Because he knew Dan and Darrel had to have gone through an unpleasant confrontational discussion, Mal expected some kind of fireworks to result. However, the next three days were quiet. In fact, he only knew Darrel had not left because the flame red Mustang still sat near the garage, although no longer in front of the bay Dan used.
At Mal’s request, a couple of the younger cowboys helped him carry part of the lumber for the new workbench over from the big barn. He went to work on it right away. Although carpentry wasn’t his best skill or a task he especially enjoyed, he’d learned enough from his father and an older brother to handle simple sturdy construction with no problems.
He could use hand power tools and was pleased to see Dan had a set of good ones, ample extension cords and all t
