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you can send a letter to the agency.”
    â€œScared, Amanda?”
    Her pulse raced. “Of what?”
    His knowing smile, this time including his dimple, was the only answer required.
    â€œOf course not!”
    Chase opened his door. “Then let’s strap the baby in the infant seat and start out to the ranch. Along the way, I’ll show you a few saguaros.”

3
    B ARTHOLOMEW SLEPT the entire ride to the ranch, leaving Amanda free to gawk at the unfamiliar countryside. And gawk she did. Used to the gentle slopes of the Adirondacks, she stared in amazement at the rough-hewn peaks of the Santa Catalina Mountains towering above Tucson. The route to the True Love curved around the backside of the range, and by the time Chase had guided the van onto a dirt road marked True Love Guest Ranch, Amanda had seen enough saguaros and other prickly plants to last her a lifetime. She had the urge to encase Bartholomew in a suit of armor to protect his soft baby skin from the bristling terrain.
    Chase drove in silence, his expression as austere as the landscape. If she didn’t so desperately want the information about his family, she’d consider calling a cab when she arrived at the ranch and returning to the airport. His question about whether there were any other men in her life made her wonder if he had ideas of renewing their sexual relationship. If so, he’d be disappointed—she had no intention of letting that happen. Or maybe he just wanted a little more time with Bartholomew. She could hardly deny him that, considering her request for his medical background, but she hoped he wouldn’t become too attached to the baby.
    The van jounced over a pothole in the dirt road and Chase muttered a curse under his breath.
    â€œIs it your back?” she asked, recalling belatedly that a couple of months ago he’d been in a hospital bed.
    â€œNo. I didn’t want to wake the baby,” he said.
    She was unexpectedly touched. “Don’t worry. He’ll probably sleep until the van stops. How is your back?”
    â€œNot bad.”
    She decided to press the point. “But you gave up your truck-driving career because of your back, didn’t you?”
    He nodded. “The physical therapists said it would be at least a year before I could get through a day without pain, and the doctors doubted I’d ever go back to trucking. But I’ve had a sort of miracle cure out here. Four weeks ago, I started riding, and now, on a good day, I can stay in the saddle for several hours.”
    It wasn’t hard to picture him galloping through this rugged country. The role suited him in the same way driving a powerful 18-wheeler had, and both images stirred her sexually. But she’d already indulged herself in the fantasy once, and the price had been high. Indulging again could threaten her whole way of life. “I imagine the climate would help a bad back.” She lifted her hair to let the air-conditioning find the nape of her neck.
    He glanced at her, and his gaze warmed. She remembered too late that he’d once commented on that gesture, calling it “damn sexy.” Self-conscious, she released the weight of her hair to her shoulders. She hadn’t meant to be provocative. She didn’t want him to want her.
    â€œThe warm weather helps,” Chase said after a moment. “And the head wrangler, Leigh Singleton, well, she has some amazing massage techniques.”
    â€œOh.” The jolt of jealousy that hit Amanda caught her completely off guard. She had no right to those kinds of emotions. And they were a dangerous sign that she might have been fooling herself about why she’d come to Arizona. “You’re lucky to have found someone like that,” she said.
    â€œLeigh is a fascinating woman. I never believed in psychics or natural healing before, but Leigh’s changing my mind.”
    Amanda didn’t trust herself to speak. It was one