CHAPTER NINETY NINE – RANCH DUTY

True to their word, the Clarks' battered pickup rumbled into view just as the rooster's crow was fading into the morning stillness. Otis hopped down from the truck bed, his lanky frame engulfed in oversized overalls and a flannel shirt that hung loosely from his narrow shoulders. As his parents' vehicle rattled away in a cloud of reddish dust, he turned to face Scarlett, his expression caught somewhere between sullen resignation and outright dread. Squaring her shoulders, she jerked her chin towards the nearby supply shed in a wordless summons. To the boy's credit, he fell into step beside her without argument, trailing just a half-pace behind as she led the way. The only sounds were the crunch of their boots against the hardpacked earth and the distant lowing of the dairy herd. Reaching the shed, Scarlett swung open the weathered door and stepped inside, snatching a battered feed bucket from its peg on the wall. She thrust it unceremoniously at Otis, who scrambled to catch it befor