'Let's!' Molly exclaimed.
'Find what?' Karen inquired.
'That's where Jose and Hector Padilla were going when they came to the meadows,' Kerney explained.
'I know where it is.'
'How do you know that?' Jim demanded.
'Instinct.' It was a better answer than bringing up the events at the Slash Z again.
'This I've got to see. Lead on,' Jim ordered.
He took them up the middle finger of the meadow and into the forest. Jim sniped that he was lost, until they broke cover at the edge of a crater that slanted into the mountainside.
Sunlight poured into the hollow. The sheer dropoff was shallow, rocky and barren, but the cavity glistened with the color of mahogany-red and yellow cone flowers 'This is it?' Jim asked, shaking his head in disbelief.
'It doesn't look like a hat to me. Not even an upside-down hat.'
Molly and Karen started laughing.
'What's so funny?'
'Tell him, Kerney,' Molly said, still giggling.
'If you know, that is.'
'See how the flowers are shaped?' Kerney replied.
'Like a sombrero. Mexican Hat.'
'I knew that,' Jim said sheepishly.
They tethered the horses and climbed down into the hollow with the picnic hamper, the cooler, and a blanket. Kerney acted as host and served up lunch, which was greeted with delight.
When the meal was finished and the conversation lapsed, Jim and Molly disappeared for a walk in the woods. Karen stretched out on the blanket, her head propped up in her hand. In jeans, a pullover top, and boots, with her hair loose around her face, she watched Kerney as he repacked the hamper.
He closed the lid and looked over at her. On the blanket next to her was a small gift-wrapped box.
'Open it,' she said.
'What are we celebrating?' he asked.
'New friendships.'
Carefully, he unwrapped the present. Inside was an exact duplicate of his rodeo buckle, accurate right down to the inscription and the date.
'It's wonderful. How did you manage to do this?' he asked, grinning like a kid.
'I tracked down the manufacturer. They keep all their molds of official award buckles. After I explained the situation, they were very happy to oblige.' She handed him a business envelope.
'More?'
'Maybe.'
Inside was an offer from the county manager asking him to serve as the sheriff until a special election could be held. The contract would pay Kerney a nice chunk of money.
'Is this for real?' he asked.
'You bet it is,' Karen replied.
'And you get additional fringe benefits to go with it.'
Kerney turned over the letter. It was blank.
'Such as?'
'For one, free housing. You can stay at Jim's place.'
'Molly and Jim know about this?'
'As do my parents and Jim's. It was a group decision.'
Kerney smiled broadly and stuck the letter into his shirt pocket.
'I'll see the county manager in the morning. What else?'
Karen smiled shyly.
'Dating privileges. Can you two-step with that knee?'
'I can.'
'Can you hold a decent, intelligent conversation with a woman in a bar over drinks?'
'It's been known to happen.'
'And eat an occasional home-cooked gourmet meal?'
'I believe so.'
'Need I say more?' She held out her hand.
'Are there any more benefits?' Kerney asked as he took her hand in his.
'It all depends on how you define the term,' Karen answered, pulling him closer.
