Callaghan'sBride

(Book20intheLongTallTexansseries)

(1999)

Anovelby

DianaPalmer

Chapter1

ThekitchencattwirledaroundTess'slegsandalmosttrippedheronherwaytotheoven.

Shesmiledatitruefullyandmadetimetopouritabowlofcatfood.Thecatwasalwayshungry,it
seemed.Probablyitwasstillafraidofstarving,becauseithadbeenastraywhenTesstookitin.

It was the bane of Tess Brady's existence that she couldn't resist stray or hurt animals. Most of her
young life had been spent around rodeos with her father, twice the world champion calf roper. She
hadn't had a lot to do with animals, which might have explained why she loved them. Now that her
fatherwasgone,andshewastrulyonherown,sheenjoyedhavinglittlethingstotakecareof.Her
chargesrangedfrombirdswithbrokenwingstosickcalves.Therewasanunbrokenprocession.

Thiscatwasherlatestacquisition.IthadcometothebackdoorasakittenjustafterThanksgiving,
squallinginthedark,rainynight.Tesshadtakenitin,despitethegrumblingfromtwoofherthree
bosses.Thebigboss,theonewhodidn'tlikeher,hadbeenheronlyallyinlettingthecatstay.

That surprised her. Callaghan Hart was one tough hombre. He'd been a captain in the Green Berets
and had seen action in Operation Desert Storm. He was the next-to-eldest of the five Hart brothers
who owned the sweeping Hart Ranch Properties, a conglomerate of ranches and feedlots located in
severalwesternstates.TheheadquarterranchwasinJacobsville,Texas.Simon,theeldestbrother,was
anattorneyinSanAntonio.Corrigan,whowasfouryearsyoungerthanSimon,hadmarriedovera
yearandahalfago.HeandhiswifeDoriehadanewbabyson.TherewerethreeotherHartbachelors
leftinJacobsville:Reynard,theyoungest,Leopold,thesecondyoungest,andCallaghanwhowasjust
twoyearsyoungerthanSimon.TheyalllivedontheJacobsvilleproperty.

Tess'sfatherhadworkedfortheHartbrothersforalittleoversixmonthswhenhedroppeddeadin
thecorralofaheartattack.IthadbeendevastatingforTess,whosemotherhadrunoutonthemwhen
shewaslittle.CrayBrady,herfather,wasanonlychild.Therewasn'tanyotherfamilythatsheknew
of.TheHartshadalsoknownthat.Whentheirhousekeeperhadexpressedadesiretoretire,Tesshad
seemed the perfect replacement because she could cook and keep house. She could also ride like a
cowboy and shoot like an expert and curse in fluent Spanish, but the Hart boys didn't know about

thoseskillsbecauseshe'dneverhadoccasiontodisplaythem.Hertalentsthesedayswereconfinedto
making the fluffy biscuits the brothers couldn't live without and producing basic but hearty meals.
Everythingexceptsweetsbecausenoneofthebrothersseemedtolikethem.

Itwouldhavebeentheperfectjob,evenwithLeopold'sendlesspranks,exceptthatshewasafraidof
Callaghan.Itshowed,whichmadethingsevenworse.

Hewatchedherallthetime,fromhercurlyred-goldhairandpaleblueeyestohersmallfeet,asifhe
was just waiting for her to make a mistake so that he could fire her. Over breakfast, those black
Spanisheyeswouldcutintoheravertedfacelikeadiamond.Theyweresetinalean,darkfacewitha
broadforeheadandaheavy,juttingbrow.Hehadabignoseandbigearsandbigfeet,buthislong,
chiseledmouthwasperfectandhehadthick,straighthairasblackasaraven.Hewasn'thandsome,
buthewascommandingandarrogantandfrighteningeventoothermen.Leopoldhadoncetoldher
that the brothers tried to step in if Cag ever lost his temper enough to get physical. He had an
extensivebackgroundincombat,butevenhissizealonemadehimdangerous.Itwasfortunatethathe
rarelylethistempergetthebestofhim.

Tess had never been able to understand why Cag disliked her so much. He hadn't said a word of
protestwhentheothersdecidedtoofferherthejobofhousekeeperandcookafterherfather'ssudden
death. And he was the one who made Leopold apologize after a particularly unpleasant prank at a
party.ButheneverstoppedcuttingatTessorfindingwaystogetather.

Like this morning. She'd always put strawberry preserves on the table for breakfast, because the
brotherspreferredthem.ButthismorningCaghadwantedapplebutterandshecouldn'tfindany.He'd
beenscathingaboutherlackoforganizationandstompedoffwithoutasecondbiscuitoranothercup
ofcoffee.

"HisbirthdayisaweekfromSaturday,"Leopoldhadexplainedruefully."Hehatesgettingolder."

Reynard agreed. “Last year, he went away for a week around this time of the year. Nobody knew
wherehewas,either."Heshookhishead."PooroldCag."

"Whydoyoucallhimthat?"Tessaskedcuriously.

"Idon'tknow,"Reysaid,smilingthoughtfully."Iguessbecause,ofallofus,he'sthemostalone."

Shehadn'tthoughtofitthatway,butReywasright.Cagwasalone.Hedidn'tdate,andhedidn'tgoout
"with the boys," as many other men did. He kept to himself. When he wasn't working—which was
rarely—hewasreadinghistorybooks.IthadsurprisedTessdur-ingherfirstweeksashousekeeperto
find that he read Spanish co-lonial history, in Spanish. She hadn't known that he was bilingual,
although she found it out later when two of the Hispanic cowboys got into a no-holds-barred fight

withaTexascowboywho'dbeendeliberatelybaitingthem.TheTexascowboyhadbeenfiredandthe
twoLatinoshadbeenquietlyandefficientlycursedwithinaninchoftheirlivesinthecoldest,most
bitingly perfect Spanish Tess had ever heard. She herself was bilingual, having spent most of her
youthintheSouthwest.

Cag didn't know she spoke Spanish. It was one of many accomplishments she was too shy to share
withhim.Shekepttoherselfmostofthetime,exceptwhenDoriecamewithCorrigantotheranchto
visit.Theylivedinahouseoftheirownseveralmilesaway—

althoughitwasstillontheHartranch.Doriewassweetandkind,andTessadoredher.Nowthatthe
babywashere,Tesslookedforwardtothevisitsevenmore.Sheadoredchildren.

What she didn't adore was Herman. Although she was truly an animal lover, her affection didn't
extendtosnakes.Thegreatalbinopythonwithhisyellow-patternedwhiteskinandredeyesterrified
her.HelivedinanenormousaquariumagainstonewallofCag'sroom,andhehadanastyhabitof
escaping.Tesshadfoundhiminavarietyofunlikelyspots,includingthewashingmachine.Hewasn't
dangerousbecauseCagkepthimwell-fed,andhewasalwayscloselywatchedforadayorsoafterhe
ate—whichwasn'tveryoften.Eventuallyshelearnednottoscream.Likemeaslesandcolds,Herman
was a force of nature that simply had to be accepted. Cag loved the vile reptile. It seemed to be the
onlythingthathereallycaredabout.Well,maybehelikedthecat,too.She'dseenhimplayingwithit
once,withalongpieceofstring.Hedidn'tknowthat.Whenhewasn'tawareanyonewaswatching,he
seemedtobeadifferentper-son.Andnobodyhadforgottenaboutwhathappenedafterhesawwhat
wassubsequentlyreferredtoasthe"pig"movie.Reyhadswornthathisolderbrotherwasallbutin
tears during one of the scenes in the touching, funny motion picture. Cag saw it three times in the
theaterandlaterboughtacopyofhisown.

Since the movie, Cag didn't eat pork anymore, not ham nor sau-sage nor bacon. And he made
everyonewhodidfeeluncomfortable.Itwasoneofmanyparadoxesaboutthiscomplicatedman.He
wasn'tafraidofanythingonthisearth,butapparentlyhehadasofthearthiddendeepinside.Tesshad
never been privileged to see it, because Cag didn't like her. She wished that she wasn't so uneasy
aroundhim.Butthen,mostpeoplewere.

ChristmasEvecamelaterintheweek,andTessservedaneveningmealfitforroyalty,completewith
all the trimmings. The married Harts were starting their own tradition for Christmas Day, so the
familycelebrationwasonChristmasEve.

Tessatewiththem,becauseallfourbrothershadlookedoutragedwhenshestartedtosetaplacefor
herselfinthekitchenwithwidowedMrs.Lewis,whocamealmosteverydaytodothemoppingand
waxing and general cleaning that Tess didn't have time for. It was very democratic of them, she
supposed,anditdidfeelnicetoatleastappeartobepartofafamily—evenifitwasn'therown.Mrs.
Lewiswenthometohervisitingchildren,anyway,soTesswouldhavebeeninthekitchenalone.

Shewaswearingthebestdressshehad—aniceredplaidone,butitwascheapanditlookeditwhen

compared to the dress that Dorie Hart was wearing. They went out of their way to make her feel
secure, though, and by the time they started on the pumpkin and pecan pies and the huge dark
fruitcake, she wasn't worried about her dress anymore. Everyone included her in the conversation.
ExceptforCag'ssilence,itwouldhavebeenperfect.Buthedidn'tevenlookather.Shetriednotto
care.

Shegotpresents,anotherunexpectedtreat,inreturnforherhome-madegifts.She'dcrochetedelegant
trimfortwopillowcasesthatshe'dembroideredfortheHarts,matchingthemtothecolorschemesin
theirindividualbedrooms—somethingshe'daskedDorietocon-spirewithherabout.Shedidelegant
crochetwork.ShewasmakingthingsforDoric'sbabyboyinhersparetime,alaboroflove.

Thegiftsshereceivedweren'thandmade,butshelovedthemjustthesame.Thebrotherschippedinto
buyherawintercoat.Itwasablackleatheronewithbigcuffsandasash.

She'd never seen anything so beautiful in all her life, and she cried over it. The women gave her
presents, too. She had a delicious floral perfume from Dorie and a designer scarf in just the right
shadesofbluefromMrs.Lewis.Shefeltontopoftheworldassheclearedawaythedinnerdishes
andgottoworkinthekitchen.

Leopausedbythecounterandtuggedatherapronstringswithamischievousgrin.

"Don't you dare," she warned him. She smiled, though, before she turned her attention back to the
dishes.

"Cagdidn'tsayaword,"heremarked."He'sgoneofftoridethefencelineneartheriverwithMack
beforeitgetsdark."Mackwasthecattleforeman,amanevenmoresilentthanCag.Theranchwasso
big that there were foremen over every aspect of it: the cattle, the horses, the mechanical crew, the
office crew, the salesmen—there was even a veterinarian on retainer. Tess's father had been the
livestock foreman for the brief time he spent at the Hart ranch before his untimely death. Tess's
motherhadleftthemwhenTesswasstillalittlegirl,sickofthenomadiclifethatherhusbandloved.
InrecentyearsTesshadn'theardawordfromher.Shewasglad.Shehopedsheneverhadtoseeher
motheragain.

"Oh."Sheputaplateinthedishwasher."Becauseofme?"sheaddedquietly.

He hesitated. "I don't know." He toyed with a knife on the counter. "He hasn't been himself lately.
Well,"heamendedwithawrysmile,"hehas,buthe'sbeenworsethanusual."

"Ihaven'tdoneanything,haveI?"sheasked,andturnedworriedeyesuptohis.

Shewassoyoung,hemused,watchingalltheuncertaintiesrushacrosshersmooth,lightlyfreckled
face.Shewasn'tpretty,butshewasn'tplain,either.Shehadaninnerlightthatseemedtoradiatefrom

herwhenshewashappy.Helikedhearinghersingwhenshemoppedandswept,whenshewentoutto
feedthefewchickenstheykeptforeggproduction.Despitethefairlyrecenttragedyinherlife,she
wasahappyperson.

"No," he said belatedly. "You haven't done a thing. You'll get used to Cag's moods. He doesn't have
themtoooften.JustatChristmas,hisbirthdayandsometimesinthesummer."

"Why?"sheasked.

Hehesitated,thenshrugged."HewentoverseasinOperationDes-ertStorm,"hesaid."Henevertalks
about it. Whatever he did was classified. But he was in some tight corners and he came home
wounded.WhilehewasrecuperatinginWestGermany,hisfianceemarriedsomebodyelse.Christmas
andJulyremindhim,andhegetsbroody."

Shegrimaced."Hedoesn'tseemthesortofmanwhowouldaskawomantomarryhimunlesshewas
serious."

"Heisn't.Ithurthim,reallybad.Hehasn'thadmuchtimeforwomensince."Hesmiledgently."Itgets
sort of funny when we go to conventions. There's Cag in black tie, standing out like a beacon, and
womenjustfollowhimaroundlikepetcalves.Heneverseemstonotice."

"Iguesshe'sstillhealing,"shesaid,andrelaxedalittle.Atleastitwasn'tjustherthatsethimoff.,

"I don't know that he ever will," he replied. He pursed his lips, watching her work. "You're very
domestic,aren'tyou?"

She poured detergent into the dishwasher with a smile and turned it on. "I've always had to be. My
mother left us when I was little, although she came back to visit just once, when I was sixteen. We
neversawheragain."Sheshiveredinwardlyatthememory."Any-way,Ilearnedtocookandclean
forDaddyatanearlyage."

"Nobrothersorsisters?"

Sheshookherhead."Justus.Iwantedtogetajoborgoontocollegeafterhighschool,tohelpout.
Butheneededme,andIjustkeptputtingitoff.I'mgladIdid,now."Hereyescloudedalittle."Iloved
himtodeath.Ikeptthinkingthough,whatifwe'dknownabouthisheartintime,couldanythinghave
beendone?"

"Youcan'tdothattoyourself,"hestated."Thingshappen.Badthings,sometimes.Youhavetorealize
thatyoucan'tcontrollife."

"That'sahardlesson."

Henodded."Butit'soneweallhavetolearn."Hefrownedslightly."Justhowoldareyou—

twentyorso?"

Shelookedtakenaback."I'mtwenty-one.I'llbetwenty-twoinMarch."

Nowhelookedtakenaback."Youdon'tseemthatold."

Shechuckled."Isthatacomplimentoraninsult?"

Hecockedanamusedeyebrow."Isupposeyou'llseeitasthelatter."

Shewipedanimaginaryspotonthecounterwithacloth."Callaghan'stheoldest,isn'the?"

"Simon,"hecorrected."Cag'sgoingtobethirty-eightonSaturday."

Sheavertedhereyes,asifshedidn'twanthimtoseewhateverwasinthem."Hetookalongtimeto
getengaged."

"Hermandoesn'texactlymakeforlastingrelationships,"hetoldherwithagrin.

Sheunderstoodthat.TessalwayshadCagputacoveroverthealbinopython'stankbeforeshecleaned
hisroom.Thathadbeenthefirstofmanystrikesagainsther.Shehadamortalterrorofsnakesfrom
childhood, having been almost bitten by rattlesnakes several times before her father realized she
couldn't see three feet in front of her. Glasses had followed, but the minute she was old enough to
protest,sheinsistedongettingcontactlenses.

"Love me, love my enormous terrifying snake, hmm?" she commented. "Well, at least he found
someonewhowaswillingto,atfirst."

"Shedidn'tlikeHerman,either,"hereplied."ShetoldCagthatshewasn'tsharinghimwithasnake.
Whentheygotmarried,hewasgoingtogivehimtoamanwhobreedsalbinos."

"Isee."ItwastellingthatCagwouldgiveintoawoman.She'dneverseenhimgiveintoanyoneinthe
monthssheandherfatherhadbeenattheranch.

"He gives with both hands," he said quietly. "If he didn't come across as a holy terror, he wouldn't

haveashirtleft.Nobodyseeshimasthesofttouchhereallyis."

"He'sthelastmanintheworldI'dthinkofasagiver.""Youdon'tknowhim,"Leosaid.

"No,ofcourseIdon't,"shereturned.

"He'sanothergenerationfromyou,"hemused,watchinghercolor."Now,I'myoungandhandsome
andrichandIknowhowtoshowagirlagoodtimewithoutmakinganissueofit."

Hereyebrowsrose."You'remodest,too!"

Hegrinned."YoubetIam!It'smymiddlename."Heleanedagainstthecounter,lookingrakish.He
wasreallythehandsomestofthebrothers,tallandbigwithblond-streakedbrownhairanddarkeyes.
Hedidn'tdatealot,buttherewerealwayshopefulwomenhangingaround.Tessthoughtprivatelythat
hewasprobablysomethingofarake.Butshewasoutoftherunning.Orsoshethought.Itcameasa
shockwhenheadded,"SohowaboutdinnerandamovieFridaynight?"

She didn't accept at once. She looked worried. "Look, I'm the hired help," she said. "I wouldn't feel
comfortable."

Botheyebrowswentupinanarch."Arewedespots?"

Shesmiled."Ofcoursenot.Ijustdon'tthinkit'sagoodidea,that'sall."

"Youhaveyourownquartersoverthegarage,"hesaidpointedly."Youaren'tlivingundertheroof
with.usinsin,andnobody'sgoingtotalkifyougooutwithoneofus."

“Iknow."

"Butyoustilldon'twanttogo."

Shesmiledworriedly."You'reverynice."

Helookedperplexed."Iam?"

"Yes."

Hetookaslowbreathandsmiledwistfully."Well,I'mgladyouthinkso."Acceptingdefeat,hemoved
awayfromthecounter."Din-nerwasexcellent,bytheway.You'reaterrificcook."

"Thanks.Ienjoyit."

"Howaboutmakinganotherpotofcoffee?I'vegottohelpCagwiththebooksandIhateit.I'llneeda
joltofcaffeinetogetmethroughthenight."

"He'sgoingtocomehomeandworkthroughChristmasEve,too?"sheexclaimed.

"Cagalwaysworks,asyou'llfindout.Inawayitsubstitutesforallthathehasn'tgot.Hedoesn'tthink
ofitaswork,though.Helikesbusiness."

"Toeachhisown,"shemurmured.

"Amen."Hetweakedhercurlyred-goldhair."Don'tspendthenightinthekitchen.Youcanwatchone
of the new movies on pay-per-view in the living room, if you like. Rey's going to visit one of his
friendswho'sintownfortheholidays,andCagandIwon'thearthetelevisionfromthestudy."

"Havetheothersgone?"

"Leowouldn'tsaywherehewasgoing,butCorrigan'stakenDo-riehomefortheirowncelebration."
Hesmiled."IneverthoughtI'dseemybigbrotherhappilymarried.It'snice."

"Soarethey."

Hehesitatedatthedoorandglancedbackather.“IsCagnice?'

Sheshifted."Idon'tknow."

Alightflickeredinhiseyesandwentout.Shewasn'tallthatyoung,butshewasinnocent.

Shedidn'trealizethatshe'dclassedhimwiththemarriedbrother.Nowomanwhofoundhimattractive
wasgoingtorefertohimas"nice."Itkilledhishopes,butitstartedhimthinkinginotherdirections.
CagwasopenlyhostiletoTess,andshebackedawaywhenevershesawhimcoming.Itwasunusual
forCagtobethatantagonistic,especiallytosomeonelikeTess,whowassensitiveandsweet.

Cagwaslockedtightinsidehimself.ThedefectionofhisfianceehadleftCagwoundedandtwiceshy
ofwomen,evenoflittleTesswhodidn'thaveasophisticatedrepertoiretotryonhim.Hisbadhumor
hadstartedjustaboutthetimeshe'dcomeintothehousetowork,andithadn'tstopped.Hehadmoods
duringthemonthsthatremindedhimofwhenhewentofftowarandwhenhisengagementhadbeen
broken.Buttheydidn'tusuallylastmorethanaday.Thisonewaslastingalltoolong.ForTess'ssake,
hehopeditdidn'tgoonindefinitely.

ChristmasDaywasquiet.Notsurprisingly,Cagworkedthroughit,too,andtherestoftheweekthat
followed.SimonandTiramarried,adelightfulevent.

Callaghan'sbirthdaywastheonetheydidn'tcelebrate.Thebrotherssaidthathehatedparties,cakes
andsurprises,inthatorder.ButTesscouldn'tbelievethatthebigmanwantedpeopletoforgetsucha
special occasion. So Saturday morning after breakfast, she baked a birthday cake, a chocolate one
becauseshe'dnoticedhimhavinga.sliceofonethatDoriehadbakedafewweeksago.Noneofthe
Hart boys were keen on sweets, which they rarely ate. She'd heard from the former cook, Mrs.
Culbertson,thatitwasprobablybecausetheirownmotherneverbaked.She'dlefttheboyswiththeir
father.ItgaveTesssomethingincommonwiththem,becausehermotherhaddesertedher,too.

SheicedthecakeandputHappyBirthdayonthetop.Sheputonjustonecandleinsteadofthirty-eight.
Sheleftitonthetableandwentouttothemailbox,withthecattrailingbehindher,toputafewletters
thatthebrothers'malesecretaryhadleftonthehalltableinthemorningmail.

She hadn't thought any of the brothers would be in until the evening meal, because a sudden arctic
wavehadcomesouthtopromoteanunseasonalfreeze.Al1thehandswereoutcheckingonpregnant
cowsandexaminingwaterheatersinthecattletroughstomakesuretheywereworking.Reyhadsaid
theyprobablywouldn'tstopforlunch.

Butwhenshegotbacktothekitchen,hernewleathercoattightaroundherbody,shefoundCallaghan
in the kitchen and the remains of her cake, her beautiful cake, on the floor below a huge chocolate
spotonthekitchenwall.

He turned, outraged beyond all proportion, looking broader than usual in his shepherd's coat. His
black eyes glittered at her from under his wide-brimmed Stetson. "I don't need reminding that I'm
thirty-eight,"hesaidinasoft,dangeroustone."AndIdon'twantacake,oraparty,orpresents.Iwant
nothingfromyou!Doyouunderstand?"

Theverysoftnessofhisvoicewasfrightening.Shenoticedthat,ofallthebrothers,hewastheone
whoneveryelledorshouted.Buthiseyeswereevenmoreintimidatingthanhiscoldtone."Sorry,"
shesaidinachokedwhisper.

"Youcan'tfindadamnedjarofapplebutterforthebiscuits,butyou'vegottimetowasteonthings
like...that!"hesnapped,jerkinghisheadtowardtheruinofhercakelyingshatteredonthepaleyellow
linoleum.

She bit her lower lip and stood just looking at him, her blue eyes huge in her white face, where
frecklesstoodoutlikeflecksofbutterinchurnedmilk.

"Whatthehellpossessedyou?Didn'ttheytellyouIhatebirthdays,damnit?"

Hisvoicecutherlikeawhip.Hiseyesalonewereenoughtomakeherkneeswobble,burningintoher
likeblackflames.Sheswallowed.Hermouthwassodryshewonderedwhyhertonguedidn'tstickto
theroofofit."Sorry,"shesaidagain.

Herlackofresponsemadehimwild.Heglaredatherasifhehatedher.

Hetookasteptowardher,aviolent,quickmovement,andshebackedupatonce,gettingbehindthe
choppingblocknearthewall.Herwholeposturewasoneoffear.Hestoppedinhistracksandstared
ather,scowling.

Her hands gripped the edge of the block and she looked young and hunted. She bit her lower lip,
waitingfortherestoftheexplosionthatsheknewwascoming.She'donlywantedtodosomething
niceforhim.Maybeshe'dalsowantedtomakefriends.Ithadbeenahorriblemistake.Itwasblatantly
obviousthathedidn'twantherforafriend.

"Hey,Cag,couldyou—"Reystoppeddeadinhistracksasheopenedthekitchendoorandtookinthe
scenewithaglance.Tess,white-faced,allbutshiveringandnotfromthecold.

Cag,withhisbighandscurledintofistsathisside,hisblackeyesblazing.Thecake,shatteredagainst
awall.

Cagseemedtojerkasifhisbrother'sappearancehadjoltedhimoutofthefrozenragethathadheld
himcaptive.

"Here,now,"Reysaid,talkingquietly,becauseheknewhisbrotherintheseflash-firetempers."Don't
dothis.Cag,lookather.Comeon,lookather,Cag."

Heseemedtocometohissenseswhenhecaughtthebrightglim-merofunshedtearsinthoseblue,
blueeyes.Shewasshaking,visiblyfrightened.

Heletoutabreathandhisfistsunclenched.Tesswasswallowing,asiftokeepherfearhidden,and
herhandswerepusheddeepintothepocketsofhercoat.Shewasshakingandshecouldbarelygeta
breathofair.

"Wehavetogetthosecullsreadytoship."Reywasstillspeakingsoftly."Cag,areyoucoming?We
can'tfindthemanifestandthetrucksarehereforthecattle."

"Themanifest."Cagtookalongbreath."It'sintheseconddrawerofthedesk,inthefolder.

Iforgottoputitbackinthefile.Goahead.I'llberightwithyou."

Reydidn'tbudge.Couldn'tCagseethatthegirlwasterrifiedofhim?

Heeasedaroundhisbrotherandwenttothechoppingblock,gettingbetweenthetwoofthem.

"Youneedtogetoutofthatcoat.It'shotinhere!"Reysaid,forcingalaughthathedidn'tfeel."Come
on,pilgrim,shedthecoat."

Heuntieditandshelethimremoveit,hereyesgoingtohischestandrestingthere,asifshe'dfound
refuge.

Caghesitated,butonlyforaninstant.HesaidsomethingfilthyinelegantSpanish,turnedonhisheel
andwentout,slammingthedoorbehindhim.

Tessslumped,aconvulsiveshudderleavinghersick.Shewipedunobtrusivelyathereyes.

"Thanksforsavingme,"shesaidhuskily.

"He'sfunnyaboutbirthdays,"hesaidquietly."Idon'tguesswemadeitclearenoughforyou,butat
leasthedidn'tthrowthecakeatyou,"headdedwithagrin."OldCharlieGreerusedtobakeforus
before we found Mrs. Culbertson, whom you replaced. Charlie made a cake for Cag's birthday and
endedupwearingit."

"Why?"sheaskedcuriously.

"Nobodyknows.ExceptmaybeSimon,"heamended."Theywereolderthantherestofus.

Iguessitgoesbackalongway.Wedon'ttalkaboutit,butI'msureyou'veheardsomeofthegossip
aboutourmother."

Shenoddedjerkily.

"Simon and Corrigan got past the bad memories and made good marriages. Cag..." He shook his
head. "He was like this even when he got engaged. And we all thought that it was more a physical
infatuationthananeedtomarry.Shewas,ifyou'llpardontheex-.pression,theworld'sbesttease.A
totallywarpedwoman.ThankGodshehadenoughropetohangherselfbeforeheendedupwithher
aroundhisnecklikeanalbatross."

Shewasstillgettingherbreathback.ShetookthecoatthatReywasholding."I'llputitup.

Thanks."

"He'llapologizeeventually,"hesaidslowly.

"Itwon'thelp."Shesmoothedoverthesurfaceoftheleathercoat.Shelookedup,angerbeginningto
replace fear and hurt. "I'm leaving. I'm sorry, but I can't stay here and worry about any other little
quirkslikethat.He'sscary."

He looked shocked. "He wouldn't have hit you," he said softly, grimacing when he saw quick tears
filmhereyes."Tess,he'dnever!Hehasrages.Noneofusreallyunderstandthem,becausehewon't
talkaboutwhat'shappenedtohim,ever.Buthe'snotamaniac."

"No,ofcoursenot.Hejustdoesn'tlikeme."

Reywishedhecoulddisputethat.Itwastrue,Cagwasovertly•antagonistictowardher,forreasons
thatnoneofthebrothersunderstood.

"Ihopeyoucanfindsomeonetoreplaceme,"shesaidwithshakypride."BecauseI'mgoingassoon
asIgetpacked."

"Tess,notlikethis.Giveitafewdays."

"No."Shewenttohanguphercoat.She'dhadenoughofCallaghanHart.Shewouldn'tevergetover
whathe'dsaid,thewayhe'dlookedather.He'dfrightenedherbadlyandshewasn'tgoingtoworkfor
withamanwhocouldgoberserkoveracake.

Chapter2

Reywentouttothecorralwheretheculls—thenonproducingsec-ond-yearheifersandcows—were
beingheld,alongwiththeyoungsteersfattenedandreadyformarket.Bothgroupswerereadytobe
loadedintotrucksandtakenawaytotheirvariousbuyers.Afewmoresteersthanusualhadbeensold
because drought had limited the size of the summer corn and hay crop. Buying feed for the winter
was not cost-productive. Not even an operation the size of the Harts's could afford deadweight in
thesehardeconomictimes.

Cag was staring at the milling cattle absently, his heavy brows drawn down in thought, his whole
posturestiffandunapproachable.

Reycameupbesidehim,halfaheadshorter,litherandmorerawbonedthanthebiggerman.

"Well,she'spacking,"hesaidbluntly.

Cag'seyesglancedoffhisbrother'sandwentbacktothecorral.Hisjawclenched."Ihatebirthdays!I
knowshewastold."

"Sureshewas,butshedidn'trealizethatbreakingtherulewasgoingtobelife-threatening."

"Hell!" Cag exploded, turning with black-eyed fury. "I never raised a hand to her! I wouldn't, no
matterhowmadIgot."

"Wouldyouneedto?"hisbrotheraskedsolemnly."Damnit,Cag,shewasshakinglikealeaf.She's
justakid,andit'sbeenaroughfewmonthsforher.Shehasn'tevengotoverlosingherdadyet."

"Layiton,"Cagsaidunderhisbreath,movingrestlessly.

"Where'sshegoingtogo?"hepersisted."Shehasn'tseenhermothersinceshewassixteenyearsold.
Shehasnofamily,nofriends.Evencookingjobsaren'tthatthickonthegroundthistimeofyear,not
inJacobsville,"

Cagtookoffhishatandwipedhisforeheadonhissleevebeforehereplacedit.He'dbeenhelpingrun
thesteersdownthechuteintotheloadingcorralandhewassweating,despitethecold.Hedidn'tsaya
word.

