“He’s not a scoundrel,” she said. “And what I was saying is that you both have work to do. Didn’t I ask you to finish checking that fence today? I saw another section down when I drove back here yesterday. We’re going to be moving the herd in a few weeks and I don’t want them wandering off our land. We can’t afford to lose a single head.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Dooley said, his tone respectful, even if he was regarding her with a worried frown that suggested he wasn’t entirely certain she was in command of things.

After both men had left, she sat down with a sigh. Who was she kidding? She might be in charge, but she was only holding on to this place by a thread. She knew well enough what needed to be done, but she didn’t have the resources to make much of it happen. Lately it seemed she lacked the stamina as well. She simply wanted to crawl under the covers and sleep the winter away.

For a brief time Grady’s presence had stirred her out of that depressing inertia, but now that he was no longer around, she couldn’t seem to shake it.

The welcome ringing of the phone jarred her out of her misery.

“Hey, girl,” Lauren said, her cheerful voice bringing a much needed smile to Karen’s lips.

“Hey, yourself. What’s up in Tinseltown? I need some hot Hollywood gossip to perk me up.”

“Since when do you care about celebrity gossip?”

“It’s the closest I’m likely to come to having any glamour in my life,” Karen said. “Come on. Spill something absolutely titillating.”

“Sorry. I’ve been holed up trying to learn my lines for this new movie. Brad Pitt could get married and I wouldn’t know it.”

“Brad Pitt did get married,” Karen pointed out with a chuckle. “Ages ago, in fact.”

“See what I mean? I’m oblivious.”

“What good is it having a friend who’s a superstar if you never know any hot secrets?”

“I do know one,” Lauren retorted. “I know that a certain rancher has been seen hanging out with her mortal enemy. Quite an intense little tête-à-tête from what I heard.”

“Cassie blabbed,” Karen said with a resigned sigh. She should have known her friend would make way too much out of that public appearance she and Grady had made at Stella’s. It had probably taken all of fifteen seconds for her to spread the word to the others.

“I never reveal a source,” Lauren said loftily. “So, what’s the scoop with the sexy Mr. Blackhawk? Are you two becoming an item after all?”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Karen snapped, pushing back the thought of those two steamy kisses. “Even if I was attracted to him, which I’m not, how could I get involved with Grady?”

“Because of Caleb,” Lauren said flatly.

“Of course because of Caleb.”

“You have to live your life for you now,” Lauren reminded her, her tone gentle. “I’m not saying you shouldn’t remember Caleb, but you can’t take on his baggage, Karen. If you like Grady, if you want to spend time with him, that’s your decision to make.”

“Not according to the Hansons,” Karen said dryly.

“Oh, what do they know?” Lauren said, dismissing the importance of the opinion of Karen’s former in-laws. “Besides, they’re in Arizona.”

“With a direct hotline to the gossip in Wyoming,” Karen reported.

“Ignore them,” Lauren advised.

“How can I? They’re Caleb’s parents.”

“So naturally they’re going to be upset if you get involved with someone new. They’ll get over it.”

“Not if it’s Grady,” Karen said flatly.

“Then you are interested,” Lauren said, seizing on her slip and obviously concluding that Karen regretted being unable to act on her fascination with the man.

Karen sighed. “I don’t know how I feel about him.”

“Is he pressuring you to decide that right this second?”

“No. Actually he hasn’t been around much lately. Not since the morning Cassie saw us together. I think something I said or did upset him, but I can’t imagine what. He’s a very complex man.”

“A break may be exactly what you need. Give it some time. You’re a smart woman. You’ll sort out your feelings when the time is right.” Lauren hesitated, then asked, “Do you want me to come home? I’m a pretty good judge of character.”

“Oh, really? I can list two lousy marriages that say otherwise.”

“Ouch,” Lauren said. “No one can see their own mistakes until it’s too late. Everyone else’s, however, are crystal clear. An outside opinion wouldn’t hurt and I can be there tomorrow.”

“No. You’ve put your career on hold enough for me as it is. I can’t ask you to come running every time I get scared.”

“Scared?” Lauren teased. “Of Grady or yourself?”

“Maybe both,” Karen admitted.

“You listen to me, Karen Hanson. Nobody I know has a better head on her shoulders than you do. Trust your instincts. And any time you want me there for backup, you call. I can drop everything and be there in a few hours. To tell the truth, I like feeling needed for a change. Say the word and I’ll be back there mucking out stalls and working with the horses for as long as you need me.”

Karen was so startled by the heartfelt sincerity of the offer that she was at a loss for words. It wasn’t the first time the offer had been made, but something in her friend’s voice suggested that she was truly hoping to be asked to rush home.

“Stunned into silence?” Lauren asked.

“Truthfully, yes. You’ve hinted around about wanting to come home for good, but that’s the first time you’ve come right out and said it. What’s wrong, Lauren? What haven’t you been telling us?”

“There’s nothing wrong,” her friend assured her. “Nothing I can put my finger on anyway. I’m sure whatever it is, I’ll get over it. But the offer stands, no matter what. If you need me, just say the word.”

“Thank you,” Karen said softly. “And…Lauren?”

“What?”

“If you need to be here, don’t wait for an invitation. I’ve got a room waiting any time you want to come. I mean that. And if it’s hard physical work you’re looking for, I can supply that, too.”

“I know you mean it. and I love you for saying it. Take care, sweetie.”

“You, too.”

Karen had barely hung up when she realized she wasn’t alone. She turned to find Grady standing just outside the screen door. Still troubled by her conversation with Lauren, she barely spared him a glance. And this time, she refused to get her hopes up. His habit of coming and going when she least expected it was too disconcerting.

“Anything wrong?” he asked, his expression concerned as he stepped inside without waiting to be invited.

“Not with me,” she said, injecting a false note of cheer into her voice. She was not going to discuss Lauren’s odd mood with a man she didn’t entirely trust. If it wound up being splashed all over the tabloids, she would never forgive herself.

Even as the thought of Grady pitching such personal information to a tabloid ran through her mind, she scolded herself over the absurdity of it. Why would he do such a thing? He certainly didn’t need the money. And he was trying to prove to her that he was trustworthy. Wouldn’t such a deliberate act of betrayal be counterproductive? It just proved how deep her own distrust ran.

“I thought I’d stop in and let you know that I’ll be out helping Hank and Dooley today. The fence along the highway is down.”

“I know. I spotted it yesterday. They’re out there now. They can handle it.”

“I’m sure they’d be grateful for an extra pair of hands.”

Her gaze narrowed. “Look, it’s been obvious the past few days that you have a life of your own to live. You don’t have to keep doing this.”

“Doing what?”

“Pitching in around here. Stay home and take care of your own chores.”

Amusement lurked in the depths of his eyes. “So you did miss me?”

“I never said that.”

“You didn’t have to.”

She frowned at him. “Is that why you stayed away, so I’d miss you?”

“No,” he said curtly. “Now let me make this clear for the last time. I don’t mind helping out around here. I like the company.”