Jericho clamped his jaws together to bite back a slew of harsh words for Hance Payne. With the dancing long over and most families having dispersed, the younger crowd remained—mainly cowhands and miners and single businessmen. Men like Hance Payne laying the charm on Ivy with way too much persistence.

Standing at a central bonfire, Jericho had used the opportunity to learn as much as he could about the men on his list. But with Ivy hanging on to every word of Hance’s tales of long-forgotten treasures buried in the mountains, Jericho had only grown more irritated and distracted, so that now he wanted to walk over to the fellow, kick him in the pants, and send him to his home at the back of the barbershop.

It had nothing to do with his feelings for Ivy and more to do with the fact that Hance was filling Ivy’s head with thoughts of gold. With the way her eyes were brightening in the firelight, Jericho had no doubt she was thinking on how she might be able to get her hands on a treasure.

“Otis and I are going out treasure hunting again on Sunday.” Hance was standing next to Ivy. As he stretched his hands out toward the flames, he brushed his shoulder against hers.

Jericho took a puff on his pipe, unable to stop the low burn of anger inside from fanning hotter.

A fist bumped into Jericho’s arm. “If looks could kill, Hance Payne’d be a dead man.” Gordo guffawed beside him and drew the laughter of several other cowhands.

Jericho had finally worked his way into Gordo’s loyal band of friends. And the longer he’d talked with them, the freer they’d been in telling him stories about their pasts.

From piecing together various details, he’d come to the conclusion that Gordo and two of his friends had fought for the South. They’d boasted about some of the guerilla war tactics Rodney James was known for. They’d even admitted to deserting near the end of the war and running off to Texas.

Gordo leaned in, his breath sour from whiskey. “Reckon it’s time for you to teach Hance he can’t have what ain’t his.”

“Maybe so.”

“If it were me, I wouldn’t be letting my girl flirt with every man around. I’d be makin’ sure she was plenty satisfied with me. If you know what I mean.” Gordo ended with a lewd kissing motion.

His friends burst into raucous laughter.

Jericho opened his mouth to clear up the confusion that Ivy wasn’t his girl, then clamped it shut. He hadn’t danced with her once. Hadn’t even spoken with her. But maybe it was better if everyone believed she was his. Maybe he could frighten them off that way.

His dark glares certainly weren’t keeping Hance away. The man hadn’t even seemed to notice him.