“Don’t be mean, Colt,” Brenda chided. She slid an arm around Clancey’s shoulders. “He isn’t really an old bear,” she assured the other woman. “He just does a really dandy impression of one.”

He was glaring at both women, now.

“Miss Kitty likes me!” Tad exclaimed, entranced with the big cat.

Banks chuckled. “So it seems. Come on. Let me show you to your rooms. This is a huge house. We have three extra bedrooms besides mine and the one Brenda uses when she comes down on weekends. You can choose whichever ones you want.”

“Do you have one with a connecting door?” Clancey asked worriedly, with a speaking glance at Tad, who was still looking at the big cat on the floor.

Banks understood at once. “Yes. There’s one.”

He led them upstairs and down the hall to a room that overlooked a long fenced pasture that ended at what was obviously a barn. It had a twin bed with a simple chenille bedspread and a dresser. There was a closet and, in the bedroom that was beyond the open door, there was a larger bed with a quilt covering it, and a bathroom.

“It’s nothing fancy,” Banks began.

“Oh, it’s a palace compared to our house,” Clancey broke in gently. “These floors are oak, aren’t they?”

His eyebrows lifted. “Yes, made the old-fashioned way, with long thin strips.”

“Granddaddy’s house had floors like this.” She turned. “I can’t thank you enough,” she said. “I don’t know what we’d have done. I wasn’t sure that Morris wouldn’t track us down...” She stopped dead. “But we’ll be putting both of you in danger if we stay here,” she added with obvious worry.

He pointed to the star on his white shirt.

Brenda pointed to the star on his shirt.

Clancey sighed. “Okay.” She swallowed. “Thanks,” she added huskily.

“This is awesome,” Tad exclaimed, running between the rooms. “Gosh, it’s so big! You could play baseball in here!”

“Don’t you even think about it,” Banks told him with twinkling black eyes.

“It’s okay—I don’t even have a bat,” he assured the tall man. “Do you got horses?” he added with bright eyes.

“Lots of them,” Banks said. “I’m off Saturday. I’ll take you both riding.” He glanced at his sister and laughed. “You can come, too. I’ve got a nice new rocking horse.”

She glared at him. “If you can put a saddle on it, I can ride it,” she said huffily.

“That’s true,” Banks had to admit. “She did barrel racing in her teens.”

She laughed. “That was a while back. Can you ride?” she asked Clancey.

Clancey nodded. “It’s been a long time, but Granddaddy always had a couple of saddle horses on the ranch.” Her face was sad. “He was a grand rider.”