Mom, I'm sort of getting scared.”

Develyn turned in the saddle and stared back at her daughter. “Coop's buckskin is a steady horse; but, if you'd rather, you can ride My Maria.”

“Shoot!” Casey yelled from the rear, her long black braid hung across her chest like a bullet belt. “If you really want something scary, ride Popcorn. There is no telling when he will blow up. Did I ever tell you what he did at the parade down in Rawlins?”

Develyn studied Delaney's eyes while answering Casey. “I don't think so.”

“He bucked me off when the black-powder boys fired off their salute to the flag. I landed right in the cotton candy machine. I was sticky for a month, but I was tasty.”

Delaney shook her head. “I don't know what to believe when Casey talks like that.”

“If it could happen, it probably has happened to Ms. Cree-Ryder,” Develyn laughed. “She delights in living an adventuresome life. Did you want to change horses?”

Delaney pushed back her brown bangs. “No, that's not what I'm scared about.”

This time Develyn didn't look back. “Is it about going to the doctor tomorrow?”

“Yeah. Mom, what if I'm pregnant?”

“Then your baby needs a good mama and daddy.”

“What if the daddy doesn't want to be around me or any baby?”

“Then, at the least, the baby needs a good mother.”

“I'm sorry, Mom.”

“Dee, I'm sorry too. You didn't fail me. You failed yourself. My love for you doesn't change. You should know that. But it will change your life forever, that's for sure.”

Develyn waited for her daughter to ride up closer to her. “What does the father say about this?”

“I just hinted to him.” Her voice dropped lower. “I mean, I can't tell him I'm pregnant until I know for sure.”

Develyn raised her thin, light brown eyebrows. “And how did he react to the hint?”

“He said I should have thought about that before I flew off without saying good-bye.”

“You dumped him?” Casey rode up beside them.

“He was too nice,” Delaney said.

Casey tugged her sunglasses down on her nose and peered over the top. “That's a new one.”

“Mom knows what I mean.”

“He was boring?” Develyn asked.

“He was the kind of guy Grandma would pick out for me.”

“Oh, like Raymond LaFines?”

“Exactly.”

Casey waved her braid like a wand. “Wait, wait, wait. Who is Raymond LaFines? I've never heard that name before.”

“He was the first boy to propose to Dee.”

“When was that?”

“In the sixth grade.”

Delaney's freckles pinched together when she grinned. “No, I was in the seventh; he was in the sixth.”

“Oh, one of those. Drey Miller asked me to marry him in junior high. He said I could break all of his horses and live in the bunkhouse for free if I married him.”

“But you turned him down?” Delaney asked.

“No. I told him, heck, yes, I would do it. I thought he would pee in his pants trying to backtrack. Every day for a month I'd tell him that I was coming over to his ranch with my suitcase and tell his mother I was ready to marry him.”

“What did he do?” Delaney asked.

Casey shrugged. “He cried a lot.”

“He cried?”

“Yeah, I have that effect on men. When they think of marrying me, they cry.”

“Twelve years old is hardly a man,” Develyn said.

“That might be, but he's the last one to ask.”

Casey reached over and tapped Delaney's knee. “So, what happened with you and little Raymond?”

The west wind blew Delaney's brunette bangs into her eyes. “I told him he was too boring. I said for him to go do something adventurous; then I might reconsider.”

“Did he do something?”

“He jumped off the roof of his house with a kite and broke his leg.”

“Yeah, well, who hasn't?” Casey said.

“Mom, you know when I knew Brian wasn't the right one?”

“When, honey?”

“Right after we, you know, did it.”

“I don't know if I want to hear this,” Develyn said.

“I do,” Casey called out.

“It wasn't just the guilt. But I got to thinking about how you always told me that the right one to marry was the one who brought out the best in me.”

When Popcorn started to buck, Casey slapped his rump. “She told me the same thing.”

“Right at that moment I knew I was not behaving my best. I'm better than that, Mother. But after that…”

Casey spun the Appaloosa around to the left. “He wanted seconds?” Casey blurted out.

“Yeah, something like that. Anyway, that's when I began to realize what kind of mistake I had made.”

