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In addition to being polite to a fault and seeent, Leo was six one, lean, and really quite cute From their brief conversations, she’d learned he was froe She had already noticed that he didn’t wear a wedding ring

And why shouldn’t I notice such things? she thought Ever since she and Mike had taken a sabbatical on their on-again, off-again relationship, she’d been pretty darn lonely up here on the prairie with the kids She could bring Mr Strong, Sensitive, and Silent his coffee, couldn’t she? She thought so All day long, in fact

They stood, staring at each other

“So, how goes it? All quiet out here on the western front?” Mary Catherine said

“So far, so good,” Leo said, showing deep dih on one of the cameras, around three am, I did see a couple of owls duke it out with one another I’m surprised it didn’t wake you up It sounded like people screa”

“TwoOver a lady owl, too, no doubt,” Mary Catherine said, shaking her head “Isn’t that the way? Just like men Maybe owls aren’t as wise as they say”

“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Leo said thoughtfully after a sip of the coffee He s

“Soht,” he said

Mary Catherine felt heat rise in her neck as the young ht-brown eyes Then he turned away, blowing on the coffee as he scanned the crooked line of the distant mountains

“If you say so, Marshal,” Mary Catherine ed to sputter as she turned back toward the porch door, hiding the blush rising into her face

“Carry on,” she said

CHAPTER 57

THERE WERE A BUNCH of lessons to go over in pretty much each of the children’s curricula, but Mary Catherine, after hearing the eather forecast, decided to make a command decision As principal of the Exiled Bennett Western Acade a day off

After breakfast, she left the older guys with Seaer kids, into the station wagon and headed to Cody’s farm Everyone cheered as they pulled up in front of the horse barn

Though the kids cos, every last one of the Cody’s three horses, Spike, Marlowe, and Double Down Not as much as she did, maybe But almost