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“You had to leave this.” Her gaze returned to his. “And because I think it hurt your heart.”
    Boone wasn’t sure what unsettled him most. That she saw too close to a weary soul, or that she thought the ranch was a place to cherish. But he did know he didn’t like how she saw too much.
    “Wouldn’t think this place would look like much to a woman like you.”
    “It has its own beauty. A little light on the amenities, if you need bright lights and noise.”
    “And you do, don’t you?” He watched her closely.
    “Why do you think you know anything about me, Boone? And who are you to tell me what I like and don’t like?” Her chin jutted out and those gray eyes sparked.
    Damn, he wanted to kiss away that stubborn line of her lips. But he was already sure it wouldn’t be enough to cure this growing fascination.
    “Let’s just say I know only certain women can handle an isolated place like this, and you aren’t one of them. You don’t belong here, Maddie Collins. You’d never stick.”
    She crossed her arms over her chest. “Good thing I’ve sworn off men like you for good. I don’t have to care what you think.”
    “What do you mean, men like me?”
    “Doesn’t feel too good, does it?” She cocked one eyebrow.
    Boone couldn’t decide whether to laugh or argue. Sass and a sharp mind, a dangerous combination. And altogether too intriguing.
    “Boone, come here—quick,” Sonny called out. “We’ve got a break in the fence line and cows out on the road.”
    He handed the puppy back to Maddie and rose quickly. “Anybody ever say you got a mouth on you, Maddie Rose?”
    Her gray eyes crackled with energy. “Why, thank you.” Her smile went wide and way too inviting.
    Boone shook his head, but when he walked away, he was grinning.

    Maddie crossed the front porch after her evening walk. Dinner—or supper, as they called it around here—had been strained, the silences outweighing the conversation. Vondell asked questions about Boone’s assessment of the ranch, about Maddie’s life, her gambit to have each of them speak to the other failing miserably. Boone had reverted to the man of few words, listening when Maddie spoke, responding to Vondell, but initiating no conversation himself.
    Maddie herself had mostly sat uncharacteristically quiet, all too aware of the man sitting across the table. An enigma, he was, and one Maddie shouldn’t want to solve. Her curiosity had gotten her in hot water all too often in her life. Boone stirred it up again. Though he hid it well, a deep sadness peered from those shadowed blue eyes. Yet true affection shone from his gaze when he looked at Vondell. With the hands, he seemed relaxed. Only when she was around did he turn into a block of stone. This afternoon it had almost seemed like he was teasing her, but tonight the glowering stranger had returned.
    Can you blame him, Maddie? You waltzed into this place and stole his home .
    No. She hadn’t stolen it. Sam Gallagher had given it away. Very soon Boone would have it back. As soon as she could possibly make it happen. This vacation had derailed on its very first day.
    Yet the peace and quiet she had longed for was certainly abundant. Well, maybe not the peace, but definitely the quiet. It was almost eerie. Night sounds she didn’t recognize had kept her awake longer than she would have liked.
    Maddie stepped onto the porch and turned around, struck anew by the vista. Gentle hills rolling on to the sunset, the only sounds the wind, the soft lowing of cattle, the excited barking of a dog. She drew in a deep breath, realizing how her heartbeat slowed in time with the rhythm of a place that still bore the look of its past. If she ignored the power lines, she could be looking at this country as it was a hundred years ago.
    Too slow for her, that was for sure. She had a lot of life to live yet…if only she could figure out how she wanted to do it. But still… There was something about this place that made her