He'd best stop all this foolishness and get a real job. So, he couldn't be a forest ranger. There were lots of other jobs. Look at all the people working at fast food restaurants, flipping burgers. It didn't matter, as long as it was honest work and he didn't have to hide who he was from the people that mattered to him.
Mary Jo was so excited that she had trouble getting to sleep. When sleep came, it brought dreams of Monroe. She could feel his arm around her waist; the hard muscles of his chest and the warmth of his yielding lips on hers.
She woke several times and tried to think of something else to get him off her mind, but that didn't work. Then she dreamed of Ma scolding her. She didn't understand. She thought Ma liked Monroe. He was the same man regardless of what he chose to do with his life.
She woke early and dressed in warm clothing before waking Billy Ray and doing the chores. They ate some dry cereal and left to help Monroe, as Ma had said they should.
They took the road this time. More than likely the Hudsons were in bed by now. As they rode into the camp, she heard chain saws. They rode beyond the trailer and saw all three men working. This time Mary Jo had thought to bring some rope, so she put the mules to work dragging the severed limbs of the trees to a brush pile. Monroe said that it would provide cover for smaller animals until it decayed, and then it would be nutrition for the remaining trees. That made sense.
Remembering their conversation added validity to Monroe's claim that he had studied to be a forest ranger. Not that she needed verification at this point. It wasn't that she was blind with love. She simply didn't think he was lying to her. Rather than do that, he had said he couldn't tell her - which, of course, indicated that he was involved in some sort of deception.
They worked until the sun was a little more than directly overhead and then stopped to eat lunch. They had sandwiches and then ice cream for desert. She savored her ice cream.
"I haven't had ice cream in…I don't remember the last time I had ice cream."
Joe looked surprised. "Your family doesn't like ice cream?"
She shook her head. "We don't have 'lectric or any way to keep it froze."
Joe and Tom exchanged shocked expressions. Tom frowned. "You don't have electricity? How do you keep your food from spoiling?"