Free Heart So Sweet: Book 3 in the Great Plains Romance Series by Corrissa James Page A

news. Surely they’d understand her giddiness?
    The ranch was dark, and Susannah felt deflated. She drove back toward the farm, but instead of turning down the lane, she continued west until she came to the lane that would lead to Tate’s house. He might not want to see her, but he would be just as thrilled that Lucas had spoken to her. And if she happened to wake Tate up? Well, she wouldn’t feel guilty about that at all. In fact, she kind of hoped she would be waking him from a deep sleep just so he could experience the kinds of frustrations that had vexed her these past few weeks.
    She drove slowly down the half-mile lane, which meandered through a thick copse of trees. The lane made a sharp turn to the left, ending at a single-story cabin. No lights were on inside, but the lights from the truck were shining right on the windows at the front of the cabin. If Tate had been sleeping, he wouldn’t be now. As she stepped out of the truck, she heard a noise to the north of the cabin. A small path was just visible thanks to a string of Christmas lights in the trees. She waited a moment, but saw no movement in the cabin, then heard the sound to the north once again, reminding her of metal hitting metal.
    She followed the path to a small clearing, where Tate was stacking chairs into a corner, his back turned to her. He was wearing a dark long-sleeved shirt and dark pants. His hair still looked like it needed a haircut. Susannah chastised herself for wanting to run her fingers through it. He shifted to start clearing off a table, stacking up what appeared to be bowls of food on one of the remaining chairs.
    “If you had come earlier, you could have participated.” He said it without looking up at her.
    She remained at the edge of the clearing, in the shadows. “And what would I have been participating in?”
    “A spirit release for my father.” He continued clearing the table. “It’s been one year since his passing.”
    Susannah finally stepped from the shadows. “I’m sorry.” The words sounded so formal, so emotionless.
    “He led a good life.”
    She watched him in silence for several minutes, considering what to say to him. She wanted to yell at him for ignoring her for nearly a month. She also wanted to throw herself at him, ripping off her clothes in the process. Then she remembered Lucas and how she could share his progress with Tate. But how would Tate react? She still wasn’t sure about their rift. She rolled her eyes as the emotions raged inside her.
    Finally she decided to stick to a safe topic and moved a few steps closer. “So what’s a spirit release?”

Chapter Fourteen
     
    Tate picked up several bowls of food and handed them to Annie, then gathered the rest before heading for the cabin. “My people believe that, when a person dies, their spirit can linger on this plane of existence. For a year after a death, we continue to feed and care for the spirit. Then we hold a spirit release ceremony, which marks the end of the mourning period as well.”
    He led her around the back of the cabin, where an outdoor kitchen was set up. He shoved all the bowls into a nearly empty refrigerator. When he closed the door, he finally looked at her.
    “My father always liked you, always told me the red fox would make a fine woman.” He could feel the heat from her body. Or maybe it was the heat his own body was generating, being so close to her. He pulled a strand of her hair between his fingers, as if studying it. “Why are you here?”
    “To see you.” She stared up at him, her eyes locked on his.
    He sighed loudly, glanced at her hair, then let the strand slide through his fingers. “But you are ashamed of me.”
    “What?” She grabbed his arm, pulling him around to look at her. “Never! I never have been or ever will be ashamed of you, Tate Trudell. Even after you avoided me for weeks!”
    He shrugged out of her grip and looked away. He wanted to believe her, but he couldn’t forget her words that