TomWalker

Prologue

The christening was a delightful affair. It seemed that everyone in Jacobsville, Texas, was there to
givetheirbestwishestoDr.Jebe-diahColtrainandhiswife,Dr.LouiseColtrain,onthebirthoftheir
son,JohnDaniel.

Afterward,atthereception,thechampagneflowedlikewater.Thebeautifuldayinmid-Junewasclear
andwarm.

Dr.DrewMorriswasstandingclosetothepunchbowlenjoyingthecompanyofhisfriends.Beside
himstoodTedReganandTed'sforeman,JobeDodd,alongwithTed'ssister,Sandy.Sandywasgiving
Jobeablackglare,whichhewasreturningwithinterest.Ontheothersideofhimstoodnewcomerto
townTomWalker,who'djustopenedaninvestmentfirm.

"Ineedtotalktoyouaboutsomeinvestmentsnextweek,"DrewtoldTomwithagrin."Ihadagood
yearandIwanttodosomethingwithmycashoverflow."

"I'llbegladtodowhateverIcanforyou,Dr.Morris,"Tomsaidwithagrininhisdark,handsome
face.

"Bytheway,"Drewadded,"ifyou'reinthemarketforanycomputerequipment,Ted'ssisterthereis
theladytosee."Henoddedto-wardSandy."Sheworksforoneofthebigcomputerfranchises,and
she'sawhizwithelectronics."

"Sureis,"bigblondJobeDoddsaidmockingly."Pityshecan'tstayonahorse."

"ThedevilIcan't!"Sandyshotback,herblueeyesflaming.

"Now,now."Tedseparatedthem."Gofightsomewhereelse.We'reheretocelebrateachristening,not
tostartawar."

Theyglaredathimandwenttheirseparateways.

"Whew!"Tedsighed."It'slikethatallthetimelately!CoreenandIareabouttothepointoftakingour
babyandrunningforcover.Iwishthey'dkilleachotherandgetitoverwith."

"Theydoseemvolatile,"Drewagreed,sippingpunch.

"How'syournewemployeeworkingout?"Tedaskedhim.

"Shecan'tdressherself,shecan'twalkthroughtheofficewithouttrippingoversomethingandshe's
forevertryingtoworkwithoutherglassesbecauseshethinksshelooksbetterthatway."Hethrewup
hishands."It'sapitytheyoutlawedflogging..."

"Howkinky,"Tedmurmured.

Drewglaredathimandstalkedoff.

Ted chuckled. His prematurely silver hair sparkled in the light as he glanced at Tom, the only
companionleft.

"That just about clears away the group around the punch bowl," he mused, and helped himself to
anothercupofchampagnepunch."Don'tyouwanttoglareatmeandstormoff,too?"

Tom grinned, his green eyes twinkling. "I don't have any reason to, just yet. Besides, this punch is
reallygood."

"How'sbusiness?"

"Goinggreat,"Tomtoldhim,sippingthedrink."ComingdownherewasoneofthebestmovesIever
made.

MattCaldwellwasright.Idohaveanopenfieldhere.Ican'tkeepupwithallthework,andI'vebarely
setupmyoffice."

"Gladtohearit."Tedstudiedtheyoungermanoverhiscupofpunch."OldmanGallaghersaidyou
hadadog."

"He'ssortofatoothachewithfur,"Tommurmuredandthengrinnedattheotherman."Ifoundhimin
astorm,underacitymailboxinHouston.Hewasjustalittleballoffurandscaredtodeath,soItook
him home." He took a swallow of champagne punch. "Now he weighs ninety pounds and he's
uncivilized.Heishousebroken,inasense,butI'dactuallycallhimahousebreaker.Ionlyhaveone
ceramicthingleft."HeglancedatTed."Idon'tsupposeyouneedacattledog?"

Ted chuckled. "No. Thanks. I gave Coreen a pup before we got married. He's grown now and he's
smartenoughtodowhatlittleherdingIneedaroundtheplace."

"I wouldn't really give Moose up, any-way," Tom confessed. "I'm all alone, and he's company." His
eyeshadasad,farawaylookforaninstant,beforehewipeditaway."TheColtrainbaby'scute."

"Soheis,"Tedagreed,glancingatthetwodoctorswiththebaby."Iwonderifhe'llbearedheadlike
hisdadorablondelikehismom?"

"Notelling,"Tomsaid."Howoldisyourboy?"

"Justafewmonths,"Tedsaid,sighing."NeverdreamedI'dbecomeafatheratmyage.Hell,Inever
dreamedI'dgetmarried."HiseyessearchedtheroomandfoundCo-reen'sblueones.Shehadtheir
littleboyinherarms.

Theyneverlefthimforaminute,evenwithsomanywillingbaby-sittersaround.Hewasatreasure,
liketheirloveforeachother.

DrewMorrissawthatlook,andpoignantmemoriesfloodedthroughhimasherejoinedthemen.He'd
lovedhiswife.Aftershediedhe'dneverthoughtoffindingsomeoneelse.Hestillmournedher.He
glanced at Tom, who looked as alone and sad as he felt. Farther away, Jobe Dodd was glaring at
SandyRegan,whowasstandingnearCoreen.Hewonderedifallthathostilityhadsomethingbeneath
it?

Hesighedandliftedhiscup.TedandTomliftedtheirs,too.Theothersintheroomcaughton,and
Jobe Dodd lifted his with theirs toward the two doctors and their son. It was going to be quite a
summerinJacobsville.

"Cheers!"theyallsaidinunison.

Threemenintheprivacyoftheirownmindsstaredatthechildandwonderedhowitwouldbeifthey
hadfamilies.Eachofthemwassurethatheneverwould.

Chapter1

TherewasamuffledcrashfromthelivingroomandTomWalkerletoutawearysighasheturned
fromunpackingthefewsmallkitchenappliancesthathadcomewithhimfromHouston.

"Moose!"hegrumbled.Hegotupfromthefloorandlefttheboxsittingtoseewhatlatestdisasterhis
pethadcaused.

Ithadallstartedwitharainstormandatiny,frightenedlittleballoffurhidingunderametalmailbox
indowntownHouston.SomebodyhadabandonedthepuppyandTomhadbeenunabletoleaveitthere
onthesideofabusystreet.Buttheactofcompassionhadrepercussions.Bigones.Thetinypuppy
hadgrownintoagorgeousbutenormousGermanshepherdmixwhomhehadnamedShep,butwho
waslaterrechristenedMoose.

As he stood watching the huge animal settle himself among the remains of a once-elegant antique
bowl on the big coffee table, he re-flected that the new name was appropriate. It was like having a
mooseinthehouse.

"Katewillneverforgiveyou,"hesaidpointedly,rememberinghowhappyhissisterhadbeenwhen,
newlymarried,shehadgivenhimthebowlasaChristmasgift."ThatwasaChristmaspresent.Itwas
handmadebyafamousNativeAmericanpotter!"

"Woof,"Mooserepliedinhisdeepdogvoice,andgrinnedathim.

ThevethadsaidthatMoosewasstillgoingthroughhispuppystage.

"Willheoutgrowit?"Tomhadaskedplaintively,havingtakenthebigdogtothevetafterMoosehad
goneswimminginaneighbor'soutdoorgoldfishpond.

"Sure!" the vet had assured him, and just as Tom began to sigh with relief, he added with a wicked
grin,"Four,fiveyearsfromnow,he'llcalmrightdown!"

Resigned,hetookthebigdogbackhomeandhopedhecouldadapttolivingamongpotteryshards
anddisemboweledfurnitureforthenextfewyearsofhislife.

One of his neighbors had offered to buy Moose who, while a walking disaster, was ab-solutely
beautiful, with a black coat of fur that shone like coal in sunlight, and stark white markings with
mediumbrowneyebrowsandfacialmarkings.

TomhadrepliedthathelikedthemantoomuchtosellMoosetohim.

Hegavethecoffeetableonelastlook,shookhisheadandwentintothekitchentomakecoffee.Justas
he started the coffee-maker, he heard a crunching noise and turned to find that while he'd been
occupiedwithcof-fee,Moosehadoverturnedthekitchentrashcanandspreadthecontentsalloverthe
lino-leumfloor.Hewasmunchingcontentedlyonanapplecoreamidstcoffeegrounds,bananapeels
andemptyTVdinnercartons.

"Oh,Lord,"Tomprayedsilently.Hetooktheapplecoreaway,setthetrashcanuprightandwentto
findabroom.Whatagoodthingthathewasn'tentertainingthoughtsofmarriage.Nowomaninher
rightmindwouldputupwithhiscaninecompanion.

He was thirty-four. He should have been long-since married, but he and his sister, Kate, had been
victimsofashocking,terribleupbringingthathadstuntedthemsexually.Theirfatherhadbeatenboth
ofthemaschildrenandraisedthedevileverytimeoneofthemsomuchassmiledattheoppositesex.
Infact,sex,helectured,wasthegreatestsinofall.Hewasalayminister,sotheybelievedhim.

What they hadn't known at the time was that he had a brain tumor that modified his once-loving
personalityandeventuallykilledhim.Theirlong-missingmotherhadbeenfoundbyJacobCade,his
sisterKate'shusband,andpresentedtothembothatJacobandKate'swedding,oversixyearsago.It
hadbeenapainfulreunionuntiltheylearnedthatfarfromdesertingthemaschildren,theirmother
had never dreamed that their father would kidnap them and spirit them away from her. But he had
done just that. She'd spent half a lifetime using money from her meager salary trying to find them
again.ShelivedinMis-souri,buttheybothsawherfrequently.NowthatKatewasmarriedandhada
son,theirmotheroftenvisitedher.

Tom wondered if he could ever marry. Kate had, but then Jacob Cade had been the love of her life
sinceherearlyteens.PresumablyKate'sfearofthephysicalsideofmarriagehadbeenovercome.She
andCadehadason,whowasfiveyearsold.Andalthoughthey'dtriedtohaveasecondchild,they
hadn'tbeenabletojustyet.

He'd have liked children. But his one sexual experience had left him sick with guilt Kate's wedding
hadpointedout,asnothingelseeverhad,howveryalonehewas.He'dgonebacktohisjobwithan
advertisingfirminNewYorkCityandthatweekend,toalocalbartodrownhissorrows.

She'd been there at a going-away party for one of the girls in the office. Elysia Craig had been his
secretaryfortwoyears.Shewasaprettyblondewithgrayeyesandaneatlittlefigurewhowasteased
byherco-workersforbeingsoprimandprudish.Tomthoughtitwasajoke.Heneverrealizedthat
shewasasinexperiencedashewas.Notuntilitwasfartoolate.HismostvividmemoryofElysiawas
of her crouching in the full-sized bed in his apart-ment with a white sheet clutched to her breasts,
weeping like a widow. He'd hurt her without meaning to, and the tears had been the last straw. He
couldn'tremembersayingasin-glewordtoherasshedressedandgotintothecabhecalledforher.
He'dbeenfartooinebri-atedandsicktodrivebythen.

Hehadn'tknownhowtoapologize,orexplain.Hisbehaviorhadshamedhim.Hecouldn'tevenmeet
hereyesthenextmorning,orspeaktoher.Mostofthewomenintheofficewhereheworkedwere
sophisticated and savvy, but Elysia wasn't. His inability to communicate with her provoked her into
quittingherjobthatverydayandgoingbackhometoTexas.Tohisshame,hehadn'tevenlookedfor
her.He'dstillbeenfightingfeelingsofshameandguilt,holdoversfromhisbrutalchildhood,despite
theachinghungerhe'dfeltforElysia.

Her gentle, kind nature was what had attracted him to her in the first place, but except for his
excessivedrinkinghewouldneverhaveapproachedher.Hisfeelingsforherhe'dkeptsecret,never
dreamingthathemightonedayendupinbedwithher.Ithadbeenthemostexquisiteexperienceof

hislife,buttheguilthadmadehimsick,sohepushedittothebackofhismindandtriedtoforgetit.

Notlongafterward,he'dgivenuphisadvertisingjobandstudiedtheinvestmentbusiness.Hisfirstjob
hadbeenasanassistantad-visorwithawell-knownnationalcompany.Thenhe'dmovedtoHouston,
Texas, to open his own office in the building with a friend, Logan Deverell. But he'd gotten
wanderlustagainwhenLoganhadmarriedhislong-suf-feringsecretary.

He'd arrived in Jacobsville three weeks ago, thanks to another mutual friend, Matt Caldwell, who
ownedastudfarmoutoftown.MattwasfriendswiththeBallengerbrothers,CalhounandJustin,who
ownedahugefeedlotandlikedtoinvesttheirearnings.TheywereallmutualfriendsoftheTremayne
brothers,whoownedpropertiesalloverTexas.Beforehe'devenhadtimetounpack,Tomhadallthe
businesshecouldhandle.

A real-estate agent in town had dabbled in the properties market, but since she'd remarried her ex-
husband, a pilot, they'd moved house to Atlanta. The nearest investment counselor now was in
Victoria.Tomhadnocompetitionatall,forthemoment,inJacobsville.Itseemedlikeadreamcome
true.

Then,yesterday,outoftheblue,anewcli-enthadwalkedinthedoor—LukeCraig—andthebottom
hadfallenoutofTom'slife.Lukehadasister,recentlywidowedwithasmalldaughter.Herfirstname
wasElysia.

Tompouredhimselfacupofcoffeeandsatdownonthesofa.Moosejumpedupbesidehimtorest
hischinonhismaster'sleg.

He petted the big dog absently. "Don't think I'm forgetting the broken pot or the gar-bage," he
murmured.

Moosesighedandgavehimabalefullook.

Tomsippedcoffeeandwonderedwhathewasgoingtodo.Ofallthequirksoffate,tolandhimselfin
theonetowninAmericawherehecouldn'tbeartolive.Nowonderithadallseemedtoogoodtobe
true.Fatewasplayingamonstrousjokeonhim.Thewomanhe'dseducedlivedrighthere.Apparently
she'dmarriedandhadachildaftershe'dcomehome.Hewonderedifsherememberedhim,andthen
chidedhimselfforhisownstupidity.Ofcourseshedid.He'dbeenherfirstexperience,justasshe'd
beenhis.Shedidn'tknowthat.She'dstillthinkthathe'dseducedandabandonedher,likesomebigcity
playboywithoutaconscience.Whatajoke.

He put the coffee cup down. Moose was snoring softly. He stroked the huge head and thought how
niceitwastohaveacompanion,evensuchaoneasthis.

Hedidn'tknowhowhewasgoingtocope,butheknewhewould.Jacobsvillewasasmalltown,but
notallthatsmall.HemightneverrunintoElysia.Worryatthisstagewaspremature.Hehadallthis
unpackingtodothathe'dputoffforalmostamonth.He'ddobettertogotoworkandstoptormenting
himselfwiththingsthatmightneverhappen.Heprobablywouldn'trecognizethewoman,anyway.It
hadbeenyearsago,afterall.

Fatemusthavebeenhowlingthenextmorningwhenhedrovetowork,parkedhiscarandstartedinto
theoffice.

Nextdoortohisofficewasaninsuranceagency.Andheadingtowarditwasablondwomaninjeans,
boots,aT-shirtunderaflannelshirtandaneatFrenchbraid.

Elysia.

Shestoppeddeadwhenshewascloseenoughtorecognizehim.Gonewerethebig-rimmedspectacles
she'd worn when she worked for him. Gone was the racehorse thin-ness. She'd filled out. She still
wasn'tpretty,butshewasveryattractive.Hecouldn'thelpstaringather.

Shemovedcloser,notshyorreticentasshehadbeen.Shelookedrightathim."Iheardyou'dmoved
heretoopenaninvestmentof-fice.Mybrothersaidyoulookedstrangewhenhementionedmyname.
I told him I used to work for you, nothing else." She laughed bitterly. "So you don't have to worry
aboutbe-inglynched.Feelbetter,Mr.Walker?"

Theunexpectedassaulthadtiedhistongue.Shewasn'tthesamegirlhe'dknownatall.

Hisdarkgreeneyeslanceddownintohers."You'vechanged,MissCraig."

"Mrs.Nash."Shecorrectedhim.

Hiseyebrowjerked."Mrs.Nash,"hesaid.

Sheseemedlessassertiveallatonce."Myhusbanddiedlastyear.Hehadcancer."

"I'msorry."

"Hewassickforalongtime,"shemurmured."It'stritetosayit,buthereallyisbetteroff."

"Isee."

"You'renotmarriedyet?"

Hesearchedhersoftovalfacewithoutexpression."That'llbetheday,"hereplied.

"Yes, I remember. You're the original love-'em-and-leave-'em bachelor." The bitterness was back in
hervoice.

