Page 69 (1/2)

Dick Ballard

“Ballard” Ty nodded to thebut pleased to see him walk in His mouth was pulled up at the corners, but it was only aand ht I’d see if you had any of that coffeedrive home”

“Help yourself” She waved him to the kitchen

Ty poured a cup, then brought it back to the front rooarette and smoked it as if it, and the coffee, were his only interest while he listened to the conversation between the pair Ballard did , and mostly about hi why she couldn’t see through the braggart’s talk The more he heard, the less he liked the man

The rawness that he’d first tried to sweat out with physical work, then ease with sooaded Ty into thwarting whatever Ballard’s intentions were for the rest of the evening When he finished one cigarette, he lit another, building up butts in the ashtray and showing no sign of being in a hurry to leave The trip to the kitchen for his third cup of coffee finally got the e across to the cowboy

“Guess I’d better hit the road, Jessy I’ve gotta roll out at the crack of dawn in theto is scraped on the floor as he pushed away from the table “See ya, Mr Calder”

“Good night” Ty returned to his chair while Jessy rose and walked out with Ballard

Restless and edgy, he got up again He could hear the low murmur of their voices outside but couldn’t one very black and very bitter He downed half of it and swirled the rest in his cup He was in the same black and bitter mood as the coffee

Jessy walked back in as a truck started up outside Ty glanced at her and drank another s of coffee He couldn’t read her expression, and that ht played on her hair, h it

“I didn’t mean to drive away your company,” he lied

“That’s okay” She cal up the two empty cups “I would have asked him to leave soon anyway”

Ty hesitated, then followed her into the kitchen with his cup “This cabin sits a ways back from the others It would be pretty hard for anyone frohta change with somebody”

“I like being off by myself” She rinsed out the cups and set theirl I can take care of myself”

The confident statement irritated hi,” he said roughly, e it with the others “Just ould you have done if I hadn’t been here and Ballard had refused to leave when you asked hio?”

“I’d have gotten rid of hied indifferently at his hypothetical question