“It’s going to be a skinning season.” She waited. When he explained, his tone held an edge of bleakness. “It’s what they call a bust year for cattle. When there’s no market for beef, a rancher can only make money selling his steers for the hides.”

“And there is no market for beef this year?”

“That’s putting it mildly. The price has been dropping for the past two or three years, and it’s at rock bottom now. Add to that the fact that I have fewer head to sell because so many were lost to the cold. Even worse, I’ll have to compete with the big cattle outfits up north. Word is, a lot of them are selling out. If they dump their beeves on the market all at once, it’ll only send prices lower. Even selling the hides won’t recoup my expenses.” He laughed without humor. “At least with smaller herds I won’t have to hire as many hands for spring roundup.”

Heather watched him helplessly, wanting to offer comfort. “You can rebuild your herds, can you not?”

“What would be the point?” His lip curled cynically. “The days of the big cattle dynasties are over. Jake saw it coming. He’s been pushing me to diversify since he came back last summer.”

“Then what do you plan to do?”

Sloan shrugged. “Convert some of the land to raising hay. I started last year. That’s the only way we survived this winter. I don’t much like the idea of becoming a hay farmer, but the demand for hay is growing. And it takes money to keep a ranch going.”

Money he didn’t have. “You still have a great deal of land. Can you not sell some of it?”

His head shot up, and he looked at her, his expression hard and protected. “I don’t think you understand. The Bar M isn’t for sale and never will be.”

Heather returned his gaze steadily. “Perhaps I don’t understand, but I would like to. Very much.”

Sloan took a deep breath, as if realizing her sincerity. “Nearly forty years ago, my father came to Colorado during the gold rush days. But instead of digging for gold, he and Ma carved the Bar M out of rock and timberland. Pa died defending it, and left it to me and Jake. I’d cut off my hands before I willingly sell an ounce of dirt of this place.”

Heather heard the passion in his voice and could no longer question his fierce desire to protect the legacy left to him. Sloan had been entrusted with the land and everything on it, and he would keep it or die trying.