"Ow!" Tessa yelped as the truck bounced over yet another pothole. She surreptitiously rubbed her sore bottom and scowled at the young man driving. "Are you trying to hit every hole in the ro- Ow!"

"Sorry, ma’am, but we have to do our own patching this far from town." The driver spoke in response to Tessa’s complaint but Tessa knew that he was addressing her mother Kelly Aumlin.

Tessa Aumlin was sitting between her mother and the driver Will Henkley, trying to make herself as small as possible – which wasn’t too hard for her five-foot-one, one hundred five-pound stature. She irritably shifted her legs as Will popped the truck into a lower gear and started up a steep incline. Tessa got herself comfortable again only to have Will shift the gear higher once the hill leveled out. Will seemed oblivious to the poisoned glances Tessa was shooting his way.

Her annoyance with Will Henkley was only magnified by the fact that he was polite, intelligent – and very good looking. Not to mention that he held only eighteen years to Tessa’s sixteen.

"So how’s my sister doing, Mr. Henkley?" Kelly Aumlin inquired softly, her gaze on the blurred landscape passing her window.

"It’s just ‘Will,’ missus Aumlin. On the spread, we go by our common names. As for your sister, she’s coping. The death of Kent hit her hard, all the more so because it was unexpected. Who’d have thought being thrown could—" Will broke off and slid a glance at Tessa’s mother. "I’m sorry, missus Aumlin—"

"Kelly," she interjected, "It’s just Kelly."

Will looked uneasy. "Okay, missus-Kelly. Anyway, Merrilin’s done better than we thought she would. Your sister’s a mighty tough lady, miss-Kelly."

Tessa’s mother was silent for a moment. Then, "Yes, yes she is."

Tessa had listened to the conversation and heard true regret in Will’s voice, regret and deep admiration. The girl looked at her mother and noticed a suspicious glint on her cheek. She leaned her head on her mother’s shoulder and gently squeezed the slightly wrinkled hand three times. When Kelly turned her head to look down on her daughter, Tessa’s suspicions were confirmed.

"Poor Mother," she whispered for Kelly’s ears alone.

Kelly and Kent had been best friends and it had been Kelly who had introduced him to her sister Merrilin. All of them had gone to school together but Merrilin was six years younger than Kelly and eight younger than Kent. Yet, as Kelly would have it told, when the two fell in love, they fell in love. Merrilin had been Mrs. Kent Bruntman for six and a half years, sublimely happy, and completely absorbed with her family of two children and five times as many horses. Until three days ago. . .

Around five in the afternoon, Tessa had picked up the phone to hear her Aunt Merrilin’s voice. She was barely coherent through the sobs that Tessa could hear were racking her body. She got her mother on the phone and soon Kelly, too, was in tears. Then Tessa heard her mother say that she would be there as soon as possible and the girl knew that they were going to Colorado.

When her mother had hung up the phone, she dissolved into sobs and curled up in the corner of the couch. Tessa had never seen her like this, like a little child. She tried to comfort the distraught woman but Kelly simply kept crying. When thirty minutes had passed and one cup of tea had cooled off, Kelly began to pull herself together. She sipped at the tea and pulled the tissue box toward her.

When Kelly was again calm she called the airport and made reservations for the soonest flight to Colorado. It wasn’t for three days so Kelly had time to make arrangements with work and Tessa’s school. Luckily, school was almost out for the summer, only a week was left, so Tessa simply had to get work in and do two final assignments. She was excused from the rest of the school term.

On the plane ride, Tessa tried to wheedle what happened from her mother but Kelly either brushed her off or ignored her. The girl still hadn’t gotten the whole incident when that boy, Will Henkley, had come up to them and said that he was there to drive them to the spread.

Another thing that sparked her ire: He knew what had happened when she didn’t even know!

But now she had a pretty good idea. ‘Being thrown’ probably referred to being thrown from a horse and considering that Kent owned a ranch, it was a safe bet.

That’s where things stood when a large, sprawling spread came into view. It was enshrouded with shadows, which seemed to crouch beyond the few lights dispersed throughout the array of buildings. Tessa could almost see the grief that the ranch was feeling, the strong emotion permeating the earth and atmosphere.

Soon the truck was pulling up to the main house and Will was out of the vehicle. She was taken aback when the passenger door opened of its own accord, revealing a solemn Will Henkley assisting Kelly off the high truck. When it was Tessa’s turn to get out of the Toyota, she ignored the politely offered hand and jumped from the step, landing lightly on her feet. When she looked at Will to gauge his response she saw a slight tightening of his lips and a firming of his jaw. She hid her smile behind her hand and mentally thanked her riding instructor for teaching her how to leap from a horse with the agility that she knew, with out having to boast, she had just exhibited.

Will led them to the front door of the large main house and held the door for both Kelly and Tessa. The young girl was not used to being treated this way, indifferently and yet at the same time respectfully.

Once again Will took the lead and led the visitors deeper into the house. Tessa tried to peek into each room that they passed but at the same time she was trying hard to keep up with their long-legged guide. They were finally allowed to stop in the kitchen.

"Would you like anything to eat? I’m sure you must be tired after the flight so help yourself to anything that you find in the cupboards and fridge." Will took a step toward the door and looked at the two ladies with an apologetic smile. "I’m sorry to have to leave you without a better introduction to your new whereabouts but I have to get up early tomorrow so. . . Good night and it was a pleasure meeting both of you. I’ll see you in the morning." Will glanced at Tessa and then left the room, leaving the two Aumlin women to themselves.

They sat at the table and looked at each other. Kelly stood and began to casually take in her surroundings, assessing even as she looked through the white wood cupboards.

