That human voice whispering in her ear had possibilities unless she mistook the wink as lint in his eye.

Perhaps it wasn’t too late for her.

But just as the thought came she saw herself on that street corner, pretending to be blind. Could she ever be anything more than a pretender?

A crop of tears blurred the impressive form atop the horse as he headed toward the Frying Pan.

No one in the state of Texas sat a horse quite like Payton McCord.

Chapter 10

The sun still slumbered when Payton rolled from his bunk and rustled up some coffee. He needed time to go over the case he intended to make to Lucy Long. But speak his mind he would. He had to find his balance again-the sooner the better.

Putting the pot on the fire to boil, his mind strayed to the events of last evening.

Moonlight had played across Amanda Lemmons’s sensitive features, revealing the glisten of moisture in her gaze, and in the midst he heard the shattering of her heart. As the sound punctured the silence, he knew something he never thought to witness-the piss-and-vinegar woman who grabbed life by the horns and hung on, stood mighty near to getting thrown.

That hadn’t set well. Holding on and riding like hell for as long as a body could stand took principles and grit. She had all that and more, and it seemed his duty to remind her. At least by the time he’d finished, the woman who mauled perfectly good hats had returned. Her sort of strength grew on a man.

Amanda made him think of all kinds of crazy things like marriage and trying to get back what he once considered forever lost or impossible.

Six years ago he had a parcel of prime land and a nice herd of longhorn-a near-to-perfect life.

Then, it all changed in the twinkling of an eye. The railroad company rooked him out of acreage that had been in their family for two generations. When he refused to sell, they had their shyster lawyer forge a bill of sale. A part of Payton died when the judge upheld it. They booted Payton off his land with nothing but Domino and the clothes on his back. He knew what it meant to lose a life, a hope, and the starch from his soul. He shriveled inside the day they stole his pride and left him nothing to live for.

Payton closed his eyes and recalled how Amanda’s skirts whispered around her ankles in a crazy sort of lullaby that could sing a man right to sleep. Somewhere between admiring the trim curves and wondering at the warm flesh that lay beneath, he’d had a thought. Amanda Lemmons was a downright prissy woman. A grin teased his mouth. He liked priss and fuss, especially when the lady didn’t have the business end of a Winchester pointed at him.

Maybe he wasn’t too old for some of that stardust he’d contemplated a few days back. And a devious man could always wrestle a pack of mangy wolves. The grin widened. Amanda called for lots energy. And patience. But he had more now than he ever did.

Yep, he’d see her again. He’d crawl through a hail of gunfire on his belly to do it.

Payton put the memories and hope in safekeeping and poured himself a cup of brew. He had a passel of planning to do.

The lid of the coffeepot banged loud enough to wake the dead. Amos raised his head and sniffed. “You’re up mighty early. Making plans for that mutton ranch of yours?”

“Go back to sleep, you old gopher.”

“After I smelled coffee? Nope. Besides, I’m raring to hear about your adventures with the sheep-grower. Gotta get up and see how bloody you are. Was she mad?”

“Yep.”

“Accuse you of thievery, did she?”

“Yep.”

“Can’t you spare a few details?”

“Nope.”

Payton had no desire to discuss the beautiful Miss Lemmons. She belonged to him. Not like cows or land, but like the sun, moon, and stars which guided a man on a journey. Amanda gave him a sense of direction that he hadn’t had in a long while.

He opened the bunkhouse door and stepped into the fresh air, leaving Amos’s grumbling behind him. He stared toward the Long’s cabin, surprised to see a light coming from the window.

“Might as well get this over with.”

With a firm grip on the coffee cup, he strode across the combat zone to the front door and rapped.

“Payton, how nice to see you,” Lucy greeted, wiping tears from swollen eyes. The woman evidently hadn’t seen a wink of sleep in a while, judging by the haggard look.

“Can I come in? We need to talk.”

An hour later he emerged much lighter. Lucy had confided the emptiness of her bed was too much to bear and she’d welcome Joe back home. Thank God things could return to normal.

He could’ve sworn Joe wore a smile the entire day, even after the branding commenced and the fire put out enough heat to stoke a freight train across the tops of the Rocky Mountains.

