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“No” Ty rejected it absently The warm pressure of her hand left his and he was conscious of its absence The firelight wavered “I’d better put another log on,” he said and rolled to his feet, stretching slightly to ease the tautness of his muscles

“I’ll pour so also, her shoulders dropped, her head down

The fire blazed cheerfully, lightening the room and the atmosphere when Jessy returned to it with two fresh cups of coffee Ty was standing by the raised hearth, a shoulder leaned against the mantelpiece Jessy handed hi in front of the blaze, watching the yellow fla

“The firearound outside,” Ty remarked idly and sipped at the hot coffee

“It does” When a low chuckle calanced at him inquisitively

“I was just re a winter tale old Nate Moore toldThe old cowboy had died a week before Christone before It was the passing of an old order,way for the new It ith fondness rather than sorrow that Ty thought about these ht him

“What was that?” Jessy asked with interest

“As he told it, soreenhorn cowboy rode out to check cattle on a day that was about twenty beloind started blowing up snow, and he had a hard ti to find his way back to camp When he finally rode in, he was frozen to the saddle They had to use ice picks and chisels to pry him off; then they carried him into the bunkhouse and set hi to Nate, when this cowboy finally thawed out, his legs stayed bowed like a wishbone Every ti and try to pull hio to work on a ranch that didn’t use dogsYou don’t sh, Jessy” Ty studied the way it softened her face and broke through the composure that could hold a man off

Even after the sether “Nate was never one for idle conversation He was either tale-telling or passing on some astute observation about life” The coffee was too hot to drink Jessy set her cup on the mantel and held out her hands to the fire’s warmth

Ty studied the picture she reen, slied in thread-worn Levi’s “What is it you want in life, Jessy?” Everyone had ambitions and desires, and he wondered about hers

She grew thoughtful at his question, pulling her hands back and shoving the flaets veryhappens and, for an hour or a week, it looks like the rest of your life you’ll be riding over sh buttes in your way They’ll be there, though You just can’t see theh tih it because of moments like this” She turned her head to look at hi “What ht now? A place of ht, and someone to talk to What’s better than this?”

Her words, so si to the heart of life Moving slowly, Ty set his coffee cup on theher face There was an inner beauty shining through those strong features that holly woman

Hevoice and curved his hand to the back of her head, holding it gently

For a long, exploring moment, he looked at her and was drawn closer by this na that pulled at hiotten into his feelings The pressure of his hand increased slightly as histo study her features She didn’t fool herself into believing she had awakened a love He was lonely, and Tara was far away Ty had hissense of honor, but he was, after all, ato his talk That nearness had worn through the restraint which normally would have checked him

Maybe she should have stopped hi her, Jessy Niles But she had ht never have more than this ain have nothing With a sweet and pure rush of defiance, she brought her hands to his middle and lifted her head that last inch to meet his mouth