Unfortunately, Judd brought back only bad news from his trip to town. Neither of the other search parties had located a trace of Astrid anywhere, and no one in any of the mining communities had seen her.

Judd had borrowed a horse from Mr. Steele, and with his mount weighed down with more beef to sell, he left to ride up to Tarryall, looking for Astrid along the way.

As with the previous morning, Greta had the saddlebags packed with food and supplies before dawn. Wyatt decided they’d head south toward a couple of the lakes he’d mentioned to Astrid, lakes with good fishing. Greta didn’t think Astrid would attempt any fishing since she hadn’t taken fishing equipment with, but they had to explore every option.

All the while they rode, Greta’s thoughts replayed the conversation she’d had with Wyatt the previous evening. “I’m mighty glad I was there in town at the right time to get you. I’m the lucky one.”

His humbleness in asking for her forgiveness had touched her deeply. As had his desire to approach Mr. Steele with the truth. Wyatt was willing to lose the cattle deal because he wanted to prove he was truthful and trustworthy. Without the cattle, what else could he do with his land? Certainly not farming. The land was too dry and the growing season too short.

He needed cattle.

If—when—they found Astrid, she needed to take the girl to Denver. But surely if Wyatt cared about her the way he seemed to, they could work out the situation. She didn’t know how, but she wanted to believe there was something they could do to save the ranch.

In spite of another day of sunshine, the wind blowing from the north was cold and nipped at her ears, cheeks, and nose. The grass was covered with hoar frost, sparkling in the sunshine and crunching under the horses’ hooves. She pulled her cloak around her and was thankful for the warm mittens she’d donned.

Slightly to the east of her, Wyatt scanned the ground they were traveling. In an overcoat, he held his reins with one gloved hand and braced the other against his thigh, looking every inch a rugged cowboy. His profile was etched with determination, made stronger by the set of his jaw and mouth. The shadows of his hat made his facial hair seem darker, lending him an intensity that caused her heart to sputter.