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didn’t know what to do. I’ve seen that CPR stuff on TV, but I didn’t know how to do it. Not the right way, anyway. I tried and tried, but nothing helped.”
    Sobs shook her shoulders. “I didn’t mean for him to die,” she whispered brokenly, launching herself at Jake. Her skinny little arms wound so tightly around his neck that he could scarcely breathe. “Sometimes I said I hated him and sometimes I said I wished he were dead, but I never meant it. Never.”
    â€œOh, baby, I know that,” Jake soothed, feeling totally out of his depth. “Tex was sick. It wasn’t your fault.”
    â€œBut if I hadn’t come, maybe he wouldn’t have gotten sick.”
    â€œNo. That’s not the way it works. He’d been sick for a while. He told me that himself. His heart just gave up. It could have happened anytime. I promise you, you had nothing to do with it.”
    Slowly Tess’s sobs subsided. She sniffed, accepted Jake’s handkerchief and blew her nose. She blinkedaway the last of the tears and regarded him evenly. “I got an idea.”
    â€œWhat’s that?”
    â€œI’m thinking I should come and live with you.”
    Jake realized he had walked right smack into that one. He’d made it a point to spend time with Tess the past couple of weeks, anticipating what might happen, knowing the kid would need a friend until she adjusted to all the upheaval.
    Not that seeing Tess had been any sacrifice. She was bright and funny, and she did have a mouth on her. She didn’t like him, didn’t trust him and had no qualms about telling him just that. Jake had overlooked it all and stayed the course. The fact that she was willing to turn to him now proved he’d done the right thing. With persistence, he’d slipped past her defenses. It was critical to tred carefully.
    He took her hands in his and kept his gaze on her face. “Honey, you know that’s not possible. I explained it to you before. Tex named Megan your legal guardian in case anything happened to him.”
    â€œBut she doesn’t want me,” Tess said, wrenching herself free. Hands on hips, she faced him. “You know she doesn’t. I’ll mess up her life.”
    â€œIt’s going to take a little time for her to get used to the idea, just the way it took time for you to get used to being here with Tex. Everybody’s real upset about Tex right now. I told you before, I’ll be around. You can come to me with any problem, but you can’t live with me.”
    â€œThen I’ll go find my mom.”
    Jake had anticipated that sooner or later that thought would occur to her. Rather than squashing thenotion outright, he asked quietly, “Any idea where she is?”
    â€œNo, but I can find her. I’ll just ask a lot of questions till somebody tells me. She’s probably back in Laramie. That’s where we lived before she brought me here.”
    Jake knew better. He’d searched Laramie for some trace of Tess’s mother himself. “Honey, she’s probably moved on.”
    â€œI can find her. I know it.”
    â€œTell me something,” Jake said. “Do you study geography in school?”
    â€œSure.”
    â€œThen you know it’s a big country. Your mom could be anywhere.”
    She stared at him, then. A look of utter defeat crossed her face. “It could take forever, then, couldn’t it?”
    â€œI’m afraid so.”
    â€œIt’s not fair,” she whispered. “Nothing’s fair.”
    â€œNo,” he said gently. “There’s nothing fair about losing your dad almost before you really got a chance to know him. There’s nothing fair about your mama running out on you. But it is going to work out, Tess. I swear to you. Megan’s got a good heart. You’ll get along well enough.”
    â€œYou can’t make her care about me,” she said, with the weary