n surprised her and jarred on
her peaceful mood. She turned on him reproachfully, but found nothing in
Jim Colter's expression that spoke of laughter. His strong bronze face
was so serious and his lips so grave that the girl with him was suddenly
still and frightened. For many weeks she had thought this moment might
be approaching, and yet, now it had come, she was wholly unprepared.

"I was only thinking of how young you look in that riding habit, Miss
Ruth," Jim said simply. "I laughed because I remembered I thought you
would be an old maid of fifty when you first came out to the ranch.
Sometimes it seems years since the day you arrived, and then again only
a few weeks. Are you sure you like living on a ranch now? You know you
plumb hated it when you first came to Wyoming," he said boyishly.

Ruth smiled and nodded, wondering if she were relieved or disappointed.
One could always count on Jim's not doing or saying the thing expected
of him. After all, the moment she anticipated was not at hand.

"Of course I dearly love living on the ranch, Mr. Jim. But why do you
ask me?" she answered.

"Because I love you, Ruth," Jim returned as quietly as though he had not
been trying to speak the three magic words for months. "And I am a
ranchman and don't know anything else. I don't understand a whole lot
about women, but I believe they ought to like the kind of life a man has
to offer before they tie up with him. If you hadn't come to like living
out here I never would have told you I loved you, though it had eaten my
heart out to keep silent. But you do care for the life now, Ruth,
and--do you think you can care for me?"

The two horses were walking slowly side by side, and Jim put out a big
warm hand and closed it slowly over Ruth's small cold ones which still
held her reins. "I am only an overseer, and haven't much money or
education to offer you, and I know how much these things count, but I
will do my best for you and I do come of good people, dear, and it
wasn't their fault I never learned more----" Jim added at last,
hesitating as though even this slight reference to his past was torn
from him against his will.

The woman made no answer, and for a little while longer they rode on.

"Can't you tell me, Ruth?" Jim urged gently.

Ruth had not spoken, because she had not known what she wished to say.
Before she came out west Ruth Drew thought she hated men and had made up
her mind never to marry. Her brother was selfi