“What did he want?” I asked.

“He asked if we needed help fixing the hinge on the lower pasture gate.”

I ran my thumb along the edge of the kitchen counter.

There was no point in punishing an old man who just wanted an excuse to see his land again.

“Tell him we’re replacing the wooden posts on Saturday,” I said.

“He can come supervise.”

Luke folded a piece of cardboard in half.

“He’s living in a little two-bedroom apartment by the highway,” Luke said.