Casey spun her horse to the right. “I think Jackson brings out the best in me. But sometimes I wish he didn't. He has the cutest…”

Develyn cleared her throat. “Hmmm. I think it's time to change the subject. I can't believe Uncle Henry would run off like that.”

“He was scared in the storm,” Casey suggested.

“If he was scared, he would come and find me.”

“Not necessarily,” Delaney remarked. “Maybe he didn't want his mama to know he was scared.”

“Are you talkin' daughters or burros?” Casey quizzed.

“Burros, of course.”

“Well, he ran off. And he's probably in these trees.”

Delaney stood in the stirrup and stretched her back. “Let me get this straight. You have a burro you didn't want. You have no idea what you are going to do with him in three weeks when we go back to Indiana. He's a wild burro and just ran off into the wilderness. Yet you want to go find him and bring him back?”

Develyn laughed. “That's about it.”

“Why?”

“Because he'd do the same for me if I were lost.”

Casey rode up ahead of them. “She's right about that.”

“What do we do when we hit the cedars?” Delaney asked.

“We spread out and comb through the chaparral to the east, looking for Uncle Henry,” Develyn reported.

“What do we do if we find him?” Delaney called out.

“Tell him Mama wants him to go home,” Casey said.

Develyn picked up the gait. “And if we don't find him, we'll meet at Sweetwater Creek.”

 

 

It took an hour to comb the scrub cedars north of Argenta. Delaney and Casey waited for Develyn at the creek as she emerged from the chaparral.

“Where now, Mama?” Casey called out.

“He is a very naughty boy. Where do you think a burro goes when he's scared?”

“To his real mother?” Delaney suggested.

“Maybe he headed back to LaSage Canyon,” Casey said. “He seemed to like that.”

“What do we do now?” Delaney pressed.

“I want to head back,” Casey said. “Jackson said he'd come by. I don't want him to show up and see the cabin burnt like that with me not around.”

“Maybe Hunter Burke will come back. He said he was looking for Jackson.”

“You two go on back,” Develyn said. “I'll swing out by Soda Springs.”

Casey rode up to her. “Here, you might need this.”

“What will I do with a rope?”

“Lead him home. If he's scared of the cabin now, he might need some encouragement.”

“I'll be back in an hour or so.”

“And if you aren't, we'll get the posse out after you…again.”

“I'll be back this time. I can follow Coyote Gulch all the way to town.”

“I'm still not used to calling Argenta a town,” Delaney said.

Develyn chuckled. “It takes time.”

“How long?”

“About three days,” Casey laughed.

 

 

Develyn rode east across rolling dry prairie toward trees thick enough to look black on the horizon.

The girls are right, Lord. I don't know why I want to find Uncle Henry. He's used to living in the wilderness. I have to find him a home in three weeks. I just don't want to let him go. He's been the one male that I could figure out in Wyoming. But this is crazy.

I should have gone back and spent some time talking with Delaney. I know she's scared. I'm scared too. I don't know what to tell her. Some part of me, from my mother no doubt, wants to yell out, “This is exactly what I told you would happen.” I'm not sure what that accomplishes.

If she's pregnant, that little one deserves a lot of love. That's what I want to give. I want to love that baby and give it the best it can have under these awkward circumstances.

Lord, you hold Delaney responsible for any sin she committed.

I'll hold the baby and make up for any love it will miss.

Mother will be petrified.

I wish Dewayne lived close. Dee would do anything for Uncle Dewayne.

The bray was distant but distinct.

Develyn stood in the stirrups. “Uncle Henry?”

She prodded My Maria to a canter on the second bray. When she crested the rise near Soda Springs, she spied the burro in the mud.

“What are you doing out there, baby? Get out of the mud and come here.”

The burro brayed again and tugged at its front legs.

“Are you stuck? Oh, Uncle Henry, no wonder you couldn't come home. You got scared, ran out here, and sank in the clay gumbo. You have more mud than Cooper Tallon last week. I could hardly tell it was you.”

Let's see…rope him and pull him out.

That is, if I knew how to rope.