Leocameupwitharopeinhishand,watchinghisbrotherscuriously.

"What'sgoingon?"heasked.

"Oh,nothing,"Reymuttered,thoroughlydisgusted."Tessmadehimabirthdaycakeandhedestroyed
it.She'spacking."

Leoletoutaroughsighandturnedhiseyestowardthehouse."Ican'tsayIblameher.Igotherinto
troubleattheChristmaspartybyspikingtheholidaypunch,andnowthis.Iguessshethinkswe'reall
lunaticsandshe'sbetteroffwithoutus."

"Nodoubt."Reyshrugged."Well,let'sgetthecattleloaded."

"Youaren'tgoingtotrytostopher?"Leoasked.

"Whatwouldbethepoint?"Reyaskedsolemnly.Hisfacehardened."Ifyou'dseenher,youwouldn't
wanttostopher."HeglaredatCag.“Nicework,pal.Ihopeshecanpackwithherhandsshakingthat
badly!"

Reystormedofftowardthetruck.Leogavehisolderbrotheraspeakingglanceandfollowed.

Cag,feelingtwoincheshighandsickwithhimself,turnedreluctantlyandwentbacktowardthehouse.

Tess had her suitcases neatly loaded. She closed the big one, mak-ing one last sweep around the
bedroomthathadbeenhersforthepastfewweeks.Itwasawrenchtoleave,butshecouldn'thandle
sceneslikethat.She'dsettleforharderworkinmorepeacefulsurroundings.

Atleast,Cagwouldn'tbearoundtomakeherlifehell.

She picked up her father's world champion gold belt buckle and smoothed her fingers over it. She
took it everywhere with her, like a lucky talisman to ward off evil. It hadn't worked today, but it
usually

did.Sheputitgentlyintothesmallsuitcaseandcarefullyclosedthelid,snappingthelatchesshut.

Asoundbehindhercaughtherattentionandsheturnedaround,goingwhiteinthefacewhenshesaw
whohadopenedthedoor.

Shemovedaroundthebedandbehindthewingchairthatstoodnearthewindow,hereyeswideand

unblinking.

He was bareheaded. He didn't speak. His black eyes slid over her pale features and he took a long,
deepbreath.

"Youdon'thaveanywheretogo,"hebegan.

Itwasn'tthebestofopeninggambits.Herchinwentup.“I’llsleepataSalvationArmyshelter,"she
said coldly. "Dad and I spent a lot of nights there when we were on the road and he didn't win any
events."

Hescowled."What?"

Shehatedhavingadmittedthat,tohimofallpeople.Herfaceclosedup."Willyouletoneofthehands
drivemetotown?IcancatchabusuptoVictoria."

He shoved his hands into the pockets of his close-fitting jeans, straining the fabric against his
powerfulthighs.Hestaredatherbroodingly.

"Nevermind,"shesaidheavily."I'llwalkorhitcharide."

Shepickedupheroldcoat,thethreadbaretweedoneshe'dhadforyears,andslippediton.

"Where'syournewcoat?"heaskedshortly.

"Inthehallcloset.Don'tworry,I'mnottakinganythingthat,doesn'tbelongtome."

Shesaiditsomatter-of-factlythathewaswoundedrightthrough."Wegaveittoyou,"hesaid.

Hereyesmethissquarely."Idon'twantit,orajob,oranythingelseyougavemeoutofpity."

Hewasshocked.He'dneverrealizedshethoughtofitlikethat."Youneededajobandweneededa
cook,"hesaidflatly."Itwasn'tPity."

Sheshruggedandseemedtoslouch."Allright,haveitanywayyoulike.Itdoesn'tmatter."

She slipped her shoulder bag over her arm and picked up her worn suitcases, one big one and an
overnightbag,partofamatchedsetofvinylluggagethatsheandherfatherhadwoninaraffle.

Butwhenshereachedthedoor,Cagdidn'tmoveoutoftheway.Shecouldn'tgetaroundhim,either.
Shestoppedanarm'slengthawayandstaredathim.

Hewastryingtothinkofawaytokeepherwithoutsacrificinghispride.Reywasright;shewasjusta
kidandhe'dbeenunreasonable.Heshockedhimselflately.Hewasasuckerforhelplessthings,for
littlethings,buthe'dbeenbrutaltothischildandhedidn'tknowwhy.

"CanIgetby,please?"sheaskedthroughstifflips.

Hescowled.Amusclejumpedbesidehismouth.Hemovedcloser,smilingcoldlywithself-contempt
whenshebackedup.Hepushedthedoorshut.

Shebackedupagain,hereyeswideningattheunexpectedaction,buthedidn'tcomeanycloser.

"WhenIwassix,"hesaidwithcoldblackeyes,"Iwantedabirthdaycakeliketheotherkidshad.A
cakeandaparty.SimonhadgonetotownwithDadandCorrigan.ItwasbeforeReywasborn.Leo
wasasleepandmymotherandIwereinthekitchenalone.Shemadesomepertremarkaboutspoiled
brats thinking they deserved treats when they were nothing but nuisances. She had a cake on the
counter,onethataneighborhadsenthomewithDad.Shesmashedthecakeintomyface,"herecalled,
hiseyesdarkerthanever,"andstartedhittingme.Idon'tthinkshewouldhavestopped,exceptthatLeo
wokeupandstartedsqualling.

Shesentmetomyroomandlockedmein.Idon'tknowwhatshetoldmyfather,butIgotahellofa
spankingfromhim."Hesearchedhershockedeyes."Ineveraskedforanothercake."

She put the suitcases down slowly and shocked him by walking right up to him and touching him
lightlyonthechestwithashy,nervouslittlehand.Itdidn'toccurtohimthathe'dneverconfessedthat
particularincidenttoanyone,notevenhisbrothers.Sheseemedtoknowit,justthesame.

"Myfathercouldn'tcook.Heopenedcans,"shesaidquietly."IlearnedtocookwhenIwaseleven,in
self-defense.Mymotherwouldn'thavebakedmeacake,either,evenifshe'dstayedwithus.

Shedidn'twantme,butDaddid,andheputherintoapositionwhereshehadtomarryhim.Shenever
forgaveeitherofusforit.SheleftbeforeIstartedschool."

"Whereisshenow?"

Shedidn'tmeethiseyes."Idon'tknow.Idon'tcare."

Hischestroseandfellroughly.Shemadehimuncomfortable.Hemovedback,sothatherdisturbing
handfellawayfromhischest.

Shedidn'tquestionwhyhedidn'tlikehertotouchhim.Ithadbeenanimpulseandnowsheknewnot
todoitagain.Sheliftedherfaceandsearchedhisdarkeyes."Iknowyoudon'tlikeme,"shesaid."It's

betterifIgetajobsomewhereelse.I'malmosttwenty-two.Icantakecareofmyself."

Hiseyesavertedtothewindow."Waituntilspring,"hesaidstiffly."You'llhaveaneasiertimefinding
workthen."

Shehesitated.Shedidn'treallywanttogo,butshecouldn'tstayherewithsuchunbridledresentmentas
hefeltforher.

Heglanceddownatherwithsomethingoddglitteringinhisblackeyes."Mybrotherswilldrownme
ifIletyouwalkoutthatdoor,"hesaidcurtly."Neitherofthemisspeakingtome."

They both knew that he didn't care in the least what his brothers thought of him. It was a peace
initiative.

Shemovedrestlessly."Dorie'shadthebaby.Shecanmakebiscuitsagain."

"Shewon't,"hesaidcurtly."She'stoobusyworshipingthebaby."

Hergazedroppedtothefloor."It'sasweetbaby."

A wave of heat ran through his body. He turned and started back toward the door. "Do what you
please,"hesaid.

Shestillhesitated.

He opened the door and turned before he went through it, looking dark as thunder and almost as
intimidating. "Too afraid of me to stay?" he drawled, hitting her right in her pride with deadly
accuracy.

Shedrewherselfupwithsmolderingfury."Iamnotafraidofyou!"

Hiseyebrowsarched."Sureyouare.That'swhyyou'rerunningawaylikeascaredkid."

"Iwasn'trunning!I'mnotascaredkid,either!"

That was more like it. He could manage if she fought back. He couldn't live with the image of her
whiteandshakingandbackingawayfromhim.Ithadhurtliketheverydevil.

HepulledhisStetsonlowoverhiseyes."Suityourself.Butifyoustay,you'ddamnedsurebetternot
losetheapplebutteragain,"hesaidwithbitingsarcasm.

"Nexttime,you'llgetitrightbetweentheeyes,"shemutteredtoherself.

"Iheardthat."

Sheglaredathim.“Andifyouever,ever,throwanothercakeatme...!"

"Ididn'tthrowitatyou,"hesaidpointedly."Ithrewitatthewall."

Herfacewasgrowingredderbythesecond."Ispenttwohoursmakingthedamnedthing!"

"Lostapplebutter,cursedcake,damnedwomen..."Hewasstillmutteringashestompedoffdownthe
hallwiththefaint,musicaljingleofspursfollowinghim.

Tessstoodunsteadilybythebedforseveralsecondsbeforeshesnappedoutofhertranceandputher
suitcasesbackonthebedtounpackthem.Sheneededherheadreadforagreeingtostay,butshedidn't
reallyhaveanywhereelsetogo.Andwhathe'dtoldherreachedthatpartofherthatwasunbearably
touchedbysmall,woundedthings.

She could see a little Cag with his face covered in cake, being brutally hit by an uncaring woman,
trying not to cry. Amazingly it excused every harsh word, every violent action. She wondered how
manyotherchildhoodscarswerehidingbehindthathard,expres-sionlessface.

Cagwascoldlyformalwithherafterthat,asifheregrettedhavingsharedoneofhisdeepersecrets
withher.Butthereweren'tanymoreviolentoutbursts.Hekeptoutofherwayandshekeptoutofhis.
Thewintermonthspassedintoaroutinesameness.Withouttherushandexcitementoftheholidays,
Tess found herself with plenty of tune on her hands when she was finished with her chores. The
brothersworkedallhours,evenwhentheyweren'tbotheredwithbirthingcattleandroundup,asthey
wereinthewarmermonthsofspring.

But there were fences to mend, outbuildings to repair, upkeep on the machinery that was used to
processfeed.Thereweresickanimalstotreatandcorralstobuildandvehiclestooverhaul.Itnever
seemedtoend.Andinbetweenallthat,therewereconferencesandconventionsandbusinesstrips.

Itwasrare,Tessfound,tohaveallthreebachelorbrothersatthetableatthesametime.

More often than not, she set places only for Rey and Leo, because Cag spent more and more time
away.Theyassuredherthatshewasn'ttoblame,thatitwasjustpressingbusiness,butshewondered
justthesame.SheknewthatCagonlytoleratedherforthesakeofherdomesticskills,thathehated
theverysightofher.ButtheotherbrothersweresokindthatitalmostmadeupforCag.Andtheever-
present Mrs. Lewis, doing the rough chores, was a fountain of information about the history of the
Hartranchandthesurroundingarea.Tess,ahistorybuff,learnedalotaboutthewildolddaysand
storedtheinformationawayalmostgreedily.Thelazy,pleasantdaysindoorsseemedtodragandshe
wasgratefulforanyinterestingtidbitsthatMrs.Lewissentherway.

Then spring arrived and the ranch became a madhouse. Tess had to learn to answer the extension
phoneinthelivingroomwhilethetwosecretariesintheseparateofficecomplexstartedprocessing
calv-ing information into the brothers' huge mainframe computer. The sheer volume of it was
shockingtoTess,who'dspentherwholelifeonranches.

Theonlymodernidea,besidesthecomputers,thatthebrothershadadaptedtotheiroperationwasthe
implantationofcomputerchipsundertheskinoftheindividualcattle.

Thiswasnotonlytoidentifythemwithahandheldcomputer,butalsototagthemincaseofrustling
—asadpracticethathadcontinuedunabashedintothecomputerage.

On the Hart ranch, there were no hormone implants, no artificial insemination, no unnecessary
antibioticsorpesticides.Thebrothersdidn'tevenusepesticidesontheircrops,havingfoundwaysto
en-couragethedevelopmentofsuperiorstrainsofforageandthesurvivalofgoodinsectsthatkept
awaythebadones.Itwasallveryecologicalandfascinating,anditwasevenprofitable.Oneofthe
local ranchers, J. D. Langley, worked hand in glove with them on these renegade methods. They
sharedideasandinvestmentstrategiesandwenttogetherasasolidfronttocattlemen'smeetings.Tess
foundJ.D."Donavan"

Langleyintimidating,buthiswifeandnephewhadsoftenedhim,orsopeoplesaid.Sheshudderedto
thinkhowhe'dbeenbeforehemellowed.

Thevolumeofbusinessthebrothersdidwasoverwhelming.Thetelephonerangconstantly.

Sodidthefaxmachine.Tesswaspress-gangedintolearninghowtooperatethat,andthecomputer,so
thatshecouldhelpsendandreceiveurgente-mailmessagestovariousbeefproducersandfeedlots
andbuyers.

"But I'm not trained!" she wailed to Leo and Rey. They only grinned. "There, there, you're doing a
finejob,"Leotoldherencouragingly.

"ButIwon'thavetimetocookpropermeals,"shecontinued.

“Aslongaswehaveenoughbiscuitsandstrawberrypreservesandapplebutter,that'snoproblemat
all,"Reyassuredher."Andifthingsgettoohectic,we'llorderout."

They did, frequently, in the coming weeks. One night two pizza delivery trucks drove up and
unloadedenoughpizzasfortheentiresecretarialandsalesstaffandthecowboys,nottomentionthe
brothers.Theyworkedlonghoursandtheyweredemandingbosses,buttheyneverforgottheloyalty
andsacrificeofthepeoplewhoworkedforthem.Theypaidgoodwages,too.

"Why don't you ever spend any money on yourself?" Leo asked Tess one night when, bleary-eyed
fromthecomputer,shewasreadytogotobed.

"What?"

"You're wearing the same clothes you had last year," he said pointedly. "Don't you want some new
jeans,atleast,andsomenewtops?"

"Ihadn'tthoughtaboutit,"sheconfessed."I'vejustbeenputtingmywagesintothebankandforgetting
aboutthem.IsupposeIshouldgoshopping."

"Yes,youshould."Heleaneddowntowardher."Theverymin-utewegetcaughtup!"

Shegroaned."We'llnevergetcaughtup!IheardoldFredsayingthathe'dhadtolearnhowtousea
handheldcomputersohecouldscanthecattleinthelowpasture,andhewasalmostintears."

"Wehiredmorehelp,"hestated.

"Yes,buttherewasmoreworkafterthat!It'snevergoingtoend,"shewailed."Ifthosestupidcows
don'tstophavingcalves...!"

"Biteyourtongue,woman,that'sprofityou'rescoffingat!"

"Iknow,but—"

"We'realltired,"heassuredher."Andanydaynow,it'sgoingtoslackoff.We'redoingcompilation
figuresforfiveranches,youknow,"headded."Itisn'tjustthisone.Wehavetorecordeach.newcalf
along with its history, we have to revise lists for cattle that have died or been culled, cattle that we
traded,newcattlethatwe'vebought.Besidesthat,wehavetohavebirthweights,weightgainratios,
averagedailyweightgainandfeedingdata.Allthatinformationhastobekeptcurrentorit'snouseto
us."

"Iknow.Butwe'llallgetsickofpizzasandI'llforgethowtomakebiscuits!"

"Godforbid,"hesaid,takingoffhishatandholdingittohisheart.

She was too tired to laugh, but she did smile. She worked her way down the long hall toward her
roomoverthegarage,feelingasdrainedasshelooked.

She met Cag coming from the general direction of the garage, dressed in a neat gray suit with a
subduedburgundytieandacream-coloredStetson.HewasjustbackfromatrusteemeetinginDallas,
andhelookedexpensiveandsophisticatedandunapproachable.

Shenoddedinacoolgreeting,andavertedhereyesasshepassedhim.

Hesteppedinfrontofher,blockingherpath.Onebig,leanhandtiltedherchinup.Helookedather
withoutsmiling,hisdarkeyesglitteringwithdisapproval.

"Whathavetheybeendoingtoyou?"heaskedcurtly.

Thecommentshockedher,butshedidn'treadanythingintoit.Cagwouldneverbeconcernedabout
her and she knew it. "We're all putting herd records into the computer, even old Fred," she said
wearily."We'retired."

"Yes,Iknow.It'sanightmareeveryyearaboutthistime.Areyougettingenoughsleep?"

Shenodded."Idon'tknowmuchaboutcomputersandit'shard,that'sall.Idon'tmindthework."

Hishandhesitatedforjustaninstantbeforehedroppedit.Helookedtougherthanever.

"You'll be back to your old duties in no time. God forbid that we should drag you kicking and
screamingoutofthekitchenandintothetwentiethcentury."

That was sarcastic, and she wished she had enough energy to hit him. He was always mocking her,
pickingather.

"Youhaven'tcomplainedaboutthebiscuitsyet,"sheremindedhimcurtly.

Hisblackeyessweptoverherdisparagingly."Youlookaboutten,"hechided."Allbigeyes.

Andyouwearthatdamnedrigorthoseblackjeansandthatpinkshirtallthetime.Don'tyouhaveany

clothes?"

Shecouldn'tbelieveherears.Firstthebrothershadtalkedaboutherlackofnewclothes,andnowhe
wasgoingtoharponit!"Now,lookhere,youcan'ttellmewhattowear!"

"Ifyouwanttogetmarried,you'llnevermanageitlikethat,"hescoffed."Nomanisgoingtolook
twiceatawomanwhocan'tbebotheredtoevenbrushherhair!"

Sheactuallygasped.Shehadn'texpectedafrontalattackwhenhe'djustwalkedinthedoor.

"Well, excuse me!" she snapped, well aware that her curly head was untidy. She put a hand to it
defensively."Ihaven'thadtimetobrushmyhair.I'vebeentoobusylistingwhatbullsiredwhatcalf!"

Hesearchedoverherwanfaceandherelented,justalittle.“Gotobed,"hesaidstiffly.

"Youlooklikethewalkingdead."

"Whatanicecompliment,"shemuttered."Thanksawfully."

She started to walk away, but he caught her arm and pulled her back around. He reached into his
pocket,tooksomethingout,andhandedittoher.

It was a jewelry box, square and velvet-covered. She looked at him and he nodded toward the box,
indicatingthathewantedhertoopenit.

Shebeganto,withshakinghands.Itwasunexpectedthatheshouldbuyheranything.Sheliftedthelid
tofindthatthere,nestledonabedofgraysatin,wasabeautifulfacetedsapphirependantsurrounded
bytinydiamondsonathingoldchain.She'dneverseenanythingsobeautifulinherlife.Itwaslikea
pieceofsummerskycaughtinstone.Itsparkledeveninthedimshineofthesecuritylightsaround
thehouseandgarage.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, shocked and touched by the unexpected gift. Then she looked up, warily,
wonderingifshe'dbeenpresum-tuousanditwasn'tagiftatall.Shehelditouttohim."Oh,Isee.You
justwantedtoshowittome..."

Heclosedherfingersaroundthebox.Hisbighandswerewarmandstrong.Theyfeltnice.

"Iboughtitforyou,"hesaid,andlookedbrieflyuncomfortable.

Shewastotallyatsea,andlookedit.Sheglanceddownattheprettythinginherhandandbackupat
himwithaperplexedexpression.

"Belatedbirthdaypresent,"hesaidgruffly,notmeetinghereyes.

"But...mybirthdaywasthefirstofMarch,"shesaid,hervoiceterse,"andInevermentionedit."

"Nevermentionedit,"heagreed,searchinghertiredfaceintently."Neverhadacake,apresent,evena
card."

Sheavertedhereyes.

"Hell!"

Thecurse,andthelookonhisface,surprisedher.

He couldn't tell her that he felt guilty about her birthday. He hadn't even known that it had gone by
untilLeotoldhimtwoweeksago.Shecouldhavehadacakeandlittlepresents,andcards.Butshe'd
keptittoherselfbecauseofthewayhe'dactedaboutthecakeshe'dmadeforhim.Heknewwithouta
wordbeingspokenthathe'dspoiledbirthdaysforherjustashismotherhadspoiledthemforhim.His
consciencebeathimtodeathoverit.Itwaswhyhe'dspentsomuchtimeaway,thatguilt,anditwas
whyhe'dgoneintoajewelers,impulsively,whenheneverdidanythingonimpulse,andboughtthe
littlenecklaceforher.

"Thanks,"shemurmured,curlingherfingersaroundthebox.Butshewouldn'tlookathim.

Therewassomethingelse,hethought,watchingherposturestiffen.Something...

"Whatisit?"heaskedabruptly.

Shetookaslowbreath."Whendoyouwantmetoleave?"sheaskedbravely.

Hescowled."WhendoIwhat?"

"Yousaid,thatdayIbakedthecake,thatIcouldgointhespring,"sheremindedhim,becauseshe'd
neverbeenabletoforget."It'sspring."

Hescowled more andstuck one handinto his pocket, thinkingfast. “How couldwe do without you
duringroundup?'heaskedreasonably."Stayuntilsummer."

Shefelttheboxagainstherpalms,warmfromhisbodywhereithadlaininhispocket.Itwassortof
like a link between them, even if he hadn't meant it that way. She'd never had a present from a man
before,exceptthecoatthebrothershadgivenher.Butthathadn'tbeenpersonallikethis.Shewasn't
surehowitwasintended,asasortofconscience-relieveroragenuinelywarmgesture.

"We'lltalkaboutitanothertime,"hesaidafteraminute."I'mtiredandI'vestillgotthingstodo."

Heturnedandwalkedpastherwithoutlookingback.Shefoundherselfwatchinghimhelplesslywith
thejeweleryboxheldlikeapricelesstreasureinhertwohands.

Asifhefelthereyeshestoppedsuddenly,atthebackdoor,andonlyhisheadpivoted.Hisblackeyes
met hers in the distance between them, and it was suddenly as if lightning had struck. She felt her
kneesquiveringunderher,herheartracing.Hewasonlylooking,butshecouldn'tgetherbreathat
all.

Hedidn'tglanceaway,andneitherdidshe.Inthatinstant,shelostherheart.Shefelthimfighttobreak
thecontactoftheireyes,andwin.Hemovedawayquickly,intothehouse,andshegroundherteeth
togetheratthisunexpectedcomplication.

Of all the men in the world to become infatuated with, Cag Hart was the very last she should have
picked. But knowing it didn't stop the way she felt. With a weary sigh, she turned and went back
towardherroom.Sheknewshewouldn'tsleep,nomatterhowtiredshewas.Shelinkedthenecklace
aroundherneckandadmireditinthemirror,worryingbrieflyabouttheexpense,becauseshe'dseen
ontheclaspatwas14Kgold-notatrifleatall.

Butitwouldhavebeenequallyprecioustoherifithadbeengold-tonemetal,andshewassureCag
knewit.Shewenttosleep,wearingit.

Chapter3

Everythmgwouldhavebeenabsolutelyfine,exceptthatsheforgottotakethenecklaceoffthenext
morningandthebrothersgaveherahardtimeoverbreakfast.That,inturn,embarrassedCag,who
stomped out without his second cup of coffee, glaring at Tess as if she'd been responsible for the
wholething.

Theyapologizedwhentheyrealizedthatthey'djustmadeabadsituationworse.Butasthedaywore
on, she wondered if she shouldn't have left the necklace in its box in her chest of drawers. It had
seemed to irritate Cag that she wanted to wear it. The beautiful thing was so special that she could
hardlygetpastmirrors.Shelovedjustlookingatit.

Hermindwassopreoccupiedwithherpresentthatshedidn'tpaycloseattentiontothebigaquarium
inCag'sroomwhenshewenttomakethebed.Andthatwasamistake.Shewasbendingovertopull
upthemulticoloredNavajopatternedcomforteronthebigfour-posteredbedwhensheheardafaint
noise.Thenextthingsheknew,shewaswearingHermanthepythonaroundherneck.

The weight of the huge reptile buckled her knees. Herman weighed more than she did by about ten
pounds. She screamed and wrestled, and the harder she struggled the harder an equally frightened
Hermanheldon,certainthathewasgoingtohitthefloorbouncingifherelaxedhisclinchonebit!

Leocamerunning,buthestoppedatthedoorway.Nosnake-lover,hehadn'tthefaintestideahowto
extricatetheirhousekeeperfromthescalyembraceshewasbeingsubjectedto.

"GetCag!"shesqueaked,pullingatHerman'scoils."Hurry,be-foreheeatsme!"

"Hewon'teatyou,"Leopromisedfromapaleface."Heonlyeatsfreeze-drieddeadthingswithfur,
honest!Cag'satthecorral.Wewerejustgoingtorideouttothelinecamp.Backinajiffy!"

Stompingfeetrandownthehall.Torturousminuteslater,heavierstompingfeetranbackagain.

Tess was kneeling with the huge reptile wrapped around her, his head arched over hers so that she
lookedasifshemightbewearingasnakyheaddress.

"Herman,forPete'ssake!"Cagraged."Howdidyougetoutthistime?"

"Couldyoupossiblyquestionhimlater,afteryou'vegothimoffme?"sheurged."Heweighsaton!"

"There, there," he said gently, because he knew how frightened she was of Herman. He approached
them slowly, careful not to spook his pet. He smoothed his big hand under the snake's chin and
strokedhimgently,soothinghimashespokesoftly,allthetimegentlyun-windinghimfromTess's

stoopedshoulders.

Whenhehadhimcompletelyfree,hewalkedbacktotheaquariumandscowledashepeeredatthe
lid,whichwasajar.

"Maybe he's got a crowbar in there," he murmured, shifting Her-man's formidable weight until he
could release the other catches enough to lift the lid from the tank. "I don't know why he keeps
climbingout."

“How would you like to live in a room three times your size with no playmates?" she muttered,
rubbing her aching shoulders. "He's sprained both my shoulders and probably cracked part of my
spine.Hefellonme!"

HeputHermaninthetankandlockedthelidbeforeheturned."Fell?"Hescowled."Fromwhere?"

"There!"

Shegesturedtowardoneofthewide,tallsculpturedposts'thatgracedhisking-sizebed.

Hewhistled."Hehasn'tgoneclimbinginawhile."Hemovedalittleclosertoherandhisblackeyes
narrowed."Youokay?"

"Itoldyou,"shemumbled,"I'vegotfracturedboneseverywhere!"

He smiled gently. "Sore muscles, more likely." His eyes were quizzical, soft. "You weren't really
scared,wereyou?"

Shehesitated.Thenshesmiledback,justfaintly."Well,no,notreally.I'vesortofgotusedtohim."
Sheshrugged."Hefeelsnice.Likeathicksilkscarf."

Cagdidn'tsayaword.Hejuststoodthere,lookingather,withasortoffunnysmile.

"Ithoughttheywereslimy."

The smile widened. “Most people do, until they touch one. Snakes are clean. They aren't generally
violentunlessthey'reprovoked,orunlessthey'resheddingorthey'vejusteaten.

Halftheworkisknowingwhennottopickthemup."Hetookoffhishatandranahandthroughhis
thickhair."I'vehadHermanfortwelveyears,"headded."He'slikefamily,althoughmostpeopledon't
understandthatyoucanhaveaffectionforasnake."

Shestudiedhishardface,rememberingthathisformerfianceehadinsistedthathegetridofHerman.

Evenifhelovedawoman,itwouldbehardforhimtogiveupamuch-lovedpet.

"Iusedtohaveaniguana,"shesaid,"whenIwasabouttwelve.Oneoftheguysattherodeohaditwith
him,andhewasgoingofftocollege.HeaskedwouldIlikehim."Shesmiledreminiscently."Hewas
greenandhuge,likesomeprehistoriccreature,likeareallivedragon.Helikedshreddedsquashand
bananasandhe'dletyouholdhim.Whenyoupettedhimontheheadhe'dclosehiseyesandraisehis
chin.Ihadhimforthreeyears."

"Whathappened?"

"Hejustdied,"shesaid."Ineverknewwhy.Thevetsaidthathecouldn'tseeathingwrongwithhim,
andthatI'ddoneeverythingrightbythebooktokeephimhealthy.Wecouldhavehadhimau-topsied,
butDaddidn'thavethemoneytopayforit.HewasprettyoldwhenIgothim.Iliketothinkitwasjust
histime,andnotanythingIdidwrong."

"Sometimespetsdojustdie."HewaslookingatHerman,coileduphappilyinhistankandlooking
angelic,inhissnakyfashion."Lookathim,"hemuttered.

"Doesn'tlooklikehe'severthoughtofescaping,doeshe?''

"IstillrememberwhenIopenedupthewashingmachinetodoclothesandfoundhimcoiledinside.I
almostquitonthespot."

"You'vecomealongwaysincethen,"hehadtoadmit.Hiseyeswenttotheblueandwhitesparkleof
thenecklaceandhestaredatit.

"I'msorry,"shemumbled,wrappingherhandarounditguiltily."Inevershouldhavewornitaround
yourbrothers.Butit'ssolovely.It'slikewearingapieceoftheskyaroundmyneck."

"I'mgladyoulikeit,"hesaidgruffly."Wearitallyoulike.They'llfindsomethingelsetoharponina
dayorso."

"Ididn'tthinkthey'dnotice."

He cocked an eyebrow. "I haven't bought a present for a woman in almost seven years," he said
shortly."It'snoteworthyaroundhere,despitemyintentions."

Herfacecolored."Oh,Iknowitwasjustformybirthday,"shesaidquickly.

"You work hard enough to deserve a treat now and again," he returned impatiently. "You're sure
you'reokay?"

Shenodded."Alittlethinglikeabrokenbackwon'tslowmedown."

