Heather averted her gaze, though she was unable to hide the mortified flush on her cheeks. “It’s possible that… we might try a separation for a time. Our marriage hasn’t worked out the way either of us planned.”

“No? You had me fooled. That night in Denver McCord looked smitten with you—like he didn’t want to let you out of his sight.” Richard seemed to catch himself. “But yes, of course, I’ll do anything I can to help. I’ll make some discreet inquiries when I get back and let you know as soon as possible. Will that be all right?”

“Yes, thank you,” Heather murmured in gratitude.

As he took his leave, Richard also shared a curious piece of news with her and Sloan that might affect their futures.

“You might be interested to learn Quinn Lovell may be involved in a brewing scandal. I’m investigating his alleged bribery of a judge in a mining scheme and will be reporting in my paper over the next few weeks.”

Heather knew there was nothing “alleged” about the baron’s bribing of ranchers in their district—it was undisputed fact—but she held her tongue. If Lovell was exposed for the ruthless man he was, however, it could only help Sloan’s chances against him in the election.

Sloan was not as sanguine about the possibility for a shake-up in the election. Bribery, coercion, even murder had been part of district politics for decades. Nor did he appreciate Weld’s visit as much as Heather did. He didn’t care at all for the attentions the handsome reporter had showered on his wife.

It was the day after Richard’s departure, however, when Sloan let slip the determined control he’d been exercising over himself. He came home early that afternoon to find Heather in the study, laughing with the schoolteacher over a book Vernon had brought for her perusal.

His jealousy was unfounded, Sloan knew deep down. Her intellectual conversations with the schoolteacher were one of the few pleasures Heather enjoyed from her past life. He’d asked her to give up most everything else when he married her and brought her here to live on his ranch. Still, it stuck in his craw to see another man giving her such happiness when he himself could barely get her to say two words a day unless it related directly to Janna, the ranch, or the campaign.

He restrained his urge to say something nasty to Vernon, however, and bided his time until the schoolteacher had left. Then Sloan settled on the sofa beside Heather, who was still browsing through the pages.

“What is it you found so amusing?”

“A novel by the humorist Mark Twain, about a boy’s adventures on the Mississippi river. I read it when it first was published a few years ago, but I’d forgotten how delightful it is. In fact you might enjoy it,” she added absently.