She stayed in the narrow front yard to pick up sticks that had fallen from the two monster pecan trees near the sidewalk. The long black hood of a Lincoln floated past in her peripheral vision, then stopped and backed up to where her walkway touched the street. Bucky Tyler got out from behind the wheel and took off his sunglasses. Colette saw his gray sport coat, which had slanted western breast pockets. She noticed a heavy ring as he walked up. He looked like east Texas money.

“I thought you went off somewheres. Arizona?”

“California,” she said, putting down a bundle of sticks. “I decided to come back.”

“Why’s that?”

She looked him in the eye. “I got fired and I got pregnant.”

He cocked his head back and seemed to think about this. “It’s your husband’s, ain’t it?”

“That’s a kind guess, and you’re right.” She was impressed that he had said that.

“If I recall, you were going to divorce him.”

“Still am.”

“What about the baby?”

“Maybe that’s why I’m divorcing him. I can take care of only one baby at a time.”

Tyler laughed. “He deserves that.”

“You still mad about that fight you had with him?”

His smile capsized as quickly as it had come. “I didn’t know you’d heard about that.” He raised up a hand, forced a new smile, changed the subject. “You seen the town since you been home? All the damage?”

She shook her head. “What damage?”

He bobbed his head toward his car. “Let’s go for a ride.”

Her eyes caressed the long car. Her father was napping, and no one else was coming up the street to visit. “Okay. But just for a minute.” She slid onto the white leather as he held the door for her. And then they were moving and she was enjoying the big soft seats, the new smell. “What you doing nowadays?”

“Like the man says: Somebody gives you lemons, time to make lemonade. When the oil company laid me off, I took my severance, sold everything I had, borrowed a little, and went into business.” She did not like the way he said “bidness” but let it pass. “I bought the old pogy plant. Five acres of tanks and machinery, and they just about gave it to me.”

“The stink plant? What for?” She bunched up her nose.

Bucky put his hand on top of the steering wheel and turned up River Street. “I’m kind of a trash man. We burn some in the old boiler system and reduce some with the steam in what used to be fish cookers. It’s dirty work, but somebody’s got to do it, gal.”

She watched Paul’s house go by on the left, almost hoping someone would be on the porch to see her. “Must pay well.”

“You might say I’m in the black nowadays.”