She thought of the people in his life—Wyatt, Alejandro and the ranch hands, Maria, young Billy. If anything, Kade was overly protective of the people he cared for.

True, the man was wildly demanding in bed, but he had never threatened her physically, and she had never been afraid of him. In truth, when they’d been having passionate sex in the storeroom, she had encouraged him—a thought that sent hot color into her cheeks.

Still, she would find a way to take a look at Heather’s medical records, see if there was any evidence of abuse, and also ask Zoe to take a look at Rance Sullivan, see if anything suspicious popped up.

Ellie wiped her hands on a dish towel and glanced over at Maria. “Looks like we’re done here,” she said. “You should take breakfast to Alejandro. How’s he doing, by the way?”

Maria gave her the dreamy smile she had been wearing since she’d been staying in the cabin with the handsome Latino.

“He’s getting better every day.”

“That’s good to hear. So . . . what about the two of you? Do you think you’ll get together after he’s well?”

Maria’s soft smile faded. “He thinks he’s too old for me.”

“How old is he?”

“Thirty-one.” Two years older than Ellie. “I told him ten years is nothing. But he thinks I should go out and see the world, enjoy life before I think about settling down.”

“Maybe he’s right,” Ellie said.

Big brown eyes locked on her face. “My world is here in Coffee Springs. My grandmother is here. My family is close by. I don’t care about seeing the world. There’s no other place I’d rather be.”

There wasn’t much Ellie could say to that. Heather was the kind of woman who had craved freedom. Maria was a homebody who just wanted a man who loved her and a family of her own.

“Give him some time. If he cares for you, maybe he’ll figure it out.”

Maria’s eyes welled. “I thought I could make him fall in love with me. It’s not Alejandro’s fault.” A drop of wetness rolled down her cheek as Maria turned away, grabbed the foil-wrapped platter of food she had prepared, and hurried out the door.

Ellie sighed. Secretly she had always dreamed of a love story with a happy ending. Now that she was older, she’d be happy just to see one of her friends find that kind of love.

She thought of Kade and his moodiness that morning, the few words he had said to her before he’d left the house. He seemed to have the same doubts about their relationship she had. Gun shy, Zoe had said.

The happy ending wasn’t going to happen. Not for her and probably not anyone else.