He enveloped her more completely, tucking her head under his chin. This was what he wanted, and he could go on holding her like this all night.

“I’m taking Astrid to Denver,” she mumbled against him.

The air seized in his lungs. “What?”

“Please try to understand, Wyatt.” She started to tremble in his arms. “She’s not getting better here, so I have to try the hospital in Denver, the one known for helping people with consumption.”

“She’s better today.” His voice held a note of desperation, but he didn’t care. A part of him had known her leaving was coming, and now that it was here, he didn’t want to face it.

“For today, but what about tomorrow?”

He followed her reasoning. Astrid wasn’t improving. Lately, the girl was having more bad days than good ones. But, blast it all, that didn’t mean they had to leave, did it?

Greta pulled away, and he didn’t stop her. “I’d like to go before the snow in the mountains makes travel impossible.” She hugged her arms around her middle but still shook.

His muscles tensed with the need to hold her close. But hadn’t he promised he’d let her go if things didn’t work out for her on the ranch? He couldn’t go back on his word no matter how much he might want to.

And yet, if she cared about him—as she seemed to—maybe they didn’t have to let the separation be permanent. Maybe they could figure out a way to stay together.

“I’ll take you and Astrid to Denver. We’ll go together and stay there until she’s better.”

“No, you can’t. You’re needed here. There’s so much that has to be done before your family comes.”

She was right, but he didn’t know how to wrap his mind around letting her go. “Judd’ll take care of things over the winter, and I’ll hire someone to help him.”

She didn’t reply except to bite her lip, knowing as well as he did they didn’t have a single cent extra to hire on help.

He didn’t want to lose Greta. Maybe he’d once been hesitant about taking her for a bride. But now that he had her, he wasn’t willing to give up without a fight. He was falling in love with her, for crying-in-the-rain. Did he dare tell her that?

“Wyatt!” Judd called from the corral. “We’ve got visitors.”

He had half a mind to tell Judd to inform their guests he wasn’t home, but the low warning in the older man’s tone set him on edge.

He squared off with Greta. “We ain’t through talking about this.”

“I refuse to let Astrid and me be a burden to you.” She straightened her shoulders.

“It’s Brawley and his men,” Judd said more urgently.