Chapter1

LukeCraigwasarancher,andhe'dbattledalsortsofproblemsovertheyears.He'dhadtodealwith
falingbeefprices,closedmarkets,crazywintersandbadfalharveststhatre-quiredhimtobuyfeed
for his livestock over the winter. But the problem that had just cropped up was one he'd never
seriouslyconsidered.Asummercampforunderprivilegedcitykidshadjustopenedrightnextdoor
tohisranch,andhewashavingtocometotermswithinvaderswhomadetheMexicanArmyin1836
looktamebycomparison.

Totopitaloff,theownerofthecampwasafeistyyoungwomanwhoseemedtohavecorneredthe
marketonbadtemperandstubbornness.HernamewasBelindaJessup.Heknewherbrother,Ward,
slightly,havingmethimatcattlemen'sassociationmeetingsinthepast.Wardwasmoreinterestedin
oil wells than cattle, as a rule, but he stil kept his membership in various groups that dealt with
livestock.Belindadidn'tresembleherbrotherallthatmuch,buttheysharedthesamehottemper.She
wasn'tbadlooking,withherdarkblondhairandgreeneyesandoutgoingpersonality.Strangehow
sherubbedLukethewrongway.

His sister Elysia liked Belinda. Of course, Elysia had just married Tom Walker, the father of her
youngdaughterCrissy,andrightnow,intheglowofnuptialbliss,shelikedeveryone.Luke,living
aloneforthefirsttimeinyears,washeartilysickofhisowncookingandhisowncompany.Belinda's
projectmadehimevenmoreirritablethanhenormalywas.

It had come as a shock to discover that old man Peterson had sold the river property that adjoined
Luke'stoanoutsider.Ithadbeen

sudden,too.Thelandhadn'tbeenadvertised,notevenwithasignontheroadside.Oneday,oldman
Petersonownedit.Thenext,itwasbeingdevelopedasayouthcamp,completewithroofedpavilion,
smalcabins,andapierontheriver.Luke'spastureadjoinedtheproperty.Itwasdelineatedbyasturdy
electrifiedfenceandasteelfarmgatewithapadlock.TheveryfirstmorningMs.Jessup'scitykids
came to stay, the padlock was skil ful y removed and the gate opened. Neighbors had cal ed the
sheriff's office to complain that Luke's Hereford steers were roaming the neighborhood— and the
highway.

Luke and his men had rounded up the cattle, put them back into the fenced pasture, and the padlock
had been replaced by a chain half the size of one that held a ship's anchor, affixed with eight
combinationlocks.

The next morning, the sheriff's deputy was back with the same complaint about loose cattle. Luke
checkedandalleightcombinationlockswerelyingonthegrass,rusting.

Itwasinevitablethattherancherwouldgostraighttothesourceoftheproblem.

Belindawasworkingoutthenextday'srec-

reationschedulewhensheheardthesoundofahorse'shoovesoutsidethelargecabinthatservedas

hermainoffice.She'dheardabouttheliberatedcattleandshehadacoldfeelingthatretributionwasat
hand.

Shewentouttomeettroublehead-on.Itwastrouble,too;alean,lithemanindenimsandwearingan
expensive wide-brimmed hat and hand-tooled boots with silver spurs that even her brother would
havecoveted.

Ashecamecloser,shesawthathewasincrediblyhandsome,withthickblondhairandeyesasblueas
a china plate. He had a firm mouth and a square jaw, and an expression on his lean face that could
havecurdledmilk.Shedidn'tneedtellingthatthiswasLukeCraig.She'dalreadyheardabouthimin
town,althoughmostpeoplesaidhewaseasygoingandfriendly.Hedidn'tseemthatwaytoBelinda.

She held up both hands. "We're quite willing to pay damages," she said at once. "I know who the
culpritis,andI'vehadwordswithhim.Strongwords."

Heputbothhandsonhisnarrowhipsandglareddownather.Itwasalongwaydown,too.Shewasa
littlewoman."Ifthosehad

been my breeding bul s instead of steers, we wouldn't be having words, Miss Jessup," he said in a
deep,cuttingtone."You'dbelockedupinthecountyjail,alongsideyourlarcenouscohort."

"Mylarcenous...!"Hermouthclosedwithasnap."Youholditrightthere,cowboy,"

shesaidshortly,losingpatienceanddiplomacyinonebreath."Thesekidshaveneverhadmuch.They
liveinabjectpovertywithparentswhodon'twantthem.Someofthemhavebeenbeaten,somehave
been addicted to alcohol and drugs, some have been in jail. The oldest is barely seventeen, and I'l
leaveyoutoimaginethesortofupbringingthey'vehad.Iopenedthiscamptogivethemaglimpseof
life as it could be, as it should be! I brought them here to learn that there's more to the world than
dirtyhousesanddrunkparentsandthesoundofgunshotseverynighttheylive."

Hestudiedherwithopencuriosity,hisexpressiongivingawaynothingofhisthoughts.

"You'reaone-womansalvationsociety,Igather."

"Actually, I'm a poorly paid public defender in Houston," she replied. "In the summer, I take a few
kidscamping.ThisyearIdecidedtobuysomelandandmakeitaper-manentcamp."

Henodded."Rightnexttomylargestpasture."

"ThisisTexas,"sheremindedhim."You'vegotlotsofroom.Ionlywantthislittletinybitofland,
righthere,thatIboughtandpaidfor."

"Youdidn'tpayfortherighttoletmycattleloose."

She sighed heavily. "You're right, I didn't," she admitted. "And if I hadn't insisted on bringing Kells
alongwithme,youwouldn'thavebeeninconveniencedtwiceinoneweek.I'msorry."

She'd piqued his curiosity. He'd known several do-gooders, but most of them were al talk and no
action."Kells?"

"Theseventeen-year-old,"shecontinued."Idefendedhimwhenhewasarrestedforshoplifting.Last
monthIconvincedthejudgetogivehimasecondchanceandaskedforhimtoberemandedintomy
custodyfromjuvenilehal."Shegrimaced."He'snotyourordinaryslumkid.Therehasn'tbeenalock
builtthathecan'tpick.Iftheyputhiminprison,he'llbeamastersafecrackerbythetimehegetsout,
completewithdiploma."

"Havinglearnedthetradefrompros,intheslammer,"heagreed.

"Exactly."Shesearchedhisblueeyescuriously."Sociallyconscious,areyou?"

"I watch the six o'clock news," he returned. "And I'm all for prison reform. I just don't want it next
doortome."

"That'showeveryonefeels,"shetoldhim."It'sthesamewithanyunpleasantthing.

Yes,let'shaveanewsanitarylandfill,butnotonlandadjoiningmine.Yes,let'shaveanincinerator,a
watertreatmentplant,anewfactory—butnotonlandadjoiningmine."

"Youcan'tblamepeopleforguardingtheirinvestments,"hepointedout."AndIworkashardformy
incomeasyouworkforyours,MissJessup."

Shesmiled."Iknowalittleaboutcattle.Mybrother'sintooilexplorationthesedays,buthestilrunsa
thousandheadofSantaGertrudisonhisranchupinRavine."

"He'sfromOklahomaoriginally,isn'the?"

"No,butourmotherwas,"shecorrected.

"We still have relatives there," she murmured, without adding that they never had any contact with
thoserelatives,ortheirscandalousmother,who'ddesertedthemtorunoffwithamarriedman.

"I know your brother," he added unexpectedly. "I go to a few cattlemen's conventions, when I can
managetime.Hegotmarriedafewyearsago,didn'the?"

"Yes,tooneofthefewwomenintheworldheactuallylikes,"shemurmureddryly.

Shelookedpasthimatthebigblack-spottedwhitehorsehewasriding."Nicemare."

"She'sfour,"hesaidwithasmile."AnAppaloosa.Ibreedafewofthem."

"Myboyswouldlovetorideahorse,"shemurmured.

Hisfacehardened."Wouldthey?There'saridingstableamiledowntheroad—Stan'sBar-KRanch."

"Iknow.I'vealreadyapproachedhimaboutridinglessons,"shesaidwithasmuggrinathischagrin.

"Spikedyourguns,huh,Mr.Craig?"

He looked around at the cabins. Curtains moved in one. He'd have bet money it was the boy she'd
mentioned—Kels.Heglaredtowardthespotandthecurtainfeltogetherandremainedstill.

"Niceglare,"shemurmured."Howlongdidittakeyoutoperfectthat?''

"Allmylife."Hepulledthehatfartheroverhiseyesandglareddownather."Nomoreopenedgates.
I'mputtingamanouthereonnightduty.Acitypoliceman.He'llbearmed."

Shedrewherbreathinsharply."You'dhavehimshootachildfortrespassing?"

"Iwouldnot,"hesaidcoldly."ButI'mtryingtomakeyouseetheseriousnessofthesituation.Itwasn't
somanyyearsagothatleavingagateopencouldgetyouhunginTexas."

"Socouldinsultingalady,"shedrawled.

Heliftedablondeyebrowandacornerofhismouthtuggedupinaverysarcasticsmile.

She actual y blushed. Her hands clenched at her sides. "I'l be sure and tell Kells that your storm
trooperislyinginwaitforhim."

"Somestormtrooper,"hemurmured."Afamilymanwithsixkidsandtengrandkidswhocan'tmake
itonwhattheypayhimtoriskhislifeeveryshiftheworks."

Shehadthegracetofeelashamed."Sorry."

"You've been standing on the wrong side of the law for a while, haven't you?" he asked cool y.
"Perhapsyoushouldspendalittletimewiththevictimsofthepeopleyoudefendandbroadenyour
viewoftheworldaroundyou."

Herindrawnbreathwasaudible,evenabovethebriskwindinthetreesaroundthem.

"Thatwasuncalledfor!YouhavenoideawhatIdo—"

Hecutherrightoff."Ihaveeveryidea!Isatincourtandwatchedanambitiouspublicdefenderaccuse
my mother of asking to be beaten every night of her life by a drunken lunatic who caused her to
miscarry two children." His blue eyes blazed in a face gone taut with horrible memories. His fists
clenchedathissides."Tohearhimtellit,myfatherwasavictimofhisfamily,notthereverse.Well,
sadlyforhim,therewerecolorphotographsofmymotherandmysister,verygraphicones,thatthe
jurygottosee."Thehatredhefeltforthewholelegalsystemwaswrittenalloverhimashespokein
curt,deeptoneslacedwith

bitterness."Theyputhimawayforfiveyears,despitealthelegalchicaneryandsmoothtalk,butnot
intimetosavemymother.She'dsufferedsomuchabusethatyearsweretakenoffherlife.Shedied
rightafterhewasconvicted."

She was shocked that a total stranger would tel her such a thing about his family. She was more

shockedthathemadeherfeeldirtywithhisconfession,andvaguelyguiltyaswell.

"I'msorry,"shesaidwithgenuinesympathy.

"Sorry."Helookedherupanddowncoldly.Hiseyeswentpasthertothecabins.

"Yes, you're sorry for the way the legal system works, Miss Jessup. So sorry in fact that you've
broughtafewfuturelawbreakersdownheretothebrush,tocoddleandbabythemsothatthey'reeven
moreconvincedthatsocietyowesthemalivingforthehorriblebadlivesthey'velived."Heglaredat
her."Icouldwriteyouabookondysfunctionalfamiliesandphysicalabuse,butI'veneverpickeda
lock or stolen a car or shot another person in my life, except during Desert Storm when my army
reserveunitwascalledup."

She moved back a step. "I'm not trying to defend criminals, Mr. Craig. I'm trying to turn some
potentialcriminalsaroundbeforetheybecometherealthing."

"Pamperthem,then,"hemused."Andseehowlongittakesoneofthemtoslityourthroatwhileyou
sleep." He leaned forward. "But don't take my word for it," he added sardonical y. "It's been my
experiencethatstubbornpeoplehavetolearnthehardway."

"Youhaveaverynarrowviewoflife,"shereplied.

Helookeddownhisnoseather.Heknewhewasbeingharsh,butsomethingabouthereggedhimon.
"I'llbetyouwerelovedandwantedandspoiled,weren'tyou?"heasked.

Shewasunnervedbythatblueglitter.''Mychildhoodisnoneofyourbusiness."

Helaughedhollowly."Tohearyoutellit,everycriminal'schildhoodismybusiness.

Poorlittlemurderersandthievesandrapists.Theyjustneededalittlemorelovetobegoodcitizens.
Andthepeopletheyvictimizedprobablydeservedit,didn'tthey?"

Shewasshocked."Ineversaidthat!"

"Youdo-goodersthinkit.Theysaidmymotheraskedtobebeaten."

Shewinced."Ofcourseshedidn't!"

"Real y? The public defender was eloquent about that. He had dozens of reasons why she enjoyed
havingherfacebrokentimeandtimeagain."

"Hewasdoinghisjob,"shesaid."Eventheworstcriminalhastherighttoanattorney."

"Ofcourse,"hedrawled."Andeverypublicdefenderhastherighttobuildareputationforsettingthe
guiltyfree."

"Wasyourfathersetfree?"sheaskedpointedly.

"Thepublicdefenderconvincedtheparoleboardtolethimlooseearly,"hetoldher.

"He'dhavecomebackwithbloodinhiseyeandtakenhisrageoutonmysisterandme.

But he dropped dead in his cel of a heart attack. I suppose God still believes in justice, even if the
legalsystemhasforgottenthemeaningoftheword."Heturnedaround."Iwon'thavetheboyshotif
hepicksthatlockagain.Iwillhavehimarrestedandprose-cuted."Hepaused,glancingbackather.
"I'm not a poor country kid at the mercy of the system now. I can afford the legal help of my
choosing,andpayforit.IfIloseanymorecattle,youwon'tbetakingoneofyourchargesbacktothe
cityaftersummercamp.Andthat'stheonlywarningyou'llget."

Heswungbackintothesaddle,turnedthehorse,androdebackthewayhe'dcome,hisbackasstraight
asaboard.

Belinda watched him go with more conflicting emotions than she'd felt in her life. He was a bitter
man, and they'd made an enemy of him because Kel s couldn't keep his fingers to himself. If she
wasn't careful, if she didn't keep a close watch on the boy, she'd land him in jail herself, when her
wholepurposeincomingherewastokeephimandhismatesoutoftrouble.

SheworriedthethoughtalthroughtheeveningmealofhotdogsandFrenchfries,hergreeneyeson
thelankydarkyouthwiththecurlyblackhairwhosatidlyatthetabletakingapocketwatchapartand
puttingitbacktogetherforamusement.

Kelswashardtoreach.Hewasultrasensi-

tive about his lack of grace and looks as wel as his background. He had five brothers and sisters
scattered around the country with various relatives. He'd moved here with his mother and her
boyfriend,buttheboyfrienddidn'twanthimandhismotherwouldn'tfightforhim.He'dstolenaCD
playeronpurposetogetbackatherwhenherboyfriendhadbeatenhim.Inhisneighborhood,many
peoplehadcriminalrecords.ButKellshadmagicinhisfingersandsomethinginhismannerthatset
himapartfromhispeers.Belindahadrecognizedthepotentialinhim.Shebelievedinhim.Shewas
theonlypersonwhodid.

