He was in the barn saddling up his favorite stallion when he glanced up to see Jenny standing hesitantly in the doorway. Surprise kept him speechless, even as relief spread through him. When he could keep his tone matter-of-fact, he said, “A little late, aren’t you?”

“Mother dropped me off on the highway. I had to walk the rest of the way up the lane.”

“I see. Whose idea was that?”

Jenny’s chin rose a belligerent notch. “Mine.”

He would have guessed as much. It was probably her way of keeping him and her mother apart. The fire in her eyes dared him to make anything of it. He clamped a lid on his desire to challenge her. At least she was here. He considered that a good sign.

“The lane’s pretty long,” he offered blandly. “Must be close to two miles. You thirsty?”

“A little,” she admitted, scuffing her sneaker in the dirt and avoiding his gaze.

“Then, run on in the house and have Maritza give you something cool to drink.”

She didn’t dash off as he’d anticipated she would.

“Are you going riding?” she asked.

He nodded. “I was about to.”

“Can I come?”

“Of course.”

“You’ll wait?”

“I’ll wait,” he agreed, trying to remain as nonchalant as she was when he was filled with questions about what had happened after he’d left last night. Her odd mood wasn’t telling him much, but at least she didn’t appear to be holding that kiss against him. She simply appeared determined to stave off a repeat.

“I’ll hurry,” she promised, and took off.

He stared after her, confusion teeming inside. Would he ever figure out the workings of that girl’s mind?

Jenny was polite, but quiet for the rest of the day. She did everything he asked of her, if not eagerly, at least without complaint. By the end of the day he was longing for a little of the more familiar sass.

“Is your mama picking you up at the house or are you meeting her out by the highway?” he inquired eventually.

“At the highway,” she said, shooting a belligerent look at him that confirmed his earlier opinion that this was her way of keeping him and Janet separated.

“You’d better get going then. It’ll take you a while to get out there. The humidity’s up. Maybe you’d better borrow a baseball cap and get a thermos of water to take along,” he said, deliberately emphasizing that the walk would seem even hotter and longer than it had in the cooler morning air.

He let that sink in for a minute, then added casually, “Or I could drive you out.”

He could tell from her expression that she was struggling with the offer, weighing the advantages of the quick, cool ride with the disadvantages of having him possibly bump into her mother.