Did she reckon if she tagged along, she could somehow wrangle Steele into giving him the loan anyway? Wyatt wasn’t going that route. After the lying, no doubt Steele would rather see him tarred and feathered than give him a loan. “Promise you won’t try to convince Steele of anything?”

She finished with the ties and then swung open the door. “I’m not making any promises I can’t keep.” She bounded outside before he could respond.

He expelled a sigh, then strode after her to the horses Judd had already groomed as well as weighed down with beef to sell. Wyatt caught hold of her waist before she could climb into the saddle. At his touch, she halted but didn’t pivot.

He moved in closer, and before he could stop himself, he tugged her back against his chest, hugging her from behind. She was probably getting mighty tired of him reaching for her.

“Hey,” he said softly, starting to release her. “Don’t know why I can’t keep my hands off you.”

“It’s alright, Wyatt,” she replied just as softly, leaning into him and letting him bear her weight.

Her words were all the permission he needed to wrap her up more fully and bend in and press his face into her hair, breathing her in. Oh Lord help him, he loved this woman.

The words felt like they needed to be said again. But he held them back, uncertainty poking at him.

“When we get with Steele, let me do the talking first,” he murmured against her hair. “Can you promise me that?”

“I guess so.”

He forced himself to release her and assisted her into the saddle, all the while too doggone aware of how soft and womanly she was.

During the ride to Fairplay, his thoughts locked in on Judd’s suggestion to get a hotel room. He sensed the wisdom in his friend’s request. He oughta make their first night together special. Greta deserved that. But was it still too soon? And did he need to cool his heels?

She hadn’t been pushing him away, but she also hadn’t given him any notion she’d welcome him into her bed. She was unusually quiet during their ride into town, and he guessed her thoughts were focused on Astrid.

As they reached the outer limits of Fairplay, she slowed her horse. “I know you’ll want to sell the beef, and I’ve got an errand to run while you do that.”

When she refused to look at him, wariness prodded him like a hot branding stick. He didn’t know what she was up to, but it wasn’t good.

He swept his sights over Main Street. The traffic was light for the late-afternoon hour. Most miners were still at work. The taverns were silent. And the stragglers lounging around the other businesses were sparse.