Elias didn't look up as he felt the weight of the pearl snaps under his thumb. "Just back to work," he said. He thought of the fence line he needed to mend and the dirt road waiting for him.

He laid two shirts on the glass counter. He didn't check the price. You don't bargain for a second skin; you just buy the one that holds up when the wind picks up. He walked out into the cooling dusk, the paper bag tucked under his arm, feeling a little more like himself with every step.

"Going somewhere?" the clerk asked, leaning against the counter.