Ballard ignored Crow’s taunt and said, “Good. You can work?”
In response, Rae Lynn went back to the tree, raised the puller, and began scraping while her eye continued to stream. Despite the discomfort, she only wanted them to leave her be. She didn’t want to cause no trouble, or bring any more attention to herself.
She finished making her scrapes and said, “Tar Heel.”
Ballard said, “See, only took a few seconds and good as new.”
Crow said, “He won’t make quota.”
“It ain’t the end of the day yet.”
“Yeah, we’ll see.”
Ballard dug a dirty rag out of his pocket and wiped his forehead.
He said, “Maybe you ought to tend to your own while I tend to mine.”
Rae Lynn began chipping at the next tree. God bless Ballard. She really needed to make a showing, especially since he kept defending her.
He was back on his horse and called out to her. “Good?”
She nodded.
“All right, then.”
They left, and she could hear Crow arguing, his voice rising above Ballard’s, and that soon faded. Glad for the peace, now there was nothing to hear but the scrape of her tool and the distant shouts mingled in with her own.
Despite her best effort, she didn’t make her numbers. Her eye gave her a fit, burning and running nonstop the rest of the afternoon, and she couldn’t hardly see what she’d done. It felt like it was on fire, and so she ended up short by two hundred trees. Her not meeting her count caused another stir between Ballard and Crow at quitting time, with both men arguing until Peewee was brought into the discussion as soon as they arrived back in camp.
Crow pointed at her and said, “He needs to know what happens when he can’t get the work done.”
Ballard said, “He’s got good reason to miss trees. Look at it. That eye a his looks like a damn tomato.”
Crow turned to Peewee. “He ain’t made quota since he got here.”
Ballard threw his hand out toward Rae Lynn, and said, “He would’ve today if not for that.”
Peewee sucked on a cigar, eyes darting between the two woods riders. Rae Lynn stood by the wagon. She crossed her arms, then dropped them. Finally, she shoved her hands into her pockets.
He pulled the cigar out of his mouth, and said, “I know what all’s going on here.”
Peewee gestured at her in a way she didn’t like while swirling his tongue around his teeth to dislodge a piece of tobacco.
He spit on the ground. “He ain’t who he says he is.”
Ballard said, “What’s that?”
Peewee said, “He ain’t no man.”
Rae Lynn’s heart rate skyrocketed. By God, he knows. Del Reese and the other men who worked for Crow were listening too, and every head turned toward her.
Peewee started nodding, as if he was growing more confident. “Naw. A man could make his numbers, if’n he’s fit and all.”
Should she confess? What would happen if she did? She hadn’t thought about how she would explain herself if she was found out.
Peewee said, “Hell, he can’t be more’n fifteen, maybe sixteen. Ain’t it right, boy? I ’spected it when you first showed up. Come on now. How old is you?”
Rae Lynn’s muscles went slack with relief. It was a question of age versus her sex. This she could handle.
Crow said, “I always said there won’t something right about him.”
Rae Lynn spoke in a deliberately gruff, snide tone.
“I ain’t fifteen. I’m . . . sixteen. So what?”
Crow sauntered up. “It don’t mean you don’t have to do the work, that’s what.”
Rae Lynn stepped back. His fingers tapped on the “leather snake” looped from his belt. Ballard put himself in front of her.
He said, “He’s my worker.”
Peewee said, “We got rules, Ballard, as you well know, so this is his last chance. Crow, I need to speak to you.”
Ballard said, “He’ll make count,” while Crow glowered at her with his midnight eyes.
He followed after Peewee, and Rae Lynn exhaled as she watched them go. She turned to thank Ballard and saw how he kept his hand on his gut, as if in pain. It reminded her of Warren, the way he held himself.
He leaned toward her and said, “Don’t keep letting me down, kid. You’re here now, and you got to do the work or it’s gonna be outta my hands, sixteen years old or whatever.”
Both his eyes were bloodshot, glassy looking.
She said, “Yes, sir. Thank you.”