“Here,” he said.

“Let me get that for you.” He leaned over and picked up the troublesome clothespin, then held it out to her. She didn’t want to look up at him. She was too distressed and afraid he would see it in her eyes.

“Thank you,” she said softly. She closed her fingers around the small piece of wood and tinned steel, careful not to touch his hand.

“Well…” The amused tone was back.

“I just came in for a bite to eat. Better get to it.” He stepped away.

“Mr. Blake.”

He stopped.

“Yes?” Now she looked at him, her heart thundering in her ears.

“Thanks for your help.” There was a pregnant pause before he replied, “You’re welcome, Miss Harris.” As she watched him stride toward the house, she chose not to analyze why she reacted to him this way all the time. It was far better to ignore it and hope it would go away.

“We’re in for a bit of rain, I’d say.” Gavin turned from the window, his gaze falling on the two girls.

“You two better get your animals tended to now.

“Okay, Pa.” Sabrina set aside the square of fabric she’d been trying to embroider.

“Come on, Pet.”

“It’s getting’ cold out. Put on your jackets,” Dru reminded the children as they headed for the door. Gavin crossed to a chair near the fireplace and sat down.

“Where’s Miss Harris?”

“Lying down, I imagine. She insisted on doing just about all of that washin’ by herself today, and then she helped me with supper.” Dru leveled a reproachful gaze on him.

“It’s entirely your fault, you know. She’s tryin’ to prove she’s up to doin’ everything because you’ve made it clear you don’t think she can do anything.”

“Wait a minute, Dru. I never-”

“Don’t argue with me, Gavin. You haven’t been the least bit nice to Miss Harris and you know it. I didn’t want her up here to clean house and wash clothes. I wanted her here to teach the children, to get them to trust and care for her so that when I… when I’m not here, they’ll have a woman they can turn to.” Gavin’s jaw tightened. What made Dru think Rachel Harris would stay once Dru was gone? Did she think that pampered hothouse flower would stick around?

“Gavin, it’s not like you to be unfair.” Unfair? He considered the

charge. Well, maybe. Maybe he should give her the benefit of the doubt. She might prove him wrong. She did dig in to help with the wash today. It could be there was more to her than he’d thought at first. A lopsided smile curved his mouth as he recalled how she’d looked when he’d come in for lunch. She didn’t seem to have any clothes suitable for this life. She’d been wearing a dress of sunshine yellow, the skirt narrow, flounced, and bustled, the bodice fitted, conforming nicely to her pleasantly feminine shape. What she needed, of course, was a simple, loose-fitting blouse and an equally simple skirt without lots of petticoats or bustles or other such nonsense. But there she’d stood in that yellow dress out behind the cabin, her hair hidden beneath a matching yellow scarf. Come to think of it, she’d looked like a wilting sunflower. Her face had been flushed. Her hair had clung to her face in damp wisps. Her hands… Her hands. They’d looked like the hands of a rancher’s wife—red and rough and careworn.

“You’re right, Dru,” he admitted.

“I haven’t been fair.” But then he remembered her as he’d first seen her. Beautiful and rich. She didn’t belong here. He would never believe she belonged here.

“But that doesn’t mean I’ve changed my mind about her.” He turned his eyes on the fire. He never should have let Dru talk him into going to Boise to hire a teacher for the children. What was so all-fired important for them to learn that Dru couldn’t teach them? The Blakes sure didn’t have a lot of extra money to be throwing away. The last year had been good to them, but if they wanted the Lucky Strike to be a success, they needed to put everything they made back into it. He was hoping to have his neighbor, Patrick O’Donnell, pick up a new bull for him next summer up in Montana, and a prize bull wouldn’t come cheap. No, it would have been better if they’d never gone to Boise. Rachel Harris didn’t belong with the Blakes. Yet strangely, he couldn’t remember what it had been like before she’d come to stay.

Chapter Seven

Gavin felt the stillness first. He opened his eyes, his body alert. The bedroom he shared with Dru was dark, but he knew instantly that his wife’s bed was empty. His feet touched the cool wood floor as he sat up. He reached for his trousers and slipped into them, then pulled on his boots. Listening for any sound out of the ordinary, he rose and quickly strode across the bedroom. There was a faint glimmer of red coals lingering on the sitting room hearth, shedding just enough light for him to see the open front door. As he stepped outside, the first flash of lightning lit up the sky. Seconds later, the resultant crack of thunder split the silent air. Before the sound had faded, the heavens sparked again and then again.

She was standing in the middle of the yard, halfway between the house and the barn. She was wearing a brown shawl over her white nightgown. Her graying brown hair hung free down the middle of her back. She looked as if a breeze could blow her over. As if in response to his observation, the wind rose, stirring the white fabric around her ankles and revealing bare feet. Gavin walked slowly forward.

