When she’d hidden away every last stitch of the clothing and spectacles, she combed her fingers through her hair and wound it into a knot on top of her head, heedless of how messy the bun was. She stuck in a pin to hold it in place, then pressed her hat down.

She tucked her boots under one arm and reached for Poppy’s reins. “See you around, Jericho.” With that, she started walking along the river path that led to the house.

Jericho didn’t respond, and she forced herself to keep going and not glance back at him, even though everything within her wanted to stop and stare at him all night long.

As she reached the low point in the river and started crossing over, she heard him following her and relief weakened her knees. The truth was, she didn’t want to part ways with him yet. She wanted the chance to talk with him, find out what he’d been up to, where he’d been, what he’d done.

With his long stride, he easily caught up, guiding his horse next to her. When they sloshed to the opposite side and reached the path that led up to Wyatt’s house, Jericho halted.

She paused beside the chokecherry bushes, loaded with clusters of fruit that were still green, although some were beginning to turn red. Wyatt’s wife, Greta, used the chokecherries in her jam-making, but it would still be a month or two before they were ripe enough for picking.

“I take it you haven’t told Wyatt and Flynn you’re competing.” Jericho spoke casually, but she’d learned long ago he rarely said or did anything without a purpose.

She swung around, arms stiff, body on edge, ready for a fight. “Nobody knows. And it better stay that way.”

“Or else what?” He pulled himself up to his full height so that he towered above her.

She knew as well as he did there wasn’t anything she could do if he decided to tell her brothers about her duplicity in entering the cowhand contests. And if they found out, they’d hog-tie her to a hitching post for a month. At the very least, they’d make sure she never competed again.

She crossed to Jericho and poked her finger into his chest. Hard. “Don’t you dare say a word to them.”

His gaze darted to her finger as if it were nothing more than a pesky fly he could bat away.

“I mean it.”

“You can’t expect me to sit back and say nothing. If they found out I knew and didn’t alert them, they’d string me up in the nearest tree.”