Louise’s mouth twisted in an attempt at a smile. Eddie was spiffed up a little to come to Boulder, and didn’t wear his shit-kicker boots tonight, but rather a fancy tooled pair in brown and black. He had slicked down his cowlick with hair grease that shone in the fading evening light.
Frank was another matter. He was a slim, dark-haired man in a sporty outfit that quietly stated “professional.” He probably wore it to his job at IBM. But right now wasn’t a good time to get to know him, because he looked furious. Eddie cocked his head toward his brother. “Me ’n Frank, we been talkin’ some things out, Sally, in yonder bar.” He pointed back down the mall. “Frank, he got himself all worked up, but he’s gettin’ over it now. So we aren’t about t’talk to
you
until tomorrow morning. It’s bad enough between the two of us. Okay?”
Eddie looked at her uncertainly, as if he knew in his heart he shouldn’t be treating his grieving sister with such roughness. “Aw, c’mere and let me hug ya, sis,” he added, grabbing her out of her chair and pulling her up to her feet. He clasped her in a bear hug, rocking her back and forth like a big toy, all the while whispering things in her ear.
Sally, her stocky body tipped back in the embrace of her eldest brother, seemed to be listening intently to what hewas saying. Finally, she raised her head and nodded solemnly at him. Eddie smiled.
Then it was Frank’s turn. He came over to Sally and put a gentle hand on her shoulder. She could hardly meet his gaze. “Look, sis,” he said softly, “it will be okay no matter how it turns out.” He gave her a little kiss on the cheek and turned to catch up with his brother, who was already striding away down the sidewalk.
Sally sat down without looking at Ann and self-consciously stared at the menu. “All of a sudden I’m real hungry,” she said simply. Ann stared at her for a moment, then pretended to concentrate on what to order. During the meal, Ann put in an occasional remark, but was not her usual self. Louise felt obliged to carry the conversation with Sally, and asked her about her early life on the ranch. Jimmy Porter’s daughter answered Louise’s questions in a quiet, halting voice, with no embellishments. It was clear Sally seldom talked about herself. But with persistent questions, Louise learned over the space of twenty-five minutes that, with her mother dead, Sally had become the substitute “mom” at the ranch when still a mere child. She washed and ironed, sewed, churned butter, cleaned, and cooked. Sometimes she traveled to school in Lyons on her horse, more often just riding with her brothers to the county road, then meeting a school bus there.
The way she spoke, it was obvious her father was the center of her universe. But one of Louise’s questions had not been welcome: the one about where Sally would go when the ranch was sold. “I had my plans,” she said tersely. Louise was now convinced that Jimmy Porter had rebuffed Sally’s idea to trail after him and his new bride. What a blow that must have been!
Not once, as they talked, did tears come to the bereaved daughter’s eyes for a father who had died just days ago. A frightening thought entered Louise’s mind: Was thiswoman some kind of time bomb ready to go off—or that had already gone off? Another of Sally’s answers had also raised little alarms for Louise. “Shoot? Of course I know how to shoot, and to hunt, too. If you live on a ranch, you have to know how; it doesn’t matter if you’re a girl.”
When dinner was finished, Ann Evans gave Sally a polite good-bye and said, “I hope we can talk about this in a few days, when you’ve thought back on what I said.”
Sally stepped forward, extending her hand to Ann. As if it were a requiem for a lost cause, she said, “You were a good friend to my father, I’ll say that.” Then she turned and walked away.
Ann turned to Louise. “Now we’d better double-time it, or we
Frank was another matter. He was a slim, dark-haired man in a sporty outfit that quietly stated “professional.” He probably wore it to his job at IBM. But right now wasn’t a good time to get to know him, because he looked furious. Eddie cocked his head toward his brother. “Me ’n Frank, we been talkin’ some things out, Sally, in yonder bar.” He pointed back down the mall. “Frank, he got himself all worked up, but he’s gettin’ over it now. So we aren’t about t’talk to
you
until tomorrow morning. It’s bad enough between the two of us. Okay?”
Eddie looked at her uncertainly, as if he knew in his heart he shouldn’t be treating his grieving sister with such roughness. “Aw, c’mere and let me hug ya, sis,” he added, grabbing her out of her chair and pulling her up to her feet. He clasped her in a bear hug, rocking her back and forth like a big toy, all the while whispering things in her ear.
Sally, her stocky body tipped back in the embrace of her eldest brother, seemed to be listening intently to what hewas saying. Finally, she raised her head and nodded solemnly at him. Eddie smiled.
Then it was Frank’s turn. He came over to Sally and put a gentle hand on her shoulder. She could hardly meet his gaze. “Look, sis,” he said softly, “it will be okay no matter how it turns out.” He gave her a little kiss on the cheek and turned to catch up with his brother, who was already striding away down the sidewalk.
Sally sat down without looking at Ann and self-consciously stared at the menu. “All of a sudden I’m real hungry,” she said simply. Ann stared at her for a moment, then pretended to concentrate on what to order. During the meal, Ann put in an occasional remark, but was not her usual self. Louise felt obliged to carry the conversation with Sally, and asked her about her early life on the ranch. Jimmy Porter’s daughter answered Louise’s questions in a quiet, halting voice, with no embellishments. It was clear Sally seldom talked about herself. But with persistent questions, Louise learned over the space of twenty-five minutes that, with her mother dead, Sally had become the substitute “mom” at the ranch when still a mere child. She washed and ironed, sewed, churned butter, cleaned, and cooked. Sometimes she traveled to school in Lyons on her horse, more often just riding with her brothers to the county road, then meeting a school bus there.
The way she spoke, it was obvious her father was the center of her universe. But one of Louise’s questions had not been welcome: the one about where Sally would go when the ranch was sold. “I had my plans,” she said tersely. Louise was now convinced that Jimmy Porter had rebuffed Sally’s idea to trail after him and his new bride. What a blow that must have been!
Not once, as they talked, did tears come to the bereaved daughter’s eyes for a father who had died just days ago. A frightening thought entered Louise’s mind: Was thiswoman some kind of time bomb ready to go off—or that had already gone off? Another of Sally’s answers had also raised little alarms for Louise. “Shoot? Of course I know how to shoot, and to hunt, too. If you live on a ranch, you have to know how; it doesn’t matter if you’re a girl.”
When dinner was finished, Ann Evans gave Sally a polite good-bye and said, “I hope we can talk about this in a few days, when you’ve thought back on what I said.”
Sally stepped forward, extending her hand to Ann. As if it were a requiem for a lost cause, she said, “You were a good friend to my father, I’ll say that.” Then she turned and walked away.
Ann turned to Louise. “Now we’d better double-time it, or we
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