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whole truth but would be soon enough.
    Changying eyed his bandages but didn’t look underneath them, which was a very good thing. “Your fever is slight, Mr. Constantine,” she said in her soft lilt. “Your skin is no longer burned. You have healed very quickly.”
    â€œIf I have, ma’am,” Jacob said, “it was your care that did it.”
    She frowned a little, her dark eyes probing his. He could feel her curiosity and doubt, but she set them aside and reached for the mug.
    â€œPlease drink this,” she said.
    Jacob took in a deep whiff of the stuff. It smelled like some kind of tea made with herbs, but he didn’t recognize the plant from which the powder had been ground.
    He would have been a fool to drink it anywhere else. But he read people pretty well, and there was nothing about the Chinese woman—about any of them but Serenity—to suggest they wanted to do him anyharm. His body would tell him soon enough if the tea was bad.
    So he drank it, and a deep, penetrating warmth spread throughout his body. The slightly bitter taste lingered on his tongue.
    â€œIt will help you sleep and cool your blood,” Changying said.
    â€œBut he just woke up!” Frances protested. She leaned toward Jacob as if she were standing on the edge of a mesa ready to throw herself off. “Where do you come from, Mr. Constantine? Why were those men trying to kill you?”
    â€œHe can answer those questions later,” Serenity said. “I think Changying would prefer we leave him to his rest.”
    The Chinese woman rose and bowed toward Serenity. “It would be best, yes.”
    With a little pout, Frances allowed Bonnie to lead her away.
    Changying touched Serenity’s arm.
    â€œWill you sleep?” she asked.
    â€œSoon.” Serenity smiled—a full, warm, affectionate smile—and gave a little bow to Changying in return. “Thank you, Mei Mei.”
    Changying returned a small smile and retreated. Serenity stared after her, the smile fading.
    An odd sensation, as if he were floating on cotton and clouds, seeped through Jacob’s body. It made him feel almost peaceful.
    â€œThose women…live here with you?” he asked Serenity.
    â€œThose women,” she said, looking down at him, “are my friends and fellow workers here at Avalon.”
    Well, he’d known Changying and Frances had been with her during the gunfight, even if he’d been only half-aware of their presence most of the time. But he still wondered why none of her male hands had looked in on him, if only out of curiosity. If she was so suspicious of him, why hadn’t she sent one of them to stand watch over him?
    â€œI told you I didn’t think Leroy’s men would follow me,” he said, his words beginning to slur, “but it would be a good idea for you to send some of your men to keep a lookout. Is your foreman—”
    â€œWe have no foreman,” she said, a flame of defiance dancing in her eyes. “There are no men here.”
    No men. For the second time he had to think before he was sure he’d heard her right. No men? None at all?
    No wonder she kept a hand on her Peacemaker, and looked at him as if he might jump up and throw himself on her like a savage. Jacob couldn’t think how a ranch run only by women could exist in the first place.
    He wanted to ask her how such a thing was possible, how far they were from where they’d found him, what defenses they had against marauders…all the things he would consider if he had to arrange protection for people incapable of taking care of themselves. Not that he’d had to do anything like that for years, much less wanted to now.
    But he’d lived by the Code almost from the day Ruth had died, when he’d realized that it was either that or become exactly what he hated. He had devoted himself to the cause of bringing criminals like Ruth’s killers tojustice, but having