He looked surprised for a moment. “I’m a little young for that, don’t you think? Don’t let this hair loss lead you down the wrong path. I’m not much older than you. You’re what? Twenty?”
“Almost twenty-two."
His expression was skeptical. “When?”
“In December.”
He nodded. “I'll turn twenty-six soon.”
She faced around again as they reached the bottom of the hollow and started up the other side. Sweet Sally plodded on as Mary Jo absently stared down at the reins. So he only worked for the lumber company. What about the fifty dollars? That was a lot of money to throw around. Of course, he didn’t say he was poor – only that he didn’t own the company. Still, if he didn’t own the company….
“So what brought you up in this neck of the woods?”
When he didn’t respond, she turned to see if he was still following. His expression was pensive.
“Just looking the place over.”
“You mean, scouting for timber.”
He shrugged. It wasn’t necessary for him to verbally confirm her suspicions. It was written all over his face. She continued in a sour tone.
“So what have you decided?”
He shrugged again. “It’s not for me to decide. I merely report what I see.”
She snorted. “Ain’t that a convenient arrangement? Well, I hope you realize that this country is too rough to log.”
“What would make me come to that conclusion? People have been logging areas a lot rougher than this with far less equipment for years.”
She shot him a hostile look. “Then your trip down that hill with the car ain’t changed nothin’?”
He frowned. “Change what? Did you think I would run away the first time I experienced a little set back? Sure, I’m grateful you came along. If you hadn’t, I’d probably be at the bottom of that cliff by now. But it doesn’t change anything.” His eyes held a glint of humor. “I might add that if I hadn’t taken that plunge, I might have merely driven through. Certainly I wouldn’t have had a personal escort through fine standings of oak and walnut.”
She pulled Sweet Sally to a halt and gasped, staring at him in horror. Why hadn’t she considered the possibility that he would be assessing the lumber potential – not appreciating the beauty of nature? She glared at him.