Noah stopped talking and looked intently at Nan Lane, who came out on the rickety front porch. She was wearing a pale blue dress and a white apron. She was quite the prettiest girl he had ever seen, and he was especially partial to pale blue. Lem folded his hands over the horn of his saddle and helped Noah look at her.
She brushed a hand across her forehead and smiled at them.
‘How do you do?’ she said pleasantly.
‘Nester, hell!’ snorted Noah under his breath.
‘Purty good,’ grinned Lem foolishly. ‘Yore pa at home, Miss?’
Nan was looking at him closely now. She had seen the flash of his badge in the sunlight, and her demeanor changed perceptibly.
‘Why did you want him?’ she asked coldly.
‘I’m the sheriff, and I——’
‘So I noticed.’
‘He shore wears it in sight, ma’am,’ said Noah quickly. ‘He got the biggest star they make. I hates t’ go out at night, ’cause it don’t show in the dark. I been tellin’——’