bucks. Half the farmers from West Valley are always at the auction market. One of our neighbors must be here.
Well, maybe not quite always. I made three tours through the whole auction market. Along the way I had the offer of a dateâfrom an eighty-year-old guy with noteeth. I was yelled at twice for standing in front of somebody and blocking his view of the sale ring. And when I reached up to push my hair back at the wrong moment I almost bought another horse. But I didnât see a soul I knew.
I was getting desperate enough to call home and explain the mess I was in to my parents. I checked my watch and scrapped that idea. Right now, Mom would be at work driving the school bus and Dad would be out in the field planting green feed. But I had to think of something. The closer I got to losing that blue roan horse, the more I started to like her.
Then I caught a glimpse of Walt Devon. He was one of the meat buyers, running a string of sorry-looking old horses up the ramp into his trailer. When the last one was in, his helper closed the door behind it. âReady to roll, boss?â he asked.
Devon picked a tidbit of leftover lunch out of a crack between his teeth. âNaw, donât get in a hurry, Bill. Think I might pick up another one cheap here in a minute.â
That did it! Walt Devon was not going to haul my horse off to the packing plant. I took another desperate look around. Over by the corrals, three or four guys were throwing square bales onto a truck. I didnât recognize any of them at first. Then something about one of them caught my eyeâlong, curly blond hair, ragged denim jacket. Yeah, it was him all right. I never thought Iâd be desperate enough to ask Cole McCall for the time of day, but I was stuck. I took a deep breath. âCole?â
Either he didnât hear me or he pretended not to. He kept on tossing bales. Just talking to him was bad enough. Did I have to yell his name for all the world to hear?
âCole!â
He set down a bale and slowly turned around. The two strangers he was working with turned to stare at me.
âCole, I, uh, need to talk to you.â
Cole gave me a cold look. âDonât bother me, Blue Jeans,â he said between breaths. âWeâre busy.â The other guys laughed. I could feel my face getting warm.
âCole,â I said through my teeth, âwould you just come here, please?â
He gave his friends kind of a shrug. To me he gave a low bow and a taunting grin as he walked over. âWhat can I do for you, Blue Jeans?â
I held my temper. âUh, Cole, do you have ten dollars?â
He gave me an unbelieving stare and then he laughed. âDo I look like I have ten dollars?â
I was in no position to be rude. I meant to be polite. Really, I did. But the words just came out. âNo, you look like you should be standing in somebodyâs garden to scare the crows away. But I still need to know if you can lend me ten dollars.â
That remark should have finished my chances of borrowing ten cents from Cole McCall. I couldnât believe it when he started to laugh. âYouâre somethinâ else, Blue Jeans.â
Before I could decide on an answer to that he reached into his pocket and cameout with a crumpled five-dollar bill and some change. âThatâs all she wrote. Seven good enough?â
I shook my head. I couldnât come this close and give up. âCheck your other pockets. Maybe youâve got some more change.â
He stared at me again for a minute, sighed and checked the other pocket of his jeans. He shook his head. âOut of luck, lady.â
âAre you sure?â
Cole sighed. âHonest, Officer, Iâm sure. You want to search me or what?â
I could feel my face warming up again. âNo!â I blurted out. âBut what about your jacket pockets?â
He shrugged and jammed his hands into the pockets of his ragged jean jacket. His right
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