She eyed him steadily for a moment. “I doubt you got the brains to follow this, but try,” she said. “I had a ticket bought for me all the way to the south end of this line. I ain’t come even halfway yet. I figure they still owe me about the same amount of miles it is back to Phoenix. Now, if you can get charity out of that, you’re more than welcome.”
He nodded his head slightly. “That’s a nice bit of logic. Handy too. Especially when one has got more pride than sense.”
She bristled. “What the hell are you talking about? Don’t they owe me the miles or not?”
He smiled. “Yeah. But going south. If you want to be strict about it. You bought a southbound ticket. It entitles you to go south. Don’t say nothing about north.”
She gave him a level, fierce look. “Why don’t you go to hell, fellow, whoever you are.”
He said carelessly, “I’m the man who is going to give you a job to earn your way back to Phoenix. And maybe a few dollars more.”
Her eyes narrowed. “What kind of job? On my back?”
He shook his head. “No, not quite. From time to time I’ll need some things written down. That’ll be your job. To write them down.”
“Who in hell do you think you are kidding? You know what I am. Don’t talk to me about writing anything down. I know what you want down, and it’s the underwear I got under this dress. Only you ain’t going to get it.”
He nodded. “I don’t want it. Under other circumstances and other conditions and maybe a different time, maybe yes. But not now and not under this set of circumstances. You savvy? So you can just get off acting like the hard-assed whore with me. You don’t look like you ever put out for money in your life. I think this was your first try and you got scared and jumped ship.”
She was turning pink in the face. She said, “Say, just who in the hell are you? Did I ask you to tell my fortune? I’ve heard of a few folks got by just fine in life by minding their own business.”
“As to who I am, my name is Custis Long, if it makes any difference. And as to business, I’m offering you a job. Do you want it or not? It ain’t got a damn thing to do with your clothes. In fact you will do all your business with me fully dressed. Understand that? Now, you want a job or not? I doubt there are many more around here. And this one pays cash.”
She narrowed her eyes. He noticed they were light blue. “You wouldn’t be trying to offer me charity in a left- handed way, would you?”
He looked at her. She was trying to sit so proud and defiant, and not quite bringing it off. She was wearing a gray dress of some cheap gingham material, but she had a nice lace dicky around her collar. Or it would have been nice if it hadn’t turned gray from the alkali dust. He said, “Listen, Rita, if that is your name, I wouldn’t give you the sweat off a sow’s snout without full return on my money. You’ll welcome charity by the time I’m through with you.”
She didn’t look quite so sure and some of the hardness had left her face. Relaxed, she was quite pretty. She had her hair pulled back in a bun, but he thought it would be about shoulder length and shining if she unpinned it and let it down. She said, “What-what would be my duties?”
He snapped it out. “Woman of all work. I say frog, you jump. Take down notes, fetch and carry, listen to my ideas and give me your opinion. Your duties are whatever I need at the time. Job is on the block. Going, going, go-“
“I’ll take it!”
“Fine,” he said. He reached into his pocket, pulled out his roll of bills, and peeled off a ten-dollar bill. He said, “Your first job is to go get me another drink.” He handed her the bill. She took it hesitantly. “There’s an advance on your salary. When you’ve brought me that drink you are to go look up Mrs. Higgins and buy you some lunch off her. And then-“
She jumped up. “So it was charity. By damn I-“
He reached out a hand and shoved her down. “Look, dammit, I can’t have somebody working for me that is all weak in the knees from hunger. I don’t want no more damn arguments from you. I’m a businessman. I own a large cattle company. I ain’t used to my employees arguing with me. Now, do as you are told.”
She got up slowly and took the glass out of his hand. She had a thoughtful look on her face. He watched as she walked over and went behind the plank bar. She hunted a moment, found the bottle of whiskey, and poured one of the glasses full. Then she looked across at him. “Am I supposed to have another one?”
“You’re on my time now,” he said, trying to sound severe. If the girl wanted convincing she had a job, he was going to be damn certain she got the message. He said, “You don’t drink on my time. You work.”
She nodded, and then brought the drink back across the room to him. As she handed it to him she held up the ten-dollar bill and said, “Am I supposed to pay Mrs. Higgins for the drinks when I buy myself some lunch?”
He shook his head. “I’m running an account with the old man. Besides, that is your money. That’s an advance on your wages. I’m paying you five dollars a day until we get to Phoenix, and then we’ll see what you’re worth. Now go find Mrs. Higgins and see if she knows where that drunken doctor is. I want to get a look at him.”
She gave him an amused look. “Going to give him a job too?”
He gave her a brief glance. “Ever notice how close those two words were? Hire and fire? Just one letter.”
“I’m going,” she said.
He watched with a faintly amused expression as she hurried from the room. But along with the amusement was an appreciation for the way her hips worked beneath the dowdy dress. He wondered if there were any clothes about that would fit her. He would like to see her better dressed. Also, he thought, he would like to see her completely undressed. He’d been out on the desert a long time, and it had been a spell since his last visit to his lady friend in Denver who was in the dressmaking business. He did not, however, think it would be a very good idea to take this Rita to his dress-shop lady and grandly ask her to fix the little gal up.
He remembered his boots, and walked over to where they were sitting by the door. He turned them upside down and a little water ran out. It was still too hot outside to put them in the sun, but he edged them out a little further where they might dry faster. He was getting tired of walking around in his stocking feet, and he figured it
