They followed the creek bed downstream for roughly a quarter of a mile to a spot where the ground leveled off, letting the stream slow and deepen. It was muddier than normal, having picked up a lot of the dust kicked up by the machinery, but here, where it slowed, much of the silt settled out. On a carpet of short green grass beneath a spreading cottonwood, Dusty halted and shrugged off the pack. He dropped down to sit cross-legged on the grass.
After a moment’s hesitation, Mari folded down like a long legged colt, leaving the pack between them.
“Relax,” Dusty ordered. “That’s what today is about—forgettin’ all the worries and responsibilities for a few hours and letting yourself rest. Everybody has to do it now and then. This job of mine would drive me to distraction if I didn’t get to
