Page 31 of The Outsider

Bix looked at Denver. “You do need to payme.”

Denver laughed. “Don’t worry. I definitely will. You can get extra hazard pay too, since Daughtry is so pressed about your adventure up on the roof.”

“I’ve only known him for a little over twenty-four hours, but I think it’s safe to say that Daughtry is always pressed.”

That earned her a riotous laugh from his brothers.

“Hilarious,” he said, moving over to the table of food and piling on rolls, coleslaw and brisket.

Bix did the same, though she had twice as much food on the plate.

She separated from the group and sat against the barn, her plate resting on her knees, which were pulled up tightly to her chest as she ate quickly, shoveling the food in.

Like she was afraid it was going to disappear.

He imagined that she might be.

He sighed, mostly at himself, and moved across the expanse of dirt to where she was sitting. He took a seat down on the ground beside her, with a couple feet of dirt between them. “I know you’re used to having to live hard. But you don’t need to prove yourself here. You don’t need to put yourself at risk to earn a place.”

“I’m not doing that,” she said, not pausing her eating. “It was a job that needed doing, so I did it. I like working.”

So, he had been right about that.

“Yeah. I get that. You seem like you really get a lot out of this.”

“I do,” she said. “It’s nice to do something that people...” She shook her head. “I’m never going toclaim to be a hero of any kind,” she said. “Ever. But it’s a little bit nice to do something that’s actually worthwhile. Building something. I mean, making moonshine is making something. I take pride in that. I don’t take things away from the world, I add to them. I can’t help it if people are irresponsible with their liquor. Everyone needs to be responsible for themselves. And personally, I think the state ought to stay out of everyone’s business.”

“Yes. I did get that from you.”

“The point is,” she said. “I might do things that are a little bit shady, but I don’t ask for money for nothing. I pull my weight. I earn my keep.”

“Yeah. I see that.”

“Now. If I think you’re a little bit of a sucker who’s overpaying me, that’s your problem, not mine. I didn’t trick you.”

“You tried,” he pointed out. “When we first met.”

“How?” she asked, pausing to lick her finger.

“You pretended that you were afraid of me. You’re not afraid of me.”

“All right. I didn’t say that I was the soul of honesty. I said that Ipreferhonest work. But I’m going to do what I have to in order to get by. Hard-line morality is expensive, Daughtry. And I’m not rich.”

He grunted. But didn’t really have a response to that.

He looked over at her, and for the moment, she seemed like she was lost in thought. Her pale eyebrows were drawn together, a crease between them. “Have you considered brewing beer?”

“Me personally?” he asked.

“Well, not you personally. The ranch. I think it’s a good idea, the things that your brothers have proposed. But there can always be more. I was thinking about what Denver said. Everybody finding something to do. Well, someone could brew beer.”

“Do you like alcohol?”

Her expression was unreadable. “No.”

“You don’t drink.”

She shrugged. “I don’t.”

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