enough, but when I did, manâ¦â He shook his head, smiling as his stick sent up a shower of sparks. âThat was always a good day. As long as you werenât getting shot at. Not that big of an adrenaline junkie.â
Yeah, right. The Screaming Eagles pissed pure adrenaline.
âI wanted to get away. Thatâs why I enlisted.â Mary smiled sweetly. âIâve traveled, learned so much, met people. Itâs been a good life.â
âHas been? Sounds like youâre thinking of making some changes.â
âI really do like my job. I think I could do it as a civilian. You know, trainâ¦â She was straying into speculative territory. Uncharted waters, poor visibility. âWhat about you? You have two jobs and two sons. A full life.â
âMmm-hmm.â He eyed her for a moment. âWhat do you wanna know?â
âDo your sons live around here? What do they do?â She smiled. âAre you a grandfather?â
âMy sons have no children.â He lifted one shoulder. âAs far as I know.â
âThey arenât close by?â
âTraceâthe older oneâheâs a professional rodeo cowboy. I see him once in a while. Heâs out in Wyoming. And Ethanâ¦â He stared into the fire. âEthanâs been working with horses, too.â
âBoth following in their dadâs footsteps.â
âI wouldnât say that. Each one is doinâ his own thing in his own way.â
âWhereâs Ethan?â
âLast I heard he was in Colorado. Itâs been a while since I saw him. He keeps in touch with Trace.â
âSo you know heâs safe and healthy.â
âIf heâs not, he knows where to find me.â He tossed the stick into the flames. âNever turn your back on family. Those ties are thicker than blood. You get âem all twisted up, you can choke on âem.â
âIâm not the one whoâs twisted,â she said quietly.
âThen youâll be okay.â A sudden breeze sent wood smoke into his face. He slid closer to her, turning a coughing jag into a laugh. âHey, you feel like youâre choking, step back. Catch your breath. Come out here andâ¦â He coughed again. ââ¦and be with your horse. This is why the man sits opposite the tipi door.â
She glanced at the structure that towered nearby, wondered what it was like inside, when she would be invited in, how long she would stay.
âAre you still married? Technically, orâ¦â
âNo. Not technically or any other way. You canât tie the knot from just one string.â
âWell, you can , butâ¦â
âAll youâll have is a tangled string.â He jacked one knee up for a forearm rest and eyed her frankly. âYou be straight with me, Iâll return the favor, and weâll get along fine.â
âLook.â She nodded toward the pen. No longer glued to the far side, the mustang peered at them. âHeâs listening to us.â
âSure feels like it.â Logan wasnât looking at the horse directly. âHe canât get away from us and heâs too smart to beat himself up trying, so heâs trying to put the pieces together. We donât eat grass, but weâre not looking for horsemeat, either. Weâre not loud. We donât smell too dangerous. Maybe we got separated from our own herd and weâre putting together a new band.â He chuckled. âWhat should we call ourselves? Mary and the Contraries?â
âClever. Just call me Mare.â
âSo thatâs what he smells.â He glanced at her and smiled. âThe Indian way, a contrary is like a clown. He does everything backwardâthe opposite of the way everyone else does. We traveled in bands, too, and there was always a heyoka. â
âTo entertain?â
âHe makes people laugh, but itâs really about balance. Everyone has