Cade watched Shane unfold himself from the sensible sedan he’d parked in front of the barn. Cade thought a man who was six-two should have a bigger car, but Shane just wanted a sensible, well-made, moderately-priced car. It seemed silly not to get something bigger he’d fit in comfortably, and that didn’t make him look like a sardine crammed into a tin can.

Cade had called Shane as soon as he saw Seth drop off their mysterious visitor, but when his brother started in with questions about her, he regretted making the call.

“Did you see her? What did she look like?” Shane asked as he approached.

“Couldn’t really see anything. Seth dropped her off up at the house and must have said ‘hi’ to Mama before he drove off. That was it,” Cade said with a shrug.

“You didn’t see anything else?” Shane asked, squinting against the glare of the sun. “Do you think she’s a friend of Uncle Josh’s daughter? Was she young? Old?”

Cade laughed and kept walking. “I think you can relax, Shane. She hardly looked like a crazed killer, and I doubt Uncle Josh would send a con artist Mama’s way. What’s got you so worked up about this?”

“Heck, I don’t know. I just worry about Mama nowadays. I know she likes setting up scholarship funds and helping everyone out, but I wish she’d do it anonymously. It’s like sticking a huge billboard out on the road that says: ʻI’ve got money, and you can take advantage of me if you want.’ It makes her vulnerable to all kinds of people.”

Cade shook his head at his brother as they took the porch steps two at a time together. “I think law school made you bitter and pessimistic, brother.”

A scowl was the only answer he got before they were at the door, looking through the inset window at the woman who had arrived less than half an hour before.

Cade hadn’t expected anyone like the petite blonde woman who sat at his mother’s kitchen table, hands wrapped around a mug as if she needed its heat. He wasn’t sure what he expected, but he knew she wasn’t it. She had long white-blonde hair that fell over her shoulders in a silky wave. Her eyes were brown, but darkened in shadow as if she needed to sleep for several days to make up for deprivation or stress. There was something hauntingly familiar about her, but the image was too vague for him to figure it out.

As he watched through the window, her beauty was plain for any to see, but it was her body language that caught his attention. She looked ready to flee at any moment. Her eyes froze on him and Shane when she saw them through the glass. Sure enough, she stood and braced herself as soon as Cade turned the door handle to walk into the kitchen. What she was braced against, he didn’t know.

Cade saw her tense, but also thought he saw a conscious effort to relax her body seconds later, as if she had practiced shielding her internal state for some time now.

“Hey, Mama. We saw our guest had arrived and thought we’d come say hello.” Cade removed his hat and nodded at the woman watching him with wary eyes.

“Boys, this is Laura. Laura, these are my boys. You’ll see Cade here on the ranch every day. Shane lives in town and works in his office there, but you’ll see him here every few days as well.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” came her quiet response. She was dignified, almost regal, as if she’d been trained how to hold herself, how to engage with people. How to put on the right show for those who watched.

Laura sat down again. Apparently, she had decided not to run but Cade couldn’t help noticing the way she slid her backpack closer to her.

“How do you know our Uncle Josh?” Shane dug right into the questions as he always did, earning frowns from Mama and an eye roll from Cade.

“Will you excuse us a minute, Laura? Shane, in the den.” May Bishop didn’t request that her son join her, and she didn’t wait for his response. It was an order. She walked into the adjoining room and Cade knew she expected Shane to follow. Cade went along, as well, sensing Laura wouldn’t feel comfortable being left alone with him so soon after meeting him.

Cade shut the door behind them to keep the conversation from Laura’s ears, but he imagined she would guess they were arguing anyway.

“Shane, I won’t say this again. That woman is welcome in my home and you won’t make her feel otherwise. Do you understand me?”

“Mama, you don’t know anything about her. She looks like trouble’s chasing hot on her tail, and we need to know what kind of trouble that is.”

May let out a huff of laughter but there was censure rather than humor in it. “You saw all that from one glance at that poor woman?”

Cade stared out the window at the long dusty drive that led to the house, waiting for his mother and brother to hash things out. He had only spent thirty seconds with the woman, same as Shane, but he could also see she was running scared. It seemed clear that the woman wouldn’t be here if she didn’t need help. And, hiding out didn’t necessarily mean she’d done anything to deserve trouble coming her way. He wasn’t as inclined as Shane to give her the third degree, although he did wish he could figure out why she looked so familiar.

“She’ll tell us why she’s here in good time, but until then you’ll treat her with respect, Shane. And, you will not question her, you hear?”

Cade didn't wait to hear Shane’s response. Laura must have heard their conversation, because the front door slammed and Cade saw their beautiful houseguest hurrying down the walkway he’d paved for Mama, backpack slung over her shoulder, blond hair swinging out behind her.

“We’ve got a runner,” Cade said as he shoved away from the window and headed for the front door. Shane caught up to him, but Mama only made it as far as the front porch. She’d need her wheelchair or help from one of them to make it any further.

