Then he looked back at Agnes. I'll take them. Silence. Agnes stared at him. I'll take all of them, Calder said.
Every last one. The station agent behind the counter made a sound like he had swallowed something sideways. One of the county men said, "Now hold on just a" The woman from the dry goods store across the street, who had been watching from the doorway put her hand over her mouth. Agnes recovered herself in about 4 seconds flat. She was a professional mister.
"Boon," she said, in a tone that was almost kind. The way you're almost kind to someone who has said something foolish. The placement of orphan children involves a formal application, a home assessment, financial documentation, character references. It is not something done on a train platform in a moment of what do you need from me to start the process? It doesn't work like ma'am.
He put both hands flat on the counter and leaned slightly forward. He was not tall, but he had the kind of stillness that makes a person seem large. I am asking you what you need from me to begin the legal process to take these children home. I have a ranch with four bedrooms and 12,200 acres and I have been living alone in it for 6 years. Tell me what I need to sign.
Agnes looked at him for a long moment. Then she said very deliberately, "You are a single man with no experience raising children. You are proposing to take nine children of varying ages, including a 4-year-old and a set of twins, and bring them to an isolated ranch with no female guardian, no established domestic infrastructure. I can learn. " and no understanding of what you are asking for. Maybe not. " He held her gaze without flinching.
But I know what they just heard you call them, and I know I've got more beds than I've had people in 6 years. So tell me what I need to sign. Agnes opened her mouth. It was Wesley who spoke first. The 13-year-old had been standing very still through all of this, and he spoke with the flat, careful voice of a boy who has learned not to let himself want things because wanting hurts.
He'll want proof of income. Wesley said in letters from people in town who can say you're not dangerous and she'll want to see the house. Everyone looked at him. Wesley met Calder's eyes for the first time. I've been through this before, he said twice.
I know how it works. Something moved through Calder's face that wasn't quite easy to read. He looked at this 13-year-old boy who had been through the selection process twice and learned the paperwork requirements while he was at it. And for a moment, he did not say anything. Then he said,"All right, walk me through it. " Agnes made a sound that was not quite a word.
"Sir," she said firmly. "I cannot simply write it down," Calder said. He found a pencil stub in his jacket pocket and slid it across the counter to Wesley without taking his eyes off Agnes. "He'll write it down. " Wesley looked at the pencil. He looked at Calder.