"Iguessyou'restillshakingthewomenoutofyourbed..."

Hesteppedcloser,hiseyeskindling."Mylovelifeisnoneofyourdamnedbusiness!"Heneverraised
hisvoice,butthewhipinitcutalmostphysically.Itdisconcertedher.

"No...of...ofcoursenot!"shestammered.

Sheactuallytookastepbackward,andhecursedhimselfinwardly.

"I'msorry,"hesaidcurtly."Youprobablythinkyouwereoneinaline.That'sthejokeofthecentury."

"Ex...excuseme?"

Hecheckedhiswatch,feelingself-con-scious."Ihavetogettowork."

His behavior puzzled her. She'd spent years blaming him, hating him. But he didn't look like a
philanderer. Sure, she reminded herself, and most ax-murderers probably don't look like killers,
either.

She stood aside to let him pass. He hesitated, though, the wind blowing his thick black hair around
over a face that was deep olive. He had an untamed look about him. He was still very handsome,
althoughshewassurethathewasinhismiddlethirtiesbynow.Hisbuildwasthatofamuchyounger
man,leanandmuscular.

"YouhaveNativeAmericanancestry,don'tyou?"sheaskedinvoluntarily.

"Sioux,"heagreed."Ourgreat-grand-father."

"Howisyoursister?"sheaskedwithoutwantingto.

"Fine.SheandJacobhaveason.He'sfivenow."

"I'mhappyforher."

"SoamI.Itwouldn'thavesurprisedmeifshe'dnevermarried,either."

Therewasadeepermeaningtowhathewassaying.Shewishedshecouldreadbetweenthelines.Her
eyessearchedhiscuriously.Ifonlyshecouldhatehim.

Helookeddownhislong,straightnoseatherwithdarkgreeneyesthatdidn'tblink."We'rebotholder.
I'mgladyoufoundsomeoneyoucouldlove.Ihopehewasgoodtoyou."

Sheflushed."Hewasverygoodtome,"shesaid.

"And I wasn't." His lean hand reached out, almost touched her hair, withdrawing before it made
contact.Helaughedathisowninabilitytoshowaffection."Iregretyoumostofall,Elysia,"hesaid
numbly."Iwasafraid.

MaybeIstillam."

Heturnedandwentintohisoffice,leavingherstaringblanklyafterhim.

She'dhatedhimsomuchwhenshe'dcomebacktoJacobsvilleafterhiscoldrejection.Ithadn'teven
been much of a memory, that short night she'd spent in his arms. He'd been ravenously hungry for

her, but rough and at times, oddly hesitant. When he'd hurt her, he'd even tried to draw away, but it
hadn'tbeenpossible.Hisharshgroanashegaveintohishungerhadstayedwithheralltheselong
years.He'dsoundedasifhehatedhimselfforwantingher,blamedherforit.Hehadn'tsaidasingle
word.Notbefore,during,orafter.

Itwaspainfultorememberhowdesperatelyshe'dlovedhim.She'dgambledeverythingongivingin
tohim,thatonce.Butinsteadofbringingthemcloser,ithaddestroyedtheirtenuousfriendship.She'd
comehomeandhe'dnevertriedtocontactheratall.Perhapsthatwasbest.Shedidn'treallywanthim
toknowaboutCrissy.

Eventually he might notice that the child bore a striking resemblance to him, but he wouldn't know
whatherlatehusbandlookedlike,sotherewaslittledangerofhersecretcomingout.

She wondered what he would say if he knew that their one intimacy had produced such a beautiful
littlemiracle.

Shecouldn'ttellhim.Everyoneintownthoughtthatherlatehusbandhadfatheredthechild,butpoor
Fredhadbeenfartooillforintimacy,evenwhentheymarriedsoonafterherflighttoJacobsvillesix
yearsbefore.Hisillnesshadbeenalong-drawn-outone,withbriefperiodsofre-missionthatbecame
evenbrieferastimepassed.

He'dbeenkindtoher,though,andshe'dhadaffectionforhim.He'dlovedthechild.Poorman,whose
wifehaddivorcedhimtomarrysomeonericher,justwhenhewasdiagnosedwithcancer.They'dboth
beendesertedbythepeopletheylovedmost.Marriagehadbeenasensiblesolution.Hewouldn'thave
todiealone,andherchildwouldhaveaname.

ThethoughtoftellingTomWalkerabouthisdaughterhadneveroccurredtoher.Hiscoldavoidance
of Elysia after they were intimate had told her all she needed to know. He no longer wanted her.
Certainlyhewouldn'twantachild.

She went into the insurance office to pay her bill without a backward glance. Their time was over,
beforeitevenbegan.HewouldneverhavetoknowaboutCrissy,anyway.Andifhecouldbeartolive
herewiththeconstantsightofhertoremindhimofthepast,shecouldendureitaswell.Shewasa
suc-cessful businesswoman with rich clients at her exclusive fashion boutique that shipped cou-ture
andlocallydesignedgarmentsallovertheworld.Shehadawonderfulchildandabrightfuture.She
didn'tneedTomWalkertocom-pleteherlife,evenifthesightofhimhadknockedthebreathoutof
heralloveragain.She'djusthavetoexercisesomestrongself-control,thatwasall.Becausejudging
byhisbehavior,hehadn'tmissedher.Shewishedthatshecouldhavesaidthesame.

Tomsatdownbehindhisdesk,shaken.Ely-sialookedaslovelytohiseyesassheeverhad.Shewas
moremature,muchmoredesirable.Hefeltashamedalloveragain.She'dmarriedandhadachild.He
couldn't have had much of a place in her heart after what he'd done. He wished things had gone
differentlyforthem.Ifhe'dbeenabletocommunicate,alittlelessproudabouthispast,alittlemore
openwithher,whoknewwhatmighthavehappened.Buthe'dlethischanceforhappinesssliprightby
him. He'd given her the idea that he found her easy and undesirable after one night. How could he
blameherforbeingbitter?

The phone rang. He picked it up. It was a potential client. He put on his best business manner and
forcedthethoughtofElysiatothebackofhismindforthemoment.

ItwasinevitablethathewasgoingtorunintotheCraigssoonerorlater.Asithappened,itwasLuke
hesawfirst,andhehadElysia'sdaughterwithhim.

Tomstoppeddeadatthesightofthechild.Therewassomethingaboutherthatremindedhimvividly
ofhissister,Kate.Thechildhadoliveskinandlightgreeneyes.Herhairwaslongandstraightandjet
black.ShewasalmosttheimageofKate.Hesmiledinspiteofhimself.Whatabeautifulchild!

"Hi, Tom," Luke said with his easy friendliness. He had the little girl by the hand. He drew her
forward. "I'm taking my niece to a movie. Crissy, honey, this is Mr. Walker. He's Uncle Luke's
investmentcounselor."

"Hello,"thechildsaidpolitely,eyeingthetallmancuriously."YoulooklikeanIndian."

Hiseyebrowquirked.Hesmiledfaintly."IhadaSiouxgreat-grandfather."

"Iliketowearmyhairinbraids.MamatookmetoanIndianpowwow.That'safes-tivalwhereyou
canlearnallabouttheircul-tureandhistory,andallsortsofcrafts.Ihadfun."

ThatinterestingfactpiquedTom'scuriosity,butbeforehecouldsayanything,Lukecutthechildoff.

"Christine, you're babbling," Luke chided gently, chuckling as he glanced at Tom. "She'll talk your
legoff.She'sonlyinkindergarten,too."

"UncleLukethinksItalktoomuch,"thelittlegirlmuttered,gloweringupatheruncle.

"No,Idon't,pet,"herrelativeassuredher."Shewantstoseethepigmovie."Hesighed."I'mnotkeen,
butIdon'thavemuchtodoaroundtheranchtoday,soIwasfree.Elysia'sathomewitheverypotwe
ownonthestoveputtingupsauce.We'regoingtodieoftomatopoisoning.HonesttoGod,she'sput
upenoughsaucetofloatasmallship!"HeeyedTom."Idon'tguessyoulikespaghetti?Icouldgive
youtwentyorthirtyjarsofspaghettisauceforChristmas."

"Iloveit,asithappens,"Tomadmitted,amused."Whydoessheputupsomuchofit?"

"Justbetweenus,Ithinksomething'supsether,"heconfessed."She'sbeenlikethisforseveraldays.
She'scleanedthehousetwiceandwashedbothcars,nowshe'sdeterminedtocornerthetomatosauce
market."

"Mamaalwaysworkswhenshe'supset,"Crissyvolunteered."LasttimewaswhenMissHenrytoldher
IpushedMarkiedownthesteps."

Tom'seyebrowsbothrose."Didyou?"

Herlowerlipthrustout."Hecalledmeasissy,"shesaidbelligerently."JustbecauseImadehimstop

throwingrocksatalittlefrog."Shebrightened.“Itoldhismamawhathedid,andhegotwhipped.His
mamahasanaquar-iumwithlotsoflittlefiretoadsinit.Sheletmeseethem."

"PoorMarkie,"Lukesaidunderhisbreath.

"Goodforyou,"Tomtoldthechild.

"Doyoulikecows?"sheaskedTom."We'vegotlots.I'llbetUncleLukewouldevenletyoupetone,if
youwant."

"HecanpetallI'vegot,"Lukereplied,hisblueeyesdancingasheglancedattheotherman.

"I'macityboy,"Tommused,hishandsinhispockets."Lately,anyway."

"Yes,you'refromHouston,aren'tyou?"Lukeasked.

"Originally, I'm from South Dakota," he replied. "I grew up around Jacob Cade's ranch near
Blairsville.HetaughtKateandmehowtoridewhenwewereyoung.He'sawhizatit."

"Iknowthatname,"Lukereplied."HeandIwereatacattleauctioninMontanaacoupleofyearsback.
He'syourbrother-in-law?Well,well.IhavetosayIwasimpressed.Heknowscattle."

"SodoesKate.I'mtheoddoneout."

"Youknowhowtoinvestmoney,"Lukesaidpointedly."That'snosmalltalent."

Tomsmiled."Thanks."

Lukewasfrowning."Jacobsaidsomethingaboutyou...Oh,Iremember,"headdedwithagrin."You
threwaclientoutthedoorinHoustonformakingremarkstoyoursecretary,asIrecall."

"Hewasa—"heglancedatthelittlegirl"—chauvinist."Heamendedthewordhe'dbeenabouttouse.
"Itwasnogreatbusinessloss.Idon'tlikepeoplehasslingmyemployees."

"Didn'tElysiausedtoworkforyou,whenyouwereworkingatthatadagencyinNewYork?"Luke
askedsuddenly.

Tom'sfaceshowednoexpressionatall,buthefeltasinkingfeelinginside."Yes,shedid.Iwassorry
toloseher.Shewasaterrificsecretary."

"ShesaidshegottiredofNewYork,"Lukerepliedeasily."Idon'tblameher,whatwithallthatnoise
andconcrete.Anyway,itwasagoodthingshecamehome,orshe'dneverhadmarriedFredandhad
Crissy.It'sbeennicehavingherbackhere.Iexpectyoumissedher."

"Morethanshe'lleverknow,"Tomrepliedabsently,hiseyeswithafarawaylook.Heshookhimself
mentally.

"Ihavetogo.Nicetohavemetyou,MissNash,"hetoldCrissy,extendingaleanhand.

Sheshookitwarmly."Nicetomeetyou,too,Mr.Walker."

"Greatmanners,"heremarked-toLuke.

"Oh,Elysia'sasticklerforthem.Crissy'smuchloved,butshedoesn'tlackfordiscipline,either."

"WhatdoesElysiadonow?"

"She owns an exclusive fashion boutique, actually," he told Tom. "She enrolled in col-lege after
Crissywasbornandgotherdegreeinbusinessandmarketing.Shehasabacklogofdesignersand
dressmakersanddespitethesmallsizeofourtown,she'sgettinganinternationalreputationforher
fashionsense.Shegetsordersfromallover.Sheevendoesalittledesigningaswell.Iknewshecould
draw, and she's always been good at numbers, but I don't think she really applied herself until she
married Fred. He had contacts in the fashion world and in business and he pushed her— gently, of
course.Allthathiddentalentcameout.She'sonlybeeninbusinessafewyears,andshealreadymakes
moreonherboutiquethanIdoonmycattle.Killsmyego."

"Icanimagine."

"SheandCrissylivewithme.Idon'thaveanymarriageplansandit'souroldfamilyhome—oneof
thosebigVictorianhorrors.Ofcourse,MattCaldwell'ssweetonher.Shemaygiveinandmarryhim
onedayandmoveout."

For some reason, that casual remark played on Tom's mind all day long, and into the night. Matt
hadn'tmentionedElysiaatallwhenthey'dtalked,beforehemovedtoJacobsville.Hewonderedifthe
omissionhadbeendeliberate.MaybeMatthadknownthatTomandElysiawereacquaintedandwas
protectingwhathethoughtofashisproperty.Itwasoddthathehadn'tmentionedher.

Moosewaswaitingforhimwhenhegothome.Thedogreallywashuge,hethought,ashefendedoff
hugepawsonhischestandanaffectionatetonguethesizeofawashcloth.

"Down, you moose," he muttered, laughing as he patted the dog's head. "Hungry, are you, or
desperateforafirehydrant?Comeon."

He led the way to the back door and opened it. The backyard was fenced and reinforced on the
bottom,fortunately,becauseMooselikedtodig.Localgardenerswouldn'tappreciateavisitfromhis
pet.

HewaiteduntilMoosewasreadytocomebackinandopenedthedoorforhim.Hefilledthefoodand
waterdishesandleftthebigan-imaltohavehissupper.

Tom went through his cabinets looking for something to tempt his appetite. He finally settled on a
bowlofcoldcereal.Hehadnoappetiteatall.Toomanyquestionswereplagu-inghim.

Chapter2

Tom's opinion of the new Elysia underwent a series of changes in the following few weeks. There
was still plenty of gossip about her in Jacobsville, and he heard it all in bits and pieces of
conversation when Elysia's com-ings and goings were noticed by local citizens. One acquaintance
thought she'd only married Fred Nash for his money, and that it was this inherited wealth that had
made her exclusive fashion boutique possible. It was known that their union was one of friendship,
notpassion,andthattherewasagreatagedifference.AndthatFredhadbeenvery,veryrich.

Hedidn'tbelievetheunpleasantremarksatfirst,butitwasimpossiblenottonoticehowprosperous
shewas.

She'dboughtintoherbrother'scattlefarmandheldhalfownershipofit.Shealsohadinvestmentsof
severalkinds,includingsomeveryexpensiveoilstock.Shehadherdaughterenrolledinaverywell-
known girls' school in Houston for the fall term, and she drove a Mercedes convertible. Poor, she
wasn't.

With her investments and the nearest counseling office in Victoria, it was inevitable that Luke was
goingtosuggestthatshebringherportfoliotoTom.

"Idon'tthinkthat'sagoodidea,"shetoldherbrotheraftersupperthatnight.

"Whynot?"Lukeasked."He'sawhiz.AsktheBallengerbrothers."

"I know he's good at picking stocks that increase in value," Elysia replied calmly. "But he's an
intelligentmanandheisn'tblind.Idon'twanthimaroundCrissy."

Luke sat back with a soft sigh, his blue eyes sympathetic. "She's almost six years old," he said
pointedly."She'salreadyinkindergarten.Don'tyouthinkit'stimeheknewhewasafather?"

She grimaced, leaning forward with her forearms crossed over her knees. "I don't know how he'd
react," she said. "He was... less than encouraging when I left the office for good. I think he was
relievedthatIwentaway."

Sheshrugged."Idon'tthinkhe'slackedfemalecompany."

"Thenisn'titinterestingthathedoesn'tdate?"heaskedshrewdly."ThatwasthecaseinHouston,too.
And since I haven't heard any gossip about Mr. Walker liking men, I gather that he's amazingly
selectiveabouthisdates.

Onewomaninoversixyears,Ibelieve...?"

Sheflushedred."Hewasdrinking.Itoldyou."

He leaned forward, too, his face serious. "Jacob Cade and I became fairly good friends over the
years.Henevercamerightoutandsaidanything,butheintimatedthathiswifeandTomhadavery

brutal childhood. Their father had a brain tumor and went stark-raving mad before he died. He
attackedKatephysicallybecauseshejustsmiledatayoungman."

"Wh...what?"

