Family on the Range. Jessica Nelson

terms.

      And they weren’t. Mary could keep her God for all he cared.

      The God he used to serve...

      He slowed near the stairs, breathing heavier than he’d like. Maybe he’d rest a bit on the porch. Get some sunlight and fresh air. Take his mind off matters too weighty for a beautiful summer day.

      He shuffled to the door, let himself outside and found a spot on the steps in a patch of sunlight that immediately seeped into his bones and spread through him in a liquid spill of relaxation.

      Decisions, decisions. He closed his eyes and leaned against the railing. What was he going to do? The ranch’s secrecy had been compromised, but even worse, the weather proved that trying to ranch in this desert was a futile effort. Scents caressed his face. Would he miss this place? It had served its purpose, but he didn’t need it anymore. Yet he hesitated. Mary seemed more than ready to move on. Now that she had her own place, she’d probably have her mom move in.

      That foolish mother who’d abandoned her daughter to run off and search for a man. Granted, she’d been looking for Mary’s father, but that didn’t excuse things, to his way of thinking. And then there was Mary’s kidnapping and the huge part her mother, unbeknownst to Mary, had played in it. He frowned. Mary was asking for trouble by inviting that woman to live with her.