Grateful for having something to do, she walked outside with purposeful steps and headed straight for the chicken coop.

The sky was a deep azure blue. Today, the still air kept the cattle smells at bay, and Emily filled her lungs with the sweet fragrance of grass, wildflowers, and sage.

Chickens strutted around the enclosed yard, their heads bobbing up and down as they pecked at the ground. Hoping the wooden coop was empty, she reached over the fence to unlatch the gate.

The moment she stepped foot inside the fence, chickens squawked and flapped their wings, scattering feathers everywhere.

“Okay now, ladies. I’m not here to hurt you,” she said.

Inside the coop, a white hen sat on its nest, staring at her with beady eyes. Moving cautiously, Emily quickly filled her basket with eggs from the deserted nests and stepped outside.

Just as she reached the gate to let herself out, a rooster flew at the back of her head.

Fighting off the slashing spurs and darting beak with flailing arms, she managed to let herself out of the pen and ran smack into a hard chest.

“Oh!” Confused, she looked up to find Chase grinning down at her.

“You really should stay away from two-legged troublemakers.”

“I’m trying,” she said and took a step back. The impact had caused two eggs to fall from her basket, and one had splattered his boots. “I’m sorry.”

“Better egg on my shoes than my face,” he said. He gazed at her with a look of concern. “I should have warned you. I’m afraid Oscar has the mistaken notion that he rules the roost. You have my sincere apologies.”

“No harm done,” she said.

“In that case…” He tossed a nod at the chickens that had escaped through the still open gate. “I’ll return our friends to their pen and meet you in my office.”

She flashed him a questioning look, but he’d already turned away to tend to the escaped chickens. Why did he want to meet with her? Was it because he’d caught her dancing? Did he object to how she spent her evenings? With these questions in mind, she turned and hurried to the house, her divided skirt flapping against her legs.

* * *

Less than twenty minutes later, Emily paused in front of the door to Chase’s office and quickly rehearsed the mental speech she’d prepared. Her nervousness surprised her. She felt like a schoolgirl summoned to the headmaster’s office, and that would never do. A man like Chase respected strength, and that was what she intended to show him.

Chin up, she squared her shoulders and knocked.

“The door’s unlocked.”

She entered the room but hung back, not sure what to expect. Seated behind his desk, he motioned her closer with a wave of his hand.

She closed the door but kept her distance.

He arched a questioning brow. “I trust you’re fully recovered from your bout with Oscar?”

“Yes, thank you,” she said and decided to clear the air by taking the initiative. “About last night…I saw you watching.” He was watching her now, and that made her nervous, but not in a bad way. “Under normal circumstances, it might seem improper for a woman to spend her time in such a way. But I think you’ll agree that nothing about our marriage is normal.”