"Yes, but there's Alf. I couldn't leave him,"—shaking her head, still innocent of his intent.
Hilton was not unprepared.
"But if he had a comfortable ranch, with good buildings and plenty of stock, and could come to visit you at times?"
"But he ain't got any of them an' besides—
"You don't mean for me to stay!" she said suddenly, eyes incredulous.
"To stay, Bobby. To stay with me, forever and ever."
She started to laugh but checked herself and leaned suddenly toward him, her lips parted. He lifted himself to an elbow and reached out for her hand.
"Don't you understand, dear girl? Don't you see that I love you?"
She withdrew her hand from his clasp and looked away, brows drawn toward one another a trifle. He watched her craftily, timing his urging to her realization.
"Don't you see that I came west, guided by something bigger than my own reason, directed by something that regulates the loves of men to bring them to a good end?"