She'dhadtofighthismotherandthewholejuvenilecourtsystemtogethimheretosummercamp.
Nowhewasseventeenandhecouldgotojailifhewasarrested.Shemighthavetakenhimoutofthe
fryingpanonlytolandhiminafire.

He noticed her scrutiny and his black eyes came up, hostile and faintly defensive. "I can put it back
together,"hemutteredwhenhesawhereyesonthewatch.

"Iknowyoucan,"shesaid,andsmiled,"You'reverycleverwithyourhands,Kells.Idon'tthinkI've
everknownanyoneyourage

whohadthefacilityyouhavewithmechanicalthings."

Heavertedhiseyesandshrugged,butshesensedthatthecomplimenthadpleasedhim.

"Thatcowboygoingtoarrestme?"

"He'sarancher.Itwashiscattleyouturnedloose,twice."

"Ineverturnednocattleloose,"hesaidwithhisheaddown.

"Youpickedhislocksandopenedthegate.Thecattleturnedthemselvesloose."

Hemadeajerkymotionwithhishead."Neverseencowsbefore,"hemumbled.

"Steers,"shecorrected.

Hiseyescameupandheseemedsuddenlyalert."Steers?What'sthedifference?"

"Cowsaremothersofcalves.Heifersareunbredcows.Bulsarestudcattle.Steersareneuteredcattle
raisedforbeef.Thoseweresteers.They'rebeefcattle."

Hiswholefaceseemedentranced."Likeatthesupermarket,groundbeefandal."

Shesmiled."Yes,that'sright."

Helostinterestinthewatch."Whydoeshekeepthemapartfromtheothers?"

"Bullswon'ttolerateasteer,andmother

cows wil fight them to protect their calves," she explained. "Besides that, it's logistics. It's easier to
have different categories of cattle in a bunch, easier to work them when it comes time to separate
them."

Heleanedforward."Workthem?"

Shechuckled."Duringroundup.Youhaverounduptwiceayearontheranch,onceinthespringwhen
thecalvescomeandonceinthefal,whenyou'reroundingthemupforsaleorcullingnonproducers.
Calveshavetobede-homed,branded,giventheirvaccinations,castratedifthey'retobebeefcattle,
andtagged."

Hewasreallyinterested.Hiseyesweremorealertthanshe'deverseenthem."Dotheyhavenamesor
something?"

"Theyhavenumbers,usualyontheireartags,butsometimesthey'retattooedoracomputerchipwith
theindividualanimal'shistoryisimplantedunderthehidetobereadwithascanner."

"You'rekidding!"

"I'mnot.Westilhaverustlersinthecattleindustry,eventoday."

"Didthosesteershavecomputerchips?"

"Idon'tknow."Shepursedherlips."WecouldaskMr.Craig."

Hegrimaced."Oh,hewon'ttalktome,"hesaid."Iknowhowpeoplearearoundhere."

Shestudiedhimquietly."Howarethey?"

"Prejudiced,"hemuttered.

Shesmiled."Didyouknowthataquarterofalthecowboysinthewestduringthelastcenturywere
black?"

"Theywere?"

"AfricanAmericansandHispanicAmericansstilmakeupagoodportionofthenumbersouthereon
ranches—they certainly do on my brother's. And I'm sure you've heard about the Ninth and Tenth
Cavalry—the Buffalo Soldiers—and the Fifty-sixth and Fifty-seventh Infantry units. All African
American."

"Youmean,theBuffaloSoldierswereallblack?"

Shenodded."Theyhadthehighestreenlist-mentrateandthelowestdesertionrateofanygroupinthe
army."

Heseemedtogrowtallerasshespoke."Theydidn'tsaynothingaboutthatinhistoryclass."

"It'schanging,"shesaid."SlowlybutsurelyAmericanhistoryisstartingtoincludecontributionsbyal
races,notjustthewhites."

Hislipstuggedintoareluctantsmileashislong-fingeredhandstoyedwiththewatch.

"You'reokay,MissJessup."

"Soareyou,Kells.Don'tworryaboutMr.Craig.Everything'sgoingtobefine."

"Idon'tknow,"hesaidquietly."It'snothardtoseethathedon'twantushere."

"Surehedoes,"shecountered."Hejustdoesn'tknowityet!"

Chapter2

Luke was fuming when he got home. He hated the whole idea of his new neighbors. It wasn't bad
enough that the largest part of his hay crop had been ruined by too much rain, or that cattle prices
werefallingafterabacteriascare.Somedaysitdidn'tpaytobearancher.Hewonderedwhyhehadn't
gone into some better paying profession, like plumbing. It was sheer lunacy to hang on to a ranch,
evenifithadbeeninthefamilyforthreegenerations.

Hetossedhishatontothesofaandsatdowninhisbigreclinertowatchthenews.Therewasafeature
onabouttheriseofjuvenilecrimeandthelackofproperpunishmentinthejuvenilejusticesystem.
He laughed without mirth. The same old tired theme again, and now he had a better knowledge of
juvenilecrimethanmostpeople.He'dputtheeightcombinationlocksbackonthefarmgatebetween
hispastureandthesummercamp,andhe'dtalkedtohisfriendinthepolicedepartmentaboutworking
twonightsaweekoutmere.

He allowed himself a moment to ponder the trespasser's future if he'd left a gate open on the other
sideofthatsummercamp,onlandthatbelongedtoCyParks.Lukewasfairlyeasygoing,evenina
temper.CyParkswassobad-temperedthatdeliveryboyshadtohavedoublepayjusttotakethings
outtohisplace.Lukehadconsideredtalkingtohimaboutthesummercamp,becausetherewassafety
in numbers. But he decided against it. Cy was a newcomer to Jacobsville and he'd never made any
attempttogettoknowlocalpeople.Rumorhaditthathe'dbeenburnedoutonhisWyomingranch
andhadbarelyescapedwithhislife.

He'dboughtoldmanSanders'splace

onVerdeCreekandwasbuildingaherdofpurebredSantaGertrudiscattle.IfKellshadsomuchas
sneezed on one of those expensive young bulls, mere was no telling what Cy would do. Luke, of
course,wasakindheartedman.Thatbeingthecase,hehadtoresorttodesperatemeasurestoprotect
hiscattle.Soheplannedtohireawatchman.

Hispropertycontainedalittlelinecabinnearthefence,whichLukehadfurnishedwithastoveand
refrigerator,chairs,atableandacotforthemenwhentheywereworkingoutthereduringroundup.
Itwasagoodfewmilesfromtheranchproper,andhedidn'trunachuckwagontoroundup,sothe
cabinwaslargelyself-sufficient.Therewasakitchen,sothemencouldcookforthemselves,andthe
smallbuildingevenhadatelephone.Lukewouldprovidehissecuritymanwithapairofbinoculars,
specialoneswithinfrared,sothattheyallowednightvision.Hewasn'tgoingtoloseanymorecattle
throughopenfences.Nomatterwhatittook.

Thenextmorning,onadaywhenhewasgoingtoinstallthesecuritymanintheline

cabin, he rode out to the steer pasture to find the gate closed. But the steers weren't alone in the
pasture.Atal,lankydarkyouthwasstalkingoneofthesteers.

Luke spurred his mount, something he rarely ever did, and put on a burst of speed, insinuating the
horseinfrontoftheboy,whobackedawaywithhugewideeyesandupraisedhands.

"Getthatthingawayfromme!"theboyyelled."Don'tletitkickme!"

Thefearintheyouth'sfacewasasurprise.Lukereinedinthehorseandsatquietly,leaningslightly
forwardinthesaddletostudythenervousyouthontheground.

"Whatthehellareyoudoinginmypasture?"Lukedemandedinacoldtone.

"Looking...lookingforthemcomputerchips,"Kellsstammered.

ItwastheverylastthingLukehadexpectedtohear.Hesathesitating,hismindworkingfuriously.

He wasn't aware of Belinda's cry or her headlong rush over the locked gate, so frenzied that she
almostrippedaholeinherelegantdesignerjeansandscarredherboots.

"It'sallright!"Belindacried,pantingas

sheranuptojoinKells,movingjustinfrontofhim."Hewasn'tdoinganythingtothecattle!"

"Steers,"Kellscorrected,feelingalittlesmug.

Lukelookedathimwithnewinterest."Youknowsomethingaboutcattle?"heaskedunexpectedly.

"Shewasteachingme,"hereplied,jerkinghisheadtowardthesmallwomaninfrontofhim."About
thedifference.Youknow,steersandheifersandsuch.Andaboutthecomputerchipsunderthehides."

Luke'shostileexpressionhadfadedtocuriosity."Shetoldyouaboutthat?"

Henodded."Iwantedtoseethechips.Iwasn'tgoingtohurtnothing,"headdedwithfaintbelligerence.

Luke actually chuckled. He abruptly rode off toward where the steers were congregating near the
fence,liftinghislariatfromthesaddlehorn.Hespunaloopandlassoedoneofthesteerswitheasy
grace,theresultofyearsoflongpractice,andgotdownoutofthesaddletocatchtheropetight.He
motionedtoKels.

"Thatwasgreat!"Kellsexclaimed."Thatwasjustgreat!Howyoulearntodothat,spinthatloopand
lassothatcow...thatsteer...soeasy?"

Lukegrinned."Alotofpracticeandafewbruises,"hemurmured.Hewaspettingthesteerbehindits
ears,andtheanimalstoodverystillandlookedcontent."Comeon,he'snotdangerous.Ionlyrunpol
edcattlehere."

"Polled?"Kellsasked,curious.

"Dehorned,"theoldermanqualified.Hesearchedbehindthesteer'sneckandfeltforasmalllump.He
found it "Here." He caught Kells's dark hand and smoothed it over the spot. "It's a computer chip. I
resistedthistechnologyforyears,butitmakesroundupsomucheasierthatIfinalygavein.Wecan
keep an animal's entire herd history on one chip and get the information in seconds with a scanner
whenwesorttheanimalsforsale."

"Ididn'tthinkranchersuseditonsteers,"Belindainterjected.

"Oh,wedon'tusually,"heagreed."Butthislotisanexperiment."Heshiftedalittleself-consciously.
"I'vebeenreadingaboutsomenewmethodsthatourlocalcattlemen'sassociationisusing.Vasectomy,
forone."

"What'sthat?"Kellsasked.

"Ordinarily, you create a steer by removing what makes him able to reproduce. But by giving the
steer a vasectomy," he explained, "the animal still produces testosterone, which we think is
responsibleforfastgrowth.Butsincethesteeriseffectivelyneutered,ittendstobeeasiertohandle.
Yougetahigherweight-gainratiothesameaswithbulls,butyougettheleancarcassofasteer."

"Isn'titexpensivetodoitthatway?"Belindaasked.

He smiled. "Not really. It takes about the same amount of time, and we do it ourselves instead of
callingouttheveterinarian.Butevenifitdidtakemoretime,wethinkthebenefitsoutweighthecost.
That's why we're experimenting with it. Since the animal gains weight without the use of growth
hormones,wesavesomemoneythere,too."

"Mybrothersaysalotofconsumersaregettingscaredofthoseadditives,likegrowthhormonesand
antibiotics,"Belindaagreed.

"There's definitely a market for organically grown beef, and at least one cattleman I know of is
offeringcustom-grownleanbeeftosupermarketchains,"headded.HenotedKells'slight,fascinated
touchontheanimal'sshoulder.

"Isn'tithardtokillthem?"Kellsaskedunexpectedly.

"Yes,"Lukerepliedunexpectedly."I'minthecattlebusinessbecauseIlikeanimals,soIgetattachedto
thedamnedthings.Theyallhavepersonalities.They'realldifferent.Itrynottogettooclosetothe
beefcattle,butI'vegotatonandahalfbullwhofollowsmearoundlikeapetdog,andtwoHolstein
milkcowswhothinkthey'recats."

Kellschuckled."Nofooling?What'saHolstein?"

"They'redairycattle...lookhere,areyoureallythatinterestedincattle?"

Kellsshruggedandloweredhisgazetothesteer."Neversawcattlebefore,"hemurmured.

He glanced shyly at Luke and then away again. "I like them. I didn't mean to let them get loose. I
wanted to see them up close, you know. And after she told me about the computer chips..." He
grimaced."Ijustwantedtoseewhatitlookedlike."

Lukepursedhislips,awareofBelinda's

stillness."WanttocomeseetheHolsteins?"heasked.

Kellscaughthisbreath."Youfooling?"

Lukeshookhishead.''Nothingacattlemanlikesbetterthantoshowoffhisoperation."

HealmostlaughedaloudattheexpressiononBelinda'sface.

Kellswasfascinated."ReckonIcouldseethatbull?"

Lukechuckled."Sure.Whynot."

"Aren't you scared of that thing?" Kells persisted, moving back from the big black-spotted white
horse.

"She'sgentle—amare,"Lukeexplained.Hefrowned."Whyareyouafraidofhorses?"

"I lived in New York City until this year," he muttered. "A cop on a horse tried to run me down. It
rearedupandifIhadn'tmoved,itwouldhavepawedme."

Lukewiselydidn'taskwhatKellshaddonetoprovoketheman.Stil,tryingtorideaboydown,for
anyreason,wasreprehensible."Youshouldhavetoldsomeoneinauthority,"hesaidcurtly.

Kelsshrugged.''Nobodyeverwantedtodoanythingformeuntilmymommovedusto

HoustonafewmonthsagoandIgotintroublefortakingaCDplayeroutofashop.She

—"heindicatedBelinda"—wenttobatformeandgottheownernottopresscharges.

ButIgotsenttojuvyanyway,'causeIwassixteenthen."

"Juvy?"

"Juvenilehall,"Belindatoldhim."Courtsareharderonjuvenilesthesedays,becausethere'ssomuch
violenceintheinnercity."

"I see." He didn't. He studied Kells, who was watching the cattle with such fascination that he was
drawntotheboy.Allhisprejudicesabout"coddlingjuveniledelinquents"

were going up in smoke. It was easy to be intolerant when you didn't know the people you were
intolerant toward. Kells was giving him an education in gray areas, where before he'd seen only
black-and-white.

"Whendoyouwantmetobringtheguysover?"Belindaaskedhim.

"Notimelikethepresent,"hesaid."Load'emupandcomeon.Knowhowtofindit?"

"Yes,I'veseenitfromtheroad,"shereplied.Shesmiledwithgenuinegratitude.

"Thanks."

Heshrugged."Justbeingneighborly."Hetooktheloopfromthesteer'sneckandcoiledtherope,with
Kellswatchingeverymove.Theyoungmanhadaquickmindandnimblefingers.

Suddenlyhehadanideathatmightbearconsideration.

There were six kids from the ghettos of Houston in Belinda's group, ranging in age from nine to
fourteen.Kellswastheoldest.TheyoungestwasJulio,aMexicanboy.Twowerewhiteandoneofthe
otherswasblack,likeKells.Themiddleboy,Juanito,wasNativeAmerican,althoughhewouldn'tsay
whichtribe.Hedidn'ttalkabouthimselfatall.Infact,hedidn'ttalkmuch,period.Hewaslivingwith
anuncleandauntwhodidn'tseemtonoticewhathedid,orcare.Itwasthesamestorywithmostof
theothers.That'swhythey'dlandedthemselvesinjuvenilecourtanddetentioncenters.Theycaredas
little for themselves as the adults around them did. It was important to Belinda that someone cared
about them, built their self-esteem, made them proud of their races and history. She didn't delude
herselfthatshecouldchangethewhole

world.Butmaybeshecouldchangeoneperson.

