Ma turned and walked to her chair. For a few minutes she rocked with a far away look in her eyes. Finally she drew a deep breath and let it out. "I'm glad they got them."
Later Barrett walked out on the porch with Mary Jo. For a while they listened to an owl calling. It was peaceful - chilly, but peaceful. She rubbed her arms and shivered.
He put an arm around her and drew her to him. "I like it here."
She signed. "I like it when you're here."
He studied her face for a moment. "I got a job offer tonight."
Who would have offered him a job in the middle of all that chaos? Maybe…. "Oh? As a police officer?"
He chuckled. "No, as a security guard."
"Are you going to accept? Where is it?"
"Not far away. At a corporation near Pelsor I'll have to go for an interview, of course."
"A security guard is a long way from being a Forest Ranger. Are you sure that's what you want to do?"
He nodded. "Tonight - today, actually - I was afraid for you and for Billy Ray, but when those thugs were apprehended, I felt like I had actually done something that was important to someone besides me."
She gazed up at him. "You did!"
He smiled. "So did you, but I mean, I was actually part of getting those thugs off your land. One of the things that made the career of Forest Ranger attractive to me was the ability to actually do something about poachers."
She wasn't sure what that had to do with being a security guard. "Do you mean that being a security guard would give you the chance to prevent crime?"
He looked thoughtful for a moment and then shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe there is no connection. Maybe I'm just glad to be offered a job."
She gazed into his eyes. "Oh Bear. It never crossed my mind that you might think it would be hard for you to get a job…since your accident. I reckon that's a natural way to feel, though." She squeezed his hand. "And then someone saw what you did tonight and offered you a job. That's a double coup, isn't it?"
He took her in his arms again. "I love you, Mary Jo."
"I love you too."
He kissed her cheek. "Why don't we get married?"