open and Jan entered. Both women turned their attention to her.
"Did you find anything?" Maggie asked.
Jan shrugged her shoulders. "Not really. I climbed into the rafters and examined the beams. Odd as it sounds, that particular beam snapped for no apparent reason. It was probably a defective beam."
Maggie frowned. "That seems strange. The winch has been hanging from that beam for the past two years, and there's been no sign of failure. What did John have to say about it?"
Jan shifted her weight from foot to foot. "John didn't look at it. I told him I would take care of it."
Maggie frowned. "Well, I'll call the contractor who built the barn and have him repair it for me."
"I can repair it," Jordan interjected.
Maggie raised her eyebrows. "You can?"
Jordan stood. "Like I said, I'm good with my hands."
Maggie grinned. "Okay." She turned to Jan. "Jan, this is Jordan Lewis, our new ranch hand."
Jordan extended her hand to Jan, who pointedly chose not to shake it.
"I've got to get back to the barn. John needs a hand offloading the feed," Jan said. She turned abruptly and left.
"Humph," Maggie exclaimed as she looked at Jordan. "That's not like her. She's normally so friendly. Please accept my apologies."
Jordan smiled. "No problem. I'm sure she's still just shaken up by your close call."
"Maybe," Maggie replied absently.
"So, if you'll point me in the direction of your tools and wood supply, I'll get to work on that rafter," Jordan offered.
Maggie smiled. "You don't waste any time, do you?"
"No, Ma'am," Jordan replied.
* * *
The broken rafter was just beyond the end of the hayloft but close enough that Jordan was able set up an extension ladder on the floor of the loft and lean it against a rafter adjacent to the break. Once the ladder was in place, Jordan carried up a few pieces of two-by-six lumber and placed them across two rafters in order to create a scaffold for herself.
Jordan was nailing the last plank in place when Maggie appeared in the barn below.
"Hey there," she called up to Jordan. "How's it going?"
Jordan looked down "I've just built the work platform. I'm about to inspect the beam now."
"Do you mind if I join you?" Maggie asked.
"Not at all. Come on up." Jordan climbed down the ladder and waited for Maggie to join her in the loft. "You go ahead of me. I'll hold the ladder," Jordan offered.
"Okay," Maggie said.
Once Maggie was standing securely on the scaffolding, Jordan climbed the ladder and joined her. The platform was relatively narrow, so Jordan had to hold on to Maggie as she shimmied past her in order to get close enough to inspect the break.
"Okay," Jordan said. "Let's see what the problem is here. Hmm… this is odd."
"What is it?" Maggie moved in for a closer look.
"Well, after what Jan said, I expected to see a ragged break. If this was caused by a defect in the beam, the break would most likely be splintered, jagged, and at an angle."
Jordan pointed to the end of the rafter still in place. "Look here. This beam has been cut with a saw. Look at how straight and clean this edge is."
"That is odd," Maggie said. "I wonder who did that… and why?"
Jordan's eyes narrowed. "What I'd like to know is why Jan said there was no apparent reason for the break."
Maggie frowned. "You don't suspect Jan, do you?"
Jordan shrugged. "Maggie, I don't even know Jan, so I'm in no position to judge her. I just think it's odd that she inspected the break and found nothing strange about it."
"Well, to tell you the truth, Jan is really good with the animals, but she doesn't know which end of a hammer to use to drive a nail. I doubt she would have realized the significance of this clean cut. I will call the original contractor and ask him about it. Would you mind talking to him?"
"No," Jordan replied. "Sounds like a good idea. In the meantime, I'll repair this."
Maggie smiled. "Okay. If you don't mind, I'd appreciate it."
"Consider it done." Jordan smiled sweetly at Maggie.
Maggie's gaze
"Did you find anything?" Maggie asked.
Jan shrugged her shoulders. "Not really. I climbed into the rafters and examined the beams. Odd as it sounds, that particular beam snapped for no apparent reason. It was probably a defective beam."
Maggie frowned. "That seems strange. The winch has been hanging from that beam for the past two years, and there's been no sign of failure. What did John have to say about it?"
Jan shifted her weight from foot to foot. "John didn't look at it. I told him I would take care of it."
Maggie frowned. "Well, I'll call the contractor who built the barn and have him repair it for me."
"I can repair it," Jordan interjected.
Maggie raised her eyebrows. "You can?"
Jordan stood. "Like I said, I'm good with my hands."
Maggie grinned. "Okay." She turned to Jan. "Jan, this is Jordan Lewis, our new ranch hand."
Jordan extended her hand to Jan, who pointedly chose not to shake it.
"I've got to get back to the barn. John needs a hand offloading the feed," Jan said. She turned abruptly and left.
"Humph," Maggie exclaimed as she looked at Jordan. "That's not like her. She's normally so friendly. Please accept my apologies."
Jordan smiled. "No problem. I'm sure she's still just shaken up by your close call."
"Maybe," Maggie replied absently.
"So, if you'll point me in the direction of your tools and wood supply, I'll get to work on that rafter," Jordan offered.
Maggie smiled. "You don't waste any time, do you?"
"No, Ma'am," Jordan replied.
* * *
The broken rafter was just beyond the end of the hayloft but close enough that Jordan was able set up an extension ladder on the floor of the loft and lean it against a rafter adjacent to the break. Once the ladder was in place, Jordan carried up a few pieces of two-by-six lumber and placed them across two rafters in order to create a scaffold for herself.
Jordan was nailing the last plank in place when Maggie appeared in the barn below.
"Hey there," she called up to Jordan. "How's it going?"
Jordan looked down "I've just built the work platform. I'm about to inspect the beam now."
"Do you mind if I join you?" Maggie asked.
"Not at all. Come on up." Jordan climbed down the ladder and waited for Maggie to join her in the loft. "You go ahead of me. I'll hold the ladder," Jordan offered.
"Okay," Maggie said.
Once Maggie was standing securely on the scaffolding, Jordan climbed the ladder and joined her. The platform was relatively narrow, so Jordan had to hold on to Maggie as she shimmied past her in order to get close enough to inspect the break.
"Okay," Jordan said. "Let's see what the problem is here. Hmm… this is odd."
"What is it?" Maggie moved in for a closer look.
"Well, after what Jan said, I expected to see a ragged break. If this was caused by a defect in the beam, the break would most likely be splintered, jagged, and at an angle."
Jordan pointed to the end of the rafter still in place. "Look here. This beam has been cut with a saw. Look at how straight and clean this edge is."
"That is odd," Maggie said. "I wonder who did that… and why?"
Jordan's eyes narrowed. "What I'd like to know is why Jan said there was no apparent reason for the break."
Maggie frowned. "You don't suspect Jan, do you?"
Jordan shrugged. "Maggie, I don't even know Jan, so I'm in no position to judge her. I just think it's odd that she inspected the break and found nothing strange about it."
"Well, to tell you the truth, Jan is really good with the animals, but she doesn't know which end of a hammer to use to drive a nail. I doubt she would have realized the significance of this clean cut. I will call the original contractor and ask him about it. Would you mind talking to him?"
"No," Jordan replied. "Sounds like a good idea. In the meantime, I'll repair this."
Maggie smiled. "Okay. If you don't mind, I'd appreciate it."
"Consider it done." Jordan smiled sweetly at Maggie.
Maggie's gaze
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