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“It’s the same with your milk delivery.” She cracked two eggs, one in each hand, against the side of the bowl and let the contents slide out, never losing her train of thought. “Mr. Shaeffer will leave a bill with the last delivery of the month.”

He was relieved but before he could say anything, she spoke again.

“If you’d like, I can take care of it if you leave me the money.”

She cracked two more eggs, using the same method, which fascinated him. He didn’t recall anyone ever doing that. Not his mother, not his sister, not Hannah, and certainly not his mother-in-law who, he didn’t believe, even knew where the kitchen was in her big house.

She added a little milk to the bowl, some cinnamon and finally a dash of vanilla then whisked it all together, creating a frothy concoction.

“What are you making?”

“I thought we’d have French toast this morning.”

He nodded in agreement. “That sounds good. I haven’t had French toast in a long time.” He studied her as she worked. “Do you need some help?”

She glanced at him, surprised, then smiled. “Thank you for the offer, but I have everything under control.”

And she did. It was a pleasure to watch her as she cut thick slices of bread and piled them up on a plate then turned away to pull the cast-iron skillet from where it hung on the wall and place it on the stove. Her movements were economical as well as graceful.

“Should I wake Avery?”

Tresia glanced at the clock then shook her head.

“Let’s give her a few more minutes. It won’t take long to cook now that I have everything ready.

” She took another sip of her coffee and slid into her seat.

His gaze swept over her face, noticing, not for the first time, how beautiful she was.

His focus stopped on her eyes, which seemed to sparkle with good humor then lowered to her mouth, which was spread into a wide smile.

And suddenly, he was tongue-tied. They’d been having such a comfortable conversation…

a rather mundane conversation, but comfortable nonetheless, very much like the ones he’d had with Hannah, but now, he didn’t know what to say.

He cleared his throat as he searched for another topic of conversation. “Do you know where I can mail a letter?”

“Miss Gemma over at Goldwater’s handles the mail. Have you met her yet?”

“I have.”

“I can drop it off for you, if you’d like.

” She nodded toward the pile of clothing on the chair.

“Avery and I will be heading over to the church later on this morning to drop those off. Reverend Parker, along with the Ladies’ Society, is collecting clothing for a young family who has fallen on tough times. ”

“I’m sorry to hear that. What happened?”

“Victor Thromball fell from his horse and broke his back. He will mend, but it will take a long time before he’s on his feet again.

The family is struggling. They have two small children plus the ranch to run so the Ladies Society is helping.

” She fiddled with her spoon, but her gaze never left him.

“Lucy arranged it. Mr. Goldwater is donating some food items like flour, sugar and other essentials. Mr. Crandall offered something from his butcher shop but was told they had plenty of meat, so he’s chipping in a few dollars.

Elsie—you’ve met her I’m sure—has promised to bring them dinner a few times, and we’ve recruited several of their neighbors to help with the cattle. ”

“I haven’t met the Thromballs yet. How can I help?”

“If you could stop by and see them, that would be wonderful, but really, anything will help. We’re taking up a collection for them so they can pay their bills. If I’m not mistaken, they have a mortgage on the ranch. I’d hate to see them lose it. Both of them are lovely people. The children, too.”

He didn’t hesitate. He rose from his seat, and walked into his study, taking the rolled up tube of Wanted posters with him, then returned moments later with a crisp, new twenty-dollar bill. He handed it to her. “I hope this will help some.”

Tresia looked at the money. “This is so generous of you, Marshal.” She smiled, her eyes wide as she tucked the money in her drawstring purse. “It’ll go a long way in helping them. Thank you. The Thromballs will appreciate it.”

He smiled in return as he took his seat. “Glad I could help.”

Avery wandered into the kitchen then, Cecily clutched tightly in one arm as she rubbed her eyes with her other hand.

“Well, good morning, sweet pea! Did you sleep well?”

Avery nodded, but rather sleepily, as she crawled into his lap and leaned her head against his chest. Such love filled him at that moment, his heart ached. He dropped a kiss to the top of her head as she snuggled a little closer.

“Are you ready for breakfast?”

She nodded against his chest even as Tresia rose and went to the ice box for the pitcher of milk.

She poured a glass and set it down on the table in front of the chair Avery usually sat in, then moved to the stove.

“We’re having French toast,” she said as she plopped a spoonful of butter from the crock into the cast-iron skillet.

