A storm loosened several sheets of metal roofing above the back bedroom.
The kitchen faucet leaked.
And a section of pasture fencing collapsed after an old post rotted through at ground level.
Naomi spent her mornings making repairs and her evenings searching for affordable replacement parts.
She watched instructional videos.
Called repair specialists when the work exceeded her ability.
And learned how expensive mistakes could become when she tried to solve a problem without understanding it first.
Sometimes she cried after the children went to bed.
Not because she regretted returning.
But because every day revealed another thing she didn't know.
One evening, she sat on the porch holding a stack of invoices.
The sun was setting behind the hills.
Malik appeared beside her carrying two glasses of water.
He handed her one.
"Mom?"
She smiled weakly.
"Thanks, baby."
He sat down.
For several seconds, they watched the pasture.
Then he asked, "Are we poor now?"
The question hurt.
Naomi looked toward him.
She could have lied.
Told him everything was fine.
Pretended the unpaid repairs and exhausted evenings meant nothing.
Instead, she took his hand.
"We have less money than we used to."
Malik nodded.
She continued.
"But we have a home, food, and people who care about us. And I'm working on making things better."
He considered that.
Then looked toward the barn.
"Can I help?"
Naomi smiled.
"You already do."
He frowned.
"How?"
She squeezed his hand.
"By being patient while I learn."
Malik leaned against her.
For several minutes, neither spoke.
Then he pointed toward the distant cattle.
"Can we get cows?"
Naomi laughed.
"Let's figure out how to fix the fence first."
The cattle arrived through a grazing arrangement with Dale Pruitt.
Dale was fifty-eight, a rugged white rancher with a graying beard, broad shoulders, and an old brown cowboy hat he wore almost everywhere.
He owned land adjoining Naomi's western pasture.
He'd known Ruthie for thirty years.
When he learned Naomi had returned, he drove over in his white pickup truck and offered to lease the back portion of her farm for part of his herd.
The arrangement would provide a modest quarterly payment.
In exchange, Dale could graze approximately forty black baldy cattle on the usable pasture under terms they documented in writing.
Naomi needed the income.
Dale needed the grazing land.