“I don’t think she’s forgiven him for shouting at her over the phone. I’ve tried to explain that he’s—”

“A beast like from Beauty and the Beast,” Maggie supplied. “I don’t care if he is a handsome prince. When he yells I have to cover my ears.”

“Oh, Maggie,” Savannah whispered, feeling wretched. “Grady likes you very much and wants to be your friend, too.”

“Then he shouldn’t shout at me on the phone,” she said in an eminently reasonable tone.

Savannah wanted to shake Grady. She didn’t know what had possessed him to explode at Maggie. His only excuse, weak as it was, had something to do with not knowing who was on the other end of the line.

It was getting to the point that she barely knew what to think of her own brother. She wasn’t sure who’d changed the most in the past few weeks, Grady or her. She knew having Richard around troubled him, and while Grady talked about throwing Richard out, she sensed that he struggled with what was right the same way she did. Richard was a charmer, but of the two men, Grady was the one with heart.

“Would you like to join us for dinner?” Savannah asked her friends, thinking it might help Maggie feel more comfortable with Grady. “I’ve got a huge roast in the oven, and fresh strawberry shortcake.”

“Mmm.” Maggie licked her lips. “Strawberries are my favorite.” Wide-eyed, she looked up at her mother.

“Not today, Savannah. I’ll take a rain check.”

“But Mommy...”

Maggie’s disappointment was a soothing balm to Savannah’s own. Since the phone incident Caroline hadn’t been out to the ranch. Whenever Savannah suggested she visit, her friend came up with a convenient excuse, or in this instance, just a polite refusal. It bothered Savannah and she hoped the uneasiness between Grady and Maggie would soon resolve itself.

When Savannah arrived back at the ranch, she discovered Richard sitting on the porch, strumming his guitar and singing softly. He stopped and waved when she pulled into the yard, then strolled over to the truck.

“Where were you all morning?” he asked as if her disappearance had worried him.

“Church. I thought you said you were coming with me.”

“I would’ve if you’d woken me up.”

“You’re an adult, Richard.”

His fingers stilled, the pick poised above the guitar strings. “You’re not angry with me, are you?”

She sighed. “No.”

He grinned boyishly and continued his song while Savannah went into the house. She set her Bible aside and checked the oven. The noonday meal was the primary one on Sundays. In the evening they all fended for themselves, giving Savannah time to pursue her own interests.

An hour later Savannah served the roast, and dished up hot-from-the-oven buttermilk biscuits, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, a large green salad and strawberry shortcake for dessert. The meal vanished in minutes with lavish compliments from Richard and quiet appreciation from Laredo, Wiley and Grady.

Everyone disappeared afterward, leaving Savannah to herself. The afternoon was lovely, the sky blue and bright, the sun warm without the intense heat of summer. Spring was Savannah’s favorite time of year. After spending an hour in her garden, she arranged a vase of roses and set them in the kitchen, allowing their fragrance to fill the room.

When she’d finished, she picked up her knitting and sat on the porch, Rocket stretched out beside her. There was silence all around her, except for the soughing of wind in the greening trees and the occasional distant sound of traffic from the highway. Without informing anyone of his plans, Richard had disappeared. Grady had vanished into his office to catch up on some reading and Wiley was visiting his widow friend in Brewster. She didn’t know where Laredo had gone, but she hoped he’d join her, as he often did.

Enjoying the Sunday-afternoon tranquillity, Savannah lazily worked the yarn and needles. It didn’t take long for Wade McMillen’s message to make its way into her thoughts. God-given opportunities. She mulled over the opportunities that had recently come her way. Quickly, inevitably, Laredo sprang to her mind.

Deeply absorbed in her thoughts, she wasn’t aware of his approach until he stepped onto the porch.

“It’s a lovely afternoon, isn’t it?” she said, delighted when he claimed the empty rocker beside hers. For as long as she could remember, her parents had sat in these very chairs, side by side, lifelong companions, lovers and friends.

Laredo watched her hands moving the needles and the yarn. “My mother knits, too,” he said.

“My grandmother was the one who taught me.” She reached for the pattern book and showed him the cardigan she was making for Maggie. The needles clicked gently as she returned to her task.

“Church this morning was great,” she went on. “I enjoy Wade’s sermons.” She told him about the man in the flood, and Laredo laughed at the punch line, just as she knew he would. Someday she hoped Laredo would attend services with her, but she hadn’t had the courage to ask him. Not yet.

Courage. She’d missed opportunity after opportunity in her life because she was afraid. Afraid of what, exactly, she didn’t know. No more, she decided then and there.

“Wade got me to thinking,” she said. If she didn’t tell Laredo what was in her heart now, she’d always regret letting this opportunity slip by. She used her knitting as an excuse to avoid eye contact.

“Thinking?”

“About the opportunities that have come into my life...lately.”

Laredo leaned back in the rocker and relaxed, closing his eyes.

“I’ve never dated much,” she said. “I suppose it shows, doesn’t it?”

He lifted his hat brim enough to look at her. “It’s not a disadvantage, if that’s what you’re asking.”

She felt at a disadvantage, though, talking to him about such things, but forged ahead anyway. “It’s a bit of a detriment,” she said, trying to disguise the trembling in her voice. Her heart beat so fast she felt nearly breathless.

“I wouldn’t want to change anything about you, Savannah.”

“Thank you,” she whispered, encouraged by his response.

He apparently thought their conversation was over, because he sat back in the chair once more, stretched out his legs and lowered the brim of his hat.

“There’s something I need to say and I’m not sure how to go about it.” Her fingers felt clammy and stiff, and she let the knitting lie idle in her lap as she composed her thoughts.

“You can tell me anything, you know that.”

Despite the turbulent pounding of her heart, Savannah felt a sense of calm. “Since I don’t have much experience in this kind of situation, I hope you’ll forgive me for speaking frankly.”

She had his attention now, and he lifted the brim of his Stetson with one finger. “Situation?”

Gripping the knitting needles tightly, she continued, “I need to know if there’s a proper way for a lady to speak of certain...matters with a gentleman. Matters of the heart,” she added nervously.

Laredo’s position didn’t alter, but she thought she saw him stiffen. “That part I wouldn’t know.”

“I see.” Her mouth grew dry with anxiety.

An awkward silence followed while she carefully weighed her words. “Considering that you seem to be as much at a loss as I am, perhaps the best way to discuss this would be in a straightforward manner. My mother used to say, ‘Nothing works better than the truth.’”

“Savannah...”

He tried to stop her, but she wouldn’t let him, not while she had the courage to go on. Inhaling deeply, she began to speak. “I love you, Laredo. My heart’s so full, some days I don’t think I can contain all this joy. I want to thank you, to let you know how grateful I am to have met you.”

Her words appeared to stun him. Slowly Laredo sat upright and stared straight ahead, not responding to her words at all. If they’d brought him any pleasure, he wasn’t letting it show.