Page 69 of Wyoming Heart

Which brought to mind what she’d heard about Cort asking Bart if he could bring Ida over for the night. Her self-confidence took a nosedive. He’d been dating Ida. Everybody knew that she was promiscuous. Did Cort think Mina was like that, too?

She looked up, concern darkening her eyes.

He shook his head. “We aren’t going that route,” he said quietly. “I respect you too much.”

She felt elated at his expression, which was both protective and possessive.

He traced a pattern on her cheek. “I’ve never been much for emotional ties,” he said haltingly. “It’s pretty much been take them and leave them, when it came to women. But you’re not like that, Mina.”

She searched his eyes in the silence, unbroken except by the gurgle of the stream. “You were dating Ida,” she began worriedly.

He put a long forefinger over her soft lips. “Ida isn’t what she seems. And I haven’t slept with her, regardless of how it might look.”

She caught her breath. “I didn’t ask...!”

“I wanted you to know the truth,” he said, sketching her face. “People will think what they want to.”

She bit her lower lip. “I guess you know what they think.”

He nodded. “Ida encourages gossip. I’m not overly fond of it. Gossip can destroy lives,” he added quietly.

“Yes.”

He smoothed her fingers over his shirt. “We’d better get going, before the horses decide to leave us here,” he mused.

She laughed. “Okay.”

THENEXTFEWdays were like magic. Mina was in love and falling deeper as she spent more time with Cort and learned more about him. He borrowed Bart’s truck to take her over to Yellowstone National Park and watch Old Faithful erupt with her. Big game was all over the highway, where many tourists stopped in the middle of the road and got out with cameras to film bighorn sheep and even a moose.

Mina laughed, delighted. “We had a moose come right up to the barn when we had our milk cow,” she commented. “I think he was in love.”

“What happened to him?” he asked softly.

“He broke down a fence trying to get to her, so we had to have him relocated by the wildlife people. And soon afterward, I had to sell the cow and her calf.” She grimaced. “We have hard times occasionally. I missed the cow, but not the daily milking. It really hurt my hands.”

He chuckled. “I tried to milk a cow once. I never could get any milk.”

“There’s an art to milking,” she agreed. “Bill McAllister taught me how. I guess he’s done a little of everything in his life.”

“I guess.” He was looking down at her curiously.

“What is it?” she asked.

“This.” He touched the silver wolf pendant he’d bought her. He smiled tenderly. “I’m glad you like it.”

“I love it,” she said, smoothing her fingers over the cool silver. “I’ll always wear it.”

His heart jumped. A simple silver pendant, and she was overjoyed to have it. One of his lovers had taken a huge dinner ring sparkling with diamonds from his hand and put it on without even a thank you.

“You don’t have expensive tastes,” he said, thinking out loud.

“Not really,” she agreed. “I’ve noticed that a lot of money doesn’t make people happy or make up for what they don’t have. Cousin Rogan lives alone. He has nobody, except me, and he spends his life traveling.”

“He might be happy doing it.”

She sighed. “I guess.”

“There are a lot of things money can buy,” he countered.