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Beau headed back to the waiting rooood hands Tori would keep an eye on him, and heaven help anybody who tried to remove her from his bedside before she was ready to leave

To Beau’s surprise, the sheriff was still there, over by the coffeepot in the alcove “I didn’t expect you to still be here, Sheriff”

“I was just getting me a cup for the road” He popped a lid onto a cup “How’s the patient?”

“Well enough to give orders Tori’s with him”

The sheriff nodded “Yeah, I saw her coe on back”

“I need to head back to the ranch Any chance I can ride that far with you?”

“I don’t see why not You’re a fellow

“I appreciate it I’m ready if you are”

“Let’s go” The sheriff headed for the exit, cup in hand

Sky scanned the rugged canyon pastureland, his gaze lingering on theMost people thought coere duence But long ago their ancestors had been wild, and the old survival instincts were still there, buried deep in their genes They were sh to hide, and to hide well

The roundup was organized to cover one section of the ranch at a ti the cattle out of an area, theythey needed, to the next site This lower pasture, on the border of the ranch, was one of the larger sections It was a grueling place to work cows because of the brush, which would need to be chained and burned over the suone

Now, after three days, the work here was alather any loose ani fire would be doused, the equipment loaded onto trucks, and the whole operation moved to a new spot

It was the custoe horses after lunch Sky had chosen a sturdy buckskin fro in the remuda With the cowhandsthe outer boundaries of the pasture and work their way toward the center, driving the last of the cattle ahead of the at the lowest corner Calves had been known to wander into themud

Motioning for Lute to follow, he nudged the horse to an easy trot Lute had been slacking all day Any other new hire would have been shown the gate, but Sky wanted to give the boy the saiven He reo, young and scared and hungry, and how Bull Tyler had taken hiiven him work This ranch could be Lute’s one chance to make a decent future for himself

Lute was family, more like a kid brother than a cousin Sky barely remembered his own mother, who had died when he was three, and the naone If his iven him a home, he’d have ended up a ward of the state