ShedrovetheboystoLuke'sranchinthericketyoldvanshe'dboughtfortheoccasion.Itwasingood
mechanicalshape,evenifitdidlooklikethedarksideofthemoon.Shethoughtofhavingitpainted,
butitseemedawasteoftimeandmoney.

As she reached the end of a long, winding graveled road that led off from a paved highway, she
noticed Luke was waiting for them. The house was nice, big, white and friendly with a long porch.
TherewasastableandcorralbackawayfromtheflowergardenthatLuke'ssisterhadkeptuntilher
marriage,andtherewerefencedandcross-fencedpasturesreachingallthewaytothemainroad.

Belindagotoutofthebatteredoldvanandopenedthesidedoorsotheboyscouldgetoutwithher.
"Remember not to go through any fences, okay?" she cautioned them. "Bulls are dangerous and
unpredictable.Ifyou'veeverwatchedrodeo,inpersonorontelevision,you'llknowthatalready."

"Mr.Craigsaidhisbullfollowshimaround,"Kellsremindedher.

"Sohedoes.ButthebullknowsMr.Craig,doesn'the?"shereplied.

Kellsgrinned."Iguessso."

Lukecamedownthestepstomeetthem,greetedtheboys,andledthemtowardthebarn.

"Thisranchhasbeeninmyfamilyforthreegenerations,"hebegan."Mygrandfatherstartedoutwith
longhorncattleandIendedupwithHerefords.Mostranchershaveabreedtheypreferaboveothers.
Cy Parks, who lives across there—" he gestured back toward the space the summer camp occupied
"—runspurebredSantaGertrudis.Oneofhisbullscostamilliondollars."

Kellseyeswidenedandthenhisfacefell."Gosh,Iguessyougottoberichtohavecattle,huh?"

Lukesmiledathim."Notreally.Youcouldstartoutwithayoungbullandafewheifersandbuilda
ranchfrommere.It'snotasexpensiveasyouthink."

Thelightcamebackintotheyouth'seyes.HelookedpastLuketothebigHerefordbullinthepasture
adjoiningthebarnandhisbreathcaught."Oh,Lord,whatananimal!"

Lukeburstoutlaughing."Hesoundsjust

likemeathisage,"heexplainedwheneverybodylookedathim."Ithoughttherewasnothingonearth
asprettyasabull."

"Thereisn't,"Kellsagreed.Hegotuponthebottomrungofthehighwoodenfenceandwrappedhis
armsaroundthetoprung."Isn'thegreat?"

"Hisname'sShiloh,"Luketoldhim."Iraisedhimfromababyandnowhe'smentionedinjustabout
everymajorcattlejournalasatopstudbull.Ican'tkeepupwiththedemandforhisprogeny.There's
evenawaitinglist."-

"Gotanybuffalo?"oneoftheboysasked.

Lukeshookhishead."Iknowofaranchortwothatrunssome,butthey'redangeroustokeep.They'll
chargeattheleastprovocationandtheycangorightthroughafence."

"TheyhavebuffaloupontheYellowstone,"Juanitosaid."Isawawholeherdwhenmyuncledroveus
throughthepark."

"Ineversawabuffalo,"anotherboymurmured.

Belinda smiled at her charges. "The whole of the western states used to have herds of them, before
whitepeoplecamealongandkilledthemoff."

"Why'dtheydothat?"oneoftheotherswantedtoknow.

"Greed,"Lukesaidflatly."Pureandsimple,greed.Theywantedthemoneythatpeoplebackeastand
evenoverseaswerewillingtopayforbuffalohides.And,too,therewasalotofmoneytobehadfor
guiding shooting parties out on the plains so that they could kill hundreds of buffalo for sport and
leavethemlyinginthesun."

Belindastaredathimcuriouslyandthenshesmiled.Theywerekindredspirits.Shehatedthelossof
thebuffalo,too.

Heglanceddownatherwhiletheboysmurmuredtoeachotheraboutthesizeofthatbigbullinthe
fencedpasture.Shehadaprettyface,hethought,andabighearttogowithit.Helikedheralready.He
smiledslowlyandwassurprisedanddelightedtoseeherfaceflush.

Shehadtodraghereyesawayfromhis.Thatlookhadgonerightthroughher.Overtheyearsshe'd
hadplentyofboyfriends,buttheywerealljustcasualacquaintances.OrtheyhadbeenuntilRussell,
whogaveheranengagementringandsworehelovedher,andthenelopedwithherbestfriend.That
hadbeenfourlongyearsago.Shehadn'tlookedatanothermansince.

"What'swrong?"Lukeaskedperceptibly.

Shecaughtherbreath."Wrong?Why...nothing."

"Youwerethinkingaboutsomethingandithurt.Whatwasit?"

Sheshifted.''Iwasengaged.Heelopedwithmybestfriend."

"Well,well."Hestudiedhercarefully."Sothat'swhyyouaren'tmarried.Noinclinationtotryagain,I
gather."

"Noneatall."

"Jointheclub."

Sheshotaquickglanceathisavertedprofile."You,too?"sheaskedsoftly.

He nodded, a jerk of his head. ' 'Me, too. She promised to be true, but the minute I went off on
business,shewasentertaininganoldboyfriendatthelocalmotel."Helaughedcoldly."Youcan'tdo
thatsortofthinginatownthissmallandnotbegossipedabout.TwopeopletoldmeaboutitwhenI
gotofftheplane."

"It'stheworldwelivein,"shesaidquietly."Fidelitydoesn'tseemtomeanmuch,anymore."

Heturnedtofaceher."Itmeanstheworldtome,"hesaidflatly."I'manold-fashionedman.WhenI
givemyword,Ikeepit."

She grimaced. "So do I." She smoothed her fingers carefully over the hard wood of the fence. "He
saidIwasadinosaur."

Oneeyebrowleveredslowlyup.

"Iwouldn'tgotobedwithhimbecauseweweren'tmarried,"shesaidsimply."Sohefoundsomebody
whowould."Sheshrugged."Ican'tblamehim,really.Imean,everywomandoesit."

"Noteverywoman,"hesaidcoldly."Virtueissorareastobepricelessthesedays."

"Showmeonevirtuousman,"shedared.

"Thatwouldbedifficult,"heagreed,"althoughit'snotimpossible.I'veknownamanortwowhofelt
the way you do about it. Still, men can't get pregnant, can they? Women are the childbearers, the
civilizers. I believe that when children are going to be involved, there should be one man, and no
others."

Shestaredupathimquietly."You'readinosaur,too."

"Yougotadinosaur?"oneoftheboys,overhearing,asked.

"Don'tbestupid,"anotherboyansweredhim,"there'snosuchthing!"

"Ireadthatdinosaursturnedintobirds,"anotherventured.

Juanitogrinnedforthefirsttime."Mygrandadusedtosayhecouldturnintoabirdwhenheliked.
Andmymomsaidnowonderheatelikeone."

Everybodylaughed,butkindly.

Itbroketheice.Lukeshowedtheboysaround,andtheywarmedtohiseasy,friendlymanner.Heled
themthroughthebarn,wherehehadtwocalvesbeingtreatedforscoursandaheiferwithsnakebite.

"They're all improving," he said, watching the boys stare at the animals. "They'll go out into the
pastureinadayortwo.Therewerethreecalvesinhere,butwelostoneofthemyesterday."

"What'sscours?"Kellsasked.

"It's a disease calves get that prevents them from keeping anything in their stomachs," he replied.
"They die if they aren't treated. The vet has been giving them medicine for it. Usually it works.
Sometimes,itdoesn't,nomatterhowhardyoutry."

"Iguessyouhavetouseahorsetoworkcattle,"Kellscontinued.

"I'm afraid so. Although," he added with a chuckle, "I used to know a man who used an all-terrain
vehicletodoit."

"Oneofthosefour-wheeledthingslikeabiglawnmower?"

"Theverything.Hehitastumpunexpectedlyandwentheadfirst,rightintothelagoon.Ihearhegave
thevehicletohisnephewthenextdayandwentbacktousinghorses."HesawthequestioninKells's
eyesandbeforehecouldaskitheadded,"Alagooniswhereanimalwasteiscollected."

Kellsdoubledoverlaughing."Nowonderhegavethethingaway!"Hesighed."IguessIcouldlearn
tolikehorses."

"Sureyoucould,"Lukeassuredhim."Ahorsethat'strainedrightwilldowhatyoutellitto,although
I'veseensomebadhorses.Infact,aneighborofminehasatwenty-year-oldhorsethatkilledamanin
anarenaandwasabouttobedestroyed.Hesavedit."

"Mustbeaniceman."

He shook his head. "Not a chance. He's like a rattlesnake, coiled up and waiting for somebody to
comewithinstrikingdistance."Hegrinned."Mostpeoplewalkwidearoundhim."

"Canwegobackoutthereandlookatthebull?"Kellsasked.

"Sure,goahead."

Theyranoutalmostinaunit,leavingLukeandBelindatogetheratthesteelgatethatcontainedthe
calvesintheirstall.

HeglancedatBelinda."Thatneighborlivesontheothersideofyourcamp,bytheway.

You'dbettermakesurenobodytrespassesinhisdirection.I'mareasonableman.He'snot."

"I'llremember,"shepromised.

Hewatchedheropenly,hisblueeyesnarrowandthoroughonhersoftovalface."Doyoulikeyour
job?"

"Ilikekids,"shesaid."Especiallykidswhoneedsomethingsocietyisn'tgivingthem."Shejerkedher
headtowardtheboys."There'snotonetilingwrongwiththemthatalittleloveandattentionwouldn't
have taken care of. They just want someone to care about them, and they find unorthodox ways to
attractattention."

"KellssaidhestoleaCDplayer."

Shenodded."Butnotbecausehewantedit,"shemurmured."Hismother'sboyfriendhadbeatenhim
upthatmorning.Hewasgettingbackather,forexposinghimtothatsortoftreatment."Sheshrugged.
"Theboyfriendisthereasonthey'reouthere.Hesentforher,buthedoesn'twantKells.Neitherdid
hisfather."

"Whatashame."

Shenodded."Theboyfriend'sideaofdisciplineisafisttothejaw.I'vehadtheD.A.'sofficelooking
intoit,butKells'smotherwon'tsayawordinKells'sdefense.Infact,shetoldtheinvestigatorthathe
askedforit,bybeingsassy."

"Nobodyaskstobebeatenup."Hesaiditwithsuchferocitythatsheturnedandlookedupathim.His
facewashard,setwithlinesofpain.Shehadthemostterribleurgetoreachupandtouchit,tomake
the lines relax. She remembered very well what he'd told her about his father, about the beatings. It
wouldhavebeenworse,towatchhismothertakingthatsortofabuseandnotbeingabletostopit.It
was a sadly familiar story in her circles. She reflected on women she'd worked with who had been
victimizedbyabusivehusbands.

There seemed to be so many women who tolerated the abuse out of fear, a kind of fear that well-
meaning outsiders could never understand. Belinda tried to explain that everything would change
oncethewomanwasoutofthehouse.Itrarelyworkeduntilabeatinglandedherinthehospital,or
untilthemaninjured,sometimeskilled,oneofherchildren.

"Whatareyoubroodingabout?"Lukeaskedabruptly.

She smiled sadly. "About women who won't accept help, feeling they're better off where they are. I
wasthinkingaboutwhytheywon'tleavemenwhohurtthem."

"Becausethey'reafraid,"Lukerepliedcurtly."Everybodysays,justgetout,you'llbeokay."

Helaughedbitterly."Once,afterthepoliceleft,myfatherheldabutcherknifetomymother'sthroat
fortenminutesanddescribedtoher,graphically,whathe'ddotomysister,Elysia,withitifsheever
calledthepoliceagain."

"DearLord,"shebreathed.

"Hemeantit,too,"headded."Hesaidhe'dhavenothingtoloseiftheyweregoingtoputhiminjail
anyway."

Sheputoutahandandtouchedthebackofhis,justlightly."I'msorryyouhadtogothroughthat."

Heturnedhishandandcaughtherfingersinhis,tightly."Whydidyoubecomeapublicdefender?"

Shesmiledruefully."Mybestfriendwasrapedbyherstepfather,andthepublicdefenderonhercase
had such a heavy workload that he plea-bargained the case to get it off his schedule. She was
devastatedwhenherstepfatherdidn'tevenhavetoservetimeforwhathe'ddone.Shecouldn'tgoback
home,becausebythenhermotherbelievedshe'dinvitedit."

Sheshookherheadsadly."IdecidedthenandtherethatIwantedtomakeadifferenceintheworld.I
studiedlawandhereIam,despitemybrother'sassurancesthatIwaswastingmytime."

Hechuckled."Irememberyourbrother

verywell,"hemused."HewasthemostruthlessbusinessmanIevermet."

"Yes,hewas.Hiswifehaschangedhim,"sheadded."He'sgivenupbeingstone-hearted.

Now,he'smybiggestfan."

Hisblueeyesmethersandhesmiledslowly."Maybe,buthe'snotyouronlyone."Heleanedcloser
deliberately,pausingwithhislipsabreathawayfromhers."Ilikeyou,too,MissPublicDefender."
Andthenhekissedher.

Chapter3

He'dmeantittobeabrief,teasingkiss.Itdidn'tworkoutthatway.Thetouchofthatsoftmouthunder
his was explosive. He caught his breath, lifting his head just enough to see the mutual shock and
pleasureinBelinda'seyesbeforehebentagain.

Thistime,itwasn'tbrief,orparticularlygentle.Heliftedhercompletelyagainstthelengthofhistall,
muscularbodyandkissedheruntilhehadtocomeupforair.Helookedintoherstunnedeyeswith
quietcuriosity,breathingraggedly.

"Youshould...putmedown,"shewhispered.

"Areyousure?"hemurmuredwhilehesearchedherface.

"Yes.Theboys..."

Heeasedherbackontoherfeet,shootingaglancetowardthebarndoor.Theyoungstersweren'tin
viewatall."Nobodysaw,"hesaid.Hetracedherswollenlipswithhisforefinger."Icouldgetusedto
this,"headdedquietly."Howaboutyou?"

She swallowed and then swallowed again. She had to move back from contact with him before her
mindwouldworkagain."I'monlyhereonmysummervacation,"shemanagedinavoicethatdidn't
soundlikeherown.

Hesmiledslowly."Houstonisn'tthatfaraway."

She didn't know what to say. She was overcome by feelings she'd suppressed, tucked away and
forgotten.Herbodyfeltlikearosebudsubjectedtorainandsunandwind,bloomingandliftingits
facetotheelements.Hewasveryattractive,andhehadqualitiesthatsheloved.

Butitwastooquick;toosoon.

