Second Harvest

Looking around, Roy did not see Sara. "Abe, where'd your maw go?"

Abe stood and pointed toward the large cottonwood tree. When Roy arrived, Sara was on her hands and knees pulling weeds in the family cemetery. She was almost done cleaning the small plot of land. When she saw Roy, she stood and wiped the sweat from her brow.

"Sara, you didn't need to do this."

"I know, but doesn't it look a lot better."

"Thank you." Roy squeezed Sara in his arms and passionately kissed Sara on the lips. "Have I told you how much I love you?"

Sara looked into Roy's eyes and softly smiled. "Maybe, but I like hearing you say it."

They kissed again and then walked back toward the cabin. Billy and Abe were sitting on the remnants of the porch and both boys were smirking.

"What are you two grinning at?"

Abe blushed and Billy said, "You kissing Roy."

"Come on you two, get in the wagon; time to head back to town."

The boys started whining. "Maw, aren't we going out to our farm?"

"Another day Abe. It's getting late. We'll come back."

Reluctantly Abe and Billy obeyed their mother's request. During the ride back to town, Roy brought up the subject of a home.

"Sara, what are your thoughts on where we should build a home?"

"I honestly don't know Roy. You said our place was burnt to the ground including the crop."

"The only thing left was the windmill."

"Well, your family is buried at your place and your grandfather homesteaded the farm. You have a building that looks like it was a cabin once. It might be easier to settle down on your farm. To tell you the truth, I don't have much in the way of fond memories from our place, just a lot of hurt."

"I feel the same way about my place. The plot of land by the cottonwood tree is a daily reminder."

"I see what you mean Roy. Still, I think your place is the better choice of the two, but I'll make my decision once I see how bad our farm looks. Either way, we're going to need some money to fix either place up. Maybe we could sell one farm or the other and use that money for repairs."

Roy smiled at Sara.

"Did I say something funny?"

Roy unbuttoned his breast pocket and pulled the green booklet he received from Grover Matting at the bank. He handed it to Sara.

"What's this?"

"Open it and see."

Sara thumbed through the first pages and saw the dismal balance of Roy's account. Closing it, she handed back to Roy.