Robbie's words, soft as they may've been, as sincere as a thirteen-year-old can speak them, given freely out of affection, sounded as a gong in an empty cave, a trumpet echoing in a large metal culvert, or a cannon's blast resonating over a lake on a quiet summer's night!

Andy was silent, I lay still, feeling the soft up and down movements of Mattie's chest as he slept peacefully, unaware of the drama attending about him, waiting for my spouse's response to his nephew's offer.

"Thank you for your offer, Robbie; it's a very special gift you give. Please don't be offended, disappointed, or sad when I tell you I really can't accept such a generous gift. I'm very happy with Uncle Jacob as my husband and we vowed to be faithful to each other when we married."

"It doesn't mean I love you any less; in fact, we love you more knowing you trust us enough to share your all. We're so happy you and your brothers came into our lives, making us as one large family. As a family, we stick together and love one another for whatever we are or what we do," and sealed his promise with a kiss on Robbie's forehead and a warm, enveloping hug, securing their bodies together.

"Why don't you just sleep now, Robbie, and enjoy our company, knowing Uncle Jacob and I will keep watch for you, helping you guard and protect your brothers and you from all we can."

Robbie sighed, sort of wiggled around as if to make himself comfortable and soon began emitting the soft, deep sounds of sleep.

Sometime during the night I woke, a light, soft, high tenor voice singing gently so as not to be heard by others, the singer thought, a lullaby while delicately caressing my face, brushing my hair back carefully from my forehead, and ending his grooming and singing, with a murmured, "I love you, Uncle Jacob," before resting his head back on my chest.

Mattie sang and spoke clearly and without hesitation laying on me in the darkness, giving me pause to wonder just what the problem Mattie had and how it was to be corrected, as I carefully hugged the now sleeping boy to my body.

In the morning, when Andy and I wakened to start our day, Robbie was back in his own bed. I picked up a still sleeping Mattie and carried him to his bed, nestling him between Eddie and Jamie.

"I'll start breakfast," Andy announced, "if you want to go out and get the crews going for the day. It'll be pancakes, bacon, and juice."

I nodded my approval, jammed a sweat-stained, straw cowboy hat on my head and walked out to the office where Ted and Lee gathered the sizable crew. Ordinarily, the work day started at six for most of the crew, although some started earlier.

"I've got a crew out filling the strawberry orders for the day. We'll have today's order to the markets in town by eight," Ted announced. "After we're done here, we'll mark the rows for the U-pick crowd, set up the scales and pay booth, and open at seven for them."

"Have one going to the stand in Bemidji and have three pickups with market trailers tagging along off to farmer's markets in Grand Rapids, Walker, and Detroit Lakes. The farm market boys have a mixed load, but all carry peaches, strawberries, and blueberries."

"I'll need one truck on Thursday," I announced, "the first of the canner tomatoes are ready and I have a load ordered and have to pick them up."

Turning to Lee; "You'll need to move some of the travelers to the strawberry fields not being picked, turn on the pivot systems in the sweet corn, and put a couple of travelers in the cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, and other veggies since the forecast has changed. I don't want to take a chance on no rain. The crops need to water now."

"Also," pointing at the four high school boys, "do you think you can get the hay the guys baled and stacked under cover in the next couple of days?"

Lee thought they could get the rest of this crop, the first of the season and the heaviest, done, if not in two days, then maybe three.

"Good. If the price is right, I'd like to get some of it sold, although I may have to keep a little more for home use this next year."

Before I could answer, I spotted Mattie running from the house toward us, with Robbie not far behind. Mattie ran up to me and wrapped an arm around my waist, looking up and grinning! Robbie came to a halt not far from Mattie.

"This is one reason," I explained to the now curious crew chiefs and crew members still present, "This is Mattie," nodding my head toward the boy attached to me, "and his brother, Robbie," flipping my head in Robbie's direction. "They are two of my six nephews who'll be living with Andy and me from now on."

Turning to leave, I asked, "If you guys know anyone who'd like a job of cooking and helping with six boys, the oldest thirteen…."

I hadn't taken three steps toward the house, my arms over the shoulders of Robbie and Mattie, when a high school boy, the youngest of the four, said, "My grandma was a cook at school until she was laid off and could use a job."

I turned to the young man who spoke up so quickly, smiled my appreciation to his request, and asked, "Could you have her give the office a call later today. I have to take the boys to town for some shopping."

I shifted my hands from shoulders to holding hands, clasping one hand in Robbie's and the other in Mattie's. Mattie was sort of skipping and swinging his and my arms back and forth clearly happy and feeling safe in the company of his Uncle Jacob and his new home.

I so was busy laughing at Mattie's antics I failed to notice Robbie look over his shoulder at the young high schooler who suggested his grandmother needed a job and might be interested. I also failed to notice the young high schooler look back, give Robbie a smile and wink. Unspoken messages were communicated and understood by both.

The boys were great about setting the table, pouring milk, coffee, and juice as well as putting platters of pancakes and bacon on and a couple of bottles of maple syrup on the table. Scotty and Davey were busy helping Andy finish cooking the pancakes while Jamie and Eddie helped their mother to the table.

The boys waited until their mother was served before they began asking, politely, for various items. Robbie made certain the younger ones had plenty on their plates before he and Scotty served themselves, even then, hesitated until Jacob announced,

Of course, I didn't add it was just usually Andy and me at the table, if and when we didn't eat out. All of that was about to change. Eating out, with now nine in the household, would be a special treat.