"I'mrushingyou,"hemused,seeingthe

confuseduncertaintyinhereyes."Don'tgetuptight.Iwon'tbackyouintoacorner.ButI'minterested.
Aren'tyou?"

Shetooktimetocatchherbreath.Sheloweredhereyestohisshirt."Yes."

Hegrinned.Hisheartfeltlighterthanithadinyears.Hecurledherfingersintohisandledhertoward
thebarnentrance."Comeon.I'llshowyoumyhorses."

Belindawentalongsilently.Shecouldn'tbelievehe'ddonethat,rightoutintheopen,inplaindaylight.
It had been a passionate kiss, deliriously arousing and hungry. The warm, hard contact left her
confusedandquiet.

Hehadseveralhorses,allAppaloosas.Heexplainedthemarkingsandcalledtheirnames.

"I'mcrazyaboutthem,"heremarked."IbelongtoanAppaloosaclubandwetalkontheinternetabout
ourpassion.Thisisonespecialbreed."

"Everybodysaysthataboutwhicheverbreedtheylikebest,"shesaidwithalaughingsmile.

"ButIcanseewhyyoulikeApps.Theyreallyarebeautiful."

"CyParkshasArabians,"hetoldher."Asmallherd,withagloriousstallionherdsire.

He'spurewhite,likebeachsandontheGulfofMexico.Ithinkheusedtoracethem,beforehemoved
here."

"Ishereallysucharoughcustomer?"

"Yes,heis,"hesaidbluntly."Keepyourbroodwellshyofhisranch.Hecan'ttoleratechildrenatall,"
headded,withoutmentioningwhy.

Sheletoutasoftwhistle."Thanksforthewarning,"shesaid."IstartedthiscampbecauseIwantedto
makeadifferencefortheseboys,iftheycouldseeanothersortoflifefromtheonetheyliveinthe
inner city. Yet I never stopped to consider the potential pitfalls... Still, I'm encouraged by Kells's
interestinranching.Hedidn'tseemthekindofteenagerwho'dfallinlovewithcattlesoquickly,but
he'sgenuineaboutit.Thiswillgivehimsome-thingtoworktoward."

"Ihadanideaaboutthat."Lukeconfided."IthoughtImightaskhimtostayattheranchandlearnthe
ropeswhileyoutaketheothersbacktoyourcamp.Thenifhedecidedtocomebackhereandwork
aftergraduation,I'dhirehim."

Shecaughtherbreath."You'ddothatforhim?"

"Formyself,too,"hesaid."He'saquickstudyandhelovesthebusiness.Acowboylikethatwouldbe
anassetanywhere.IfItrainhim,Icanhirehimwhenhegetsthroughschool."

"He'dbeoverthemoon."

"Don'ttellhimuntilwecangetthedetailsworkedout,"hecautioned."Idon'twanttobuildhimuptoa
bigletdown."

"Iwon'tsayaword."Shesearchedhisface."You'regoodwithchildren."

"I learned on Elysia's little girl," he told her with a grin. "I took her to movies and the park and
carnivals.Herdaddoesthosethingsnow.I'vemissedhersinceElysiaremarried."

ShestudiedtheAppaloosas."Youshouldgetmarriedandhavekidsofyourown."

"Youknow,I'vejustrealizedthat."

Shedidn'tdarelookathim.Herheartwasleapingaroundmadlyinherchest.

Heturnedawayfromthehorsepastureandtuggedheralongwithhim."We'dbettergetbacktothe
boys and make sure they aren't trying to climb aboard that old bull," he murmured dryly. "I still
rememberhowIwasasakid."

"Howdidyourfathermakealiving?"

"Mygrandfathermadethelivingforhim,"hereplied."Hehadthisranch.Dadworkedforhim,when
hewassoberenough,andmygrandfatherprotectedusaslongashewasalive.

Whenhedied,everythingchanged."

"Butyoumanagedtohangontotheranch."

"Ihadhelp,"hesaid."Neighbors,friends,relatives...everybodydidwhattheycouldforus,despitemy
father.That'swhyI'mstillhere,"headdedseriously."Jacobsvilleisthesortofplacewhereyou'renot
aresident,you'repartofafamily.Maybepeopleknowyourbusiness,buttheycareaboutyouaswell.
Icouldn'tthinkoflivinganywhereelse."

"Icanunderstandwhy,"shemurmured.Herhandinhisfeltsmallandvulnerable.Shefelt small. He
toweredoverher,andshelikedhimverymuch.Toomuch.Itwasn'tpossibletofeelsostronglyfor
someoneshe'donlyjustmet,butsheseemedtofitintohislifeasifshe'dbeenconditionedtoit.

He glanced down at her with a warm smile. She was pretty and feisty and she really did care about
theseboysofhers.Hecouldseeherwithchildrenofherown.She'dbeaveritablemamalionifher
kidswerethreatened.Hefoundhimselfwonderingabouthavingachildofhisown.HelovedElysia's
two,buthehadtostartthinkingaboutthefuture,aboutkidsofhisowntoinheritthisplacewhenhe
wasgone.Itdidn'treallysurprisehimthathewasbeginningtoseeBelindainanewlight.Shecame
fromaranchingbackground,andshehadasoftheart.He'dhadhisfillofwomenwhowantedagood
timeandnotiesofanykind.Hewasoldenoughtostartlookingforasettle-downsortofwoman.

The boys left the ranch late that afternoon with Belinda, after a long tour of the ranch on saddle
horsesthatleftthemallsorebuthappy.

"They'll be uncomfortable tomorrow," Luke chuckled as he saw Belinda to the van. "They used
musclestheydidn'tknowtheyhadonthattrailride.Kellstooktoitlikeapro,didyounotice?Fora
boywhowasafraidofhorses,he'scomealongwayinashorttime."

"Youwereamazingwithhim,"shesaid.

"He was the one I couldn't reach, did you know? He was surly and uncommunicative until I started
tellinghimaboutcattle.Ifoundthedoorandyoufoundthekey.He'sdifferent."

"He's focused," he told her, glancing toward the van where the boys were conversing animatedly
inside."They'renotbadkids,"hesaidsuddenly,asifthethoughtsurprisedhim.

Shesmiled."No,they'renot,"shereplied."Theworldisfullofthem.Youngpeoplegetmarriedand
two years down the road, they realize they've made a mistake, but they've got a child. They get
divorced and marry somebody else and the kids end up in a family where they're the outsiders.
Sometimesthey'renotevenwanted.It'sworseinpoorneighborhoods,ofcourse."Shenoddedtoward
thevan."Kellscouldwriteabookonthat.HesaidthatmostofthekidsinhisneighborhoodinNew
YorkCitywereeitherwantedbythelaworsellingdrugs.

He thought he'd end up the same way." She sighed, her eyes seeing far away. "When people live in
hopeless poverty, with a poor self-image and no way out, they give up. That's why they resort to
alcoholanddrugs,becauseiteasesthepain,justforalittlewhile.Butprettysoon,they'rehookedand
theycan'tquit,andthey'lldoanythingtogethighagain,sotheycanforgetwheretheyliveandwhat
they'vebecome."Sheshookherhead."Itoccurstomesometimesthatasmallpercentageofpeople
aren't constructed to live in a regimented, money-oriented, time-clock-mandated industrial society.
Thesesamepeople,placedonthelandwheretheycouldworkattheirownpace,wouldbehappyand
useful."

"That'sanewtheory."

Sheshookherhead."It'snot.I'monlyquotingToffler."Helookedpuzzledandshesmiled.

"AlvinToffler...FutureShock?Mr.Tofflerisavisionaryandheseesrightinsidepeople.Hesaidthat
somepeoplewillneverfitintoourfast-pacedculture,andIthinkhe'sright."

"I'dliketohearmoreaboutthat."Hepursedhislips."Idon'tsupposeyoucouldgetawayforsupper
oneevening?"

"I'vegotnoonetostaywiththeboys,"shesaidregretfully.

"ThenI'lljusthavetofindanexcuseto

havethembackoveragain,won'tI?"hesaid,grinningdownather.

Shechuckled."Youdothat.I'dbettergetthembacktocamp.Thanksforlettingmebringthemover."

"Ienjoyedit,"hereturned.

"SodidI."

Shewentbacktothevanandclimbedinwiththeboys.Shecouldn'thelpaglanceintotherearview
mirrorastheywentbackthewaythey'dcome,downthewindingranchroad.Lukewasstandinginthe
yardwithhishandsinthepocketsofhisjeans,hiswide-brimmedhatcoveringhishead.Helooked
likepartofthelanditself,andsomethingwarmkindledinsideheratjustthesightofhim.

For the next few days, Belinda found plenty of time to regret her lapse of control with Luke in the
barn.Shegotcoldfeetandflatlyrefusedtheboys'requestforanothervisittotheranch.

Shedidn'trealizethatherrefusalwasabouttohavegraveconsequences.Kells,depressedwithlittleto

doandtoomuchtimeonhishands,wantedanothershotatropingcattle.

Lateonesunnyafternoon,heslippedaway

fromtheothers.He'dfoundanold,limpropeinoneoftheoldoutbuildingsnearthecampandhe'd
spent hours every day practicing with it, as he'd seen Luke do. He was somewhat proficient, but he
wasboredwithropingtheoldsawhorsethatsatneartheoaktreebehindthebuilding.Hewonderedif
hecouldlassoasteer.MissJessupwasoccupiedwiththeotherboys,teachingthemhowtouseher
laptopcomputer.Hepreferredcattletocomputers,sohecoiledhisropeandsneakeddowntheroad
towardapasturefullofred-coatedcattle.

Hedidn'trealizethatLuke'scattlewereonlyonesideofthelong,windinggraveledroad.Heknew
thatmostofLuke'ssteerswereHereford's,whichwerewhiteandred.Thesecattlewerered,butthey
mightbeavariationonthesamebreed,hedecided.Theysureweren'tsteers,heknewthatbylooking
at them, and they had horns. They'd be easy to rope! He slipped through the barbed-wire fence
stealthily,easedintothesmalllineoftreesthatoutlinedthegreenpasture,andstartedupasmallrise
whereared-coatedyoungbullwasgrazing.

Itwastheperfecttimetopracticethelariat

throwhe'dbeenperfecting,asLukehadshowedhimhowtodoit.Hemissedthefirsttimehetried,
buttheanimaldidn'trunaway.Itstoodchewinggrassandstaringathimcuriously.Hecoiledtherope
andpatientlytriedagain.Thistime,hemanagedthethrowperfectly,tossingthelooprightoverthe
shorthornsoftheyoungbull.Hechuckledandletoutawhoopashestartedreelingthebullin.

Hewashavingthetimeofhislife,leadingtheyoungbullaroundthepastureanddownthehilltoward
thegatewhenheheardaloudyell,followedbyachillingreportthatsoundedverymuchlikearifle
beingfired.

Hestoppeddeadinhistracks,theropeinhishand,andturnedtofindatall,threatening-lookingman
onahugewhitehorsesittingjustafewhundredfeetawayontheridgeholdingarifletohisshoulder.
His face wasn't visible under the wide-brimmed hat, but the threat in his posture was immediately
recognizabletoateenwho'dhadseveralbrusheswithgangs.

Kellsdroppedtheropeandthrewuphishandswhilehehadtime."Iwasjustpracticingwiththerope,
mister,"hecalled."Noneedtoshootme!"

Themandidn'treply.Hehadacellphoneinhishandnowandhewaspunchinginnumbers.Aminute
laterhespokeintoitandthencloseditup.

"Sitdown,"arough,deepvoicecalled.

Kells wasn't thrilled with the idea of sitting down in a cow pasture where rattlesnakes might be
crawling, but he didn't want to get shot. He sat down. This, he thought, was very obviously the
landownerLukehadwarnedhimabout,buthehadn'tlistened.Heknewwithamiserablecertaintythat
hewasgoingtowishhehad.

BelindawasjustbeginningtoclearthelunchdishesandwonderingwhyKellshadn'tcomeintoeat
whenhercellphonerang.Shepickeditupandlistened,andthensatdownhard.

"Theydidn'thaveyournumber,sotheycalledme,"Luketoldhergrimly."Ifyou'llgivemeaminute
toorganizethingshere,I'llpickyouupandwe'llgotothepolicestationtogether.Iknowthesepeople
betterthanyoudo."

''WhataremychancesofgettingMr.Parks

todropthecharges?"sheaskedwithresignationinhervoice.

"Slimtonone,"hesaidflatly."IfCyParkshadhisway,they'dprobablyshoothim.Idon'tthinkwe'll
beabletotalkCyoutofthis,butwecantry."

"Howlongwillittakeyoutogetoverhere?"sheasked,notevenprotestinghisoffertogowithher.

"Twentyminutes."

Actually, he made it in fifteen. He was dressed for work, in wide leather bat-wing chaps, old boots
withcakedspurs,andalong-sleevedchambrayshirt.Hepulledhiswide-brimmedhatfartheroverhis
eyesasheputBelindaintothehugedouble-wheeledpickuptruckanddroveherintotown.

"Don't get the idea that our police department is gung-ho to arrest people for no good reason," he
saidashedrove."CywillhavebulldozedthemintoitBytheletterofthelaw,Kellswastrespassing,
butnobodyinhisrightmindwouldtakearustlingchargeseriously.

Whatwashegoingtodowiththedamnedbull,anyway?"

"Hewaspracticingwiththelariat,thewayyoutaughthim,"shesaidmiserably."Isupposehegottired
oflassoingthesawhorseandwantedsomethingrealtopracticeon."

"HeheardmetellhimtokeepoffParks'splace!"

"He wouldn't have known which side of the fence was Parks's," she returned. "He probably wasn't
even paying attention to the color of the animals. At any rate, yours have red-and-white coats and
Parks'shaveredcoats,hemighthavethoughtsomeofyourswereasolidcolor."

"It'sahellofamess,I'lltellyouthat,"hesaidangrily.

"Worsethanyouknow.Withhisrecord,hemaynevergetachancetogohomeagain.

They'llwanttosendhimrightbacktothedetentioncenterandkeephimthere."

"Damn!"

ShefeltfuriousatCyParksforthis.Kellsshouldn'thavebeenonhisproperty,buthewasakid,and
hedidn'tmink.WhydidParkshavetoabidebytheveryletterofthelaw?

ItseemedforeverbeforeLukepulledupinfrontoftheneatbrickbuildingthatcontainedthepolice
andfiredepartmentsandthecityjail.

"Inhere,"heindicated,holdingthedooropenforBelinda.

Thebuildingwasair-conditionedandveryneat.LukeopenedthedoorthathadPolicewrittenonit,
andusheredhertothecounter,behindwhichaclerksat.

"We'reheretoseeaboutbailfortheKellsboy,"Lukesaid.

"Ah,yes."Theclerktookaslowbreathandsortedthroughpapers,shakingherhead."Mr.

Parkswasfurious."SheglancedatLuke."He'sstillhere,youknow,givingthechiefhell."

Luke'sblueeyesturnedtosteel."Ishe,now?Whichway?"

Theclerkhesitated."Now,Luke..."

"Tellme,Sally."

"He'sinhisoffice.Ihavetoannounceyou."

