Steele tugged at his collar as if it were strangling him. “Ivy, I’m sorry—”

Jericho pushed the door and stepped out of the shadows. Steele glanced up, and Ivy spun.

Her eyes widened upon him, and she half jumped. “Holy Saint Peter, what are you doing here, Jericho?”

He pressed his lips together, not sure how to inform her of his objectives.

Ivy studied his face, then glanced at Steele before looking back at him. “You? You’re the buyer?”

He didn’t have to say anything. He guessed she could read the answer in his expression.

She strode to him and lifted her hand as though to slap his cheek again.

Might as well let her take her frustration out on him. He braced himself.

Stopping in front of him, she started to swing but then halted. Her body was rigid, and her beautiful face etched with anger.

“Let me explain.”

“You’re despicable.” Her words came out an anguished whisper.

“It’s not what you think—”

“I took you for a good man.”

“And I am—”

“But I shoulda known you wouldn’t care a lick about what I want.” Her hand, poised in the air, trembled. She lowered it and retreated a step, her eyes blazing with contempt.

A strange disquiet pierced his soul. He’d riled up Ivy plenty of times in the past, but her eyes had always retained a measure of admiration. She’d looked up to him the same way she had Dylan.

The contempt was something new. And he didn’t like it. Not in the least.

She grabbed the pouch of coins from Steele’s desk and shoved it back into her pocket. Positioning her hat, she tossed Jericho a glare. Then she marched across the room and out the door, but not before he caught sight of tears brimming in her eyes.

Blast it all. He didn’t want to make her cry. He had to do something to rectify the situation, but he didn’t know what.

Her footsteps slapped on the hallway floor. The front door opened and then a second later slammed shut.

He had to go after her and try to clear things up as best he could. “Listen, Mr. Steele. I need a few minutes to talk with her.”

Steele shrugged. “You can certainly try. But I’ve learned it’s best to let a woman calm down first. She’ll accept the situation better that way.”

Steele might have more experience with women since he’d been happily married for years. But Jericho knew Ivy. And he’d rarely seen her near to tears. He couldn’t stand back and do nothing when he’d hurt her like this.

He left Steele with the assurance he’d be back. As he stepped out of the house and onto Main Street, his pulse tapped with the same uneasiness as before. He hadn’t meant to cause trouble for Ivy.