"God knows I do," he said, almost in a whisper.
"I'm glad—oh, awf'ly glad." She gave him her hands, tears in her soft brown eyes. "Because I've been waiting for you so long. I didn't know whether you ever were coming to me."
Crawford found them there ten minutes later. He was looking for Joyce to find him a collar-button that was missing.
"Dawggone my hide!" he fumed, and stopped abruptly, the collar-button forgotten.
Joyce flew out of Dave's arms into her father's.
"Oh, Daddy, Daddy, I'm so happy," she whispered from the depths of his shoulder.
The cattleman looked at Dave, and his rough face worked. "Boy, you're in luck. Be good to her, or I'll skin you alive." He added, by way of softening this useless threat, "I'd rather it was you than anybody on earth, Dave."
The young man looked at her, his Joy-in-life, the woman who had brought him back to youth and happiness, and he answered with a surge of emotion:
"I'll sure try."