To Sarah Cartwright it was bad enough that her brother-in-law had given Joe less responsibility. But to hire Candy Canaday was almost saying that he needed Candy more than he needed Joe. And to Sarah that was an unforgivable sin.

Adam Cartwright knew that Sarah resented his actions. Although Joe seemed happier and more willing to help since Candy had arrived, Sarah hated Candy more and more. Nothing Candy did was good enough for Sarah. When Candy offered to bring more wood for the stove the night that Sarah cooked she grudingly accepted. But when he arrived with the wood she was furious.

“How stupid can you be?” she demanded. “This is pine wood for the living room. I wanted wood for the stove.”

It was then that Adam interfered. “We keep the oak wood for the stove in a different place.” He steered his friend towards the door. “I’ll show you where it is.”

Candy wrinkled his nose as the kitchen door closed behind the two men. “Adam,” he asked cautiously, “I’m sure this is oak.”

Adam nodded. “It is oak.”

Neither man said another word.

Sophie Cartwright stood in the doorway of the Ponderosa ranch watching her husband and Joe ride into the yard. Her pretty brow furrowed into a frown as she watched Candy come out of the barn. Despite Adam’s insistence that it was not his job, he was always willing to take their horses. Next to Sophie, Sarah Cartwright sat on the porch, her pretty blue eyes shooting ice at the handsome foreman.

Sophie knew how Sarah felt about Candy. She wanted to remind her friend that it was all for the best. It was so Joe could spend more time with her. But then she remembered…Joe and Sarah had started to drift apart. While Adam waved to her and blew her a kiss, Joe talked with Candy.

‘Everything is all right with my marriage.’ Sophie thought placing a hand on her stomach. ‘But what about Joe and Sarah?’ Had her suggestion to bring Candy here placed a stake in her brother-in-law’s marriage?

Candy turned and waved to the ladies on the porch and Sophie smiled and waved back. Sarah turned her face back to her knitting. Sophie sighed.

The three men were walking towards the house now. Somewhere in the distance Sophie heard a wolf howl. ‘Funny,’ she thought, ‘is it possible that I invited a wolf into our home?’