On the pretext of getting sodas from the machine inside the station, Luis wandered over to Andre. The big man scratched his head and sighed. “Bad hombres. They were parked behind her car and waiting. Angel ran them off with his wrench, helped by a tribal cop who came out of the pueblo to see what was going on.” As he finished speaking, a police car from Ohkay Owingeh pulled into the station lot.

Teresa ran out to hug the young man who emerged and dragged him over to where Luis stood with two Coke cans in hand. Pouring out a voluble stream of Tewa, she conversed with the cop and then turned to Luis. “This is Randy. He works with my cousin Raul. He says those men were real outlaws and he’s relieved I didn’t have to deal with them.”

Luis and the cop shook hands. They exchanged polite words and Teresa walked Randy to his patrol car, where they switched back into another animated conversation in Tewa. When Teresa returned to the chairs where Luis sat, her eyes were sparkling as if she’d gotten an idea. She said nothing, however, and accepted the Coke he offered her.

Andre found them about twenty minutes later. “You’re lucky, missy. These cars are so electronically rigged these days, but the part is available from the Lexus dealer in Santa Fe. They’re gonna get someone to drive it up, so maybe we’re looking at another one to two hours, tops. All done, then.”

Teresa thanked him, and Luis smiled at her enthusiasm. A few minutes later, after Andre had left, she turned to him. “What about if we go to the casino? They’ve got a nice café there.”

Feeling somewhat obligated, since those guys were still somewhere around, Luis agreed. He hoped she wasn’t planning on playing the slots. He didn’t have enough money to gamble with, but then he realized she probably was fairly well paid. He’d just sit and watch her play.

He drove her to the big building in the middle of the town with its bright lights. Inside, Luis was startled. While most of the visitors remained wrapped up in focused engagement with the various gaming machines, the staff inside the casino had roused themselves to rush up and greet Teresa like some visiting celebrity. Not all of them were Indians, either. One young blonde man excitedly smooched her cheek. Teresa greeted them calmly while making her way in a determined manner through the casino floor. Luis, too, received his share of smiles and nods, which had not been his experience previously. Bemused, he followed in Teresa’s wake.

As they reached her destination, Luis saw Randy, looking less than inconspicuous in his uniform, talking with a big, broadly built man outside an interior office. The big man sighted Teresa and threw out his arms. She rushed into them, exploding again into a chatter of Tewa. After a few moments, the man pulled away and stepped over to offer his hand to Luis, who knew enough to give a soft handshake and await the man’s salutation.

“So, I hear you gave our Teresa some help today?”

“Yes, sir. I’m glad I was able to help her get her car fixed.”

“I hear you’re an accountant. Got some experience out in California, eh?”

“Yes.” This couldn’t be the same man who’d brushed him off so firmly the other week, could it?

“Well,” the man said, hitching up his belt around his expansive waist, “our accountant has to go back to his college in Colorado next month. We need a replacement, so would you like to give it a trial, then?”

Luis stared at his smiling face and back at Teresa, whose grin defied him to protest, and said, “Yes, sir. When do you want me to start?”