Roz Denny Fox by Precious Gifts Page A

make? Her slick-talking husband, for instance, had been employed by a company that prided itself on doing employee background checks. She also had grave reservations about Tilford, the deputy sheriff who’d befriended Joe. “I’ll take my chances,” she murmured. “I’m working this claim.”
    “All right. By the way, do you have a cell phone? Then you could call me for help if you needed to. I’ll leave you my cell number and our number at the ranch.”
    Hayley’s face broke into a huge grin. “I’m living on a shoestring. Sorry for laughing, but cell phones aren’t in my limited budget.”
    Jake walked the restless gelding around in a circle and stopped, facing Hayley again. “Sometimes it pays to be safe rather than sorry.”
    “Sometimes. But if I had extra money, I’d buy a few laying hens and maybe a cow. Tinned milk or recombined doesn’t compare to fresh.”
    A surge of empathy washed over Jake. Then he brightened. She’d just given him an excuse to keep tabs on her. “I’ll see if I can round up some hens. Cows are harder to come by. We’re a long way from grocery stores. Folks tend to prize milk cows.”
    “I doubt I can afford one, anyway.”
    “If you don’t object to my stopping by, I can bring you a quart of milk now and again.”
    “I dislike being beholden.”
    “No strings attached.” Jake wanted to snatch back the words the minute they left his mouth. All favors came with strings. He wasn’t exactly sure how that related to his confused feelings about this foolishly brave woman who seemed so pitifully alone standing there in the clearing. He only knew he’d find excuses to look in on her.
    “In that case—” Hayley flashed another grin “—I’ll try to be more gracious next time.”
    “I’ll hold you to it. Well, I’ve got a ride ahead of me and you still haven’t had your supper. Warm up that hash. It’s not good for a hardworking woman to go to bed on an empty belly.”
    Automatically Hayley clutched a belly that was far from empty. Jacob Cooper’s odd silver-gray eyes were far too penetrating—as if they could expose all her secrets. Not that she was ashamed of being pregnant. But it wasn’t something she felt comfortable disclosing. Not trusting herself to speak, Hayley bent and petted his dog, then lifted her hand to toss Jake a casual wave.
    “Take care.” His words swirled around Hayley’s head in the wake of his leaving. She stood next to the firelight for some time after the sound of hoofbeats had faded. The call of night birds and the singing of cicadas had resumed before Hayley finally took her eyes off the shadowy scrub brush through which Jacob had disappeared.
    She didn’t understand the wash of emptiness that assailed her whenever this man, a man she barely knew, rode out of her life. As a girl, and then as a woman, she’d spent untold hours left to her own devices. She didn’t scare easily. At least, she’d never imagined bogeymen behind every little noise.
    Hayley uttered a snort of disgust loud enough to still all the night creatures for a moment. Knowing she had to keep up her strength for the sake of the baby, she deliberately finished the plate of unappetizing hash. Then she banked the fire and went to bed—and pushed aside visions of Jacob Cooper to lay careful plans for her first dig the next morning.
     

    J AKE SET A STRAIGHT COURSE for the Triple C. He felt as if he’d gained some ground with Hayley Ryan with respect to the spring. Now he was interested in finding out what, if anything, his parents had learned about her in Tombstone.
    The house was brightly lit when he rode in. Eden’s bright red Jeep Cherokee sat next to the front porch. That was good. He could deliver Dillon’s message and apologize for having given away the food Eden had lovingly prepared for her husband. Jacob preferred face-to-face repentance to stammering over the telephone; besides, telephone apologies always sounded insincere.
    He made short work of