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to this pitch. It was overpowering, mind-blowing. Dangerous.
    He pulled back just before all thought disappeared entirely, before he was sucked into passion so hard and wild and shattering, he would never recover. What was he doing? He desperately needed to regain control over himself.
    He raked a hand through his hair and let out a ragged breath.
    â€œParty’s over, gal,” he managed to drawl. “Go to bed before I forget my promise to my sister.”
    He watched the haze clear from her eyes and regretted its loss.
    â€œWhat promise?” she asked.
    â€œTo protect you.” He sighed heavily. “I think that includes from myself. Especially myself.” He headed for the back door while he could still force his legs to walk.
    Â 
    Miles was in the kitchen when Jessica entered the next morning. “It’s safe,” he told her with a dazzling smile. “Grumpy bear has left to separate the calves to be sold from the rest of the herd.”
    â€œHe’s grumpy this morning?” she asked with wide-eyed innocence. “How unusual.”
    They laughed at their joke, and that was the moment Clyde walked into the kitchen and over to the sink. He held a handkerchief around his left index finger.
    â€œWhat happened?” Miles asked while Clyde washed his hands under the running water.
    â€œSome stupid cattle broke through the fence just below the dam. One of them had a piece of barbed wire around its neck. I got cut while removing it.”
    â€œYou need me to stay here today and repair the fence?”
    Clyde shook his head. “I’ve got a temporary fix on it. The trucks will be here early this afternoon. After they leave, I’ll string new fencing.”
    â€œOkay. Well, I’m off for the back forty.” Miles stood, yawned and stretched, shook his head and started for the back door. “See ya in about three days,” he said to Jessica, then was gone.
    After the sounds of Miles’s pickup faded, the room echoed with silence.
    Jessica got out an egg and one piece of toast.
    â€œIs that all you eat?” Clyde finally said, now holding a paper towel around his injured finger. At her nod, he muttered, “No wonder you stay so skinny.”
    â€œI’m not skinny,” she corrected coolly. “My weight is just right for my bone structure.”
    â€œHuh.”
    She made a face at his back. “Do you want some breakfast? I’m going to scramble an egg with cheese.”
    He hesitated, then nodded.
    When he gave a low curse, Jessica sighed, but bravely went over to see what was the problem. He was having trouble getting a bandage on his finger, she saw.
    â€œHere, let me.” She removed a square of gauze from the first-aid kit, folded it into fourths, then held it in place over the wound to help stop the bleeding while she dried his hand with another paper towel. She wrapped the end of his finger with tape, securing the gauze in place tightly. “There, that should do it. Keep your hand above your heart for a few minutes to help stop the bleeding.”
    â€œI suppose you’ve had medical training,” he said.
    She broke four eggs into a bowl and, with a fork, beat them as hard as she could. Upon realizing what she was doing, she eased up. “Don’t subject me to your waspish humor this morning,” she told him. “Last night wasn’t my fault.”
    â€œWhose the hell was it?” he asked with a snarl and a black scowl in her direction.
    She popped three pieces of toast into the toaster slots. “Yours.”
    A muscle in his strong jaw flexed a couple of times.
    She relented. “Well, both of ours, I suppose.”
    â€œBut I made the first move.”
    A major concession. She smiled slightly. “It was something we both wanted. I had a terrible crush on you years ago, you know. I once heard a couple of local girls at Emma’s Café discussing the Fortune triplets’ kissing