Chapter 4Mal didn’t worry about anybody noticing him as he slipped out of the bunkhouse. The sky was bereft of its moon, and the starlight only deepened the shadows. He could feel summer approaching in the air and, even though it was nearly midnight, sweat still lingered on his brow and the back of his neck. Silence followed him across barnyard. He expected to hear a pair of coyotes, or even a cow calling to her calf, but the night was as quiet as it was dark. Mal hoped that wouldn’t scare Christian away, though he would understand if she decided she didn’t want to take the risk.
He wasn’t sure what time she had in mind, and he stretched his senses, trying to find any clue she was already waiting for him. But the barn was completely empty, the horses milling around the paddock, and the ch