What did Renny say? Either “tie the rope to the saddle horn first,” or “never tie the rope to the saddle horn first.” I can't remember.

She rode the paint mare up to the water's edge.

“Your face looks funny all covered with mud, baby. When we get home, I'm going to give you a bath.”

Develyn slipped the rawhide hondo back until she had a large loop in the blue nylon rope. Then she tied the other end to the saddle horn.

“OK, so far so good.”

My Maria turned her head and stared at Develyn.

“Don't you laugh at me, young lady. Let's see, how do they do it in the rodeos? Hold the coil in my left hand, twirl the rope in my right and…”

The medium-hard 5/16th rope slapped against her head and dropped around Develyn's neck. “OK, I proved that I can rope me. Now I'll just try that again.”

The second loop tumbled across My Maria's neck.

The third dangled off the stirrup. The fourth hit the water two feet away.

The burro brayed again.

“Don't hurry me, young man. You are the reason I'm here. If you had walked out of there, I wouldn't have to make a fool of myself.”

I could ride down and get Casey, but what if she has gone off with Jackson?

Maybe Coop is at home.

But I am a Wyoming cowboy girl. I have it in my soul. I can do this.

Six more tosses and all she had was a muddy rope.

My Maria pranced.

The burro brayed.

Develyn fumed.

“I'm not going back without you. I need to get closer, but I'm afraid My Maria will get stuck. And if I hike out there, I might get stuck. I do not want to be rescued again.”

If I hold onto the rope…then I can pull myself out. I just need a few steps in that direction.

“Uncle Henry, you are a pill today.”

Develyn pulled her feet out of the stirrups and reached down and untied her tennis shoes. She pulled them off and shoved the socks inside. After she tied the laces together, she draped them over the saddle horn.

She slid down from the saddle to the muddy ground next to the spring. Cool clay squished between her toes as she rolled up the legs of her jeans.

If it gets halfway up my calves, that's deep enough.

Holding the tethered coil in her left hand and a big loop in her right, she inched closer.

The burro stared off to the north.

“You could show a little more enthusiasm in your rescue, young man.”

My Maria looked bored on the other end of the rope.

“Do you have a better idea?” Develyn called out to the paint mare. “I didn't think so.”

Of the first five tosses, two splashed in the water in front of the muddy donkey. The other two bounced on its back. Each time the animal flinched, but remained planted in the mud.

“I am not going back without you,” Develyn mumbled.

The sixth toss circled the burro's neck and drooped like a necklace.

“Yes!” Dev shouted.

The animal shook it's head. The rope tumbled to the water and mud below.

“No!”

She coiled the muddy rope again. “I can't believe you did that. After all I've done for you. You were headed for the glue factory when I took you in. I feed you nummies out of my hand. I let you sleep on the porch. Now I'm going to throw this around your neck one more time. If you toss it off, that's it. I'll leave your miserable carcass to rot in the mud until the buzzards make supper out of you. Do you understand me?”

The burro stared north.

Of course he doesn't understand me. What am I doing? Lord, I could use a little help here. I'm supposed to get back and talk to my daughter, not spend the day toying with some auction burro.

The loop circled the donkey's neck.

Once again the muddy animal flung it off.

“OK, that's it. Nice to have known you, Uncle Henry. Hope you have a nice life. But I'm not going to waste any more time here.”

As she began to coil the rope, the burro snapped its teeth around it.

“Turn loose of my rope.”

The harder Develyn pulled, the more the burro pulled back.

“Oh, you think that's funny? We'll see if your teeth are as powerful as My Maria.”

Develyn sloshed out of the spring and wiped her feet on the tall green grass that clumped by the water's edge. She shoved her bare foot in the cold rawhide-wrapped stirrup and swung into the saddle.

“We are getting Casey's rope back, even if we have to pull Uncle Henry's teeth out.”

With knee commands, Develyn inched the horse forward. When the rope stretched taut, she prodded the horse again.

The burro did not turn loose.

But it did take one step out of the mud.

Then another.

“Yes, we will pull him out by the skin of his teeth.” I wonder where that saying came from?

She kept My Maria at a slow walk until the burro was well out on the prairie. She tugged at the rope.