"I'llannouncemyself,"hesaidshortly,andforgedahead,leavingastartledBelindatofollowhim.

This was a side of Luke that she hadn't seen before. He barged right into Chief Blake's office with
onlyapreemptoryknock,andfoundthechieflookinguncomfortablewhileatall,whipcordleanman
withvenomouslightgreeneyesandjet-blackhairragedathim.

CyParksturnedasLukeenteredtheoffice,hisleanfaceasunwelcomingasabrushfire."Iwon'tdrop
thecharges,"hesaidatonce,narrow-eyedandthreatening."Idon'twantjuveniledelinquentscamped
onmysouthpasture,andI'llhaveeverydamnedboyontheplaceinjailifthat'swhatittakestokeep
themoutofmycattle!"

"Thatsoundsfamiliar,"Belindasaidunderherbreath.

Lukewasn'tintimidated.HewalkedrightuptoCy,almostoneye-levelwiththeman,andpushedhis
hatbackonhisblondhair."ItaughtKellstousearope,"hesaidangrily."He'scrazyaboutroping.
He'sbeenpracticingonmycattle,buttheydon'thavehorns."

Cydidn'tspeak.Buthewaslistening.

"He's an inner-city kid who got arrested for swiping a CD player. He didn't want the ap-pliance, he
wantedtogetbackathismotherforlettinghisstepfatherbeathimup."

Cy'sstiffstancerelaxedjustalittle.

Encouraged,Lukeplowedahead."He'snotajuvenilenow,soifyoupresscharges,they'lllockhim
upforgood.He'llnevergetoutofthejusticesystem.He'llbecomeacareercriminalinbetweenterms

inprison,andI'lllosethemostpromisingyoungcowhandwho'severcomemyway."

Parks'seyesnarrowed."Helikescattle?"

"He'sobsessedwithcattle,"Lukereplied."He'sdrainedBelindadryandnowhe'sstartingtopickmy
brain.Hehasanaturalseatonahorse.Heeats,sleeps,andbreathescattlesincehe'slearnedhowto
tellonebreedfromanother."

Parks'sjawclenched."Idon'tlikekidsaroundme."

Luke didn't blink. He noticed that Cy always kept his left hand in his pocket, and he knew why. The
man hated sympathy; it was probably why he was so mean. It kept most people at bay. "Hating kids
isn'tgoingtobringyoursback,"Lukesaidquietly.

Theotherman'sfaceclenched.Hestiffenedandforaninstant,itlookedasifhemightthrowapunch
atLuke.

"Goahead,"Lukeinvitedsoftly,evenly.

"Punchmeifyoufeellikeit.I'llgiveyouafreeshot.Butletthekidgo.Thelastthingonearthhe
meanttodowasdamageanyofyourstock.Helovescattle."

Cy'sfistballedbyhissideandthenrelaxed.Hemovedhisshoulders,asiftheyfeltstiff,andglaredat
theotherman."Don'tmentionmypastagain,"hesaidinatonethatchilled.Heglancedatthepolice
chief."IfIdropthecharges,doyoulethimgo?"

"Withawarning,"ChiefBlakeagreed.

Cyhesitated.HeturnedtowardBelindaJes-sup,whowaspaleandquietandobviouslyup-set."What
wastheideabehindthissummercamp?"heaskedcurtly.

"Ibroughtsixinner-citykidstothecountrytoseewhatlifecouldbelike,"sherepliedcalmly."Most
ofthemhaveneverseenacow,orapasture,orasmalltown.Theygrewupinpoverty,withparents
whodidn'treallywantthem,andalltheysawwerepeopleworkingthemselvestodeathforminimum
wageormeninluxurycarsdealingdrugsforbigmoney.Ithought,Ihoped,thatthismightmakea
difference."Shefoldedherhandsbehindher."ItwasmakingamajordifferenceinKells,until

now.I'msorry.Ishouldhavebeenwatchinghimmorecarefully.He'sspenttwodayspracticingwith
therope.IsupposehethoughthewasinLuke'spasturewhenheropedthebull."

"HellofadifferencebetweenapurebredSantaGertandoneofthosedamnedmangyHerefords,"Cy
saidcurtly.

"Hey,"Lukesaidtestily,"don'tinsultmyHerefords!"

Theyglaredateachotheragain.

"WhataboutKells?"Belindainterjectedbeforethingsescalatedtoofar.

"Lethimgo,"Cysaidshortly.

ChiefBlakesmiledfaintly."I'mgladyoudecidedthat,"hesaid,rising."Ineverthoughtropingabull
shouldbeacapitalcrime."

"Youhaven'tseenmynewSantaGertsire,"Cyreturned.

BlakejustchuckledandwenttothebacktobringoutKells.

Kellswaschastisedandmiserable,andlookedasiftheworldhadended.Hegrimacedwhenhesaw
CyParksstandingthere.

"IguessI'mgoingbacktoHouston,now,

huh?"heaskedBelindawithoverlybrighteyes.

"No,you'renot,"Lukesaidcurtly,glaringatCy."You'recomingovertothebunkhouseatmyplace
fortherestofyourcampleave."

Kellslookedasifhe'dbeenknockedsideways."You'rekidding,right?"

"I'mnot,"Lukeassuredhim."Ifyouwanttoropecattle,youhavetobearoundthem.

Besides,we'vegottotalkaboutthefuture.Yourfuture,"headded."Let'sgo."

Kellshesitated.HewalkeduptoCyParksandbithislipwhilehesearchedfortherightwords."Look,
I'msorryaboutwhatIdid,okay?"heaskedhesitantly."Iknewthemcattledidn'tlookexactlylikeMr.
Craig's,butIthoughthemighthavehadsomemore,andthatwasthem.Inevermeantnoharm.Ijust
wantedsomethingalivetopracticeon.Ain'tnochallengeinropingafewboardsnailedtogether."

Cy looked uncomfortable. He made a strange gesture with his right hand. "All right. Don't do it
again."

"I won't," Kells promised. "Them bulls sure are pretty, though," he added with a shy smile. "That
breedstartedontheKingRanchinSouthTexas,didn'tit?"

Cy'slowerjawfellalittle."Well,yes."

"Thoughtso,"Kellssaidproudly.Hesmiled."I'llknownexttimehowtotellaSantaGertrudisfroma
Hereford."

Cy exchanged a complicated glance with Luke. "I guess you could bring him over to see my new
SantaGertrudisbull,"hesaidgruffly."Callfirst"

Lukeandtheotheroccupantsoftheroomgapedathim.

Cy glared back. "Are you all deaf?" he asked irritably. "I'm going home. I don't have time to stand

aroundandgossipallday,likesomeIcouldname."HetippedhishatatBelindainanoddlyold-world
gesture,andstormedoutthedoor.

Kellscaughthisbreathastherancherliftedhislefthandoutofthepockettoopenthedoor,butCy,
fortunately,wasoutthedoorbeforeitwasaudible.

"Whathappenedtohishand?"heexclaimed.

"His Wyoming ranch burned up in a fire," Luke said quietly. "His wife and young son were in the
houseatthetime.Hecouldn'tgetthemout.Notforlackoftrying,that'showhegotburned."

"Oh,boy,"Kellssaidheavily."Nowonderhehateskids.Remindshimoftheonehelost,don'tyou
think,MissJessup?"

SheputanaffectionatearmaroundKells."Yes,Ido.Poorman.Well,let'sgetback.Ilefttheothersat
lunch."

"Sorryaboutallthetrouble,"Kellssaid.

Lukegrinnedathim."Itwasnotrouble."Heglancedatthechiefofpoliceandsmiled.

"Thanks,Chet."

Chet Blake shrugged. "All in a day's work. I was trying to get him to drop the charges when you
walkedin.ButIdidn'tgetfar,I'msadtosay.Icouldn'tbudgehim."

"He'sahard-nosedfellow,"Lukeagreed."Buthedidtherightthingintheend."

"Sohedid.Maybehe'snotfrozencleanthroughjustyet,"Blakereplied.

TheydrovebacktoBelinda'scampinacompanionablesilence.

"I'mtakingKellswithme,"hetoldherwhenhepulledupinfrontofthecabin,andtheboyspiledout
ontotheporchtogreetBelinda."I'llgethimsettledandyoucancomeoverinacoupleofdaysand
checkonhim."

"Ithoughtyouwerekidding!"Kellsexclaimed."Youmeantit?"

"OfcourseImeantit,"Luketoldhim."You'reanaturalcowboy,Kells.I'mgoingtomakeyouintoa
top hand. Then, when you get through school if you're still of the same mind, I'll take you on as a
cowboy."

Kells could hardly speak. He stared down at his hands in his lap and averted his head. There were
brightlightsinthosedarkeyesuntilheblinkedthemaway.Hisvoicewasstillchokedwhenhesaid,
"Thanks,Mr.Craig."

"Luke,"hecorrected."Andyou'rewelcome."

"Havefun,"BelindatoldKells.

HegotintothefrontseatbesideLukeandclosedthedoor,leaningouttheopenwindowtowavetohis
friends."I'mgoingofftolearncowboying,youguys!Seeyou!"

Theywavedback.Belindajoinedthemontheporchandwavedthetruckoffwithagrin.

"IsKellsgoingtojail?"Juanitoasked.

"No,heisn't.Mr.Parksdroppedthe

charges," she said with heartfelt relief. "In a day or so, we'll drop by the Craig ranch and see how
Kellsisdoing.Butfornow,"sheaddedwithagroanasshesawthedisorderofthesmallkitchenand
dining-roomtable,"we'regoingtohaveadishwashingandhousecleaninglesson."

Thegroanswereaudibleevenoutsidethecabin.

Chapter4

.Belinda kept busy with the remaining boys in her smal group for the next two days, taking them
swimming and fishing. They were like prisoners set free, with plenty of time to enjoy the natural
world around them, and no regulations and time schedules penning them in. It was more than a
vacation for them; it was a glimpse into another world. With any luck at al , it would sustain them
whentheyhadtogohome,givethemgoalstoworktoward,givethemhope.TwodaysafterKells's
run-inwiththelaw,theypiledintothevanandwentovertoLuke'sranchtoseehowtheeldestofthe
groupwasmakingout.

Theyhardlyrecognizedhim.Hewaswearingnewboots,jeansandchaps,along-sleevedshirtanda
raunchy-lookinghat.Hegrinnedatthemfromthecorralfence,displayingblazingwhiteteeth.

"Hey!"hecalled.Hejumpeddownandwenttomeetthem."MissJessup,Irodeahorseallmorning
andMr.Craigevenletmecutoutasteerandlassoit!That'saquarterhorse,"heinformedtheother
boysknowl-edgeably,noddingtowardthehorseinthecorral."Hisname'sBandyandhe'sacutting
horse.He'strainedtocutcattle,soyoudon'thavetodomuchworkexceptsitinthesaddleandlethim
doeverything.He'sonesmarthorse!"

"Well,hecertainlythinksheis,"Lukeinterrupted,joiningthegroup."Whatdoyouminkofmynew
hand?"heaskedBelinda,indicatingKells."Looksthepart,doesn'the?"

"Yes,hedoes,"Belindasaid,smiling."Weneedaphotoofhimdressedlikethat,"sheadded.

"Itookonethismorning,"herepliedsmugly."He'llhavesomeinterestingphotostoshowthefolks
backinHouston."

"I'mgoingtoworkhard,MissJessup,"Kellssaidsolemnly."HarderthanIeverdidbefore.

NowthatIgotsomethingtolookforwardto,schoolwon'tbesobad."

"I'lltellyouasecret,Kells,"Luketoldhim,"schoolwashardforme,too.ButIgotthrough,andso
willyou."

"Myrealname'sEd,"Kellssaidquietly."Nevertoldnobodyelse."

Lukesmiled."Isthatwhatyouwantmetocallyou?"

Kellshesitated."HowaboutEddie?IlikeEddieMurphy,youknow."

"IlikeEddieMurphymyself,"Lukerepliedwithagrin."I'venevermissedoneofhismoviesyet."

"Sonofagun!"Kellswasimpressed.

"I actually saw him once," Belinda volunteered, "down in Cancun, Mexico, on holiday. He's just as
niceinpersonasheseemstobeonthescreen."

"Didyoutalktohim?"Kellsasked.

Sheshookherhead."Iwastooshy."

Lukepushedhishatbackonhisheadandstudiedherwithakeen,searchinglook."Shy,hmm?"

Shegavehimahardlook."Yes,shy!Idogetshyfromtimetotime!"

Helookedpointedlyathermouth."Doyou,now?"

Sheflushed."DoyouthinkwecouldseethoseHolsteinmilkcowsyoumentionedtheotherday?"

"Surewecould!"Lukesaidatonce."Kells,supposeyoutaketheboysalongtothepastureandexplain
whyweliketokeepHol-steinsformilkcows?"

Theyouthbeamed."I'dbetickled,Mr.Craig!Comeon,guys.Iknowmywayaroundherenow!"

Thegroup,impressed,followedKells.

"Whycan'tIgo,too?"Belindaasked.

"Because I have plans for you. Miss Jes-sup," he drawled. He caught her hand in his and led her
towardthewhiteframehouse.

"Whatsortofplans?"sheaskedsuspiciously.

Hepausedwithasecretivegrin."Whatdoyouthink?"Heleanedcloser,threateninghermouthwith
his,sothatwhenhespokeshefelthisclean,mintybreathonherlips."Well,Icouldbethinkingabout
howbigandsoftthesofainthelivingroomis,"hemurmured."Andhowwelltwopeoplewouldfit
onit."

Shecouldbarelybreathe.Herheartwasthumpingmadlyagainstherribcage.

"Or,"headded,liftinghishead,"Imighthavesomethingpurelyinnocentinmind.Whynotcomewith
meandfindout?"

Hetuggedatherhandandshefellintostepbesidehim,justwhenshe'dtoldherselfshewasn'taboutto
dothat.

Heledherupthestepsandintothehouse.Itwascoolandairy,withlightcoloredfurnitureandsedate
throwrugs.Therewereplainwhitepriscillacurtainsatthewindows,andthekitchenwasspaciousand
furnishedinwhiteandyellow.

"It'sverynice,"shesaidinvoluntarily,turningaroundtolookathersurroundings.

"Canyoucook?"heasked.

"A few things," she replied. "I'm not really good at sweets, but I can make rolls and biscuits from

scratch."

"SocanI,whenIsetmymindtoit,"he

toldher.Hesatdownatthekitchentableandcrossedhislegsacrossoneoftheotherchairs."Canyou
makecoffee?"

"Thebest,"shereturned,smiling.

"Let'ssee."

Hepointedhertowardthecabinetwherethecoffee,filters,anddripcoffeemakerwerelocated,and
satbacktowatchherwork.

"There'sachocolatepoundcakeinthecakekeeper,there,"heindicatedahugerubberycontainer."If
youlikeit.Mysisterbroughtitoveryesterday.Shealwaysbribesmewhenshewantssomething,"he
addedonachuckle.

"Whatdidshewant?"

"Ababy-sitter,"hereplied."IgettokeephersonanddaughterwhensheandTomgototheoperaat
theMetinNewYorkCity.It'sanovernighttrip."

