He scanned the thoroughfare and caught sight of her rushing down the plank sidewalk, already halfway down the street. He was tempted to yell at her to stop. But he didn’t want to call undue attention to her and have half the men in town pour out of their businesses again.

Instead, he started after her. When she swiped at her cheeks and ducked off the walkway between two buildings, he picked up his pace. At the intersection, he veered off but didn’t see a sign of her anywhere.

When he reached the alley behind the buildings, he halted and searched both ways. The only person in sight was one of the saloon owners out behind his business relieving himself. Jericho backed up several steps and then scanned the dry-goods store on one side and the church on the other.

His attention snagged on the side door of the church, and he headed toward it. It wasn’t locked, and it also wasn’t closed tightly, almost as if someone had entered in a hurry and hadn’t bothered to secure it all the way.

At the merest tug, the door pushed open. The town’s only church wasn’t a big place, had only six pews on either side of the aisle, a simple pulpit at the front, a painting of the Lord’s Supper on one wall, and a painting of the Transfiguration on another.

As Ivy lowered herself onto the front pew, her attention darted to him. Though the one-room building was dark except for the light coming through the dusty windows on either side of the main door, he had no trouble seeing the tears streaking her cheeks.

“Go away, Jericho.”

“We need to talk.” He closed the door quietly behind him.

“I don’t wanna talk to you ever again.” She twisted so he couldn’t see her face anymore. But the wobble in her voice told him she was still crying.

“Please let me explain.”

“I wish you’d never come back to Colorado.”

The harshness of her words barreled into him and sent him reeling. Should he just go away, take Steele’s advice, and try to reason with her later? He grabbed the door handle and started to open it.

At her sniffle, he stopped, frustration digging into him. He was being an idiot again by causing her pain.

He released the door and sidled between two pews toward her.

She cast a glance toward him. “I told you to go away.”

He crossed to the front pew where she was sitting.

“Don’t know why you can’t listen.” Her statement was hard but edged with pain. “When you left, I told you not to come back.”