Spliced

Previous day...

Amanda pulled the saddle off the back of the chestnut filly and placed it over the fence which surrounded the corral. She gave Clover a gentle pat on the nose and then took her for a slow walk around ring to cool her down.

As she was brushing Clover she heard the phone inside the house start ringing. After a couple of rings it seemed like nobody was answering it so she fastened the lead rope of Clover’s halter to the fence with a swiftly tied clove hitch and climbed over.

Her youngest son seated at the family computer in the large entrance hall of their three-story well-aged farmhouse.

“You couldn’t answer the phone?” She remarked to him as she headed left towards the kitchen.

“In a game,” he murmured, not even glancing up from the screen.

Amanda had been on the phone a few minutes when her husband came down the stairs in a rush to leave.

“Sirius!” Amanda called, still on the phone. She held up her hand indicating for him to wait a moment. Sirius did as he was told but raised his eyebrows in a look of impatience.

“Coal’s got a job for us this weekend,” Amanda told him once she’d hung up the phone.

Sirius sighed. “I’ve got a delivery to make, can’t really delay this one.”

“Can’t you get someone else to do it? It’s a lot of money and he said he needs all of us.”

“I’ll have a mutiny on my hands if I keep putting the other men in charge, not to mention lost business to the other ships if I don’t keep schedules.”

“This is the last time,” Amanda promised. “And it is good money.”

“That’s what you said about the last one,” Sirius grunted.

“Maybe some more consistent delegation would be good for the business. That’s how Cat runs hers.”

Sirius frowned at the comparison to his sister. He scratched the dark stubble on his chin which reminded him that he needed to shave. He grumbled that ‘it wasn’t the same’ but he gave a resigned nod. “I’ll see what I can do.” And he headed towards the door.

After Sirius left, Amanda wandered into the kitchen, glanced at the pile of bills sitting on the table. She sat down and poured herself a small glass of whiskey. She sipped it while sorting through the papers, ordering them by payment deadline. A few minutes and another glass later she headed back outside to take care of the rest of the horses. She’d phone the others later today.