The rancher studied the boy's flushed face. Josh knew he might be wasting his time, but he'd never seen Cody so upset before. What would it hurt to check out his story? "All right, Cody. I'll go and see your girl. I haven't seen one in a long time," he added with a grin, drawing an understanding laugh from the rest of the men. "You go and grab a bite to eat first. Grady and I will wait for you, and then you can take us out."

Bill Grady rolled his eyes in silent protest at accompanying Josh on this wild-goose chase and scrunched his homely, sun-browned face into a disapproving frown. Josh ignored him.

"I ain't hungry, Mr. Logan," Cody insisted. "We can go right away."

Josh shook his head at Cody's impatience. "Go eat. She'll wait for you," he promised.

Defeated, Cody stamped into the ranch house to bolt down his dinner.

"Josh, that's a two-hour ride," Grady began in disapproval.

"I was going to ride out that way anyhow in the next day or so," Josh explained. "And besides, what if there really is a girl?"

Felicity squinted anxiously into the distance for the tenth time in as many minutes. Still no sign of that cowboy and his friend, she noted with relief. But her relief was short-lived. A hasty glance at the position of the sun informed her that several hours had passed since he had ridden away, promising to return with his boss, Mr. Logan. They would surely be here any time now, and what would she do then?

Frantically, she hurried over to where her father's rifle was propped against the wagon. Picking up the weapon carefully, she tested its weight. If only she knew whether it was loaded or not. If only Papa hadn't insisted that ladies did not need to know anything about guns. And if only Papa hadn't died and left her all alone…