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around to face him and was victim once more to the attraction that was as powerful as it was unexpected and unwanted.
    “I know you’re not happy your father invited me to travel with his wagon.”
    “I’m glad he did,” Ethan said. “Maybe you can teach me to shoot like you can.”
    “I’ll be happy to,” Colby replied, “but I want to assure your sister I’ll do my best to stay out of her way.”
    “She’s just upset about the attack and Abe and Toby being killed. She’ll be okay by tomorrow.”
    Colby directed a wry smile at Ethan. “It’s been my experience that a woman’s sensibilities are more delicate than a man’s. If you don’t want to spend the rest of your life as a bachelor, you’d best remember that.”
    “Naomi’s not like Cassie,” Ethan assured Colby. “She’s as tough as any man.”
    “Maybe so, but I expect she would enjoy a little pampering now and then.”
    Ethan turned to Naomi, puzzled. “Would you?”
    Naomi itched to smack him. “Both of you are talking nonsense.” She directed her attention to Colby. “I’m too old to want or need pampering, and you don’t have to stay out of my way. You have a job to do that is more important than my feelings.”
    “There’s no reason I can’t do my job and still consider your feelings.” His gaze narrowed. “I wish I knew why you disliked me.”
    “I don’t dislike you. I don’t even know you.”
    “Then why do you distrust me?”
    “For the same reason.”
    “Did you know Mr. Greene before he was hired?”
    Naomi wasn’t about to be backed into a corner. “I expect you’ll want us to start moving soon. Will we travel into the night?”
    Colby’s smile said he’d accepted her decision, but this wouldn’t be the end of it. “We need to cover as much ground as possible. We often get violent storms in June. We don’t need water-starved livestock dragging us into a swollen stream.”
    “My father’s wagon will be ready to leave when you give the command.”
    Naomi turned away, but Colby’s voice caused her to halt.
    “I have my own grub.”
    Naomi turned. “As long as you’re my father’s guest, you’ll eat with us.”
    Unwilling to strain her self-control any further, she hurried off. Somehow between now and tomorrow she had to learn how to stop being attracted to Colby Blaine. Now that he’d shown an unexpected depth of understanding, that was going to be harder than she expected.
    ***
    Colby didn’t like the look of the sky. He wanted to make at least five more miles before they stopped for the night.
    “Gosh. The breeze is picking up real fast.”
    Ben Kessling had begged to ride alongside Colby. He had always wished he could have found his brothers, but now he was reconsidering. The youth had pummeled him with questions from the moment the caravan started moving.
    “It’s doing more than picking up fast,” Colby said. “It’s building up to a storm. Ride back and tell everybody to make sure everything is tied down. Inside and out,” he called back to the boy who had taken off at a gallop, delighted to have something important to do.
    Colby had experienced many storms over the years, but never one that built up this fast. Ben wasn’t out of sight before he saw a wall of water coming at them with the speed of a train. This was the kind of storm that could spawn a tornado. He wheeled his horse and galloped back to the following wagons.
    “Circle up!” he shouted as he rode from one wagon to another. “Unhitch the stock and herd them in the middle.”
    They took too long and didn’t do it the right way, but this was no time to try to teach proper circling. The most important thing now was keeping everybody safe. Seeing one team of mules on the verge of breaking from the circle, Colby grabbed the bridle of the outside mule. Using his Appaloosa’s body, he forced the mules back into the circle.
    By the time the circle had closed up, the storm was upon them. Rain came at them in horizontal sheets,