ranching, in case you forgot.”
“It’s harder and harder to make a living that way. Who do you know that ranches without a day job to pay the bills? You know what they say. Behind every great cowboy is a wife who works in town.”
Suze snorted. “Maybe. But there are jobs. They can always work for me.”
Sarah nodded toward the kitchen. “You think that girl should wait tables all her life?”
“She could.”
“Not much of a future for a bright kid.”
“Good enough for most people.” Suze shot a disdainful glare across the table. “Not good enough for you, I guess.”
“But Carrigan would bring something better. They’d…”
“Don’t tell me what they’d do.” Suze snorted and everyone in the diner turned as if a volcano had erupted in the corner. “You think they’d give the jobs to Two Shot folks? They bring in out-of-towners for those rigs. I know. I met some of ’em. A bunch came through here on their way to Casper. Caught Emmy out back after her shift and teased her ’til she cried. Don’t know what they woulda done to her if Eddie hadn’t happened to go out there.” She pressed her lips together. “They gave Eddie a hard time too, but they finally left.”
“They’re not all like that.”
“Don’t care. Two Shot’s not ready for change.” She nodded toward the door again. “Emmy’s not ready.” She jabbed a finger toward Sarah. “You tell her to go to UW, ’cause if she goes out of state folks’ll eat that girl alive.”
“She’ll learn.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of.” Suze’s expression softened and for a moment she looked almost motherly. “It’s not just the view I want to save. I want the people to stay the same too.” She settled deeper into the booth, her hostility fading. “I been all over before I got here. Two Shot people’s good folks. There’s not many like ’em left in the world.”
Sarah looked around at the other customers—the poker group in the back in their striped cowboy shirts and Carhartt jackets, Joe sitting at the counter in a T-shirt and worn denim overalls, his battered cowboy boots propped on the rail. Eddie was at the counter, his simple face creased in concern as he watched Suze and Sarah argue.
The place was pretty much the same as it had been when she’d left all those years ago. She felt a sudden wave of warmth curl around her heart. She’d longed to leave Two Shot, but it wasn’t such a bad place to come back to, even when it didn’t want you.
At least she knew what to expect. All the time she’d been gone, Two Shot had hung in the distance like a safety net poised to catch her if she fell. It really was like a family. That’s why it had hurt so much when they’d been so cold the day before.
But looking at Suze, she knew that like a family, they’d all forgive her eventually.
Chapter 35
Lane pulled into the parking garage across from the Carrigan building, cruising down an empty row to take a space at the end. The garage had been built by the city in some unrealistic fit of optimism during the last boom. The police department used it, so there were half a dozen cop cars parked on one side, but other than that he had his pick.
He strode down the short stretch of sidewalk and through the swinging doors to the Carrigan building. Standing in the elevator, he glanced at his reflection and quickly looked away. He’d made the mistake of gussying up for the visit to Carrigan headquarters, and now he knew where the expression “dressed to kill” came from. His brand-new Wranglers were so stiff he could barely bend his knees, and the bolo tie at his throat was slowly strangling him to death.
He wasn’t sure why he’d felt compelled to citify himself that morning. It wasn’t like he needed to impress Eric. Eric knew who he was no matter what he wore.
But it was about time he took things more seriously as far as the company was concerned. Sarah had convinced him of that much. He’d always felt a responsibility to the communities surrounding their operations, but he’d believed it was a responsibility to preserve and protect the status quo. Sarah had made him realize that wasn’t all they needed to do. He’d been right in his conviction that drilling rigs and trailer towns ruined the landscape. But he hadn’t thought about the fact that people might be more than