"Yeah, and I think one of them might've even been Ortega, but the one who spotted us was a colored man. From the way they followed him, I think he might be the leader now. They picked up and ran like they knew where they were going, and then they disappeared into thin air. Ortega's men would've just headed on back across the border to wait for next year, but I'll bet my hat that these fellows will be back tomorrow."

"I'm telling you, Josh, whoever is behind this knows what he's doing and isn't likely to be scared off." Grady looked like he had more to say, but he caught sight of Felicity standing in the doorway, and cleared his throat. "Evening, Mrs. Logan," he said, letting Josh know that they had an audience.

Felicity smiled a greeting at Grady, but her eyes were on Joshua, who turned the moment Grady spoke her name. She watched in amazement as his worried frown vanished behind an appreciative smile. "Evening, Mrs. Logan," he mimicked, his gray eyes taking her in from head to foot and back again as if he hadn't spent the whole day with her and was starved for the sight of her. He started up the steps, pausing just a moment to tell Grady, "We'll talk about this after supper." Neither Josh nor Felicity even heard his reply.

"Did you miss me?" Josh inquired roguishly, slipping an arm around her waist to guide her back into the house.

"Terribly," she confessed with only a slight exaggeration, hoping her smile did not look as strained as it felt.

"You can show me how much later," he whispered, making her blush and wiping all thoughts of Ortega temporarily from her mind.

For the first few minutes of the evening meal, Felicity sat serenely at the end of the table opposite her husband, surrounded by the golden glow of contentment. Her marriage was working out even better than she could have hoped. In spite of the fact that Joshua had spent practically every waking moment with her for the past four days, he hadn't gotten bored. If anything, he seemed more eager for her than ever. And when they were alone, right after supper…

Felicity's thoughts snagged on the phrase "after supper." That was when Joshua was going to talk to Grady about the rustlers. Her serenity shattered as she recalled Grady's insistence that these were no ordinary rustlers. What would this mean to Joshua… and to her?

Sure enough, immediately after supper, Josh and Grady went off alone. Restless, Felicity pulled her shawl from its peg by the door and wandered out onto the porch. Wrapping the soft folds of the knitted shawl around her, she breathed in the scent of spring. Soon the bluebonnets would bloom and the grass would green up, an outward sign of the new life that had already begun for her. She really would get Joshua to take her out so she could photograph the ranch, and not just their picnic spot either. During the past few days, he had given her a complete tour of his land, and she had seen several other excellent possibilities for shots. And she would get Cody to help her make a wedding portrait. A traditional wedding portrait, she corrected mentally, smiling at the memory of Joshua's earlier suggestion on the subject. Cody would be thrilled to help, even if she and Joshua were respectably posed.

Absorbed in her plans, she did not at first identify the strange noise that teased at the fringes of her consciousness, but after a few minutes, the odd sound drew her attention. Listening intently, she distinguished it from the sounds the men were making in the lamplight bunkhouse and the murmur of conversation drifting over from where Josh and Grady stood near the barn. It was a muffled keening, so muffled that Felicity had a difficult time locating it. When she did, she was stunned to discover it came from Candace, who sat huddled in the shadows at the end of the porch.

"Candace, what is it? What's wrong?" she asked in alarm, kneeling in the dust beside her.

Candace straightened immediately, using her good hand to scrub away the tears. "Nothing; I'm fine, miss," she said, although her voice was still husky from weeping. The white from her bandaged hand gleamed in the darkness, reminding Felicity of her accident.

"Is it your hand? Is it hurting you? Maybe we should soak it so it doesn't get infected," Felicity suggested. She had been surprised to see the bandage on Candace's hand the day after the wedding. Candace had brushed aside Felicity's concern, though, explaining that she had carelessly cut her hand on broken glass and that it wasn't serious. Now Felicity wasn't so sure.

"Yes, yes, it's my hand," Candace agreed too quickly. "You're right, I'll soak it." She began to rise, and Felicity helped her get to her feet.

"What were you doing out here in the dark anyway?" Felicity asked, suddenly realizing how odd it was to find Candace not only weeping, but sitting on the ground to do it.

"Acting like an old fool, I guess," Candace said, laughing unconvincingly.

"I'll walk you back to your cabin and help you get some water boiling," Felicity offered, taking Candace's arm, but the other woman shook her head.

"Don't be silly," she said with all the authority of Joshua Logan's mammy. "Besides, your husband's coming. He'll want to see you now," she added, gesturing to where Josh was walking toward the house, having left Grady at last. "You go on now," she said, patting the hand Felicity had placed on her arm.

Reluctantly, Felicity began to turn from the black woman, but Candace suddenly grabbed her hand, restraining her for one last moment. "You tell Mr. Josh to be careful when he goes after those rustlers, you hear?" she whispered urgently.

"Yes, yes, I will," Felicity replied as a shiver of fear danced up her spine. Before Felicity could say more, Candace slipped silently away into the darkness.

"Who were you talking to?" Josh asked as he approached.

"Candace," she replied, trying to banish the sound of fear from her voice.

"Ahhh," he said, a smile in his voice. "And what plots were you making out here in the dark?"

"We were just wondering what plots you and Grady were making out here in the dark," she replied, forcing herself to match his bantering tone.

"Nothing very mysterious," he replied, slipping an arm around her shoulders and directing her toward the front steps. "That bandit Ortega is back stealing my cattle again, and we're going to go after him."

"But Grady said…" she began, pausing when she realized she wasn't supposed to know what Grady had said.

"Has Grady been talking to you about this?" Josh asked, his displeasure obvious.

"Oh no," she assured him. "I just overheard what he was saying to you this afternoon about how he didn't think-"

"Well, he's wrong," Josh interrupted as they mounted the porch steps. "Grady's worse than an old maid, always seeing trouble that isn't there. We'll just go out and chase them off, and that will be that. The worst part is that I'll have to leave you. I may be away for several days. I guess our honeymoon is officially over," he said with regret, but before Felicity could register the pain the thought of his leaving caused her, he added, "Will you miss me?"

This was the second time today he had asked her that question, and this time he really looked as if the answer was important. "Of course," she said, feeling the anguish of separation already.

"Then come in here and show me how much," he challenged with a provocative grin, drawing her toward their bedroom.

"Mr. Logan!" she chided him, feeling the delicious tingle of anticipation quivering inside her. "It's too early to go to sleep."

"Oh, we won't be going to sleep for a long, long time," he promised, shutting the bedroom door behind them.

"Is it very dangerous?" Felicity asked the next morning, watching Joshua pull a change of clothing from a dresser drawer.