You laughed!"
"I said, maybe we shouldn't have, but we're only human. You were such a brat."
"And now. What is there?" Jamie was silent. A large gaggle of wild geese flew overhead in formation, their cries ragged and poignant. "I work and work and work. More than I can. More than I'm able. I can't wait to get out of this place. I hate it, I hate you, every single one of you."
"And you hate yourself."
"What?"
"You told me. Remember? You said you wanted to die. That you were unlovable."
"I am. My father hates me - "
"He doesn't."
"How do you know? Has he been your father for the past sixteen years?" His voice croaked with bitterness. "I used to long for love. Years ago. I had no mother. My father hated my insides, couldn't wait to send me off somewhere else, somewhere new. You had your family, your father, your brothers, your sister. I had no-one."
"Well, you have now."
"Who?"
"Who do you think?"
"What, you?!"
"Yeah. You've spent the past fortnight telling us just how much we hate you. I don't know if you'll believe this, but there is no hate here. None in me, anyway. I'll help you if you let me."
"You can't help me! How could you help me?"
"I don't know."
"Besides, you won't have time to help me, even if you wanted to. I'll be working all day and every day. There'll be no time for anything else."
Jamie was crying once more, cursing himself for his weakness. He turned his back on Joe and stared towards the rocks where his cousins had played as children.
"Tell you what. I'll talk to Pa. If you make a half-way effort to cooperate with us I'll see what can be done as far as the work is concerned."
"He wouldn't listen to you."
"He's a reasonable man, although I know you don't think so. You'll still have to work, mind. But it won't be an ungodly amount, certainly no more than what we have to do. Will you at least think about it?" Jamie stared harder at the rocks. A few of the geese had landed there and waddled about by the waterside. "It has to be better than this, Jamie. You're trapped and alone in this hatred. You can't tell me you're happy."
"Happy? I've never been happy."
"Well, don't you think it's time you started?"
"Happiness is not for me."
"Maybe it'll creep up on you when you're least expecting it. At least give it a chance."
"And your father? He only sees me as an employee - "
"Jamie, stop. You know that's not true. I can assure you if you meet us half way we'll come the other half." Joe held out his hand. Jamie merely stared at him, then cursing under his breath, took it. "Come on. Let's go back to the house."