Henodded."That'sright.Inhisdistortedmind,heequatedsexwithevilandmadehiskidsbelieveit.
Neitherofthemhadanythingtodowiththeoppositesex,evenafterhedied.Hewarpedthem,Ellie.
Nowimaginehowitwouldbe,tohaveaparentwhobrowbeatyouintorepressingyoursexualityfor
yearsandyears.Andthenimaginehowitwouldbeifyougrewolderwithnoexperiencewhatsoever
withtheoppositesex?Doyouthinkaman,especially,wouldfinditeasytobecomein-volvedwitha
woman?"

Shewasbarelybreathing."Youaren'tgo-ingtotellmethatyouthinkTomisa...a..."

Henodded."That'sexactlywhatIthink.HeandKatewereveryclose.WhenshemarriedJacob,Tom
hadnobody.Hewastotallyalone.Probablygettingasnootfulofliquorwastheonlywayhecouldlet
goofthoserepresseddesires."

Shesatbackwitharoughsigh.Itactuallymadesense.Shefeltherheartbeatingwildlyinherchestas
sherecalledhowithadbeenwithTom.Attheoffice,he'davoidedthefe-malestaff.HeandElysiahad
become close because she didn't make eyes at him. She wasn't aggressive, as some of the women
were.She was shyand reserved, andshe must have beenthe least threateningfemale he knew. He'd
openedupwithher,justalittle.

And then right after Kate had married, he'd had too much to drink and Elysia had been nearby.
Perhaps he'd given in to feelings he couldn't express, and then been ashamed of what he'd done,
becauseofhischildhoodteachings.

Thethoughtmadeherheartrace.CoulditbepossiblethatshewasTomWalker'sfirst,only,womanin
thatway?Herlipsparted.

"Doyouthinkit'spossible?"sheaskedhesitantly.

"That it was his first time?" He nodded. "He's no rounder. Nobody would accuse him of being a
playboy.He'scourteoustowomen,butthere'sanicytonetohisdealingswiththem.He'spolite,but
nothingmore."Hesmiled.

"HewasveryimpressedwithCrissy.You'veneverseenhissisterKate,haveyou?"

"No."

Hechuckledsoftly."Well,Ihave.Crissycouldbeherdaughter.I'msuretheresemblancedidn'tescape
Tom,evenifhehasn'tquiterecognizedityet."

"WhatshouldIdo,Luke?"sheasked.

"Whydon'tyougoandtalktohimhonestly?"

"Itwouldbehard."

"Ofcourse.Doingtherightthingusuallyis.”

"Ican'tgotoday.I'mmeetingwithaEuropeanbuyertoopenanewmarket."

"There'salwaystomorrow."

Shesighed."IguessIalwaysknewthatI'dhavetotellhimoneday.Hewon'tlikeit."

"Hewill."

Shesmiled."You'reanicebrother.Whydon'tyougetmarried?"

"Biteyourtongue,woman,"hesaid."I'mnotputtingmyneckinthatparticularnoose.Therearetoo
manyprettygirlsaroundwholiketoparty,"hechuckled,rising.

"Oneday,you'llrunhead-onintosomeonewhodoesn't."

"I'llpitythepoorgirl,whoeversheis,"hesaidwithagrin.

"You'rehopeless."

"AtleastI'mhonest,"hesaidpointedly."Aconfirmedbachelorhastoprotecthimselfanywayhecan
againstyoudeviousfemales!"

Shethrewasmallsofapillowathim.

She'dplannedtostopbyTom'sofficethenextday,butanunexpectedmeetingearlythatmorninghad
unfortunateconsequences.

She'djustseenherEuropeanbuyeroff,veryearlythatmorning,fromhershopinthemiddleoftown.
Hewasadeterminedwould-besuitorwhohadtobeconvincedthatayoungwidowdidn'tneedaman.
She'dpushedhimawaywithacoldsmilerightthereonthesidewalkandwishedhimapleasanttrip.

"Pleasant,ha!"thehandsomeFrenchmanhadcalled."Withoutyouinmybed,Ishallbeverylonely,
cherie.IhopethatthebusinessIsendyouwillcompensateyouformyloss.Afterall,Elysia,toyou,
moneyismuchmoreimportantthanamerelover,n'estpas?"

SadlyforElysia,thisbitterremark,loudlymadebyherangryrejectedsuitor,reachedTomWalker's
ears.Hewaslessthantenfeetawayandheardeveryword.

BeforeElysiacouldreplyangrilytotheFrenchman,heclimbedintohissportscarandroaredaway.
Shecouldhavethebusinessshewantedoverseas,butthecostwastoohigh.Shewasn'tgoingtoaccept
themerger.BettertorestonherAmericansalesrecordthanhavetodealwithamanlikethat!

"Isthathowyougetclients?"Tomasked,pausingbesideher,hisdarkgreeneyesfuriousinthatlean,
darkface.

"Bysleepingwiththem?"

Shelookedathimblankly."Igetclientsbyprovidingqualityservice."

"Oh?Really?"Hisgazewentupanddownherbodyinthesimplesilksuit,toherlonghairtwisted
intoaneatchignon.Shelookedcoolanddesirableandveryflushed.Hehatedherinthatmomentfor
thewayshe'dtwistedhisheart.

Hiscontempt was visible.It hurt her,and it also madeher furiously angry,that he should misjudge
herso.

She pulled herself up to her full height. "Think what you like," she said coldly. "Your opinion and
fiftycentswillbuyyouacupofcoffeeatanycafeintown!"

Hemadearoughsoundandputhishandsintohispockets."Howwasheinbed?"

Herfacewentscarlet.Sheslappedhim.Itwasn'tpremeditated,butitfeltgoodafterward.Sheturned
onherheelandstalkedawaytoherMercedesconvertible.Severalpeoplehadseenwhatshedid,but
shedidn'tcare.

She knew that she was gossiped about—most wealthy people were. She didn't care anymore. She'd
send her daughter away to a private school where she wouldn't have to suffer the speculation and
contemptoftheneighbors.Asforherself,peoplecouldthinkwhatevertheyliked.Andthatincluded
TomWalker!

Tom,nursingastingingcheek,stalkedbackintohisownoffice,foregoingthesweetrollhe'dgone
outtogetforhisbreakfast.He'dneverbeenslappedbyawomaninhislife.Itwasanexperiencehe
didn'trelish.

He walked past his curious middle-aged secretary and closed his office door. Elysia had never
seemedspiritedintheolddays.Perhapshermarriagehadmadeherbitter.

Asherecalledwhathe'dsaidtoher,hehadtoadmitthathe'dprovokedherintotheaction.Hehadn't
meanttosaythethingshehad,butthethoughtofherwiththatFrenchman—amanwhohadprobably
beentobedwithhun-dredsofwomenfromthelookofhim—madehimsickwithjealousy.Hehadn't
knownthathestillfeltsostronglyforElysiainthefirstplace.Apparentlyhisfeelingsforherwere
buriedsofarinsidehimthattheycouldn'tberemoved.

WasthishowKatehadfeltaboutJacobCade?Hissisterhadbeenenamoredwiththemanmostofher
adultlife.

She'dkeptphotosofhiminthedamnedestplaces.Itwasn'tuntilherjobasareporterhadsentherinto
a ter-rorist standoff and she'd been shot that Jacob had revealed his own violent feelings for her.

Theirshadbeenarocky,volatileromancethateventuallyendedinahappyandlastingmarriage.Kate
hadadjustedtoitwithjoy.

But except for Elysia, Tom had never felt a rush of joy at just the sight of a woman. He'd often
wonderedashegrewolderwhatitwouldbeliketosharehislifeandhisheartaswellashisbedwith
a woman. He'd always been sure that no woman would accept him with his hangups and his chaste
status.Elysiahad,butthen,shehadn'tknownthatshewasthefirst.He'dbeentooproudtoadmitthat
hewasinnocent.Now,hewasgladhehadn'tsharedthatknowledgewithher.Sheobviouslywantedno
partofhiminherlife.

He leaned forward and began to deal with the stack of mail on his desk, his sore cheek forgotten.
Elysiawasinthepast.Hemightaswellkeepherthere.

If only it had been that easy. Jacobsville was small enough that the monied class con-gregated
everywhere.

Therewasanendlesssocialroundthatincludedchamberofcommercemeetingsandvariouscharity
andbusinessgatheringsofallsorts.Tom,asthetown'sonlyinvestmentcounselor,wasincludedinall
ofthese.So,unfortunately,wasElysia.

Theirstiffcourtesywitheachotherdidn'tgounnoticed.PeoplerememberedthatElysiahadworked
for Tom in New York before she'd come home to marry Fred Nash. They began to wonder about
thesetwopeoplebecauseoftheirobvioushostilitytowardeachother.

Thegossipwasunavoidable.

TomfoundhimselfseatednexttoElysiaatthemonthlymeetingofbusinessmen.Itwasalunchaffair,
servedintheprivatediningroomofthelargestlocalrestaurant.Tom,inadarksuit,andElysia,ina
neatgraypantsuit,herhairinachignon,wassecretaryofthegroup.Shecouldn'tavoidhimatthis
function,orthegossipwouldhavebeenevenworse.

But it was obvious to the most unobservant of guests that they barely tolerated each other. When
Elysiapassedaroundtheneatcopiesshe'dmadeofthefinancialreport,shemadesurethatherhand
didn'ttouchTom's.Whenshepassedthecreamandsugarholderstohim,again,shekeptherfingers
frommakingcontact.

Tom was keenly aware of her bitter avoidance of him. He understood it, but that didn't make it any
easier.Hewasastonishedthatsuchamercenarywomanstillhadfeelingstohurt.

Afterthemeeting,shewentstraighttohercar.

Tom followed right behind her, keenly aware of eyes following his progress to his own somber
Lincoln,whichwasparkedbesideherMercedesconvertible.

Elysiafumbledwithherkeysanddroppedtheminherhastetogetawaybeforehecametohiscar.
Shemutteredcurses,hatingthedoorbecauseitwouldn'tcooperate.

"Don't worry," he murmured coolly from across the top of her car, "whatever I seem to have
probablyisn'tcontagiousacarlengthaway."

Sheglaredathim,flushed."Thatworksbothways,Mr.Walker!"

"Listen,ifyouwanttosleepyourwayupinthefashionworld,it'snoneofmybusiness,"hesaidwith
icyvenom.

Shebitbackacurseasthepresidentofthechamberofcommercepassedthemwithacuriousglance.

"Nicemeeting,Mr.James,"shesaidthroughherteethwithasmile.

"Yes,itwas.Nicetohaveyouaboard,too,Mr.Walker,"hesaid,pausingtoshakeTom'shand."Yoube
goodtohim,Mrs.Nash,weneednewbloodinthecommunity!"headdedwithawaveofhishandas
hewentalongtohisowncar.

"Oh,howI'dlovetoshowhimsomeofyours,"Elysiasaidfervently,glaringatTom.

"Youneedtoworkonthatattitudeproblem,"herepliedsomberly."Youseemtohavelostyourknack
fordiplomacy."

"Onlywithyou,"sheshotrightback."Igetalongfinewitheveryoneelse."

"EspeciallyFrenchbuyers,hmmm?"

"Damnyou!"

Hiseyebrowsarchedasshepulledoffahighheelshoeandthrewitathim.

"Wouldn'tyouknowI’dmiss?"shedemandedoftheparkinglot."Givemebackmyshoe."

"Comeoverhereandgetit,"hechal-lenged.

"You'renotmytype,"shepurred."Youcan'tspeakFrench!"

Hiseyeswentcold.Hethrewtheshoeontothetopofhercar,gotintohisown,backedoutanddrove
awaywithoutevenlookinginherdirection.

"Iloveyou,too,yousweetman!"shecalledafterhim.

"CanIprintthat?"thelocalnewspapered-itorwhisperedinherear.

Sheshrieked."John,don'tsneakuponmelikethat!"

He grinned wickedly. "Can't you see the headlines? Boutique Owner Shouts Love For Financial
AdvisorAtTopOfLungs..."

"Doyouneedashoe?"sheasked,holdingitoverherheadinathreateningmanner.

Heclearedhisthroat."Notmysize.Thanks,anyway."

Hebeatahastyretreat.Sheglaredafterhim.Thiswasgettingtotallyoutofhand.

Tomwaskeptbusyfortherestoftheweek,andElysiatookabackseatinhismindashedealtwith
onefinancialcrisisafteranother.BySaturday,hewasreadyforsomerestandrec-reation.Hedecided
thatfishingmightbeanicewaytorelax,andalocalmanhadastockedprivatepondwhereherented
polesandbaitforasmallall-dayfee.

Heputonjeansandwentonhisway.Fortunatelythefishwerebiting,sincehedidloveanicefried
bass.ItbroughtbackmemoriesofhisyouthinSouthDakota,whenheandKatehadgonefishingwith
JacobCadeontheolderman'ssprawlingranch.

Hisbootswereworn,butserviceable,liketheoldbeigeStetsonhe'dhadforyears.Dressedlikethat,
helookedeveryinchacow-boy.Katehadalwayswonderedwhyheronlybrotherhadchosencitylife.
She'd never realized that the very anonymity of a big city was kind to his ego. In a small town, his
alone-nesswouldhavebeensomuchmorenoticeable.

In fact, it worried him here. He hadn't considered how curious small-town people were about
strangers, or how gossip, though kind, ran rampant. It was rather like being part of a huge family,
havingeveryoneknowallaboutyou.Thecomfortingthingaboutitwasthat,alsolikefamily,people
tendedtoaccepteachotherregardlessofhumanfrailty.

For instance, everyone knew that old Harry was an alcoholic, and that Jeff had been in prison for
killinghiswife'slover.Theyalsoknewthatalocalspinsterboughtcopiesofanotoriousmagazine
thatcontainedvividpho-tosofnudemen,andthatacertainsocialworkerlivedwithamantowhom
shewasn'tmarried.Thesewereopensecrets,however,andnotonepersonridiculedthesepeopleor
treatedthemasuntouchables.Theywerefam-ily.

TombegantounderstandthateventhetalkaboutElysiawasn'tviciousorbrutal.

Infact,asTomspentmoretimearoundlo-calpeople,andheardmoregossipabouther,helearned
that Elysia's marriage had been looked upon more as a charitable act on her part, despite her
husband'swealth.

"Tookcareofhimlikeanurse,shedid,"oldmanGallagherhadsaid,noddingwithapprovalashe
filledTom'sorderattheofficesupplystoretheweekbefore,whentalkhadturnedtoElysia'ssimilar
tasteinstationeryforherboutique.“Nevershirked,notevenattheendwhenhewasbedriddenand
neededaround-the-clocknursing.

Shehadanurse,butshestayed,too."Hesmiled."Shemayhaveinheritedalotofmoney,that'strue,
butmostpeoplefeellikesheearneditwiththecareshetookofoldFred.Neverdoubtedthatshewas
fondofhim.Andthatkiddotedonhim."Hesighed."Shemournedhim,too,andsodidthekid.Nice
youngwoman.Mostfolksrememberherdad."Hiseyeshaddarkenedandnarrowed.

Tomfrowned."Inakindway?"heasked,becausetheoldman'svoicehadshadedabit.

"Hardly.OldmanCraigdranklikeafish.BeatElysia'smotherandLuke.DaycamewhenLukewas
oldenoughtorealizehehadtodosomething.Hecalledthepolice,eventhoughhismamawouldn't.
Sworeoutawar-rantforhisdadandsignedit,too."Hechuckled."Theyputthemanaway.Hediedin
prisonofaheartattack,butIthinkitwasarelieftoallofthem.Wouldneverhavestoppedbeating
her,ifthey'deverlethimout.Ireckontheyallknewit."

That had sounded painfully familiar to Tom, who'd had his share of beatings. His and Kate's father
hadnevertouchedalcohol,butthebraintumorhadmadeamonsterofhim.Thetwoofthemhadbeen
"disciplined"

frequently by their unpredictable parent, especially if they ever showed a flicker of interest in the
oppositesex.

Tom threw his line into the water and leaned back against the trunk of an oak tree with a sigh. He
wasn't really interested in fishing, but it was something to do. His days had been empty for a long
time.Inthecity,therewasalwayssomethingtodointheanonymityofcrowds.Here,heeithersatat
homewithrentedmoviesorfished.

Fishingwasmuchpreferable.

"Hi!"

Thebrightgreetingcaughthisattention.HeturnedhisheadtofindLukeandCrissywithtackleboxes
andfishingpoles.

"Ineverexpectedtofindabigcitydudeinaplacelikethis,"Lukemurmureddryly."Boredtodeath
ordoyoujustenjoyeatingcheapfish?"

"Thisisn'tcheap,"Tommurmuredonachuckle."Tendollarsadayandthepriceofrentingthetackle.
Plusfiftycentsapoundforwhateveryoucatch.Itaddsup."

