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“You’re kidding” But Empty could see that he wasn’t “Just what do you think that’s going to accomplish?”

“You never know” His srin “Since it seeht every available bale of hay around here,me some”

“You’ve got asloose froave him directions

“Thanks See you in the ”

“Sure thing” Eave the door a push and stepped away from the truck

As it reversed away froht a flash of white out of the corner of his eye and turned There was Dallas co down the road in their old truck And he knew she couldn’t help but see the black pickup pulling out of the drive It didn’t e pickup in their driveas bound to spark his granddaughter’s curiosity

Empty realized he would have to step quickly around this Which wouldn’t be easy Dallas was about as sharp as his wife had been at spotting a lie

He resuet halfway up theaze locked on the departing pickup halfway up the road

“Who was just here?” She wore a puzzled look when she came around the white pickup to join him

“The guy from the Cee Bar, Quint Echohawk” Empty knew he had to keep to the truth—as much as possible

“What did he want?” The question had all the earmarks of simple curiosity, which suited Empty just fine

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you” He climbed the rest of the steps to the trailer door

“Wait a ht up with hiaze sharp with suspicion “He didn’t ask you to go to work there, did he?”

“Nothing of the sort,” he declared as if the possibility were completely out of the question “He wanted directions to the Slash R”

“But he could have gotten them from anyone Why did he come here? For that matter, how did he knohere we live?”