Each of them had been a deserted three-year-old. The remembering hurt, when that hurt should have long ago been healed. But now they knew that one of them had had someone searching for her, desperately.

That hurt, too, for Zoe could only imagine how different life would have been for the girl who might have been found by a loving, frantic grandmother.

They had no idea which of them it was-Maddie, Zoe or Delia-but it didn't matter now. They were sisters of the heart and soul, and they'd stick together until the end.

The ranch belonged to all of them, and together they'd learn more about their grandmother.

"I'm guessing you're hoping I'll talk myself out and disappear." Slowly, Ty Jackson shook his head. "No can do, ladies. Cade told me your plane had been delayed, and he was worried about you getting up here at night, which by the way was a stupid thing to do, drive up here in the dark."

Delia and Maddie shot a look at Zoe, who bristled. It was one thing to be stupid, but it was entirely another thing to have it pointed out to her by a stranger. She had her sisters to do that.

"Cade wanted me to call him back." He shifted impatiently. "Can we get on with it now? It's late, and frankly, ladies, I'm tired of listening to myself talk."

Zoe could feel her sisters' resistance melt away, but she held on to hers with all her might. Despite his obvious caring for Constance, he was big, he was a man, and he was barely managing to control his irritation at being bothered so late at night.

Trust was a big issue for Zoe, it had been for as long as she could remember. Alone in this world except for Maddie and Delia, she had managed to eke out a calm, quiet existence. And if her life was a little, well… empty, if she'd never learned to really have faith in another human being since the day her mother had dumped her at age three, failing to come back for her as promised, she could live with that.

Bottom line-Zoe rarely believed in another, especially a far-too-good-looking cowboy with a voice that could melt the Arctic.

In the beam of light, he quirked a dark, challenging brow and continued to speak in that rough-timbered voice, the one Zoe imagined could convince a less-hardened woman to give him the moon.

"You plan on sleeping there on the porch, that's just fine with me," he said with a shrug of those impressive shoulders. "But I wouldn't be neighborly if I didn't try to warn you… that wood there's littered with rats. Big, fat, hungry ones."

With a muffled shriek, Delia launched herself toward the light, brushing and swiping at her legs, for if there was one thing that could shatter Delia's calm, it was a rodent.

Maddie's mouth opened in a silent scream as she followed Delia in such a rush she nearly fell headlong into their "neighbor," who easily caught and uprighted her.

Both women continued to shiver and squeak, placing themselves behind the man, who slowly rose to his feet, a grin firmly in place.

Amid feet stomping and panting, huffy screams, Delia twirled in a circle, mindless, until the man reached out and touched her arm.

"Safe," he claimed, not bothering to hide his amusement. "Don't worry, I think you two managed to scare them all away."

Delia stopped screaming, and Maddie just gaped in surprise. Zoe knew why, for though it took Delia forever to get riled, it took just as long to calm her back down. No one, and most certainly not a man, had ever been so effective in quieting her.

In the startling silence, the man who caused it winked at Maddie, who brought a hand up to her mouth.

Still hidden by the darkness, Zoe stood quickly, for she knew Maddie's unease around strangers, especially men, but she stiffened in shock when she realized Maddie was holding back a smile.

In less than ten seconds, the man had completely tamed her sisters. Unbelievable.

"You okay now?" Ty Jackson asked.

Delia smoothed down her clothes and shot him an apologetic smile. "Yes, sorry, but rats just get to me."

"Understandable."

"Now, if you tell me you have batteries in that truck of yours," Delia said, her smile warming, "you'll really be my hero, Mr. Jackson."

"Ty." Any irritation at having been disturbed so late had apparently vanished, replaced by the pleasant surprise of a man who suddenly finds himself in the company of two beautiful women. He held out his hand. "And you are…?"

Delia offered him a perfectly manicured hand in return, the one she'd spent an annoying amount of time this morning doing herself, nearly making them late for the airport. "Delia Scanlon. And this is my sister, Maddie O'Brien."

He took each of their hands in turn as though they were at a tea party, not standing hundreds of miles away from nowhere on a battered, neglected ranch. From her perch in the corner, Zoe rolled her eyes.

"It's a pleasure," Ty said to Delia. "And I always carry spare batteries." He looked pleased with himself, as though he'd invented the darn things himself.

