Ask? Come winter, he said. The road north gets bad, sometimes impassible for weeks. I want to know you have what you need before that happens. I'm working on it, she said.
I know you are. That's not He stopped. He looked at his hat. I'm not questioning whether you can manage. I've watched you for 2 months and I know what you can do.
What I'm asking is more specific. She looked at him. He was looking at his hat rather than at her, which was unusual for him. He was generally a direct looker. What's the specific question?
She said. Do you have enough money to get through winter? The question was direct enough that it caught her slightly, which she covered by going to the fire and checking the pot. That's a personal question, she said. I know it is.
Why does it matter to you? He looked up. Because if it's a problem, I'd rather know in September than in January, he said. And because you're not going to volunteer the information, so I have to ask directly. She turned and looked at him.
He held the look. I have enough for the next 2 months, she said. After that, I need to be earning. What can you sell? The garden will produce more than I need.
She came back to the table and sat down. I've also been thinking about taking in sewing. I can sew well and there aren't many women in this part of the territory who do it for hire. There's a market, he said immediately. My ranch hands alone go through more mending than I care to think about.
Frank's wife passed 2 years ago. There's no one doing that work within 30 mi. She filed the information then that's an option. She said I can put the word out. He said if you want ask Frank's wife's rate first, she said not to copy it.