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reason I waited. He wanted to introduce you to Josh first. Josh is a good man. He was a big help to your father, and he’s been running things since—”
    Emmie looked up at the lawyer, sorrow and pain deep in her eyes. “I think we’d better get out to the Rocking R.”

Chapter Six
    E
mmie remained quiet for most of the carriage ride to the Rocking R. What she’d just learned from Mr. Gallagher troubled her. The ranch was her inheritance. She’d traveled back to Texas planning to take over running it. She was deeply disturbed to learn that this man—this Josh Grady, a man she didn’t even know—was part owner.
    In a way Emmie was a little bit glad for the distraction of her anger, for it kept her from facing the reality of what was to come next. As the miles passed and they drew closer to the Rocking R, Emmie could no longer ignore the heartache she was about to face. She was returning home—and for the first time ever, her father wouldn’t be there.
    She told herself she was strong.
    She told herself she was her father’s daughter.
    But even as she girded herself emotionally, she knew it was going to be painful entering the house and not finding him there waiting for her with a smile and a big hug.
    Millie sat across from Emmie in the carriage,watching her. She could see the haunted look in her friend’s eyes and understood why she was so silent. She didn’t try to engage her in conversation, for she knew this was the most difficult part of the whole trip for Emmie, and there was nothing she could do to make it any easier.
    It was Miss Harriet who, after riding in the carriage for nearly half an hour with no sign of civilization in sight, broke the silence. “When are we going to get to the ranch? Is it much farther?”
    Emmie looked over at the elderly lady and managed a slight, ironic smile. “We’ve been on the Rocking R for the last fifteen minutes.”
    “Oh, my,” Miss Harriet said, truly surprised. “Then where’s the house?”
    “Just a little farther on—a few more miles.”
    “The Rocking R is certainly a big ranch,” the chaperone said in amazement. “I don’t know quite what I was expecting. My experiences with country living back East were limited to visiting farms, and this is certainly nothing like a farm.”
    “Yes, it is big. It’s over forty thousand acres,” Emmie explained.
    “Goodness.” Miss Harriet looked around with more interest now.
    It was only a short time later that Emmie told them, “We’re here.”
    Emmie had described the house to Millie, but Millie was still impressed by the sight of the large two-story home in the distance, with all its outbuildings. Millie could see a group of ranch hands gathered around the corral near the stable.
    “I wonder what’s happening?” she asked.
    Emmie saw them, too. “Hard to say from this far out, but someone could be breaking a horse.”
    “There’s some kind of excitement going on,” Les agreed when he heard a rousing cheer go up from the cowboys. “Let’s go see what it is.”
    Josh got up slowly from where he’d been thrown yet another time. He picked up his hat and angrily knocked the dirt and dust from his clothes before jamming it back on. He knew he was going to be hurting tomorrow, but right now that didn’t matter. All that mattered was breaking the defiant black stallion. The look in Josh’s eyes was steely as he squared his shoulders and started after the horse, which had moved off to the far side of the corral and was standing there staring back at him.
    “What are ya goin’ to do now?” called out Steve, a young, smart-mouthed hand.
    Josh didn’t even glance his way as he answered, “I’m going to ride him.”
    The men watching heard the fierce determination in his voice and knew the stallion had thrown Josh for the last time. They watched as the foreman slowly picked up the reins and then, talking softly to the stallion in a low, calm voice, moved to mount up again.
    Josh swung up into the