"There’s bread and butter if you just want to have a quick bite before bed," Kelly observed. At Tessa’s affirmative nod, her mother busied herself with making toast. When the toaster popped up the browned bread, Kelly brought the toast, butter, and jelly over to the beautiful oak table.

Tessa nibbled on her snack and looked around the kitchen. It was an airy country green color with antique cooking utensils hanging on a display board above the old stove. As noted before, the cupboards were of white wood with light pink tinted grain. Tessa absently thought of the time that her Aunt Merri must spend scrubbing those cupboards to retain the elegant color. The counters weren’t spotless but it was a homey clutter, which helped Tessa feel more comfortable. There were two windows above the sink with gauzy curtains and one more by the table. The table itself was a deep, gorgeous, brown oak with enough room for three families when completely spread out.

When Tessa had finished her toast, she looked to her mother. Kelly was staring out at the blackness beyond the window by the table and her lips were pulled into a nostalgic smile. Tessa was reluctant to disturb her but as Will had politely pointed out, the flight had been tiring and she personally wanted a real bed.

"Mom, do you know where the rooms are?" Kelly blinked and reoriented herself. "That Will guy left that little piece of information out," Tessa said.

A frown creased her mother’s already wrinkled brow. "I-," she hesitated, tilting her head quizzically to the side. "You know, now that you mention it, I haven’t the faintest notion where we’re to stay." She gave a little laugh.

Tessa sighed in resignation. "I guess we better start exploring."

They left the kitchen the way they had arrived and found two rooms directly across from the kitchen door. On both handles were cards, one read ‘Tessa’ and the other read ‘Kelly.’

"I think our search is over," Kelly said wryly. They kissed goodnight and stepped into their appointed rooms.

Inside the plain door, Tessa found a matching room. There were no embellishments, no pictures on the walls, no frilly little curtains over the windows, nothing. The sixteen-year old girl found the room quite comfortable though. The bed was soft with plenty of blankets at the foot. In one corner was a desk and when Tessa searched the drawers she found simple stationery, writing utensils, and an oft-handled Bible. She dropped the tome with a loud thump and closed the drawer. A well-cushioned chair was tucked beneath the desk. Across from the bed stood the one piece of truly elegant furniture: A grand dresser. There was a well-made mirror with a horse engraved in one corner. The wood was even richer than the dining table and Tessa sighed as she ran her fingers over the silky-smooth grains. She experimentally opened the drawers and smiled when they opened with perfect ease. The sweet smell of cedar drifted to her nose.

With one more sweeping glance around the room, Tessa realized that her bags were still in the truck. She stood for a moment, not sure what to do. Then she shrugged indifferently and stripped down to her underclothes. Folding the clothes carefully, she set them on the chair and wrapped one of the more supple blankets around her chilled body. Tessa tucked herself in and went to reach for the light switch beside her bed like there was in California, but her hand only met uninterrupted wall surface. With garbled complaints she trudged to the wall beside the door and flipped the switch off. Tessa waited for her eyes to adjust to the fuzzy darkness and then climbed back into bed.

With her head supported by a goose down pillow and her body warmed by a goose down comforter, finding sleep was not a problem.

Tessa awoke to the slight creak of her bedroom door being eased open. The girl didn’t say anything and pretended to be asleep. She kept her eyes open just enough to peek through her lashes and almost ruined her pretense by gasping. Will Henkley’s head was looking around the open door, a puzzling expression on his face. His hazel eyes were open very wide and a soft smile gave his face the look of a young boy.

She worked hard not to tense her body as the rest of Will slipped into the room. In his right hand were Tessa’s two suitcases but even after he set them down by the closet, he remained in the room. He took two steps toward her bed and hesitated, looking nervously toward the door. Tessa caught her breath as he took the few remaining steps to her bed and stood, looking down at her. She watched as his hand reached for her cheek and brushed away the hair hiding her face.

His touch sent a shiver down her spine and his callused fingers weren’t soft like her former boyfriend’s. Now his face became alight again and Tessa felt warmed by its happiness. And yet. . .

Yet, there was something in his eyes that held an infinite sadness. It startled Tessa when he spoke, his words soft and halting. "You have no idea how. . . hard this will be for me. . . Seeing you. . . so much like Amy." He drew his hand away and backed from the bedside. He stepped from the room and it took Tessa a moment to relax her body.

Amy? Who’s Amy? I’ve never heard her name mentioned before. I wonder if he was married. . . Tessa stopped that thought before it really started. Will was only eighteen; he wasn’t married. Besides, Tessa didn’t like the weird feeling that made her breath catch when the thought of Will having a wife came to mind.

She crawled out of bed and clutched the blanket to her chest, closing the door since Will didn’t have the sense to. Then she rummaged through her bags and pulled out a clean pair of jeans and a blouse. Her lip curled at the thought of putting clean clothes on her unwashed body but she still didn’t know where the bath was.

After dressing she ran a brush through her hair and pulled it into a ponytail, trying to ignore the feeling of dirty hair. Tessa scrubbed her hands over her face and checked the mirror to make sure that she looked presentable then walked into the hall. Her mother’s door was still closed; she wasn’t surprised, Kelly had never been an early riser.

The kitchen held only one occupant, Will. He sensed her presence and looked up, surprise suffusing his features. He sputtered at first but eventually got the words out.

"Do you always get up this early?" he blurted out. He closed his eyes and silently cursed himself for his lack of tact.

Tessa arched an eyebrow. "Good morning to you too, Mr. Manners," she said blandly.

Will blushed and tried to regain the upper hand, resident to guest. "Did you sleep all right?"

"Yeah." Tessa smiled. "Thanks for bringing my bags in. I didn’t even miss them till I had to go to bed."

An awkward silence settled over the kitchen. Tessa sat herself at the table across from Will and drummed her short nails against the table; the staccato beat was the only noise puncturing the silence.