“I’ve got a good idea on it. I’ll put it to the test here in a few days.”
“What are you doing today?”
“I have to go to Presidio, be available at the Activities Center when the dignitaries give Danny Montoya an award.”
“In case?”
“In case they want to single me out, too.”
“Good for them.”
“I’m uncomfortable with all that.”
“Think of it as winning another shooting trophy. That never made you uncomfortable. In fact, I remember you being all laughing and talky, like you enjoyed getting a trophy. So do like that if they call you up.”
“You’re pretty smart, you know that?”
“And charming. Don’t forget charming.”
“Never.”
“You need to get going, don’t you?”
“Yeah, but I wanted to check on you first.”
“I’m good. Now get off my porch, go do some work for a change.”
“You take care of yourself. I want you back.”
He smiled, “No more than me.”
She stood, pulled out her keys, stepped off the porch and gave him a backhanded wave as she walked to the vehicle. She needed to think about something else to take her mind off Raymond, so she thought about taking the trip south on Casa Piedra Road.
She could check for any signs of walkers or smugglers, and enjoy the desert scenery all the way to Presidio. Hunter wondered if Sam and Miguel were going to the presentation. Miguel would have to return to Mexico in the next day or two, she knew. No matter how hard she’d tried, they would not extend his stay.
Maybe Sam paid him extra while he was here. Hunter would give him some money, too. For what he did, absolutely. He deserved it.
***
Sam and Miguel worked all morning repairing an old Eclipse windmill that had been erected in the south pasture in 1899 by Sam’s great grandfather. When they finished, both men drank cold, fresh water from the pipe and watched the blades spin at the top of the tower.
Sam said, “My grandfather put this one in place when he bought the property. It’s pumped water ever since.”
“The water is good, too.”
“This one didn’t even go dry in the big drought in the fifties.”
Miguel grabbed a bar of soap to wash his hands, using the faucet, rather than the pipe that ran into the rock tank. “It is something valuable in the desert. I am happy we could repair it and see the water flowing out again.”
“Me, too, my friend.” They watched the windmill spin for a while longer, checking their work, then Sam said, “Let’s head into Presidio and watch the ceremony. We can grab something to eat while we’re there.”
As they left the mill, Miguel looked at dark clouds building in the northwest. “I think it will be a big rain.”
“Me too. That’s not a summer shower comin’, that’s a storm.” They drove through the ranch, then out the rough caliche roads, and finally to the pavement, travelling slightly over the speed limit. Sam checked his watch, “We may be runnin’ a little late.”
“Will we arrive before it is finished?”
“I imagine. Those politicians are long-winded, and they have a crowd. We should be fine unless we run into trouble.”