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“It sure looks like you’ve got trouble ahead of you, Buck,” he murmured to himself “It surely does”

A breeze stirred across The Homestead’s front porch Jessy felt its soft breath move over her face Like the rest of the rain-starved plains, it carried the scent of dust From the corral ca squeal Jessy paid no attention to the dust kicked up by squabbling horses Her eyes were on the powdery tan cloud tracking along the road to the Triple C headquarters So before she had a clear view of the truck She pushed out of the high-backed rocker and crossed to the top of the steps to wait for him

When Ty climbed out of the pickup and headed for the steps, Jessy was quick to detect a heaviness in his movements She studied the look of stoicisular surfaces Below the thick brush of his rimness had pulled in the corners of his mouth He made an effort to turn them up in a smile when he saw her

“What are you doing out here?” The inflection of his voice was light, but his gaze was quick to make a visual examination

“Waiting for you,” Jessy replied easily Up close she could see the troubled darkness within his hooded eyes On impulse she reached out to slip an ar to draw some of that trouble froo?” she asked, suspecting that was the source of his heavy thoughts but giving the question an air of idle interest “Did you see Buck?”

“I saw hi her to his side as theyto do with it”

“You expected as h”

“I know So how are you feeling? You are supposed to be resting,” he ad for me”

“That was resting Besides, being home is the bestpain in her head Its level was one she could tolerate “How are your ribs after that rough road?”

His rimace “Sore as hell,” Ty admitted

“That’s what I thought” But she sensed that wasn’t eighed on his mind

“We’re a banged-up pair, aren’t we?” Allance touched her face, Ty halted, his led himself toward her and reached up to brush the blunt tips of his fingers over the gauze bandage “Ever since the accident, I keep re my father’s reaction when he learned my mother had been killed in the plane crash” His low-pitched voice vibrated with rawness “And those ht before I told him, when he was so wild and frantic For one stark, cold second, when you were so liainst ht of losing you, Jessy”

Moved by the dark and tortured look in his eyes, she cupped a hand to the granite line of his jaw “But you haven’t, Ty It will take et rid of me”

“I know” He ed a brief smile before that somberabout this business that givesI can’t seem to shake it”

She wanted to say sorip of it, too It chilled her