“Wait here, Shane,” Cade said as he moved to catch up to the woman. Shane didn’t listen, of course. He chased down their guest, and Cade saw what was about to happen a split second too late. Much too late to stop it.

Cade knew Shane meant her no harm. He only meant to talk to her, but Shane didn’t see the things Cade did. Shane didn’t realize this wasn’t a woman you could touch casually in that way, at least not when she felt threatened and wanted to leave. Before Cade could stop his brother, Shane reached out to grab her arm.

What he saw next was predictable to him, but it broke his heart just the same. The woman dropped to the ground, crouched over, hands on her head to ward off blows she didn’t realize would never come while she was safe on their ranch. Crouched to protect herself from whatever she imagined was about to come. The sight was heart wrenching.

Shane stood over her, looking stricken, and Cade could hear Mama’s concerned questions from the porch behind him. Cade moved alongside Shane. “Go on back up to the house,” he said quietly, calmly. “Help Mama get lunch on the table. We’ll be up soon.”

Shane didn’t argue this time. His face was a mask of stunned mollification as he turned back toward the porch and left Cade and Laura alone.

Laura was mortified. She moved her hands down from around her head, but used them to cover her face and the heat she knew would be in her cheeks. She knew she looked like an idiot. She squeezed her eyes shut and breathed deeply in an effort to keep tears from falling though they burned behind her lids.

By the time she’d gotten to the ranch, she was on her very last legs, tired in a way she’d never been before. Perhaps part of that was the pregnancy, but she’d had no idea how badly the exhaustion would affect her ability to cope. One minute, she’d heard Shane talking about who she was and what trouble she might bring with her and the next, she’d known she needed to get out of there. She had to go before he started asking questions she didn’t want to answer. All of her usual defense mechanisms and coping tricks had left her when she’d heard the men coming up behind her. And when Shane had reached for her, she’d reacted to protect herself, her baby.

Now she was on the ground in an embarrassing display of stupidity and foolishness. Patrick’s voice hissed in her ear. Fool. Get up off the floor, Laura. They’ll know what an idiot you are. Always showing your background. Always showing those damn roots.

She could almost see him looking down at her as she crouched on the ground.

Laura didn’t need Patrick’s voice to tell her how stupid she looked right now. She knew it well enough herself. What would they think of her? She stayed where she was, kneeling on the ground, her face buried in her hands, making sure no tears fell to the ground. She couldn’t bring herself to face anyone after that little display. Her heart beat too quickly in her chest and she needed to calm herself.

Laura heard a soft voice behind her and heard footsteps walking back toward the house. She slid one hand to the side and saw Cade sit down next to her, arms draped casually over his drawn up knees. He kept his body angled toward the barn and didn’t reach out to her.

“We’ll just stay here a bit. When you’re ready to get up, you reach out for my arm and I'll help you up, okay?” Cade said.

Then, much to Laura’s surprise, he simply talked. He didn’t ask questions or try to figure out why she’d fallen to the ground and covered herself like the town idiot after a harmless touch. He didn’t make a big deal out of the fact that she was practically curled in a ball. He talked about nothing and everything all at once.

“I’ve always loved this time of day. Come to think of it, I love any time of day, but this time is especially nice. Middle of the day, after morning chores are done: animals fed, stalls cleaned, all turned out to pasture. After lunch, I’ve got nothing but playtime to look forward to. Ride a few of the horses. Do some training with my girl, Red.”

Cade’s voice was soothing, calming. A balm somehow on her frazzled nerves. He spoke as though he expected nothing from her, and that in itself was comforting.

“Hey, speak of the devil herself,” Cade said. There was a spark of genuine pleasure to his voice that drew Laura’s head up a bit.

When she lifted her head, she was face to face with a beautiful red dog wagging her tail, low and fast. The dog sniffed the air in Laura’s direction as if trying to get a reading of some sort, and her whole body wriggled as she came forward and licked at Laura’s hands. Hands that shook as they reached out, unsure of herself but drawn to the beautiful creature in front of her.

The dog’s eyes were warm and deep and she let Laura pet behind her silken ears. The muscles that rippled beneath the dog’s short hair spoke of power and strength, but she was gentle and timid, almost as if she saw something familiar in Laura and wanted to connect with her.

“Well, I’ll be. She really likes you,” Cade said with a laugh.

Laura looked over to see him watching as Red continued to wriggle under Laura’s pats and scratches.

“She didn’t let me touch her until today. It took me about four weeks to earn that, and here you are on the farm for an hour and she waltzes up, pretty as a picture, and lets you snuggle with her. Ms. Red, I don’t mind telling you, I’m feeling a little like a jilted lover.”

A smile tugged at the corners of Laura’s mouth. He still hadn’t pressed her for answers or tried to lure her back inside. Laura looked over at his kind green eyes that watched as she petted Red. If she didn’t get up soon, she’d either lose feeling in her legs or fall back in the dirt. With a deep fortifying breath, Laura reached out and took hold of Cade’s arm. Cade simply smiled and helped pull her to her feet. They walked inside together as if he’d only taken her for a tour of the ranch before lunch.