CHAPTER SIX
“Yep, it’s definitely the water pump,” the dark-haired boy said, his head under the hood. His name was Brian and he was tall and thin with dark round eyes, dark eyebrows and lashes, a small nose and mouth, and a necklace with a bullet on it. His faded jeans had rips in the knees and old stains, and his boots were scuffed and coated with dried mud. He smelled of grease and cigarettes.
His brother, Gavin, didn’t really look like him, with lighter hair and a wide mouth full of white teeth. He was also bulkier, broad shouldered, and moved slower, but he was tall too. He had a different way of looking at you. Brian’s eyes were lively, and he spoke quickly, breaking into laughter a lot. His gaze darted around, his hands fast and confident as he checked things under the hood. Gavin was more watchful, quieter.
Gavin was sitting on the tailgate now, taking long pulls from a beer. They’d handed us each one—ice-cold from a beer cooler, condensation dripping down the sides, and we guzzled them eagerly while I kept a wary eye on the boys. My camera was around my neck, and I rested one of my hands on the strap, the worn leather familiar and reassuring. I could tell my sisters were also uncomfortable. Courtney kept her face turned away, her fingers playing with the label on her beer. Dani’s answers were stiff when they asked where we were from—she said Golden, a town a couple of hours north of Littlefield. She’d told them her name was Leanne, and we’d also given fake names. Courtney was Sandy and I was Heather, the name of a girl who sat behind me in class for years.
The boys didn’t seem to notice our nerves, or didn’t care. They were friendly and smiled lots, Brian telling us about how he worked at his uncle’s garage in town, Gavin teasing him for being a grease monkey.
“Our dad’s got a big spread,” Gavin said. “Three hundred head of cattle but we’ve got some horses, too. Brian, he’s always working on the tractors. Can’t keep him away from an engine.” He laughed.
With country music playing on their truck radio, empties rolling around in the back, and cigarettes hanging out of their mouths, they could have been any of the kids we grew up with, and I began to relax. Courtney started smiling once in a while at something they said, and Dani asked a few questions about their ranch.
“I might be able to find a water pump in the wrecking yard,” Brian said. “But it’ll take a couple of days. You girls in a hurry?”
“Yeah, we’re meeting with our aunt,” I said.
Dani shot me a dirty look, annoyed at me for answering first. “How much will it cost?”
“Fifty for the part if I can find an old one, but it could be tough. New one will cost you about a hundred fifty, and a couple hours’ labor. Then there’s the tow truck. So maybe about three hundred altogether.”
Dani winced. “We don’t have any money.”
Brian glanced at Gavin. “We could probably find some work for you on our ranch,” he said, “fixing fences or cleaning stalls for cash. And we got a spot where you girls could camp.”
Dani gnawed her lip. “You know a guy named Troy Dougan?”
“Troy?” Brian laughed. “Everyone knows Troy. Why you asking?”
“He’s a friend of a friend. If you give us a lift to town, we can give him a call.” I was relieved. I liked that idea a lot better than staying with these guys.
“Too bad. Troy just left to go camping for a couple of weeks.” Brian said it like he felt bad for us, but I kind of got the feeling he was maybe a little happy.
Courtney looked upset, and Dani just looked pissed off.
“If we camp on your property, your parents won’t mind?” Dani said.
“We won’t tell them you’re camping,” Gavin said. “As long as you don’t have a fire, should be all right.”
“You can make enough to buy the part,” Brian said. “My uncle will want you to pay for shop time, but I’ll chip in my labor for free.”
“Why would you do that?” Courtney said, frowning.
He smiled big. “I’m a nice guy.”
“You gonna say we owe you something else?” she said.
He looked confused. I was starting to think he might not be all that smart about people, just trucks.
“What else would you owe us?” He shrugged. “I just like working on stuff.” I glanced at his hands, the grease under his nails. His pinkie fingers were strange—they curved in toward the fingers next to them.
“We need a minute to talk,” Dani said.
“Sure, gotta take a leak anyway.” The boys walked into the woods. We could hear them breaking branches, then silence. We took a couple of steps to the other side of their truck, the music playing behind us.
“I’m not sure about this,” Courtney said.
“Me either,” Dani said. “But we need the truck.”
“We could take the bus,” I said.
“We don’t even know if one stops in town.”