“You’re an interesting mix of cowboy and mountain man.”
“I grew up cowboy. Mountain man has evolved.”
She lightly stirred the eggs and checked on the biscuits.
“Are you really not going to tell me where you live?”
“It’s possible I might share that at some point. If it helps, I’m the only person who knows that and I pride myself in privacy.”
“Without prying, can I ask how often you come to civilization?”
“Depends on the season. Usually once a month. Sometimes in winter, a couple months can go by. It’s a tougher trip in winter.”
“Your mule?”
“I use Beryl eight months a year and keep her with me in the mountains, but I board her for the winter here. Yes, I’m a customer of yours.”
“Thanks for the business. So, you use Beryl for carrying supplies back and forth.”
“Yes.”
The eggs were done. She pushed the skillet off the burner and pulled the biscuits out of the oven, flicking them into a basket. She put the eggs, bacon, and sausage on a large oval platter to serve family style. She handed him the platter and pointed toward the lake. She picked up a thermos of coffee and the bottle of bourbon and led him to a small table in the shade with a floral table cloth, a small bouquet of flowers, plates, and silverware.
They sat down and she dished up two bowls of sausage and eggs for the dogs, setting them on the ground for when they returned from their mischief.
“Thanks for breakfast. You like to cook.”
“Love to cook. It’s a hobby. Love to eat, too.”
He took a bite of eggs and nodded his approval.
“Tell me more about the leather craft.” She showed her bracelet, resting beautifully on her wrist.
“On a ranch, you grow up hunting, so you have leather around. Dad taught us how to tan and care for animal skin and the various uses for each. We grew up tanning leather and making stuff. It’s just a hobby.”
“So what are the different kinds of leather?”
Bear and Shadow ambled out of the woods, close together. Shadow led Bear to the two breakfast bowls. The dogs inhaled the eggs and sausage in about three bites and headed down to the lake where they cuddled on the grass by the water.
“Most leather comes from cows, sheep, lamb, and goats. But, of course, there are all kinds of exotic animal leather. There are various qualities of leather like full grain, top grain, genuine, split grain, and bonded. Those are just terms to describe the tanning processes. Like, top grain and genuine leather have the hair follicles buffed out for a smooth silky feel. It just depends on what effect you want.”
“How about my bracelet?”
“Deer leather. I tanned it at my place and keep some with me, mostly for making repairs. I have special shears for cutting those tiny strips used for ties.”
“It’s really beautiful. Thank you.”
“Thank you for breakfast. It’s delicious.”
Breakfast was over. They’d finished their second cups of coffee. Molly didn’t want the morning to end there.
“Okay, Mr. Cowboy-Off-The-Grid, are you ready for the inquisition?”
“Yikes. Might be time for me to be moving on.”
But he put out his cup for a refill, to which she added another shot of bourbon. The bourbon gave the coffee a nice boost, and she hoped it would loosen his inhibitions so he’d talk about himself.
“You grew up on a ranch in Montana.”
