"Thanks." Cord nodded.
Everyone that came brought food, and the women set everyone up with a big plate of food as the men gathered about Cord to talk.
"Where you been boy?" Mr. Perkins asked.
"Fought in the war, then just drifted, mostly." Cord admitted, still affected by Lilly's beautiful song and voice.
He glanced at the grave and smiled.
"Did you fight north or south?"
Cord winced, "South…"
"It was a bloody damned war. I thank God it's over." Perkins muttered.
"Me too, Mr. Perkins." Cord nodded. "Me too!"
"You gonna take this place up, or move on?" Perkins continued to ask questions as though it were his business to ask. But Cord remembered that Perkins was a nosey fella and meant no harm.
"I'm not sure yet. I had plans to leave, but I'm thinking on it."
"Well, I'll help out with anything you need, if you decide to stay. Just let me know." Perkins moved toward the house now. "I owe your mother that much, she was a good neighbor all those years. She come and nursed a sick horse of mine one time. Stayed all night in our barn, talkin' to that horse and took care of it. Dead of winter too."
Cord looked surprised. "Ma was partial to horses."
"She could ride better than most men." Perkins told him.
"Thanks." Cord watched him go and smiled as the Doc came up to him. "He hasn’t changed a bit, has he?"
"No sir, not one bit." The Doc laughed.
Joe Southerland ambled up to him slowly, eyeing him keenly before ever saying a word.
"Cord, I didn't know if you'd be stopping by the bank or not, so I came out here to talk to you about your property. You know it is in your name, don't you?"
"In my name?" Cord twisted his head.
"Your mother changed it about a month ago. I think she must have had a premonition about her death. It's all legal, the land is yours. And since it's a sizeable ranch with plenty of water on it, it's quite valuable. A lot of folks are interested in it, if you aren't." He remarked.
It was plain the man opted for Cord moving on, but that made Cord rethink it. He had no roots. He had no place in mind to go from here. Maybe it was time he settled down. Only if he did, he'd have the people of this area to get along with. He'd have to think on that. He could sell it, and move on and find another town that was more friendly, or he could deal with the people here, as he knew most of them pretty well.
Only the people here, didn't know him very well. He'd been a boy when he left, now he was a man. And many things had gone under the bridge since then. Even he had to admit that he'd changed a lot.
However, Mr. Southerland was waiting for some kind of answer and he glanced at him with curiosity. "I'll let you know in a few days."
"Good enough." And the banker walked toward the house.
Lilly brought him a plate as he didn't seem anxious to join in with anyone in particular. Charlie followed her out to the porch where Cord was sitting on a ste
p.
"That was some beautiful singing." Cord smiled at her when she offered him the plate.
"Thanks I haven't sang in a while, I'll have to admit."
Lilly and Charlie sat beside him.
"Your Ma liked music didn't she?" Lilly smiled in reflection.