Roz Denny Fox by Precious Gifts

left unsaid, yet a whole range of emotions played across her face. Jake immediately wanted to know more, and at the same time it bothered him immensely that he’d unwittingly chosen yet another distressing topic.
    Just how unconventional had her life been?
    He took another slug of the tea, then made an inane remark about the brightness of the rising moon.
    “More tea?” Hayley asked, shaking out of an odd mood. She rarely wasted time wishing for things life hadn’t seen fit to bestow on her. It wasn’t good that a man, literally a stranger, could make her yearn for experiences she’d never known.
    “I still have plenty,” Jake said in a rush. He so quickly covered the cup with his hand, that they both laughed.
    “You really don’t have to drink it,” Hayley said lightly. “I realize I didn’t make you feel very welcome. But I can’t help wondering why you’d go out of your way to drop in on me.”
    The question was direct. Jake saw there were many more unasked ones in her wary eyes. He felt unaccountably guilty and got out of the chair, tossing the contents of his cup on the ground. “It’s a mystery to me, too. You’ve proved you can take care of yourself,” he said, pointing ruefully at his head.
    “I feel bad about that. I didn’t mean—”
    “Don’t apologize. You have a perfect right to protect yourself.”
    She shivered and peered uneasily into the surrounding darkness. “I wish you’d stop making reference to vague dangers. I’m staying and that’s final.”
    “Look. I’m not aiming to scare you.” Jake set the cup down and jammed his hat on his head. “Water equals life around here. You’re sitting next to the only good drinking water for miles. Ben recognized that. He allowed the Triple C and other local ranches to install the valve setup so we could water our herds.”
    Hayley crossed her arms, studying his suddenly rigid stance. “If that was a satisfactory deal, I can probably go along with it, too.”
    “It worked reasonably well,” Jake said, shifting his gaze from her penetrating stare. “Thing is, there are plans waiting for implementation.”
    “What plans?”
    “A real pumping station and a series of canals following the natural aquifers. The local cattlemen’s association is waiting to start construction.”
    “Waiting for what?”
    Jake backed away and unlooped Mojave’s reins. “For Ben to relinquish his claim. Any of five other ranches besides the Triple C would give a lot to own this chunk of land. Not all are as community-minded as my dad. Ben picked right up on that. He promised to transfer water and mineral rights to the Triple C when his claim ran out.”
    “I see. My taking over his claim has thrown a wrench into everyone’s plans.”
    “You could say that.” Jake stepped into the stirrup and was soon gazing down on Hayley’s worried moonlit face. “Some ranchers are tired of waiting.”
    “This is the twenty-first century. People don’t jump claims anymore. Laws protect them.”
    “Along the border people write their own laws.” Jake tugged on the brim of his hat.
    “Are you threatening me?”
    “Nope. I’m trying to make you understand the situation you’ve walked into.”
    “Are you suggesting… I mean, I said I’d stand by the old agreement.”
    “That’ll help. I’ll relay that to my dad. Even then, I hope you’ll give this some added thought. The way our deal works is that whenever a rancher passes a herd near here, a vaquero rides in and opens one of the valves. You’d close it after a set time. Follow me. I’ll show you how it works.”
    “That doesn’t appear too difficult,” she said after two demonstrations.
    Jake puffed out a breath. “The men aren’t always full-timers. Some are drifters. Ranchers don’t ask a lot of personal questions before roundup. Sometimes we scrape the bottom of the barrel.”
    Hayley had lived around the mines all her life. It was the same situation. Yet how much difference did any of that