"BobbyTurner'snofool,"Lukesaidwithagrin."Hefigurespeoplewillpaytocatchcleanfishina
goodlocation.Hedoesaroaringbusiness."

Tom,glancingoutoverthedozensofpeo-plearoundthebiglake,hadtoadmitthatthewarmweather
drewscoresoffishermen.

"Mindifwejoinyou?"Lukeasked."Thebestspotsarealreadytaken."

"Isthisoneofthem?"Tomqueried.

"Itsureis,"Crissypipedup."Icaughtabigfishlasttime,didn'tI,UncleLuke?"

"Shecaughtafour-poundbass,"Lukeagreed,settlingin."ButIhadtolandhim.She'sabitsmallyet

forpullinginfightingfishonaline."

"Itpulledmedown,"Crissyexplainedsol-emnly.Thenshegrinned."Butweateitforsupper.Ittasted
verygood."

Tomlaughedinspiteofhimself.Thechildhadanincrediblevarietyoffacialexpressions.

Crissylookedathimforalongtime,herlittlefacestudiousandquiet."Youhavegreeneyesanddark
hair,"shenoted."Justlikeme."

Henodded."SoIdo."Hepaused,glancingatLuke,who'dgonetothesmallshedwherebaitwassold.
"Iguessyourdadhadgreeneyes,too,huh?"

Shefrowned."No,"shesaid,shakingherhead."Mydaddyhadredhair."

Tom'sheartjumpedupintohisthroat.Themostincrediblethoughtsweregatheringspeedinhishead.
Hestareddownatthechild.Shehadhisownoliveskin,hiseyes,hishair.Shewasinkindergarten,
thatwouldmakeheratleastfiveyearsold.Hecouldn'tstoplookingatherasashockingideatook
shapeinhismind.

Lukecamebackwithbait."Goputthisonyourhook,"hetoldCrissy,"andwatchthatyoudon'tgetit
stuckinyourfingerlikepooroldMr.Hulldidlasttimehewentwithus."

"Yes,sir,"shesaidatonce."Idon'twantmyfingercutopen!"

Sherushedoff,aminiaturewhirlwindinjeansandashort-sleevedcottonshirt.

"Shelovestofish,"Lukesaid."Ihadadate,butIbrokeit"Hemadeaface."Mylatestgirldoesn'tlike
fishingoranyother'bloodsport.'"

"Fishingisabloodsport?"Tomasked.

"Sureis,"camethereply."Soiseatingmeat."Hegrinnedsheepishly."I'mnotgiv-ingupmycattle,so
Iguessthisgirlwillgothewayoftheothersprettysoon.She'salooker.Pity."

TomkneltdownbesideLuke,glancingwar-ilytowardthechild."Shesaidherdadwasredheaded."

Luke'sindrawnbreathwasaudible,althoughherecoveredquicklyenough."Didshe?Shewasbarely
olderthanatoddlerwhenhedied..."

"Redisred,whateverageyouare,"Tomsaiddoggedly.Hisgreeneyesmettheblueonesoftheother
man.

"She'smine."

Lukecursedsilently.Elysiawasgoingtokillhim.

“She'smine,"Tomrepeatedharshly,hiseyesdemandingverification.

Lukebenthishead."She'syours,"hesaidheavily.

Tom looked at the little girl again, his face white, his eyes blazing. He'd never thought much about
gettingmarried,muchlessabouthavingchildren,andallatonce,hewasafa-ther.Itwasashattering
thought.

"DearGod,"hebreathed.

Luke put a hand on his shoulder, noting how the other man tensed at once. He didn't like being
touched. Luke withdrew the com-radely gesture. "She thought you were a big city playboy," he
explained."Sheneverconsideredtryingtogetintouchwithyou,especiallyafterthewayyouacted
beforeshelefttown."

Tomgrimaced.

"Ifit'sanyconsolation,Fredhadleukemiawhentheymarried,andhewasalreadyinfirm.Theylived
together as friends, nothing more, and she was fond of him. She needed a name for Crissy. For a
small town like this, we're pretty tolerant, but Elysia couldn't bear having people gossip about us
morethantheyalreadydo."HesearchedTom'seyes."You'llhaveheardaboutourfather,Iimagine?"

Tomnodded.Hedrewinalongbreath."Myfatherwasamadman,"heconfidedquietly."I'vehadmy
shareofbeatings,too,"headded,andalookpassedbetweenthetwomen."Thedifferencewasthatmy
fatherdiedofabraintumor—whilehewasbeatingmysisterforsmilingataboysheliked.Hecalled
heraslut,ifyoucanimaginebeinglabeledthatforasmile."

Lukegrimaced."GoodGod,andIthoughtIhaditbad."

Tomlaughedcoldly.Hiseyeswereonthechild."Onetime,"hesaidhalftohimself,"inmyentirelife,
andtherewasachild."

Lukelookeddownattheground."Elysiawasyourfirst?"

Tom hesitated, but he was too stunned by what he'd learned to conceal it anymore. "Yes," he said
bluntly."Andthelast.Therehasn'tbeenanyoneelse,ever."

Lukelookedup,quietlycompassionate."Notforher,either,"hesaid."Notevenherhusband."

"You'renotserious."

"Yes,Iam,"Lukecountered."Hewastooillmostofthetime,andsheneverfeltlikethatabouthim.
She was honest. Then when Crissy was born, they seemed to find common ground. That child was
wantedandverymuchloved."

Tom'shandclenchedbyhisside."AndnowthatIknowabouther—"henoddedto-wardthechild"—

whatthehelldoIdo?"

Chapter3

Onthatsubject,"Lukemused,"Iwouldsaythatyou'vegotarealproblemonyourhands.Elysianever
meantforyoutofindoutaboutCrissy.AndhereI'vegiventhegameaway."

Heshookhishead."Crissygaveitaway,"hereplied,"whenshesaidherdadwasredheaded.Ibelieve
inrecessivegenes,ofcourse,butnottothatextent.She'sadeadringerformysister,Kate."

"Inoticedthat,too,"Lukereplied.

"Whatam I goingto do?" Tomgroaned, pushing his handsthrough his hairin frustra-tion. "I can't
walkuptoElysiaafterallthistimeanddemandmyrightstomydaughter.IletherleaveNewYork
pregnant,althoughIswearIdidn'tsuspectthatshecouldhavebeenafteronenight,andInevereven
triedtoseeheragain.Shewon'tunderstandwhy."

“Caretotellme?"

Tom laughed coldly. "Because I was too ashamed," he said. "I got drunk and had sex," he said with
self-contempt.Hiseyesclosed."MyGod,IthoughtIwassuretogotohellafterthat.Ididn'trealize
thatthehellwasgoingtobelivingwithmyselfafterward.Imissedher,"heconfided."She'dbeenwith
mefortwoyears,anditwaslikelosingpartofmyownbody.ButeverytimeIthoughtaboutwhatI'd
done,Iwastooashamedtotrytocontacther.Ineverthoughtofachild,"headdedhuskily.Heshook
hishead."Iwasn'tveryclued-upforatwenty-eight-year-oldman.AndElysiathoughtIwasaplayboy.
How'sthatforirony?"

"Youshouldhavetoldherthetruth,"Luketoldhim."She'snotthesortofwomanwhowouldthink
lessofyou.

I'dguessthatitwouldimpressherverymuch."

"How could I have told her something like that? I'm thirty-four now, but when I knew Elysia I was
twenty-eightalready.Howmanymalevirginsofthatagehaveyoueverknown?"Tomaskedhimwith
anirritableglance.

Lukegrinned."One."

Tomburstoutlaughing.Itdidn'tseemsoterriblenow,thathe'dhadawomanandachildhadcomeof
the experience. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more pleasure he felt. Those pangs of
conscience were re-ceding at least a little. But he was knee-deep in problems, with no solutions in
sight. Elysia was the biggest one of all. He remembered the things he'd said to her recently and he
wantedtothrowbackhisheadandscream.

Evenifshe'dhavelethimcomearoundCrissybefore,she'dneverallowhimclosetothechildnow.
He'd burned his bridges by accusing her of sleeping her way up the corporate ladder. He groaned
aloud.Howcouldhehavebeensoblind?

"Youmightcometosuppertonight,"Lukesaid.

Tom'seyebrowslifted."She'dhavemestuffedandbakedifIwalkedinthedoor.Ei-therthat,orshe'd
smothermeinallthatto-matosauceyousaidshemade."

"Noguts,noglory,"Lukeremindedhim.Helookedatthechild,whowasjustjoiningthem."Crissy,
whatwouldyouthinkifMr.Walkercametodinnertonight?"

"I'dlikethat,"thechildsaidseriously,grinningupathim."I'dliketoknowallaboutIndians."

Tom sighed. "I only know family lore, and not much of that," he confided. "Kate and I went to live
withourgrandmother,andshedidn'tlikethatsideofourfamilyatall.Sherefusedtoletustalkabout
it."

"Howmean,"Crissymuttered.

"Itwas,wasn'tit?"Tomagreed,havingjustrealizedthatitwasaformofdiscrimina-tionontheold
woman'spart."Butmysister'shusbandknewsomeoneontheSiouxreservationwhowasrelatedto
ourgreat-grand-father—andthereforetous.Heaskedforthehistory,andKatewenttoseethewoman
andwroteitalldown."Hesearchedthelittlefacesomuchlikehisown."Oneofourancestorswasat
theLittleBighorn,andwehavedistantrelativesinCanadaandSouthDakotaamongtheSioux."

"Doyouvisitthem?"Crissyasked,wide-eyed.

"Ihaven'tyet.IthinkImightliketo,"headded.Hesmiled."Maybeyouandyourmomcouldcome
along."

"Youcouldaskher,"Crissysaiddoubt-fully."Shedoesn'tliketogoplaces."

"Yousaidshetookyoutoapowwow,"Tomremindedher,cherishingthememory.

"She liked it," Crissy agreed. "She told me all about the Plains Indians and about that place where
GeneralCustergotshot,too."

"ColonelCuster,"Tomtoldher."HehadaCivilWarbattlefieldpromotiontoBrigadierGeneral,but
thatwasabrevetcommission.Hewasonlyacolonelinthe7thCavalry."

"Touchysubject,hmmm?"Luketeased.

"Very,"Tomreplied."Andisn'titahellofathingthatitshouldbe?Ihaven'tpaidalotofattentionto
myancestrybeforenow."HelookedatCrissy."Butit'sinthegenes."

"Itsureis,"Lukerepliedamusedly.

"Iwanttocatchabigfishforyoutoeatatourhouse,''Crissysaid.Shetriedtothrowthehookintothe
water,butshewasn'ttallenoughtocastthelineout.

Tomsquattedjustbehindher,holdingherwithonearmwhileheguidedthesmallhandholdingthe
line."Likethis,sweetheart,"hesaidgently.

Shegrinnedathimoveroneshoulder."Thanks.Yousmellnice,"sheadded.

Hechuckled,huggingherclose."Sodoyou,tidbit."

Hegotup,leavinghertoholdthepoletightinbothhands.He'dneverusedendearments,butthechild
seemedtoinvokethemeffortlessly.Hestareddownatherwithpurepride,unawarethatLukecould
seethatpride.

“She'sverylikeyou,"Lukeremarkedquietly.

"Yes,"camethereply.Tomwentbacktohisownpole,baitedthehookandtossedthelineoutintothe
lake.Histhoughtsweredarkones.HeknewElysiawasn'tgoingtowanthiminherhouse,buthehad
totrytomakehispeacewithher.Heglancedathisdaughterandknewthatitwasworththeeffort.

Theycaughtfivebigbassbetweenthem,whichLukevolunteeredtoclean."Comeoveraboutsix,"he
toldTom.

Tomglancedfromthechild'seagerfacetoLuke's.Hegrimaced."Idon'tknow..."

"You have to," Crissy pleaded. "Me and Uncle Luke and Mama can't eat all these big fish alone.
Please?"

"Okay," he relented. "I'll see if I can rent some body armor," he murmured to himself. "Boy, am I
goingtoneedit!"

Hewenthometocleanup,wonderinghowLukewasgoingtofarewhenhebrokethenewstoElysia.
Itwouldprobablybebloody.

"Youwhat?"Elysiaexploded.

Lukeheldupahand."Goupstairsandcleanup,pumpkin,"hetoldCrissy.

Shehesitated."Mommy,youhavetosayit'sokay,"shetoldhermothersomberly."IinvitedMr.Tom
tocomehelpuseatthefish.Hehelpeduscatchthem.Ilikehim,"sheaddedbelligerently."He'sgoing
totellmeallaboutIndians."

"Goon,"Lukeprompted,smiling."Itwillbeallright."

Crissywent,gloweringatherwhite-facedparentontheway.

"Youcan't,"Elysiacriedwhenherdaughterwasoutofsight."Youcan'thavehimhere!Ifhe'saround
herenough,he'llsee...!"

"Healreadyhas,"Lukesaid.

Hejumpedforwardandhelpedherintoachair,becauseshelookedasifshemightfaint.

"Youtoldhim,"sheaccusedhoarsely.

"Ididnot.Crissydid."

"Crissy?Butshedoesn'tknow!"

"Shetoldhimthatherdadwasredheaded,"heexplained."Itwasn'tagreatleapoflogicfromthatto
thewaysheresembleshissister—nottomentionhimself."

"Oh,dearGod,"Elysiawhispered,closinghereyes."DearGod,what’llhedo?"

"Nothing,judgingbythisafternoon,"Lukesaid.Hekneltbyherchair,onehandonhersinherlap.
"Listen,he'snotvindictive.Hedoesn'tblameyou.He'sgotsecretsofhisown,"headded,hopingto
getherattention.

Thatdid.Shelookedathimthroughmistyeyes."Hedoes?"

"Yourememberwhatwewerespeculatingabout?"heasked."Well,wewererightonthemoney.Sex
wasatabooathome.Theirfatherbeatthemforshowingtheslightestinterestintheothersex.Hesaid
hisconsciencewaseatinghimaliveaboutyou.Hethoughthe'dgotohellforsleepingwithyou."

Shegasped."Goodheavens!"

"He said that it's taken all these years for him to come to grips with it," he continued quietly. "The
mainthingthatcameoutisthathewasangryathimself,notatyou.Itwasguiltandshamethatcaused
himtoletyougowithoutaword,andkepthimfromcomingafteryou.Hedidn'tevenconsiderthat
youmightbecomepregnant.

Hisfathertaughthimthatdesirewasnothingmorethansicklust."

Sheclosedhereyesandshivered."Howhemusthavefelt,"shewhispered.

"He'sacase,"heagreed."Idon'tsupposetherewasawomanbraveenoughtochasehimatalluntil
youcamealong.Thatcoldreserveofhisisratherformidable,eventoothermen."

"I'llsay,"sheagreed,rememberingtheTomofsixyearsago.Shelookedup."Whyishecomingto
dinner?"

"Because I invited him." He held up a hand. "This can't go on," he informed her. "Half the town's
talking already about the way the two of you avoid each other. We all have to live here. It's time to
makepeace.Oratleast,apublicpeace.Thisisthefirststep."

"He'llbeluckyifhegetsinthedoorun-wounded,"shesaidcoldly."Doyouhaveanyideawhathe's
beensayingtomelately?"

"No,"hesaidwarily.

"He'saccusedmeofsleepingwiththatdamnedFrenchmantomarketmyboutique'sdesigns,"shesaid
furiously.

"HethinksI'maslut!"

"No,hedoesn't..."

"Youcan'timaginethethingshesaidtomeatthebusinessmeetingjusttheotherday,"sheadded."Not
tomentionthatwewereabouttohavelunchinRose'sCafedowntownandwhenhesawmecomein
thedoor,hegaveuphisplaceinlineandleft."

Hepursedhislips."Hedidn'tmentionthat."

"Hewasprobablytoobusythinkingofwaystogettomychild,"sheraged."Well,hewon'tgether.He
can come here tonight, but you are never to invite him into this house again while I'm living in it,
Luke!Iwon'tbepersecutedbyhim,notevenformylittlegirl'ssake!"

"He's not out for revenge," he reminded her. "He's had as rough a time as we had. Maybe rougher.
Youcanatleasttrytobesociable,can'tyou?Crissylikeshim."Hesearchedherwanface."Youloved
himonce."

"Alongtimeago,"shereplied,"andheneverfeltthesameway,eventhen.Hetalkedtome,butitwas
never more than that, until he got drunk. He doesn't love me. He wanted me that once, and now he
doesn'tanymore.

HethinksI'magolddigger,outformoneyandnothingelse.Hetoldmeso.Thatwasaweekorso
beforethebusinessmeeting."

