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worn-out.” He glanced sidelong at Katie. Her lovely red hair was pulled back neatly at the sides and hung down long and lustrous. Her eyes were as green as a grassy valley in the spring, and right now her cheeks were crimson with what Lloyd knew was embarrassment over her parents’ too-obvious solicitude.
    â€œHello, Lloyd,” she said softly. “Thank you for stopping by.”
    â€œJust thought I’d follow up on some rumors about rustling,” he told her, sticking to the excuse for now. Still…he saw an expectancy in her eyes.
    She held his gaze in mutual understanding, putting her hands to her cheeks as though to cool them off. “Mother and I just finished baking some sweet-potato pies. Would you like a piece?”
    Lloyd nodded. “Sounds fine.” He forced himself to turn his attention to Pat. “Got any ideas who might be giving your neighbors problems?”
    â€œThe same idea you probably have. Indians. The sneaky devils are upset over settlers moving in on what’s supposed to be theirs, but how are we supposed to ignore free land, Lloyd? The government says we have a right to be here, so here we are.”
    Lloyd took note of Katie’s slender fingers as she set a piece of pie in front of him. “Thank you,” he told her, giving her another smile. “It’s a good thing I don’t come out here too often. I’d be fat in no time from you and your mother’s cooking.”
    Katie’s eyes sparkled with pleasure. “I’m sure your mother is a good cook too. I’ve heard your father rave about her bread and fried chicken.”
    Lloyd laughed lightly. “Yeah, that’s true. I swear he loves that bread Mom makes as much as he loves the woman herself.”
    â€œAh, and anyone can tell how much your folks love each other,” Pat added.
    â€œI tease him about that all the time,” Lloyd joked.
    Katie turned away to cut more pie, and Lloyd thought she might be embarrassed at their frank talk. “Pa and I have a pretty good connection with most of the Indians in these parts, Pat,” Lloyd told him, changing the subject back to rustlers. “Pa thinks it’s maybe a few Indians bribed with whiskey and guns who are doing the rustling for white men. It’s hard to keep up with everything that goes on in this godforsaken country. We don’t get a lot of help out here. The government keeps promising to send soldiers, but so far we haven’t seen any. We’ve been out three weeks just hunting down the riffraff we brought in today. We could call in other marshals, but Pa likes to work alone, and the others have their hands full in their own territories—let alone the constant hunt for the Dalton gang.”
    â€œAye, it’s a hard and dangerous job.”
    Lloyd sobered. “It was Pa who killed Jack. He has a son who lives in town named Brad. He’s a no-good himself, and he’ll be really angry when he sees my pa bring his own father in draped over a horse. I’m a little worried about him making trouble.”
    â€œWell, I expect it’s not something your pa can’t handle.”
    Lloyd swallowed a bite of pie. “I know that. It’s just that he’s my father, and I owe him. He’s taught me so much, Pat, and I can’t help worrying about him.”
    â€œAye, it’s because you love him, boy. It’s only natural.”
    Lloyd finished his pie. “Well, things are fine for now. After a few days’ rest, Pa and I will go talk to what’s left of the Bryant family.”
    â€œSure ’n’ you should stay together. Neither one of you should be goin’ over to visit that bunch alone. There’s too many, and I don’t doubt some of them have no problem shootin’ a man in the back.”
    â€œNow, now, let’s not speak of such things at the table,” Clara scolded. “Lloyd, I hope you don’t mind sleepin’ in