Hegloweredather."Heonlyweighsahundredandtenpounds."

"Yeah?Well,Ionlyweighahundred!"

Hiseyeswentoverhersuddenly."You'velostweight."

"Yousaidthatbefore,butIhaven't.I'vealwaysbeenthin."

"Eatmore."

Hereyebrowsarched."I'lleatwhatIlike,thankyou."

Hemadearoughsoundinhisthroat."Andwherearethosenewclotheswe'vebeentryingtogetyou
tobuy?"

"Idon'twantanymoreclothes.Ihaveplentyofclothes."

"Plenty,thedevil,"hemutteredangrily."You'llgointotowntomorrowandgetsomenewjeansand
shirts.Gotthat?"

Sheliftedherchinstubbornly."Iwillnot!Listenhere,Imayworkforyou,butyoudon'ttellmewhat
Icanwear!"

Hestaredatherforaminutewithnarrowedeyes."Onsecondthought,"hemuttered,movingtoward
her,"whywaituntiltomorrow?AndlikehellIcan'ttellyouwhattowear!"

"Callaghan!"sheshrieked,protesting.

Bythetimeshegothisnameoutofhershockedmouth,hehadheroverhisshoulderinafireman's
lift.Hewalkedrightdownthehallwithher,passingLeo,whowasjustonhiswaybackintoseewhat
hadhappened.

"Oh,mygosh,didHermanbiteher?"hegasped."Isshekilled?"

"No,ofcoursehedidn'tbiteher!"Caghuffedandkeptwalking.

"Thenwhereareyoutakingher?"

"Tothenearestdepartmentstore."

"Tothe...youare?Goodman!"

"Turncoat!"Tesscalledbacktohim.

"Getheradress!"Leoadded.

"Ihatedresses!"

"Inthatcase,gethertwodresses!"

"Youshutup,Leo!"shegroaned.

ReywasstandingatthebackdoorwhenCagapproacheditwithhisburden.

"Goingout?"Reyaskedpleasantly,andopenedthedoorwithaflourish."Havefun,now."

"Rescueme!"Tesscalledtohim.

"Say,wasn'tthereasongaboutthat?"ReyaskedLeo,whojoinedhimontheporch.

"Theresurewas.Itwentlikethis...'Rescueme!'"hesang.

Thetwoofthemwerestillsingingit,arminarm,off-key,atthetopoftheirlungs,whenCagdrove
awayintheranchtruckwithafuriousTessathisside.

"Idon'twantnewclothes!"sheraged.

Heglancedtowardherredfaceandgrinned."Toolate.We'realreadyhalfwaytotown."

Thisstrangelyjubilantmoodofhissurprisedher.Cag,ofallthebrothers,neverseemedtoplay.Of
course,neitherdidSimon,buthewasrarelyaround.LeoandRey,she'dbeentold,hadoncebeenjust
astaciturnastheolderHarts.ButsinceDoriecamebackintoCorrigan'slife,theywerealwaysupto
their necks in something. All Cag did was work. It was completely unlike him to take any personal
interestinherwelfare.

"Leocouldhavetakenme,"shemuttered,foldingherarmsoverherchest.

"He'stoopolitetocarryyououtthedoor,"hereplied."AndRey'stoomuchagentleman.

Mostofthetime,anyway."

"Thesejeansjustgotbrokeingood."

"They'vegotholesinthem,"hesaidpointedly.

"It'sfashionable."

“Most fashionable jeans have holes in them when you buy them. Those—" he gestured toward the
wornknees"—gotlikethatfromhardwork.I'veseenyouonyourkneesscrubbingthekitchenfloor.
Which reminds me, we bought you one of those little floor cleaners that's specially made for
linoleum.They'resendingitoutwiththebutaneandlumberweorderedatthesametime."

"Afloorcleaner?"sheasked,stunned.

"Itwillmakethingsalittleeasierforyou."

She was delighted that he was concerned about her chores. She didn't say another word, but she
couldn'tquitestopsmiling.

Minutes later, he pulled up in front of the downtown department store and led her inside to the
women'ssection.HestoppedinfrontofMrs.Bellamy,thesalesladywho'dpracticallycomewiththe
store.Hetiltedhishatrespectfully."Mrs.Bellamy,canyoufitheroutwithjeansandshirtsandnew
boots and a dress or two?" he asked, nodding toward Tess, who was feeling more and more like a
man-nequin."Wecan'thaveourhousekeeperlookinglikethat!"Hegesturedtowardherfadedshirt
andholeyjeans.

"Mygoodness,no,Mr.Hart,"Mrs.Bellamyagreedatonce.Shefrownedthoughtfully."Andwejust

receivedsuchaniceshipmentofsummerthings,too!Youcomerightalongwithme,MissTess,and
we'll fix you up!" She took Tess's arm and waved her hand at Cag. "Shoo, now, Mr. Hart," she
murmuredabsently,andTesshadtostifleagiggleathisexpression.

"She'llbereadytopickupinaboutanhour."

I'maparcel,Tessthought,andCag'safly.Sheputahandoverherwobblymouthasshewentmeekly
alongwiththeolderwoman.Hystericallaughterwouldnotsavehernow.

Cagwatchedhergowithanamusedsmile.Soshedidn'twantnewclothes,huh?They'dseeaboutthat!
Mrs.Bellamywasn'tgoingtoletapotentialcommissionwalkawayfromher!

An hour later, Cag went back for Tess and found her trying on a royal blue and white full-skirted
dress with spaghetti straps and a shirred bodice. Against her white skin the sapphire-and-diamond
necklace was brilliant. With her freckled white shoulders bare and the creamy tops of her breasts
showing,shetookhisbreathaway.

"Isn't that dress just the thing, Tess?" Mrs. Bellamy was murmuring. "You wait right here. I want to
show you one more! Oh, hello, Mr. Hart!" she called as she passed him. She waved a hand toward
Tess."Whatdoyouthink?Isn'titcute?NowwheredidIseethatprettyblacklacything..."

TessturnedasCagjoinedher.Hisfacegavenothingaway,buthisblackeyesglitteredoverthesoft
skinleftbarebythedress.Itcertainlymadehereyesbluer.

"Isit...toorevealing?"Tessaskednervously,becauseofthewayhewaswatchingher.

Heshookhishead."Itsuitsyou.Itevenmatchesthenecklace."Hisvoicesoundeddeepandhusky.He
movedcloserandonebig,leanhandliftedinvoluntarilytoherthroatwherethesmallsapphirelayin
itsbedofdiamondsandgold.Hishandrestedthereforaninstantbeforeitmovedrestlesslyoverthe
thinstrapofthedress.Hisfingertipsabsentlytracedoverhersoftskinashestudiedher,noticingits
silkywarmth.

Herbreathcaughtinherthroat.Shefeltherheartbeatshakingthedressevenasshenoticedhisblack
eyesloweringtothefleshleftbarebytheshirredbodice.

Hisfingerscontractedonhershoulderandherintakeofbreathwassuddenlyaudible.

Hemethereyesrelentlessly,lookingforhiddensignsthatshecouldn'tkeepfromhim.

"Thisisthesortofdress,"hesaidgruffly,"thatmakesamanwanttopullthebodicedown."

"Mr....Hart!"sheexclaimed.

Hescowledfaintlyashesearchedhershockedeyes."Don'tyouknowanythingaboutdressesandthe
effecttheyhaveonmen?'hewantedtoknow.

Hertremblinghandswenttotugthebodiceupevenmore."Idonot!ButIknowthatIwon'thaveitif
itmakesyou...makesamanthink...suchthings!''

Hishandjerkedsuddenly,asifherskinhadburnedit."Iwasteasing!"heliedsharply,movingaway.
"It'sfine.Youlookfine.Andyes,"headdedfirmly,"you'llhaveit,allright!"

Shedidn'tknowwhattothink.Hewasactingverystrangely,andnowhewouldn'tlookatheratall.
Teasing?Thenwhywashesostiffanduncomfortablelookingifhewasteasing?

AndwhykeephisbacktoherandMrs.Bellamy,who'djustrejoinedthem.

"Here,Tess,tryonthisone.I'llboxthatonewhileyou'redressing."Sherushedthegirloffbeforeshe
couldsayanythingtoCag.

That was just as well. He was fighting a raging arousal that had shocked him senseless. Tess was
beginning to have a very noticeable effect on him, and he was quite sorry that he'd insisted on
bringingherhere.Ifsheworethatdressaroundhim,itwasgoingtocausesomemajorproblems.

Hestoodbreathingdeliberatelyuntilhisrebelliousbodywasbackundercontrol.HenoticedthatTess
didn'tshowhimtheblackdressshe'dtriedon.ButsheshookherheadwhenMrs.

Bellamyaskedheraboutit.Shewastryingtorefusetheblueone,too.Hewasn'thavingthat.

Shelookedsobeautifulinit.Thatwasoneshehadtohave.

"You're not turning that blue one back in," he said firmly. "You'll need something to wear if you're
askedoutanywhere."Hehatedthinkingaboutherinthatdresswithanotherman.

Butshedidn'tdate.Itshouldn'tworryhim."Didyougetsomejeansandblouses,andhowaboutthose
boots?"

AfterMrs.Bellamyrattledoffaninventory,heproducedacreditcardandwatchedherringupatotal.
Hewouldn'tletTessseeit.Shelookedworriedenoughalready.

HetookthetwolargebagsandthedressbagfromMrs.BellamywiththanksandhustledTessback
out to the double-cabbed truck. He put the purchases on the back seat and loaded Tess into the
passengerseat.

Shesatwithoutfasteningherbeltuntilhegotinbesideher.

"Youspenttoomuch,"shesaidnervously,herbigblueeyesechoinghermood."Iwon'tbeabletopay
youbackformonths,evenifyoutakesomuchaweekoutofmysalary."

"Think of the clothes as a uniform," he said gently. "You can't walk around in what you've been
wearing.Whatwillpeoplethinkofus?"

"Nobodyevercomestoseeyou."

"Visiting cattlemen do. Politicians do. We even have the occasional cookout. People notice these
things.Andyou'lllookneaterinnewstuff."

Sheshruggedandsighedwithdefeat."Okay,then.Thanks."

Hedidn'tcrankthetruck.Hethrewalongarmoverthebackoftheseatandlookedatheropenly.Her
barelycontainedexcitementovertheclothesbegantomakesensetohim.

"You'veneverhad|newthings,"hesaidsuddenly.

Sheflushed."Ontherodeocircuit,whenyoulose,youdon'tmakemuch.DadandIboughtmostof
ourstufffromyardsales,orweregivenhand-me-downsbyotherrodeopeople."

Sheglancedathimnervously."Iusedtocompeteinbarrelracing,andIwonthirdplaceafewtimes,
butIdidn'thaveagoodenoughhorsetogohigher.WehadtosellhimjustbeforeDadgaveupand
cameheretowork."

"Why,Tess,"hesaidsoftly."Ineverknewyoucouldrideatall!"

"Ihaven'thadmuchchanceto."

“I’lltakeyououtwithmeonemorning.Canyourideaquarterhorse?"

Shesmiled."Ifhe'swelltrained,sureIcan!"

Hechuckled."We'llsee,afterthebiggestpartoftheroundup'sover.We'dnevergetmuchdonewith
allthecowboysshowingoffforyou."

Sheflushed."Nobodylooksatme.I'mtooskinny."

"Butyou'renot,"heprotested.Hiseyesnarrowed."You'reslender,butnobodycouldmistakeyoufor
aboy."

"Thanks."

Hereachedoutunexpectedlyandtuggedashortreddish-goldcurl,bringingherfacearoundsothat
hecouldsearchit.Hewasn'tsmiling.

Hiseyesnarrowedashisgazeslidlazilyoverhereyes,cheekbonesanddowntohermouth.

"Thebluedresssuitedyou,"hesaid."Howdidtheblackonelook?"

Sheshiftedrestlessly."Itwastoolow."

"Lowwhat?"

Sheswallowed.“Itwascutalmosttothewaist.Icouldneverwearsomethinglikethatinpublic!"

Hisgazefelllower,tothequickriseandfallofhersmallbreasts."Alotofwomencouldn'tgetaway
withit,"hemurmured."Butyoucould.You'resmallenoughthatyouwouldn'tneedtowearabrawith
it."

"Mr.Hart!"sheexclaimed,jerkingback.

His eyebrows arched. "I've been Callaghan for months and today I've already been Mr. Hart twice.
WhatdidIsay?"

Herfacewasaflamingred."You...youknowwhatyousaid!"

Hedid,allatonce,andhechuckledhelplessly.Heshookhisheadashereachedfortheignitionand
switchediton."AndIthoughtMrs.Lewiswasold-fashioned.Youmakeherlooklikeahippie!"

She wrapped her arms over her chest, still shaken by the remark. "You mustn't go around saying
thingslikethat.It'sindecent!"

He had to force himself not to laugh again. She was serious. He shouldn't tease her, but it was
irresistible.Shemadehimfeelwarminside,whenhe'dbeenemptyforyears.Heshouldhaverealized
that he was walking slowly toward an abyss, but he didn't notice. He enjoyed having her around,

spoilingheralittle.Heglancedsidewaysather."Putyourbelton,honey."

Honey! She fumbled it into the lock at her side, glancing at him uncertainly. He never used
endearmentsandshedidn'tlikethem.Butthatdeep,roughvoicemadehertoescurl.Shecouldalmost
imaginehimwhisperingthatwordunderhisbreathashekissedawoman.

Shewentscarlet.Whyhadshethoughtofthat?Andifthethoughtwasn'tbadenough,hereyeswent
suddenly to his hard mouth and lingered there in spite of her resolve. She wondered if that mouth
couldwreakthedevastationshethoughtitcould.She'donlybeenkissedatimeortwo,andneverby
anybodywhoknewhow.Callaghanwouldknowhow,shewassureofit.

Hecaughtherlookingathimandoneeyebrowwentup."Andwhatsortofscandalousthoughtsare
goingthroughthatprudishmindnow?"hetaunted.

Shecaughtherbreath."Idon'tknowwhatyoumean!"

"No?"

"No!AndIdonothaveaprudishmind!"

"Youcouldhavefooledme,"hesaidunderhisbreath,andactuallygrinned.

“Holdyourbreathuntilyougetanymoreapplebutterwithyourbiscuits,"shemutteredback."And
waituntilyougetanotherbiscuit,too!"

"Youcan'tstarveme,"hesaidsmugly."ReyandLeowillprotectme."

"Oh,right,liketheyprotectedme!Howcouldyoudothat?Carryingmeoutlikeapackage,andthem
standingtheresinginglikefools.Idon'tknowwhyIeveragreedtoworkforsuchaloopyfamily!"

"Loopy?Us?"

"You!You'reallcrazy."

"Whatdoesthatmakeyou?"hemurmureddryly."Youworkforus."

"Ineedmyheadread!"

"I'llgetsomebodyonitfirstthing."

Sheglancedathimsourly."Ithoughtyouwantedmetoquit."

"I already told you, not during roundup!" he reminded her. "Maybe when summer comes, if you're
determined."

"I'mnotdetermined.You'redetermined.Youdon'tlikeme."

He pursed his lips, staring straight ahead. "I don't, do I?" he said absently. "But you're a fine
housekeeperandaterrificcook.IfIfiredyou,theotherswouldstickmeinahorsetroughandhold
meunder."

"YoudestroyedthecakeIbakedforyou,"sherecalleduneasily."Andyouletyoursnakefallonme."

"ThatwasHerman'sownidea,"heassuredher.Hisfacehardened."Thecake—youknowwhy."

"Iknownow."Sherelented."I'msorry.Idon'tknowwhatnicemothersarelike,either,becauseInever
hadone.ButifIhadlittlekids,I'dmaketheirbirthdayssospecial,"shesaidalmosttoherself,

smiling."I'dbakecakesandgivethemparties,andmakeicecream.Andthey'dhavelotsandlotsof
presents."Herhandwentinvoluntarilytothenecklacehe'dgivenher.

Hesawthat,andsomethingwarmkindledinhischest."Youlikekids?"heaskedwithoutwantingto.

"Verymuch.Doyou?"

"Ihaven'thadmuchtodowiththem.IlikeMack'stoddler,though,"headded.Theforemanhadalittle
boy two years old who always ran to Cag to be picked up. He always took something over for the
childwhenhewenttoseeMackandhiswife.Tessknew,althoughhenevermentionedit.

Shelookedoutthewindow."Idon'tsupposeI'lleverhavekidsofmyown."

Hescowled."Whydoyousaythat?"

She wrapped her arms around her chest. "I don't like...the sort of thing that you have to do to get
them."

Hesteppedonthebrakessohardthattheseatbeltjerkedtightandstaredatherintently.

Sheflushed."Well,somewomenarecold!"

"Howdoyouknowthatyouare?"hesnapped,hatinghimselfforevenasking.

Sheavertedhergazeoutthewindow."Ican'tstandtohaveamantouchme."

"Really?"hedrawled."ThenwhydidyougaspandstandtherewithyourheartbeatshakingyouwhenI
slidmyhandoveryourshoulderinthedressshop?"

Herbodyjerked."Inever!"

"Youmostcertainlydid,"heretorted,andfeltawaveofdelightwashoverhimatthememoryofher
softskinunderhishands.Ithadflatteredhim,touchedhim,thatshewasvulnerablewithhim.

"Itwas...Imean,Iwassurprised.That'sall!"sheaddedbelligerently.

Hisfingerstappedonthesteeringwheelashecontemplatedherwithnarrowedeyes.

"Somethinghappenedtoyou.What?"

Shestaredathim,stunned.

"Comeon.YouknowIdon'tgossip."

Shedid.Shemovedrestlesslyagainsttheseat."Oneofmymother'sloversmadeaheavypassatme,"
shemuttered."Iwassixteenandgrassgreen,andhescaredmetodeath."

"Andnowyou'retwenty-two,"headded.Hestaredatherevenharder.'Therearen'tanytwenty-two-
year-oldvirginsleftinAmer-ica."

"Sayswho?"sheshotathim,andthenflushedasshefeltherselffallrightintothetrap.

Hislipspursed,andhesmiledsofaintlythatshealmostmissedit.

"Thatbeingthecase,"hesaidinasoft,mockingtone,"howdoyouknowthatyou'refrigid?"

Shewasgoingtochoketodeathtryingtoanswerthat.Shedrewinanexasperatedbreath.

"Can'twegohome?"

Shemadethewordsoundsoft,mysterious,enticing.He'dlivedinhousesallhislife.Shemadehim
wantahome.Butitwasn'tathinghewasgoingtoadmitjustyet,eventohimself.

"Sure,"hesaidafteraminute."Wecangohome."Hetookhisfootoffthebrake,putthetruckingear
andsentitflyingdowntheroad.

Itneveroccurredtohimthattakinghershoppinghadbeenthelastthingonhismindthismorning,or
thathispleasureinhercompanywasunusual.Hewasreclusivethesedays,stoicandunapproachable;
exceptwhenTesscameclose.Shewasvulnerableinsomanyways,likethekittenthey'dbothadopted.
Surely it was just her youth that appealed to him. It was like giving treats to a deprived child and
enjoyingitsreactions.

Exceptthatshetrembledunderhishandsandhe'dbeenyearsonhisown.Helikedtouchingherand
she liked letting him. It was something he was going to have to watch. The whole situation was
explosive.Buthewassurehecouldhandleit.Shewasasweetkid.Itwouldn'thurtifhespoiledher
justalittle.Ofcourseitwouldn't.

Chapter4

The brothers, like Tess and the rest of the staff, were worn to a . frazzle by the time roundup was
almostover.

Tesshadn'tthoughtCagmeantitwhenhe'dinvitedhertoridewithhimwhilehegatheredstrays,but
earlyonemorningafterbreakfast,hesenthertochangeintojeansandboots.Hewaswaitingforher
atthestablewhenshejoinedhimthere.

"Listen, I'm a little rusty," Tess began as she stared dubiously toward two saddled horses, one of
whomwasasleekblackgeldingwhoprancedinplace.

"Don'tworry.Iwouldn'tputyouonBlackDiamondevenifyouasked.He'smine.ThisisWhirlwind,"
hesaid,noddingtowardaprettylittleredmare."She'saregisteredquarterhorseandsmartasawhip.
She'll take care of you." He summed her up with a glance, smiling at the blue windbreaker that
matchedhereyesandtheAtlantaBravesbaseballcapperchedatopherred-goldcurls.

"Youlookaboutten,"hemused,determinedtoputaninvisibleOffLimitssignonhermentally.

“Andyoulookabout—'shebegan.

Hecutheroffinmidsentence."Hopaboardandlet'sgetstarted."

Shevaultedeasilyintothesaddleandgatheredthereinslooselyinherhands,smilingatthepleasure
ofbeingonahorseagain.Shehadn'triddensinceherfather'sdeath.

He tilted his tan Stetson over his eyes and turned his mount expertly. "We'll go out this way," he
directed, taking the lead toward the grassy path that wound toward the line camp in the distance.
"Catchup."

Shepattedthehorse'sneckgentlyandwhisperedtoher.Shetrot-tedupnexttoCag'smountandkept
thepace.

“Wedomostofthiswithlightaircraft,buttherearealwaysafewmaverickswhoaren'tintimidatedby

flying machines. They get into the brush and hide. So we have to go after those on horseback." He
glanced at her jean-clad legs and frowned. "I should have dug you out some chaps," he murmured,
andshenoticedthathewaswearinghisown—bat-wingchapswithstainsandscratchesfromthissort
ofwork."Don'trideintothebrushlikethat,"

headdedfirmly."You'llripyourlegsopenonthethorns."

"Okay,"shesaideasily.

Hesetthepaceandshefollowed,feelingoddlyhappyandatpeace.Itwasniceridingwithhimlike
thisacrossthewide,flatplain.Shefeltasiftheyweretheonlytwopeopleonearth.

Therewasadelicioussilenceouthere,brokenonlybythewindandthesoftsnortingofthehorses
andoccasionallyadistantsoundofacarorairplane.

They worked through several acres of scrubland, flushing cows and calves and steers from their
hiding places and herding them toward the distant holding pens. The men had erected several
stockades in which to place the separated cattle, and they'd brought in a tilt-tray, so that the calves
couldbebrandedandear-tagged.

The cows, identified with the handheld computer by the computer chips embedded in their tough
hides,were either culledand placed ina second corral tobe shipped out,or driven toward another
pasture.Thecalveswouldbeshippedtoauction.Thesteers,alreadyundercontract,wouldgototheir
buyers.Evensofarawayfromtheranch,therewastremendousorganizationintheoperation.

TesstookoffherBravescapandwipedhersweatingforeheadonhersleeve.

Hardy,oneoftheolderhands,grinnedashefetchedupbesideheronhisownhorse."Stillbettingon
themBraves,areyou?Theylostthepennantagainlastfall...that'stwoyearsinarow."

"Oh,yeah?Well,theywonitoncealready,"sheremindedhimwithasmuggrin."Whoneedstwo?"

Hechuckled,shookhisheadandrodeoff.

"Baseballfanatic,"Cagmurmureddrylyashejoinedher.

"I'llbetyouwatchedtheplayoffslastfall,too,"sheaccused.

Hedidn'treply."Hungry?"heasked."Wecangetcoffeeandsomestewoveratthechuckwagon."

“IthoughtonlythosebigoutfitsupintheRockiesstillpackedoutachuckwagon."

"Ifwedidn't,we'dallgohungryhere,"hetoldher."Thisranchisalotbiggerthanitlooks."

"Isawitonthemapinyouroffice,"shereplied."Itsurecoversalotofland."

"YoushouldseeourspreadinMontana,"hemused."It'sthebiggestofthelot.Andtheonethatkeptus
allsobusyafewweeksago,tryingtogettherecordsonthecomputer."

Sheglancedbacktowheretwoofthemenwereworkinghandheldcomputers."Doallyourcowboys
knowhowtousethosethings?"sheasked.

"Mostofthem.You'dbeamazedhowmanycollegeboyswegetherebetweenexamsandnewclasses.
Wehadanaeronauticalengineerlastsummerandaprofessorofarchaeologytheyearbeforethat."

"Archaeology!"

Hegrinned."Hespentmoretimediggingthanhespentworkingcattle,buthetaughtushowtodate
projectilepointsandpottery."

"Howinteresting."Shestretchedherachingback."Iguessyou'vebeentocollege."

"IgotmydegreeinbusinessfromHarvard."

Sheglancedathimwarily."AndIbarelyfinishedhighschool."

"You'vegotyearslefttogotocollege,ifyouwantto."

"Slimchanceofthat,"shesaidcarelessly."Ican'tworkandgotoschoolatthesametime."

"Youcandowhatourcowboysdo—workaquarterandgotoschoolaquarter."Hefingeredthereins
gently."Infact,wecouldarrangeitsothatyoucoulddothat,ifyoulike.

Jacobsvillehasacommunitycollege.Youcouldcommute."

Thebreathleftherinarush."You'dletme?"sheasked.

"Sure,ifyouwantto."

"Oh,mygoodness."Shethoughtaboutitwithgrowingdelight.Shecouldstudybotany.Shelovedto

growthings.Shemightevenlearnhowtocultivaterosesanddografting.Hereyessparkled.

"Well?"

"Icouldstudybotany,"shesaidabsently."Icouldlearntogrowroses."

Hefrowned."Horticulture?"

"Yes."Sheglancedathim."Isn'tthatwhatcollegeteachesyou?"

"Itdoes,certainly.Butifyouwanthorticulture,thevocationalschooloffersadiplomainit."

Herfacebecameradiantatthethought."Oh,howwonderful!"

"Whatanexpression,"hemused,surprisedatthepleasureitgavehim."Isthatwhatyouwanttodo,
learntogrowplants?"

"Notjustplants,"shesaid."Roses!"

"We'vegotdozensofthemoutback."

"No,notjustold-fashionedroses.Tearoses.Iwanttodografts.Iwantto...tocreatenewhybrids."

Heshookhishead."That'sovermyhead."

"It'sovermine,too.That'swhyIwanttolearnit."

"No ambition to be a professional of some sort?" he persisted. "A teacher, a lawyer, a doctor, a
journalist?"

She hesitated, frowning as she studied his hard face. “I like flowers," she said slowly. "Is there
somethingwrongwiththat?Imean,shouldIwanttostudysomethingelse?"

Hedidn'tknowhowtoanswerthat."Mostwomendo,thesedays."

"Sure,butmostwomendon'twantjobsworkinginakitchenandkeepinghouseandgrowingflowers,

dothey?"Shebitherlip."Idon'tknowthatI'dbesmartenoughtodohorticulture..."

"Ofcourseyouwould,ifyouwanttodoit,"hesaidimpatiently.Hisgoodhumorseemedtoevaporate
ashestaredather."Doyouwanttospendyourlifeworkinginsomebodyelse'skitchen?"

She shifted. "I guess I will," she said. "I don't want to get married, and I don't really see myself
teachingkidsorpracticingmedicine.Ienjoycookingandkeepinghouse.AndIlovegrowingthings."
Sheglancedathimbelligerently."What'swrongwiththat?"

"Nothing.Notadamnedthing."

"NowI'vemadeyoumad."

His hand wrapped around the reins. He didn't look at her as he urged his mount ahead, toward the
chuckwagonwhereseveralcowboyswereholdingfullplates.

Hecouldn'ttellherthatitwasn'therlackofambitionthatdisturbedhim.Itwasthepicturehehadof
her, surrounded by little redheaded kids digging in the rose garden. It upset him, unsettled him. He
couldn'tstartthinkinglikethat.Tesswasjustakid,despiteherage,andhe'dbetterkeepthatinmind.
She hadn't even started to live yet. She'd never known intimacy with a man. She was likely to fall
headlonginlovewiththefirstmanwhotouchedher.Hethoughtaboutthat,aboutbeingthefirst,and
itrockedhimtothesolesofhisfeet.

Hehadtogethismindonsomethingelse!

Theyhadabrieflunchwithseveralofthecowboys.TessletCagdomostofthetalking.Sheateher
stew with a biscuit, drank a cup of coffee and tried not to notice the speculative glances she was
getting.Shedidn'tknowthatitwasunusualforCagtobeseeninthecompanyofawoman,eventhe
ranchhousekeeper.Certainlyhe'dneverbroughtanyonefemaleouttoaroundupbefore.Itaroused
themen'scuriosity.

Cag ignored the looks. He knew that having Tess along was innocent, so what did it matter what
anyoneelsethought?Itwasn'tasifhewasplanningtodragheroffintothebrushandmakeloveto
her.Evenashethoughtit,hepicturedit.Hiswholebodywenthot.

"We'dbettergetgoing,"hesaidabruptly,risingtohisfeet.

Tessthankedthecookforherlunch,andfollowedCagbacktothehorses.

Theyrodeofftowardthefarpastureswithoutawordbeingspoken.Shewonderedwhatshe'ddoneto
makeCagmad,butshedidn'twanttosayanything.Itmightonlymakemattersworse.Shewondered
ifhewasmadbecauseshewantedtogobacktoschool.

Theyleftthecampbehindandrodeinatensesilence.Hereyeskeptgoingtohistall,powerfulbody.
Heseemedpartofthehorseherode,socomfortableandcarelessthathemighthavebeenborninthe
saddle.Hehadpowerfulbroadshouldersandleanhips,withlonglegsthatweresensuouslyoutlined
bythetight-fittingjeansheworeunderthechaps.

She'dseenplentyofrodeocowboysinheryounglife,butnoneofthemwouldhaveheldacandleto
Cag.Helookedeleganteveninoldclothes.

Heturnedhisheadandcaughtherstaring,thenfrownedwhensheblushed.

"Didyouevergorodeoing?"sheaskedtocoverherconfusion.

He shook his head. "Never had much use for it," he said honestly. "I didn't need the money, and I
alwayshadenoughtodohere,orononeoftheotherranchesinthecombine."