"Youreallymustlikekids,"sheobserved.

"IlikethemmoreasIgetolder,"hesaid."IfindIthinkmoreabouthavingsomeofmyown.Afteral,
theranchhastohavesomebodytoinherititafterI'mgone."

"Whatifyourchildrendon'tlikeranching?"

Hegrimaced."Horridthought."

"Somepeopledon'tlikeanimals.I'veactuallymetafew."

"SohaveI.Notmany."

"Itcouldhappen,though.Thenwhatwouldbecomeofyourplansforadynasty?"

"Isupposethey'dgoupinsmoke."Hedroppedhishatonthefloorbesidehischairandstaredather
untilitbecameuncomfortable.Thesoundofthecoffeedrippinggrewlouderandlouderinthetense
silence."Comehere."

Shejuststoodandstaredathim,confused.

His blue eyes were glittery. There was a look on his face that made her knees weak. He was
hypnotizingher.

"Isaid,comehere,"herepeatedsoftly,hisvoicealmostasensualpurr.

Shewalkedtohim,feelingeverystepalthewaytoherheart.Thiswasstupid.Shecouldgetinover
herhead.Shedidn'treallyknowhimatall.Shewaslettingherselfbedrawnin...

Hereachedupandpuledherdownontohislap.Beforeshecoulduttertheconfusedthoughtsrattling
aroundinhermind,hehad

herheadbackagainsthisshoulderandhewaskissingherasifhislifedependedonit.

Shegaveintotheinevitable.Hewasstrongandwarm,andeverythingfemaleinherre-spondedto
him.Shehadn'trealizedhowclosetwopeoplecouldbecomeinarelativelyshortperiodoftime.

Hisarmscontracted.Then,allatonce,helethergoandstoodup.Hisfacewasharderthanshe'dever
seen it. He held her tight by the upper arms, staring down into her green eyes with a curious
expression.

"Ithinkweshouldgivethecoffeetimetofinish,"hesaidhuskily."Let'sgofindtheboys."

"Okay."

Shefolowedhimbackoutthedoor,noticingtheeconomyofhismovementsashescoopeduphishat
andputitbackonhishead.Hewentalittleaheadofher,keepingsomedistancebetweenthem.Shefelt
uneasy,andshewonderedifshe'dbeentooacquiescenttosuithim.Perhapssheshouldhavehithim
orprotestedorsomething.

Obviouslyshe'ddonesomethingwrong.

Heopenedthescreendoorandshestarted

throughit,onlytobeencasedbyhislongarmasitshotoutinfrontofher,blockingherway.

"Ilovedit,"hesaidgruffly."Butwehavetogoslow.Idon'tdoone-nightstandsanymorethanyou
do."

"Oh."Sheseemedtohavedevelopedaone-syllablevocabularyinthetimeshe'dknownhim.Shekept
hereyesonhisarm,insteadofhisface.

Hetiltedherfaceuptohis."IfIwantedtogiveyouthebrush-off,I'dcomerightoutandsayso,"he
remarked.Hebentandbrushedhismouthgentlyoverhers."Youdon'tgulpdownanexoticdessert,"
he whispered. "You take your time and savor it, draw it out, make it last." He nibbled her lower lip
gentlybeforeheliftedhishead."SupposeIcomeuptoHoustonafteryougetthroughwithsummer
camp? We could go to the theater and the ballet, even a rodeo if you like. I'm pretty flexible in my
entertainment,Ilikeeverything."

"SodoI,"shesaid,soundingbreathless."Iloveopera."

"Anotherplus,"hemused,grinning.''We'lflyuptoNewYorkwithTomandEly-siaonedayandgo
totheMet."

"I'veonlybeenthereonce,"shetoldhim."Ilovedit."

"It's unforgettable," he agreed. "The settings and special effects are every bit as en-joyable as the
operaitself."

Sheshylytracedapatternonhisshirt."I'dliketogooutwithyou."

"Thenit'sadate."Heglancedpastherattheboysinthedistance,standinginagroupasiftheywere
beinglectured.Probablytheywere,hethought,becauseKelswasaquickstudyandhe'dlearnedalot
inthepastfewdays."Itwouldn'tbeveryeasytogoouteventoamoviewiththatbunchintow,"he
addedwithachuckle."They'dhogthepopcorn."

"Isupposetheywould."Shetouchedhisarm,wherethemusclewasthickestandenjoyeditsstrength.
Shelikedthewayitfelttobeclosetohim."You'vebeengoodtothem,especiallytoKells."

"He'shadarawdeal.Iguesstheyalhave,butitshowsmoreonhim.Doyouknow,theguysinthe
bunkhousetooktohimrightaway.Oneofthemtoldmethatitwasflatteringtohaveateenagerask
forinformationinsteadoftryingtogiveit.Hemadethemfeelimportant

by asking them things." He pursed his lips. "I wonder if he realizes what a gift he has for making
peoplelikehim?EvenParks,whohatesjustabouteverybody."

"He'slearningthathehastraitshecanexploit,Ithink.ButIdon'tknowthathewouldhavearrivedat
thispointsosoonifyouhadn'tintervened.Thankyou."

Heshruggedoffhergratitude."LikeIsaid,I'llbenefitfromallhisenthusiasm.Hereallylovescattle."

Shesearchedhisleanface."Sodoyou,Ithink."

Hegrinned."TherewasneveranythingIwantedtobemorethanacowboywhenIwasakid.Oneof
ourwranglershadbeenarodeostar.Iusedtositandlistentohimbythehour."

"Wehadoneofthose,too,onmybrother'sranch,"shereplied."WardandIlikedhimalot,untilhe
hadanaffairwithourmother."

Hefrowned."What?"

She sighed. "You might as well know. Our mother was very promiscuous. Anything in pants would
do.Shefinallyranoffwithoneofherconquestsandwehadtostayandlive

down her reputation. Ravine is about the size of Jacobsville, so you can imagine the gossip. It was
harderonWardthanonme."

"Therearealotofmiserablekidsintheworld,"heremarked.

"Inoticed."

"Isthatwhyyoudon'tspendmuchtimeatyourbrother'sranch?"

She chuckled. "No. It's because of his housekeeper—excuse me, now his aunt-in-law. Lillian is a
matchmaker.ShebroughthernieceMarianneouttoTexasfromGeorgiaonsomegosh-awfulpretext
andWardfellinlovewithher.Hedidn'twantto,sothingsgotbadbeforeheadmittedhecouldn'tlive
without her. She's changed him. He isn't the same hard-hearted, ruthless man he used to be since he
marriedMarianne.SoLillianhadthatgreatsuccessandnowshe'sgothereyeonme."Shesmiled."I
don'tlikeherchoiceofsuitors,soIkeepwellclearoftheranch."

"Whatsortdoesshetossyourway?"

"Big,huskymechanicsandanydeliveryboywhocomeswithinhalfamileofthehouse."

Hiseyebrowsarched."You'renotthatdesperate."

"Thankyou,"shereplied."Howaboutwritingandtellingherso?"

Hegrinned."Givemetime.I'lltakecareofthatproblemforyou,inthemostnaturalsortofway."

Shewonderedwhathemeant,butshewasn'tconfidentenoughtoask.Shesmiledandwentpasthim
outthedoor.

In the days that followed, Luke was almost a constant visitor to the camp. Sometimes he brought
Kells, sometimes he came alone. He taught the boys how to make a fire from scratch, how to trap
game,howtoliveofftheland.

"Theysaytheseareoutdatedskills,"hetoldthegroupafterhe'dstartedasmallfire."Butwhatifthe
oilsuddenlygivesoutandeverythingelectronicorelectricalgoesdeadoneday?

Frozen food would spoil. Computers wouldn't work. Since most telephone exchanges are
computerized, communications would be out. Cars wouldn't go far, houses wouldn't have heat, air-
conditioningwouldn't

work.Ifalltheoldskillsofsurvivalarelost,onedaytheonlyhumanswholivemaybetheoneswho
canliveofftheland—assumingthere'sanylandleftafterthedevelopersgetthrough."

TheNativeAmericanboy,Juanito,touchedatinybunchoftwigsthatLukehadbunchedtouseonthe
tinyfire."Mygreat-unclesaysthesamething,"hevolunteered.

"Buthecantrapgameandfindwaterinplaceswhereitusuallyisn't.Heknowswhichcactusplants
can give water or be eaten, and he knows how to make smokeless fires. His grandfather rode with
Geronimo."

Theotherboyswereimpressed."Butevenifyoucandothosethings,whatgoodaretheyinthecity?"
oneoftheotherboysasked."WhatareyougoingtotrapinHouston?"

"Girls,"oneoftheolderboyssaidwithawickedgrin.

"He'sgotapoint,"Lukesaid,noddingtowardtheboywho'daskedaboutcountryskilsinthecity.'

'Peoplewholiveincitiesaregoingtobethehardesthitifweeverhaveamajorenergycrisis.Look
whathappenedduringthelastbigpoweroutageinthewest."

"Theyhadamovieaboutthat.Itwasscary,"anotherboysaid.

"Wel,we'vegotlotsofdeaddinosaurslyingaroundyettobediscovered,soIdon'tthinkit'sgoingto
beanimmediateproblem,"Belindamused.

Thatledtotheobviousquestionofwhatdiddeaddinosaurshavetodowithenergy,andforseveral
minutesshetracedtheevolutionofpetroleumproductsfortheboyswhileLukewatchedandlistened
attentively.

Later,whentheboyswereinforthenightandhewasreadytogobacktohisranch,hepausedwith
herintheshadows,besidethepickuptruck.

"Youmakeagoodlecturer,"hecommented.

"Thanks,"shesaid,surprised."SomewouldsayIhaveabigmouthandcan'tkeepitshut."

He took her hand and drew it to his chest. "I like the way you treat the boys," he said quietly. "You
nevertalkdowntothemormakethemfeelstupidwhentheyaskques-tions."

"Itrynotto,"sheagreed."I'vehaditdonetomeinschool,andIdidn'tlikeit."

"NeitherdidI."Hesmoothedhisthumboverhershort,neatfingernails."Youhavenicehands."

"So do you." She liked the strength of them, the way her heart jumped when they touched her own
hands. She looked up at him through the darkness, trying to see his face in the dim light from the
cabinbehindher.

Hechuckled."Iwasjustthinkinghowstrangelifeis,"hetoldher."IwashoppingmadwhenIfound
outsomelunaticwasgoingtoopenasummercampfordelinquentboysrightonmyboundaryline."

"Iremember,"shechuckled.

"It was a surprising day all around, especially that Kells." He shook his head. "What a treasure he
turned out to be. And your guy Juanito, whose grandfather rode with Geronimo. These boys are
interesting,andtheyaren'tatallwhatIpicturedthemas."

"Theseareunique,"shesaid."Butforeverysuccess,I'vehadthreefailures,"sheaddedsadly."WhenI
started working in the public defender's office, I had the idea that al these boys were in trouble
becauseoftheirhomelives.Itwasamistake.Anynumberofthemhadlovingparentsandanextended
family that real y cared about them, but they could never see anything criminal about stealing and
lyingandhurtingpeople.Oneofmychargesactuallywrestledmedowninmyofficeandtriedtorape
me."

Shefelthimstiffen."Whatdidyoudo?"

"Oh,I'manoldhandatself-defense,"shesaid,makinglightoftheterrorshe'dfelt.

"Igotanopeningandalmostmadeaeunuchofhim.Ittaughtmealesson.Someofthejuvenilescan't
beturnedaround,nomatterhowdedicatedyouaretosavingthem.

There'salwaysgoingtobeapercentagewhofeelcomfortablewithmakingalivingoutsidethelaw."

"Idon'tliketheideathatyoumightbeattacked,"hesaid.

Shesmiled."I'mglad.ButI'mnotasnaiveasIwas.Ineverhaveclosed-doorsessionswithanyofmy
clients anymore. I have a good secretary and she's always there when I need her." She sighed. "But
there are times when I feel so useless. Like with Kells in the chief of police's office. I really don't
knowwhatIwouldhavedoneifyouhadn'tbeenabletogetthroughtoMr.Parks."

"Cy'snotsobad,"hesaid."Youjusthavetostanduptohim.He'sthesortofmanwho'llbehellon
anybodywho'safraidofhim."

"Youweren't."

Heshrugged."Igrewupswinging,"hemused.''Ilearnedearlythatfearistheworstenemy.OnceI
gotpastthat,Iwasn'tafraidofmuch."

"Inoticed."Sheleanedcloseandlaidhercheekagainsthischest,feelinghisarmscomearoundher
withasenseofwonder.Sheclosedhereyesandlethimholdher,drinkinginthesoundsofthenight
andthewarm,safestrengthofhisbody."Ionlyhaveaweeklefthere."

Shefelthimstiffen.Hishandsstilledonherback."Aweek?"

"Yes.Ihavecaseswaitingandmyvacation'salmostover."

"Ididn'trealizeitwasthatclose."

Hereyesopenedandshesawthefaintlightofthehorizonfaraway.Cricketswerechirpingmadlyin
thenight."I'vebeenenjoyingthissomuchthatIdidn'twanttospoilit,"sheconfessed.

Hisarmstightenedaroundher."SohaveI.ButI'vealreadytoldyouthatHoustonisn'tthatfaraway."

"Ofcourseitisn't."

Theybothknewitwasn'tquitetrue.Itwasagreatdistance,andLukecouldn'tleavehisranchtorun
itself.Along-distanceromancewasgoingtobedifficult,eventhoughtheybothknewitwaswhatthey
wereleadingupto.

"Idon'tsupposeyoumightliketocomeandworkinJacobsville?"heasked.

She hesitated. "That would be nice," she said. She wondered why the thought made her so
uncomfortable. He was asking for more than a move on her part, and it frightened her. He was
thinkingaboutafuturethatincludedbothofthem,butallshecouldthinkaboutwasthedisasterofher

parents'marriage.WardhadmadeitworkwithhisMarianne,butBelindahadbeenonherownfora
longtime.Shewasn'treadytothinkaboutspendingherlifewithanyone.

"We have a juvenile court system here," he continued. "It's on a circuit, and we may not have the
caseloadyoudoinHouston,but

you'dstaybusy.We'vegotlocalkidswhocoulduseagoodattorney."

"Therearekidseverywherelikethat,"shesaidtightly."ButHoustonishometomenow.It'swheremy
jobis.Iwouldn'tfeelcomfortablestartingaloveragaininanewtown,especiallyasmalltown."

Hewasstilforamomentandthenheeasedherawayandsteppedback."Thejobisthatimportantto
you,isit?"

Shefeltacoolnessinhimthathadn'tbeentherebefore.Butshewasn'tbackingdownnow.Shewas
fightingforherindependence."Well...yes,itis.IfeelthatI'mbeginningtodosomegood."

"Isyourjobmoreimportantthanmarriagewouldbe?"

Shewouldn'tthinkthatfarahead."Ihaven'tthoughtmuchaboutmarriage.OrifIhave,it'salongway
inthefuture.Idon'twanttobetieddownjustyet."

He studied her with pursed lips and a calculating stare. "Then you might be in the market for an
affair."

