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me.  I’m an unexpected guest, and I’d like to be more help than hinder.  Especially since I’ll be taking Stoney away from you for the next four weeks.”
    Adele smiled warmly.  Melanie had the faint feeling there was more behind the smile than mere graciousness.  “The cups are in the cabinet over the dishwasher.”
    Melanie opened the pine cabinet door, grabbed a mug covered with painted daisies, and poured herself a cup of black coffee.  Adele was still busy at the kitchen table, measuring out some dried food into tiny zip lock bags.
    “Stoney always did like the beef jerky and fruits I dry every year.  I used to stuff a pack full for him and Joshua when they used to go out camping.  They haven’t done that in a while.”
    “Stoney spends most of his time on the ranch then?”
    Adele looked up, a flash of pain crossed her face, but it was gone just as soon as it came.  “He’s been home this year...since the fire.  Up until last year he was spending most weekends at rodeos.”
    Melanie pulled the ceramic mug from her lips before she could take a sip of the hot liquid.  “He’s a rodeo cowboy?”
    Adele chuckled.  “A bull rider.  Not that it’s hard to tell.  Only the stubborn ones are fool enough to ride bulls.”
    She took a sip of coffee and let the liquid seep down her throat and warm her stomach before commenting.  “Seems dangerous.”
    “That never stopped Stoney.”  Adele stopped filling a Ziploc bag in mid-motion.  “He’s been a fearless creature since his little feet started running across this kitchen floor.  Been riding since he was a kid.  He got hurt pretty bad a few years ago.  His hand got hung up in the leather strap they use to stay on the bull.  That animal tossed him about just like a rag doll.”  She shook her head and looked as if she were lost in a memory.  She began filling the bag again.  “I’m glad I wasn’t there to see it.  A mother should never watch her son do crazy things like that.  He’s much safer up in the mountains with you than on the back of some mean old bull, if you ask me.”
    Melanie got the feeling she’d be safer taking her chances with the bull than the likes of Stoney Buxton.  “Speaking of Stoney.  Where is he?”
    “He and Wally have been up since four o’clock.  There’s a lot of work around the ranch that needs to be done.  Mitch had some last minute obligations he had to take care of before tomorrow, but he’ll be ready then.”
    Melanie helped Adele prepare a cowboy’s breakfast of steak, eggs and hash browns.  She was surprised to see as much sweat and dirt on Wally as she did on Stoney when they finally made their way to the kitchen table.  No doubt they’d already done a day’s worth of work.
    Later on that day, Melanie ventured out to the make shift stable.  It was crude, just a few stalls to house the horses.  She found Stoney there, cleaning the stalls.  The scent of manure and the fresh hay he was forking filled the air.
    “I’d like to help,” she said.
    Stoney stood up straight and turned to her, perspiration slick over his face.  He fixed her with a hard stare for a few minutes.  Not of anger or irritation, but of uncertainty.  “That’s not necessary.” 
    “I know.  I want to.”
    He went back to the task at hand, turning his back to her.  “I wouldn’t want you to chip a nail or anything.  Mess up that nice manicure of yours.”
    She should have wanted to leave him be, seeing he was obviously letting her know that she was out of place there.  But she was getting bored just sitting around the house doing nothing but watching Adele whirl around from one room to the next doing chores.  Adele insisted that Melanie was a guest and should just relax.  But how could she relax when Stoney and Wally were out in the yard working on Lord knows what, trying to get ahead so Stoney could leave tomorrow?  Since she was the reason he’d be off the ranch, the least she could do was pitch