"Yes," she saidsimply. "Always."
"Some people would sayit's no task for a woman."
She bristled. "Then somepeople would be fools. Why not? Because I don't have huge, bulging muscles? Ittakes more than physical strength. It takes care and measuring and knowing whento blow through a mountain and when to go around. It takes making sure everytie and rail is laid safely and well. I can do that as well as a man.Better."
"Easy. I'm not arguingwith you." He paused. "And who taught you to do it better?"
"I taught myself. When wegot to Salisbury I followed Patrick everywhere and listened and learned."
"And where did you livebefore you came to Salisbury?"
"Utah." She quicklychanged the subject. "The gorge is just around the bend." She reinedin and gestured to the bluff ahead. "We'll have to dismount and walkacross the ties from here."
"If you can walk withoutfalling down on your face. You're still paler than a tombstone."
"I won't fall down. Itold you I was quite well this morning." She got down from the mare. "Ifyou don't think about discomfort, it goes away." She could feel his gazeon her as she unsaddled Bedelia and tied her to a banyan tree in a grove a fewyards from the track.
"No, you won't falldown." An odd note in his voice made her glance over her shoulder at him,but his expression was as mocking as ever. "Tell me, does Reillyappreciate what he has in you?"
"Of course."
"But not enough to letyou keep a dog you care about in the bungalow?"
"Patrick thinks animalsare good only if they perform a function." She rushed defensively on."Lots of people feel that way about keeping pets. I bet you've never had apet yourself."
"You'd lose. I did have apet once."
She looked at him in surprise."A dog?"
"A fox."
"What a peculiarpet."
He shrugged. "I was apeculiar lad."
"What was his name?"
"I never gave himone."
"Why not?"
"He was my friend. Itwould have been an imposition. Besides, I had only him. There was no questionof getting confused."
"Strange… " Shestarted down the track crossing the gorge. "I have an entire crew toprotect me a half mile from here. You don't have to come any farther withme."
"Stop trying to get ridof me." He dismounted, unsaddled his horse, and tied him to a tree a shortdistance away. "There are other threats than Abdar. What if you fell offthe bridge?" He glanced down at the narrow yellow-brown ribbon of watertrickling through the gorge as he followed over the railway ties. "Well,maybe you wouldn't drown, but the fall could hurt you. Besides, why should Ileave? Now that I'm here, I might as well learn a new skill."
"There's no skill neededin laying track," she said dryly. "You only have to have a strongback."
"Oh, I've got a strongback."
A sudden memory of Ruel lyingnaked on the bed, all sleek tendons and power, came back to her. "I don'tdoubt it," she muttered.
"Then I assume I'mhired?"
"What about your wound?You have no business working with a hurt shoulder."
"That's what I tried totell you," he murmured. "The pot calling the kettle? My shoulder'salmost healed. I keep the bandage on only because Ian insists."