Itwaslikeastonebetweentheeyes.She

couldn'tevenfindthewordstoexpresswhatshewasfeeling.

"No, I...I don't want an affair," she stammered. "I don't have time for that sort of thing. I have a
caseloadthat'smorethanenoughforthreepeople,butthere'sonlymetodoit."

Heletgoofhercompletelyandstoodaway,leaningagainstthehoodofthetrucktostudyher."One
thingIlearnedearlyisthatjobsdon'tmatterasmuchaspeople,"hesaidcoolly."I'veneverputwork
beforemyfam-ily."

"Wardalwaysdid,"shereplied.

"You'renotyourbrother.Andyousaidhe'dchangedsincehismarriage."

"Yes, but I grew up learning that you gave everything in you to whatever job you were doing. My
fatherhammeredtheworkethicintobothofusfromchildhood."

"Youdon'tthinkyoucouldchange?"

She frowned. The conversation was going far out of bounds. She wasn't sure what she believed
anymore.ShewasdrawntoLuke,buthewastalkingasifhewantedhertogiveupherjobandjust
stayathomealthetime.She

knewshecouldneverdothat.Herworkwasfulfiling,important,almostsacred.Shehadamissionin
lifethatshecouldn'tsacrificefordirtydishesandhousework.

"I'mnotcutouttobeahappyhome-maker,"shesaidonaholowlaugh.

''Nopotsandpansanddirtydiapersforyou,right?"

Shewasn'tsureaboutthat,buthewasbeingsarcastic."Maybeso,"shesaidafteraminute."I'mdoing
an important job, and it isn't one that everybody can do. I enjoy my work. I have to feel that I'm
contributingsomethingtotheworld."

Heturnedhisheadandstaredtowardthehorizonwithoutspeaking.Hehadn'tcountedonthis.Hewas
fallinginlove,andhe'dthoughtshewas,too.Butsheobviouslywasn'tthemarryingsortofwoman,
andshedidn'twantanaffair.Thatleftnothingbutfriendship,andthatwouldn'tbeenoughforhim.

"I've never been much on glorious causes," he said finally. "I raise cattle. It's what I enjoy, and it
makesagoodlivingforme.ButIalwaysthoughtthatitwouldcomenaturalytometobeafamily
man.Iwantkids.I'dbegoodtothem,andthey'dhavealthethingsIdidn'thavewhenIwasgrowing
up, like loving parents and security." He shrugged. "I suppose it's an old-fashioned ideal in this
modernworld,butit'sstillwhatIwantmost."Hestaredoffintospace,hischinlifted,theaircooling
hisface.Hesighedandturnedandlookeddownather."Wel,I'veenjoyedhavingyouandtheboys
around, despite our bad beginning," he said, and actually smiled. "And if you come back next
summer,youcanbringyourbroodoveragainandI'llshowthemwhatranchingisallabout."

Hewaspleasantandfriendlyandalatonceshefeltadoorclosing.Hewasgoingtobeherfriend,her
goodneighborinthesummer,andnotonethingmore.Sheknewwithoutawordbeingspokenthat
therewouldbenotriptotheopera,noweekendvisitstoHouston.

Sheknewitascertainlyasifhe'dspokenaloud.

"I'lremember,"sherepliedinasubduedtone."Thankyou."

Heshrugged."Whatarefriendsfor?"hemused."Well,I'dbetterbegoing.KeepaneyeonKellsfor
mewhenyougethome,will

you?He'safineyoungman.I'dhateforhimtobackslide."

"I'llmakesurehedoesn't,"shepromised.

Henodded."Solong,then."

"Solong."

Shewatchedhimclimbintothecabofthetruck,crankit,anddriveoffwithacarelesswave.Itwas
morethanadoorclosing.Itwastheendofsomethingthatwouldhavebeensweetandfulfilling,and
she'dsmasheditwithafewcoldwords.

Shefoldedherarmsaroundherchestandwonderedwhyshe'dfeltcompelledtosaythingsthatshe
didn'treallyevenbelieve.Shewasafraid,shedecided.Afraidtotakeachancesorisky,togetmarried
andendupasherpoorfatherandmotherhad.Shewasn'tthesorttobeunfaithfulandshedidn'tthink
Lukewas,either,butshe'dseenabadmarriagefirsthandandshewasfrightened.

Her job was safe, comfortable, secure. She knew where it would take her, she knew the path well.
Marriage was a trek through a maze, with false turns and sudden stops and danger all around. She
barelyknewLuke.Whatifthe

manshesawonthesurfacewasn'ttherealmanatall?

Sheturnedaroundandwentbackinside.Itwasuselesstospeculate.Shefeltemptyandalone,butshe
knewitwasforthebest.ShewastoouncertaintotakethatfinalstepwithLuke.Hedeservedsomeone
whoknewwhattheywanted.

Chapter5

Belindastucktohergunsaboutbeingindependent,butifsheexpectedLuketotrytochangehermind,
she was disappointed. He came by frequently to talk to the boys, and he was making inroads into
teachingKelscow-boying.HebroughttheyouthovertoseeBelinda,andhewasopenandfriendlyas
hehadbeenatthebeginning.Buthewasn'tapproachable.

"I guess you're packing already," he remarked a few days before her vacation ended as he stood
leaningbackagainstoneofthe

supportpostsonthecabin'sfrontporch."Eagertogetgoing?"

"Notterribly,"shesaidcarefully."It'sbeeneducationalandalotoffun.ButI'vegotworktocatchup.
Vacationscan'tlastforever."

"They wouldn't be much fun if they did," he remarked. His blue eyes slid over her slender body in
jeansandaknitshirt."Howoldareyou?"heaskedabruptly.

Sheblinked,surprised."I'mtwenty-seven,"shesaid.

Hiseyesnarrowed."Theolderyouget,theharderit'sgoingtobetogiveupyourindependence.You'l
drawintoashelandnevercomebackout."

Sheglaredathim."It'smyshell."

"Pitytowasteyouryouthonajob,nomatterhowimportantitis,"hecommented.'

'Plentyofwomenjugglemarriageandacareerandevenchildren.Itisn'timpossible,especiallywitha
partnerwho'swillingtocompromise."

"Idon'twanttocompromise,"shesaidstubbornly.Hergreeneyesflashed."Itoldyou,I'mhappyasI
am."

"Gotacat?"

Shefrowned."WhatdoIneedwithacat?"

"Forcompanionship,"heemphasized."Youcan'tgoonlivingcompletelyalone.

You'llgetlonesome."

"Ihatecats!"

"Liar."

Shesighedangrily."Okay,Idon'thatecats,butIhaven'tgottimetotakecareofapet."

"YoucouldgetoneofthoseJapaneseelectronicthingsthatyouhavetofeedandcleanupafter,"he
suggested.

"Idon'twantanelectronicpet."

"I've got one on my computer," he drawled playfully. "It barks and growls and romps across the
screen.Someofthemevenevolve."

"Wonderful.JustwhatIneed.Adogtoguardmycomputer."

"They'recute."

Shehatedthewayhereyeskeptgoingtohislonglegsandslimhipsandbroadchest.

Hewassexyandshewasgoingoverboardabouthim.Shecouldn'tbackslidenow,whenshewasso
closetogettingawayfromhimintime!

"Nextthingyouknow,they'llhavealife-sizeelectronicpetthatyouhavetofeedand

waterandcleanupafter.What'swrongwiththerealthing?"

"Beatsme,darlin',"hemurmuredsoftly,andchuckledwhensheflushedattheendear-ment."You're
theonewhodoesn'twanttogetmarried."

''WhyshouldIneedanelectronicpetjustbecauseIdon'twanttogetmarried?"

He smiled slowly. "You'd have something to lavish affection on. Something to keep you company.
Somethingtocuddle."

"I'dliketoseeyoucuddleanelectronicblob!"

Heshiftedsuddenlyawayfromthepostandstoppedjustafewinchesawayfromher,hishandsonhis
slimhipsashesearchedherflushedface."I'dliketocuddleyou,Belinda,"hesaidsoftly."Wecould
sitonthesofaandwatchTVtogetherintheeveningswhenwewerethroughwithwork.Wecouldlie
inmyhammockonlazysummereveningsandkisseachothertoacricketandhounddogserenade.
Wecouldsharecoffeeandcakeattwointhemorningwhenwecouldn'tgettosleep.Canyoudothat
withavirtualpetoralegalpad?"

Shehatedwhatherheartwasdoinginsideherchest.Herwide,worriedeyesmethis."I'mscared!"she
burstout.

"Iknowyouare,andIknowwhy."Hetouchedhercheekwithhisfingertips,tracingapatternonits
flushedsoftness."I'muneasy,too.It'sabigstepfromfriendshiptointimacy.

Butwe'vegotalotincommon,andIdon'tmeanjustcattle."Hisfingersfelltohersoftmouth."Don't
throwitawayonajob."

Shedrewbackasifhisfingersscaldedher.Hereyeswerewide,herfacedrawnwithmis-givingsand

confusion."Idon'twantto...belong...toanyone,"shebitoff."IfIstaybymyself,dependonmyself,I
won'tevergethurt."

"Maybenot,"heagreed."Butyou'llneverknowwhatitistoreallysharelove,either.

You've got a big heart. You've given your time, your hard work, your heart to these boys in your
camp.Whyisitsohardtodothesamethingwithaman?"

Shegrimaced."Lovedoesn'tlast,"shegroaned.

"Itdoes,"hedisagreed."Ifyoucancompromise,itdoes.Nothingcomeswithamoney-backguarantee
inthislife,butpeoplewithkindheartsandthingsincommondon'tusuallyendupindivorcecourt.
Try looking around you at elderly couples, people who've been together for fifty years or more. I
believelovecanlast,ifyougiveitachance."

Shesighedwearily."Idon'tbelieveit,"shesaid."I'msorry.Forme,that'safairytale.

Therearen'tanyhappyendings."

"Youcynic,"hechided."Takeachance.Dareeverything.Riskitall."

"I'm not a gambler," she replied. "I'm a conventional, conservative woman with no real sense of
adventure.Idon'ttakechances,ever."

Heshookhisheadsadly."Well,it'sawaste,"hetoldher."You'vegotsomuchtogive,Belinda.But
you'rewrappedupinyourownfears."

"I'mnotafraidofanything!"sheflashed.

"Exceptlove."

Shestartedtoargue,butshecouldn'tfindtherightwords.

Hetappedhernosewithhisforefingerandsmiled."Youmaybeaquitter.I'mnot.Justkeeprunning,
darlin'.Whenyou'vewornyourselfout,I'llstillbehere."

"Why?"sheasked,almostinanguish.

Hisfacesobered,andhiseyesbegantoglitterinhisleanface."You'reworthfightingfor,didn'tyou
know?AndI'mastubbornmanwhenIwantsomethingthatbadly."

"It'sjustphysicalattraction!"shemuttered.

"Nope."

"I'msomethingdifferent,somethingoutoftheordinary."

"You'rethat,"heagreed.Hetiltedherchinanddroppedabrief,hardkissonhersoftmouth."Okay,no

hardsell.Butdon'tmakethemistakeofthinkingI'llgoaway.I'mlikearubberbal.Ikeepbouncing
back."

"Iwon'tchangemymind,"shesaidthroughherteeth.

Heonlylaughed,gotbackintohistruckanddroveoff.

"Iwon't!"sheyelledafterhim.

Itwasn'tuntilsherealizedtheboyswerealstaringatherthatsheturnedaroundandwentbackintothe
cabin.

Thenextcoupleofdayspassedalltooquickly,notonlyforBelindabutforKells.Hewasalmostin
tearswhenheclimbedintothevanforthelongdrivebacktoHouston.

Theboysfromthebunkhousehadcomeoutenmassetoshakehandsandwishhimwel.

"Seeyoubackherenextsummer,youngfeller,"oneoftheoldermensaidjauntily.

"Mindyoukeepwellshyoftrouble,too!"

"Yes,sir,Isurewill,"Kellspromisedwithasadsmile."Sureamgonnamissyouguys."

"We'll miss you, too, son," another wrangler agreed. "Study hard, now. Cowboying is more
complicatedthanitusedtobe.Youneedagoodeducationeventokeeptalybooks!"

"I'llremember,"Kellspromised.

Luke was standing beside the driver's side, where Belinda was trying to be cheerful and failing
miserably. She looked up into eyes that were as blue as a robin's egg and felt her heart contract
painfuly.Hewasfriendlyandcheerful,butsuddenlyremote,asifhefeltnothingpassionateforherat
all.

His attitude confused and even wounded her, but she tried to behave nonchalantly. She held out her
hand."Thanksforallthehelp,"

shesaidwithaforcedsmile."I'dneverhavegottenthroughthiswithoutyou."

Heglancedattheboysandsmiledandwavedtothemastheyclimbedaboard."Youhadagoodgroup.
LikeIsaid,ifyoucomeagainnextsummer..."

"I...don'tthinkIwill,"shesaid,havingmadethatpainfuldecisionthenightbefore.Shedidn'twantto
seeLukeagain,ever."I'mgoingtoputthelandonthemarket.Ifyou'requick,youcangetitbefore
Mr.Parksdoes."

Hewasstaringather."1thoughtyou'ddecidedthatthecampwasagoodidea."

She shook her head. "Too many unexpected pitfalls," she replied. "If you hadn't been around, Kells

would have gone to jail. I had no idea what I was getting into, although it turned out better than I
expected."Shestaredathistopshirtbuttoninsteadofhisface."I'vedecidedtoleavethespecialcamps
topeoplewhoknowwhatthey'redoing.Icameclosetocausingadisaster,withthebestintentionsin
theworld."

"Funny.Ithoughtyoudidagrandjob,"he

Shesmiledhalfheartedly."We'llhavetowaitandseeaboutthat."

Hepursedhislips."Iguessyou'regladtobeleaving,"hesaidcarelessly.

Shehesitated.Shealmostsaidthatshefeltemptyandalone,moresothaneverbeforeinherlife,and
thatshewasn'tgladatall.Butthemomentpassed."Yes,"shesaidwithafaintsmile."I'llbegladtoget
backtowork."Sheheldoutherhand."Thanksagain."

Hetookherhandandcurledhisfingersintohers,watchingherbreamcatchatthecontact.

Shefeltsomethingforhim,somethingpowerful,heknewshedid.Butshewasfrightenedandready
tobolt.Hecouldtellbythecoolnessofherfingers,theuncertainflickerofhereye-lidsasshetried
andfailedtomeethiseyes.

"Therearenogreatrewardswithoutgreatrisks,"hesaidunderhisbreath.

Sheliftedhereyesandhadthemtrappedbysoftblueones."Myparents..."

"You'renotyourparents,"herepliedsimply."AndI'mnotmine.Lifeisarisk.Everything'sarisk.If
younevertakeachance,ifyoualwaystrytoplayitsafe,what'slifeworth?Yougetnothingexcept
monotony."

"Idon'tliketakingchances,"shesaidcurtly.

"Youcouldlearntolikeit,"hemused."Butyou'llhavetofindthatoutthehardway,Iexpect."

"It'smychoice,"shesaiddoggedly."Youcan'ttellmehowtolivemylife."

