The Rancher's Bride. Stella Bagwell

him, then with a little mocking laugh added, “at least, no one who’d work for my salary.”

      Emily waded out of the shallow river and joined them in the dappled shade of the trees. Amos followed and before Rose could shoo him away, he shook, spraying water over the three of them.

      “I guess he thought we all needed a shower,” Harlan said with wry humor.

      Rose wiped at the drops sliding down her chin, then pointed sternly at the dog. “Amos, get over there in the shade and behave or you won’t get the sandwich I brought for you.”

      Amos whined in protest, but did exactly what his mistress told him. Emily was more than impressed by the dog’s behavior.

      “Gosh, none of our dogs are that obedient. If you tell them to do something, they just ignore you.”

      Harlan chuckled. “Sorta like you do me.”

      Emily groaned. “Oh Daddy, you’re going to have Rose thinking I’m spoiled. And you know I’m not.”

      “Rose can probably figure that out for herself,” Harlan told his daughter. “She used to be a schoolteacher.”

      Emily dug into her father’s saddlebag for a sandwich. “Why aren’t you a teacher now? You don’t like kids or something?”

      Brushing the crumbs from her fingers, Rose reached for her thermos of lemonade. “I like kids and teaching. But I need to work at home now.”

      “A few months ago, Rose’s father died of a heart attack,” Harlan gently explained to Emily. “That’s why she and her sisters are…having a rough time of it right now.”

      An achy lump suddenly collected in Rose’s throat. He sounded as if he cared, and that touched her in a way she hadn’t expected it to. Yet she knew she couldn’t afford to get any soft notions about Harlan. Where men were concerned, she always had to be on guard, always be cautious.

      Emily looked at Rose with such a sorrowful expression that Rose wanted to take the girl in her arms and hug her tightly.

      “Gosh, that’s awful. I know, ‘cause my mother died when I was little. Do you have a mother?”

      Rose shook her head and tried to smile. The last thing she wanted to do was appear maudlin or bitter in front of this girl. Emily needed to know that her young life wasn’t ruined because she’d lost her mother. “No. My mother died last year after a long illness.”