"Tomactuallyaccusedyouofthat?"Lukewassurprised,becauseTomhadn'tsaidanythingaboutthat
tohim,either.

"We had words on the street, and I slapped him." She flushed at her brother's level look. "Well, he
deservedit!

Hemademeouttobecheap,andallbecausethatFrenchbuyerhadhumiliatedmeloudenoughforthe
whole town to hear." Her eyes flashed. "Hell will freeze over before I give him a contract for our
designs,"sheaddedcoldly."HedidthatdeliberatelybecauseIwouldn'thaveanaffairwithhim."

"DidyoutellTomthat?"

"Hedidn'tletmetellhimanything,"shereplied."HemadealotofnastyaccusationsandIhithim.I'm
glad I hit him," she added. "I only threw a shoe at him and missed at the business meeting, but I'll
practice,"sheassuredherself."Nexttime,I'llknockhisbrainsout!"

Lukehadtobitebackagrin."Hehasgotquiteafewhangups,"heremindedher."Itwilltakeabrave
womantolivewithamanlikethat,ifshecanevengethiminfrontofaministertogetmarried.He's
frozenhalfwaythroughbecauseofhisfather."

"I wish I'd known that in New York. It's too late to matter much now. A man that age isn't going to
change." She stared out the win-dow and grimaced. "But I'm sorry he had a bad time of it." She
glancedbackatherbrotherwitharuefulsmile."Iguesshisupbringingwaslikeours."

Hesmiledsadly."Iguessitwas,"heagreed."Theworldisfullofwoundedchildrenwhogrowupto
bewoundedadults.

Sometimestheygetluckyandfindsolaceineachother."

"Sometimestheywithdrawandstrikeatanyonewhocomesclose,"shereplied.

He chuckled. "An apt description of our Mr. Walker. But he has a weakness. Crissy. She winds him
aroundherfinger."

"Hereallylikesher?"sheasked.

"He's crazy about her," he said. "She likes him, too. If you're wise, you won't try to separate them.
There'salreadyabondgrowing."

"Iwouldn'tdenyhimaccess,"shesaiddefensively."Butit'sgoingtocomplicatethings.Hedoesn'tlike
meatall,andit'smu-tual."

"Hedoesn'tknowyou,Ellie.Givehimachance."

"EvenifIwould,he'llnevergivemeone,"shesaidfinally.

Hesawthatarguingwithherwasn'tgoingtosolveanything.Hewinkedatherinstead."I'llcleanthose
fishforyou."

Shewasabundleofnervesbyfive-thirty.Crissy,inaneatlittlepinkskirtandtanktop,wassettingthe
table.

She glanced at her mother with wry amusement for such a young child. Elysia, in a sedate denim
dressandloafers,waspacingthefloor.Herhair,inaneatchignon,gleamedinthesunlightfiltering
throughthewindow.

Lukecamedownthehallwithagrinonhishandsomeface."You'llwearholesinthefloor,"hetold
her."Quitthat."

"I'llgomadlongbeforesixo'clock,"shemoaned."Oh,Luke,whydidyou..."Hervoicetrailedoff
into a faint gasp as she heard the crunch of car tires on the gravel driveway. She looked out the
window,andtherewasthegrayLincoln.

"He'shere."Shechoked.

"Isithim?"Crissycalled,runningintothelivingroom.Shelookedoutthescreendoor."Itis!"She
openedthedoorandrantohim."Hi,Mr.Tom!"

The sight of the child running toward him aroused odd sensations in Tom Walker. He opened his
armsandcaughther,liftingherhigh,hiseyestwinklingwiththejoythatragedinsidehim.Thiswas
his own, his child, his blood. Amazing how attached he'd become to her in such a short time. He
huggedherclose,laughing.

Shereturnedtheenthusiastichug,andchat-teredbrightlyaboutthemealtheyweregoingtohaveas
hecarriedhereffortlesslyintothehouse.

"Gosh,you'restrong,Mr.Tom,"shesaidwithagrin.“I’llbetyoucouldliftmypony."

"Not quite," he mused, setting her back on her feet. He shook hands with Luke and then turned to
Elysia.

Herfacewasdrawn.Shelookedfrustratedandevenalittlefrightened.

Hereactedtoherexpressionratherthantohercoldgreeting."It'sallright,"hesaidgently,searching
hereyesquietly."We'llcallatrucefortonight."

Shedrewinasteadyingbreath,ignoringthecomment."Dinner'sready,ifyou'dliketositdown."

"Comeonandhelpmebringinthefood,Crissy,"Lukesaidtothechild,herdingheroutoftheroom.

TomheardthekitchendoorcloseandhesearchedElysia'sworriedfaceforalongmo-ment."I'mnot
verygoodatthis,"hebeganslowly.

"Atwhat?"sheaskedtersely.

Heshrugged."Apologies.Idon'tthinkI'vemadetwoinmyentirelife.ButI'msorryaboutwhatIsaid
toyoutheotherday."

"Youneedn'tbuttermeupbecauseyoulikeCrissy,"shesaidcoldly."Regardlessofyouropinionof
me,I'mnotvindictive."

Hesearchedhereyes."She'sauniqueyounglady.You'vedoneagoodjobwithher."

Shemovedrestlessly."Thankyou."

He stuck his hands into his slacks pockets with a long sigh. "Are you and Luke close?" he asked
suddenly.

The question should have surprised her, but it didn't. "Yes," she said. "We were physically abused
children,soIguesswewerecloserthankidswhohadanormalupbringing."

His face grew very hard. "It's a damnable world for some children, isn't it? Even with the new
protective laws, the secrecy hangs on. It's so hard for a child to accuse a parent, even one who
deservesaprisonterm."

"Iknow."Shesearchedhisleanfacewithquick,curiouseyes."YouwanttoknowifLuketoldmewhat
yousaidtohim,don'tyou?"

"Hedid,ofcourse,"hesaidknowingly.

Shenodded."Hethought...itmighthelpifIknewitall."

"Anddidit?"

Sheloweredhereyestohischest,flushing.She'dbeenmoreintimatewiththismanthanwithanyone
inherwholelife.Ithadn'tboth-eredherbefore,butnowitdid.Vividmemoriesfloodedhermindof
thatnightwithhim.

Theywereembarrassingandtheymadeherself-consciousaroundhim.

"Iwon'tstopyoufromseeingCrissy,ifthat'swhatyoumean,"shesaid,evadingadirectanswer,her
tonecoldwithherinnertur-moil.

"Thanks,"hereplied.

Neitherofthemspoke,havingtoomuchtroublefindingtherightwords.

WhenLukeandCrissycameback,twopairsofeyeslookedtowardthemwithopenrelief.

"Shallweeat?"Lukemurmured.

Crissy reached up and took Tom's hand. "You have to sit beside me, Mr. Tom, so you can tell me
aboutIndians."

"NativeAmericans."ElysiacorrectedherwithoutthinkingandthenflushedatTom'skeenglance.

"Isthatright?"Crissyaskedhercompanion.

"Actuallyitis,"hetoldher."Or,ifyouprefer,indigenousaborigines."Hegrinned."Thosetwowords
getaworkoutlately."

Crissytriedtopronounceitandfinallysuc-ceeded.

After they were well into their meal, Tom explained the divisions of Sioux to his young daughter.
"ThereareLakota,NakotaandDakota,"hesaid,"whichreferstotheuseoftheandnanddineachof
thoselanguages.p>

Then,thereareBrule,orburnedthigh,Sioux,NezPerce,BlackfootandSansArc."Heexplainedto

her that Sans Arc meant "without bows" and came from a sad incident in that tribe's history during
which the group were advised by a shaman to put their bows and arrows into a pile. They were
subsequentlyattacked,withtragicresults.

"Tellmeaboutyourgreat-grandfather,"Crissypersisted."Hewasoneofthewarriorsubchiefs,"he
explained.

"HefoughtandwaswoundedintheLittleBighornfight."

"Massacre,"Crissysaidknowingly.

Hegaveheralonglook."Amassacreiswhenonegroupistotallyunarmedandde-fenseless.Custer
andhismenhadplentyofweapons."

"Oh,"Crissysaidrespectfully.

"Backintheolddays,trackerscouldtellbytheshapeofamoccasinwhichtribehewastracking.The
arrowswereuniquetoeachtribe,andeventoeachwarrior."

"Goodness,"Crissyexclaimed."Canyoutrack?"

Hechuckled."Icantrackmywaytothenearestburgerstand,"hemused."Butoutinthewoods,Idon't
thinkI'dbemuchgoodatit.Nowmysister'shusbandisarealtracker.Andhe'sgotNativeAmerican
blood,too.Theirlittleboyisjustyourage.Helooksalotlikeyou,"hemused,studyingCrissy."He
hasgreeneyes,too,despitehisdarkskinandhair."

"HaveyouseentheCadeslately?"Lukeasked.

Tomshookhishead."I'vebeentoobusy,whatwiththismovetoJacobsville.ButIthoughtImightgo
upthereforafewdaysnextmonth.Idon'tknowwhatI'lldowithMoosewhileI'maway,though,"he
addedthoughtfully.

"Yougotamoose?"Crissyasked,wide-eyed.

"That'shisname,"Tomsaid,correctingher.Hechuckled."Mooseissortoflikeawalkingdisaster.
I've been around dogs most of my life, but he's unique. Kate saw him once and called him an
albatross."

"What'sthat?"thelittlegirlwonderedaloud.

"TherewasapoembyColeridge.Theancientmarinerwasforcedtowearonearoundhisneck—"

"Ireadthatinschool."Lukeinterrupted."ItwasoneoftheonlypoemsIliked."

"Wecouldkeepyourdogforyou,"Crissyvolunteered.

"No,youcouldn't,"TomsaidbeforeElysiaorLukecouldspeak."Moosewouldshattereveryfragile

thingyourmotherandunclehave,andyou'dhavetorecarpetthefloor.He'sadigger.Ifhecan'tget
hispawsintodirt,he'lltrytounearththecarpet.EverythingIownissaturatedinlemonjuicetokeep
Mooseoutofit.Hereallyhatesthetasteoflemon."

"Whydoyoukeephim?"Lukeasked.

Tommadeaface."Idon'tknow.Ilikehim,Iguess.Hewasastray.Ifeltsorryforhim.NowIfeel
sorryformyself.Buthe'llgrowup.Oneday."

"Wehavetwocatsthatsomebodyabandoned,"Lukemurmured,withaspeakingglanceathissister."I
was going to take them to the pound, but she—" he gestured toward Elysia "—wouldn't hear of it.
Theywenttothevetinstead,forshots.Goodthingshemakesagoodlivingatherboutique,ortheir
appetiteswouldbankrupther."

"Theyeatanawfullot,"Crissyagreed."EspeciallyWinter."

"Winter?"Tomventured.

"Itwaswhenwefoundher,"shereplied."Andtheotheroneisnamed'Damn—'"

"Crissy!"Elysiaburstout.

"Well,that'swhatUncleLukecallsher,”

Crissymuttered.

"Her name is Petunia," Elysia said, smothering laughter. "But she likes shaving lotion, so every
morningwhenLukeuseshis,Petunialeapsintohislapandtriestolickhim."

"Moosehasseveralothernames,too,"Tommurmured,"ButIwon'trepeattheminmixedcompany."

Lukechuckled.

"Wouldyouliketoseeourcats?"Crissyaskedwhentheyfinisheddessert."Theyliveinthebarn."

"Goahead,"Elysiatoldtheotherthreeoc-cupantsofthetable."Ihavetoclearaway."

Tomhesitated,butCrissycaughthishandandcoaxedhimoutthebackdoor.

Lukehesitatedbeforehefollowed."Youokay?"heaskedhissister.

Shemanagedasmile."Isupposeso.Notthatwe'vesettledanything,butwe'renotattackingeachother,
either.

Idon'tmindifheseesCrissy."

"Theyseemtobeformingabond."

"I noticed." She sighed. "Luke, you don't think he'll try to take her away from me?" she asked
worriedly.

"No,Idon't.Heisn'tthatkindofman."

"Idohopeyou'reright.I'veonlybeenaroundhimforafew..."

Thesoundoftiresonthegraveloutsidecaughttheirattention.Atall,dark-hairedmanwasjustgetting
outofaracyredforeignsportscar.

"Why,it'sMatt!"Elysiaexclaimed."Whateverishedoinghere?"

Chapter4

Matt Caldwell was a handsome devil, dark-eyed and lean-faced and dark-browed. He moved with a
lithe,suregaitandhewasthefavoritetargetofmostofthesinglewomeninJacobsville.NotthatMatt
ever seemed to no-tice any of them, except Elysia, and only on a friendly basis. His full name was
MatherGil-bertCaldwell.

ButeveryonecalledhimMatt.

Hegrinnedasheapproachedthepeopleonthefrontporch,showingperfectwhiteteeth.

"Areyouadelegation?"hequeried.

"You'dbetterhopewe'renotalynchmob,"Lukechuckled."Whatbringsyououthere?"

"I'mlookingforyourdinnerguest.Whereishe?I'vegotamessageforhimfromhissister."

"Itmustbeaprettyimportantonetobringyououthere,"Elysiasaid."Andhowdidyouknowhewas
here?"

"Mr.Gallagher,"hemurmureddryly.

Shegroaned."He'soutinthebarnwithCrissy."

"MindifIdeliverthemessage?"

"Ofcoursenot,"Elysiasaid.

Hecaughtherbythehandandpulledheralong."Youcome,too."

Shelethimleadherawaywithanamusedglancetowardherbrother.

"Isitbadnews?"sheaskedastheyapproachedthebarn.

"Notatall."Heglanceddownather."WhyisyourdinnerguestinthebarnwithCrissy?"

"She'sintroducinghimtoourcats."

"IheardsheandLukespenttodayoutatTurner'sLakefishingwithTom."

"Theydid."

"IsheLuke'sfriend,oryours?"Mattasked,pausingtostaredownather.

Shefidgeted."That'spersonal.YouandIarejustfriends,Matt."

"Ofcourseweare,"heagreed."Butfriendstakecareofeachother.OurMr.Walk-erhasacold,nasty

temperandheseemstobegoingoutofhiswaytoantagonizeyou.Ifeltalittleguiltyaboutit,soI
cameouttoseewhyLukebroughthimhome."

Hiswordingwentrightbyher."Crissylikeshim,"shesaid.

"Crissylikesme,too,"hesaidpointedly.

She couldn't say any more without giving away secrets. She grimaced. "Matt, be a dear and stop
grillingme,couldyou?"

"IshewhyyouleftNewYorksosuddenly?"

Sheglaredathim."Hey.That'stoopersonal!"

"Sure it is. We've already agreed that we're friends, haven't we?" His dark eyes narrowed. "Crissy
looksalotlikehim,don'tyouthink?"

"Matt!"

Heletoutalongsigh."Well,shedoes.I'mnotblindorstupid,andIknewmoreaboutFredNashthan
mostpeople.Hewasn'tinanyshapetobecomeafather..."

"Oh,God,notyou,too?"shegroaned.

"Yes. Me, too. For heaven's sake, hasn't it dawned on you that I was responsible for Tom being in
Jacobsville?

ThatIplantedtheseedinhismind,encouragedhimtodoamarketstudyoftheareaandmovedown
here?"

Sheactuallygasped."Youdidn't!"

"Idid,"hesaidfirmly."Hehadarighttoknow.NotthatIsaidanythingaboutCrissytohim.Ithought
fatewouldtakecareofthatAndithas.Heknows,too,doesn'the?"

Shegloweredupathim.

"Ofcourseheknows,"heansweredhisownquestion."Heisn'tblind,either.Andhe'sbeengivingyou
fitseversincehemovedhere.Damn,I'msorry."

Sheslumped."Matt,youwereonlytryingtohelp.Butit'sallsuchamess."

"Mostmessescanbecleanedupwiththerightbroom."Hetiltedherfaceup,smiledandbenttokiss
her on the cheek. "Cheer up. The world isn't going to end. In fact, things are going to work out
beautifully.Allyouhavetodoisgivethemachance."

The squeak of the barn door opening brought both heads up. Tom was standing there with Crissy

besidehim,glaringblacklyatthenewcomers.

"There you are," Matt said genially, still clinging tightly to Elysia's hand. "Kate phoned. When she
couldn'tfindyou,shefoundme.Shehasnews."

Tomstilled."Badnews?"

''Hell,no,"Mattsaid,chuckling."She'spregnantYou'regoingtobeanuncleagain."

Tom whistled through his teeth. "Imagine that. They've tried for years to have a second child." He
laughedwithpuredelight."I'llbetthey'rebothoverthemoon."