“Turn loose now, Uncle Henry.”

The burro continued to clutch the rope.

“Honey, you can walk home on your own from here. Turn loose.”

She yanked the rope; the burro jerked back.

“You are being impossible. I should spank your big, brown...but it's covered with mud.” She slid out of the saddle. “I'll show you who's boss. You'll have to come home on a lead rope. How do you like that?”

She marched up to the burro, who promptly shook his head, and dollops of mud peppered Develyn's face.

With both eyes squinted, she grabbed Uncle Henry's ear and bent it sideways.

The burro dropped the rope.

“Oh, you don't like that? Well, what do you think of this?”

She slipped the loop over the animal's head and cinched it up to its neck.

“We're all going home now.”

Develyn mounted the paint mare but left her shoes hanging across the pommel of the saddle. The burro resisted the tug of the horse for a moment, then gave in and trailed behind.

“We did it, girl. We found him. We roped him. And we brought him in. If that isn't a Wyoming cowboy girl, I don't know what is.”

Develyn kept My Maria at a slow, steady walk. The burro kept the rope taut.

 

 

When she spotted the one remaining cabin, she stopped, leaned forward, and patted My Maria. “Honey, Uncle Henry might not want to come back to the cabin. The noise frightened him last night. He might try to run away again, so I'm going to turn him out into the pasture with you and Popcorn. But don't annoy him, or his braying will keep us awake all night.”

As she got closer, she could see Delaney leaning on the tailgate of Cooper Tallon's pickup. Who's she talking to?

When they plodded around Tallon's corral, she spied the gray-haired cowboy standing on the other side of a burro, who, on spying Develyn, trotted right out to her.

“He missed his mama,” Coop called out.

“Uncle Henry?” She looked back at the muddy animal at the end of Casey's blue rope.

Uncle Henry leaned against her leg, and she scratched his ears. “But...who do I have?”

Cooper and Delaney strolled over.

“I see you brought Uncle Henry a friend,” Coop grinned.

“I thought he was Uncle Henry covered with mud.”

“She,” Cooper corrected. “You have a female burro there.”

“She?” Develyn said. “No wonder she didn't want to come with me.”

Coop winked at Delaney. “You'd think a mama would know her own children.”

“She was covered with mud, and I...didn't look very close, did I?”

“You just captured a wild burro out on the prairie. I'm impressed,” Cooper said.

“She was stuck in the mud.”

“Yes, well, from time to time we all are.”

“What am I going to do with another burro?”

“Maybe she'll run off.” Cooper slipped the rope off the burro. She meandered over to Uncle Henry. “OK, maybe she won't.”

“Uncle Henry, don't you sidle up to her. She's no good for you, honey. She's very stubborn and self-willed and quite untidy, as you can see.”

When the female burro trotted toward the corrals, Uncle Henry followed.

“Oh, no you don't, young man. You get over here right now.”

Uncle Henry paused but didn't turn back to Develyn.

“I said, right now!”

Head slumped, the burro returned to Develyn.

“Wow, Mom, I'm impressed,” Delaney said.

Develyn scratched Uncle Henry's ears. “Where did you find this naughty boy?”

“Mrs. Morton brought him home,” Cooper explained.

“Mrs. Morton?”

Tallon waved back toward town. “She was very apologetic. She said that during the storm Leon had locked Uncle Henry in their outhouse, and she didn't discover it until this morning.”

“How do you get a burro in an outhouse?”

“It's a two seater,” Cooper explained.

Develyn climbed off My Maria, carrying her shoes. “This is more information than I want to know.”

“What are you going to name your new burro?” he asked.

“She's not my burro.”

“Of course she is. You roped her and brought her in.”

“Doesn't she belong to the government?”

“Nope. She's yours, Devy-girl,” Tallon insisted.

“Let's name her Aunt Jenny,” Delaney offered. “But I refuse to call their offspring my cousins.”

“Oh, they wouldn't. I mean, they can't…”

Cooper chuckled. “Sure they can. They aren't mules. They're donkeys.”

“I will have no talk of that,” Develyn huffed.

