Montana Sky

moaned it out loud until Lily laid a tentative hand on her shoulder. Shrinking from the touch, Willa straightened quickly.
    “I made soup.” Lily felt foolish saying it but could thinkof nothing else. “You should eat something.”
    “I don’t think I could handle food right now.” Willa stepped back, afraid that too much comfort would break her. She walked back to the table and, under Tess’s fascinated eye, filled the tumbler full of wine.
    “That’s good,” Tess murmured, watching in admiration as Willa gulped wine like water. “That’s damn good. How long can you do that and still stand up?”
    “We’ll have to find out.” She turned when the kitchen door opened, drew a steadying breath when Ben came in.
    She didn’t want to berate herself for leaning on him, for collapsing in his arms, for letting him do the dirty work while she had sat by, too ill to function. But it was hard to swallow.
    “Ladies.” In a gesture that mimicked Willa’s habit, he took the glass from her hand and sipped. “Here’s to the end of a lousy day.”
    “I’ll drink to that.” Tess did, as she studied him. The gilded cowboy, she mused. And a mouthwaterer. “I’m Tess. You must be Ben McKinnon.”
    “Nice to meet you. Sorry it isn’t under more pleasant circumstances.” He lifted a hand to Willa’s chin, turned her face to his. “Go lie down.”
    “I have to talk to the men.”
    “No, you don’t. What you have to do is go lie down and turn this off for a while.”
    “I’m not going to pull the covers over my head because—”
    “There’s nothing you can do,” he interrupted. She was trembling. He could feel just how hard she was fighting it, but the tremors came through and into his fingertips. “You’re sick and you’re tired, and you’ve just had to relive an ugly experience half a dozen times. Adam is taking the cops down to talk to the men in the bunkhouse, and there’s nothing for you to do but try to get some sleep.”
    “My men are—”
    “Who’s going to pull them together tomorrow—and the day after—if you break down?” He inclined his head when she shut her mouth. “Now you can go up and lie downunder your own steam, Will, or I’ll take you myself. Either way, that’s what you’re going to do. Right now.”
    Tears burned the back of her eyes, bubbled hot in her throat. Too proud to shed them in front of him, she shoved his hand aside, swiveled on her heel, and stalked out.
    “I’m impressed,” Tess murmured when the kitchen door slammed. “I didn’t think anyone could push her around.”
    “She’d have pushed back, but she knew she’d break. Will won’t let herself break.” He frowned into his wine, wishing he’d been able to gentle her into it instead of browbeating her. “I don’t know many who could have gotten through what she did today without breaking.”
    “Should she be alone?” Lily pressed her fingers to her lips. “I could go up with her, but . . . I don’t know if she’d want that.”
    “No, she’s better off alone.” But Ben smiled, pleased that she’d offered. “This hasn’t exactly been a weekend at a dude ranch resort for either of you, but I’ll say welcome to Montana anyway.”
    “I love it here.” The minute she’d said it, Lily flushed and scrambled to her feet as Tess chuckled. “Would you like something to eat? I made soup, and there’s plenty of fixings for sandwiches.”
    “Angel, if that’s your soup I’m smelling, I’d be grateful to have a bowl.”
    “Good. Tess?”
    “Sure, why the hell not?” Since Lily seemed eager to serve, Tess stayed where she was, tapping her fingers on the table. “Do the police think it was someone from the ranch who did it?”
    Ben slid in across from her. “I imagine they’ll concentrate here, first anyway. There’s no public access to the ranch, but that doesn’t mean someone from outside couldn’t have found the way out there. A horse, a jeep.” He moved his shoulders, skimmed a hand through his hair. “It’s easy enough access from Three Rocks to Mercy land. Hell, I was there myself.”
    He lifted an eyebrow at Tess’s speculative look. “Of course, I can tell you I didn’t do it, but you don’t know me.It’s also possible to get there through the Rocking R Ranch, or Nate’s place, or the high country.”
    “Well”—Tess poured herself more wine—“that certainly narrows things down, doesn’t it?”
    “I’ll tell you this—anyone who knows the