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Stricklin swirled the liquor and ice cubes together and thoughtfully digested the infor his head

“It’s a peculiar set of circumstances, Stricklin” He stopped to look at theout tons of coal ore high in sulfur that burns dirty With the pollution-control standards in force, the industries in the East are crying for clean-burning coal” Dyson shook his head again “And Calder’s sitting on top of all that low-sulfur coal I’ll never understand why on earth God put hi, he walked to his desk

“There’s a lot of land in Montana that Calder doesn’t oith coal deposits under it,” Stricklin reminded him

“If it were only coal I wanted, I’d leave him alone It’s his dah demand for water, and Calder has the most plentiful and dependable source around We can ht on the spot It’s ideal” Half undecided, he fingered the file of documents on his desk “What do you think we should do, Stricklin? Should I arrange to have it fall into the hands of our crusading friend in Washington? Even if it causes family difficulties? Or should I siame in another place?”

“You want his coal; you want his water That file will get it for you,” thehand Play it”

“Ah, Stricklin” Dyson laughed silently, shaking his head “It a as black or white Here” He picked up the file “You kno to handle this”

A fire crackled in the simple brick hearth, but it didn’t throw off asstove in the corner Outside the cabin, a winter wind prowled in the cottonwood skeletons, rattling their li in front of the fireplace, an erown dark outside, but she hadn’t bother

ed to turn on any lights, her thoughts absorbed by the news Ty had related

His long body was stretched loosely in the plues of the dancing light froer across histhe top of it It was the troubled darkness within those hooded eyes that showed Ty was not as relaxed as he appeared

“Even if the govern your father can do to maintain possession of that land,” Jessy murmured, a determined quality in her level tone

Ty brought his hand down from his mouth and took a deep, troubled breath as he leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees and lace his fingers loosely together in front of hi in Miles City with his attorneys the next couple of days to -ter tehts” The corners of his ht he held title to that land all this time It was a blow to find out he didn’t” Ty looked up at her, his s for hiht But it wasn’t to shorten the red tape He pulled open those purse strings for the wrong man”

“The senator has to be in as much trouble as your father”

“He’s had ti near the hearth and took out a twig, absently snapping off pieces to throw, one by one, into the fire “Since it happened so long ago, the govern to overlook how the title was acquired But if Dad fights for it, which he will, I have the feeling it’s going to get messy”

There was a long run of silence Jessy looked at hi the tension beneath its angular surfaces An impulseshe could lead some of that trouble out of him into herself This desire to share some of it showed in her eyes Ty was drawn by it; it was so he’d never seen in Tara’s face

“Maybe you should call your wife and talk to her,” Jessy suggested, almost humbly “You should be able to reach her at Dyson’s home in Fort Worth”