Star Wars - Kenobi
and his eopie stepped down onto the surface. “Your son?”
“I’m ashamed to admit it,” Annileen said, chuckling. “He must have thought you were a giant Jawa.”
“Ah,” Ben said. “Must be the eyes.”
“Ha!”
Scratching Rooh’s neck, Ben looked up at the store building ahead of him. “Nice place.”
“For out here in the wastelands,” Annileen said.
“I didn’t say that.”
“It’s okay,” she said, trying in vain to remember the last time someone worried about offending her. “It should be nice. It’s mine.”
Ben stood and walked his animal toward the building. He read the block letters carved in the sign out front. Sand had collected in some of the indentations. “Dannar’s Claim.”
“He founded it, I came along later,” Annileen said, finding a morsel in her pocket for the eopie. It was such a docile creature. It took after its owner, she thought. “Dannar’s my husband.”
“Your husband,” Ben repeated. His eyes scanned the crowd outside the sandcrawler.
Annileen rubbed Rooh’s face, lovingly. “It’s just me now—and the two kids you’ve already met.” She smiled. “What brings you here?”
“Your invitation,” he said, nodding toward the animal. “I could use some feed for Rooh.”
Annileen stood. “You’ve come to the right place.” She looked back toward the sandcrawler, where her son stood limply against the gargantuan vehicle, guarding nothing in particular. “Jabe! Get this man some eopie feed! Now! ”
The boy looked up. “But I thought you wanted me to watch the Jawas.”
“Forget it,” she said. The Jawas were clustered around Erbaly now, occasionally chattering to each other as they listened to the elderly Nikto woman’s questions. They’re probably all trying to figure out how to end the conversation, Annileen thought. She looked to Ben. “First bag’s on the house.”
Ben lowered his eyes. He did that a lot, she’d noticed. “Please, you don’t have to give me anything. I can pay—”
“It’s for saving me the burial expenses for my daughter. Besides, one meal and your eopie will have you back here every week. Only the best, here.”
“Just let me tie her up,” Ben said, spotting the livery yard. “I knew the feed would be a big load for her on the way back, so I asked the Jawas for a ride in.”
Annileen watched him lead the animal away. Jabe stepped back from the doorway long enough to whisper to her. “Did you say ‘Ben’? Is that the guy?”
“Unh-huh.” She repositioned her hat and exhaled. “He’s only a few days late.”
“Ben!”
Jabe had entered the store less than twenty seconds before his mother and the visitor passed through the door. But it had been enough time for him to inform his sister of Ben’s arrival—and for her to inform the two dozen patrons in the place.
Ben nodded as the girl met him at the door. He’d already placed the cowl back over his head, Annileen saw. She didn’t blame him at all.
“Hello, Kallie,” Ben said.
“Hey, you remembered!” Kallie beamed. “Welcome to our store. Let me show you around the place—”
“Your place is the dewback pens,” Annileen said.
Kallie pointed at her mother. “Yes, but you told me to work inside. Come on,” she said, grabbing at Ben’s sleeve. “What do you need? Because you know we’ve got it.”
“Yes, well, I’ve got a broken bridle—”
“Tack room!” The girl led him toward the back of the sales floor, between tables of curious diners. Annileen followed, fearful for the man’s dignity. If Ben acknowledged the stares at all, she didn’t notice. But she wasn’t going to have a new customer scared off. Particularly a customer to whom she owed a debt.
Ben stood in the doorway of a tiny room, looking at the array of gear. “It was a closet,” Kallie said, suppressing a blush. “But it’s the one part of the store that’s mine.”
Annileen reached past them for a rack of bridles. “I thought it would give her something to do.”
Ben looked back into the store, alive with shoppers and diners, drinkers and postal patrons. “You seem to do a great many things already.”
“Except stop raging dewbacks.” Annileen passed a bridle to Kallie and pointed her outside. “Get that fitted up for him.”
Miffed at having been dismissed, the girl smiled at Ben and dashed for the exit. “I’ll be back!”
“She’ll be back,” Ben said drily.
Annileen led Ben back through the dining area—an obstacle
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