“Okay.” Avery seemed to perk up at that and slid from his lap. She carefully placed Cecily on the chair beside her then took her own seat.

Devlin smiled at his daughter before he moved his focus to Tresia.

She moved with an economy of motion—no step was wasted as she dipped the bread into the egg batter and placed it carefully in the skillet.

The sizzling sound soon filled the small room, and the tantalizing aroma wafted to him.

The first four pieces were done quickly.

She transferred them to a plate and placed it onto the table.

Devlin glanced at Avery. “One or two?”

She grinned at him. “Two.”

He speared two pieces and cut them up into smaller bite size squares for her. “Syrup?”

She nodded and he drizzled the sweet maple syrup over her French toast. “Enough?”

She nodded again, the curls surrounding her head bouncing as she did.

“What are your plans today?” Tresia asked as she placed more slices of French toast on the table then took a piece for herself. She drizzled syrup over it then took a bite.

“Rafael is taking me out to more ranches and farms in the area.” He took a bite of his French toast, allowing the medley of flavors to settle on his tongue. “I’ve already been to a few over the past couple days, but he wants to introduce me to the rest.”

“Have you met the Silvas out on Montana del Trueno?”

“No, not yet. I think that’s today.”

“You’ll like the Silvas. And you’ll love the ranch. It’s one of my favorite places. I spent some time there when I was younger. It’s Lucy’s family’s ranch. Her brothers, Teddy, Esteban, and Heath run it along with their wives. Make sure you meet Tia Evie.”

“ Tia Evie? Who is that?”

“She’s the woman who raised Lucy and turned that ranch into one of the most profitable ones in the area. It’s not the biggest but it is, by far, the best, although Hacienda Zepeda is a close second.” She gathered the dirty breakfast dishes and placed them in the sink.

Devlin finished his coffee then rose to his feet. “Come give Daddy a kiss.”

Avery slipped from her chair and rushed into his arms. As was his habit, he squeezed her tight and planted several kisses on her face, making her giggle. She sobered quickly. “Be safe, Daddy.”

“I always am, sweet pea.” He let her go, then gave Tresia a brief nod. “I’ll see you later.” He paused. “And whatever you have planned for dinner will be fine.”

Tresia smiled at him, making him feel less anxious about leaving. It was a confident smile—warm and inviting and comforting at the same time—and it made him want to get his day over with so he could come back to spend time with her.

He left the kitchen and went into his study, where he pulled his holster from the gun safe he’d recently purchased and buckled it low around his hips.

Taking the Wanted posters with him, he walked to the front door.

He took his hat from the hat rack, placed it on his head then headed outside, stopping on the front porch for a moment, which had become a habit.

He focused on the beautiful morning, the last dregs of the nightmare that had awoken him gone, but never truly forgotten.

A bounce in his step, he walked across the street and entered the Marshal’s Office by the back door. He could hear Merrill and Rafael talking. Merrill, it seemed, was the victim of more teasing about his fondness for Polly.

He stepped into the main room of the office, noticing that the desks were put in order and polished to a high sheen and he wondered who had done that. Was it something Nate did? Or did they have someone come in and clean? He’d have to remember to ask.

“Mornin’, Boss.” Merrill greeted him with a big smile, his face a little red, probably from the teasing he’d been receiving.

“Mornin’, Merrill.” He handed his deputy the Wanted posters. “Anything happen overnight I should know about?”

The big man shook his head. “All quiet according to Nate.”

“That’s what I like to hear.”

“Are you ready?” Rafael asked him as he leaned against one of the desks, coffee cup in hand, obviously waiting for him.

“As I’ll ever be.”

“Good.” He finished his coffee. “I’ll get the horses ready and meet you outside.” He nodded toward Merrill, then left the office through the kitchen door.

Devlin turned toward Merrill as he unrolled the Wanted posters and laid them flat on his desk. The deputy frowned as he studied the top poster and uttered the name written in bold, black letters. “Ned Delany. I don’t like the looks of him.”

“I didn’t either,” Devlin admitted, “but it doesn’t seem like he would venture this far north. Let’s hope he doesn’t change his pattern. I don’t want him in my town.”

“I agree. Serenity is a quiet place. We don’t need his kind of trouble.” Merrill pulled the top poster from the pile, grabbed nails and a hammer, and quickly tacked the poster to the wall.