Page 7 of Passion in Bloom

He nodded, setting his rifle in the truck bed. “Yeah. Still some kinda issue with that one branch. I gotta check it before it gets any colder and snows.” Looking up at me with his old and wise eyes, he frowned. “You think he’ll be back?”

I nodded. “He’s determined.”

“Then I reckon I’ll be chattin’ with Marty too.”

I clapped him on the back. “I’ll set up some more cameras too.”

“I’ll do y’all one better. We got lots of trail cameras at the ranch.” He looked at Heather’s cabin. “Let’s use ’em. We look after our own ’round here. It don’t matter that she ran from town once. She’s here now and we’re gonna keep her safe.”

“I like that sound of that.”

And I intended to do just that.

Keep her safe.

For now.

If she could ever lower her guard and let me know what the big picture was, then I’d vow to keep her safe for good, too.

Keep dreaming.

I doubted Heather would ever be ready to let me in her life and trust me.

And it stung how much that hurt.