“Dru?” She didn’t turn to look at him. Her voice was soft, barely audible above the peals of thunder.

“I could feel it coming. The air was so still. Thick, like you could cut it with a knife. I wanted to see the storm.” Silently, he stood beside her. He thought to put his arm around her shoulders, but something told him she didn’t wish to be held.

“I’ll miss these storms.” She turned to look at him, her face spotlighted by another flash of lightning.

“Do you know how many things I’m gonna miss about being’ here?” He had no reply. He tried to pretend she was talking about leaving the basin, but he knew she wasn’t.

“But I’ll be with Charlie, so I guess I won’t mind so much.” Her fingers lightly touched Gavin’s shoulder.

“It makes the goin’ not so hard when you love somebody the way I love Charlie. Can you understand that?” He couldn’t. He’d tried, but he couldn’t. The wind increased. Dru’s hair billowed out behind her. Black clouds, turned silver by the lightning, rolled overhead.

“It wasn’t right of me to ask you t’marry me, Gavin. You should’ve had a chance to find what Charlie and I shared. If it weren’t for my girls…”

“I wanted to do it,” he replied gruffly.

“I’ll do my best by Brina and Pet. They’ll never want for anything.” Her face was turned up toward the sky.

“Lovin’s the only thing that makes sense in this old world, Gav. Only thing worth livin’ or dyin’ for.” She turned suddenly, piercing him with a shrewd gaze.

“What happened that made you so determined never to love a woman?” His gut tightened.

“I care about you, Dru.” She stepped toward him, placing her hand on his forearm. Her voice was softer now, her look somehow pleading.

“I know you care. You care ‘cause I was Charlie’s wife and we were all family. You care for me as you would a sister if you’d had one. But that’s not the kind of lovin’ I’m talkin’ about, Gavin. Just carin’s not enough for a man like you.”

“I like things just fine the way they are.” Dru leaned her head against his chest, whispering, “No you don’t, Gav. No you don’t.” She’d been awakened by Joker’s scratching at her door. The moment she opened it, the big wolfhound had leapt onto her bed and burrowed under the covers. Suddenly, a loud crack of thunder shook the house. Rachel squealed and was about to close the door and jump into bed with Joker when she noticed the front door was wide open. She rushed across the room, prepared to close it quickly. She saw them standing in the middle of the yard, Dru’s head resting against Gavin’s bare chest, his arms around her back as he stared up at the sky. There was something poignant, something overwhelmingly powerful about the scene that caught at Rachel’s throat and made tears burn her eyes. She took a quick step

backward, then spun around and returned to her room, where she crawled beneath the blankets. She didn’t bother to push Joker off the bed. She felt a sudden need not to be alone. Even that mangy hound was better than nothing—or no one. In her mind, she kept seeing that strange expression on Gavin’s face. Pain. It was filled with pain. She couldn’t imagine a man like Gavin Blake feeling pain of any kind. She wished she could… What? What did she wish she could do? Again in her mind’s eye, she envisioned them—her and Gavin—standing together in the wind, beneath the crashing heavens, the earth shaking beneath their feet. She could feel the muscles of his chest beneath her cheek, hear the rapid beating of her heart, knew the moment she would look up at him and he would bend slowly forward and their lips… Heat turned her cheeks scarlet. She pressed her cool fingers against her flesh and willed the image to go away. She couldn’t be thinking such things about her employer, about another woman’s husband. She wouldn’t allow herself to think such things. But she couldn’t stop herself. She still imagined his arms around her, pressing her tightly against him.

“Stop!” she whispered, squeezing her eyes closed. Joker whined and inched his way up until his muzzle was near her face. Rachel pressed her forehead behind his ear.

“Please go away,” she whispered, but she didn’t mean the dog. Dru listened to Gavin’s steady breathing and knew he was asleep at last. She let a tired sigh slip past her lips. She supposed she should try to sleep, too, but she felt the wasting away of time. She would have eternity to rest. She wanted to live now, while she still could. There was so much she still had to get done. She heard Gavin shift on his cot. She turned her head toward the sound, gazing in his direction even though she couldn’t see across the dark bedroom. Strange. She’d known him for over five years now. He’d been a part of the Porter family, much more than just a friend. Charlie and Gavin had been like brothers. When things had been at their blackest for Dru, he’d been there. He’d been there to help comfort her when Charlie’s son was stillborn. He’d eased her pain when Charlie died not long after. He’d been her rock when they first learned she was dying. Finally, he’d even married her to make sure her daughters had a home when she was gone, given them all his name and the security that went with it.