"KatesoundedthatwaywhenIspoketoher,"Mattagreed."ShesaidJacob'salreadyplanninganew
nursery.

Hewantsagirlthistime.IthinkKatedoes,too."

"They'llbehappywithwhatevertheyget.They'rebothcrazyaboutkids."

"Theirsonwilllikehavingaplaymate."

"And Kate is a wonderful mother," Tom added. "I'll call her as soon as I get home. Why are you
holdingElysia'shand?"headdedsoabruptlythatitcaughtMattbysurprise.

"WasI?"Heloosenedherfingerswithasmuglookthatneitherofthemsaw.

"Hecanholdmyhandifhewantsto,"Ely-siatoldTom.

"Inoticed,"hesaidcoldly."Youmustlikehim.Youhaven'tthrownanythingathim.What'sthematter,
can'tgetyourshoeoff?"

"Justyougivemeaminuteandwe'llsee...!"Shestruggledwithaloafer,usingMatt'sarmforaprop,
butshewasimmediatelytuggedupward.

“Stopthat,"Mattmuttered.

"Didshethrowashoeatyou,Mr.Tom?"Crissyasked,wide-eyed.

"Yes,shedid,"herepliedcurtly."Ahigh-heeledone,atthat.Shecouldhaveknockedmyheadoff."

"Thatwastheidea,allright,"Elysiasaidsharply.

"Now,now."Mattsteppedbetweenthem."Thisisn'tsettingagoodexamplefortheshortestmember
ofourlittlefriendlygroup."

Tom and Elysia stopped glaring at each other and glanced at Crissy, who was watching them with
growingworry.

Tom wiped the anger from his face and smiled nonchalantly. "It's just a slight dis-agreement,
cupcake,"hesaid.

"Nothingtoworryabout.Isn'tthatright,Elysia?"

Sheclearedherthroat"Ofcourse."

"Thenwhydidmymommythrowashoeatyou?"Crissyaskedthetallman.

"Becausehecalledmea—!"

"Ellie!"Mattinterrupted.

ElysiaclenchedherteethandforcedasmileinTom'sgeneraldirection."Nevermind."

"Don'tyoulikeeachother?"thechildaskedplaintively."Mommy,youhavetolikeMr.Tombecause
he'smyfriend."

Thosegreen,greeneyeswouldhavemeltedstone,whichElysiawasn't.Shewentdownononeknee.
"IlikeMr.

Tom,"shetoldthechild."Ireallydo."

"Anddoyoulikemymommy?"thechildaskedtheman.

Hedrewinashortbreath."Sure.Ithinkshe'sjustspiffy."

"Huh?"

HeglancedatElysiawithcoldgreeneyes."Terrific.Super.Atrulywonderfulperson."

"Thank goodness," Crissy said, smiling her relief. "Now you have to stop yelling at each other,
okay?"

TomandElysiastaredateachother."Okay,"theychorusedgruffly.

"Let'shaveacupofcoffee,"Mattsaidquickly."Elysia,doyoumind?"

"Notatall."Itwassomethingtodo,togetheroutofrangeofthat...thatman!

ThemenfollowedslowlybacktowardthehousewithCrissyintow.Bythetimetheyarrivedinthe
dining room, Elysia was calm and coolly friendly, even to her daughter's hated friend. But she was
relievedwhenTomleft,justthesame.

Hebecamearegularvisitortotheranchaf-terthat.SometimeshecamewhenLukewastherealone
withthechild,butoccasionallyheshowedupforSundaydinner.Elysiatoleratedhim,butshecouldn't
forgetthehorriblethingshe'dsaidtoher,hiscoldtreatmentofher.Evenunderstandinghispastdidn't

make him any more welcome in her home. She knew that he was just pretending to tolerate her
companysothathecouldspendtimewithhisdaughter.

Shestillwasn'tsureifhemighttrytoclaimcustodyofCrissy,anditmadehernervous.Shesawthe
wayhelookedatthechild,withprideandtenderness.Crissywasequallyfondofhim.Itwasgoingto
complicateElysia'slife,butshedidn'tknowwhattodo.Tomhadeveryrighttoseehischild.Butitcut
rightintoElysia'shearteverytimeshesawhim.Thepastmightbeover,butherfeelingsforhimhad
neverwavered.Theygrewhardertocontainasshesawthatraretendernesshedis-playedwithCrissy.
With no one else was he as open, as vulnerable. To make matters worse, when Elysia came into a
room,heseemedtofreezeover.

She didn't know that it was jealousy moti-vating him, that seeing her with Matt that evening had
provokedallsortsofdoubtsaboutherfeelings.

ShewasgettingSundaydinnerwhenTomcameintothekitchentoaskforcupstogowiththecarafe
ofcoffee.

“They'reinthatcupboard."Withherhandsbusymakingrolls,shehadtonodwithherheadtoward
thecabinets.

"I'llgetthem."

Shekneadedrisendough,tryingnottono-ticehownicehelookedinslacksandadarkjacketwitha
delicatelyredstripedshirtandpaisleytie.Heworehishairshortandneatbutshehadfantasiesabout
how he might look with his hair tousled or down around his shoulders like his Native American
ancestors...

"Crissywantstoknowifyou'lllethercomehomewithmetomeetMoose,"hesaid.

Shefroze.Sheknewsheshouldn'tbethinkingofmakingupexcuses,butshewas.

"Iknowyoudon'tapprove,"hesaidquietly."Butshe'smychild,too."

Sheglancedathimworriedlyandthenawayagain."Itisn'tthatIdon'tapprove,"shefal-tered.

Heputthecupsdownandwenttostandclosebehindher."ButyouwanthertolikeMatt,isthatit?"he
demanded.

Shewhirled."Whatevermadeyouaskthat?"

Hesearchedherwideeyes."You'rein-volvedwithhim,aren'tyou?"hedemanded.

Shegrimaced."No,I'mnot,"shesaidthroughherteeth."ButIwishIwere.He'shandsomeandsexy
and..."

"Experienced,"hesaidforher,bitterly.

The tone of his voice slowed her down. She looked at him quietly, seeing emotional scars that
probablywereinvisibletomostpeople.Theywerevividtoher,perhapsbecausetheysharedthesame
sortofpast.

"Experiencedoesn'tmakeaman,"shereplied."Therearemanythingsmuchmoreimportant."

"Suchas?"

"Tenderness," she said promptly. "The ability to carry on a conversation. Intelligence. A sense of
humor."

Heglareddownather."IsupposeMatthasallthosequalities,"hesaid.

"He'smyfriend,"shetoldhim."Onlymyfriend."

Hisgreeneyesnarrowed."AndwhatamI?"

Her heart jumped. She didn't want to be pinned down with such a question. She turned her attention
backtoherdough.

"Wewerefriendsonce,"hecontinued,asifshe'dspoken."Ivaluedyouropinion.Wegotalongwell
together."

"Allthatchanged,"sheremindedhim.

"Yes.Igotdrunkandmadethemistakeofmylife,"hesaidbitterly."I'velivedwithit,butithasn'tbeen
easy.

Probablynotforyou,either,"headdedperceptively."YouwerenomorearounderthanIwas."

Shelookedathimwide-eyed."Excuseme,that'snotwhatyousaidwhenthatFrenchDonJuanmade
someloudremarksaboutmeonthestreet."

Hegrimaced."Iwasjealous,"hesaidflatly.

Herhandsstilledinthedoughasshestaredathim."Youwerewhat?"

He shrugged. "I hated his guts," he said shortly. "I couldn't imagine you with a man like that, but I
wasn't thinking clearly. You're very attractive," he added reluctantly. "I can't blame other men for
wantingyou,too."

Hisalmostunnoticedslipfascinatedher.Sheglancedathimhesitantly."Doyou...wantme?"sheasked
daringly.

Hisheartjumpedinhischest.Hisfacehard-ened.

Shebacktracked."Sorry.Unfortunatequestion—"

Hismouthcutoffthewords.He'dmovedsoquicklythatshedidn'tevenseehimcom-ing.Hekissed
heralittleclumsily,becauseithadbeenalongtime.Butafteraminute,asshebegantorespondshyly,
hestartedtogetthehangofitagain.

"OfcourseIwantyou,"hegrowledagainsthermouth.

Hepulledherclose,ignoringherflouryhands,andwrappedherupagainsthimfromheadtotoe.His
lipswerehungry,ardent.Ithadbeenyears,andshewasassoftandsweetasherememberedher.He
groanedunderhisbreathanddeepenedthekiss.

Shefeltasifshe'ddiedandgonetoheaven.Hewantedher.Shewantedhim,too.Shepressedcloser
andwhimpered.

Tomforgotthattherewerepeopleintheotherroom.Heliftedherclearofthefloorandkissedher
untilhismouthhurt.Hehadn'trealizedhowmuchhe'dmissed.Now,hislackoflovecamehomewith
aviolencethatmadehimoblivioustoeverythingelse.Inalltheworld,therewasonlyonewomanfor
him,andhehadherinhisarmsrightnow.

Shefelthimstiffenfinallyandherfeettouchedthefloor.Hewasbreathingroughly,buthedidn'tlook
asifhefelttheleastbitguilty.Hetouchedherfacegentlyandbrushedthehairbackfromherface.

"Youdon'tlookadayolderthanyoudidinNewYork,"hesaidunsteadily."You'reaslovelyasyou
werethen."

She searched his face with eyes that were just as inquisitive as his. She wanted to believe him, she
wantedtotrusthim.Buttheyweren'tmarriedandhewantedhisdaughter.Shehesitated.

Hedrewinaslowbreath."It'stoosoon,isn'tit?"heasked."Allright.Supposeyougooutwithme,
justthetwoofus,tomorrownight?I'lltakeyououttoeatandwe'llfindsomewheretodance."

"InJacobsville?"

"InHouston,"heinformed."We'llneedtoleaveaboutfive.Canyoucloseupearly?"

"Iwill,"shesaidimmediately.

He smiled, and his whole face changed. "Maybe they're right about second chances," he said. "I've
missedyou."

Sheknewthosewordscamehardtohim.Shesmiledback.Itwaslikethesuncomingoutafteralong
storm.

But the shadows lingered, too. That night, after he went home, Tom had nightmares. His father's
mocking, hateful words echoed over and over again in his ears. He wanted Elysia, but the barrier
betweenhisbrainandhisbodystillexisted.Lovewasaweakness.Sexwasabiggerone.Hisonetaste
ofherhadlefthimachingformonthsafterward.Whatwouldit

belike,now,ifhegaveintoher?Couldhereallytrusthernottowantrevengefortheemotionalpain
she'dsufferedafterhiscoldrejection,forleavingheralonetobeartheirchild?

Hewastormentedbydoubtsandirrationalfears.Bymorning,hewasalreadyregrettinghisimpulsive
invitation to Elysia for supper. If he could have found a single logical excuse for backing out, he
wouldhave.Butasthingswent,hewasforcedtogo.

When he went to pick her up, he found Ely-sia wearing a very pretty black lacy dress with short
sleevesandablackvelvetjacket.Shelookedelegantandexpensive.Consideringherinheritedwealth,
andtheamountofmoneysheseemedtoearnwithherexclusiveboutique,itwasnowonderthatshe
hadtherightsortofclothesforanyoccasion.Herememberedpainfullywellthesimpleblackcrepe
sheathshe'dwornthenighthe'dseducedherinNewYorkCity.Ithadbeenacheapdress,andlooked
it. The one she was wearing tonight was probably a designer model. With her blond hair in a neat
chignonandherprettyfeetinsimpleblackhighheels,shewasaknock-out.

"You'restaring,"shesaid.

Hechuckled."IsupposeIam.Youlookverynice."

"Thanks. So do you." He was wearing a dark suit, which emphasized his own dark complexion. He
lookedremoteandelegantandverysexy.Sheloweredhereyesandspoketohischin."Areyousure
youwanttodothis?"

Hearingherrepeataloudhisowndoubtsstartledhim.

Sheglancedupintohiseyesandsawtheindecisionthere."Ithoughtyoumightberegrettingit,"she
saidwithaforcedsmile."Allofthiswasratherforcedonyou,wasn'tit?Youjustwantedsomeonefor
anight,andnowyouhaveapastandachildtoshowforit."Shesighedheavily."I'msorry.IfI’dbeen
morestreetwisethanIwas—"

"Crissyisatreasure,"hesaid,interruptingher."I'llneverregrether."

Shebrightenedalittle."Honestly?"

Hesmiled."Honestly."Heglancedaround."SpeakingofCrissy,whereisshe?"

"There'sacarnivalintown.Luketookhertoeatcottoncandyandgoontherides,"shereplied."After
he'dmadesuretheyweresafe,ofcourse."Shegrinned."He'sveryprotectiveofher."

"Inoticed.IlikeLuke,"headded.

"SodoI.Hewasmyguardianangelwhenourfatherwasstillalive."Shesearchedhisbittereyes."Oh,
Tom,wedidn'thavemuchofachildhood,eitherofus,didwe?"

Hisjawtautened."No.Itwasn'tmyfa-ther'sfault,butthatdoesn'tmakethememoriesanyeasier."He
reached out slowly and touched her soft hair. He grimaced as he moved a little closer, his smile

almostapolo-getic."I'mnotusedtotouching,orbeingtouched.It'shardformetotalkabouthowI
feel,muchlessshowit."

"Iunderstand."

Hisdarkgreeneyesnarrowedthoughtfully."Yes,Ithinkyoudo."Hesearchedherface."Couldyou
live with it, though, from day to day? You'd have no guarantee that I could ever be like a normal
man."

"Ifbynormalyoumeanready,willingandabletosleepwitheverywomanyoudate,thenI'djustas
soonhaveyouthewayyouare,"shesaidflatly."I'mnotriskingmylifewithamanwhoseeswomen
asapartyfavor."

Hechuckledsoftly."Funny,that'sjusthowIfeelaboutwomenwhoarerounders."

"See?Wehaveplentyofthingsincom-mon."

"We always did. You were the only thing that made New York City bearable, and I never even told
you. Just seeing you at your desk every morning, smiling and cheerful, made my day." He sighed.
"NotthatIrealizedituntilyouweregone,ofcourse,"headdedruefully.

"Theysayweneverknowwhatwe'remissinguntilwedon'thaveitanymore."

"Sotheydo."

Shefrownedsuddenly."YouaskedifIcouldlivewiththewayyouare,"sherecalled.

He shrugged, sliding his hands into his pockets. "Maybe it was too soon to say anything. But
eventually,I'dlikeitifwegotmarried.Ihopeyouwould,too."

Shewhistledsilently."There'dbealotofadjustmentstomake,"shesaid.

"Oh,yes,therewould,"heagreed."Cris-sy'sneverknownanyfatherexceptyourlatehusband.This
househasbeenhomeforyoubothforawhile.She'susedtoUncleLukebeingaroundconstantly.I'm
not an easy companion, and I like my own way—I expect you do, too. We'd have to do a lot of
compromis-ing."

"Ilikepayingmyownway,"sheadded.

"SodoI."Hesmiled."Sowhat?"

"Idon'tplantogiveupmyboutique."

Hiseyebrowsarched."DidIaskyouto?"

"Ittakesupalotofmytime,"shebegan.

"Myworktakesupalotofmine,"hetoldher."Butwe'dhaveweekendswitheachotherandCrissy.
She'dhaveabalancedfam-ily."

"Shedoesn'tknowthatyou'reherfather,"shesaidworriedly.

"Oneday,shewill.Wedon'thavetode-cideanythinginthenextfivehours,dowe?"

Shelaughedoutloud."Tom,youmakeitallseemsosimple."

"Generally life is simple. People complicate it when emotions get in the way." He looked at her
openly,withtenderappreciation."You'reamazinglypretty."

Sheflushed."Iamnot.I'mfivepoundsoverweightformyheightandIhavewrin-kles."

"I'dbegettingthere,myself,ifIdidn'tspendsomuchtimechasingMooseoutofthings."

"Yourdog?"

"Mysmallhorse.Onceyoumeethim,itwilltakeawhiletogetusedtohim.Itwouldbeallrightas
longasyoudon'thaveanythingfragile."

Shecockedherheadathim."Thissoundsserious."

"Itis.He'sstillapuppyandhehasnorespectforpersonalproperty,unlessit'shis."

"Ilikedogs,"shesaid.

"That'sbecauseyouhaven'tmetMoose."

"WhenamIgoingto?"

Heeyedherwarily."Iwashopingtoputthatoffuntiltheverylastminute,justincase.Butifyouhave
to,youhaveto.Howabouttomorrow?YoucanbringCrissywithyou."

"She'dlikethat."

Hecheckedhiswatch."We'dbettergetgo-ing.Imadereservationsforsupper."