"Dad couldn't seem to stay in one place for very long," she murmured thoughtfully. "He loved the
rodeocircuit,buthedidn'twinveryoften."

"Itwasn'tmuchofalifeforyou,wasit?"heasked."Itmusthavebeenhardtogotoschoolatall."

She smiled. "My education was hit-and-miss, if that's what you mean. But there were these
correspondence courses I took so I could get my high school diploma." She flushed deeper and
glancedathim."IknowI'mnotveryeducated."

Hereinedinatasmallstreamthatcrossedthewoodedpath,intheshadeofabigoaktree,andlethis
horse drink, motioning her to follow suit. "It wasn't a criticism," he said. "Maybe I'm too blunt
sometimes,butpeoplealwaysknowwheretheystandwithme."

"Inoticed."

Acornerofhismouthquirked."Youaren'tshyaboutexpressingyourownopinions,"herecalled."It's
refreshing."

"Oh,Ilearnedtofightbackearly,"shemurmured."Rodeo'satoughgame,andsomeoftheotherkids
Imetwereprettyphysicalwhentheygotmad.Imaynotbebig,butIcankicklikeamule."

"Idon'tdoubtit."Hedrewonelonglegupandhookeditoverthepommelwhilehestudiedher."But
despiteallthatmalecompany,youdon'tknowmuchaboutmen."

Thiswasdisturbingterritory.Sheavertedhergazetothebubblingstreamattheirfeet."Soyousaid,
whenwewenttothestore."Sherememberedsuddenlythefeelofhishardfingersonhersoftskinand

herheartbegantorace.

Hisblackeyesnarrowed."Didn'tyouevergooutondates?"

Herlithebodyshiftedinthesaddle."Thesedays,mostgirlsdon'tcarewhattheydoandthey'reclued
upabouthowtotakecareofthemselves."Sheglancedathimandaway."Itmakesitroughforthefew
ofuswhodon'tthinkit'sdecenttobehavethatway.Menseemtoexpectagirltogiveoutonthefirst
dateandtheygetmadwhenshewon't."

Hetracedacutonhischaps."Soyoustoppedgoingout."

She nodded. "It seemed the best way. Besides," she murmured uncomfortably, "I told you. I don't
like...that."

"That?"

Hewasgoingtoworrythesubjecttodeath."That,"sheemphasized."Youknow,beinggrabbedand
forciblyfondledandhavingamantrytostickhistonguedownyourthroat!"

Hechuckledhelplessly.

"Oh,youdon'tunderstand!"

"In fact, I do," he replied, and the smile on his lips was full of worldly knowledge and indulgent
amusement."Youwereluckythatyourwould-besuitorsdidn'tknowanymorethanyoudid."

Shefrownedbecauseshedidn'tunderstand.

Hisblackeyessearchedherface."Tess,anexperiencedmandoesn'tgrab.Ever.Hedoesn'thaveto.
AndFrenchkissesneedtobeworkedupto,veryslowly."

Herheartwasreallygoingnow.Itshookthecottonblouseshewaswearing.Shestaredatthechaps
whereCag'slongfingerswereresting,andrememberedthefeelofhislean,stronghands.

"Embarrassed?"heaskedsoftly.

Shehesitated.Thenshenodded.

His heart jumped wildly as he stared at her, unblinking. "And curious?" he added in a deep, slow

drawl.

Afterafewseconds,shenoddedagain,butshecouldn'tmakeherselfmeethiseyes.

His hand clenched on the pommel of his saddle as he fought the hunger he felt to teach her those
things,tosatisfyhercuriosity.Hisgazefelltohersoftmouthandhewantedit.Itwascrazy,whathe
wasthinking.Hecouldn'taffordalapselikethat.Shewasjustakidandsheworkedforhim...

Sheheardthecreakofleatherasheswungdownoutofthesaddle.Afteraminute,shefelthislean
handshardonherwaist.Heliftedherdownfromthehorseabruptlyandleftthehorsestodrinktheir
fill.

The sun filtered down to the ground in patterns through the oak leaves there, in the middle of
nowhere, in the shelter of the trees where thick grass grew on the shallow banks of the stream and
openpasturebeyondthespot.Thewindwhippedaround,butTesscouldn'thearitorthegurgleofthe
streamabovethesoundofherownheart.

Hishandsfeltroughagainstherskin.Theyfeltasifhewasn'tquiteincontrol,andwhenshelooked
upathim,sherealizedthathewasn't.Hisfacewaslikesteel.Theonlythingaliveinitwasthoseblack
Spanisheyes,thelegacyofanobleMadridancestry.

Shefeltherkneeswobblebecauseofthewayhewaslookingather,hiseyesboldonherbody,asif
heknewexactlywhatwasunderherclothing.

ThethoughtofCallaghanHart'smouthonherlipsmadeherbreathcatchinherthroat.

She'dalwaysbeenalittleafraidofhim,notbecauseshethoughthemighthurther,butbecauselateat
nightshelaywonderinghowitwouldfeelifhekissedher.She'dthoughtaboutitalotlately,toher
shame.Hewasmature,experienced,confident,allthethingsshewasn't.Sheknewshecouldn'thandle
anaffairwithhim.Shewasequallysurethathewouldn'thaveanyamorousinterestinanovicelike
her.She'dbeensure,sheamended.

Becausehewaslookingathernowinawayhe'dneverlookedatherbefore.

Hercoldhandspressednervouslyintothesoftcottonofhisshirt,feelingthewarmthandstrengthof
hischestunderit.

"Callaghan,"shewhispereduncertainly.

Hishardlipsparted."Nobodyelsecallsmethat,"hesaidtersely,droppinghisgazetohermouth.He
likedthewayshemadehisnamesound,asifithadasortofmagic.

Her fingers spread. She liked the feel of warm muscle under the shirt, and the soft, spongy feel of
thickhairbehindthebuttons.Hewashairythere,shesuspected.

He wasn't breathing normally. She could feel his heartbeat against her skin. Her hands pressed
gingerlyagainsthim,toexplore,hesitantly,thehardnessofhischest.

Hestiffened.Hishandsonherwaistcontracted.Hisbreathingchanged.

Her hands stilled immediately. She looked up into glittery black eyes. She didn't understand his
reactions,neverhavingexperiencedthembefore.

"You don't know anything at all, do you?" he asked tersely, and it sounded as if he was talking to
himself.Helookeddownathershort-nailed,capablelittlehandsrestingsonervouslyontopofhis
shirt.“Whydidyoustop?'

"Yougotstiff,"shesaid.

Heliftedaneyebrow."Stiff?"

Helookedasifhewastryingnottosmile,despitethetautnessofhisfaceandbody.

"Youknow,"shemurmured."Tense.Likeyoudidn'twantmetotouchyou."

Heletoutaslowbreath.Hishandsmovedfromherwaisttocoverhercoldfingersandpressthem
closer.Theyfeltwarmandcozy,almostcomforting.Theyflattenedherhandssothatshecouldfeel
hisbodyineverycell.

Shemovedherfingersexperimentallywherethebuttonsrandowntowardhisbelt.

"Don'tgetambitious,"hesaid,stillingherhands."I'mnottakingoffmyshirtforyou."

"AsifIwouldever...!"sheburstout,embarrassed.

He smiled indulgently, studying her flushed face, her wide, bright eyes. "I don't care whether you
would,ever,you'renotgoingto.Liftyourface."

"Why?"sheexpelledonachokedbreath.

"Youknowwhy."

Shebitherlip,hard,studyinghisfacewithworriedeyes."Youdon'tlikeme."

"Likingdoesn'thaveanythingtodowiththis."Heletgoofherhandsandgrippedherelbows,lifting
hereasilywithinreachofhismouth.Hisgazefelltoitandhischestroseandfellroughly."Yousaid
youwerecurious,"hemurmuredatherlips."I'mgoingtodosomethingaboutit."

Herhandsgrippedhisshirt,wrinklingit,ashismouthcamecloser.Shecouldtastethecoffeeonhis
warm breath and she felt as if the whole world had stopped spinning, as if the wind had stopped
blowing,whileshehungthere,waiting.

Hishardlipsjustbarelytouchedhers,brushinglightlyoverthesensitivefleshtosavorit.

Hereyesclosedandsheheldherselfperfectlystill,sothathewouldn'tstop.

Heliftedhisheadfractionally.Shelookedasifshecouldn'tbeartohavehimdrawback.

Whatevershefelt,itwasn'tfear.

He bent again. His top lip nudged under hers, and then down to toy with her lower lip. He felt her
gasp.Apparentlythekissesshe'dhadfromothermenhadn'tbeenarousing.Hefeltherhandstighten
onhisshirtwithasenseofpurearrogantpleasure.

He brought both lips down slowly over her bottom one, letting his tongue slide softly against the
silky,moistinnertissue.Shegaspedandhermouthopened.

"Yes,"hewhisperedashisownmouthopenedtomeetit,pressintoit,partingherlipswidesothathe
couldcoverthemcompletely.

Shemadeatinysoundandherbodystiffened,butheignoredthefaintinvoluntaryprotest.

His arms reached down, enclosing, lifting, so that she was completely off the ground in a hungry,
warmembracethatseemedtoswallowherwhole.

Thekisswashard,slow,insistentanddelicious.SheclaspedherhandsatthebackofCal'sneckand
clungtoit,hermouthacceptinghis,lovingthehardcrushofit.Whenshefelthistongueslippingpast
herlips,shedidn'tprotest.Sheopenedhermouthforhim,mettheslow,velvetythrustwithahusky
littlemoan,andclosedhereyeseventighterastheintimacyofthekissmadeherwholebodyclench

withpleasure.

Itseemedalongtimebeforeheliftedhisheadandwatchedherdazed,mistyeyesopen.

Hesearchedthemintheheadysilenceoftheglade.Nearbyahorsewhinnied,buthedidn'thearit.His
heart was beating in time with Tess's, in a feverish rush. He was feeling sensations he'd almost
forgottenhowtofeel.Hisbodywasswelling,aching,againsthers.

Hewatchedherfacecolorandknewthatshefeltitandunderstoodit.

Heeasedherbackdownontoherfeetandlethermoveawayafewinches.Hiseyesneverlefthers
andhedidn'tlethergocompletely.

Shelookedasstunnedashefelt.Hesearchedhereyesashisbighandliftedandhisfingerstraceda
blatantpathdownherbreasttothehardtip.Shegasped,butshedidn'ttrytostophim.Shecouldn't,
andheknewit.

Hishandreturnedtoherwaist.

She leaned her forehead against him while she got her breath back. She wondered if she should be
embarrassed. She felt hot all over and oddly swollen. Her mouth was sore, but she wished his hard
lipswerestillcoveringit.Thesensationscurlingthroughherbodywerenewandexcitingandalittle
frightening.

"Wasitjust...alesson?"shewhispered,becauseshewantedtoknow.

Hishandssmoothedgentlyoverhercurlyhead.Hestaredpastit,towardthestreamwherethehorses
werestilldrinking."No."

"Then,why?"

Hisfingersslidintohercurls.Hesighedheavily."Idon'tknow."

Hereyesclosed.Shestoodagainsthimwiththewindblowingallaroundthemandthoughtthatshe'd
neverbeensohappy,orfeltso

complete.

Hewasfeelingsomethingcomparable,butitdisturbedhimandmadehimangry.Hehadn'twantedit

tocometothis.He'dalwaysknown,atsomelevel,thatitwouldbedevastatingtokissher.Thislittle
redheadwithherpertmannerandfierytemper.Shecouldbringhimtohisknees.Didsheknowthat?

Heliftedhisheadandlookeddownather.Shewasn'tsmiling,flirting,teasing,orpert.Shelookedas
shatteredashefelt.

Heputherawayfromhim,stillholdingheralittletootightlybythearms.

"Don'treadanythingintoit,"hesaidshortly.

Herbreathwasjerky."Iwon't."

"Itwasjustproximity,"heexplained."Andabstinence."

"Sure."

She wasn't humoring him. She really believed him. He was amazed that she didn't know how
completelyhe'dlostcontrol,howviolentlyhisbodyreactedtoher.Hefrowned.

She shifted uneasily and moved back. His hands fell away. Her eyes met his and her thin brows
wrinkled."Youwon't...youwon'ttellthebrothers?"sheasked.Shemovedashoulder.

"Iwouldn'twantthemtothinkIwas,well,tryingto...Imean,thatIwasflirtingorchasingyouor...
anything.'

"I don't think you're even real," he murmured half-absently as he studied her. "I don't gossip. I told
youthat.AsifI'dstarttellingtalesaboutyou,tomyowndamnedbrothers,justbecauseakissgota
littleoutofhand!"

Shewentscarlet.Shewhirledawayfromhimandstumbleddownthebanktocatchthemare'sreins.
She mounted after the second try, irritated that he was already comfortably in the saddle by then,
watchingher.

"As for the rest of it," he continued, as if there hadn't been any pause between words, "you weren't
chasingme.Iinvitedyououthere."

Shenodded,butshecouldn'tmeethiseyes.Whatshewasfeelingwasfartooexplosive,andshewas
afraiditmightshowinhereyes.

Herembarrassmentwasalmosttangible.Hesighedandrodecloser,puttingoutahandtotiltupher
chin.

"Don'tmakesuchheavyweatherofakiss,Tess,"hesaidquietly."It'snobigdeal.Okay?"

"Okay."Shealmostchokedontheword.Themostearthshakingeventofherlife,anditwasnobig
deal.Probablytohimithadn'tbeen.Thewayhekissed,he'dprobablyworkedforyearsperfectinghis
technique.Butshe'dneverbeenkissedlikethat,andshewasshattered.

Still,hewasn'tgoingtoknowit.Hedidn'tevenlikeher,he'dsaidasmuch.Ithadbeenanimpulse,and
obviouslyitwasonehealreadyregretted.

"Wheredowegonext?"sheaskedwithaforcedsmile.

Hescowled.Shewasupset.Heshouldneverhavetouchedher,butithadbeenirresistible.

Ithadbeenpuredelighttokissher.Nowhehadtoforgetthatheeverhad.

"Thenextpasture,"hesaidcurtly."We'llroustoutwhatevercattlewildlifewefindandthencallita
day.You'redrooping."

"IguessIam,alittle,"sheconfessed."It'shot."

Inmorewaysthanone,hethought,buthedidn'tdaresayitaloud.

"Let'sgo,then."

Herodeoff,leavinghertofollow.Neitherofthemmentionedwhathadhappened.Bytheendofthe
day,theyonlyspokewhentheyhadto.Andbythenextmorning,Cagwasglaringatherasifshewas
thereasonforglobalwarming.Everythingwasbacktonormal.

Chapter5

Springturnedtosummer.Cagdidn'tinviteTesstogoridingagain,buthedidhaveLeospeaktoher
aboutstartinghorticultureclassesinthefall.

"I'dreallyliketo,"shetoldLeo."ButwillIstillbeherethen?"sheaddedonanervouslaugh."Cag's
worsethaneverlately.Anydaynow,he'sgoingtofireme."

"That isn't likely," Leo assured her, secretly positive that Cag would never let her leave despite his
antagonism,becausetheoldermancaredtoomuchabouther.OddlyTesswastheonlypersonwho
didn'tseemtorealizethat.

"IfI'mstillhere,"shesaid."I'dlovetogotoschool."

"We'lltakecareofit.Cheerup,willyou?"headdedgently."Youlookdepressedlately."

"Oh,I'mnot,"sheassuredhim,lyingthroughherteeth."Ifeeljustfine,really!"

Shedidn'ttellhimthatshewasn'tsleepingwell,becauseshelaidawakenightsrememberingtheway
Caghadkissedher.Butifshe'dhopedforarepeatofthatafternoon,ithadnevercome.Cagwasall
but hostile to her since, complaining about everything from the way she dusted to the way she
fastenedhissockstogetherinthedrawers.Nothingshedidpleasedhim.

Mrs. Lewis remarked dryly that he acted lovesick, and Tess began to agonize about some shadowy
womanthathemightbeseeingonthoselongeveningswhenhelefttheranchanddidn'tcomehome
untilmidnight.Henevertalkedaboutawoman,butthen,hedidn'tgossip.Andevenhisbrothersknew
verylittleabouthisprivatelife.ItworriedTesssobadlythatevenherappetitesuffered.Howwould
shesurviveifCagmarried?Shedidn'tlikethinkingabouthimwithanotherwoman.Infact,shehated
it.Whensherealizedwhy,shefeltevenworse.Howintheworldwasitthatshe'dmanagedtofallin
lovewithamanwhocouldn'tstandtobearoundher,amanwhothoughtofheronlyasacookand
housekeeper?

Whatwasshegoingtodoaboutit?Shewasterrifiedthatitmightshow,althoughshesawnosignsof
itinhermirror.Cagpaidhernomoreattentionthanhepaidthehousecleaning.

He seemed to find her presence irritating, though, most especially at mealtimes. She began to find
reasonstoeatearlyorlate,sothatshedidn'thavetositatthetablewithhimglaringather.

Oddlythatmadethingsworse.Hestartedpickingather,andnotinanyteasingway.Itgotsobadthat
LeoandReytookhimasideandcalledhimonit.HethoughtTesshadputthemuptoit,andblamed
her. She withdrew into herself and sat alone in her room at night crocheting an afghan while she
watchedoldblack-and-whitemoviesonthelittletelevisionsetherfatherhadgivenherforChristmas

fouryearsago.Shespentlesstimewiththebrothersthanever,outofself-defense.ButCag'sattitude
hurt. She wondered if he was trying to make her quit, even though it was his idea to get her into
schoolinthefallquarter.

Perhaps,shethoughtmiserably,hemeanthertoliveinattheschooldormitoryandquitherjob.The
thoughtbroughttearstohereyesandmadehermiserycomplete.

Itwasabeautifulsummerdaywhenhayinggotunderwayontheranchtoprovidewinterforagefor
the cattle. It hadn't rained for over a week and a half, and while the danger of drought was ever
present, this was a necessary dry spell. The hay would rot in the field if it rained. Besides, it was a
comfortableheat,unseasonablycool.Evenso,itwashotenoughforshorts.

Tesshadonapairofdenimcutoffsthatshe'dmadefromatornpairofjeans,andshewaswearing
socks and sneakers and a gray tank top. She looked young and fresh and full of energy, bouncing
acrossthehayfieldwiththesmallredcoolerinherhands.Shehadn'twantedtogonearCag,butLeo
had persuaded her that his older brother would be dying of thirst out there in the blazing sun with
nothingtodrink.HesentareluctantTessouttohimwithacoolerfullofsupplies.

Cag,drivingthetractorthatwasscoopingthehayintohugeroundbales,stoppedandlettheengine
idlewhenhesawhercomingtowardhim.Hewasaloneinthefield,havingsenttwoothermeninto
ad-jacent fields to bale hay in the same fashion. It was blazing hot in the sun, despite his wide-
brimmed straw hat. He was bare-chested and still pouring sweat. He'd forgotten to bring anything
alongtodrink,andhehadn'treallyexpectedanyonetothinkaboutsendinghimsomething.Hesmiled
ruefullytohimself,certainthatTesswouldn'thavethoughtofitonherown.Shewasstilltoonervous
of him to come this close willingly, especially considering the way he'd treated her since that
unfortunatekissinthepasture.

Itwasn'tthathedislikedher.Itwasthathelikedherfartoomuch.Heachedeverytimehelookedat
her, especially since he'd kissed her. He found himself thinking about it all the time. She was years
younger,anothergeneration.Someniceboywouldcomealongandshe'dgoheadoverheels.Hehad
torememberthatandnotletafewminutesofrememberedpleasureblindhimtoreality.Tesswastoo
youngforhim.Period.

He cut off the tractor and jumped down as she approached him. Her eyes seemed to flicker as they
brushedhissweatychest,thickwithblackhairthatrandownintohisclose-fittingjeans.

Hewipedhishandonaworkcloth."Broughtsurvivalgear,didyou?"heasked.

"Justacoupleofcansofbeerandtwosandwiches,"shesaidtautly."Leoaskedmeto."

"Naturally,"hedrawledsarcastically."I'dhardlyexpectyoutovolunteer."

Shebitherlowerliptokeepfromarguingwithhim.Shewaskeenlyawareofhisdislike.Sheoffered
thecooler.

Hetookitfromher,noticinghowsheavoidedtouchinghimasitchangedhands.

"Gobackalongthepath,"hesaid,irritatedbyhisownconcernforher."I'veseentwobigrattlesnakes
sinceIstarted.Theywon'tlikethesun,sothey'llbeinacoolplace.Andthat—"

heindicatedhershortsandsneakers''—isstupidgeartowearinapasture.Youshouldhaveonthick
jeansandboots.GoodGod,youweren'tevenlookingwhereyourfeetwere!"

"Iwaswatchingtheravens,"shesaiddefensively,indicatingtwoofthemlightingandflyingawayin
thefield.

"They'reafterfieldmice."Hisnarrowedblackeyescutintoherflushed,avertedface.

"You'reallbutshaking.Whatthehell'swrongwithyoutoday?"hedemanded.

Hereyesshotbackuptohisandshesteppedback."Nothing.Ishouldgo."

He realized belatedly that the sight of him without his shirt was affecting her. He didn't have to ask
why.Healreadyknew.Herhandshadbeenshylyexploringhischest,eventhroughtheshirt,theday
he'dkissedher,andshe'dwantedtounfastenit.Butshe'dactedasifshecouldn'tbeartobenearhim
eversince.Sheavoidedhimanditmadehimfurious.

“Whydon'tyourunalonghome?''heaskedcurtly.“You'vedoneyourduty,afterall."

"Ididn'tmind."

"Hell!" He put the cooler down. "You can't be bothered to come within five feet of me unless
somebody orders you to." He bit off the words, glaring at her. He was being unreasonable, but he
couldn'thelphimself."Youwon'tbringmecoffeeintheofficewhenI'mworkingunlessthedoor's
openandoneofmybrothersiswithinshoutingdistance.

Whatdoyouexpect,youscrawnylittleredhead,thatthesightofyoumaddensmewithsuchpassion
thatI'mlikelytoravishyouonthefloor?Youdon'tevenhaveawoman'sbodyyet!"

hemuttered,hiseyesonhersmall,pertbreastsunderthetanktop.

Shesawwherehewaslookinganditwoundedher.Thewhiplashofhisvoicehitherlikeabrick.She
staredathimuncomprehend-ingly,hereyeswounded."Inever...neversaid..."shestammered.

"Asifyoucouldmakemelosemyhead,"hecontinuedcoldly,hisvoicelikeasharpbladeashiseyes
wentoverherdisparagingly.

Herfaceflamedandtheeyesthatmethisweresuddenlycloudednotwithanger,butwithpain.Tears
floodedthemandshewhirledwithasob,runninginthedirectionfromwhichshe'dcome.

Shehatedhim!Hatedhim!Hewastheenemy.He'dneverwantedherhereandnowhewastellingher
thatshedidn'tevenattracthim.Howobviousitwasnowthathe'donlybeenplayingwithherwhenhe
kissedher.Hedidn'twanther,orneedher,orevenlikeher,andshewasdyingofloveforhim!She
feltsickinside.Shecouldn'tcontrolhertearsorthesobsthatbrokefromherlipsassheranblindly
intothesmallsweepofthickhaythathehadn'tyetcut.

She heard his voice, yelling something, but she was too upset to hear him. Suddenly her foot hit
somethingthatgaveandshestoppeddead,whirlingatasoundlikefryingbaconthatcamefromthe
groundbesideher.

Theuglyflat,venomousheadrearedasthetailthatshotupfromthecoilrattleditsdeadlywarning.A
rattler—fivefeetlongatleast—andshe'dsteppedonit!Itsheaddrewbackominiouslyandshewas
frozenwithfear,tooconfusedtoact.Ifshemoveditwouldstrike.

Ifshedidn'tmoveitwouldstrike.Shecouldalreadyfeelthepaininherlegwherethefangswould
penetrate...

She was vaguely aware of a drumming sound like running, heavy footsteps. Through her tears she
saw the sudden flash of something metallic go past her. The snake and its head abruptly parted
company,andthenlong,powerfularmswerearoundher,underher,liftinghertoasweat-glistening
hardchestthatwasunderhercheek."God!"

Cag's arms contracted. He was hurting her and she didn't care. Her arms tightened around his neck
andshe sobbed convulsively.He curled heragainst him in anardent fever ofneed, feeling her soft
breasts press hard into his bare, sweaty, hair-roughened chest as his face burrowed into her throat.
Shethoughthetrembled,butsurelysheimaginedit.Theterrorcamefullforcenowthatthethreatwas
over,andshegavewaytohermisery.

Theyclungtoeachotherinthehotsunlightwiththesultrybreezewaftingaroundthem,obliviousto
themanrunningtowardthem.Tessfeltthewarm,hardmusclesinhisbackstrainasshetouchedthem,
feltCag'sbreathinherear,againstherhair.Hischeekdrewacrosshersandhernailsdugintohim.
Hisindrawnbreathwasaudible.Hisarmscontractedagain,andthistimeitwasn'tcomfort,itwasa
deep,dragginghungerthatfoundanimmediateresponseinher.

His face moved against hers jerkily, dragging down from her cheek, so that his lower lip slowly,
achingly,begantodrawitselfrightacrosshersoft,partedmouth.Herbreathdrewinsharplyatthe

exquisitefeelofit.Shewantedhislipsonhers,thewaytheyhadbeenthatspringdaybythestream.
Shewantedtokisshimuntilheryoungbodystoppedaching.

Hehesitated.Hishandwasrestingattheedgeofherbreastandevenastheembracebecamehungry,
she stopped breathing altogether as she felt his hard lips suddenly part and search for hers, felt the
caressingpressureofthoseleanfingersbegintomoveup....

Ontheedgeoftheabyss,abarelyglimpsedmovementinthedistancebroughtCag'sdarkheadupand
hesawLeorunningtowardthem.HewasalmosttremblingwiththeneedtotakeTess'ssoftmouth,but
he forced himself to breathe normally. All the hot emotion slowly drained out of his face, and he
staredathisyoungbrotherasifhedidn'trecognizehimforthefirstfewseconds.

"Whatwasit,arattler?"Leoasked,pantingforbreathashecameupbesidethem.

Cag nodded his head toward the snake. It lay in two pieces, one writhing like mad in the hot sun.
BetweenthetwopieceswasthebighuntingknifethatCagalwayscarriedwhenhewasworkingalone
inthefields.

"Whew!"Leowhistled,shakinghishead."Prettyaccurate,foramanwhowasrunningwhenhethrew
it.Isawyoufromthesouthfield,"headded.

"I'vekilledafewsnakesinmytime,"Cagreplied,andavertedhiseyesbeforeLeocouldaskifanyof
them had had two legs. "Here," he murmured to Tess, his voice unconsciously tender. "Are you all
right?"

She sniffed and wiped her red eyes and nodded. She was embarrassed, because at the last, it hadn't
beencomfortthathadbroughtthemsoclosetogether.Itwasstaggeringafterthethingshesaid,the
harshnessofhismannerbeforeshe'dsteppedonthesnake.

Cagputherdowngingerlyandmovedback,buthisturbulenteyesneverlefther.

"Itdidn'tstrikeyou?"heaskedbelatedly,andwentononekneetosearchoverherlegs.

"No,"shefaltered.Thefeelofthosehardfingersonherskinmadeherweak."No,I'mfine."Shewas
lookingdownathimwitheyesfullofemotion.Hewasbeautiful,shethoughtdazedly,andwhenhe
startedtostandupagain,hereyeslingeredhelplesslyonthatbroad,sexychestwithitsfinecovering
ofhair.Herhandhadtoucheditjustasheputherdown,andherfingersstilltingled.

"Heavens, Tess!" Leo breathed, taking off his hat to wipe the sweat from his brow. "You don't run
acrossahayfieldlikethat,withoutlookingwhereyou'regoing!Whenwecuthay,wealwaysfindhalf
adozenofthedamnedthings!"

"It'snotherfault,"Cagsaidinasurprisinglycalmvoice."Iupsether."

Shedidn'tlookatCag.Shecouldn't.SheturnedtoLeowithawansmile."Couldyouwalkmeback,
justtothetrackthatleadsuptothehouse?"sheasked."I'malittleshaky."

"Sure,"hesaidgently."I'llcarryyou,ifyoulike."

"No,Icanwalk."Sheturnedaway.WithherbacktoCagsheaddedcarefully,"Thanksforwhatyou
did.I'veneverseenanybodyuseaknifelikethat.Itwouldhavehadmejustasecondlater."

Cagdidn'tsayanything.Heturnedawayandretrievedhisknife,wipingitonhisjeansbeforehestuck
itbackintothesheathonhisbelt.Hestalkedbacktowardthetractor.Heneverlookedback.

"Whatdidhedotoupsetyou?"Leoaskedwhentheywereoutofearshot.

"Theusualthings,"shesaidwithresignationinhervoice."Ican'timaginewhyhedoesn'tfireme,"
sheadded."FirsthesaidIcouldgointhespring,butwegottoobusy,thenhesaidIcouldgointhe
summer.Buthereitis,andI'mstillhere."

He didn't mention that he had his own suspicions about that. Cag was in deep, and quite obviously
fightingadefensivebattlewhereTesswasconcerned.Buthe'dseenthelookonCag'sfacewhenhe
washoldingher,anddislikewasnotwhatitlookedliketohim.

"Did you see him throw the knife?" she asked, still awed by the skill of it. "Dad used to have a
throwingknifeandhecouldneverquitegetthehangofhittingthetarget.NeithercouldI.

It'salotharderthanitlooks.Hediditrunning."

"He'sacombatveteran,"hesaid."He'sstillinthereserves.NothingaboutCagsurprisesusanymore."

Sheglancedathimwithtwinklingeyes.“DidyoureallyhitTurkeySanderstokeepCagfromdoing
it?"

