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“Hello, Sid,” she greeted the cowboy leaning on the counter, hip-locked with all his weight on one leg
“ ’Lo, Jessy” He threw her a look, then resuruntled with life A large fan sat on the floor, whirring noisily and chasing the air around the rows of canned goods, food supplies, and varying assortment of stock
“Where’s Bill?” Jessy glanced down the length of the long ranch store for the wheelchaired Bill Vernon who ran the commissary with the help of his wife
“In the back,” Ra in the direction of the rear storeroo tobacco Those daht hionna have to drive all the way into Blue Moon for tobacco”
“That’s rough,” Jessy sympathized and reached into her shirt pocket for the list of supplies she needed to restock her shelves at the cabin
“This place is supposed to be for us” the cowboy complained “But it’s been turned into a da in” There was no need to explain that “she” was Ty’s wife “They coen-u-ine’ article Bill swears he’s sold more pairs of jeans, shirts, and hats in one month than he usually sells all year ’They want to hat the cowboys wear’” He pitched his voice higher, speaking with sarcastic hta set up a souvenir stand and we’ll bring him in some cow chips Those fools’d probably pay five dollars apiece for ’em Hell, we could make a fortune”
Jessy laughed “I wouldn’t be surprised”
“Do you knohat she’s having Bill do?” There was that “she” again as angry disapproval showed in Sid’s eyes “She told hi he sold to her friends—et it”
“Maybe she figures they can afford it,” she offered with a s to join the criticis here is sold practically at cost Even at double, it would still be a fair price”
“Maybe so” Ra to hitch up his pants, but his expression still had a disgruntled look to it “I just don’t like what’s happening to this ranch It ain’t the same anymore”
It wasn’t the firstof this sort she’d heard, and it worried her The discontent seened a casualness
“This is supposed to be a cattle ranch Do you knohat I’ainst his chest “She’s got uests’ on trail rides! Half of ’e on to the saddle like it was gonna sprout wings And the other half think they’re riders and wanta go galloping hell-bent-for-Mary across the plains in the heat of the day! And all of ’em oohin’ and aahin’ about how ‘buu-te-ful’ it is!” It was a biting h to make a fella sick” He turned back to the counter “You’re lucky, Jessy, that you’re working up at the north camp an don’t have to put up with all this”
“I guess I auests, but the ranch grapevine kept her apprised of the continuous arrivals and departures of each group
“You knohat I’m supposed to do now?” Raet up early enough to see the sunrise So I
got orders to arrange a late trail ride so they can watch a sunset out on the range And they wanta sit around a caust “Can you irass as dry as it is! They’d have a fire, all right If there was any wind at all, they’d have a whole dae fire!”