Reckless Heart by Barbara McMahon Page A

in the ignition. Climbing up into the cab, she slammed the door and took stock. How hard would it be? A bit different from a car, he’d said. But everything looked the same. She adjusted the seat. Josh or Lance must have driven it last, the seat was so far back. Fiddling with the mirror, she took a deep breath and started the engine.
    No one came to see who had started the truck. In fact, she hadn’t seen hide nor hair of anyone since Josh passed through the house sometime after breakfast, fully dressed in his dry clothes. Which reminded her, she hadn’t put that second wash load in the dryer. Slowly she reversed the truck until she stopped by the back door. Putting it into park, she dashed inside to pull the dry clothes from the dryer and pile them on top, throw the clothes in the dryer, start the last wash load.
    In only moments she turned onto the highway that led to Cheyenne, pleased she had managed on her own and forgotten nothing. Her confidence soared.
     
     
    By the end of the week, Molly felt much more secure in her position. She'd mastered shopping, meal planning, and even cooking. Only once during the week had she burned anything and she had hidden the evidence before the men discovered it. Though a couple of them sniffed the air suspiciously.
    The house shone. She’d cleaned everything from top to bottom, including Josh’s bedroom. Laundry still proved a challenge to remember to put wet clothes in the dryer, but she made it a habit to wander into the laundry room just after mealtime.
    But her book had suffered. Too tired at night to do anything but fall into bed, she hadn't written anything.
    Determined to get busy on the novel, she hurried through her chores Friday morning, giving the house a lick and a promise. Since everything had been cleaned in the last couple of days, there was little to do. She made a huge pot of stew, set it on the stove to simmer slowly, and wiped up after lunch.
    The afternoon loomed free and she planned to take full advantage of it.
    For the first time since she arrived, she wanted to go outside and discover what she could about the ranch.
    Strolling to the barn, Molly avidly took in everything her eyes spotted. The few horses in the corral dozed in the early afternoon sun, one back leg bent, resting on the tip of a hoof, heads lowered, eyes closed.
    The blue and white pickup she’d driven to the store was parked nose in by the gray barn. She smiled as she remembered how proud she’d felt the other day when she reached home without mishap. And the long assessing look Josh had given her when he found out she’d taken the truck and done enough shopping to last a couple of weeks.
    The wide double doors of the barn stood open and the cavernous interior looked dark and mysterious compared to the bright sunshine. The scent of hay and horses mingled in the breeze. It was hushed, no voices murmured in the background. Most of the men were out on the range somewhere. Doing tallies, she remembered. Only four had been in for lunch.
    She paused in the doorway to let her eyes adjust to the dimmer light. The hayloft ran the length of the barn on both sides, open in the middle. Bales of hay stacked up five high lined the walls. Loose hay drifted over the edge when the breeze gusted. The stalls were empty. The door to the tack room stood open and Molly headed for it.
    Jack leaned back in a chair, rubbing saddle soap into a set of reins. He glanced up when she stepped inside.
    “Hi. I’m taking a walk,” Molly said brightly.
    “Howdy. Set a spell. Finally wanting out of the house?”
    “Yes. I’ve caught up on all the work that needs doing right away. I thought I’d find out more about the ranch.”
    “Any questions, ask away.”
    Molly glanced around. Jack had the only chair and she wouldn’t ask him to give it up. She took a blanket from a hook on the wall and folded it on the floor, sinking down so she could watch Jack work as he talked.
    A million questions bubbled up. Some from her