"Dorietoldyou!"Hechuckled.

"Yes.Shesaidyoudon'tletCaggetintofights."

"Wedon'tdare.Hedoesn'tlosehistempermuch,butwhenhedoes,it'sbesttogetoutofthelineof
fire."

"Yes,Iknow,"shesaiduneasily,stillrememberingthebirthdaycake.

Heglancedather."You'vehadahardtime."

"Withhim?"Sheshrugged."He'snotsobad.NotasbadashewasaroundChristmas,"sheadded."I
guessI'mgettingusedtosarcasmandinsults.Theybounceoffthesedays."

Hemadearoughsoundunderhisbreath."Maybehe'llcalmdowneventually."

"Itdoesn'tmatter.Ilikemyjob.Itpayswell."

He laughed, sliding a friendly arm around her shoulders as they walked. "At least there are
compensations."

Neitherofthemsawapairofblackeyesacrossthefieldglaringafterthemhotly.Cagdidn'tlikethat
armaroundTess,notonebit.HewasgoingtohavesomethingtosaytoLeoaboutitlater.

Blissfullyunaware,Leostoppedatthetrailthatledbacktothehouse."Okaynow?"heaskedTess.

"Yes,thanks."

He studied her quietly. "It may get worse before it gets better, especially now," he said with some
concern.

"Whatdoyoumean?"

"Neveryoumind,"hereplied,andhiseyesheldasecretamusement.

That evening, after the brothers cleaned up and had supper, Cag motioned Leo into the study and
closedthedoor.

"Somethingwrong?"Leoasked,puzzledbyhisbrother'staciturnsilencesincetheafternoon.

Cagperchedhimselfontheedgeofhisdeskandstared,unblinking,attheyoungerman.

"Something,"heagreed.Nowthathewasfacingthesubject,hedidn'twanttotalkaboutit.

Helookedasdisturbedashefelt.

"It'sTess,isn'tit?"Leoaskedquietly.

"She'stwenty-two,"Cagsaidevenly,staringhardathisbrother."Andgreenasspringhay.

Don'thitonher."

ItwasthelastthingLeoexpectedtheoldermantosay."Don'twhat?"heasked,justtomakesurehe
wasn'thearingthings.

Caglookedmildlyuncomfortable."Youhadyourarmaroundheronthewayoutofthefield."

Leo'sdarkeyestwinkled."Yes,Idid,didn'tI?"Hepursedhislipsandglancedathisbrotherwithpure
calculation."She'sasoftlittlething,likeakitten."

Cag'sfacehardenedandhiseyesbecamedangerous."She'sofflimits.Gotthat?"

Leoliftedbotheyebrows."Why?"

"Becauseshe'savirgin,"Cagsaidthroughhisteeth."Andsheworksforus."

"I'm glad you remembered those things this afternoon," Leo returned. "But it's a shame you'd
forgottenallaboutthemuntilyousawmecomingtowardyou.Orareyougoingtotryandconvince
methatyouweren'tabouttokissthebreathoutofher?"

Cag'steethgroundtogether."Iwascomfortingher!"

"Isthatwhatyoucallit?"camethewryresponse."Sonofagun.I'mgladIhaveyoutotellmethese
things."

"Iwasn'thittingonher!"

Leoheldupbothhands."Ofcoursenot!"

"Ifshe'stooyoungforyou,she'sdamnedsuretooyoungforme."

"WasIarguing?"

Cagunruffledalittle."Anyway,shewantstogotoschoolandstudyhorticultureinthefall.

Shemaynotwanttostayonhere,onceshegetsatasteofyoungermen."

Why,hereallybelievedthat,Leothought,hisattentiondiverted.Didn'theseethewayTesslookedat
him,thewaysheactedaroundhimlately?Orwashetryingnottoseeit?

"Shewon'thavetowaitforthattohappen,"Leomurmured."Wehiredanewassistantsalesmanager
lastweek,remember?SandyGaines?"

Cagscowled."Theskinnyblondfellow?"

“Skinny, sure, but he seems to have plenty of charm when it comes to our Tess. He brought her a
teddybearfromhislasttriptoSt.Louis,andhekeepsaskingherout.Sofarshewon'tgo."

Cag didn't want to think about Tess with another man, especially the new salesman. "She could do
worse,Iguess,"hesaiddespitehismisgivings.

“You might ask her out yourself,'' Leo suggested carelessly. Cag's dark eyes held a world of
cynicism."I'mthirty-eightandsheworksforme."Leoonlysmiled.

Cagturnedawaytothefireplaceandstareddownatthegaslogswithresignation."Doesitshow?"he
askedafteraminute.

Thathecaredforher,hemeant.Leosmiledaffectionately."Onlytosomeonewhoknowsyoupretty
well.Shedoesn't.Youwon'tlethercloseenough,"Leoadded.

Broadshouldersroseandfell.Hiseyesliftedtothehugepaintingofarunningherdofhorsestearing
acrossastormyplain.Agreat-unclehadpaintedit.Itswildnessappealedtothebrothers.

"She's grass green," Cag said quietly. "Anybody could turn her head right now. But it wouldn't last.
She'stooimmatureforanything...serious."Heturnedandmethisbrother'scuriouseyes."Thething
is,"hesaidcurtly,"thatIcan'tkeepmyheadifItouchher.""Soyoukeephercarefullyatadistanceto
avoidcomplications."Caghesitated.Thenhenodded.

Hestuffedhishandsintothepocketsofhisjeansandpaced."Idon'tknowwhatelsetodo.

Maybe if we get her into school this fall, it will help. I was thinking we might even get her a job
somewhereelse."

"Inoticed,"Leosaiddryly."Andthenyoutellhertowaitonemoreseason.She'swaitedtwoalready."

Cag'sblackeyescutintohim."Ihaven'tbeenseriousaboutawomansinceIwassenttotheMiddle
East," he said through his teeth. "I've been pretty bitter. I haven't wanted my heart twisted out of my
chestagain.Then,shecamealong."Henoddedinthegeneraldirectionofthekitchen."Withhercurly
redhairandbigblueeyesandthatpertlittleboyishfigure."Heshookhisheadasiftocleartheimage
fromit."Damnit,Iachejustlookingather!"Hewhirled."I'vegottogetheroutofherebeforeIdo
somethingaboutit!"

Leo studied his hand. "Are you sure you don't want to do something about it?" he asked softly.

"Becauseshewantsyouto.Shewasshakingwhenyouputherdown."

Cagglaredathim."Thesnakescaredher."

"Youscaredher,"camethewryresponse."Haveyouforgottenhowtotellwhenawoman'saroused?"

"No,Ihaven'tforgotten,"herepliedgrimly."Andthat'swhyshe'sgottogo.Rightnow."

"Justholdon.There'snoneedtogorushingintoanything,"Leocounseled.

"Oh,forGod'ssake,it'sjustamatteroftime,don'tyousee?"Caggroaned."Youcan'tholdbackan
avalanche!"

"Likethat,isit?"

"Worse."Cagloweredhisheadwithahardsigh."Neverlikethis.Never."

Leo,who'dneverfeltwhatpassedforloveintheworld,staredathisbrotherwithcompassionbutno
realunderstandingofwhathewasgoingthrough.

"Shefitsinaroundhere,"Leomurmured.

"Sureshedoes.ButI'mnotgoingtomarryher!"

Leo'seyebrowslifted."Whynot?Don'tyouwantkids?"

"Corrigan'sgotone."

"Kidsofyourown,"Leopersistedwithagrin."Littleboyswithbigfeetandcurlyredhair."

Cagliftedapaperweightfromthedeskandtosseditdeliberatelyinonehand.

Leo held up both hands in a defensive gesture. "Don't throw it. I'm reformed. I won't say another
word."

Thepaperweightwasreplacedonthedesk."LikeIsaidbefore,I'mtoooldforher.Afteralltheother
considerationshavebeentakenintoaccount,thatoneremains.Sixteenyearsistoomuch."

"DoyouknowTedRegan?"

Cagscowled."Sure.Why?"

"DoyouknowhowmucholderheisthanCoreen?"

Cagswallowed."Theirsisadifferentrelationship."

"CalhounBallengerandAbby?"

Cagglaredathim.

“EvanandAnnaTremayne?'

Theglarebecameablackscowl.

Leoshrugged."Digyourowngrave,then.YoushouldhearTedgroanaboutthewastedyearshespent
keepingCoreenatbay.They'vegotachildoftheirownnowandthey'retalkingaboutanotheronein
thenearfuture.Silverhairandall,Ted'sthehappiestfellowIknow.Coreenkeepshimyoung."

"I'llbetpeopletalked."

"Ofcoursepeopletalked.Buttheydidn'tcare."

That grin was irritating. Cag turned away from him. He didn't dare think about kids with curly red
hair.Hewasalreadyinoverhisheadandhavingenoughtroubletryingtobreathe.

"Oneday,ayoungmanwillcomealongandsweepheroffherfeet."

"You'vealreadydonethat,severaltimes,"Leosaidpointedly.

"Carryingherofftothestoretobuynewclothes,andjusttoday,outofthepathofarattler."

"Shedoesn'tweighasmuchasagoodsackofpotatoes."

"Sheneedsfeedingup.She'sallnerveslately.Especiallywhenyou'rearound."

Cag'sbighandsclenchedinhispockets."Iwanttomovetheheifersintothewestpasturetomorrow.
Whatdoyouthink?"

"Ithinkit'saweektoosoon."

The broad shoulders shrugged. "Then we'll wait one more week. How about the pastures on the
bottoms?"

"We haven't had rain, but we will. If they flood, we'll have every cowboy on the place out pulling
cowsoutofmud."Hiseyesnarrowed."YouknowallthatbetterthanIdo."

"I'mchangingthesubject."

Leothrewuphishands."Allright.Don'tlistentome.ButSandyGainesmeansbusiness.

He's flirting with her, hard. He's young and personable and educated, and he wears nice suits and
drivesaredCorvette."

Cagglaredathim."Shecanseethroughclothesandacar,evenanicecar."

"She'shaddigsandsarcasmandinsultsfromyou,"Leosaidandhewasserious."Amanwhotellsher
she'sprettyandtreatshergentlymightwalkuponherblindside.She'swarmingtohimalittle.Idon't
likeit.I'veheardthingsabouthim."

"Whatsortofthings?"Cagaskedwithoutwantingto.

"That he's fine until he gets his hands on a bottle of liquor, and then he's every woman's worst
nightmare.YouandIbothknowthetype.Wedon'twantourTessgettingintoasituationshecan'than-
dle."

"Shewouldn'ttoleratethatsortofbehaviorfromaman,"hesaidstiffly.

"Ofcoursenot,butshebarelyweighsahundredpoundssoppingwet!Orhaveyouforgottenthatshe
couldn't even get away from Herman, and he only outweighs her by ten pounds? Gaines is almost
yoursize!"

Cag'steethclenched."Shewon'tgooutwithhim,"hesaiddoggedly."She'sgotbettersense."

Thatimpressiononlylastedtwomoredays.SandyGaines,adark-haired,blue-eyedcharmer,cameby
todiscussanewadvertisingcam-paignwiththebrothersandwaylaidTessinthehall.Heaskedherto
adanceattheJacobsvilledancehallthatFridaynightandshe,frustratedandhurtbyCag'ssarcasm

andcoldness,acceptedwithouthesitation.

Chapter6

Sandy picked her up early for the dance in his low-slung used Corvette. Cag was nearby and he
watchedthemwitheyessoeatenupwithjealousythathecouldhardlybearit.Shewaswearingtheir
dress,totopitall,thebluedresshe'dhelpedherpickoutwhenhe'dtakenhershopping.Howcould
shewearitforthatcitydude?

"Getherhomebymidnight,"hetoldSandy,andhedidn’tsmile.

"Surething,Mr.Hart!"

Sandy put Tess into the car quickly and drove off. Tess didn’t even look at Cag. She was
uncomfortablyawareofthedressshehadon,andwhyCagglaredather.Buthedidn'twanttotake
heranywhere,afterall,sowhyshouldheobjecttohergoingoutonadate?Hedidn'tevenlikeher!

"What'she,yourdad?"Sandydrawled,drivingfartoofast.

"Theyalllookoutforme,"shesaidstiffly.

Sandylaughedcynically."Yeah?Well,heactslikeyou’rehisprivatestock."Heglancedather."Are
you?"

"Notatall,"sherepliedwithdeliberatecarelessness.

"Good."Hereachedforherhandandpressedit.We'regoingtohaveanicetime.I'velookedforward
tothisallweek.You'reaprettylittlething."

Shesmiled."Thanks."

"Nowyoujustenjoyyourselfanddon'tworryaboutheavy-handedsurrogateparents,okay?"

"Okay."

Butitdidn'tworkoutthatway.Thefirsttwodanceswerefun,andsheenjoyedthemusic.

Butveryquickly,Sandyfoundhiswaytothebar.Afterhissecondwhiskeysour,hebecameanother
man.Heheldhertoocloselyandhishandswandered.Whenhetriedtokissher,shestruggled.

"Oh,no,youdon't,"hemutteredwhenshetriedtosidestephim.Hecaughtherhandandpulledherout
ofthebigstructurebyasidedoor.Secondslater,hepushedherroughlyupagainstthewallinthedim
light.

Beforeshecouldgetahandup,hewaskissingher—horriblewet,invasivekissesthatmadehergag.
She tasted the whiskey on his breath and it sickened her even further. His hands grasped her small
breasts roughly, hurting, twisting. She cried out and fought him, try-ing to get away, but his hips
levered down over hers with an obscene motion as he laughed, enjoying her struggles as she tried
valiantlytokickhim.

Itwaslikethatothertime,whenshewassixteenandshe'dbeenatthemercyofanotherlecherousman.
Thememoriesfurtherweakenedher,madehersick.Shetriedtogetherkneeup,butsheonlygave
himanopeningthatbroughtthemevenmoreintimatelytogetherandfrightenedherfurther.Shewas
beatingathischest,ragingathim,andhishandwasinthenecklineofherdress,poppingbuttonsoff
inhisdrunkenhaste,whenshefeltthepressureagainstherbodysuddenlylessen.

ThereweremuffledcursesthatstoppedwhenSandywassuddenlypushedupagainstthewallhimself
withonearmbehindhimandamercilesslyefficienthandathisneck,thethumbhardunderhisear.
Cag looked violent as Tess had rarely seen him. The hold was more than dangerous, it was
professional.Shedidn'thavetheslightestdoubtthathecoulddroptheothermaninstantlyifitbecame
necessary.

"Move, and I'll break your neck," Cag said in a voice like hot steel. His black eyes cut to Tess and
tookinherdisheveledclothing,hertornbodice.Hejerkedhisheadtowardtheranchpickupthatwas
parkedjustattheedgeofthegrass."It'sunlocked.Goandgetinside."

Shehesitated,sickandwobblyandafraid.

"Goon,"Cagsaidsoftly.

She turned. She might have pleaded for Sandy, except that she didn't think he deserved having her
pleadforhim.Hemighthave...GodonlyknewwhathemighthavedoneifCaghadn'tshownup!She
resistedtheurgetokickhimwhileCaghadhimpowerless,andshewobbledofftowardthetruck.

Shewasawareofdullthudsbehindher,butshedidn'tturn.Shewenttothetruck,climbedinandsat
shiveringuntilacold,taciturnCagjoinedher.

Beforehegotintothecab,hepulledoffthedenimshirthewaswearingoverablackT-shirtandputit

overhershouldersthewrongway.Hedidn'tattempttotouchher,probablyawarethatshewassick
enoughofbeingtouchedatthemoment.

"Getintothat,"hesaidashefastenedhisseatbelt,"andfastenyourbelt."

Hereachedfortheignitionandshenoticedthathisknuckleswerebleeding.Asshestruggledintothe
shoulderharnesssheglancedto-wardthebarnandsawSandyleaningagainstthewall,lookingvery
weak.

"Icouldn'tmakehimstop,"shesaidinathinvoice."Ididn'texpecthimto...togetdrunk.

Heseemedsonice.Inevergooutwithbigmenusually—"Hervoicebroke."Damnhim!

Oh,damnhim!Ineverdreamedhe'dbelikethat!Heseemedlikesuchaniceman!"

Heglancedtowardherwithafacelikeblackthunder,buthedidn'tspeak.Heputthetruckingearand
droveherhome.

Theotherswereoutfortheevening.Theywerealoneinthehouse.Shestartedtogodownthehall
towardherroom,butheturnedherintothestudyandclosedthedoor.

Heseatedheronthebigblackantiqueleatherdivanthatgracedthecornernearthepicturewindow
andwenttopourbrandyintoasnifter.

Hecamebackandsatbesideher,easinghercold,tremblinghandsaroundthebowlandofferingitat
herswollenlips.Itstungandshehesitated,buthetilteditupagain.

Sheletoutasinglesobandquicklycontrolledherself."Sorry,"shesaid.

"Whydidyougooutwithhim?"

"Heflatteredme,"shesaidwithpureself-disgust."Hewassweettomeandheseemedsortofboyish.I
thought...!thoughthe'dbeaperfectgentleman,thesortofmanI'dneverhavetofightoff.Buthewas
differentwhenwewerealone.Andthenhestarteddrinking."

"You'regrassgreen,"hemuttered."Youcan'tsizeupmenevennow,canyou?"

"Ihaven'tdatedmuch."

"Inoticed."

Sheglancedupathissetfeaturesandthendownintothebrandy."Whyhaven'tyou?"hepersisted.

ShetriednottonoticehowsexyhelookedinthatblackT-shirtthatclungtoeverymusclehehad.He
was big, lean, all powerful muscle and bristling vitality. It made her weak to look at him, and she
avertedhereyes.

"Mymothercametoseeusoneday,whenIwassixteen,"shesaiduneasily."Shewantedtoseehow
muchI'dgrownup,shesaid."

Sheshifted."Shebroughtherlatestlover.Hewasaplayboywithlotsofmoneyandapparentlyhesaw
thatitirritatedherwhenhepaidmesomeattention,soheputonthecharmandkeptitupallday.After
supper,shewasmiffedenoughtotakemydadoffintoanotherroom.Dadwascrazyabouther,even
then."Sheswallowed."Itmadeherloverfuriousandvengeful.HeclosedthedoorandbeforeIknew
whatwashappening,helockeditandthrewmedownontothesofa.Hetoremyclothesandtouched
me...."Sheclosedhereyesatthehorriblememory."Itwasliketonight,onlyworse.Hewasabigman
andstrong.Icouldn'tgetaway,nomatterhowhardIfought,andintheendIjustscreamed.Myfather
brokeinthedoortogettohim.I'llneverforgetwhathesaidtothatman,andmymother,beforehe
threwthemofftheplace.Ineversawheragain.Orwantedto."

Cagletoutthebreathhe'dbeenholding.Somanythingsmadesensenow.Hesearchedherwanlittle
face with feelings of possession. She'd had so much pain and fear from men. She probably had no
ideathattendernessevenexisted.

"You're tied up in bad memories, aren't you, little one?" he asked quietly. "Maybe they need to be
replacedwithbetterones."

"Dothey?"Hervoicewassad,resigned.ShefinishedthebrandyandCagputthesnifteronthetable.

Shestartedtogetup,onlytofindhimblockingherway.Heeasedherbackdownontothewidedivan
andsliddownalongsideher.

Shegasped,wonderingifshe'dgottenoutofthefryingpanonlytofallintothefire.Shefrantically
put her hands against his broad chest and opened her mouth to protest, but his fingers touched it
lightly as he laid beside her and arched over her prone body resting his formidable weight on his
forearm.

"There'snothingtobeafraidof,Tess,"hesaidquietly."Whateverdisagreementswe'vehad,youknow
thatI'dneverhurtyouphysically.Especiallyaftertheordealyou'vejustbeenthrough."

Sheknew,butshewasstillnervousofhim.HewasevenmorepowerfullybuiltthanSandy,andinthis
way,inanintimateway,hewasalsoanunknownquantity.

Whileshewasthinking,worrying,hebentandshefeltthewarmthreatofhisbigbodyashismouth
drewsoftlyoverhereyes,closingthelids.Itmovedtohertemples,hereyebrows.

Hekissedherclosedeyes,histonguelightlyskimmingthelashes.Shejerked,andhisleanhandeased
underhernape,soothingher,calmingher.

Shehadlittleexperience,butshewasn'tsonaivethatshecouldn'trecognizehis.Everytouch,every
caress,wasexpert.Heeaseddownsoslowlythatsheonlyrealizedhowclosehereallywaswhenshe
movedandfelthiswarm,hardchestmovewithher.Bythen,shewasaprisonerofherownsensual
curiosity,sedatedbytheexquisitepleasurehismouthwasgivingherasitexploredherface.

Bythetimehereachedherlips,thefeelandsmellofhimwerealreadyfamiliar.Whenhishardmouth
eased her lips apart and moved into them, she felt the increased pressure of his chest against her
breasts,andshestiffenedwithrealfear.

Heliftedawayimmediately,butonlyabreath.Hisblackeyessearchedherblueonesslowly.

"Youstilldon'tknowmelikethis,"hemurmured,asifheweretalkingtohimselfashestudiedher
flushedface,understandingthefearhereadinit."You'reafraid,aren'tyou?"

Sheswallowed.Hermouthfeltdryasshelookedathim.“IthinkIam,"shewhispered.

Hesmiledlazilyandtracedherlipswithaleanforefinger."WillyourelaxifIpromisetogosofar
andstop?"hewhispered.

"So...far?"sheaskedinahushedtone,searchinghisblackeyescuriously.

Henodded.Heteasedherlipsapartandtouchedtheinsideofherlowerlipwiththetipofhisfinger.
"We'llmakealittlelove,"hewhisperedashebent."Andthenyou'llgotobed.

Yourown,notmine,"headdedwithdrymischief.

Herfingersclenchedandunclenchedonthesoftfabricofhisundershirt,likeakittenkneadinganew
placetolay.Shecouldhearherownbreathsighingoutagainsthismouthasitcamecloser.

"Youdon'tlikeme,"shebreathed.

Histhumbrubbedquiteroughlyoverhermouth.“Areyousure?YoumustknowthatIwantyou!"he
said,anditcameoutalmostasagrowl."TauntingyouwastheonlywayIknewtokeepyouatarm's
length,toprotectyou.Iwasafool!I'mtoooldforyou,butatleastI'mnotlikethatdamnedidiotwho
tookyououttonight!"

Nothinggotintohersluggishbrainexceptthosefirstthreefeverishwords."Youwantme?"

she whispered as if it was some dark secret. She looked up at him with wonder and saw the muted
ferocityinhiseyes.

Hishandwasonherwaistnowanditcontracteduntilitallbutbruised."Yes,Tess.Isitshockingto
hear me say it?" His gaze fell to her mouth and lower, to the two little peaks that formed suddenly
againstthetornbodiceofherdressandwererevealedevenunderthethickfabricofhisconcealing
shirt."Youwantme,too,"hewhispered,bending."Icanseeit..."

Shewantedtoaskhowheknew,butthetasteofhisbreathagainstherlipsweakenedher.

Shewantedhimtokissher.Shewantednothingmoreintheworld.Hernailscurledintohispowerful
chestandshefelthimshiveragainjustashismouthslowly,tenderly,easeddownonherpartedlips.

He drew back almost at once, only to ease down again as his lips toyed with hers, brushing lightly
fromtheupperliptothelowerone,teasingandliftingawayinasilencethatsmoldered.Shefeltthe
warmpressureincreasefromsecondtosecond,andtheleisureofhismovementsreassuredher.She
began to relax. Her body lost its rigor and softened against him. After a few seconds of the lazy,
tenderpressure,herlipsopenedeagerlyforhim.Sheheardasoftintakeofbreathasheacceptedthe
unspokeninvitationwithincreasinglyintimatemovementsofhishardmouth.

Thespicyfragranceofhiscolognesurroundedher.Sheknewthataslongasshelived,everytimeshe
smelled it, it would invoke these images of Cag lying against her on the leather divan in the muted
lightofthestudy.Shewouldhearthesoftcreakoftheleatherashisbodymovedclosertoherown;
shewouldhearthefainttickingoftheold-fashionedgrandfatherclocknearthedesk.Mostofall,she
wouldfeelthehardwarmthofCag'smouthandtheslowcaressofhisleanhandsupanddownherrib
cage,makingherbodyachewithnewpleasures.

Hisheadliftedandhelookedatheragain,thistimereadingwithpinpointaccuracythesultrylookof
hereyes,thefaintpulseinherthroat,thehardtipsofherbreastsrisingagainsttheslipthatherhalf-
openbodicerevealed.Somewherealongtheway,he'dunbuttonedhisshirtthatshewaswearingandit
waslyingbackawayfromhertorndress.

Hetracedtheraggededgeofthefabricwithreturninganger.“Didithavetobethisdress?"

hegroaned.

Shewinced."Youneverseemedtolookatme,"shedefendedherself."Hewantedtotakemeout,andit
wasthenicestthingIhadinmycloset."

Hesighedheavily."Yes,Iknow."Hesmiledwryly."Ididn'tthinkIcouldrisktakingyouout.Butlook
whathappenedbecauseIdidn't."

"Hewassodrunk,"shewhisperedhoarsely."Hewouldhaveforcedme..."

"Notwhiletherewasabreathinmybody,"hereturnedintently.

"Howdidyouknow?"sheaskedsuddenly.

Hepushedastraycurlawayfromhercheek."Idon'tknow,"hesaid,frowningasifitdisturbedhim.
"SomethingI'dheardaboutGainesbotheredme.Oneofthemensaidthathewasfineaslongasthere
wasn't a bottle anywhere nearby, and another one mentioned a threatened lawsuit over a disastrous
date. I remembered that you'd gone to the dance at the bar." He shrugged. "Maybe it was a pre-
monition.ThankGodIpaidattentiontoit."

"Yes."Athickstrandofjetblackhairhadfallenontohisbroadforehead.Hesitantlyshereachedup
andpusheditback,herfingerslingeringonitscoolness.

Hesmiledbecauseitwasthefirsttimethatshe'dvoluntarilytouchedhim.

She sought his eyes, sought permission. As if he understood the new feelings that were flaring up
insideher,hedrewherhanddowntohischestandopenedherfingers,pressingthemthere,firmly.

Her hand moved experimentally, pressing down and then curling into the thick hair she could feel
underthesoftfabricofhisshirt.

ImpatientlyheliftedhimselfandpeeledofftheT-shirt,tossingittothefloor.Helaybackdownagain
besideher,curlinghislegintohersasheguidedherhandbacktohischest.

Shehesitatedagain.Thiswasanotherstep,anevenbiggerone.

"Eventeenagersdothis,"hemused,smilinggentlyatherinhibitions."It'sperfectlypermissible."

"Isit?"Herfingerstouchedhimasifsheexpectedthemtobeburned.Butthentheypressedintothe
thickpeltofhairandexplored,fascinatedbythesizeandbreadthofhischest,thewarmthandstrength
ofit.

Hearchedwithpurepleasureandlaugheddelightedlyatthesensationsshearoused.Ithadbeenalong
timesinceawomanhadtouchedhimlikethat.

She smiled shyly, fascinated by his reaction. He seemed so stoic, so reserved, that this lack of
inhibitionwassurprising.

"Menarelikecats,"hemurmured."Welovetobestroked."

"Oh." She studied him as if he were an exhibit in a museum, curious about every single cell of his
body.

"Feelingmoresecurenow?"heaskedsoftly."Moreadventur-ous?"

"I'mnotsure."Shelookedupathim,quizzically.

"Nothingheavy,"hepromised.Hisblackeyesweresofterthanshe'deverseenthem."It'snonewsto
methatyou'rearankbeginner."

"Whatareyou...goingtodo?"shestammered,wide-eyed.

"Kissyou,"hebreathed,lettinghisgazefalltoherbarebreasts.

"Th...there?"shegasped.

Hetouchedherlightly,smilingattheexpressiononhertautface."There,"hewhispered.

He bent and drew his cheek softly over the bruised flesh, careful not to hurt her with the light
pressure.

Whileshewastryingtocopewithsomanynewandshockingsensations,hismouthsmoothedback
overthesoft,silkyfleshandshefeltitopen.Hetastedherflushedskininaheatedfeverofneed.Her
hands curled up into his thick hair and she held him to her, whimpering softly with pleasure as she
foundherselfdrawinghisfacehungrilytowherethefleshwasverytautandsensitive.

"Here?"hewhispered,hesitating.

"Oh...yes!"shechoked.

Hismouthopenedobedientlyandhedrewthehardnippleintoitwithafaint,softsuctionthatbrought
asharpcryfromherdrylips.

She thought she felt him tremble, and then he was moving onto his back, breathing roughly as he
carriedherwithhim.Heheldherathisside,theirlegsintimatelyentangled,whilehefoughttogethis
breathback.

Hisskinwascoolagainstherhotbreastswheretheywerepressedtogetherabovethewaist.

Hercheekwasagainstthehardmuscleofhisupperarmandshecaughtagainthatelusivespicyscent
thatclungtohim.

Herhandeasedontothethickhairathischest,buthecaughtitandhelditalittleroughlyatherside.

"No,"hewhispered.

Shedidn'tunderstandwhatshe'ddonewrong.Aminutelater,hegottohisfeetandbenttoretrievehis
undershirt.Whileheshruggedintoit,shetuggedupherbodiceandtriedtofastenit.

Butwhenshewouldhavegottentoherfeet,hepressedherbackdown.

"Stayput,"hesaidquietly.Heturnedandlefttheroom.

She'dbarelygottenherbreathingcalmwhenhewasback,sittingdownbesideherwithacoldcanof
beerinhishand.

Hepoppeditopenandtookasipbeforehepulledherupbesidehimandheldittoherlips.

"Idon'tlikebeer,"shemurmureddazedly.