Delaney wrinkled her nose beneath a wave of faded freckles. “I don't think you have much say in the matter.”

Cooper Tallon sauntered to his travel trailer. “Don't be sure of that, Miss Worrell. Never underestimate your mama's will.”

“Are you calling me stubborn?”

“Focused, Miss Dev. You are the most determined gal I ever met. And I assure you, I mean that as a compliment. It's a part of your attraction.”

“You see, Dee, this is the type of smooth talkin' cowboy I warned you about. He just called me stubborn and inflexible in such a charming way that I feel good about myself.”

Cooper mumbled to himself as he entered the trailer.

Develyn and Delaney led My Maria to the pasture.

“Mr. Tallon is a nice man,” Delaney offered.

“He can be abrupt and opinionated. Probably about as stubborn as me. But he has the most generous spirit of any man I have ever met. Hard working to a fault, and yet a very caring heart under that tough cowboy exterior.”

“Is he the one for you, Mom?”

Develyn peered at her daughter's soft, pale green eyes. “Dee, my focus is on you now. Everything else can wait.”

Delaney slipped her hand in her mother's. They continued to lead the paint mare to the pasture. While her daughter perched on the fence rail, Develyn pulled the tack off My Maria and brushed her down. After a handful of feed, she turned the paint out.

“Mom, you do that like you're a Wyoming lady.”

“That's me, honey...a Wyomin' cowboy girl.”

“How did you learn all of that?”

“From Ms. Casey Cree-Ryder.” Develyn closed the gate and stepped over by Delaney. “By the way, where is that bronze bombshell?”

“She and Jackson went to Casper for supper. Mother, he is so totally cool.”

“And he's polite, honey. His mother's a schoolteacher, you know.”

Delaney brushed her brown bangs out of her eyes and pushed her sunglasses up on her nose. “They make quite a pair.”

“Casey is like a sunflower in a strawberry patch. She stands apart from everyone. She might be the most unique gal I've ever met in my life.”

“She made me cry,” Delaney admitted.

Develyn slipped her arm around her daughter's shoulder. “What did she do?”

“She said you were the most gracious, loving, fun woman she ever met, and she would give anything to have you as her real mom.”

“Did you cry because I'm not that way for you?”

“No, Mom, just the opposite. I know you are that way. I cried because for the first time I realized how much Daddy hurt you.”

“Dee, that's in the past. I let go of that. I failed your dad lots of times too. I can't survive if I clutch to my failures, or to others' failures.”

Delaney's voice lowered. “I wish Daddy were still alive.”

“You know what, honey? For your sake, so do I.”

“Do you ever miss him, Mom?”

“Don't hate me, baby, but I don't miss him at all.”

“Was it that bad for you?”

“Someday maybe I can tell you. Not now. But for several years I would fall asleep at night hoping the Lord would take me home before morning. I just couldn't handle the rejection and pain. I was scared to death of what the next day would bring.”

Delaney hugged her mother. “I'm sorry, Mom. I never knew it was that bad. Why didn't you do something earlier?”

“I thought if I bore all the pain and anguish myself, you wouldn't have to. I was wrong. You had to bear so much. Besides, I kept praying for a miracle.”

“And it never came?”

“Maybe it did, Delaney Melinda Worrell. You and I are standing in a dirt-road town in the middle of Wyoming hugging and crying. That's a miracle to me.”

“Yeah, I know. Mom, I was thinking. Maybe we aren't so different. Maybe we are a lot alike.”

“You think so?”

“Except I don't look anything like you.”

“You have the same little upturned nose seldom seen in girls over twelve.”

“Yes, we have the same nose, but the rest of me looks like Uncle Dewayne. With my round face and full figure, the best I can hope for is to look cute. But you, you doll yourself up and have that head-turning, heart-stopping, cowboy-melting glamorous look.”

“Where in the world did you get all of that?”

“From Casey.”

“I think you two had too much time to talk.”

“She told me how it was at that big ranch barbecue.”

“Honey, I'm a middle-aged mama. I think the Lord allowed me that one time just to cheer me up. If you could have seen the disdain the manager at Simpson's gave me this morning, you would think I'm ready for the rest home.”

