Monroe gave him a friendly smile. "No; are you?"
"I lived here all my life."
Monroe nodded. "Then I guess you know the property up that way belongs to the young lady's family."
Lester's eyes narrowed and he fairly snarled at Monroe. "Jest who do you think you are?"
Monroe gave a nonchalant shrug. "I'm Barrett Monroe and I have permission to look at the timber on that land." He nodded at the sign. "I believe that fell off my vehicle yesterday when I tried to avoid hitting a deer and ran off the road."
Lester threw the sign at him. "You can have it." He marched to his ATV, climbed on and started it. He didn't say another word as he turned it back the way he had come.
Monroe picked up the sign and looked at Mary Jo. "Are you all right?"
She let out a sigh of relief. "Yeah. I'd better get back to the house." She turned Ol' Ned around and came out of the brush onto the road. She gave Monroe a sour look. "Lookin' at timber, huh?"
He gave her a wry smile. "Actually, I came to see you."
Warmth rushed up her neck. Did he actually come to see her, or was he trying to get on her good side?
Barrett waited for her to indicate whether or not he was welcome, but her expression was wary. He lifted the sign. "Looks like I showed up in the nick of time."
She frowned. "I can take care of myself, but you'd better look out next time you see any of them Hudson boys."
He nodded. "I guess you always take the hillside back to the house. More exercise for the mule?" He looked her in the eye. "If he was going to pursue you, all he would have had to do was wait for you at the house - where your mother is alone."
For a moment she looked startled and then she turned the mule and kicked it into a trot toward home. He'd bet she hadn't even considered that possibility. Maybe she was only startled by the idea that he understood what had happened before he arrived. It didn't take a genius.
He stood there for a few minutes, considering whether he should go to her house or turn around and go back to town. He finally decided to go to her house. If he waited on an invitation from her, he'd probably be old and gray before he got one.