"Thissoundslikeseriouseating,"shesaidasheledhertotheLincoln.

"Itis.Ihopeyoustilllikeseafood."

Herbreathcaught."Ido.Howdidyourememberthat,afterallthistime?"

Hegotinbesideherandcrankedtheengine."You'dbesurprisedatsomeofthethingsIremember
aboutyou,"

hereplied."Youwerememorable."

Sheavertedhereyes."Sowereyou."

Hedrovequietlyforseveralminutes."Ihurtyou."

"Inevitably,"sheagreed."But,before..."Sheclearedherthroat.

"Before?"heprompted.

Sheturnedherpurseoverinherlap."Be-fore...itwas...wonderful.''

"Forme,too,"hesaidstiffly."Afeastoffirsttimes.I'dnevertouchedawomanthatintimatelyinmy
life."

Shesmiledshyly."Iknow.I'mglad."

Heglancedatherruefully."ThankGodyouweren'texperienced,"hemurmured.

"Why?"

"You'dhavelaughedyourheadoffatallthatfumbling."

"Don'tbesilly,"shereplied."Nomatterwhatyou'ddone,itwouldhavebeenwonderful.Ilovedyou,
youknow,"sheaddedhuskily,andshedidn'tlookathim.

"Well,that'snicetoknow,"hetoldher."BecauseIwasheadoverheelsinlovewithyou,too."

Chapter5

Shegapedathim."Youwere?"

He didn't look at her. "Didn't you know?" he asked softly. "Everyone else did. It was why I couldn't
faceyouthenextmorning.Ithadbeenthemostexquisiteexperienceofmylife.ButIhadnowayof
knowingforsureifyouwereinnocent,eventhoughIsuspectedit.Iwasafraidyou'dlaughatme."

"AsifIcould,ever!"sheexclaimed."Iworkedforyoufortwoyears.Didn'tthatgiveyousomeclue
tomycharacter?"

"Ineverknewyouintimately,"heexplained."Andmostwomenthesedaysareveryexperiencedand
theyexpectalotinbed.

I wasn't sure I could measure up to those expectations. That's one reason I shied away from being
intimate.Atleast,untilyoucamealong."Heglancedather."Ididn'tplanit,either.Idranktoomuch
andthingsjustseemedtohappen."

"I know. It was like that for me, too, nothing planned." She smiled, the first time she'd been able to
smileabouthernaivete."Youmighthavenoticedthelackofprecautions..."

Hechuckledwithdelight."Allfourfeetofher,"hesaidwithanod.

Shedroppedhergazetohischestandshookherhead."Iguesswewerebothprettyna-ive."

"I'm sorry," he said gravely, and his eyes were somber when hers lifted to them. "About the way I
behaved, and most especially about the way things worked out for you and Crissy. I've missed so
muchofherlife,"headded.

"Ihaveyearstocatchupon.Ifyou'regoingtoletme."

Shefeltstartled."Whywouldn'tI?"

Hisbroadshouldersliftedandfell."Youhaveeveryrighttoholdagrudgeagainstmeforthepast.I
couldn'treallyblameyouforwantingmeoutofyourlifealloveragain."

Thestatementshockedandrelievedher.

She'dbeenafraidthathemightsueforfullcustodyofhisdaughter,buthedidn'tsoundvindictiveat
all.Hesoundedasifthepastlefthimguiltyandempty.

"Iwon'tdenyyouaccesstoyourdaughter,Tom,"shesaidhonestly."Iwouldn'tdothat."

Heletoutthebreathhe'dbeenholding."Thankyouforthat.I'dworried,youknow."

"SohadI,"shehadtoconfess."Ithoughtyoumightfeelvengefultowardmefornotcontactingyou

whenIknewIwaspregnant."

"Itwasbad,wasn'tit,havingtohaveherwithoutahusband?"

"FredNashgavemerespectability,"sheremindedhim."Hewasagoodman,Tom.You'dhaveliked
him. He was in a terrible condition, with no family to care for him, and he was dying. I needed a
husband,heneededacompanionandnurse.Wehelpedeachother.HelovedCrissyasifshewerehis
own."

HegrimacedatthethoughtofElysiahavingtomarrysomeoneshedidn'tloveinordertoliveinthis
smallcommunity.Respectabilitywasimportantinsmalltowns.HerememberedwhenheandKatehad
gonetolivewiththeirgrandmother,andhowcarefulshewasaboutrelatinganyoftheirpast.Elysia
hadherbrothertothinkof,andhisbusiness.Itmusthavebeenverydifficultforher.Andshe'dgone
backtoschool,managingthataswellasachildandahusbandwithcancer.Hismindboggledatthe
stressshe'dlivedunder.

"Whatalifeyoumusthavehad,"hemurmuredoutloud.

Shemethissearchinggaze."Itwasdifficultattimes,butIhavealottoshowformysac-rifices.I've
grownup."

"SohaveI,"hemused."Ididn'trealizeituntilIlandedhere,butIsupposeyouhadalottodowiththe
maturingprocess.Iwasalatebloomer."

"So was I," she told him. "I've learned a lot. I'm independent now. I can take care of myself and
Crissy."

Hiseyesnarrowed.Wasshetellinghimthatshehadnoneedofhiminherlife?

"WhatImeant,"shesaidwhenshesawtheuncertaintyinhisdarkface,"isthatIwouldn'teverbea
financialburdentoanyman.AndthatIwouldn'tbeleftdanglingifheleftmeordied."

"Isee."

"NotthatIexpectyoutodieanytimesoon,"sheaddedquickly.

Hisgreengazeslidoverherflushedfaceandhesmiled.“I’lldomybestnotto."

Sheglancedathimshylyashestoppedatatrafficlight.Itseemedunrealtobesittingbesidehimina
caraftersomanylonelyyearsofnothingbutmemories.Whenshe'dworkedforhiminNewYork,
they'd often spent their lunch hours talking about the places they'd seen, the people they met. He
alwayshadtimeforthoseconversations.Ithadneveroccurredtoherthat,asbusyasheusuallywas,
hewasmakingthetimehegaveher.

Now,itmattered.

Hisheadturnedtowardherandhecaughthersearchinggaze.Hesmiled."Istillcan'tquitegetover
it,"hemused."Youdon'tlooklikeawomanwho'shadachild."

“Thankyou,"shereplied.

"Didyouhavehernaturally?"heasked.

Sheshookherhead."Thatwasn'tpossible.Ihaveaquirkylittleheartdefect—nothingserious,except
whenIhavealotofphysicalstress.Ihadanarrythmiathatwouldn'tstopandtheyhadtotakeCrissy.I
haveascar.It'sfaint,butnoticeable."

"Ishouldhavebeenthere,"hesaidquietly,reproachinghimselfmentally."Yourhusbandcouldn'tbe,
couldhe?"headdedsuddenly.

She grimaced. "He'd just had chemotherapy and he was so sick...Luke drove me to the hospital and
stayedwithmeallthetime.Idon'tknowwhatI'dhavedonewithouthim."

Hewassomber,andhedidn'tspeakagainuntiltheywerealmosttoHouston.

"Youcouldhavedied,"hesaid.

Shestudiedhishardface."Ididn't."

Hedrewinaheavybreath."Allthatsuffering,allthatloneliness,becauseIwastoo

ashamedtotellyouthetruth."

"Iunderstand."Anditwastrue,shedid.Shesmiledgentlyathim."Aman'sprideisahardthingto
giveup.ButIwouldn'thavemadefunofyouifyou'dtoldme.Ithink..."

"Youthink..."heprompted,whenshedidn'tfinishhersentence.

"Ithinkitwouldmadeiteasier,"sheconfessed."IwasverynervousandupsetbecauseIthoughtyou'd
haddozensofwomen,andIwassoinexperienced.Ididn'tevenknowwhattodoexactly."Sheflushed,
avertinghereyestothedarknessoutsidethewindow,brokenintermittentlybythelightsofHoustonin
thedistance."Ithoughtyouwouldn'ttalktomebecauseI'ddisappointedyou."

"Iwasthinkingthesamething,aboutmy-self,"headded.Heshookhishead."Whatacoupleofprize
idiotswewere.Atleastyouhadyourageasanexcuse.AllIhadwasanoverdoseofpride.I'msorry."

“Yousaidyourselfthatwehaveasecondchance,Tom,"shereplied.

Hisbreathingwasaudible."Wedo.Andwe'regoingtomakethemostofit."Hiseyesdartedtoward
herface.

"Youwon'tgetawayfrommethistime,Mrs.Nash,"hemused."Nomatterhowfarorfastyourun."

"Idon'tthinkIwanttorunanymore,"shetoldhim.

"Good.BecauseI'mgettingtoooldtorun."

Shechuckled."You'llgetoverthatifyou'rearoundCrissymuchmore.Shelovesallsports.Justwait
untilschoolstarts!"

"I'mratherlookingforwardtoarealChristmasforonce,"hesaid."Ihaven'thadonesinceKateandI
leftourgrandmother'shouse.Imissdecoratingatreeandhavingpresentstoopen."

"We'llseethatyouhaveboth,"shepromised,hergrayeyestwinkling.

TherestauranthetookhertowasinthebestsectionofHouston,anelegantonewithnopricesonthe
menu at all and a table near the window overlooking the canal that brought sea traffic into the city.
Hugeshipswerevisibleinthedistance,andsheimaginedthatintheday-light,seagullsdippedand
soaredeverywherehere.

"Thisisverynice,"sheremarked.

"Yes,itis,"heagreed."IusedtocomeherewithbusinessclientswhenIworkedinHouston.Never
withawoman,though,exceptonce,"headdedwithacoldlook.

"Badexperience?"shequeriedsoftly.

"She was one of those very aggressive businesswomen who liked sex as a sideline. I wouldn't play
ballandIlostaverybigcontract."Heglancedatherwarmly."Ifyoucouldhaveseenthelookonher
face.Shewasveryattractiveandshetriedeverytrickinthebook."

"Andyouwouldn't?"sheasked,fascinated.

"I couldn't," he replied. He smiled softly, searching her lovely face. "I haven't ever wanted another
woman.Onlyyou."

Sheflushed."Isn'tthat...unusual?"

"Idon'tknow,"hesaidhonestly."I'mnotexperienced."Amazinghoweasyitwastoad-mitthattoher.
Hetoyedwithhisfork."Ijustdidn'tfeelanythingatall,notevenwhenwedancedandsheplastered
herselfagainstme.

Shewasexperiencedenoughtoknowthatshewasn'thavinganeffect.Shewalkedoutoftherestaurant
inahuff,withoutfinishingherfood."

"Iguessherpridewashurt."

Hesmiled."Shecalledmethenextweektoapologize,"headded.

“I’llbetthatsurprisedyou."

"Shockedme,"heagreed."Butshewassureshe'dguessedwhyitwaslikethat.ShesaidthatI'dbeen
anidiottolettherightwomangetaway,andthatIwasworthtenofthemenshe'ddonebusinesswith.
Igotthecontractafterall."

"Ihopeyoudon'tstillhaveit,"shesaidicily.

His eyebrows shot up with patent delight. "Yes, I do," he told her. Then he added, "Hers, and her
brand-newhusband's."

Sheflushedagain."Oh."

"Jealous?"heteased.

She glared at him. "Of course I'm jealous," she said irritably. "You're the only man I've ever
known...thatway."

Hestareddownattheforkinsteadofather."I'vewonderedeversincethatnighthowitwouldbeifwe
were totally honest with each other, if we had no secrets at all." His thumb pressed the fork down
absentlyandhisjawtautened."I'vereadalotofbookssincethatnight.IthinkIcouldmakeitmore
pleasur-able...now."

Sheliftedhereyestohis.Herbreathseemedtocatchinherthroatasshemetthatsmolder-ingglance.

"Tonight?"

Hischeekswentruddy."Ihadn'tthoughtaboutitthatsoon."

Shedidn'tdrophergaze."Butyouwantto."

Hisjawclenched."MyGod,ofcourseIwantto,"hesaidinaharshundertone."It'sallIthinkabout
lately."

"I'mglad,"shereplied."Becauseit'sallI'vethoughtaboutsincewekissedlastnightinmykitchen."

Hishandslippedacrossthesmalltableandcaughthers,fingersinterlacing.Hisskinfeltashotasher
owndid.

Hiseyesweresteady,unblinking.

"Iloveyou,"hesaidroughly.

Hereyesseemedtomeltintohis."Iloveyou,too,Tom,"shewhispered.

Theheatthatlookgeneratedmadeherbodyswelluncomfortably.Hergazedroppedtohismouthand
sheachedtofeelitonhermouth,onherbody.

"DearGod,we'veorderedfood,"hewhisperedwithwryhumor."I'llchoke!"

"SowillI,"sheconfessed,takingaslowbreath."Butnowthatwe'rehere..."

"Wemightaswelleat."

Shelaughedself-consciously,andsodidhe.Thewaitercamesecondslaterwithseafoodplatters.And
theydideat,butlightly.Dessertwasbypassed,alongwithsecondcupsofcof-fee.

There was a good hotel downtown. Elysia felt uneasy about going there with Tom, but she was as
hungryforhimasheseemedtobeforher.

Hepaidfortheroomverynonchalantlyforaninexperiencedman,andescortedherintothecrowded
elevator,holdingherhandtightlyuntiltheyreachedtherightfloor.

Heopenedthedoor,guidedherinsideanddidn'teventurnonthelight.Hisarmsenvel-opedher,like
hismouth.

Hedidn'tsayasin-gleword.

Thebedwasking-size,huge.Therewasonlyalittlelightfilteringinthroughthewin-dowfromthe
citystreetlightsandscatteredneonsigns.Shecouldn'tseehimverywell.Itwasliketheirfirsttime.
Exceptthatnowtheykneweachotheranditwouldbeanactoflove.

When she felt his nudity against her own, she moaned softly with unexpected pleasure. She hadn't
rememberedthatexquisitesensationuntilshefeltitagain.Herarmsreacheduparoundhisneck,her
hands buried themselves in his thick black hair as his mouth gently teased her neck and then her
breasts.

He must have been reading more than a few books, she thought as she began to gasp and move
helplesslyundertheexpertcaressesofhishardmouth.

"Here?"hewhisperedroughly."Andhere?"

"Y...yes!"shecriedout,arching.

"DearGod,thisissweet,"hemurmuredashismouthmovedagainsthersagain."Sosweet!"

Her legs parted for him. She buried her face in his hot throat and held on, shivering a little as he
touchedherandthenmoveddown.

Butitwasn'tlikethefirsttime.

He paused to kiss her, until her tense body relaxed, opened itself to the most intimate caresses. She
sighedundertheteasingofhismouthandliftedherbodytomeettheslowdescentofhiships.

Itwasalittlepainful,becauseithadbeensolong.Butafterafewseconds,herbodyaccommodated
himeasily.

He slid into her and lay there, unmoving, his kiss soft on her closed eyelids, her cheeks. His hands
lifted her and he pushed, tenderly. She shivered. He did it again, listening to her breathing as it
changed.Hemovedwithslowsensualityfromsidetoside,andthenagaininthetenderrhythm.She
criedoutandclutchedhim.

"We'relikechildrenlearningtodance,"hebreathedintohermouth,andshecouldfeelthesmileonit.
"Iwantittolastforever.Idon'twanttoclimax.Idon'twantyouto.Iwanttomoveagainstyouand
insideyouthiswayuntilwegrowold."

"Ican't...live..."shesaid,choking.

Hemovedagain,hearinghersoftcryofpleasure."Yes,youcan,sweetheart,"hebreathed.Herolled
overontohisbackandmovedheronhisbody,laughingwithwickedpleasureatthesoundsshewas
making.Hishandsbitintoherhips,demandingnow,pullingandpushingandmaneuveringuntilshe
lostherheadandbithisshoulderinanguish.

"Doit,"shesobbedagainsthiscollarbone."Oh,please,please,doit...now!"

"Iforgotthatpart,"hewhisperedatherearashemovedherontohersideandeasedoneslenderleg
overhishiptoeasehispassage."Yourbodyiscapableofmorethanoneful-fillment.Here...letme..."

Hemovedsharplyandshecriedoutandconvulsed.Hefeltherbodycontractandthenexpandasshe
shook and sobbed her ecstasy against his damp chest. When she relaxed, he kissed her eyes and
soothedher.Buthewasstillcapableandshowednosignsoftiring.

"Didn't...you?"shewhisperedshyly.

His lean hand smoothed over her disheveled hair. "Not yet," he whispered back, smiling. "I'm
enjoyingyoufartoomuchtoletitendformejustyet."Hehesitated."I'mnothurt-ingyou?"

