voice had a husky quality that stirred long-dormant yearnings. Though she kept a calm visage, there was something troubled about the way Miss Spencer kept glancing over her shoulder. The more time he spent with her, the more he realized there was an air of mystery surrounding his lovely Good Samaritan. That ambiguity made her all the more alluring, and he fought against his curiosity. Mysteries had a way of ending badly.
While Shane struggled for a suitable reply, Owen tossed the ball toward Mrs. Lund.
She squeaked and dodged sideways, then snatched the boy’s shirt and cocked back her arm. “You did that on purpose, you little—”
“No!” Shane shouted helplessly. With Alyce in his arms, he struggled to reach Owen.
Miss Spencer threw herself before the boy and grasped Mrs. Lund’s wrist.
Gratitude rushed through him.
Mrs. Lund’s face suffused with color. “Get your hands off of me!”
“I will not stand by and watch you hit a child,” Miss Spencer declared.
Sensing the trouble he’d caused, Owen whimpered behind her skirts.
“I wasn’t going to harm the boy.” Mrs. Lund sniffed. “Not that it’s any business of yours. A woman, traveling alone. You’re no better than you should be.”
Shane moved between the two combatants. “I won’t have you insulting Miss Spencer.”
“And I won’t have this...this person questioning my intentions.”
“What were your intentions?” he challenged.
His sister-in-law gasped. “How dare you question me!”
Now what? It sure looked as if Mrs. Lund was getting ready to haul off and wallop the boy. And if that was the case, then her actions changed everything. No matter how desperate, he wasn’t leaving the children with an abusive guardian. They might not be his children by blood, but he loved them all the same, and he was honor bound to ensure they were well cared for, no matter what Abby’s wishes.
Mrs. Lund’s mouth worked, and after several tense seconds, she gathered herself. “We had an agreement. There’s no need to fuss.”
Shane rubbed his forehead. Impossible situations. He had a singular talent for landing in impossible situations. With winter coming, he’d lose the help he hired from town. The weather isolated the ranch, sometimes for weeks. He’d kept Abby’s secret about the babies—everyone assumed he was their father—and he was bound to abide by her request concerning the children’s care. Yet he questioned her sister’s intentions.
People were always hiding their true motivations. Abby had claimed she still loved him, even though she was pregnant with another man’s children. Mrs. Lund had claimed she wanted to raise the twins, when clearly she was more interested in the money. Even he was keeping secrets—Abby’s secrets. Of the three of them, only Miss Spencer had no reason for duplicity.
As though only just deciphering the situation, Miss Spencer looked between the two of them. “You’re leaving the children with her?”
Mrs. Lund tossed her head. “After seeing how he manages them, I can understand Abby’s insistence that I raise the children. They are in need of a firm hand.”
Shane turned his back on his sister-in-law and faced Miss Spencer. The disappointment in her eyes sent his words spilling forth in a hasty confession. “I live on an isolated ranch. We’re cut off from everything during the winter. It’s just my men and me.”
Miss Spencer swayed forward. “Your ranch is isolated?”
“It’s just south of Cimarron Springs. Completely off the map.”
“That sounds quite remote.” Her voice grew breathless. “And inaccessible.”
“Uh.” He wasn’t certain if there was a question buried in her statement. “Yes.”
Shane reached for Owen, who clutched Miss Spencer’s skirts all the tighter. His chest constricted. He wasn’t leaving them with Mrs. Lund, even if that meant defying Abby’s wishes. Though she was the children’s closest relative, he’d known her for less than twenty minutes. In that short time he’d seen how truly unsuitable she was for the task.
Twenty minutes.
About the same amount of time he’d known Miss Spencer. His gaze lit on Owen’s lovely rescuer. She obviously feared something or someone, though she was doing her best to cover her anxiety. She wasn’t as excited about her travels as she’d have them believe. He sensed her independent nature and her stubborn resolve, but he had his own streak of obstinacy as well.
For a moment he imagined the world from her viewpoint, and his thoughts left him unsettled. An unmarried woman without the protection of relatives had few resources. Traveling alone was dangerous, more so farther west. Did she know the trouble she courted? Was she aware of the admiring stares she evoked? A very male sense of protectiveness tightened his jaw.
Mrs. Lund reached for Owen, who cowered away. “Come along,” she ordered. “We’ve wasted enough time.”
The boy burst out crying.
“No.” Shane spoke more forcibly than he’d intended. His gaze fastened on Miss Spencer. “I’ll find another way.”
Searching for a way to gently extract herself from the tense situation, Tessa took a discreet step back. She’d already caused enough trouble for Mr. McCoy, and the more she delayed, the more trouble she caused for herself as well.
Mrs. Lund smoothed the hair from her temple. “I blame Abby for this. She never had a lick of sense. Always running with the wrong sorts of people. Look at what it got her. I suppose I should have known she’d marry someone cut from the same cloth. Blood will out, as they say.”
Tessa gazed at the two beautiful children. “Yes, blood will out.” If the twins were any indication, Abby had not been cut from the same cloth as her sister. “By way of apology, perhaps I could distract the children while the two of you speak alone.”
Shocked by her impulsive suggestion, she froze. Really, this was none of her business, and she was being terribly forward, but the poor widower looked as though he had a few choice words for his sister-in-law that were best exchanged in private.
A muscle ticked in his cheek. “I believe you’re right, Miss Spencer. Mrs. Lund and I have a great deal to discuss.”
“Call me Tessa.”
“Then you must call me Shane.”
His sister-in-law made an exaggerated show of straightening her hair and pressing her clothing with flattened palms. Tessa glanced warily between the two. There were fireworks coming, that much was certain. Mrs. Lund had best not underestimate her brother-in-law. Tessa sensed a spine of steel behind that even-tempered exterior.
Clearing her throat, Tessa drew their attention. “There’s an ice cream parlor across the street. Why don’t
