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“Wait! I’ve read about you in the newspapers.” Alfonso interrupted. “You’re the one who brought in Big Bill Cassidy.”

Devlin stiffened, the coffee cup halfway to his mouth.

He didn’t know whether to be proud or disappointed that Alfonso knew of his reputation.

Part of the reason for coming to this small town was to forget everything that had happened before.

He couldn’t do that if everyone kept reminding him of what he’d done.

At least, none of the newspaper articles about him at that time mentioned Hannah or Avery, and for that, he remained grateful.

He looked Alfonso in the eye and said, “I am.”

“His partner, too! What was his name?” Alfonso’s eyes closed for a moment as if searching his memory. They flew open a second later as he snapped his fingers. “Burdette. Smiley Burdette. That’s it. So glad you brought those men in.”

“I am as well,” he said, then took a sip of his coffee.

He most definitely did not want to talk about this with people he didn’t know very well.

Hell, he didn’t want to talk about it with people he did know well.

If everyone forgot about it, he could, too, though he knew that was a lie.

He’d never forget what chasing down Cassidy had done to him. Or Hannah. Or Avery.

He forced himself to relax then changed the subject.

They spoke of mundane things—the things one speaks about when getting to know one another—and the rest of the visit was pleasant.

No one mentioned Big Bill Cassidy again or his partner, Smiley, two of the most loathsome criminals who’d ever roamed New Mexico and occasionally crossed over into Arizona or Texas, especially when evading the law.

“Thanks for the coffee and the sopapillas, Damita, but we need to head out.” Rafael finished his coffee, licked some sugar from his fingertips, then rose from his seat. “More people for the Marshal here to meet.”

“My pleasure, Rafael.” She started gathering the dishes from the table. “It was lovely to meet you, Marshal.” She smiled at him as she touched his arm lightly. “I’m glad you’re here, especially since Alfonso has someone to play chess with.”

“Hey!” Rafael glanced at her, seeming to be offended though he wasn’t. “I play chess.”

“You do, but no offense, not very well.” Alfonso replied good-naturedly as he rose from his seat and walked them to the door.

The deputy said, “That’s true. Marshal Kimball was just starting to teach me when he decided to retire.”

“Where you headed next?” Alfonso stood in the open doorway as Damita joined him.

“Montana del Trueno.”

Alfonso smiled. “Give Tia Evie and Jake our best, and if you should see Teddy, tell him he owes me a rematch.”

“I’ll remind him.” Rafael promised, then glanced at him. “You ready?”

“I am. It was a pleasure meeting you both.” He shook hands then followed Rafael outside to their waiting horses.

“Nice people,” Devlin said shortly after as they rode beyond the gate.

“That they are. The kind who will give you the shirt off their back. No one, and I mean no one, ever goes hungry with Damita. She’ll feed you until you’re so stuffed you can’t move.”

“How long have you known them?”

“Feels like all my life, but it’s only been about six years since they bought Crooked River from old man Percy.” He paused, his gaze roaming over him.

Devlin stiffened beneath the scrutiny, his hands gripping Challenger’s reins tightly. “What?”

“You seemed a little uncomfortable when Alfonso brought up Cassidy. If it had been me, I’d be crowing about it from the time the sun came up until the sun went down and then some.”

“I was just doing my job, Rafael. The newspapers made it out more than it was. Let’s drop it, all right?”

Rafael tilted his head to the side, his gaze now more intense. After a moment, he said, “Sure thing, el jefe . Whatever you say.”

He was as good as his word and didn’t speak about Cassidy again, but he did talk.

A lot. About everything and anything to the point where Devlin wanted to tell him to shut up.

He didn’t though. He listened and supplied a comment if it was warranted but otherwise kept his own counsel until the big house at Montana del Trueno came into view.

Unlike the house at Stone Creek, and Alfonso’s cozy home at Crooked River, this one was huge and very well taken care of.

Flowers bloomed from planters on the front porch, which was wide and welcoming and filled with wicker furniture, inviting anyone to take a seat and relax.

Rafael dismounted before him and rushed up to the front door, his weight shifting from one leg to the other, as if impatient. Before the door opened, Devlin glanced around. Tresia had mentioned that Montana del Trueno was one of the best ranches in the area and from the looks of it he had to agree.

The door opened to reveal a beautiful young woman.

She didn’t just smile. She beamed, her eyes lighting up with happiness, and she squealed, “Rafael!” before she practically jumped into his arms and hugged him.

