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Cat took heart froo”

“I guess they’re out lookin’ for him now,” he surmised “Is Chase with them?”

“Yes” Cat nodded “He made Jessy come back to camp when they found Ty’s horse”

He eyed Jessy with a all a little But I wouldn’t hold it against him It was the way he was raised”

“I know that,” Jessy confirmed

“It’s the waitin’, though, isn’t it?” Ballard guessed “It would be a lot easier to take if you were out there with them”

>The answer to that was too obvious to be spoken Idleness had never suited Jessy The circumstances only made it worse

“Don’t worry Chase will find him,” Ballard stated “He’ll ht, dark eyes?” He grinned at Laura and tickled her under the chin She giggled with delight He held out his hands to her “Wanta come with me while I fetch myself a cup of coffee? I’ll bet your irl like you”

Without hesitation, Laura stretched out her arer to make a new conquest Jessy passed her into Ballard’s arms

“You’re a Calder, that’s for sure,” Ballard told her as he headed toward the cookshack “I remember when your aunt used to flirt with all the cowboys at roundup She wasn’t but a few years older than you are then” Laurain his shirt pocket, but he stopped her “Don’t you go stealin’to smoke”

“Mine,” Laura stated

“Nope, it’s et my coffee, you can sit on my lap and watch while I roll me a smoke How’s that? Okay?”

“ ’kay”

“He’s good with children” Cat watched the pair, al, she dragged in a worried breath and gazed toward the Three Fingers “Surely they have found him by now”

“It’s rough country” Jessy visualized it in herto recall all the hard-to-see places