“It slips a little in tall grass,” Ron said.

“Can you take a look at the tension pulley before next Sunday?”

“I can look at it,” Nate said.

At six o’clock, I drove over to Patty’s Truck Stop Diner to pick up my schedule for the week.

The counter was quiet, and the heavy air smelled of fryer grease, bleach, and fresh coffee.

Patty stood behind the register, sliding white guest checks onto a tall stainless steel spindle.

“The county clerk’s deputy was in here for coffee at three o’clock,” Patty said, setting her pen down on the laminate counter.