Savannah followed Nell Bishop and her two children out of the pew. Jake Bishop had been killed in a freak tractor accident three and a half years ago. They’d always seemed the perfect couple, so deeply in love—a great team, everyone said. Savannah knew life had been difficult for Nell without Jake and she admired the other woman’s strength. Nell had refused to leave the ranch, working it herself. When asked why she hadn’t sold off the spread and moved into town, Nell had simply explained that keeping the ranch was what Jake would have wanted. Walking with Nell, Savannah felt safe from gossip. The widow was a private person, as she was herself, and would never pry into her affairs.

Louise Powell stood in the vestibule, craning her neck. Savannah strongly suspected the woman wanted to grill her about Laredo.

Savannah wished there was some way she could just vanish.

“Savannah! Savannah, over here!” Louise raised one gloved hand and waved frantically.

It would do no good to avoid her, Savannah decided miserably. If there was one thing she hated more than gossip, it was being the center of attention.

As soon as she reached the vestibule, Louise was at her side. Louise had celebrated her fiftieth birthday in January and hated the thought of being a half a century old. In the weeks since, she’d changed her hairstyle and purchased a new wardrobe, trying for a younger look. Unfortunately she came across as a woman who was obviously fifty and dressed like twenty-five.

“I met your new friend!” Louise exclaimed. Savannah suspected this was Tammy Lee’s influence on her. Tammy Lee—Louise’s new friend—was a middle-aged divorcée whose reputation could charitably be described as colorful. “What a nice young man.” She paused, waiting for Savannah’s comment, but when none was forthcoming, she plowed ahead, wrapping her arm around Savannah’s waist. “I understand he’s working for you.” An annoying giggle followed. “Savannah, I wonder if we really know you, after all. I’ve always thought of you as shy and retiring, but you know what they say about still waters.” The girlish giggle returned.

“There’s someone I have to see,” Savannah said in an effort to escape.

“Laredo?” Louise asked. This was accompanied with a squeeze tight enough to make Savannah wince. “If you run out of work for him, you send him my way, understand?”

“If you’ll excuse me, please...” Savannah said a little desperately.

The Moorhouse sisters, Edwina and Lily, stepped into the vestibule, distracting Louise. Both were retired schoolteachers. Miss Edwina had been Savannah’s first-grade teacher and Miss Lily her third. The two were inseparable and Savannah loved them dearly.

“Good morning,” Savannah mumbled as she slipped past the elderly pair.

By the time she walked outside, she felt like gasping for air. Reverend McMillen stood just outside the large double doors and greeted each parishioner by name. Wade had a way of looking at a person and seeing more than the obvious. “Are you okay, Savannah?” he asked, holding her hand between both of his. “You’re looking flushed.”

“I’m fine. Just a little warm.” Her discomfort had more to do with attracting unwelcome attention. All she wanted was to hurry home before someone else had the chance to corner her.

“Savannah! Savannah!” Maggie Daniels, Caroline’s five-year-old daughter, raced to her side and proudly offered her a crayon drawing she’d made in Sunday-school class.

“Hi there, Maggie-may. What’s this?” Savannah asked, studying the paper. Maggie was her joy, the child of her heart. It had been a shock when Caroline Daniels announced she was pregnant her senior year in college. From the beginning there’d been plenty of speculation about the father of Caroline’s child, but Caroline had never said, and no one had ever asked. Caroline’s mother, Florence, had served as postmistress in Promise for years, and when she died last spring, Caroline had taken over her duties.

Maggie had apparently transferred her love for her grandmother to Savannah. It made Savannah feel privileged, and she reciprocated the child’s feelings a hundred percent. Recently Caroline had relied more and more on Savannah to babysit, but she never minded. It was a delight to spend time with the little girl.

“That’s Joseph,” Maggie explained now, pointing to a lumpish figure in her drawing.

“Ah, I see,” Savannah said. “He’s wearing his coat of many colors. Look what a good job you’ve done!”

Maggie glowed with pleasure. She tucked her small hand in Savannah’s. “Where’s Mommy?”

Savannah was about to ask the same thing. The question was answered soon enough when Caroline exited the side door with the other members of the choir. It generally took her a few moments to hang up her robe and put away the music sheets.

“Mommy, Mommy, look!” Maggie cried, rushing toward her mother, pigtails bouncing. The youngster threw her arms around Caroline as if it’d been a year since they’d seen each other.

“Would you like to join us for brunch?” Caroline asked, lifting Maggie into her arms.

Savannah declined with a quick shake of her head. “I put a roast in the oven before I left.”

“Did Louise corner you?” Caroline lowered her voice.

“She tried.”

“Hey, give the old biddy something to talk about.”

“Caroline!”

“She’s jealous, that’s all.”

“Jealous of what?” Savannah wanted to know.

“Of you. For being young and pretty and having a good-looking man in your life.”

“Laredo’s not in my life—at least not in the personal sense,” Savannah felt obliged to protest—although she wished it wasn’t true. She’d like him to kiss her or hold her hand—anything so she’d know he felt the same things she did. Once she’d caught him looking at her and she thought he seemed...interested, but she couldn’t be sure. If she’d had more experience, she’d know.

“Well, more’s the pity,” Caroline said with a laugh. “A little romance would do you a world of good.”

“What about you?” Caroline was a fine one to talk. Savannah couldn’t remember the last time her friend had gone out on a date.

“Me? Romance?” Caroline shook her head. “No, thanks. I’ve had enough romance to last me a lifetime.”

“Oh, Caroline, don’t allow one negative experience to sour you forever.”

Sadness dimmed her eyes, although Caroline made an effort to hide it. “Some people are meant to fall in love, and then there are people like me...” Her words faded and she looked away.

Savannah’s heart went out to her, but she didn’t know what else to say.

***

Laredo heard Wiley whistling in the back of the bunkhouse. The old coot was certainly in a good mood. By nature the foreman appeared to be an easygoing sort, but this afternoon he was downright cheerful.

Stitching a stirrup, Laredo inserted the needle into the worn leather. No one had asked him to repair the saddle, but he had time on his hands, and keeping himself occupied was better than sitting around doing nothing. He wasn’t a man who could remain idle long.

Although it was none of his concern, he’d visited the barn and inspected the horses. They were well cared for and in good health. Widowmaker, the stallion kept for breeding purposes, reminded Laredo of Grady. Man and beast shared the same temperament—although he figured he’d have a better relationship with Widowmaker than he ever would with Grady. Horses instinctively recognized Laredo as a friend. He shared an affinity with them that was the key to his success as a wrangler. From the time he was a toddler he’d enjoyed working with his father and their horses.

One of his fondest childhood memories was of his father holding him high enough to pet and talk to Midnight, a beautiful roan gelding. Memories of his father were few and far between. Laredo had been six when word came that Russell Aaron Smith had been killed in a country with a name he couldn’t pronounce. He’d bled to death in a rice field six thousand miles from home. Shortly afterward Laredo’s mother had moved back with her parents, into the very house where she’d been born, and had never remarried. His grandfather was a good man, patient and caring, but he’d owned an office-supply store and didn’t understand Laredo’s love of the country or his passion for horses.