“Where’s there a prison around here? It might be hard to go visit.”

“I can write him letters.” She reached over and patted Kevin on the arm. “But before we lock him up, I can begin honoring him as I see fit. And to do that, I have to go see him. You’ll get to see Molly, maybe even pull her aside and speak to her, nothing would be more natural than a brother wanting to visit his sister, and it would make sense you’d step away just a bit from Pa to have a quiet talk with her.”

“That won’t work because I’d never leave you alone with him.”

That got Win’s attention. “You really think I’m in danger from my own father?”

Kevin hesitated before he said, “I think, that is, I’m afraid that, yes, maybe you really are in danger.”

“Well, maybe you can step out of the room with me and Pa but not go far.”

“Maybe.” He pulled her close to sleep, glad he had someone so perfect in his arms.

Wyatt dug a pitchfork into a pile of old straw and heaved it into a wheelbarrow to carry outside. He had the stalls all cleaned, and he’d gotten the seven men who worked there to get busy. They were lazy but not so much they wanted to head down the road. He thought he might be able to turn them into real cowhands given time.

The barn was almost cleaned out. The horses and cattle were now being cared for. A chicken coop had eggs being gathered regularly. The place was shaping up. And it burned bad to be clearing things up so well for that lazy half-wit Hawkins.

But he did it. Part of it was simple honesty: he was earning good wages, he’d give an honest day’s work. Part of it was caring for the animals. Wyatt couldn’t abide seeing an animal in pain or hungry and ailing if it was within his power to help it.

And mostly he did it thinking of Win. This would be hers someday. And seeing as how Wyatt intended to see Hawkins hanged, that day was coming soon.

He was getting the place in shape for a new owner. His friend Win and her husband, Kevin, who still hadn’t found a place to live or built a cabin. And that was not their fault. They kept being needed at the RHR.

With Clovis’s wedding to Wyatt’s ma now strongly suspected by the family to be bigamous, Kevin had no ownership of the RHR. Of course, to break the will, they had to prove the wedding was a sham, and they’d been mighty busy rounding up outlaws and investigating crimes.