"No!"

"NotevenwhenIdothis?"hebreathed,andpusheddownhungrily.

Shegroaned,herlegswrappingaroundhimhungrily."No!"shegasped.

Helaughedwickedlyasheturnedheralit-tleroughlyunderhimandbegantokissheralloveragain.
"IfonlyIcouldstoptime,”hewhisperedintoheropenmouth.Andthenhefelttheheatrisinginhim,
too,anditwasimpossibletosayanythingelse.

"Elysia."

Sheheardthedeepvoiceandopenedhereyes.Thelightbesidethebedwason.Butitwasn'therbed.
Andtherewasamasculinefacethatneededashaveloomingjustaboveherown.

Hereyesopenedwider."Tom?"

Henodded.Hetouchedherswollenlipstenderly."It'stwointhemorning.Wakeup."

Shesearchedhiseyes.Therewasnoreticencetherenow,noshameorguilt.Buttherewaslove,and
deeppride.

Shesmiled.

He smiled back. He bent and touched his mouth lightly to hers. "Come on," he whispered. "Get up
now."

Hepulledthecoversoffslowlyandlookedatherwhileshelookedathim.Herfacecoloredalittle,
butshedidn'taverthereyesuntiltheywerefullofhim.Shelookedupintohiseyes.

"I'veneverseenamanwithouthisclothes.Notevenyou,before."

"I'veneverseenawoman,"hewhispered."Youlookassweetasyoufeel."

Shesmiled."Sodoyou."

Hecockedawickedeyebrow."Ifeelsweet?"

Shecoloredagain."Youtorturedme,"shewhispered.

"Iknow."Hebentandtouchedhislipstenderlytothetipofherfirmbreast."Itorturedmyself,too.I
neverdreameditwouldfeellikethat.Thefirsttimewasgood,butthiswas...indescribable,"hesaid
finally.

"Youcriedout,"shewhispered,searchinghiseyes."Yourwholebodyconvulsedforsolongthatit
frightenedme."

"Youaren'ttheonlyoneitfrightened,"hemanagedtosayhuskily."NobookIeverreadpreparedme
forwhatIfelt."

"Yes,Iunderstandwhatyoumean."Shetouchedhischest,lettingherfingerscurlintothethick,black
haironit.

"Youaren'tashamed?"sheasked,becauseshehadtoknow.

He shook his head. His eyes narrowed. "Unless you were taking something, we made a baby," he
whispered.

Sheletoutherbreathveryslowly."Ineverthoughtoftakinganything,"sheconfessed."I...wouldlike
anotherchild,withyou."

His face fascinated her. It was like the sun coming out. He gathered her against him in a rough,
affectionatehugandgrowledintoherthroat."Oh,God,howIloveyou!"hesaidroughly."Loveyou,
withallthatIam,allIknow,allIfeel.I'llneverstop,notaslongasIlive."

"Neither will I," she moaned, holding him close. "Oh, Tom, we're not married and I'm going to be
pregnantagain...!"

"I've got a license in my pocket," he murmured huskily. "That's why you have to wake up and get
dressed."

Shewasconfused."What?Buthow,when...?"

"Iappliedforittwoweeksago,andtoldthemtogetyourbloodtestfromyourdoctor."

"He said I had to have a blood test because someone who'd been in my shop had menin-gitis, the
wickeddevil!"

shegasped.

"Dr.Morrisisagoodman,"hemurmured."SowhenImentionedthislicensetohim,hewasgladto
helpmeout."

"I'llhavehimshot,"shemuttered.

He chuckled. "No, you won't, because we can be married in a couple of hours." He glanced at the
clock."We'llhavetoputonsomeclothes,though,orpeoplewillstare.Especiallyatyou,"headded
whenhedrewback.

"God,whatabody!"

Shechuckled,allhershynessgone.Shegottoherfeetandstareddownathim."Icouldsaythesame,"
shemused.

Hegotup,too,andhuggedherclosewithasigh."IsupposeweshouldcallLukeandtellhimwhere
weare."

"Youcantellhimwhereweare,"sheagreed."Butnotexactly."

"Coward."

Shegrinnedathim."Wheredowefindaminister?"

"I'm glad you asked that," he said. "Because I just happen to have an appointment with one at five
a.m.!"

"That'sthreehoursaway,"sheremindedhim,glancingattheclock."Nottwo!"

Heglanceddownatherbodyandthenathisown,andhesmiledwickedly."Well,Icanthinkofafew
waystopassthetime,"hemurmured,andhereachedforher."Afterall,practicemakesperfect..."

Sheneveraskedhowhe'dmanagedtotalkaministerintogettingupatfiveinthemorningtomarry

them.Itwasenoughthathehad.Shespokehervowsinthesameblackcocktaildressshe'dwornto
dinner,flushedfromthebaththey'dsharedaswellastheexcitementofbecomingamuch-lovedand
wantedwife.

Hekissedheratthealtar,andthelookinhiseyesmadeherheartrunwild.Itwaslikenootherlook
he'devergivenher.Hewhisperedhermarriednameandkissedherwithatendernessthatmadeher
kneesweak.She'dneverdreamedofsuchhappiness.

TheycalledLuketotellhimwheretheywere,andthentheyspoketoanexcitedCrissytotellhertheir
news.

"We'llbehomeintwodays,"ElysiapromisedLuke,blushingevenoverthephoneathislowlaughter.
"Andyoucanstopthat,"shemuttered.

Heclearedhisthroat."Sorry.Anyway,I'lltakegreatcareofmylittlebuddyCrissyhere,andwe'llsee
youtwowhenyougetback."

Tomspoketobothofthepeopleattheotherend,too,andhisheartswelledwhenCrissycalledhim
"Daddy."

Hethoughthe'dneverfeltsohappyinhislife.Andwhenhelookedathisnewwife,hewascertainof
it.

Theyspenttwodaysandnightsinaroman-tichaze,barelytakingtimetoeat.Theytalkedandtalked
andmadeloveandtalkedsomemore.BythetimetheyleftHouston,theywerecloserthanever.

When they got back to Jacobsville, two days later, it was to find themselves guests of honor at a
surprise evening wedding reception hosted by Dr. Drew Morris and Luke. Half the people in town
weretheretowishthemwell,alongwithCrissyinadelightfullittlepartydresswithlacetrim.And
thecrowningsurprisewasTom'ssister,Kate,alongwithherhusband,JacobCade,andtheiryoung
son,Hunter.

TomembracedhissisterwarmlyandshookhandswithJacobbeforehebenttoliftHunterinhisarms.

"Youlookjustlikeyourdad,youngman,"hetoldtheboy,"exceptforthosegreeneyes."

"I have eyes like my mom," Hunter assured him with a somber gaze. "Yours are green, too, Uncle
Tom."

"So they are." He put Hunter down, and watched the child scowl in a perfect imitation of his father
whenCrissyranuptojointhem.

"Gee,youlooklikeme,too,"CrissytoldHunter."Ofcourse,you'reaboy."

"OfcourseI'maboy,"Huntersaidbelligerently.Hemadeasubtlefaceatthenewcomer."Icanhunt
andfishjustlikemydad."

"So can I," Crissy said with equal belligerence. "I caught a four-pound bass, didn't I, Daddy?" she
askedTom.

Hisheartleapedashelookeddownather.“Yes,youdid,sweetheart.”heagreed.

Katewaslookingatherbrotherwithopencuriosity.

"Whydon'tyoushowyourfishingrodtoHunter,sweetheart?"Elysiasuggested.

Crissy agreed eagerly, and motioned to Hunter to follow her. When they were out of earshot, Kate
glancedfromElysia'sflushedfacetoTom'sblandone.

"She'stheimageofyou,"Katesaidbluntly.

"ShewasareporterforyearsinChicago,”JacobtoldElysiawithanamusedsmile."Icanneverkeep
secretsfromher.Youmightaswelljusttellherwhatshewantstoknow.It'seasier."

Elysiagrinned."Well,she'sTom'sdaughter,"sheconfessedshyly."Heneverknew,"sheadded,sothat
nobodywouldblameherhandsomehusband.Sheclungtohishand.

"Heneverevensuspected,"Tomaddeddrylywithasheepishlookathissister.

Katesmiledathimwithpurelove."Itlooksasthougheverythinghasworkedoutverywell,despite
theobstacles."

"Indeedithas,"Tomsaid,pullinghisnewwifeclose."BetterthanIeverdreameditwould."

Elysiapressedagainsthimwithasigh."Oh,yes,"shesaid.

Jacob put an arm around his own wife and grinned down at her. "Now are you going to stop
worrying?" he asked. "If you can't tell a happy couple when you see one, I'm going to get Hank to
giveyouoneofhisherbalpotionstoimproveyourlittlebrain."

"Hank'shisdad,"KateexplainedtoEly-sia."He'salwayspokingaroundinmygreen-housewiththis
herbalmedicinebookhebought,makinguppotionsforeverythingfrompoisonivytosorefeet."She
clearedherthroat."Andotherthings."

Jacobchuckledwickedly."Goahead,makefunofhim,butthislastoneworked,didn'tit?"heasked,
andglanceddownatherstom-achwithamixtureofprideanddelight.

Kateflushedandhithim."Jacob!"

"Ifyoulike,we'llgethimtofixoneupforyou,"Jacobadded,tongue-in-cheek."Thisonewasfora
girl,butsinceyoualreadyhaveoneofthose..."

"Ithinkwecanmanage,Jacob,butthanksjustthesame,"Tomchuckled.

Asmallcommotioncaughttheirattention.

CrissycameplowingthroughthecrowdofpeoplewithHunterrightbehindher.

“She'sgotaspinningreel,”Huntertoldhisparentsinawoundedtone."Allyougavemewasanold
canepolewithcorksandsinkersandhooks!"

"Itwasmyoldpole,"Jacobtoldhim."It'sanheirloom!"

"Iwantmyownspinningreel,"Huntermuttered."She'sagirlandshe'sgotone!"

"She'syourcousin,"Katereplied."Andyoubepolite,youngman.Manners!"

"Yes,ma'am,"hemuttered,glaringathissmuglittlecousin."Icouldcatchafour-poundbassifIhada
niftyspinningreel,"hehinted,lookingathisfatherforsupport.

Jacobsighed."Okay,son,assoonaswegethomewe'llgorighttothesportinggoodsstoreandbuy
one."

Huntergrinned."Thanks,Dad!"

"Youcouldhaveaskedmetotakeyou,"Kateprompted."Iliketofish,too,youknow."

"Thanks, Mom," Hunter said, moving close to his dad's side. "But this is a man sort of thing, you
know?"

Katehadtosmotherlaughter.SheexchangedaglancewithElysia."Hedoesn'tthinkwomenarethe
weakersex,incaseyou'rewondering,"sheexplained."Buteveryonceinawhile,heplayswithour
neighbor'ssonBuckandBuck'sdadisa...well,howshallIputit?"

"Athrowbacktoourmoreprimitiveancestors?"Jacobsaidhelpfully.

She leaned against him. "Thank you, dar-ling. Yes, that's about the size of it." She looked down at
Hunter."IsMommytheweakersex,dear?"

"Heck, no!" Hunter said immediately. "My mom can shoot a shotgun," he said proudly. "And you
shouldseeheronahorse!"

Katemadeavictoriousgesture,andalltheadultslaughed.

Itwasaftereveryonehadgone,KateandJacobandHunterontheirwaytotheairportwithLukeas
chauffeur,thatCrissycameuptoTomandgavehimalovingsmile."We'reafamilynow,aren'twe,
Mr.Tom?"Crissysaidheartily."Nowyougettobemydaddy,andIgettobeyourownlittlegirl,and
youcanjusttellmeeverythingaboutIndians."

"EverythingIknow,pumpkin,"heagreedwithalovingsmile.Hehuggedherclosewithasigh."And
I'mveryhappythatyou'llbemyveryownlittlegirl.IpromisetoloveyoujustasmuchasIloveyour
beautifulmommy,too."

"Oh,Idoloveyou...Daddy,"shewhispered,andhuggedhimjustashardasshecould.

Hiseyesclosedonamistthathehadtoblinkawaybeforeanyonesawit.Buttheyopenedagainand
Elysiawasthere.Helookedatherwithfiercedelightoverhisdaughter'sshoulder.Andifshe'dhad
onelingeringdoubtabouthismotivesformarryingher,theywereallgoneinarushoflove.Noman
couldlookatawomanlikethatunlesshelovedherob-sessively.

Chapter6

TomhadmanagedtogetawillingLuketotakeMoosetobeboardedatthevet'swhileheandElysia
werestillinHouston.ButwhenElysiaandCrissyhadmovedintothehousewithTom,hehadgrave
misgivings about how it was going to work out. He hadn't had time to introduce Moose to his new
family,andhewasgoingtohatehavingtogiveawaytheanimal.HejustknewthatMoosewasgoing
tobetoomuchofaheadachefortheothertwomembersofhishousehold.

ButhebroughtMoosehomeandturnedhimoutintothebackyardanyway.

"CanIgoplaywithhim?"Crissyaskedexcitedly.

Tomhesitated.Moosewasahappy,playfulpup,buthewasanelephantcomparedtothelittlegirl.

"Goahead,"Elysiasaid,solvingtheproblem,"butbecareful."

"Okay,Mommy!"

Tomwatchedhergooutthebackdoor."Weshouldwatchher,"hesuggested."Idon'tthinkthere'sa
chancethathe'dhurther..."

A sudden scream and the sound of growling made their hearts stop. Tom raced for the back door,
cursinghimselffornothavinggonerightoutsidewiththechild.

Butthesceneheexpectedtoseewasn'twhatmethiseyes.Crissywasstandingbesidethestepswith
herhandsoverhermouth,shivering.Afewyardsaway,Moosestoodgrinningatthemwithahuge
deadrattlesnakeinhismouth.

CrissyrantoTomandElysia."Oh,Daddy,Ididn'tevenseeit!Ididn'tseeitanditrattled,andMoose
wentrightoverandgrabbedit!Hesavedme!"

Elysiahuggedherlittlegirlclose,cryingtearsofrelief.ShelookedtowardMoose,whowasplaying
withthesnakenow.

"Ifyouevertrytogetridofthatdog,"shetoldTom,"it'sgroundsfordivorce."

He chuckled delightedly. "I'll remind you that you said that," he said, so proud of his dog and so
relievedoverCrissy'swell-beingthathewasalmosteuphoric.

Severalweekslater,ashewatchedMoosedropsomethingatElysia'sfeetandthenlayaguiltyhead
onherlapinthelivingroomandsawherwide-eyedshock,hewasgladaboutthesnake.

"Yousaidhewasworthhisweightindogbones,"Tomremindedherquickly."Yousaidgettingridof
himwasgroundsfordivorce."

She looked up at her husband with her mouth open and then closed it, grimacing. With a sigh, she

startedstrokingMoose'shugehead.

Besideherlaytheremnantsofabeautifullacyblackbra,inelegantwettatters.

"Helikesyou,"Tomassuredher."Heonlyeatsclothesifhereallylikestheperson."

"That'sright,Mommy,"Crissysaidenthusiastically."Heatemyoldorangesocks,bothofthem!He
likesmealot!"

ElysiaandTomexchangedresignedglances.

"Hedoeskillpoisonoussnakes,"Tomremindedher.

Shekeptstaringathim.

Heraisedbotheyebrows."Loveme,lovemydog?"

Sheburstoutlaughing."Iguessthatsaysitall,doesn'tit?Okay."ShehuggedMooseandthengotup
andhuggedherhusband,pausingtokisshimwarmlybeforeshere-trievedtheremnantsofherlacy
underwear."Butifheeatsmynewmaternitydress,he'shadit."

"Yournew...what?"Tomstammered.

Shegavehimawickedgrin."RememberthoseherbsHankCadesentusfromSouthDa-kota?"She
wiggledhereyebrows."Guesswhat?"

Moose's enthusiastic barks were drowned out by Tom's cry of delight. He whirled her in his arms
highintheairandkissedheruntilhismouthwassore.

CrissypettedMoose'sbigheadandsighedasshestaredatthegrown-ups."Theydothatallthetime,"
shetoldMoose."Ithinkit'ssilly,don'tyou?"

"Woof!"Moosereplied.

"Comeon,Moose,I'llgiveyouadoggiebiscuit.Honestly,adultsarejustthesilliestpeople..."

Neitherofthesillyadultssaworheardthemleave.Theywereinaworldoftheirown,justforthe
moment,anditwastoosweetforwords.

TableofContents

Prologue
Chapter1
Chapter2
Chapter3
Chapter4
Chapter5
Chapter6