"Ican't,hmm?"

"That'sright,youcan't,"shesaidfirmly."I'mleavingnow.I'mgoingbacktomyownlife,tomyjob."

"Andthat'sallyouneedtobehappy,right?"

"Right!"Shestraightened."I'mgladyoufinallyunderstandthat"

He smiled in a strange, calculating way. "I understand more than you think. Well, since you're
determinedtoleave,here'ssomethingtotakebacktoHoustonandyourperfectjobwithyou."

Hemovedforwardandsweptherupagainsthim,bentherbackoverhisarminthebestHollywood
tradition,andwithawickedlaugh,kissedthebreathandthefightrightoutofher.

Shefeltasifshewasmeltingrightdownthefrontofhim,herlipshungryandachingashekissed
them,herbodythrobbingatthelong,hardcontactwithhisstrength.Bythetimehewasthroughwith
her,shewasclingingandmoaninghelplessly.Hehadtoliftherarmsawayandsteadyherbeforeshe
couldstandalone.

Severalhecticsecondslater,shewobbledtothevanandclimbedin,fumblingthekeyintotheignition
totheamusedcatcallsofherpassengers.

"IbethewatchesthemoldmoviesonTV,"Kellssaidgleefully.

"Couldyoubequiet?"Belindaasked."We'vegottogetontheroad.Goodbye,Mr.Craig!"

shesaidgruffly.

Hesweptoffhishatandbowedmockingly."Aurevoir,MissJessup!"hecalledafterher.

Shestompedtoohardontheacceleratorandalmostfloodedtheengine.Asthevanjerkeditswayout
oftheyardtowardthegates,Lukewaslaughingwickedly.Hewasakeenfisher-man,andthiswasthe
championshiptournamentofhislife.Hewasgoingtolandthatfeistylittlefish.Itwouldtakepatience
andfortitude,buthe'dneverbeenlackinginthosequalities.

Heputhishatbackonandwenttowardthebarn,whistlingalltheway.

ThefirsttwoweeksBelindawasbackatworkinHouston,shefeltanewemptinessinherlife.She
hadn'tconsideredhowlonelyitwasgoingtobewithouttheboys.Overtheweeks,she'dgottenusedto
them.Now,shefeltasifshe'dleftherfamilybehind.AndshemissedLukeridiculously.

She was just leaving the courthouse after a particularly rough morning when she almost ran into
Kellsatthebottomofthesteps.

Hegrinned."Igotsomethingtoshowyou,"hesaid,producingahandfulofpapers.

Shetookthem,lookedatthem,andgasped."Why,Kells,thisisextraordinary!"

Itwas,too.HehadstraightA'sonEnglish,math,andsciencepapers.

Hewasstillgrinning."TheythinkI'mgoingcrazyathome,causeallIdoisstudy.Ijustignorethem
when they start drinking. I stay in my room and crack those books. It's not so hard, after all, Miss
Jessup.Youjustgottogetmotivated."

"That'sexactlyright.Oh,I'msoproudofyou!"sheexclaimed.

Helookedsheepish."Thanks.ReckonyoumighttellMr.Craig?"

Sheclosedup."Ihaven'theardfromhim."

"Youcouldwritehim,though,couldn'tyou?"hepersisted.

She had to agree that she could, although she didn't really want to. She sighed. "I suppose I could,
consideringwhatahappysurprisethosegradesaregoingtobeforhim.I'lldoit."

"Thanks,MissJessup.Andnotonlyforthat,butforbelievinginme,"headdedsolemnly.

"NobodyelseeverthoughtIwasworththeirtime."

"You'reworthmytime,"shesaidwithasmile."Mr.Craigbelievesinyou,too."

"That'swhatkeepsmegoing,"hetoldher."Thatjobnextsummer.I'mgoingtoworksohard,Miss
Jessup.I'mgoingtolearnallIcanbeforeIgoback.I'llmakeMr.Craigproudofme."

"Indeedyouwill,"shesaid.

"Gottago.I'mtakinganightcourseinSpanish,"headded,surprisingher."Theyspeakitontheranch,
youknow,andmere'sa

coupleofMexicanhands.Seeyou,MissJes-sup!"

Shewavedandthencaughtherbreathathisambition.Tothinkthatonlyafewshortmonthsago,he
mighthaveendedupinjuvenilehallforgood,andtheninjail.HowmanychildrenlikeKellsnever
madeitbecausetheyhadnoonetoencourageandbelieveinthem?

She felt good inside. If she only pulled one child out of the hopelessness of poverty, her job was
worthwhile. Why couldn't that hard-nosed cowboy in Jacobsville understand that, she thought
furiously.

Thensherememberedthathe'daskedhowshe'dfeelaboutworkinginJacobsville,andwhatshe'dtold
him. She'd said that she couldn't do such a job anywhere except Houston, and that was baloney. Of
courseshecould.Butshewasfrightened.Shedidn'twanttofallinloveandgetmarried.Shewanted
todependononeperson,herself.Shecouldn'timagineriskingherheart.

She went on down the street to her car, feeling despondent and miserable. If only she'd never met
LukeCraig!

Itwasn'teasytoignoreKells'srequestaboutthatlettertoLuke.Intheend,Belindawasallbutforced
byherconsciencetosendhimanote.Itwasfriendly,nottoointimate,andfactual.

Ittookhertwentytriesbeforeshehadtherightwords.Shemaileditandwaited.

But the reply didn't come in the way she expected. After a particularly long session in court with a
client,shedraggedherselfupthestepstoherapartmentandfoundafamiliarfaceleaningagainstthe
wallnearherdoor.Hewaswearinganavysuitwithatie,andhelookedmoresophisticatedthanany
ranchershe'deverknown.

"Luke!"sheexclaimed.

Hechuckledandscoopedherupinhisarms,kissingherhungrilyrightthereinthehall.Herraincoat,

hervalise,herpocketbookwerescatteredlikegrainsofcornwhileshekissedhimback.Itwasonly
thenthatsherealizedhowmuchshe'dmissedhim.

"Noneedtoaskifyoumissedme,"hemurmuredbeforehekissedheragain."Howaboutsupper?"

"I'mfamished,"shesaidbreathlessly."ButIdon'thaveanythingtocook..."

"There'sanicerestaurantdownthestreet.I'vemadereservations,"hesaid."Putyourgearinsideand
freshenup."

Shewasreluctanttotakeherarmsfromaroundhisneck,andshelaughedatherownfeelings."It's
goodtoseeyou,"shesaid,tryingtoactnormallyasshepausedtoscoopherstufffromthefloor.

"It'sgoodtoseeyou,too,"herepliedwithasmile."Youlookworn."

"It'sbeenalongweek."Shesearchedhiseyesbeforesheputherkeyinthelockandopenedthedoor.
"It'sbeenalongseveralweeks,"sheaddedhonestly.

"Iknow."

Sheputherdungsinachairandturnedtohim.Helookedtired,too.Hewasdevastatingtoaheartthat
hadgonehungryforthesightofhim.Forseveralseconds,shejuststoodmereandlookedathim.

Hedidthesame.Inherbeigedressandhighheels,withherdarkblondhairinsoftwavesdowntoher
collar,shelookedlovely.

"If you want supper at all," he said huskily, "you've got ten seconds to stop looking at me like that
beforeIdosomethingaboutit"

Shewantedhimto.Shereallydid.Butmerewerethingstosettlefirst,soshedroppedhergazewitha
shysmile."Okay,"shesaid."I'llfreshenup."

While she fixed her makeup and added a touch of perfume, he stared down at the computer on her
desk.Apieceofnewsoftwarewaslyingnearit,withascruffy-lookingdogonthecoverofthebox.
Hegrinned.

"Boughtadog,Isee,"hedrawledasshecamebackintothelivingroom.

Shesawwherehewaslookingandlaughedself-consciously."Itsoundedcute.Anditis."

"Toldyouso.Readytogo?"

Shenodded,grabbingherpurse.

Hestoppedherjustatthedoorbeforeheopenedit."Doesthatlipstickcomeoffeasily?"heaskedina
deep,lazytone.

Shewasbarelybreaming."Itisn'tsupposedto."

"Let'ssee."

He drew her to him, stared into her eyes until she felt her whole body vibrate with delicious
sensations,andonlythenbenttotakehermouthcompletelyunderhis.

Absencehadcertainlymadetheheartgrow

fonder, she thought while she could. The purse dropped to the floor for the second time that
afternoon,andherarmsstretcheduptoholdhimwhilethewarm,hardkisswentonandon.

She was standing on her tiptoes when he stopped. His blue eyes, more vivid than she remembered
them,staredstraightintohergreenoneswithalltheevasionsandteasinggone.

Hewassosomberthattheexpressiononhisfacemadehernervous.

"TellmethejobmeansmoretoyouthanIdo,"hesaidroughly."AndI'llleaverightnowbeforethis
goesanyfurther."

Her eyelids flinched at the very thought. She drew in an unsteady breath. "It's been weeks," she
managedtosayinatighttone.

"Hell, it's been years," he muttered, and his mouth came down on hers again. But this time it was
rough,hard,insistent.Thistimeitburrowedintoherswithpassionandpurpose,andshewasshaking
whenheliftedhishead.

Sheheldonfordearlife."Ifyougo,I'mgoingwithyou,"shesaidinvoluntarily,herfaceflushed,her
eyessparklingwithfeeling.

"That'swhatIcameallthiswaytohear,"

hesaidinaharshundertone."Ittookyoulongenough!"

Sheburrowedagainsthimandhisarmscamearoundtoenfoldher."I'mstillafraid,Luke,"

shewhispered.

"Everyone'safraid.Notonlyoffallinginlove,butofgettingmarried,havingchildren.Thesearebig
steps, important steps. People who aren't afraid to take them are the ones who end up divorced and
miserable.Youhavetobesure,buteventhen,it'sarisk."

"I'mwillingtotakeit,ifyouare,"shesaidafteraminute.

Hisarmscontractedagainashebentoverherheadandrockedheragainsthim."I'vebeenwillingto
takeitsincethefirsttimeIsawyou,"hebreathed."I'vespentmylifewaitingforawomanIcouldlive
with.Andyoudidn'tevenlikeme!"

Shelaughedwithdelight."Onlyatfirst,"sheprotested.

"Ha!"hemurmured."Youfoughtmeeverystepoftheway."Heliftedhisheadtolookdownather.
"Jacobsville can always use a good public defender," he said firmly. "There are kids in trouble
everywhere."

Shesmiledruefully."Iwashedging,"sheconfessed."Icouldn'tbearthethoughtofbeingnearyouall
thetimeif...well,ifIwastheonlyonewhofeltthisway."

"Whichway?"heaskedinasoft,sensuoustone.

Shestaredathistie.Itwasblueandhadapaisleypattern—verynice.Histhumbsjabbedhergentlyin
theribs.

"Whichway?"hepersisted.

Sheleanedherforeheadagainsthim."Iloveyou."

Therewasalong,ominoussilence.Sheliftedherheadapprehensivelyandsawhiseyes.

Theyweresuchavividbluethattheyalmostglowed.Shegotbarelyaglimpseofthembeforethey
closedasheliftedheragainsthimandkissedheragain.Underhisbreath,sheheardhimrepeatthe
wordsbacktoher.Andthen,shestoppedtryingtohearanythingexceptthebeatofherownheart.

Long,tempestuousminuteslater,helookeddownather,whereshelayinthecrookofhisarmonthe
sofa,herbodysoftandfluidagainsthis,herdressunfastened,herhairdisheveled.

Hisshirtwasopen,too,thetielonggone,andherfingersplayedlazilythroughthewedgeofblond
haironhischest.

"Weweregoingouttoeat,"sheremindedhim.

"Tohellwithfood.I'mnothungry."

"Well,Iam,"shesaid,laughing."Especiallynow."

Hetracedaslowpatternonthelaceofherbra."Spoilsport,"hemurmured."JustwhenI'mgettingto
knowallaboutyou."

Shelaughedagain,movinghishandasidesothatshecouldbuttonupherdressagain.

"Youstopthat,"sheteased.

"Stop?Ihaven'tevengottenstarted!"heprotested.

"There's plenty of time for all that," she reminded him. She searched his blue eyes. "I want a white
wedding.Doyoumind?"

"I want a white wedding, too," he agreed, smiling at her. "We'll have the works, a best man, a best
woman,aflowergirl—myniece,ofcourse,"headdedwithachuckle.

"I'llhavemysister-in-lawformatronofhonor.Bestwoman,"shescoffed,andbrokeuplaughingat
thethoughtofprettyMarianneinasuitandbowtie.

"It will be an occasion," he said. "And then we'll raise cattle and look after kids and grow old
together."

Shesnuggledclosetohim,sohappythatshecouldbarelycontainitall."Ilovethewaythatsounds."

"SodoI.Butwe'llgrowoldslowly,ifyoudon'tmind.I'vegotalotofgingerleftinme,yet."

"Inoticed,"shesaiddemurely.

Heloomedoverherwithintent."Didyou,now?"hemurmured,hiseyesdrawingoverhersensually.

"Iloveyou,"shewhispered.

Hesmiledslowly."Iloveyou,too."

Itwasthelastthingtheysaidforalongtime.

TheweddingwastrulyaJacobsvilleoccasion.Everybodycame,evengloweringCyParks,whowore
asuitandbroughtaweddingpresent.WardJessupandaverypregnantMariannewerepresent,along
withMarianne'sAuntLillian.ElysiaCraigWalkerandherhusband,Tom,welcomedBelindaintothe
family,andtheirdaughterCrissyactedasflowergirl.

Belindawasexquisiteinawhitelacegownwithatrainandadelicatelaceveil.Shecarriedabouquet
ofwhiterosebudsandsheweptwhenherdevastatinglyhandsomenewhusbandliftedtheveilandsaw
herforthefirsttimeashiswife.

Outside the church, the Craig ranch's cowboys made a double line and threw confetti as the happy
coupleeruptedfromthefrontentrance.Oneofthecowboyshadjustgraduatedfromhighschooland
was the newest employee on the place. He wore a ten-gallon hat, a red bandanna, boots, jeans, a
chambrayshirtandahugetoothysmile—andhisnamewasEdwardKells.

Thehappycouplewavedathimastheyrushedpasttothelimousinethatwouldtakethemtotheranch
to change clothes before they went on to the reception Matt Caldwell was hosting for them at his
elegantmansionontheoutskirtsofJacobsville.

Theypiledintothecarandthedriverpulledawayfromthecurb.

LukelookedatBelindawithhiswholeheart

inhiseyes."Thebestdayofmylife,"hemurmured,"Mrs.Craig."

"Andthebestdayofmine,Mr.Craig,"sheechoed.

Thewordsexemplifiedtheirvowoflove.Hedrewhercloseandkissedher.Behindthem,thecrowd
drew in on itself to rehash the details of the elegant society wedding. But inside the limousine, two

pairsofsparklingeyeswerealreadylookingaheadtoabrightandbeautifulfuture.

TableofContents

Chapter1
Chapter2
Chapter3
Chapter4
Chapter5

TableofContents

Chapter1
Chapter2
Chapter3
Chapter4
Chapter5