Pony Express Hero. Rhonda Gibson

      Daisy almost lost her grip on Lilly’s hand. She held tightly to Jacob and laughed. “I almost dropped your hand.” Her face shone as she held up their two hands for Lilly to see.

      “I’m sorry, Daisy. Why don’t you just hold Jacob’s hand for a few minutes while I talk to Sam?” Lilly said as she released Daisy’s hand.

      “All right.” Daisy clung tighter to Jacob, not wanting to lose the game.

      Lilly turned back to Sam. She crossed her arms over her chest and waited.

      Sam shrugged his shoulders as if he didn’t care any longer if Jacob heard their discussion or not. “I need to hire about six more men.”

      She nodded. “When will you be heading out?”

      Sam leaned against the saddle horn and looked down on Jacob. “Next week. Soon as I get the men and the cattle rounded up.”

      Jacob asked. “How big is the herd?”

      Sam glared down at him.

      Lilly answered, “Should be about fifteen hundred head this year.”

      “Can we go see the kittens now?” Daisy asked.

      He didn’t want to leave Lilly with Sam. He couldn’t pinpoint what it was that he didn’t like about the man. Was he starting to care about Lilly? Was he jealous of the other man? No, that couldn’t be possible. They’d only known each other a short while. Besides she was his sister’s sister. There was no way he was going to get romantically involved with her, or any other woman for that matter.

      * * *

      Lilly answered Daisy. “Wait just a minute, sweetie, I need to finish my business with Sam first.” She didn’t understand Sam’s reluctance to talk in front of Jacob. “Is there anything else?”

      A snarl twisted Sam’s thin lips. “We need a horse wrangler to handle the horses. Maybe Jacob would like to come along.” His gaze met Jacob’s.

      She heard the insolence in Jacob’s voice as he answered. “Already have a job, Hawkins.”

      Lilly watched Sam’s eyes harden. It was obvious Sam didn’t care for Jacob addressing him by his last name. Or perhaps it was Jacob’s tone Sam didn’t appreciate.

      Sam turned his horse to leave but then looked back down at Lilly. His voice dripped with sarcasm as he said, “When you have time, Cook wants to talk to you about his supplies for the trip.”

      She nodded then watched Sam kick his horse hard. The gelding snorted its pain and leaped forward. Lilly frowned. Sam normally wasn’t so rude to her.

      Daisy took Lilly’s hand into her smaller one. “Mr. Sam isn’t very nice, is he?” she asked.

      Lilly turned her gaze to the little girl. “He just has a lot on his mind,” she answered. Was that true? Or was he upset to find her and Daisy out with Jacob?

      Sam had offered to marry her shortly after her father had died. Lilly remembered assuring him that she’d be fine and that he needn’t offer her marriage. Sam had warned her that if she didn’t marry him, other men would try to marry her to get the ranch in their hands. He’d not asked again but sometimes she felt his gaze upon her and shivered. Sam was her father’s age. She couldn’t see marrying anyone her father’s age.