"I'mgoingtotasteofit,"herepliedmatter-of-factly."Ifyouswallowsome,youwon'tfindthetasteso
unpleasantwhenIkissyou."

Herheartjumpedwildly.

Hemethersurprisedexpressionwithasmile.“Didyouthinkwewerefinished?"heaskedsoftly.

Sheblushed.

"Iwasgettingtooaroused,"hemurmureddryly."Andsowereyou.I'mnotgoingtoletitgothatfar."

Shesearchedhishardfacewithopencuriosity."Whatdoesitfeelliketoyou,whenyoukissmelike
that?"sheaskedquickly,beforeshelosthernerve.

"HowdoesitfeelwhenIdoit?"

"Idon'tknow.Shivery.Hot.Ineverfeltanythinglikethatbe-fore."

Hetookasipofthebeerandlookeddownatherhungrily.“NeitherdidI,"hesaidtersely.

His eyes seemed to possess her as they ran like caressing hands all over her. "Your breasts are
freckled,"hesaidwithanintimatesmileandchuckledwhensheblushed.Heheldherfaceuptohis
andkissedhernose."I'mnotgoingtorushouttothenearestbarandgossipaboutit,"hewhispered
whenhesawthefaintapprehensioninherwideeyes."It'salover'ssecret;athingwedon'tsharewith
otherpeople.Likethescaronmybelly."

She frowned slightly. He tugged down the waistband of his jeans and drew her hand against him
wherealong,thickscarwasjustvisibleabovehisbelt.

"Itrunsdowntomygroin,"hesaidsolemnly."Fortunately,itmissedthemore...vitalareas.

Butitwastouchandgoforafewdaysandthescarisnevergoingtogoaway."

Herfingerslingeredthere."I'msorryyouwerehurt."

Heheldherhandtohimandsmiled."ThisissomethingIhaven'tshowntoanyoneelse,"hetoldher.
"Exceptmybrothers."

It made sense then. She looked up into his eyes. "A...lover's secret," she whispered, amazed that she
couldthinkofhimlikethat,soeasily.

Henodded.Hewasn'tsmiling."Likethefrecklesonyourbreasts,justaroundthenipples."

She felt her breath gathering speed, like an old-time steam engine. Her breasts felt tight, and not
because of Sandy's rough handling. She frowned a little because it was uncomfortable and she still
didn'tquiteunderstandit.

"Weswell,bothofus,whenwe'rearoused,"hesaidquietly,glancingatthesmallhandthathadcome

uptorestalittlegingerlyagainstonetautnipple."It'suncomfortable,isn'tit?"

"Just...justalittle."Shefeltlikeachildinacandystore,breathlesswithdelightasshelookedathim."I
liked...whatyoudid,"shewhispered.

"SodidI.HaveafewsipsofthisandI'lldoitagain."

Herbreathcaught.Shesippedandwrinkledhernose.Hetooktwomorehugeswallowsbeforeheput
thecanonthetableandcamebacktoher.

He stretched out beside her and this time when he slid his leg in between both of hers, it wasn't
shockingorfrightening.Itfeltnatural,right.Hishandsslidunderherashebentagaintohermouth.
Nowthekissesweren'ttentativeandseeking.Theywereslowandinsistentandarousing.Theywere
passionatekisses,meanttodragaresponsefromthemostunwillingpartner.

Tess found herself clinging to him as if she might drown, her nails biting into his nape, and every
kisswasmoreintimatethanthelast,moredemanding,morearousing,morecomplete.

When his powerful body eased completely down over hers, she didn't protest at all. Her arms slid
aroundhiswaist,herlegspartedimmediately,andshemeltedintotheleatherunderthem,welcoming
thehardcrushofhim,thesuddenheatandswellingthatbetrayedhishunger.

"Youcanfeelit,can'tyou?"hewhisperedintimatelyatherearandmovedalittle,justtomakesure
shecould.

"Cag...!"

"Iwantyousobadly,Tess!"hewhispered,andhismouthslidoverhercheekandontoherlips.Hebit
atthemwithanewandstaggeringintimacythatsetherbodyonfire.Whenhistongueeasedintoher
mouth,sheopenedherlipstoacceptit.Whenhepressedherlegsfurtherapartsothathecouldsettle
intimatelybetweenthem,shearchedintohim.Whenhegroanedandhishandsfoundherbreasts,she
gaveeverythingthatshewasintohiskeeping.

Heneverthoughthecoulddrawbackintime.Heshookconvulsivelywiththeeffort.Hedraggedhis
hips away and turned, lying on his back with Tess settled close against his side while he fought his
ownneed,andhers.

"Don't...move!"hestatedwhensheturnedclosertohim.

Shestilledatonce,half-heardbitsofadvicefromaparadeofmotherlywomencomingbacktoher
andmakingsuddensense.

ShecouldfeelCag'spowerfulbodyvibratingwiththehungerthekisseshadbuiltinit.Hewaslike
cordedwood,breathingharshly.Itfascinatedherthathe'dwantedherthatmuch,whenshewasarank
beginner.Hecertainlywasn't!

Whenshefelthimbegintorelax,sheletoutasighofrelief.Shehadn'tknownwhattodoorsay.Men
inthatconditionwereamysterytoher.

Shefelthishandinhercurlyhair,holdinghercheektohischest.Underit,sheheardtheheavy,hard
beatofhisheart,likeafastdrum.

"Ihaven'ttouchedawomansincemyfianceethrewmeover,"hesaidinaharshtone.

Years ago. He didn't say it, but Tess knew that was what he was implying. She lifted her head and
raisedup,restingherhandonhisshouldertosteadyherasshesearchedhisface.

There was a hard flush along his high cheekbones, but his eyes were quiet, soft, full of mystery as
theymethers.

"YouwanttoknowwhyIdrewback."

Shenodded.

Heletgoofherhairandtouchedhersoft,swollenmouthwithhis."You'reavirgin."

Hesoundedsocertainofitthatshedidn'tbothertoargue.Itwouldhavebeenprettypointlessatthe
moment,anyway.

"Oh.Isee."Shedidn't,butitsoundedmature.

Hechuckledgently."Youdon'tknowbeans,"hecorrected.Hemovedsuddenly,turningheroverso
thathisbodyhalfcoveredhersandhiseyeswereinchesfromherown.Hisbighandcaughtherhip
and curved it up into his intimately. The reaction of his body was fierce and immediate; and very
stark.Sheflushed.

"Idon'tdateanymore,"hesaid,watchinghermouth."Idon'tDianaPalmer349

haveanythingtodowithwomen.This—"hemovedhersubtlyagainstthatpartofhimthatwasmost
obvious''—isdeliciousandheadyandevenalittleshocking.Ihaven'tfeltitinaverylongtime."

Curiositywarredwithembarrassment."ButI'mnotexperienced,"shesaid.

Henodded.“Andyouthinkitshouldtakeanexperiencedwomantoarousemethismuch."

"Well,yes."

Hebentanddrewhislipsoverheropenmouthinashiverylittlecaressthatmadeherbreathcatch."It
happens every time I touch you," he whispered into her lips. "An experienced woman would have
realizedimmediatelywhyIwassohostileandantagonisticto-wardyou.It'stakenyoumonths."

Hecoveredhermouthwithhis,kissingheralmostviolentlyashishandslidbackinsideherdressand
playedhavocwithherself-control.Butitonlylastedseconds.Hegotupabruptlyandpulledherup
withhim,holdingherafewinchesawayfromhimwithsteelyhandsatherwaist.

"Youhavetogotobed.Alone.Rightnow,"hesaidemphatically.Herbreathcameinsoftspurtsasshe
lookedupathimwithherheartinhereyes.

Heactuallygroanedandpulledherclose,intoabearishembrace.Hestoodholdingher,shiveringas
theypressedtogether.

"Dear God," he whispered poignantly, and it sounded reverent, almost a plea for divine assistance.
"Tess,doyouknowhowoldIam?"hegroanedatherear."We'realmostagenerationapart!"

Hereyeswereclosed.Shewasdreaming.Ithadallbeenadream,asweet,sensuousdreamthatshe
neverwantedtoend.

"IcanstillfeelyourmouthonmybreastswhenIclosemyeyes,"shewhispered.

He made another rough sound and his arms tightened almost to pain. He didn't know how he was
goingtolethergo."Baby,"hewhispered,"thisisgettingdangerous."

"Younevercalledme'baby'before,"shemurmured.

"Iwasneverthisclosetobeingyourloverbefore,"hewhisperedgruffly.Hisheadliftedandhisblack
eyesglittereddownintoherpaleblueones."Notlikethis,Tess,"hesaidroughly.

"Notinafever,becauseyou'vehadabadexperience."

"You made love to me," she said, still dazed by the realization of how much their turbulent
relationshiphadchangedinthespaceofafewminutes.

"Youwantedmeto,"hereturned.

"Oh,yes,"sheconfessedsoftly.Herlipspartedandshewatched,fascinatedattheexpressiononhis
facewhenhelookeddownatthem.

She reached up to him on tiptoe, amazed that it took such a tiny little tug to bring his hard mouth
crashing passionately down onto her parted lips. He actually lifted her off the floor in his ardor,
groaningasthekisswentonendlessly.

Shefeltswollenalloverwhenheeasedherbackdownontoherfeet.

"Thiswon'tdo,"hesaidunsteadily.Heheldherbytheshoulders,firmly."Areyoulistening?"

"I'mtryingto,"sheagreed,searchinghiseyesasiftheyheldthekeytoparadise.

Hishandscontracted."Iwantyou,honey,"hesaidcurtly."Wantyoubadlyenoughtoseduceyou,do
you understand?" His gaze fell to her waist and lingered there with the beginnings of shock. All at
once,hewasthinkingwithrealhungeroflittleboyswithcurlyredhair...

Chapter7

Whyareyoulookingatmelikethat?"Tessaskedsoftly.

Hishandscontractedonherwaistforaninstantbeforehesuddenlycametohissensesandrealized
whathewasthinkingandhowimpossibleitwas.Heclosedhiseyesandbreathedslowly,untilhegot
backthecontrolhe'dalmostlost.

He put her away from him with an odd tenderness. "You're very young," he said. "I only meant to
comfortyou.Thingsjust...gotoutofhand.I'msorry."

She searched his eyes and knew that what they'd shared hadn't made a whit of difference to their
turbulentrelationship.Hewantedher,allright,buttherewasguiltinhisface.Hethoughtshewastoo
youngforanythingpermanent.Orperhapsthatwastheexcusehehadtousetoconcealtherealone—
thathewasafraidtogetinvolvedwithawomanagainbecausehe'dbeensobadlyhurtbyone.

She dropped her gaze to his broad chest, watching its jerky rise and fall curiously. He wasn't
unaffectedbyher.Thatwasoddlycomforting.

"Thanksforgettingridofthebadmemory,anyway,"shesaidinasubduedtone.

Hehesitatedbeforehespoke,choosinghiswords."Tess,itwasn'tonlythat,"hesaidsoftly.

"Butyouhavetorealizehowthingsare.I'vebeenaloneforalongtime.Iletyougotomyhead."He
tookalong,harshbreath."I'mnotamarryingman.Notanymore.Butyou'reamarryingwoman."

She ground her teeth together. Well, that was plain enough. She looked up at him, red-cheeked. "I
didn'tpropose!Anddon'tgetyourhopesup,becauseIwon't.Ever.Sothere."

Hecockedhishead,andforaninstantsomethingtwinkleddeepinhiseyes."Never?I'mdevastated."

The humor was unexpected and it eased the pain of the awkward situation a little. She peeked up at
him. "You're very attractive," she continued, "but it takes more than looks to make a marriage. You
can'tcookandyoudon'tknowwhichendofabroomtouse.Besidesthat,youthrowcakesatpeople."

Hecouldn'tdenythat.Hisfirmmouth,stillswollenfromthehotkissesthey'dshared,tuggedupatthe
corners. "I missed you by a mile. In fact," he reminded her, "you weren't even in the room when I
threwit."

Sheheldupahand."I'msorry.It'stoolateforexcuses.You'rerightoffmylistofmarriageprospects.
Ihopeyoucanstandtheshock."

Hechuckledsoftly."SodoI."Shewasstillflushed,butshelookedlesstormentedthanshehad."Are
youallrightnow?"heaskedgently.

Shenoddedandthensaid,"Yes.Thankyou,"sheadded,hervoicesofterthensheintendedittobe.

Heonlysmiled."Hewon'tbeback,incaseyou'reworriedaboutthat,"headded."Ifiredhimonthe
spot."

Shedrewinabreath."Ican'tsayI'msorryaboutthat.Hewasn'twhatheseemed."

"Mostmenaren't.Andthenexttimeyouacceptadate,Iwanttoknowfirst."

Shestaredathim."Ibegyourpardon?"

"Youheardme.Youmaynotconsidermegoodhusbandmate-rial,"hemurmured,"butI'mgoingto
lookoutforyourinterestsjustthesame."Hestudiedherseriouslyforamoment.

"IfIcan'tseduceyou,nobodyelsecan,either."

"Well,talkaboutsourgrapes!"sheaccused.

"Countonit,"heagreed.

"AndwhatifIwanttobeseduced?"shecontinued.

"Notthisweek,"hereturneddryly."I'llhavetolookatmycalendar."

"Ididn'tmeanyou!"

Hisblackeyesslidupanddownherbodyinthetorndressthatshe'dcoveredwithhisshirt.

"Youdidearlier,"hemurmuredwithatendersmile."AndIwantedto."

Shesighed."SodidI.ButIwon'tpropose,evenifyoubeg."

Heshruggedpowerfulshoulders."Myheart'sbroken."

Shechuckledinspiteofherself."Sureitis."

Sheturnedandreachedforthedoorknob.

"Tess."

Sheglancedbackathim."Yes?

Hisfacewassolemn,nolongerteasing."Theytoldyouabouther,didn'tthey?"

Hemeanthisbrothershadtoldherabouthisdoomedengagement.

Shedidn'tpretendignorance."Yes,theydid,"shereplied.

"Itwasalongtimeago,butittookmeyearstogetoverit.Shewasyoung,too,andshethoughtIwas
justwhatshewanted.ButtheminuteIwasoutofsight,shefoundsomebodyelse."

"AndyouthinkIwould,too,becauseI'mnotmatureenoughtobeserious,"sheguessed.

His broad chest rose and fell. "That's about the size of it. You're pretty green, honey. It might be
nothingmoreconcretethanagoodcaseofrepressedlust."

"Ifthat'smyexcuse,what'syours?"sheaskedwithpursedlips.

"Abstinence?"

"That'smystoryandI'mstickingtoitlikeglue."

Shelaughedsoftly."Coward."

Heliftedoneeyebrow."Youcanwriteacheckonthat.I'vebeenburnedandI'vegotthescarstoprove
it."

"AndI'mtooyoungtobeinlovewithyou."

Hisheartjerkedinhischest.ThethoughtofTessbeinginlovewithhimmadehisheadspin,buthe
hadtoholdontohiscommonsense."That'sright."Hisgazewenthomingtohersoftmouthandhe

couldtasteitalloveragain.Hefoldedhisarmsoverhisbroadchestandlookedatheropenly,without
amusementormockery."Yearstooyoung."

"Okay.Justchecking."Sheopenedthedoor.Acrashofthunderrumbledintothesilencethatfollowed.
Secondslater,thebushesoutsidehiswindowscratchedagainsttheglassasthewindraged.

"Areyouafraidofstorms?"heasked.

Sheshookherhead."Areyou?"

"I'lltellyoutomorrow."

Shelookedpuzzled.

"You've spent enough time around livestock to know that thun-derstorms play hell with cattle from
timetotime.We'llhavetogooutandcheckonoursifthiskeepsup.Youcanlieinyournice,softdry
bedandthinkaboutallofusgettingsoakedtotheskin."

Shethoughtabouthowbadsummercoldscouldbe.“Weararaincoat,"shetoldhim.

Hesmiledatthataffectionateconcern,anditwasinhiseyesthistime,too."Okay,boss."

Shegrinned."That'llbetheday."

He lifted an eyebrow. "You're big on songs these days," he murmured. "That was one of Buddy
Holly's.Wantmetosingittoyou?"

Sherealizedbelatedlywhichsonghewastalkingabout,andsheshookherhead."No,thanks.Itwould
upsettheneighbors'dogs."Hegloweredather."Ihaveagoodvoice."

"Sureyoudo,aslongasyoudon'tuseitforsinging,"sheagreed."Goodnight,Callaghan.

Thanksagainforrescuingme."

"Ican'tletanythinghappentothefamilybiscuitchef,"hesaidcasually."We'dallstarve."

She let him get away with that. He might not believe in marriage, but he was different after their
ardentinterlude.He'dneverpickedather,teasedher,before.Cometothinkofit,she'dneverteased
him.She'dbeentooafraid.Thatwasancienthistorynow.Shegavehimonelastshy,smilingglance
andwentoutthedoor.

Hestoodwhereshelefthim,hiseyesnarrowed,hisbodystillsingingwiththepleasureshe'dgiven
him.Shewastooyoung.Hismindknewit.Ifhecouldonlyconvincetherestofhim...

SurprisinglyTesssleptthatnight,despitethestormsthatrippledbyoneafteranother.Thememoryof
Cag's tender passion had all but blotted out the bad memories Gaines had given her. If only Cag
wanted her on a permanent basis. At least they'd gotten past the awkwardness that followed that
physicalexplosionofpleasure.Itwouldmakethingseasierforbothofthem.

Shemadebreakfastthefollowingmorningandtherewasnobodytoeatit.Oneofthemen,wetand
bedraggledlooking,cametothebackdoortoexplainwhybreakfastwentuntouched.

It seemed that the high winds combined with drenching rain had brought down some huge old oak
trees, right through several fences. While she slept soundly, in the outer pastures, cattle had gotten
loose and had to be rounded up again, and the broken fences had to be mended. Half the outfit was
soaked and all but frozen from the effort. The brothers had dragged in about daylight and fallen
asleep,tootiredevenfortheirbelovedbiscuits.

Itwasalmostnoonbeforetheycamewanderingintothekitchen.Breakfasthadgonetotheranchdogs
andthechickens,butshehadbeefandpotatoesinathickstew—withbiscuits—

waiting.

ReyandLeosmiledather.Toherastonishment,Caggaveheranopenlyaffectionateglanceashesat
downattheheadofthetableandreachedforthecoffeepot.

"Itamazesmehowyoualwayskeepfoodhot,"Leoremarked."Thanks,Tess.Weweredeadonour
feetwhenwefinallygotbackthismorning."

"Itwasaroughnight,Igather,"shemurmuredassheferriedbutterandjamtothetable.

Leowatchedhercuriously."Weheardthatyouhadoneofyourown,"hesaid,regrettingthecareless
remark when he saw her flush. "I'm sorry we didn't get our hands on Gaines before he ran for the
border,"headded,andthefamiliar,funnymanshe'dcometoknowsuddenlybecamesomeoneelse.

"Thatgoesdoubleforme,"Reyaddedgrimly.

"Well, he had plenty of attention without counting on either of you," Cag remarked pleasantly. "I
understandthathelefttiremarksonhiswayoutintheearlyhoursofthemorning.Thesnivelinglittle
weasel,"headded.

"Amazing,isn'tit,thatGainesactuallywalkedawayunderhisownsteam,"LeotoldRey.

Rey nodded. "And here we've been wasting our time saving peo-ple from him—" he indicated Cag
"—foryears."

"People don't need saving from me," Cag offered. "I'm not a homicidal maniac. I can control my
temper,"headded.

Leopursedhislips."Say,Tess,didthechocolateicingstainevercomecompletelyoffthewall...?"

She was fumbling with a lid that wouldn't come off, flustered from the whole conversation and
wishingshecouldsinkthroughthefloor."Here,givemethat,"Cagsaidsoftly.

She gave it to him. Their hands touched and they looked at each other for just a second too long,
somethingthebrotherspickeduponimmediately.

Cagopenedthejarandputitonthetablewhileshewenttogetspoons.

"Atleasthe'sstoppedthrowingcakesatpeople,"Reyremarked.Cagliftedthejarofapplebutterand
lookedathisbrotherintently.Reyheldupahandandgrinnedsheepishlyashefelltoeatinghisstew.

"If it's all right, I thought I'd go ahead and apply to the local technical school," Tess said quickly,
beforeshelosthernerve."Forfallclassesinhorticulture,youknow."

"Sure,"Leosaid."Goahead."

Cagliftedhisgazetoherslenderbodyandrememberedhowsweetithadbeentoholdinthesilence
ofthestudy.Helethisgazefallbacktohisplate.Hecouldn'tdeterher.Shedidn'tbelongtohim.She
didneedanoccupation,somethingthatwouldsupporther.Hedidn'tliketheideaofherkeepinghouse
foranyoneelse.Shewassafehere;shemightnotbeinsomeotherhousehold.Andifshewentasa
commuter,shecouldstillworkforthebrothers.

"Icould...liveinthedormitory,ifyouwant,"shecontinueddoggedly.

ThatbroughtCag'sheadup."Liveinthedormitory?Whatthehellfor?"heexclaimed.

His surprise took some of the gloom out of her heart. She clasped her hands tight in front of her,
againsthernewjeans."Well,youonlysaidIcouldstayuntilsummer,"shesaidreasonably."It'ssum-
mernow.Youdidn'tsayanythingaboutstayinguntilfall."

Caglookedhunted."Youwon'tfindanotherjobeasilyinthefall,withallthehighschoolseniorsout
grabbingthem,"hesaidcurtly.Heglancedbackathisplate."Stayuntilwinter."

ShewonderedwhyReyandLeowerestranglingontheircoffee.

"Isittoostrong?"sheaskedworriedly,noddingtowardthecups.

"Just...right."Leochocked,coughing."IthinkIcaughtcoldlastnight.Sorry.Ineedatissue..."

"Me,too!"Reyexploded.

Theyalmostknockedovertheirchairsintheirrushtogetoutoftheroom.Muffledlaughterfloated
backevenafterthedoorhadbeenclosed.

"Idiots,"Cagmuttered.HelookedupatTess,andsomethingbrushedagainsthisheart,assoftlyasa
butterfly.Hecouldhardlybreathe.

Shelookedathimwitheyesthatlovedhim,andhatedtheveryfeeling.Hewantedhertogo,sheknew
hedid,buthekeptputtingitoffbecausehewassorryforher.Shewassotiredofbeingpitiedbyhim.

"Idon'tmindlivinginthedormitoryatschool,ifyouwantmetoleavehere,"sherepeatedsoftly.

Hegotupfromhischairandmovedtowardher.Hisbig,leanhandsrestedonhershouldersandhe
lookeddownfromhisgreatheightwithquiet,wonderingeyes.Shewasalreadylikepartofhim.She
madehimbubbleinside,asifhe'dhadchampagne.Thetouchofher,thetasteofher,weresuddenly
alltoofamiliar.

"Howwouldyoumanagetosupportyourself,withnojob?"heaskedrealistically.

"Icouldgetsomethingpart-time,attheschool."

"Andwho'llbakebiscuitsforus?"heaskedsoftly."Andworryaboutuswhenwe'retired?

Who'll remember to set the alarm clocks and remind me to clean Herman's cage? Who'll fuss if I
don'twearmyraincoat?"headdedaffectionately.

Sheshrugged.Hishandsfeltnice.Shelovedtheirwarmthandstrength,theirtenderness.

He tilted her chin up and searched her quiet eyes. Fires kindled deep in his body and made him
hungry.Hecouldn'taffordtoindulgewhathewasfeeling.Especiallynothere,inthekitchen,where
hisbrotherscouldwalkinanyminute.

Butwhilehewasthinkingit,hisrebellioushandssliduptoframeherfaceandhebent,brushinghis
mouthtenderlyoverhersoftlips.

"Youshouldn'tletmedothis,"hewhispered.

"Oh,I'mnot,"sheassuredhimsoftly."I'mresistingyoulikecrazy."Shereacheduptolinkherarms

aroundhisneck.

"Areyou?"Hesmiledashecoaxedherlipsunderhisandkissedherslowly.

Shesmiledagainsthismouth,liftingtowardhim."Yes.I'mfightinglikemad.Can'tyoutell?"

"Ilovethewayyoufightme...!"

Thekissbecamepossessive,insistent,feverish,allinthespaceofseconds.Heliftedheragainsthim
andgroanedatthefiercepassionshekindledinhimsoeffortlessly.

Only the sound of booted feet heading their way broke them apart. He set her down gently and
struggledtogetbackinhischairandbreathenormally.Hemanagedit,just.

Tesskeptherbacktothebrothersuntilshecouldregainherowncomposure.Butshedidn'trealize
thathermouthwasswollenandthesoftnessinhereyeswasanequallyvividgiveaway.

Cagwascursinghimselfandcircumstancesunderhisbreathforallhewasworth.Havingherhere
wasgoingtobeanunbearabletemptation.Whyhadn'theagreedtolettingherliveinattheschool?

Becauseheachedforher,thatwaswhy.Hewasaliveashehadn'tbeeninsevenlongyearsandthe
thoughtofgoingbackintohisshellwaspainful.

HisblackeyessettledonTessandhewonderedhowhecouldeverhavelivedfromdaytodaywithout
lookingatheratleastonce.Hewasgettingafixationonredcurlyhairandpalefreckledskin.She
wastooyoungforhim.Heknewthat,buthecouldn'tseemtokeephishandsoffher.Hedidn'tknow
whathewasgoingtodo.Ifhedidn'tfindsomethingtooccupyhim,andquickly,hewasgoingtoend
upseducingher.Thatwouldbetheendoftheworld.Theabsoluteend.

DianaPalmer

Tess borrowed one of the ranch trucks the next morning after breakfast and drove herself to the
campusoftheJacobsvilleVocational-TechnicalSchool.Theadmissionsofficewaseasytofind.She
wasgivenformstofillout,acoursescheduleforthefallquarter,andadviceonfinancialassistance.
Fromthere,shewenttothefinancialofficeandfilledoutmoreforms.Ittookuntillunchtofinally
finish,butshehadasenseofaccomplishmentbythetimesheleftthecampus.

Onherwaybacktotheranch,shestoppedinatthelocalcafeandhadcoffeeandasandwichwhileshe
didsomethinkingabouthersituation.

Cagsaidhedidn'twanthertomoveout,butdidhereallymeanit,orwashejustsorryforher?He
liked kissing her, but he didn't want to keep doing it. He seemed not to be able to stop. Maybe, she
thought, that was the whole problem. She made him forget all the reasons why he shouldn't get
involvedwithher,everytimehecameclose.

Ifshewasgone,ofcourse,hewouldn'tgetcloseenoughtohavehisscruplesdamaged.Buthe'dsaid
thathedidn'twanthertoleave.Itwasapuzzleshecouldn'tseemtosolve.

Thesandwichtastedflat,althoughitwasroastbeef,oneofherfavorites.Sheputitdownandstaredat
itwithoutseeing.

"Thinkingofgivingititsfreedom,huh?"Leoaskedwithagrin,andsatdownacrossfromher.He
tookoffhishat,laiditonthechairbesidehimandgesturedtowardthesandwich."Ihatetotellyou
this,butthere'sabsolutelynowayknowntosciencethataroastbeefsandwichcanberejuvenated."He
leanedforwardconspiratorially."Takeitfromabeefexpert."

Shechuckleddespitehersadness."Oh,Leo,you'rejustimpossible,"shechoked.

"It runs in the family." He held up a hand and when the waitress came to see what he wanted, he
orderedcoffee."Nolunch?"Tessasked.

Heshookhishead."Notime.I'mdueattheBrewsters'sinforty-fiveminutesforabusinessmeeting
overlunch.Rubberchickenandoverdonepotatoes,likelasttime,"hemuttered.Heglancedather."I
wishyouwerecookingforitinsteadofBrewster'sdaughter.She'sprettyasapictureandIheartell
shehadoperaticaspirations,butshecouldn'tmakecannedsouptastegood."

HesoundedsodisgustedthatTesssmiledinspiteofherself.“Areyougoingbyyourself,orarethe
brothersgoing,too?"

"JustCagandme.ReyescapedonamorningflighttoTulsatoclosealanddealupthere."

Sheloweredhereyestothehalf-finishedsandwich."DoesCaglikeher...MissBrewster?"

Hehesitated."Cagdoesn'tlikewomen,period.Ithoughtyouknew."

"Yousaidshewaspretty."

"Likehalfadozenotherwomenwhohavefathersinthecattlebusiness,"heagreed."Someofthem
can even cook. But as you know Cag gave up on women when he was thrown over for a younger
man.Hell,theguywasonlythreeyearsyoungerthanhim,atthat.Sheusedhisageasanexcuse.It
wasn't,really.Shejustdidn'twanthim.Theotherguyhadmoney,too,andshedidwanthim."

"Isee."

He sipped coffee and pursed his lips thoughtfully. "I've told you before how Cag reacts to women
mostofthetime,"heremindedher."Heruns."Hesmiled."Ofcourse,he'sbeendoinghisbesttorun
fromyousincelastChristmas."

Shelookedathimwithherheartinhereyes."Hehas?"sheasked.

"Sure!Hewantsyoutogoofftoschoolsoyou'llremovetemptationfromhispath.Buthealsowants
youtostayattheranchwhileyougotoschool,incaseyourunintoanyhandsomeeligiblebachelors
there.Ithinkheplanstosaveyoufromthem,ifyoudo."

Shewasconfusedanditshowed.

"Hesaid,"herelated,"thatyoushouldn'tbeexposedtopotentialseducerswithoutustoprotectyou."

Shedidn'tknowwhethertolaughorcry.

Heheldupahandwhenshestartedtospeak."Hethinksyoushouldcommute."

"Buthedoesn'twantmeattheranch,don'tyousee?"sheaskedmiserably,runningahandthroughher
short,curlyhair."Hekeepsleavingtogetawayfromme!"

