" Both Mandy and Glenn took a deep gasp at that."Why are we cutting out your tongue?" she asked."Chester needs to lead this mission. His having only o...e arm would have them looking at me as the leader of it. But if I am a mute, the focus is not on me as the threat. Then we have an advantage." But you will never be able to talk again," Glenn said."Only until I get back to Crossroads. They have a healing chamber that will fix it just like it will Chester's arm." How can that be?" Mandy asked."As. This is why I find this environment so wonderful. You accept everyone from the get-go as who they are without any song and dance about belonging, being politically correct, or anything. You like us right away. That’s so rare around campus.” Dave heard a croak in his tone that signaled some emotional underpinning.As the group engaged each other in conversation, Dave moved out from behind the bar and flagged down Cord Jenkins. “Hey, Cord. Luke is a junior at the university, a little shy, but. Bread went into the toaster. Breakfast was underway. Missy came back in next, fully dressed but with a towel wrapped around her head and sans makeup. I think I'm probably the only unrelated male to ever see her without makeup. I dared not acknowledge the fact of course. Jane wandered in next in her bathrobe. I doled out modified scrambled eggs and toast. Missy took hers back to her “room” to continue her female ablutions which left Jane and I around the table. “The eggs taste great sweetie,”. "Are you going to marry me, Mr. Burgstone," she repeated slowly."Is it all that important to ya?"Mary dropped the sides of her skirt and placed both hands on her hips. "Mr. Burgstone. I did not come all this way to be walking off into the desert, heaven knows how many miles from civilization, just to cook your meals and tend your goats. You advertised for a wife. You can either turn around and pay my way back to Los Angeles or find a preacher. One or the other, Mr. Burgstone. I'm a proper lady.