“He’ll be fine. Heatstroke.” Bliss filled them in on the details and Josh dug at the carpet with the toe of his worn sneaker. Katie introduced her reticent son, then pummeled Bliss with questions while Mason, arms crossed in front of his chest, expression dark and serious, listened intently to every word she said. There was a part of him she didn’t know, couldn’t understand, a mystery that she hadn’t unraveled. Would she ever? she wondered and found herself staring at the hard slant of his jaw and the thin seam of his mouth. Did he care for her as she had begun to care for him? Or was his interest solely because of the ranch and this need she sensed in him—a need to outdo the man who had fired him years before? How much of John Cawthorne’s speculation—that Mason was only using her as a way to get to her father—was true?

He was offering to sell his portion of the ranch back, wasn’t he? How bad could he really be?

“Well, I’m going to see him as soon as he’s in his own room,” Katie said, ignoring any advice to the contrary.

“Ah, Mom,” the boy whined.

“You, too, kid. He’s your grandfather.”

“Yeah, right. Since when? A few weeks ago? Big deal.” Josh tossed a wayward lock of hair from his eyes and scowled as if the world had wronged him.

“It is,” Katie insisted.

“Yeah, so where was he before? Huh? He knew you were his kid and he just looked the other way.” Josh rolled his eyes expressively. “Real great guy.”

“All that’s changed.”

“Come on, there’s nothing more we can do. Let’s get out of here,” Mason said. “Dee Dee, are you ready?”

She looked up and her lips pursed for just a second. “Sure.” Then, as if sensing her father’s disapproval, she tossed her book into her bag and was on her feet.

“I’ll take you both to dinner,” Mason announced.

“You don’t have to,” Bliss protested.

“I want to.”

“I’m not hungry.” Dee Dee fidgeted with the strap of her bag. She glanced at Josh and rolled her eyes. “Besides, Mom said she’d be back by now.”

Mason’s jaw clenched. “I know, but she was supposed to—”

“Wait a second,” Katie, ever vigilant, interrupted. “Why doesn’t Dee Dee come over to our place for a while? Josh and his friend Laddy just finished building a tree house and the neighbors have a litter of eight puppies. I’ll call Terri and square it with her.”

Dee Dee’s eyes lit up. “Puppies? Oh, Dad, could I?”

“I don’t know—”

“Please, Daddy,” Dee Dee begged, and Bliss watched as Mason’s heart melted.

“Don’t you have plans later with your mom?” Mason asked.

“Mom and Bob.” Dee Dee’s nose wrinkled at the thought.