"Whywouldheleaveifyouweren'tgettingtohim?"heaskedreasonably.

"It'sstillarottenwaytolive,"shesaidpointedly."MaybeifIgotoschoolI'llmeetsomebodywho'll
thinkI'moldenoughforthem."

"Oh,that'sjustsourgrapes,"hemurmureddryly.

"Youhavenoideahowsour,"shereplied."Igiveup.Ican'tspendtherestofmylifehopingthathe'll
changehismindaboutme.He'shadalmostayear,andhehasn'tchangedathing."

"Hestoppedthrowingcakes,"hesaid.

"BecauseIstoppedbakingthem!"

Hecheckedhiswatchandgrimaced."I'dlovetostayhereandtalkrecipeswithyou,butI'mlate."He
gotupandsmiledather."Don'tbrood,okay?Ihaveafeelingthatthingsaregoingtoworkoutjust
fine."

Thatwasn'twhatshethought,buthewasgonebeforeshecouldputthethoughtintowords.

Chapter8

It was inevitable that Leo would bring up the matter of the Brewster girl's cooking the next day.
Breakfastwastoomuchofarush,andtheydidn'tgettocomehomeforlunch.Butwhentwoofthe
threebrothersandTesssatdowntosupper,Leoletitflywithbothbarrels.

"ThatJanieBrewsterisn'ttoobad-looking,isshe?"Leomurmuredbetweenbitesofperfectlycooked
barbecuedchicken."Ofcourse,shecanruinachicken."

Cag glanced at him quickly, as if the remark puzzled him. Then he glanced at Tess's studiously
downbentheadandunderstoodimmediatelywhatLeowastryingtodo.

Hetookaforkfulofchickenandateitbeforehereplied,"She'llnevermakeacook.Orevenmuchof
awife,"headdeddeliberately."Sheknowseverything."

"Shedoeshaveauniversitydegree."

"Inpsychology,"Cagremindedhim."Igotpsychoanalyzedovereverybiteoffood."Heglancedat
Tess."ItseemsthatIhaverepressedfeelingsofinadequacybecauseIkeepagiantreptile,"herelated
withatwinkleinhisblackeyes.

Tess'sowneyeswidened."Youdo?"

Henodded."AndIwon'teatcarrotsbecauseIhavesomedeep-seatedneedtodefymymother."

Sheputanapkintohermouth,tryingtowardofflaughter.

"Youforgottheremarkshemadeabouttheasparagus,"Leoprompted.

Caglookeduncomfortable."Wecanforgetthatone."

"But it's the best one!" Leo turned to Tess. "She said that he won't eat asparagus because of
associationswithimpo—"

"Shutup!"Cagroared.

Leo,whonevermeanttorepeattheblatantsexualremark,onlygrinned."Okay."

Tessguessed,quitecorrectly,thatthewordCaghadcutoffwas"impotence."Andshewasinaperfect
positiontotellLeothatitcertainlydidn'tapplytohisolderbrother,butshewouldn'thavedared.

Asitwas,hereyesmetCag'sacrossthetable,andsheflushedattheabsolutelywickedglitterinthose
blackeyes,andalmostupsethercoffee.

Leo, watching the byplay, was affectionately amused at the two of them trying so hard not to react.
Therewasasortofintimatemer-rimentbetweenthem,despiteCag'sattemptstowardoffintimacy.
Apparentlyhehadn'tbeenwhollysuccessful.

"I'vegotaweek'sworthofpaperworktogetthrough,"Cagsaidafteraminute,gettingup.

"ButImadedessert,"Tesssaid.

Heturned,surprised."Idon'teatsweets.Youknowthat."Shesmiledsecretively."You'lllikethisone.
Itisn'treallyaconventionaldessert."

Hepushedinhischair."Okay,"hesaid."Butyou'llhavetobringittomeintheoffice.

Howaboutsomecoffee,too?"

"Sure."

Leoputdownhisnapkin."Well,youdothehardstuff.I'mgoingdowntoShea'sBartoseeifIcan
findBillyTelford.HepromisedmefaithfullythathewasgoingtogivemeapriceonthatSalersbull
we'reafter.He'sholdingusuphopingthathecangetmorefromtheTremaynes."

"TheTremaynesdon'trunSalerscattle,"Cagsaid,frowning."Yes,butthat'sbecauseBilly'sonlyjust
beendelugingthemwithfactsontheadvantagesofdiversification."Heshrugged.

"Idon'tthinkthey'llbuyit,butBillydoes.I'mgoingtoseeifIcan'tgethimdru...Imean,"

heamendedimmediately,"gethimtogivemeaprice."

"Don'tyoudare,"Cagwarned."I'mnotbailingyououtagain.Imeanit."

"Youdrinkfromtimetotime,"Leosaidindignantly.

"Withgoodreason,andI'mquietaboutit.Youaren't.Noneofushaveforgottenthelasttimeyoucut
looseinJacobsville."

"I'djustgottenmydegree,"Leosaidcurtly."Itwasagreatreasontocelebrate."

"Tocelebrate,yes.Nottowreckthebar.Andseveralcustomers."

"AsIrecall,CorriganandReyhelped."

"Youbadboys,"Tessmurmuredunderherbreath.

Cagglancedather."Ineverdrinktoexcessanymore."

"NeitherdoI.AndIdidn'tsaythatIwasgoingtogetdrunk,"Leopersisted."IsaidIwasgoingtoget
Billydrunk.He'smuchmoremalleablewhenhe'snotsober."

Cagshookafingerathim."Nothinghesignsinebriatedwillbelegal.Yourememberthat."

Leothrewupbothhands."Forheaven'ssake!"

"Wecandowithoutthatbull."

"Wecan't!He'sagrandchampion,"Leosaidwithpure,nakedhungerinhistone."Ineversawsucha
beautifulanimal.He'sleanandhealthyandglossy,likesilk.He'sasireworthyofafoundationherd.I
wanthim!"

CagexchangedanamusedglancewithTess."It'slove,Ireckon,"hedrawled.

"With all due respect to women," Leo sighed, "there is nothing in the world more beautiful than a
pedigreebullinhisprime."

"Nowonderyouaren'tmarried,youpervert,"Cagsaid.

Leo glared at him. "I don't want to marry the bull, I just want to own him! Listen, your breeding
programisstandingstill.Ihaveideas.Goodideas.ButIneedthatbull."Heslammedhishatdownon
hishead."Andonewayoranother,Billy'sgoingtosellhimtome!"

Heturnedandstrodeoutthedoor,lookingformidableanddetermined.

"Isitreallythatgoodabull?"Tessasked.

Cagchuckled."Isupposeitis."Heshookhishead."ButIthinkLeohasulteriormotives."

"Suchas?"

"Neveryoumind."Hestudiedherwarmlyforaminute,approv-ingofherchambrayshirtandjeans.
Shealwayslookedneatandfeminine,evenifshedidn'tgoinforseductivedressesandtight-fitting
clothes. "Bring your mysterious dessert on into the office when you get it ready. Don't forget the
coffee."

"Notme,boss,"sherepliedwithapertsmile.

SheputthefinishingtouchesontheelegantdessertandplaceditonatraywiththecupofcoffeeCag
likedaftersupper.Shecarriedthewholecaboodleintothestudy,wherehewashunchedoverhisdesk
with a pencil in one hand and his head in the other, going over what looked like reams of figure-
studdedpagesofpaper.

Hegotupwhensheenteredandtookthetrayfromher,placingitontheveryedgeofthedesk.He
scowled.

"Whatisit?"heasked,noddingtowardasaucerofwhatlookedlikewhitefoamrubberwithwhipped
creamontop.

"It'saminiaturePavlova,"sheexplained."It'sahardmeringuewithasoftcenter,filledwithfreshfruit
andwhippedcream.Ittakesalongtimetomake,butit'sprettygood.Atleast,Ithinkitis."

He picked up the dessert fork she'd provided and drew it down through the dessert. It made a faint
crunchingsound.Intrigued,heliftedaforkfulofthefrothy-lookingsubstancetohismouthandtasted
it.Itmeltedonhistongue.

Hisfacesoftened."Why,thisisgood,"hesaid,surprised.

"Ithoughtyoumightlikeit,"shesaid,beaming."Itisn'treallyasweetdessert.It'slikeeatingacloud."

Hechuckled."That'saprettygooddescription."Hesatdowninthebigleatherswivelchairbehindhis
deskwiththesaucerinhishand.Buthedidn'tstarteatingagain.

Heliftedhischin."Comehere."

"Who,me?"sheasked.

"Yes,you."

Sheedgedcloser."YousaidthatImustn'tletyoudothingstome."

"DidIsaythat?"heaskedinmocksurprise."Yes,youdid."

Heheldoutthearmthatwasn'tholdingthesaucer."Well,ignoreme.I'msureIwasoutofmymindat
thetime."

Shechuckledsoftly,movingtothechair.Hepulledherdownontohislapsothatsherestedagainsthis
broadchest,withhisshouldersupportingherback.Hedippedoutaforkfulofherdessertandheldit
toherlips.

"It'snotbad,isit?"sheasked,smiling.

Hetookabiteofhisown."It'sunique.I'llbettheotherswouldloveit,too."Heglanceddownather
expression and lifted an eyebrow. "Mm-hmm," he murmured thoughtfully. "So you made it just for
me,didyou?"

Sheshiftedcloser."Youworkharderthaneverybodyelse.Ithoughtyoudeservedsomethingspecial."

Hesmiledwarmlyather."I'mnottheonlyhardworkeraroundhere.Whoscrubbedthekitchenfloor
onherhandsandkneesafterIboughtheramachinethatdoesit?"

She flushed. "It's a very nice machine. I really appreciate it. But it's better if you do it with a
toothbrush.Imean,thedirtinthelinoleumpatternjustdoesn'tcomeupanyotherway.AndIdolikea
nicekitchen."

Hegrimaced.“WhatamIgoingtodowithyou?Amodernwomanisn'tsupposedtoscrubfloorson
herhandsandknees.She'ssupposedtogetadegreeandtakeacorporatepresidencyawayfromsome
goodoldboyinHouston."

She snuggled close to him and closed her eyes, loving his warm strength against her. Her hand
smoothedoverhisshirtjustatthepocket,feelingitssoftness.

"Idon'twantadegree.I'dliketogrowroses."

"Soyousaid."Hefedheranotherbiteofthedessert,whichleftoneforhimself.Thenhesatuptoput
thesauceronthedeskandreachforthecoffee.

"I'llgetit."Sheslidoffhislapandfixedthecoffeethewayhelikedit.Hetookitfromherandcoaxed
herbackontohislap.Itfeltgoodtoholdherlikethat,inthepleasantsilenceoftheoffice.Heshared
thecoffeewithher,too.

Herhandrestedonhiswhileshesippedthehotliquid,staringupintoeyesthatseemedfascinatedby
her.Shewonderedattheirsuddencloseness,whenthey'dbeenatoddsforsuchalongtime.

He was feeling something similar. He liked holding her, touching her. She filled an empty place in
himwithjoyanddelight.Hewasn'tlonelywhenshewasclosetohim.

"Whyroses?"heaskedwhentheyfinishedthecoffeeandheputthecupbackonthedesk.

"They'reold,"shesaid,settlingbackdownagainsthischest."Theyhaveanobility,ahistory.

Forinstance,didyouknowthatNapoleon'sEmpressJosephinewasfamousforherrosegarden,and
thatdespitethewarwithEngland,shemanagedtogetherrosesshippedthroughenemylines?"

Hechuckled."Nowhowdidyouknowaboutthat?"

"Itwasinoneofmygardeningmagazines.Rosesareprehistoric,"shecontinued."They'reoneofthe
oldestlivingplants.Ilikethehybrids,too,though.Dadboughtmeabeautifultearosethelastyearwe
livedinVictoria.Iguessit'sstillwhereIplantedit.Butthehousewasrented,andweweren'tlikelyto
haveapermanenthomeafterthat,soIdidn'twanttouprootmyrosebush."

He smoothed his fingers over her small, soft hand where it pressed over his pocket. His fingers
exploredherneat,shortnailswhilehisbreathsighedoutatherforehead,rufflingherhair.

"Ineverhadmuchuseforflowers.Ourmotherwasn'tmuchofagardener,either."

Sheleanedbackagainsthisshouldersothatshecouldseehisface.

Helookedbitter.

Herfingerswentuptohismouthandtracedhishard,firmlips."Youmustn'ttrytoliveinthepast,"
shesaid."There'sawholeworldouttherewaitingtobeseenandtouchedandlivedin."

"Howcanyoubesooptimistic,afterthelifeyou'vehad?"hewantedtoknow.

"I'manincurableoptimist,Iguess,"shesaid."I'veseensomuchoftheuglysideoflifethatInever
takeanynicethingforgranted.

With a rough curse, he suddenly got to his feet and stripped her out of the shirt and bra before he
liftedherand,withhismouthhardonhers,carriedhertothedivan.

He stretched her out on it, yielding and openly hungry, and came down beside her, one long leg
insertedboldlybetweenbothofhers.

"Doyouhaveanyideahowdangerousthisis?"hegroundoutagainstherbreasts.

Herhandswerefumblingforbuttons."Itisn't,becausewearen't...doinganything,"shewhisperedwith
deathbedhumorassheforcedthestubbornshirtbuttonsapartandpushedthefabricawayfromhard,
warm, hair-covered muscles. "You are...so beautiful," she added in a hushed, rapt whisper as she
touchedhimandfelthimgotense.

Histeethclenched."Tess..."Hemadehernamesoundlikeapleaformercy.

"Oh,comehere.Please!"Shedrewhimdownonher,sothatherbarebreastsmergedwithhishard
chest.She held himclose while theykissed hungrily, feeling hislong legs suddenlyshift so that he
wasbetweenthem,pressingagainstherinanewandurgentway.

Heliftedhisheadandlookedintohereyes.Hisownwerecoalblack,glitteringwithdesire,hisface
drawnandtaut.

Shewatchedhimopenly,alltooawareofhiscapability,andthathecouldlosehisheadrighthereand
shewouldn'tcare.

Heshiftedagainstherdeliberately,andhisheadspunwithpleasure.Helaughed,butwithouthumor.

"IfI'deverimaginedthatavirgin—"hestressedthewordinaharsh,chokedtone"—couldmakean
utterfoolofme!"

Herhandshadbeenslidingupanddownthehardmusclesofhisbackwithpurewonder.

Nowtheystilled,uncertain."A...fool?"shewhispered.

"Tess,haveyougonenumbfromthewaistdown?"heaskedthroughhisteeth."Can'tyoufeelwhat's
happenedtome?"

"Well...yes,"shesaidhesitantly."Isn'titnormal?"

Helaughedinspiteofthestabbingacheshe'dgivenhim."Baby,youhaven'tgotaclue,haveyou?"

"DidIdosomethingwrong?"

"No!"Heeaseddownagain,givingintohisneed,andhers,butcarefulnottogivehertoomuchof
hisformidableweight.Hismouthmovedlazilyoverherforehead,downtocloseherwide,wounded
eyes."Youhaven'tdoneanythingwrong.Iwantyou,"hewhisperedtenderly.

"Iwantyou,too,"shewhisperedbackshyly.

He sighed as if he had the weight of the world on him. One big, lean hand slid under her hips and
liftedthemslowly,sensuallyintothehardthrustofhim,andheldherthere.

Shestiffenedsuddenlyandatinylittlecrycrawledoutofhertightthroatassheregisteredtheheatand
powerofhiminsuchstarkintimacy.

"Whenitgetsthisbad,"hewhisperedatherear,"amanwilllie,cheat,steal,killtogetridofit!IfI
hadjustalittlelesshonor,I'dtellyouanythingthatwouldgetthosejeansoffyouintheleastpossible
time."

"Getmyjeansoff...!"

The shock in her voice broke the tension. He lifted his head and burst out laughing despite the
urgencyinhisbodywhenhesawherface.

"Youdon'timaginethatwecouldmakelovethroughthem?"heasked.

Shewasscarlet.Andhewaslaughing,theanimal!Shehithisshoulderangrily."Youstopthat!"

He chuckled helplessly, shifting suddenly to lie beside her on the wide leather divan. He pulled her
against him and lay there fighting for breath and control, deliciously aware of her bare breasts
pressingwarmlyagainsthisribcage.

"JustwhenIthinkI'llgomad,youactyourage."

"I'mnotakid!"sheprotested.

He smoothed her ruffled hair lazily and his chest rose and fell in a long sigh while the urgency
slowlypassedoutofhisbody.“Yes,youare,"hecontradicted,hisvoicesoftandaffectionate."Andif
wekeepdoingthis,eventually,blushesornot,you'recomingoutofthosejeans."

"AsifI'dletyou!"

"You'dhelpme,"hereturned."Tess,Ihaven'treallytriedtoseduceyou,"headdedquietly.

"You'reashungryformeasIamforyou,andIknowtricksIhaven'tusedyet."

Shedrankinthemalesmellofhisbodywithpleasure."Suchas?"

"Youreallywanttoknow?"Hedrewhercloseandwhisperedinherear.

"Callaghan!"

He kissed her shocked face, closing her open mouth with warm, tender kisses. "You've got a lot to
learn,andIachetoteachittoyou,"hesaidafteraminute."Butyouaren'tgearedforanaffair,andI
havefartoomanyprinciplestoseduceawomanwhoworksforme."Hesighedwearilyanddrewher
closer,wrappingherupagainsthim.“GoodGod,Tess,howdidweevergetintothissituation?"

"YouinsistedthatIsitonyourlapwhileyouatedessert,"sherepliedreasonably.

"Ithappenedlongbeforethat.Monthsago.Ifoughtyoulikemadtokeepyouatarm'slength."

"Itdidn'twork,"sheinformedhim.

"SoInoticed."

Hedidn'tspeakagainandneitherdidsheforalongtime.Theylayineachothers'armsinthesilence
ofthestudy,listeningtothemutedsoundsofthenightoutsidethewindow.

"Doyouwantmetogo?"sheaskedfinally.

Hisarmscontracted."Sure,"herepliedfacetiously."LikeIwanttogiveupbreathing."

Thatwasreassuring.Shefeltthesameway.Buthestillwasn'tmentioninganythingpermanent.Even
throughtheeuphoriaoflyinghalfnudeagainsthim,shedidrealizethat.

Finallyheletgoofherandgotupfromthedivan,carefulnottolookatherashefetchedhershirt
andbraandputthembesideher.

"You'dbetter..."Hegestured,notputtingitintowords.

Shedressedquickly,watchinghislongbackashestoodbesidethedesk,idlytouchingthepaperson
it.

Shegottoherfeetatlastandafteraminuteshewentaroundhimtogetthetray.

"I'lltakethisbacktothekitchen."

Henoddedwithoutspeaking.Hewastoochokedwithconflictingemotionstoputasingleoneofthem
intowords.

Butwhenshewenttopickupthetray,hishandcoveredthebackofhers,briefly.

"I'veputoffaconferencethatImeanttoattendinKansasCity,"hesaidquietly."I'mgoingtogo.Rey
willbebackinthemorningbeforeIleave,andLeowillbehere."

Shelookedupathimwithwide,softeyesinafacethatmadehisheartache.

Hecursedsoftly."Tess,itwouldn'twork,"hesaidthroughhisteeth."Youknowitwouldn't!"

Shemadeamotionwithhershouldersandloweredherrevealingeyessothathecouldn'treadwhat
wasinthem."Okay."

"You'lllikeschool,"heforcedhimselftosay."Therewillbeboysyourownage,niceboys,notlike
someofthetoughsyoumeetontherodeocircuit."

"Sure."

"Youcancommute,"headdedafteraminute."Noneofuswantyoutogiveupyourjobwhileyou're
goingtoschool.AndI'llmakesurewearen'taloneagain,likethis."

Sheswallowedthelumpinherthroatandevenforcedasmile.

"Okay."

Hewatchedherpickupthetrayandgooutoftheroom.Whenhefinallyclosedthedoorbehindher,it
waslikeputtingthefinishingtouchesonahighwall.Heactuallywinced.

Chapter9

Cagwasdressedinalightweightgrayvestedsuitthenextmorningwhenhecameintobreakfast.His
suitcase was packed and waiting by the front door, along with his silver belly Stetson. He looked
elegantwhenhedressedup.Tesshadtoforceherselfnottostareathimtoocloselywhilesheserved
themeal.

Rey had walked in, still dressed in a suit himself, just as Tess started to put breakfast down on the
table.He,likeCallaghan,wouldneverwinanybeautycontests,buthepaidfordressing.Helooked
elegant and faintly dangerous, in a sexy sort of way. Tess was glad she was immune to him, and
wonderedvaguelyiftherehadeverbeenaspecialwomaninhislife.

"IfeellikeCinderellabeforetheball,"Leomuttered,glancingfromoneofhisbrotherstotheother.
Hewasinjeansandablue-checkedshirtandboots,hisblond-streakedbrownhairshininglikegold
intheceilinglight.

Cag didn't react, but Rey took him up on it, peering deliberately under the table to see if Leo was
wearingadress.

"Cute, cute," Leo drawled. He picked up his fork and stabbed the air toward his brother. "I meant
figurativelyspeaking.Idon'tweardresses."

"Goodthing,withyourhairylegs,"Reyretorted.HeglancedtowardCag."Youleaving?"

Cag nodded as he finished a mouthful of eggs and washed it down with coffee. "I'm going to that
legislativecattlemen'sconferenceinKansasCity.IdecidedthatI'dbettergo.Thejournalsdon'tkeep
uscompletelyup-to-dateonpendinglegislation,andI'veheardsomerumorsIdon'tlikeaboutnew
regulations."

"I'veheardthosesamerumors,"Leoremarked.

"Wehavetostartpolicingourownindustrybetter,"Cagsaid."Alltherulesandregulationsandlaws
intheworldwon'tworkwithoutbetterenforcement."Helookedup."Youshouldhavekeptyourseat
onthelegislativecommitteeatthestatecattlemen'sassociation."

"Hindsightisafinething,"Leoagreed."Ihadtoomuchtodoatthetime."

"Iftheyaskyouagain,takeit."

"YoubetIwill."HeglancedatCag."Whydon'tyoudoit?"

Cagsmiled."I'vegotmorethanIcandoalready,asyou'lldiscoverwhenyoulookatthepaperwork
inthestudy.Ionlygothalfthefigureskeyedintothecomputer.You'llneedtotaketherestdownto
Margieintheofficeandgethertofinish."

"Sure."

NeitherLeonorReynoticedthatTesshadturnedawaytothesinkdeliberately,becausesheknewwhy
Caghadn'tfinishedthatpaperwork.Shedidn'twanttheothertwobrotherstoseeherflush.

Cagnoticed.Hedidn'tlookather,though,becausehe'dbecomemorereadablelatelywhereshewas
concerned.Hefinishedhiscoffeeandgotup.

"Well,I'moff.I'lltrytobebackbynextweekend.YoucanreachmeattheAirportHiltoninKansas
Cityifyouneedme."

"Wewon't,"Leosaidwithagrin."Haveagoodtime."

CagglancedinvoluntarilyatTess,thinkinghowemptylifewithoutherwasgoingtobe,evenfora
fewdays.He'dgrownalltoofondofthatredcurlyheadofhairandthoseheavenlyblueeyes.

"TakecareofTesswhileI'mgone,"hesaid,tryingtomakeajokeofitandfailingmiserably.

"I'lltakecareofmyself,thanksverymuch,"sheshotrightbackandforcedasmile,sothathe'dthink
itwasn'tkillinghertowatchhimwalkoutthedoor.

"Younevertoldushowyourapplicationwent,"Leosaidsuddenly.

"Oh,Iwasacceptedonthespot,"Tesssaid."They'vescheduledmeforthreeclasseswhenfallquarter
begins.Iwenttothefinancialaidofficeandappliedfortuition,whichtheysayIcanget,anditwill
payformybooks."

Cagfrowned."You'vealreadyapplied?"

"Yes,"shesaidwithdeterminedbrightness."Istartinthreeweeks.Icanhardlywait."

"SoIsee."Cagfinishedhisgoodbyes,addedafewthingsforhisbrotherstotakecareofwhilehewas
awayandleftwithoutanotherword.

Tesswonderedwhyhewasirritatedthatshe'dappliedforadmissiontothevocationalschool,when
he'dalreadysaidhewantedhertodoit.Sheknewhehadn'tchangedhismind.

Hisbehaviorwaspuzzling.

Cagwasthinkingthesamethingasheslammedhishatonhishead,pickeduphissuitcase,andwent
out the front door. He'd known she was applying, but now it was definite. He thought of her in his
arms the night before, hungry for his kisses, and then he thought of all the young men she'd meet
when she started classes. She might meet a young man who liked roses, too. He had visions of her
youth-fulcrushonhimmeltingquicklyawayintheheatofanewromance,anditmadehimvaguely
sick.

He'd tried not to get in over his head, but it looked as if he was only fooling himself. Tess had
wormedherwayunderhisskin,rightwherehisheartwas.Hewonderedhowhe'deverimaginedthat
hecouldmakealittlelovetoherandwalkaway.He'dneverbeenquitesoconfusedorworriedinhis
life.HewantedTessashe'dneverwantedanything.Buthewasafraidthatshewasinlovewithlove,
not him, because he was the first man who'd ever been intimate with her even in a slight way. He
couldn'tforgetthefianceewho'ddroppedhimforsomeoneyounger.Hecouldn'tbeartogothrough
thatasecondtime.

Hegotintotheranchtruckanddrovetowardtheairport,buthisheartwasn'tinit.Tesswasgoingto
goawaytoschool,andhewasgoingtoloseher.Butnotrightaway,hecomfortedhimself.She'd

stillbelivingattheranch.He'dhavetimetogethimselfsortedout.Anditwasn'tasifshewasgoing
to meet someone else at once. He had plenty of time. The thought comforted him, and he put that
worryaside.

Cagwouldn'thavebeenquitesocomfortedifhe'dseenthebigblacklimousinethatdrewupinfront
oftheHartranchhousebarelytwohoursafterhe'dleft.

ReyandLeohadalreadygoneoutwiththementolookoveranewbatchofbullswhensomeonerang
thedoorbell.

Tesswipedherhandsonakitchentowelandleftthepotsshe'dbeenscrubbinginthesinkwhenshe
wenttoanswerit.

Atall,taciturnmaninasuit,carryingabriefcase,wasstandingthere.

"MissTheresaBrady?"themanaskedpolitely.

Itwasashocktohearhergivenname.She'dbeencalledTessforsolongthatshe'dallbutforgotten
thatitwasacontractionofTheresa.

"Yes,"shesaidhesitantly.

Heheldoutahand."I'mClintMatherson,"hesaid,shakinghands."Yourlatemother'sattorney."

Herhandwentlimpinhis."My...late...mother?"

"I'm sorry to tell you that your mother passed away almost a month ago in Singapore. It wasn't
possible to get word to you until now. I found you through a detective agency, but I've been out of
townandthemessageonlyreachedmeaweekago.I'mverysorry,"hesaidbelatedly.

Shehadn'tthoughtofhermotherinyears,andonlythenwithregret.Itmighthavebeensadtolose
herifshe'devershowntheslightestaffectionforheronlychild,butshehadn't.

"Ididn'tknowwhereshewas,"Tesssaidhonestly."Wehadn'tcommunicatedsinceIwassixteen."

"Yes,she,uh,mademeawareofthat.Sheleftyouaportfolioofstocksinatradingcompanyoutof
Singapore,"headded."Ifwecouldsitdownanddiscussherwill?"

"I'msorry.Ofcourse.Comeintothelivingroom,please."

Hesatdowninanarmchairandlaidoutthedocumentsonthespotlessoakcoffeetable,movingher
flowerarrangementasidetomakeroomforthem.

"Ican'ttellyoumuchaboutthiscompany.Franklythestocksareasmuchasurprisetoyouastheyare
tome.Shedidn'taskmyadvicebeforeshesankhermoneyintothem.Youdidknowthatshemarried
awealthySingaporeimportersixyearsago?"

"No,"Tesssaidstiffly."AsIsaid,wehaven'tcorresponded."

"Apity,"hereplied."Shegaveupdrinkingandledafairlyad-mirablelifeinherlastyears.

She was widowed about the time she contracted cancer. Her illness perhaps changed her outlook
some-what. I understand that she had plans to ask you to come out and visit with her, but she never
carriedthemout."Hesmiledthinly."Shetoldmeshewasashamedofthewayshe'dtreatedyou,Miss
Brady,andnottoohopefulofmakingamends."

Tessclaspedherhandstogetheronthekneesofherjeans."Iwouldhavelistened,ifshe'dwantedto
talktome."

He shrugged. "Perhaps it's just as well. But time is a great healer." He indicated the documents. "I'll
havethesestockscheckedoutbytheendoftheweek.Ishouldbeabletogiveyousomeideaoftheir
currentworthontheAsianmarketthen.Youcandecidewhetheryou'dratherkeepthemorsellthem.
Thereareafewoddsandends,likeherjewelry,whichwillbesentontomeandI'llforwardthemto
you."

Thethoughtofhavingsomething,anything,ofhermother'smadeheruneasy."Wasn'tthereanyother
relative?"

“AstepdaughterwhostilllivesinSingapore.Butshewasalreadyprovidedforbyherfather'swill."

"Wouldn'tshelikethejewelry?"

Hewassurprised."Well,shewasfondofyourmother,Iunderstand.Theyweregoodfriends.Yes,I
imagineshewouldlikeit.Butit'syours,MissBrady.Youwereabloodrelative."

"I never felt like one," she replied stiffly. "I'd like the daughter to have the jewelry and the
other...personal things." She glanced at him and away. "It's hard to put into words, but I don't really
wantanythingofhers.Noteventhestock."

