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“You es that we got a delivery of hay,” he told her

“I will” But it was his use of the pronoun “we” that made Dallas realize just how much of a home this ranch had become for both of them It was far from a showplace, but she kne much she would hate to leave it—and Quint

With a sharp, quick lift of her head, Dallas turned toward the barn, refusing to anticipate what the eventuality would be, good or bad While the white pickup rattled out of the ranch yard, heading for town, Dallas crossed to the open barn door and the strong smell of hay that came from within

Sh filled the alleyway Putting a shoulder to the heavy door, she pushed it, rolling it across the entrance and stopping it within a foot of its ja room for the chickens to scamper in and out

When she stepped away froht Dallas was alone, coroceries and the arrival of the truck with the hay delivery, she hadto do, and too much time on her hands

Deter that would keep her too busy to think, Dallas headed for the house The secret was to keep itation that pushed her

But the minute she walked into the house, its silence was almost more than she could stand I it tuned to the country station that always carried the noonday market reports

With guitar and fiddlethe kitchen, she crossed to the sink and put away the lunch dishes drying in the drain rack After tidying up the counter area, Dallas htened it up It was all busywork—pluazines into neat stacks, and returning the odd glass to the kitchen

She was on her way to the bathroo’s showers and set out clean ones when a light flashed against the living room, the kind that

ca off a windshield Dallas halted in place, her heartbeat skittering like a

Suddenly she was all jittery nerves She pulled in a deep, steadying breath, aware that she would soon find out if knoould turn out to be worse than the not knowing

The music on the radio failed to completely drown out thefootsteps crossing the porch Bracing herself for that first gliht see in it, Dallas turned toward the door

She froze in shock when Boone Rutledge barged into the house, a brutish kind of anger twisting through his features His raking glance scoured the room and stopped when it reached her

“I figured you ht be here when I didn’t see you with the old litter of satisfaction in his eyes had an ugliness to it

“What are you doing here, Boone?” Every instinct said to run, but Dallas held her ground