Honey felt that same inexplicable tension she always felt around Jesse. Her gelding sidestepped and their knees brushed. That simple touch produced goose bumps on her arms. She was grateful for the long-sleeved Western shirt that hid her reaction. She stared off toward the copse of pecans in the distance, avoiding Jesse's startled glance.
And spotted a glint of sunlight off metal.
"There's someone in the trees behind you," Honey said in a quiet voice. "I think he has a gun."
Jesse said a few pithy words under his breath. "Don't let him know you see him. Help me get these steers moving toward the bam."
"Do you think it might be one of the rustlers?" Honey asked as she loosened the rope from her saddle.
"Don't know and don't care," Jesse said. "That's a matter for the police. Best thing for us to do is get ourselves and these cattle out of here."
There was no discussion as they used whistles and an occasional slap with a lasso to herd the steers back toward the barn. When they were a safe distance away, Honey kneed her gelding over to join Jesse.
"I've lost a lot of stock to rustlers since Cale died," Honey said. "I suppose they don't believe I'm any threat to them. But I didn't think they'd dare let themselves be seen in broad daylight. I'll call the police when we get back to the house and-"
Jesse interrupted. "There's no need for that. I'll tell Dallas about it when I call to accept his dinner invitation."
Honey frowned. "I guess that'll be okay. Uh…I suppose I should have mentioned I've also been invited to dinner. Would you mind if I got a ride with you?"
Jesse kept the dismay he felt from his face. He had hoped to use the time he was away from the ranch to do some other business without Honey being any the wiser. Having her along meant he would have to curtail his plans. But he couldn't think of a good reason to refuse her a ride that wouldn't raise suspicion. "Sure," he said at last. "Why not? What time do you want to leave?"
"Around six, I suppose. That'll give me time after we finish with the vaccinating to get cleaned up and make some supper for Jack and Jonathan."
"That sounds fine. Meanwhile, until those rustlers are caught you'd better stay close to home."
Honey glanced at Jesse to see if he was senous. He was. "I have a ranch to run," she said.
"I'm here now. If there's work that needs to be done away from the house, I can do it."
"You're being ridiculous. I don't think-"
"No, you aren't thinking!" Jesse interrupted in a harsh voice. "What's going to happen if you chance onto those rustlers at the wrong time? They've killed before and-"
"Killed! Who? When?"
Jesse swore again. He hadn't meant td alarm her, just keep her safe. "A rancher near Laredo was found shot to death last month."
"Oh, my God," Honey whispered. "Surely it wasn't the same rustlers who took my cattle!"
"What if it is? Better safe than sorry. You stay around the ranch house." It came out sounding like the order it was.
Honey bristled. "I'm in charge here. And I'll do as I please!"
"Just try leaving," he said. "And we'll see."
"Why, of all the high-handed, macho cowboy talk I ever heard-"
Jesse grabbed the reins and pulled her gelding to a halt. "These guys aren't fooling around, Honey. They've killed once. They've got nothing to lose if they kill again. I wouldn't want anything to happen to you."
The back of his gloved hand brushed against her cheek. "I don't intend to lose you."
Honey's heart missed a beat. He was highhanded, all right, but when he spoke to her in that low raspy voice and looked at her with those dark mysterious eyes, she found herself ready to listen. Which made no sense at all.
"How does a drifter like you know so much about all this?" she asked.
" Dallas filled me in," he said. When she still looked doubtful, he said, "Ask him yourself at dinner tonight."
"Maybe I will."
The entire time they vaccinated bawling cattle, Honey said nothing more about the dinner at Dallas Masterson's house. She was thinking about it, though, because she realized Jesse would have to use the upstairs bathroom to clean up. She had yet to explain to him that she planned for him to sleep in a room in the barn that hired hands had used in the past.
She decided to confront him before the boys got home from school, in case he decided to argue. They were both hot and sweaty from the work they'd been doing, so it was easy to say, "I could use some iced tea. Would you like some?"
"Sounds good," he replied. "I'll be up to the house in a minute. I have a few things to put away here first."
Honey was glad for the few moments the delay gave her to think about how to phrase what she wanted to say. She took her time in the kitchen, filling two glasses with ice and sun-brewed tea. She wasn't ready when he appeared at the screen door, hat in hand.
"May I come in?"
His request reminded her that she had met Jesse Whitelaw less than twenty-four hours earlier. It seemed like a lot longer. Like maybe she had known the cowboy all her life. It left her feeling apprehensive. She avoided his eyes as she pushed the screen door wide and said, "Sure. I've made tea for both of us."
He moved immediately to the glass of tea on the table and lifted it to his lips. She watched as he tipped the glass and emptied it a swallow at a time. Rivulets of sweat streamed down his temples, and his hair was slick against his head where his hat had matted it down. He smelled of hardworking man, and she was all too aware of how he filled the space in her kitchen.
Jesse sighed with satisfaction as he set the empty glass on the table. The sound of the ice settling was loud in the silence that followed as his eyes found hers and held.
"I think I have time to look at whatever fence you have down before I have to get ready for supper," Jesse said. "If you'll just head me in the right direction."
"Certainly. There are a few things we need to discuss first." Honey threaded her fingers so she wouldn't fidget. "When I offered you room and board I wasn't thinking about where I'd put you. There's a room at the rear of the barn I can fix up for you, but you'll have to use the bathroom in the house."
Jesse worked to keep the grimace off his face. It would be a lot more difficult explaining how her prize bull had been stolen from the barn if he was sleeping there. "Are you sure there isn't somewhere in the house I could sleep? I don't need much."
Honey chewed on her lower lip. "There is a small room off the kitchen." She pointed out the closed door to him. "It's awfully tiny. I've started using it for a pantry. I don't think-"
Jesse opened the door and stepped inside. The room was long and narrow. Wooden shelves along one wail were filled with glass jars of preserves, most likely from the small garden he had seen behind the house. An iron bed with a bare mattress stood along the opposite wall under a gingham-curtained window. A simple wooden chest held a brass lamp and an old-fashioned pitcher and bowl for water.
"This'll do fine," he said.
"But-"
He turned and she was aware of how small the room was, or rather, how he filled it. She took a step back, away from the very strong attraction she felt. "The room in the barn is bigger," she argued. "You'd have more privacy."
He grinned. "I suppose that's true, if you don't count the livestock."
"I have to come in here sometimes to get food from the shelves," she explained.
"You could knock."
"Yes, I suppose I could." It was hard to argue with logic. Yet Honey didn't want to concede defeat. Otherwise, she was going to find herself with the hired hand constantly underfoot. She made a last effort to convince him the barn was a better choice. "The boys sometimes make a lot of noise. Morning and evening. You won't get much peace and quiet if you stay here."
"I expect I'll be going to bed later and getting up earlier than they will," he replied.
Honey sighed. This wasn't working out as she had planned at all. Somehow she had ended up with this part-savage stranger, this drifter, living under her roof. She wasn't exactly frightened of him, but she was uneasy. After all, what did she really know about him?