“I can't believe he said those things to you.”

“The Lord has ways of keeping us humble, Delaney.”

“I know, Mom. I know what you are saying.” Delaney stepped back. “But we are going to make it, aren't we, Mom?”

“Even if you are pregnant, you mean?”

“Yeah.”

“We all face sin, failure, repentance, and forgiveness. Making right decisions now will always stop a cycle of wrong decisions in the past. The Lord and I were talking about you when I was out looking for Uncle Henry.”

“What did he say?”

“He said to love any baby you have with all the love I have for you.”

“What did you tell the Lord?”

“I told him I would do it because I love you with more love than anyone on the face of the earth.”

“Really, Mom? You said that to the Lord?”

“Yes, I did.”

Delaney slipped her hand into her mother's. “Sometimes I wish I hadn't been such a pill this summer. We could have gone to Maine together.”

“I think I was supposed to come out here.”

“Do you think, maybe, I was supposed to go to South Carolina?”

Develyn studied her daughter's face. “Perhaps.”

“Oh no, oh no!” Delaney moaned. “Tell him I'll be right out.” She sprinted to the cabin.

“Tell who? Delaney?” Develyn glanced over the rim of her sunglasses toward Argenta. A white Ford pickup made its way up the drive.

Develyn waited at the back of the Cherokee.

The dimples in his cheeks were so perfect they seemed painted on. The lanky, tanned cowboy in a long-sleeved shirt sauntered toward her. “Evenin', darlin. What happened to that cabin?”

“It was hit with lightning last night.”

“Look at that mess. Was anyone hurt?”

“No, we got out before the fire.”

“You a roommate of Miss Delonie's?”

“Her name is Delaney. Yeah, I'm one of her roommates.”

“I'm Hunter Burke.”

He didn't release her hand when he shook it. “Say, you aren't her sister, are you?”

“No.” Develyn tugged her hand from his warm, firm one.

“That's good because...I...well. Say, who would have thought two fine-lookin' gals would be bunked up in this little shack?”

“It's a cabin, and there are three fine-lookin' ladies here. Casey has gone with Jackson to Casper.”

“I missed him again? This is getting to be a routine.”

“Can I take a message for him?”

“This is a business thing. He's still working a pack string up in Glacier, isn't he?”

“As far as I know.”

“What time will he be back?”

“I have no idea. It could be late.”

“Maybe I should wait,” Hunter suggested.

“Certainly. There's a bench in front of Mrs. Tagley's store.”

“No, I meant here.”

“I don't think so. We don't have room to entertain guests, and we don't know when they might return.”

“Are you nervous? Some ladies get nervous when I'm around. Why do you think that is?”

“I don't have a clue. I'll tell Jackson you are looking for him.”

“Could you tell Delonie I'm here? I'd like to speak to her.”

“Her name is Delaney.”

“I know. But it wouldn't be polite to stop by and not say hello. My mother taught me to be polite.”

“Delaney knows you're here.”

“What's she doing, then?”

Making herself cute, no doubt. “I'm not sure.”

“Of course, you and me could sit in the truck and visit until she comes out.” He raised his eyebrows.

“I think you should leave,” Develyn snapped.

“You are nervous, aren't you? It's OK. Once you know me better, them butterflies in your stomach will disappear. What did you say your name was?”

“I didn't.”

Delaney strolled out on the deck, then paused. “Hunt? Well, hi!”

She strolled over to where they stood.

“I hear I missed Jackson again.”

“I'm glad you didn't miss me.”

“I was just visiting with your roommate, wondering how two pretty women can be in one cabin.”

“Oh, good, you met my mother.”

“Your mother?” he gasped.

Develyn pushed her sunglasses up on top of her head and flashed a pasted grin. “You are surprised?”

“Oh, no ma'am.”

Your eyes lie, Mr. Hunter Burke.

“I was thinking of walking down to the store and buying a Pepsi. You want to go for a walk, Miss Delonie?”

“He always calls me that,” Delaney giggled.

You've only met him once. What do you mean he always calls you that?

“Anything we need at the store, Mom?”

“A quart of 2 percent milk would be nice, now that we have a cabin with a propane refrigerator.”

