Realizing that he wasn’t in immediate danger of being thrown off his land—not yet, anyway—Trace Raynor allowed himself to relax a bit. “Nice to meet you, Sergeant,” he said. “Although I’d sure appreciate it if you could avoid trampling my wheat on your way out.”

“Don’t worry, sir,” Farley replied understandingly. “I’ll follow the river over to the road when I leave.”

“Thank you,” Trace Raynor said evenly.

“No problem,” Farley said, as his eyes swiveled toward the teenager. “That’s quite a shiner, son. How does the other guy look?”

Jim had been hoping that his shades would be sufficient to hide the black eye, but it seemed that Farley could see the margins of it. He forced a grin. “I’m pretty sure he looks better than I do.”

Trace had taught his son to be modest, but he wasn’t the type to let someone’s honor be impugned. “There was a dust-up in the fuel line. Some kid cut in line and Jim put him on the pavement,” he said proudly.

Farley nodded. “Good for you, boy. It’s important to stand up for yourself. So you’re done with school… . Have you made any plans regarding what you’re going to do next?”

“No,” Jim answered honestly, staring into eyes that looked like two gun barrels. “Just work for my dad, I guess,” he said with a shrug. The words came out with such a glum tone, he immediately felt guilty. He glanced up at his father and met his knowing gaze. Jim suspected that Trace knew he wasn’t entirely happy with the future that awaited him.

Farley nodded agreeably. “That makes sense… . And I’m sure your parents appreciate it. Of course there are other ways to lend a hand. Take the current enlistment bonus for example. The government is paying a generous signing bonus to each person who joins up! That kind of lump sum would go a long way toward taking care of the bills.”