Payton’s thoughts kept turning to the proud shepherdess despite every effort to avoid the subject. He wondered how she’d manage to get all that sheep wool peeled off the critters without another pair of strong shoulders. She was too small to wrestle rams and ewes. The image of those soft hands cut up and bleeding made him wince. He threw the lasso and missed the steer he aimed for by a mile.

“What’s wrong with you, McCord? Sun get in your eyes?” Joe slapped a layer of grime from his hat before he jammed it back on his head.

Nothing in his eyes except a film of stardust, but Payton didn’t share that with the rest.

“Have a few things on my mind. Got distracted.”

“Yeah, I’ll bet we can guess who’s to blame. You’ve been keeping saloon hours the past few days,” Amos chimed in. “If I didn’t know better I think you’ve taken up baaahing lessons.”

Bert leaned against the corral post. “If it walks like mutton and talks like mutton, it’s mutton. Thought I recognized that peculiar sound this morning.”

“Glad I could give you boys something to chew on besides the coffee Felipe made.” Payton slid from the saddle. “Keep it up and you’ll be sorry.”

“Leave him alone. McCord saved my marriage,” Joe growled.

“Did the senorita kiss you for taking back the lamb?”

“Felipe, my friend, I’ll never tell. You boys keep on mining an empty gold shaft. Speculating is risky business. Never will strike pay dirt.” Payton turned to Joe. “Is it all right if I quit a little early? I have to be somewhere.”

“Will wonders ever cease? The man’s going courtin’.”

Payton shot Bert a warning glare. “I’m no porch-warmer. And I’m not saying another word.”

Of course, it’d be right rude to refuse an invite to sit on her porch-if one popped up. It might be sorta nice to sit and watch the sun fade, count the stars, and listen to the sound of her heart beating.

Amanda stared at a hefty ram and told him in no uncertain terms what she expected him to do. Then she grabbed a leg and the neck, gave a heave, and tried to flip him over with the quick motion John had. But she lacked the muscles to wrestle the five hundred some-odd pounds. The ram balked, digging in his heels and she ended up with her backside in the dirt with the animal giving her a lesson in the finer points of bleating. The ram took in a huge breath, expanding his stomach, and let out an ear-splitting baah that seemed to last forever.

She sat there a moment getting her second wind, fuming that she hadn’t had the good sense to keep going when she located her father after all those years. Argus Lemmons didn’t leave her anything but a bunch of empty dreams. She grabbed a handful of sand and threw it. The ram would’ve gotten the same treatment if the blessed animal didn’t weigh as much as a small horse.

Fraser cocked his head to one side and then the other-a pretty good indication he thought she’d gone off her rocker. Maybe she had. Suddenly the dog growled, his ears perking up.

Her breath caught when she spied the black and white horse in the distance.

McCord had returned like he said.

And here she sat on her rear in the middle of the corral. Amanda jumped up. Something wet stuck her skirt to the back of her legs. She needn’t imagine what it was. The evidence lay all around her. Tugging and brushing her clothes the best she could, she smoothed back her hair. She must look a mess. What she wouldn’t give for a second to run to the house and get presentable for callers.

How stupid that would be though. Most likely McCord came for a million other reasons and none of them pertained to wanting to ride her way on purpose. She put up her hand to block the sun. No sign of another lamb with him.

Remembrance of last evening made her groan. It hadn’t been her finest hour. She’d nearly killed the only person who made the pulse in her throat explode into a million stars.

The man rode straight to the corral and dismounted. Fraser didn’t even bark, which flabbergasted her given the fact he tried to eat up everyone who came on the property. The dumb traitor-dog was even licking McCord’s hand. Next Fraser would be climbing into the cowboy’s lap and trying to moo.

“Afternoon, Amanda.” For a brief moment the corners of Payton’s mouth lifted beneath the trimmed mustache before settling in a firm line. “Got that rifle loaded?”

“It stays that way. My cider draw you back?”

“Nope. Came to help if you’ll let me. I see you need extra hands.”

A jolt of surprise wound through her.

“John came by this morning to say his wife is bad sick and he won’t be able to finish the shearing.” She tried to block the pleasure that insisted on sneaking into her chest. It’d do to keep this strictly business. Saved on heartache. “Can’t pay much, but reckon I won’t turn down your offer.”

“Not looking for pay.”

“What is it you’re looking for, McCord?” Her breath went soft so that she barely knew her chest rose and fell. His minty gaze full of principles had that effect on a woman regardless of her intention to keep fancies in check.