Develyn watched as Hunt and Delaney strolled out to the road.

Well, at least they aren't holding hands. There is something wrong here. How can she be carrying one man's baby and giggling down the lane with another?

“Your Delaney has a friend already?”

Develyn turned to Cooper. “She just met him. I think he's a friend of Jackson's. His name is Hunter Burke. Do you know him?”

“Nope. But that doesn't mean much. Are you worried?”

“Why do you say that?”

“Your face looks worried.”

Develyn stood straight and slapped a wide grin on her face. “There, is that better?”

Cooper laughed. “You can't hide it, Miss Dev. Ever'thing shows on your face.”

“Everything?”

“Yep. Even the mud from bringin' in Aunt Jenny.”

“Oh, dear.” She rubbed her cheeks with her fingertips. “Is that better?”

“Not really.” Cooper reached over, brushed his calloused thumb across her left cheekbone. “There.”

“Thank you, Mr. Tallon.”

“I've got some business down in Cheyenne and didn't want to get in you gals' way, now that there is only one cabin. But I'm hoping we can ride up to the springs soon, so I can show you that homesite I found.”

“I'm planning on it, Coop. I still grieve over the loss of the cabin. I feel like a jinx or something.”

“You gals being safe is the only thing that matters. These cabins aren't worth insuring. I'll tear this one down if I build a log home back at the springs.”

“Oh, leave it up if you can. It will remind me of my two best summers.”

“Remind you? You aim on coming back, don't you?”

“Cooper Tallon, you contracted me at no pay to be the interior decorator of your log home. Have you forgotten so soon? Of course I am coming back.”

“You mean, if I build the house, it's a guarantee that you will come back?”

“That's what I mean.”

A wide grin broke across his leather-tough, tan face. “That's the best news I've heard since they put cabs on backhoes.”

Develyn stared at him.

“That's a compliment. An old construction joke.”

“I must admit I don't know many construction job jokes.”

“It's a good thing, Dev. Most should never be repeated.”

“Can we ride up to the springs on Monday?”

“Sounds good. I'll pack us a picnic.”

“No, you won't.”

“I won't?” he replied.

“I'll furnish the picnic. It's my treat.”

“You can't do that. It's my invite and…”

“Coop, let me do something for you. Last week you fixed me a wonderful supper, so it's my turn.”

“I reckon you won't bend on that.”

“Remember, you said stubbornness is a part of my charm.”

He pointed to the road. “Here comes your girl, Mama.”

Develyn and Cooper watched Hunt and Delaney amble up the dirt driveway. When they got within thirty feet, Delaney sprinted to the cabin.

“I've got to write down my cell phone number for Hunt,” she called out.

The lanky cowboy leaned against the door of his white pickup and folded his arms. “It's been a long time since a gal's mother and father waited for me in the yard.”

Tallon cleared his throat. “I'm not…”

Develyn slipped her arm in Cooper's and interrupted him. “You know, Hunter, we are concerned for Delaney. She has some things in the past to deal with before she thinks about the future.”

“I know. She told me everything.”

Develyn felt her neck stiffen. “Everything?”

“Yep.”

“Then you understand why she will need some space for awhile.”

“Don't know anything about space. But I do know she wants me to have her phone number.”

Delaney bounded out of the cabin.

“Here!” She shoved the white note in his hand. “You promise to call me tomorrow?”

“Sweet Dee, I'll phone, that's a fact.”

He leaned closer until his face was only a few inches from Delaney's.

“Drive careful, Hunter,” Cooper boomed.

Burke jerked his head back.

Develyn marched over to them. “And we'll tell Jackson you're looking for him.”

Hunter climbed into the truck and closed the door. “I'll talk to you tomorrow.” He spun the pickup toward the corral and raced out to the road.

“How old is he?” Cooper asked.

“He must be Jackson's age,” Delaney reported. “They went to school together.”

“That's at least ten years older than you.”

Delaney waltzed over and slipped her arm into her mother's. “Isn't he dreamy, Mom? No wonder you like it out here. I think coming to Wyoming is the best thing I've ever done.”