He’d paused at one point and scooped up a handful of the dirt that lay near him. He let the coarse gray soil run through his fingers. Scarlett would have a hard time growing the kind of lawn she wanted in all this alkali. It was more suited to cactus than any kind of grass, even the sturdy buffalo grass. Not that it was the most popular choice for a lawn. Maybe he’d come over and plow some natural fertilizer into the ground around the house when he came back from his trip. It would only be neighborly to build the soil up, he told himself as he lay on the ground and closed his eyes. The late-afternoon sun was hitting him at a comfortable slant and he was lazy after eating Sunday dinner at the café. The Engers really knew how to put on a spread. A man’s life didn’t get much better than moments like this, Hunter told himself. He’d already called the airlines and bought a ticket for his flight tomorrow. They still had a few seats left and he’d been able to get one in the same row as Scarlett and Joey.