The conversation was light, yet the boys were excited about shopping for new clothes. Janet was quiet, eating slowly, while Robbie would take a moment every now and then to urge his mother to eat something. "You have to keep up your strength, Mom," he'd plead. He knew, as well as the older boys, she'd need any reserves she had to stay alive as long as she could; not as long as they wished, but every day would be a blessing as far as they were concerned and, even at their young age, knew it.

Patting my stomach, indicating I was full, I thanked Andy and the others for a delicious meal, announcing after I visited with Mrs. Jenkins, I'd take the boys to Bemidji shopping

"Ah, so I shall, dear sister, and our insurance agent. We have to add the boys to our family policy. I don't think I'd be able to add you, however.

"Which reminds me," Andy stated unequivocally, "after you've rested, we're going to the clinic and see my supervising Doc. He'll request any medical records and take over your case. You're going to need some pain management before long and we need a physician of record, you know, a personal care physician. Once that's done, I can act on his behalf when he's not available."

"Records! That reminds me," Janet said, "I have copies of the boys' school records so you can enroll them in the fall. The school may want to send for them all again- don't know, so check."

There was much for Andy and me to contemplate and do with the unexpected growth in our family, in addition to managing Westcott Family Farms and Andy's position as a physician's assistant. We were now surrogate fathers and, if Janet had her way and she would, we'd be appointed guardians with full parental rights to six very handsome, growing, and energetic boys.

It took only those words from me and Davey organized the clean-up. The table was cleaned, dishes in the dish washer, and pots, pans, griddle washed, dried, and put away. It certainly wasn't the first time the boys did this particular chore or managed for themselves. I thought they had to in order to survive, considering all of the places they probably lived and the life style of their mother.

Faces and hands washed, my troop of nephews, Mattie holding my hand, headed out to the office to get the keys to a Farm nine passenger van and introduce the boys to Mrs. Jenkins. She was busy at her desk when we entered and looked up when Eddie sneezed coming in the door. She smiled politely and warmly, waiting for the group to assemble in front of her desk.

"Boys," I said by way of introduction, "this is Mrs. Jenkins. She's our accountant, office manager, and right hand from before your Momma and I were born."

She looked at me, then quickly scanned the boys before looking back at me, nodding her head in understanding.

"Well, such a handsome group of young men standing in front of my desk. Janet should be so proud of you I'm certain. But, I am at a loss who each of you are so could you help me with your names, please?"

Robbie, since he was the oldest, stepped up, smiled at her, saying, "Nice to meet you. I'm Robbie and I'm the oldest. Our Momma is really, really sick and brought us home to live with Uncle Jacob and Uncle Andy."

Robbie gave Davey a nudge; he introduced himself and his was followed by Scott, Edward, and James until there was just the one boy left. He stood close to me, slightly behind me, shyly looking down.

"And who would this very handsome young man be so attached to your side, Jacob?"

Before any of the other boys would answer, as they were wont to do, I hugged Mattie even closer, saying, "This is Jacob Mathew or Mattie as we call him. He doesn't say much out loud, but his eyes, facial expressions, and subtle movements speak volumes for him. Like now; he wonders who has the other office behind you, Mrs. Jenkins."

Leaning over slightly, I offered, "It's mine, Mattie, and you and your brothers are free to check it out if you want."

All six scampered into the office with Robbie taking immediate possession of the swivel chair behind the desk. The others just wandered around looking at things, especially the pictures of family members and others in the office.

"Well, Jake, we better order more farm tee-shirts and baseball caps; some in smaller sizes. I'll go up to the house after you leave to see her. I often wished she'd come home, but not like this. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"If you would please, call our insurance company and see what I have to do to add the boys to our company health plan and could you give Jim McClain a call and have him come out to meet with Janet, Andy, and me. She needs to set up guardian papers, last will, and such. Oh, check with the school and see what they need to enroll the boys in school next fall. Better to check now since they've traveled all over the mid-west and south."

Stepping into my office intending to announce it was time to leave on their shopping trip, but hesitated as I watched my nephews. Robbie remained ensconced in the chair behind my desk, while the others were busy exploring. Led by Mattie, they moved from pictures on the wall to those on my desk and filing cabinets. Mattie would point at a picture, raising his eyebrow in question, and David would merely shrug, unable to answer the silent question, until they came to a picture of Janet and me as small children, sitting in a cart being pulled by a small burrow or donkey.

Mattie grinned and Jamie exclaimed softly, "That's Uncle Jacob and Momma when they were little!"

Our wedding picture, sitting in a prominent position on the desk, was the next to draw their attention. Mattie picked it up carefully and smiled.

"Yep; that's Uncle Jacob and Uncle Andy," commented Robbie proudly, still sitting behind the desk.

As he was speaking, he glanced up and saw me standing in the doorway. One would've thought he'd be embarrassed or perhaps discomforted seeing his Uncle standing there, but not Robbie!

Robbie had been wrapped up in his own thoughts concerning the good-looking high school boy who smiled and winked at him earlier when Uncle Jacob was talking to the two supervisors before breakfast. He'd been rolling over, in his mind, just how big a cock the boy might have or perhaps a small or average sized one; whether there was a thick bush at the base or sparse like his; whether his cock was cut or uncut like his; what it looked like stiff and how it tasted; or did the high school boy like to top or bottom or both, as he did? Did he like to kiss? If he fucked, did he take it on his hands and knees or on his back with his legs wrapped around the waist of his lover or any way he could get it begging for more or crying for it to be rammed deep and to the bush? Did he have a boyfriend? What the hell was his name? Barely one day and one night at his uncle's house and maybe, just maybe, he'd found a fuck buddy – other than his brothers.

Eddie, standing next to him, gave him a jab in the ribs, bringing his attention to me standing in the doorway.

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Westcott Family Farm

by Nicholas Hall

Chapter 6