Jericho stood with the other single cowhands on the sideline and pretended not to notice Ivy dancing with every man but him. The last rays of the long summer day had faded into darkness, and the night was now lit by lanterns placed strategically along the perimeter of the mayor’s spacious yard. The stars glittered especially bright, as if deciding to add to the festivity of the holiday.

On a makeshift stage, the musicians played a lively mixture of fiddles, a banjo, and a concertina. The caller stood near them, his deep voice rising above the music and clapping and stomping.

Ivy twirled with her partner in a circle before switching directions and latching elbows with someone else. She’d shed every trace of the skinny Buster Bliss disguise. In her blue skirt and the matching bodice—which was now in place—she was fancy and ladylike. And heaven help him, all he wanted to do was kiss her again.

Even now as she turned her face up and smiled at the man leading her in the circle, he watched her lips. She’d been soft and pliable, but their connection had been as explosive as fireworks. The leftover sparkles still tingled inside him.

Jericho’s bones ached with the effort of holding himself back from stalking over to her and dragging her away from the other men. He’d stuffed his hands deep in his pockets to keep himself in place. Though he tried to focus on the conversations around him, he could think of nothing and no one but her.

In fact, he’d thought of little else in the hours since he’d walked out of the church and left her behind. He’d given himself a mental lashing at least a dozen times for the whole confrontation and how he’d handled it. Even if she hadn’t wanted to marry him any more than he had her, his refusal to consider the suggestion had brought a shadow to her face and into her eyes.

Had he done the right thing by turning down Flynn and Wyatt’s proposal? He could only imagine what it would be like to be married to Ivy, the most beautiful woman God had ever created. Life with her would be intensely pleasurable, with never a dull moment.

What if he’d made a mistake in not claiming her for his bride while he still could?

His attention trailed her again. No, he couldn’t have her. He refused to drag her into the dangerous life he was carving out for himself. Even if plenty of Pinkerton agents were happily married and had no problems, he knew all too well what could happen, how the situation could change in the blink of an eye, how it could rip the ones you loved away from you.

He wouldn’t do that to Ivy. He wasn’t willing to risk her life.