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Catherine walked to the fridge, resisting the urge to lick her lips. She could still taste him.

Still feel his heat surrounding her.

“He wants your permission to move into the spare bedroom upstairs,” she said, grabbing the bowl of gelatin and taking it to the counter. She shot him a grin over her shoulder. “Our bed is a bit crowded, and Nathan complained that Nora is all elbows and knees. But I think it’s more that he wants to be one of the guys and move upstairs with them.”

“There are two twin beds in that room,” he said. “Does Nora want to move up, too?”

Catherine took down three bowls and started spooning out the gelatin. “She’s not ready to cut the apron strings.”

“We could set up a cot in your room, then, and at least get her out of your bed,” he suggested.

Catherine took him his bowl of dessert, set it down in front of him, and stuck a spoon in it. “That’s a good first step. Nathan is right, my daughter is all elbows and knees when she sleeps.”

The children came out of the bathroom, wiping their hands on their clothes, and sat at the table facing Mary. Catherine gave them their dessert.

“You got a really cool pet,” Nathan told Robbie. “Can she still fly, even though she’s hurt?”

“Aye. And as soon as you’re done eating, I’ll hold her so you can pet her. And after that, I’ll help you get settled in your new bedroom upstairs.”

“Oh, great!” Nathan said. “It’s right next to Cody’s room, isn’t it? He’s going to show me how to shoot the potato gun this weekend.” Nathan thought for a minute, then added,

“We’re going to shoot it at that big rock up in the pasture, so you don’t got to worry we’

ll hit anything important.”

“Aye. Rocks make good targets. And I think I’ll join you. It’s been a few years since I’ve shot a rock. Nora, would you like to move upstairs with your brother?” Robbie asked, giving the girl his attention.

Nora filled her mouth with gelatin and shook her head.

Catherine turned back to the counter to hide her smile. That was the longest conversation Nathan had had with a man in over three years. Well, heck, were they all settling in here or what?

She looked over at Mary and caught the bird staring at her. Then the owl lazily blinked one eye and emitted a low, humming chatter.

Chapter Seventeen

It was Friday afternoon,Mary was perched on the front porch railing watching Robbie give Catherine her lesson in stick fighting, and Catherine was trying to knock her sweet-kissing boss’s head off again.

But Robbie wasn’t letting himself get distracted today, and Catherine was only beating herself up. She’d lost her grip on the stick twice already, and once it had hit the ground and bounced back up and smacked her in the thigh. Then, not five minutes later, she’d tripped over her own feet and ended up with a mouthful of dead grass.

Not even trying to stifle his laughter, Robbie had picked her up and given her another lecture on physics.

But for the last twenty minutes, Catherine had noticed him checking his watch, and she even managed to catch the edge of his foot with her stick because he had glanced toward TarStone.

Darn it. He was going back up there! And he would come limping home tomorrow morning all beat up again.

“That’s enough for me,” she said, leaning against her stick and brushing her hair out of her face. “I feel as if I’ve run a marathon.”

Robbie straightened from his crouched position. “But it was just starting to get fun,” he said, breaking into a wide grin. “It’s not every day I get to watch someone beat themselves up.”

“Which is why we’re stopping,” she said, walking toward the house. “I’m not providing entertainment for you and your bird.”

Robbie fell into step beside her. “Mary wasn’t laughing at you. She was cheering you on.”

Catherine glanced at the bird. She had hopped down off the rail and was standing at the kitchen door, waiting for them to open it for her. Robbie held the door, and Catherine followed the owl inside. She went over and leaned her stick next to the clock as Mary flew up to her rocking-chair perch.

Catherine turned to Robbie. “Do you want me to pack you some food?”

“What for?”

“To take with you. You’re going back up the mountain this afternoon, aren’t you?”

He crossed his arms over his chest and faced her. “You’re very perceptive.”

“No, I’m angry. You’ll come dragging in here tomorrow morning, looking like hell, and expect me to patch you up again.”

“Aye,” he said, walking to her. “And you’ll do it, won’t you?” he whispered. “Because, like me, you have no choice.” He ran a finger down the side of her face. “We each do what’s required of us, little Cat. I must go up the mountain, and you must let me. And tomorrow morning, if I do come dragging in, you’ll take care of me, not ask any questions, and not tell my family. That’s how trust works. I trust you to be here when I come back, and you trust that I will come back.”

“Maybe,” she hissed, stepping away from him.“Maybe you’ll come back, andmaybe I’ll be here.”

He lowered his hand and crossed his arms over his chest, saying nothing, just staring at her with his dark, penetrating eyes.

Catherine turned, walked into her bedroom, and softly shut the door. She leaned against it and closed her eyes with a disheartened sigh.

Why did she care so much? What should it matter to her that Robbie MacBain was a stubborn idiot? If the man wanted to go get himself beat up, she had no right to stop him.

But what in heck was he doing up on that mountain?

Catherine pushed away from the door, went to her closet, and found her backpack. She stuffed it with a heavy sweater, an extra pair of socks, her hat and mittens, a flashlight, and the small utility knife she’d carried from Arkansas.

People do what is required of them,he had told her. Well, by God, she was required to watch Robbie’s back, since he didn’t seem capable of doing it himself.

Because that’s how trust works,darn it.

Catherine set her loaded pack by the door, then went over to the bureau and started brushing out her hair as she thought about how she was going to follow him up the mountain.

The boys could watch Nathan and Nora, she decided. They could take them to the ice cream shop tonight, just as they’d planned, and babysit them for the evening. Yeah. The six of them would be perfectly fine, and she’d be back before they woke up tomorrow morning.

Catherine waited another ten minutes, until she heard the porch door bang shut. She opened her bedroom door, peeked in the kitchen, then walked over to the sink window just in time to see Robbie go into the barn.

Mary was sitting on one of the paddock fence rails.

Catherine looked at the clock. It was almost two; Nora and Nathan’s bus would be here soon, and the boys should be home at about the same time.

Catherine kept herself busy, adding some herbs to the stew she had cooking in the huge crockpot and finishing a salad to put in the fridge, all the time watching out the window.

Robbie finally came out of the barn, leading his horse, and stopped and looked toward the house. Catherine started for the door but stopped and stood at the window until he finally mounted up. But again, he waited another minute, staring toward the house, before turning his horse toward the pasture.

Catherine ran out the door and down the porch stairs. “Robbie!”

He stopped, and she ran up and touched his knee. “You… you be careful,” she whispered.

He dropped the reins, leaned down, grabbed her under the arms, and lifted her onto his lap before she could gasp.

He held her in a fierce embrace. “Aye, little Cat,” he whispered, kissing her hair. “I will.

And I’ll try very hard to make this my last trip.” He tipped her face up to his. “Thank you for not letting me leave with anger between us. That’s a bad habit to get into.”