“I see Rope is down and runnin now, how’s the cow dog part of him working out?” Cal asked.“You oughta see him, he wants to take over movin the...cattle and let us watch, we all laugh at the way he runs and barks, making the cattle do what he wants,” Bobbi laughed.“Well, you keep workin with him, we may want to get us a couple of them cow dogs before it’s over with,” Cal said.They each said their goodbyes and shook Tom and Cal’s hands. They watched as their friends rode out of sight, headed north. He took her hand in his, but rather than shake, he continued to hold it while he made his way around the small table to her side and enveloped her in a hug, forcing her to come to a full stand to prevent it from feeling awkward. This was not a side-hug like you give to the old men at church but a full-on hug like you give to your grandfather on Christmas, and she took this as a good sign as well. She added this to her collection of ‘good signs’ making the current count two and bad signs zero. . Wo aage idhar-udhar dekh raha tha, aur isse pehle wo kuch mehsoos karta, maine usko peeche se daboch liya.Mere dabochte hi maine kaha: Chor! Kaha jaa raha hai chori karne?Wo rone laga, aur request karne laga: Main chor nahi hu, aapko sab batata hu.Maine usko pakda, aur wapas apni taraf kheench liya, aur room mein le gaya. Uski shakal dekhi, to main hairaan ho gaya. Wo hamare mohalle ka sabzi-wala Mujahid tha, jiski corner par shop thi.Wo hath baandh ke ro raha tha, aur kehne laga: Main chori. "Sheila feels that she's stuck with you. She can't send you away without jeopardizing our location. You know too much. She can't keep you as a prisoner, that's not who we are, and she's not going to execute you. You haven't done anything to harm us." She took a sip and stared into the rising steam."How do the other women of the Colony feel about my presence?" I inquired."Sheila thinks that you are 'interesting,' and most of my sisters agree with her assessment." Seraina blew on her cup to cool.