Zoe remained in place, thoroughly disgusted now. How could her sisters just cave like this? What had happened to their natural reserve of anyone and everyone?

They'd stuck together through thick and thin, mostly thin, but in all that time, Zoe had never, not once, seen either of them let down their natural distrust so fast.

Of course, none of them had ever been charmed by such a master, either.

Fine. If she was the only one with a thought left in her head, so be it. She'd keep them safe.

"I thought there were three of you," Ty said, squinting a bit as he searched through the darkness, easily focusing to meet Zoe's gaze again. "What happened to Zophina?"

"Zoe," Zoe snapped, stepping into the light, having no idea why she was letting him get under her skin like this. He was just a stranger. "The name is Zoe."

"Well, hello there. Zoe." That damn grin flashed again, the one that made her somehow want to smack him and melt at the some time. He tucked his thumbs into his front pockets in a stance of confidence… not to mention how his hands pretty much outlined the vee of his jeans in a way that showed off his… big build. "Can we go inside now?"

"I'm sure we'll be just fine alone," she replied coolly.

"I'm sure you will." He didn't so much as blink, but Zoe could have sworn he was laughing at her. "Maybe you'd like me to check it out first."

"For more rats?" she inquired sweetly.

He didn't look in the least bit ashamed of himself. "You never know."

Before Zoe could suggest that there was a two-legged rat standing right in front of her, Delia firmly stepped between the two, her flattering, social smile in place. "You'll have to excuse Zoe, Ty. She's tired, and a tired Zoe is a grumpy one."

Zoe turned away, piqued for no particular reason. It was her own fault, she reminded herself. They'd come here at her insistence, at her excitement at completely starting over.

Not that Delia and Maddie hadn't wanted to come, they had, but they just hadn't been quite as sold on the idea as she. Yet they'd given up their lives, anyway, for her. A pressure built in Zoe's chest, a familiar one. The pressure of their love, which she was eternally grateful for. But deep down, somewhere in a place she didn't like to go too often, were the same old doubts.

She didn't deserve all they gave to her, not when she didn't-couldn't-give it back. She had long ago locked up her heart from hurt.

As if she sensed her unease, Maddie slipped an arm around Zoe's waist, giving her a quick squeeze. She reached for Delia's hand, uniting them without a word. As always, at the caring, kind, accepting touch, Zoe immediately softened; she couldn't help it.

"Ready, ladies?" When they nodded, Ty took the keys from Zoe, and before she could analyze why the slight brushing of his work-roughened fingers against hers made her stomach tighten, he'd unlocked the front door. "This will have to be fixed," he said, easily maneuvering open the rickety screen.

Standing just behind him as she was, with her level of vision at his shoulders and his own truck headlights highlighting his every movement, Zoe had no choice but to stare at the way the muscles in his back flexed and bunched beneath his shirt. No choice at all. Nor could she help but smell him, all fresh and delicious male. That he smelled so good made her annoyed all over again.

Ty flipped on his flashlight and beamed it inside. "The door will have to be replaced, too."

"That's not all," Zoe said as she caught sight of the interior.

Ty hit a light switch on the wall and let out a low, heartfelt oath. The light illuminated what had been their hopes and dreams, and Zoe's stomach sank as they all crowded in. They hadn't gotten a good look at the outside in the dark, but she had gotten an image of a two-story sprawling ranch house in desperate need of repair.

The inside was worse, far worse.

The paint on the walls was peeling off in long strips. The wood floors were thick with dust. The light above them flickered warningly, but at the last second, somehow managed to hang in there. Standing in the midst of it, Zoe saw past the gloom and straight to the heart of the matter-this place was theirs. Theirs.

The thrill of that would never wear off, no matter what happened.

"But… how can this be?" Delia asked in a confused voice that didn't sound at all like her usual take-charge attitude. "I thought Constance lived here."

"She did, up until two years ago, when she had to move to a retirement home." Regret and sadness filled Ty's voice. "Had no idea it was this bad."

Silence fell at that, and sadness welled through Zoe, overcoming her strange protectiveness of the house. If only Constance had found them sooner, she thought, then nearly laughed because that wouldn't have changed much. They couldn't have helped her financially.