Carla alone to enjoy a final cup of coffee before the evening's work of kitchen cleanup and bookkeeping began.
Ten rubbed his jaw thoughtfully and was rewarded by the rasp of beard stubble. Undoubtedly that, too, had counted against him with the wary professor. Which was too bad—it had been a long time since a woman had interested him quite as much as the one with the frightened eyes and a body that would tempt a saint.
"How do you want to divide up Baker's work?" Luke asked Ten.
"I can take the leased grazing lands over on the divide, but that leaves the Wildfire Canyon springs without a hand."
"I'll take the grazing lands and have Jervis camp over at Wildfire Canyon during the week and weekends at September Canyon."
"That will make for long days for you," Ten said, glancing quickly at Carla. He knew that Luke had been trying to spend as much time as possible with his wife and new son.
"Your days will be even longer," Luke said. "Starting tomorrow, you're ramrodding the dig at September Canyon."
"Jervis can do it. He gets along with the university types real well. You'd never know it to listen to him, but he taught math in Oregon before he took up ranch work."
"You'd never know it to listen to you, either," retorted Luke, "but I happen to know a certain ramrod who speaks three languages and who still gets calls in the middle of the night from official types who want advice on how to get sticky jobs unstuck."
Ten said nothing.
"But they're just going to have to wait in line," Luke continued. "I've got all the trouble you can handle right in September Canyon."
Without moving, Ten became fully alert. Luke saw the change and smiled thinly.
"You expecting some kind of trouble at the site?" Ten asked.
Luke looked at Carla. "Don't I hear Logan crying?" he asked.
"Why don't you go and check?" Carla offered.
The look Luke gave Carla plainly said he wished she weren't listening to what he was saying to Ten. She looked right back, plainly telling Luke that she wasn't leaving without a good reason. Reluctantly he smiled, but when he turned to Ten the smile faded.
"The sheriff called," Luke said. "There's a ring of pothunters working the Four Corners. They dig during the week and avoid the weekends when there are more people in the back country. They're professional and they're tough."
"How tough?"
"They roughed up some folks over in Utah. The Park Service isn't making any noise about it, but the back-country rangers are going armed these days. So are the pothunters."
"Want me to leave now for the site?" Ten asked.
"No. One of the sheriffs men is camping out that way, unofficially. But he's got to be back on the road early tomorrow."
Into the dining room came the clear sound of an unhappy baby. Carla put her hand on Luke's shoulder and pressed down, silently telling him not to get up.
"I'll leave before dawn," Ten said, watching Carla hurry from the room.
"The professor won't like that."
"I'll be quiet," Ten said dryly.
"Don't bother. She's going with you. That little Japanese rice burner of hers wouldn't get four miles up the pasture road, much less across Picture Wash to September Canyon."
Ten smiled rather wolfishly. "She's not going to like being trapped in a truck with me. Or are you sending Carla to ride shotgun?"
"Nope," Luke said cheerfully. "She's got two full-time jobs riding herd on me and the baby."
"That's the problem. We've all got too damn many full-time jobs and not enough hands."
"I put the word out at every ranch for three hundred miles," Luke said, stretching his long arms over his head. "All we can do is wait. Jason Ironcloud promised he'd start breaking horses as soon as his sister's husband is out of jail. Until then, he's got to take care of her ranch."
"What's the husband in for—the usual?" Ten asked.
"Drunk and disorderly."
"The usual."
Luke
Ten rubbed his jaw thoughtfully and was rewarded by the rasp of beard stubble. Undoubtedly that, too, had counted against him with the wary professor. Which was too bad—it had been a long time since a woman had interested him quite as much as the one with the frightened eyes and a body that would tempt a saint.
"How do you want to divide up Baker's work?" Luke asked Ten.
"I can take the leased grazing lands over on the divide, but that leaves the Wildfire Canyon springs without a hand."
"I'll take the grazing lands and have Jervis camp over at Wildfire Canyon during the week and weekends at September Canyon."
"That will make for long days for you," Ten said, glancing quickly at Carla. He knew that Luke had been trying to spend as much time as possible with his wife and new son.
"Your days will be even longer," Luke said. "Starting tomorrow, you're ramrodding the dig at September Canyon."
"Jervis can do it. He gets along with the university types real well. You'd never know it to listen to him, but he taught math in Oregon before he took up ranch work."
"You'd never know it to listen to you, either," retorted Luke, "but I happen to know a certain ramrod who speaks three languages and who still gets calls in the middle of the night from official types who want advice on how to get sticky jobs unstuck."
Ten said nothing.
"But they're just going to have to wait in line," Luke continued. "I've got all the trouble you can handle right in September Canyon."
Without moving, Ten became fully alert. Luke saw the change and smiled thinly.
"You expecting some kind of trouble at the site?" Ten asked.
Luke looked at Carla. "Don't I hear Logan crying?" he asked.
"Why don't you go and check?" Carla offered.
The look Luke gave Carla plainly said he wished she weren't listening to what he was saying to Ten. She looked right back, plainly telling Luke that she wasn't leaving without a good reason. Reluctantly he smiled, but when he turned to Ten the smile faded.
"The sheriff called," Luke said. "There's a ring of pothunters working the Four Corners. They dig during the week and avoid the weekends when there are more people in the back country. They're professional and they're tough."
"How tough?"
"They roughed up some folks over in Utah. The Park Service isn't making any noise about it, but the back-country rangers are going armed these days. So are the pothunters."
"Want me to leave now for the site?" Ten asked.
"No. One of the sheriffs men is camping out that way, unofficially. But he's got to be back on the road early tomorrow."
Into the dining room came the clear sound of an unhappy baby. Carla put her hand on Luke's shoulder and pressed down, silently telling him not to get up.
"I'll leave before dawn," Ten said, watching Carla hurry from the room.
"The professor won't like that."
"I'll be quiet," Ten said dryly.
"Don't bother. She's going with you. That little Japanese rice burner of hers wouldn't get four miles up the pasture road, much less across Picture Wash to September Canyon."
Ten smiled rather wolfishly. "She's not going to like being trapped in a truck with me. Or are you sending Carla to ride shotgun?"
"Nope," Luke said cheerfully. "She's got two full-time jobs riding herd on me and the baby."
"That's the problem. We've all got too damn many full-time jobs and not enough hands."
"I put the word out at every ranch for three hundred miles," Luke said, stretching his long arms over his head. "All we can do is wait. Jason Ironcloud promised he'd start breaking horses as soon as his sister's husband is out of jail. Until then, he's got to take care of her ranch."
"What's the husband in for—the usual?" Ten asked.
"Drunk and disorderly."
"The usual."
Luke
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