Page 11 (1/2)

The double ain

"Sure"

"Did you notice if the salt licks are gone?" Carter prompted "’Cause it was damn close to nothin’ the other day when I checked on ’eone I couldn’t find replacements tablets"

"She keeps them in the cellar"

"I’ll knohere to look next tiled his chin at Carter "Far as I’ht needed doin’, so there ain’t no reason for you to stick around today I’ll see you bright and early too Just as soon as you tell hed, a little harshly "If Macie wants to contact you, she will"

"And when she does? What then?"

Geroan at Carter’s surety where he stood as far as Macie was concerned, after knowing her for one day

"If she does contact you, I’ll abide by her wishes Until then, you’ll abide by ot one tiny detail I don’t think Macie wants to stay away from me" Carter retreated and loped to the barn Before either of thealloped across the pasture, away froument as heated as the day

Cash swore

She tried to diffuse the situation "What happened to you thisor so and chased you off?"

"No You looked so peaceful I let you sleep in I woke up early to hang out with hter, but she’d already taken off"

"Where is she?"

His eyes narrowed "If I tell you, you gonna blab to McKay?"

"No But if he asks hed "I called her cell when I couldn’t find her thisEvidently she found work at the Last Chance Diner She’s cookin’ first shift today"

"She already found work? I hope I’et a job when I told her she’d have to earn her keep if she stayed here"

"Don’t worry Though your offer was "

"Glad to hear I didn’t chase her away"

"Take more than that to scare either of us off"

Ge compulsion to touch the smooth skin on his cheek, which was still da chores She settled for curling her fingers around thefraht? You seeet the lay of the land, so to speak I don’t want to disappoint my new boss lady"

"Nothin’ you’ve done to rinned "Good to hear What do you say we get the rest of thesechores done and head over to the diner for lunch? I’d like to see rab the truck keys, and the salt, andbetween theht Rather than press the issue, she’d see if it resolved itself – or if it was unfounded paranoia on her part

Carter tried not to fume as his horse cruised across the pasture Problem was, he suspected he wasand gone to Macie like he’d planned last night From the looks of it, Cash and Gemma had been so wrapped up in each other Macie probably spent the night by herself

How often had that happened to her? Was that the reason for her reserve?

It was a detached attitude, a purposeful distance he recognized Hell, even his own fa hours he’d spent alone, he’d atte her in the flesh would lift the veil stifling his creativity It’d worked at first By the time he’d finished with the half-dozen or so sketches of her, none of the He crued to nod off His dreams weren’t h to rouse hiht slu his hands into clay and iain, rather than give his muse free rein, he literally had to rein in Ge outdoors with aniave him a chance to study their movements The come-hither toss of a filly’s head The way the stallion’s nostrils flared in response The gleaorous ride How the constant Wyoalloped, so the saured Macie had asa hard ti after he’d arrived at the Bar 9 to find her ca out his frustration by scooping manure had worked for a while He kneas a stupid ain, he suspected nothing he could’ve said or done would’ve convinced Cash to reveal Macie’s whereabouts

He grabbed a beer, a chunk of wood and his sharpest knife So in his hands to carve with no specific object in ed in his boom box and perched on the front stoop in the sunshine A htened his ht of families, his family in particular

His oldest brother Cord kept himself on the brink of exhaustion since his wife had divorced hio Colby, the second of the five McKay boys, gave up his drea injury Last year Colby had settled into , a wo up every bit of available land around the McKay ho every rodeo queen within one hundred miles, his brother Colt made sure the McKay reputation for wild behavior reh he and his older brother Cae, since Cam had been stationed in Iraq, his visits to the ranch were infrequent War had changed him Cam was silent and serious; his infamous practical jokes non-existent