He wished it were as simple as she made it sound. Even if every single one of them were paragons of fairness and virtue and happily accepted the same amount of whatever his or her neighbour had, business was still business, at odds with simplicity. Factor in the will to survive...

Well, it wasn't the first time Jess had wondered how long the ideals of fair trade and playing nice would last before things started getting messy, and it probably wouldn't be the last. People were a volatile element. Put them over an open flame and explosive things happened.

None of those thoughts translated to Jess' expression as he stood there and listened to her, however. His smile was easy. "Anything you might need, ma'am. I'm at your service," he said, taking his earlier words and turning them around. He wanted the others to see he was just as willing and able to match their efforts in taking care of the village's needs. Weak links cost everyone time and energy.