Devlin hid his smile. It wouldn’t be an assumption to say these two knew each other well.

“Come in, come in. They’re on the patio. ”

As they passed through the door, the young woman paused, her gaze rising up to his. She held out her hand. “Hello,” she said, “I’m Ana. Rafael’s cousin by marriage.”

“Marshal Goodrich. A pleasure to meet you, Ana.”

She gave him a quick nod, grabbed Rafael by the hand and pulled him down a hallway, chattering a mile a minute the whole way. Apparently, she hadn’t seen him in a while, and there was all kinds of news to share.

Devlin followed along, listening to everything Ana was telling him about the extended Zepeda-Ruiz-Castillo family, and he bit back a smile as his deputy couldn’t get a word in edgewise. They entered the kitchen where the aroma of something sweet filled the air.

“I’ll bring out some more coffee,” she said as she opened the back door and ushered them through. “Go on.”

There were six people on the patio sitting around a table, two older couples and another couple just a little bit older than he was, all of them enjoying a quiet conversation though he couldn’t decipher what they were talking about.

It didn’t matter what the topic was. The love shared between these six people was almost a tangible thing, so much so that he could feel it, deep in his bones.

Conversation on the patio stopped as all eyes turned toward Rafael and him.

“Sorry to interrupt, folks,” Rafael said as he drew closer, “but there’s someone I’d like you to meet.”

The people gathered around the table rose almost as one.

“Marshal Devlin Goodrich, meet my second family.”

Introductions were made and he committed the names and faces to memory.

The woman named Felicity seemed kind and gentle, but he suspected she had fortitude and backbone, much like his mother had.

Another older lady, her steel gray hair braided into a coronet atop her head, gave him the most intense scrutiny he’d ever received before she smiled and introduced herself as Hilde in a thick accent he couldn’t quite place.

An older man, introduced as Charley, shook his hand. “If you ever need a consultation about the law, come and see me. I retired from the bench a few years ago, but I still keep up with the legal profession.”

“Thank you. I might take you up on that, but I’m hoping I won’t have to.”

“Antonio Lucero. Welcome.” A big man with an impressive horseshoe mustache introduced himself.

“Nice to meet you.” Devlin shook his hand and turned to a tall man introduced as Jake Hannigan. Jake appeared easy-going and very likeable, but didn’t seem like he missed a thing, and yet, it wasn’t obvious—only to someone else who’d spent a lifetime studying people and their habits.

And then there was Everleigh Miller Hannigan—“just call me Tia Evie.” He liked her immediately.

Like Felicity, she seemed kind and gentle, but also like her, she had a quiet strength about her, an air of courage with maybe a touch of stubbornness, but most of all, he sensed her loving, giving nature.

No wonder Tresia was fond of this woman.

“We can’t stay long. We’re heading over to my folks after this,” Rafael said, shifting his weight from one leg to another.

“Nonsense. Have a cup of Hilde’s coffee and some Lebkuchen .” Antonio said.

“If you insist,” Rafael laughed.

Evie laughed, too, apparently very fond of Rafael.

“We do. Sit. Make yourselves comfortable.” She gestured to some empty chairs then took her own seat.

The others around the table did as well.

“Tell us about yourself, Marshal,” she said as Ana came outside with the coffeepot and two mugs, which she placed on the table before leaving.

All eyes turned toward him, curiosity in their gazes.

“I was a marshal in Albuquerque before coming here.” He accepted the mug of coffee Hilde slid in his direction and continued telling them as much as he wanted them to know, which really wasn’t very much.

“I’ve heard some very good things about you, Marshal,” Tia Evie said, her smile wide. “I also heard you hired Tresia Morgan to take care of your daughter.”

Lucy Hart was her niece. She would have told her. And if she didn’t, then someone else in town probably did. It wasn’t a secret, even though he doubted anyone had a secret in Serenity. “Yes, I did.”

“You couldn’t have made a better choice. Tresia is a lovely woman.”

“Yes, she is.” He smiled. “Avery adores her.”

“Tresia embodies the spirit of kindness, but don’t mistake her kindness for weakness. She’s a smart, strong, self-reliant woman, given all she’s been through.”

He’d already seen that much for himself. “Yes, ma’am.” He took a sip of coffee then raised his mug to Hilde. “Good coffee.”

Hilde beamed then offered him a cookie. “Have a Lebkuchen .”

“No, thank you.”