"Ah, but you have no choice about that," he said, surprising her. "There's no provision if you don't
acceptit.Theremustbesome

DianaPalmer379

goal you've set in life that it would help you achieve. I understand that you work as a housekeeper
heresinceyourfather'suntimelydeath.Wouldn'tyouliketobefinanciallyindependent?"

Thatremarkchangedherlife.Ifshehadalittlemoneyofherown,Callaghanwouldn'thavetokeep
heronherebecausehewassorryforher.Itwouldgivehersomemeasureofindependence,evenif
leavingCallaghanbrokeherheart.

"Yes,Iwould,"sheansweredthelawyer."AndI'llacceptthestock.Thankyou."

Heindicatedtheplaceshersignaturewasrequired,closedthedocumentsupinhisbriefcase,shook
handsandpromisedtobeintouchsoonaboutthestock.

“How much do you think it could be worth?' she asked hesitantly when he was on the verge of
leaving.

"Hardtotell.Itwasboughtforeightydollarsashare,butthatwaslastyear."

"Andhowmuchwasbought?"

Hesmiledmusingly."Aboutamilliondollarsworth."

Shewaspale.Herhandfoundthedoorandheldonforsupport."Oh."

"So you see, you won't be dependent on other people for your livelihood. Your mother may have
neglectedyouinlife,butshedidn'tforgetyouattheend.Thatmustbesomecomfort."

It wasn't, but she smiled and pretended that it was. She closed the door and leaned back against it.
Everything had changed in the course of a few minutes. She was a woman of means. She could do
what she pleased. But it would be without Callaghan Hart, and that was the hardest pill of all to
swallow.

Shetoldthebrothersabouthervisitoratthesuppertable.

They were silent after she related the size of the inheritance, glancing at each other as if
communicatinginsomemysteriousfashion.

"I can still go to school, but I'll be able to support myself now," she told them. "And I guess," she
added reluctantly, "I won't need to work. I'm sorry to leave, but we've known for a long time that
Callaghanreallywouldprefertohaveanothercook."

"Whydon'tyouevercallhimCag,likewedo?"Leoaskedgently.

Shestaredathercoffeecup."Itneverseemedcomfortable,Iguess."

Theyexchangedanothermysteriousglance.

"Well,we'lladvertiseassoonasCagcomeshomeandwehavetimetodiscusswhatwewanttodo,"
Reysaid."We'llmissyou,Tess.Especiallyyourbiscuits."

"Amentothat.Agoodbiscuitchefisreallyhardtofindintheseliberatedtimes.Iguesswe'llbeeating
themoutoftinsfromnowon."

"Now,now,"Tesschided,"Doriecanbakebiscuitsandevenrealbread.I'llbetshewon'tmindkeeping
yousupplied.Butyou'llfindacook.Iknowyouwill."

Theylookedathersilently."Shewon'tbeyou,"Leosaid,andhesmiledwistfully.

Tessgotusedtotheideaofleavinginthedaysthatfollowed.Shewasalmostreconciledtoitwhen
Cag showed up late the next Friday afternoon. He looked tired and worn and unhappy until he saw
Tess. His black eyes began to light up at once, and her heart ached, because it could have been so
differentifhe'dlovedher.Shestoodquietlyinthekitchenwhenshewantedtoflingherselfintohis
armsandkisshimtodeath.

"Missedme?"hedrawled.

Shenodded,butshewouldn'tlookathim."I'vegottogathereggs.Iforgotthismorning.

Welcomehome,"shesaidbelatedlyasshecarriedasmallwickerbasketoutthebackdoor.

"Thereyouare!"Leocalled,joininghisbrotherinthekitchen.Heclappedahandonthetallerman's
shoulder."How'ditgo?"

"Fine.What'swrongwithTess?"

"Whatdoyoumean?"

Gag'seyesdarkened."Shewouldn'tlookatme."

"Oh. Well, she's been unsettled since the lawyer came," Leo replied, carefully choosing his words.
"Suddenwealthwoulddothattomostpeople."

Cag'sfacelostafewshadesofcolor."Wealth?"

"Her mother died and left her a small fortune in stocks," he told the older man, watching with
compassiontheeffectithadonhim.

"She says she'll be leaving as soon as we can hire a replacement. No need for her to work with a
milliondollarsworthofstock,isthere?"

Cag went to the sink and poured himself a glass of water that he didn't want, just to keep from
groaning aloud. Tess had money. She was quitting. He'd thought he had time to work out his own
feelings, and suddenly it was all up. She was leaving and he'd never see her again. She'd find
somebodyyoungerandgetmarriedandhaveba-bies.Tesswouldlovehavingchildrenofherown....

Heputtheglassdownwithathud."I'vegotthingstodo.Howaboutthosenewbulls?"

"Theycamein,andIgotBillytosellmethatSalersbull,"headdedsmugly."I'veputhiminapasture

all to himself with his own salt lick and a nice clean stall to keep him out of bad weather when it
comes."

Cag didn't rise to the occasion which he would have only days before. He looked thoughtful and
worried.Veryworried.

"Itwon'tbethesamewithoutTess,willit?"Leopromptedgently.

Cag'sfaceclosedupcompletely."I'llchangeandgetbacktothepaperwork."

"Aren'tyougoingtotellmehowtheconferencewent?"

"Later,"Cagsaidabsently.Hewalkedoutoftheroomwithoutabackwardglance.

Heactedoddlyfortherestoftheday.Andhewasn'tatthesuppertable.

"Said he had to go into town, God knows what for," Rey murmured as he buttered a flaky biscuit.
"Theypullinthesidewalksatsix.Heknowsthat."

"Maybehe'sgotsomethingonhismind,"Leomused,watchingTessfussoverthechickendishshe
wasputtingintoaservingbowl.

Reysighed."Somethingbig.Hewasn'tgoingtowardJacobsville,"headded."Hewasheadedtoward
Shea's."

ThatbroughtLeo'sheadup."Hewas?"

Tess finished putting food on the table, so preoccupied by Cag's reappearance that she couldn't put
twothoughtstogetherinanysortoforder.Itwasmuchhardertoleavethanshe'devenanticipated.

ShemissedthecommentaboutShea'sBarentirely,andshebarelytouchedherownfood.

Shecleanedupthekitchen,blindtothebrothers'troubledglances,andwenttobedearly.

Shefeltlikeitwastheendoftheworld.

So did Cag, who sat quietly at a corner table at Shea's Bar, drinking one whiskey highball after
anotheruntilhewaspleasantlynumbandbarelycoherent.

Nofool,heleftthetrucklockedatthebarandtookacabbacktotheranch.Ifthedriverwonderedat
theidentityofhisoverly-quietpassenger,hedidn'task.Hetookthebillsthatwerefumbledoutofthe
cowhidewalletanddroveaway.

Cagmanagedtogetthroughthelivingroomwithoutfallingoveranything,amazingconsideringthe
amount of whiskey he'd imbibed. He made it to his own room and even into the shower, an
undertakingofmammothproportions.

Withhishairstilldampandonlyashortrobecoveringhisnudity,itoccurredtohimthatheshould
ask Tess why the rush to get away from the ranch. That it was three in the morning didn't seem to
matter.Ifshewasasleep,why,shecouldjustwakeupandanswerhim.

Heknockedatherdoor,buttherewasnoanswer.Heopeneditandwalkedin,bumpingintoachair
andthesidetablebeforeheeverreachedthebed.

He sat down on the side of it and noticed how hot the room was. She hadn't turned on the air
conditioner, and then he remembered that his brothers had told him they'd shut the unit off
temporarilywhileitwasbeingworkedon.Nowonderitwassohot.

He reached out and pushed gently at Tess's shoulder under the cover. She moaned and kicked the
cover away and he caught his breath. She was lying there just in her briefs, without any other
covering,herbeautifullittlebreastsbareandfirminthemutedlightofthesecuritylampoutsideher
window.

Hecouldn'thelphimself.Hereachedoutandtracedthoseprettybreastswiththetipsofhisfingers,
smilingwhenshearchedandtheywenthard-tippedatonce.

Itseemedthemostnaturalthingintheworldtoslideoutofhisrobeandintobedbesideher.

Heturnedheragainsthisnudebody,feelingherquiversoftlyandtheneaseclosertohim.

She felt like heaven in his arms. The feel of her soft, warm skin so intimately kindled a raging
arousalinhim.

Hemovedherontoherbackandslidoverher,hismouthgentlysmoothingacrossherlipsuntilthey
partedandrespondeddespitethesharptangofwhiskeyonhisbreath.

Half-asleep, and sure that she was dreaming, her arms went under his and around him, her legs
movedtoadmithimintoanintimacythatmadehisheadspin.Hemovedagainstherblindly,hungrily,
urgently, his mouth insistent on her mouth as he felt surges of pleasure breaking like waves inside
him.

'”Ca...Callaghan?Callaghan?'shewhimpered.

"Yes, Tess...!" He caught her mouth again and his hand went to her thigh, pulling her even closer,
strainingagainstthethinnylonbarrierthatwasallthatseparatedthem.

Shedidn'tfighthisseduction.Ifthiswaswhathewanted,itwaswhatshewanted,too.Sherelaxedand
gaveintothesweet,fiercesensationsthatcamefromtheintimatecontactwithhispowerfulbody.

Butevenashisfingerssoughtherhipsinafierceurgency,theliquorfinallycaughtupwithhim.He
gave a soft, explosive sigh and a curse and suddenly went limp on her, the full weight of his body
pressingherhardintothesheets.

Shelaydazed,wonderingexactlywhathadhappened.Caghadnoclotheson.Shewaswearingbriefs,
but nothing more. Not being totally stupid, she realized that sex involved a little more contact than
this,butitwasblatantintimacy,allthesame.Sheshiftedexperimentally,butnothinghappened.He'd
beenveryaroused,butnowhewasrelaxedallover.

Sheeasedawayalittleandpushed.Hewentoverontohisbackinaliquidsprawlandwithalongsigh.

Curious,shesatupinbedandlookedathim,surprisedathowmuchsheenjoyedthesightofhimlike
that.Hemighthavebeenawarmstatueforallthemovementinhim,buthewasadelighteventoher
innocent eyes. She smiled secretively as she studied him unashamedly, thinking that for tonight he
belongedtoher,evenifhedidn'twantto.Afterall,shehadn'tcoaxedhiminhere.He'dcomeofhis
ownfreewill.Hehadtofeelsomethingforher,ifhe'dhadtogooutandgethimselfdrunktoexpress
whathereallywanted.

Whileshelookedathimsheweighedheroptions.Shecouldleavehimhereandshoohimoutfirst
thing in the morning—unless, of course, he awoke in the same condition he'd just been in except
sober.Inwhichcase,herinnocencewasreallygoingtobegone.Orshecouldtrytogethimbackto
hisroom.Thatwouldbeimpossible.Hewasdeadweight.Shecouldcallthebrotherstohelpher—but
thatwouldcreateascandal.

Intheend,shecurledupbesidehim,pulledthesheetoverbothofthemandwenttosleepinhisarms.
Let tomorrow take care of itself, she mused while she enjoyed the feel of all that latent strength so
closeagainsthernudity.Shelovedhim.Ifthiswasallshecouldeverhave,shewasgoingtohavethis
onenight.Evenifheneverknewaboutit.

Cagfeltlittlehammersateithersideofhishead.Hecouldn'tseemtoopenhiseyestodiscoverwhat
wasthesoundthathaddisturbedhim.Heremembereddrinkingaglassofbourbonwhiskey.Several
glasses.Herememberedtakingashowerandfallingintobed.Heremembered....

Hiseyesflewopenandhesatstraightup.Butinsteadoflookingatthebarebackbesidehim,covered
just decently by a sheet, he scanned his own nudity to the door, where Rey and Leo were standing

frozeninplace.

He jerked the sheet over his hips, held his throbbing head and said, predictably, "How did I get in
here?"

"You bounder," Leo murmured, so delighted by his brother's pre-dicament that he had to bite his
tonguetokeepfromsmiling.Finallyhe'dgotCagjustwherehewantedhim!

"That goes double for me," Rey said, acting disgusted as he glanced toward Tess's prone figure
barelycoveredbythesheet."Andsheworksforus!"

"Notanymore,"Leosaidwithpureconfidenceashefoldedhisoverhischest."Guesswho'sgetting
married?"Heraisedhisvoice,despiteCag'soutragedlook."Tess?Tess!Wakeup!"

Sheforcedhereyesopen,glancedatCagandfroze.Asshepulledupthesheettoherchin,sheturned
andsawthebrothersstandingpoker-facedinthedoorway..

Thenshedidwhatanysanewomanmightdounderthecircumstances.Shescreamed.

Chapter10

Anawkwardfewminuteslater,acoldsoberandpoleaxedCagjerkedintohisrobeandTessretreated
underthesheetuntilheleft.Heneverlookedather,orspoke.Shehuddledintothesheetandwished
shecoulddisappear.

Shefeltterrible.Eventhoughitwasn'therfault,anyofit.Shehadn'tgoneandclimbedintobedwith
him,afterall,andshecertainlyhadn'tinvitedhimintobedwithher!Whenshe'ddozedoff,she'dbeen
almostconvincedthatthewholeepisodehadbeenadream.Nowitwasmorelikeanightmare.

Tesswentintothekitchentomakethebreakfastthatthebrothershadfoundmissingatitsusualtime.
Thatwaswhythey'dcomelookingforher,andhowtheyknewCagwasinbedwithher.Shegroaned
assherealizedwhatshewasgoingtohavetoendurearoundthetable.

Shedecidedbeforehandthatshe'deatherbreakfastaftertheyfinishedandkeepbusyinanotherpart
ofthehouseuntiltheyweregone.

Themealwasonthetablewhenthreesubduedmenwalkedintothekitchenandsatdown.

Tess couldn't look at any of them. She mumbled something about dusting the living room and
escaped.

Nottenminuteslater,Leocamelookingforher.

Shewascleaningawindowthatshe'ddonetwicealready.Shecouldn'tmeethiseyes.

"Waseverythingokay?I'msorryifthebaconwasalittleoverdone...."

"Nobody's blaming you for anything," he said, interrupting her quietly. "And Cag's going to do the
rightthing."

She turned, red-faced. "But he didn't do anything, Leo," she said huskily. "He was drunk and he got
intothewrongbed,that'sall.Nothing,absolutelynothing,wenton!"

Heheldupahand."Cagdoesn'tknowthatnothingwenton,"hesaid,loweringhisvoice.

"Andyouaren'tgoingtotellhim.Listentome,"heemphasizedwhenshetriedtointerrupt,

"you'retheonlythingthat'sgoingtosavehimfromdryingintodustandblowingaway,Tess.

He'saloneandhe'sgoingtostaythatway.He'llnevergetmarriedvoluntarily.Thisistheonlywayit
willeverhappen,andyouknowit."

Sheliftedherheadproudly."Iwon'ttrickhimintomarriage,"shesaidcurtly.

"I'mnotaskingyouto.We'lltrickhimintoit.Youjustgoalong."

"Iwon't,"shesaidstubbornly."Heshouldn'thavetomarrymeforsomethinghedidn'tdo!"

"Well, he remembers some of it. And he's afraid of what he can't remember, so he's willing to get
married."

She was still staring at him with her eyes unblinking. "I love him!" she said miserably. "How can I
everexpecthimtoforgivemeifIlethimmarrymewhenhedoesn'twantto!"

"Hedoeswantto.Atleast,hewantstorightnow.Rey'sgoneforthelicense,youbothgotothedoctor
inthirtyminutesforabloodtestandyougetmarriedFridayintheprobatejudge'soffice."Heputa
gentle hand on her shoulder. “Tess, if you love him, you have to save him from himself. He cares
aboutyou.It'ssoobvioustousthatit'sblatant.Buthewon'tdoanythingaboutit.Thisistheonlyway
hehasachanceathappiness,andwe'renotlettinghimthrowitawayonhalf-bakedfearsoffailure.
SoI'msorry,butyou'resortofthefallguyhere.It'sagamble.ButI'dbetonit."

"Whataboutwhenheremembers,ifhedoes,andwe'realreadymarried?"sheaskedplaintively.

"That'sabridgeyoucancrosswhenyouhaveto."Hegaveherawickedgrin."Besides,youneedan
insurancepolicyagainstanythingthatmight...happen.'

"Nothing'sgoingtohappen!"shegrowled,herfistsclenchedatherside.

"That'swhatyouthink,"hemurmuredunderhisbreath,smiling—butonlyafterhe'dclosedthedoor
betweenthem.Herubbedhishandstogetherwithgleefulsatisfactionandwenttofindhissibling.

It was like lightning striking. Everything happened too fast for Tess's protests to make any
differences.ShewantedtotellCagthetruth,becauseshehadn'tbeendrunkandsherememberedwhat
had gone on. But somehow she couldn't get him to herself for five minutes in the three days that
followed.Beforesheknewwhatwashappening,sheandCagwereintheprobatejudge'sofficewith
CorriganandDorie,SimonandTira,LeoandReybehindthem,cheeringthemon.

Tesswaswearingawhiteoff-the-shouldercottondresswithasprigoflilyofthevalleyinherhairin
lieuofaveil,andcarryingasmallnosegayofflowers.TheywerepronouncedmanandwifeandCag
leaneddowntokissher—onthecheek,perfunctorily,evenreluctantly.

Helookedmorelikeamanfacinganincurableillnessthanahappybridegroom,andTessfeltmore
guiltybytheminute.

Theyallwenttoarestauranttohavelunch,whichTessdidn'ttaste.Afterward,LeoandReywentona
hastilyarrangedbusinesstriptoCaliforniawhileCorriganandSimonandtheirrespectivewiveswent
totheirownhomes.

CagputTessintotheMercedes,whichhedroveforspecialoccasions,andtookherbacktotheranch.

Shewantedtotellhimthetruth,butthelookonhisfacedidn'tinviteconfidences,andshewascertain
thatitwouldonlymakethingsworseandgethisbrothersintobigtroubleifsheconfessednow.

Sheknewthatnothinghadhappenedthatnight,butifshesleptwithCag,hewasgoingtoknowit,too.
Besides,sleepingwithhimwouldeliminateanyideasofanannulment.She'dbeenthinkingaboutthat
all day, that she could give him his freedom before any more damage was done. She had to talk to
himbeforetonight,beforetheirweddingnight.

Itwasalmosttimetoputondinnerandshe'djuststartedchangingoutofherweddingdresswhenthe
dooropenedandCagcamein,closingthedoordeliberatelybehindhim.

Innothingbutabraandhalf-slip,sheturned,brushinhand,tostareathimasifhewereanapparition.
Hewaswearinghisjeansandnothingelse.Hisbroadchestwasbareandtherewasalookinhisblack
eyesthatshedidn'tlike.

"Cag,Ihavetotellyou...."

Beforeshecouldgettherestofthesentenceout,hehadherupinhisarmsandhewaskissingher.It
wasn't like other kisses they'd shared, which had an affectionate, teasing quality to them even in
passion.Thesewererough,insistent,arousingkissesthatwereapre-ludetoout-and-outseduction.

Tessdidn'thavetheexperiencetosaveherself.Afewfeverishminuteslater,shewastwistingunder
himonthecoverofthebedtryingtohelphimgetridofthelastlittlebitoffabricthatconcealedher
fromhiseyes.

Hewasoutofhisjeansbythen,andhismouthwasalloverheryieldingbody.Hetouchedandtasted
herinwaysshe'dneverexperienced,untilshewaswrithingwithhunger.

Bythetimeheslidbetweenherlegsandbegantopossessher,shewassoeagerthatthetinyflashof
painwentalmostunnoticed.

But not by Cag. He stopped at once when he felt the barrier give and lifted his head. His arms
trembled slightly with the effort as he arched over her and put a rein on his desire long enough to
searchherwide,dazedeyes.

"Itried...totellyou,"shestammeredshakilywhensherealizedwhyhewashesitating.

"IfIcouldstop,IsweartoGod...Iwould!"hesaidinahoarse,harshwhisper.Heshudderedandbent
tohermouth."Butit'stoolate!I'dratherdiethanstop!"

He kissed her hungrily as his body eased down and found a slow, sweet rhythm that brought gasps
from the mouth he was invading. He felt her nails biting into his hips, pulling him, pleading, her
wholebodyonelongachingpleaforsatisfaction.Shesobbedintohismouthashegaveherwhatshe
wantedinwavesofsweet,hotecstasythatbuiltintoafrighteningcrescendojustatthelast.

Shecriedoutandfelthimshiveraboveherwiththesameexquisitedelightshewasfeeling.

Secondslater,hecollapsedinherarmsandshetooktheweightofhimwithjoy,clingingashefought
togethisbreath.Hisheartbeatshookbothoftheminthedamp,lazyaftermath.

Shefelthisbreathatherear,jerkyandhot."DidIhurtyou?"heasked.

"No.Oh,no,"shebreathed,burrowingcloser.

Her body moved just slightly and his own clenched. It had been years. He'd ached for Tess, for the
fulfillmentshe'djustgivenhim.Itwastoosoon,andhewasn'tgoingtogetoverthissubterfugethat
hadmadehimherhusband,butjustnowhismindwasn'tthepartofhisbodythatwasincontrol.

Hemovedexperimentallyandheardherbreathcatchevenassharppleasurerippleduphisspine.No,
hethoughtashepulledherunderhimagain,itwasn'ttoosoon.Itwasn'ttoosoonatall!

Itwasdarkwhenhegotoutofbedandpulledhisjeansbackon.Tesswaslyinginadamp,limp,spent
sprawlonthecoverwherehe'dlefther.Shelookedupathimwithdazedblueeyes,herfacerosyin
theaftermathofpassion,herbodyfaintlymarkedwherehishandsandhismouthhadexploredher.
Shewashis.Shebelongedtohim.Hisheadliftedwithunconscious,arrogantprideofpossession.

"Howwasit?"heasked.

She couldn't believe he'd said anything so blatant to her after the lovemaking that had been nothing
shortofarevelation.Shehadn'tdreamedthatherbodywascapableofsuchsensationsasshe'dbeen
feeling.Andheaskedherthatquestionwiththesameinteresthe'dhaveshownaboutaweatherreport.

Shestaredathim,confused.

"Wasitworthashamwedding?"hecontinued,woundedbyhersilencethathadmadehimfeelobliged

togothroughwithaweddinghedidn'twant.She'dtrappedhimandhefeltlikeafool,nomatterhow
sweetthebaithadbeen.

Shedrewthecoverbackoverhernudity,ashamedbecauseofthewayhewaslookingather.Hemade
herfeelasifshe'ddonesomethingterrible.

"Youknewnothinghappenedthatnight,"hecontinuedquietly."Ididn't.IwastoodrunktocarewhatI
did,butIrememberedalltoowellthatIlostmyheadtheminuteItouchedyou.ForallIknew,Imight
havegonethroughwithit.Butyouknewbetter,andyouletmemarryyouinspiteofit,knowingit
wasn'tnecessary."

Sheclutchedthecoverlet."Itriedtotellyou,butIcouldn'tseemtogetyoualoneforfiveminutes,"
shemurmureddefeatedly.

"Of course you couldn't," he returned. His voice was as cold as his eyes. "I wasn't going to make
mattersworsebyseducingyouasecondtime."

"Ithoughtitwasyourbrothers...."

She didn't finish, but her face gave the game away. His eyes positively glittered. "My brothers? Of
course.Mybrothers!"Heglareddownather."Theywereinonit,too,weren'tthey?Nowonderthey
didtheirbesttomakemefeellikeaheel!Didyouconvincethemtogoalongwiththelie?"

ShewantedtotellhimthatithadbeenLeo'sideainthefirstplace,butwhatgoodwoulditdonow?He
was making it clear that he'd married her against his will and blamed her for making it necessary.
Nothingshecouldsaywouldbemuchofadefense.

Hersilenceonlymadehimmadder.Heturnedtowardthedoor."Where...areyougoing?Doyouwant
supper?"Helookedatheroveronebroad,bareshoulder."I'vehadallIwant.Ofeverything."

Hewentthroughthedoorwayandslammedthedoorbehindhim.Tessdissolvedintotearsofmisery.
Well,shewasmarried,butatwhatcost?IfCaghadeverbeenclosetolovingher,hewasn'tanymore.
Hehatedher;she'dseenitinhiseyes.She'dtrappedhimandhehatedher.

Shegotup,feelingunusuallystiffandsoreinoddplaces,andwenttotakeashower.Thesoonershe
couldgetbacktonormal,ornearlynormal,thebetter.

She bathed and dressed in a neat flowered shirtwaist dress, combed her freshly washed and dried
curlyhairandwenttothekitchentomakesupper.Butevenasshewentintotheroom,sheheardone
oftheranchtruckscrankupandroarawayinafury.

Curious, she searched the house for Cag, even braving his own bedroom. His closet was still open
andshecaughtawhiffofafter-shave.Sheleanedagainstthedoorjambwithalongsigh.Sohe'drun
out, on their wedding night. Well, what did she expect, that he'd stay home and play the part of the
lovinghusband?Fatchance,afterthethingshe'dsaid.

Shefixedherselfasandwichwithsomecoldroastbeefanddrankaglassofmilk.Thenshewaitedfor
Cagtocomehome.

Whenhehadn'tcomebackbymidnight,shewenttoherroomandcrawledintobed.Shewascertain
thatshelaidawakeforanhour,butsheneverheardhimcomein.Shesleptaloneandmiserable,still
tinglingwiththememoriesofthepastfewhours.Ifonlyhe'dlovedher,justalittle,shemighthave
hadhope.Shehadnone,now.

Bymorning,sheknewwhatshehadtodo.ShewentlookingforCag,totellhimshewasleaving.She
hadthepromiseofhermother'slegacyandasmallsavingsaccount,pluslastweek'ssalarythatshe
hadn't spent. She could afford a bus ticket and a cheap apartment somewhere, anywhere, out of
Jacobsville.

ItmighthavebeenjustaswellthatCagstillhadn'tcomehome.Hisroomwasempty,hisbedhadn't
beensleptin.ThebrotherswerestilloutoftownandMrs.Lewiswasn'tcomingagainuntilthenext
week.Nobodywouldbeheretosaygoodbyetoher.Butwhatdiditmatter?Caghadmadehisdisgust
and contempt very clear indeed. He wouldn't care if she left. She could get the divorce herself and
havethepaperssenttohim.Hedidn'tloveher,sowhatreasonwastheretostayhereandeatherheart
outoveramanwhodidn'twanther?

She blushed a little as her mind provided vivid proof that it wasn't a case of his not wanting her
physically.He'dbeeninsatiable,in-exhaustible.Perhapsthatwaswhyheleft.Perhapshewasashamed
ofhowhungryhe'dbeenforher,oflettingherseethathunger.Herowninexperiencehadbeenher
worst drawback, because she had no real knowledge of how men behaved after they'd soothed an
ache. She didn't think a man in love would insult his new bride and leave her alone all night.
Apparentlyhewasstillfuriouswithherandinnomoodtoforgivewhathesawasabetrayalofthe
worstkind.

Well, he needn't expect her to be sitting at home mourning his loss! She'd had enough of being
alternatelyscorned,rejectedandpassionatelykissed.Hecouldfindanotherobjectforhisdesires,like
thenoncookingMissBrewster!Andshewishedthewomanjoyofhim.Suchanarrow-minded,hard-
nosedmandeservedawomanwho'dleadhimaroundbytheear!

Tesspacked,tookalonglastlookaroundthefirstrealhomeshe'deverknownandcalledacab.She
thoughtaboutleavinganote.But,afterall,Caghadn'tleftheronewhenhe'dstayedoutallnight.He
musthaveknownthatshe'dbeworried,buthehadn'tcaredaboutherfeelings.Whyshouldshecare

abouthis?Nowitwasherturn.Butshewasstayingoutmuchlongerthananight.

Shetookthecabtotheairportandwalkedintotheterminal,stayingonlyuntilthecabpulledaway.
Shehailedanothercab,climbedinandwenttothebusstation,justincaseCagtriedtotraceher.She
wasn'tgoingtomakeiteasyforhim!SheboughtaticketforSt.Louisandsatdowntowaitforthe
bus.

Aplaneticketwouldhavebeennice,butshecouldn'taffordtheluxury.Shehadtoconservehersmall
storeofcash.Itwouldbeenoughtokeepherforatleastaweekortwo.Afterthat,shecouldworry
about getting enough to eat. But if she ran out of luck, there was always the shelter. Every city had
one,fullofcompassionatepeoplewillingtohelpthedownandout.IfIevergetrich,shethought,I'll
donatelikecrazytokeepthosesheltersopen!

She rich, she remembered suddenly, and bit her lip as she realized that she hadn't left the lawyer a
forwardingaddress.Shewenttothenearestphoneand,takinghiscardfromherwallet,phonedand
toldhissecretarythatshewasgoingoutoftownandwouldbeintouchinaweekorso.Thatbusiness
accomplished,shesatbackdownononeofthelongbenchesandwaitedforthebustoarrive.

St.Louiswashuge.TessnoticedbargesgoingdownthewideMississippiandthoughthowmuchfun
itwouldbetoliveinarivertown.She'dlivedinlandallherlife,itseemed.

She found a small efficiency apartment and paid a week's rent in advance. Then she bought a
newspaperandgotasandwichfromanearbydeliandwentbacktoherroomtoreadandeat.

Thereweren'talotofjobsavailable.Shecouldwait,ofcourse,andhopeforsomethingshecoulddo
thatpaidanicesalary.Butherskillswerelimited,andcookingwasherbestone.Itseemedlikekindly
providencethattherewasacookingjobavailableatalocalrestaurant;anditwasnearby!

She went the very next morning just after daylight to apply. The woman who interviewed her was
dubiouswhenTesstoldherhowoldshewas,butTesspromisedshecoulddothejob,whichturned
outtobethatofapastrychef.

Thewoman,stillskepticalbutdesperatetofilltheposition,gaveTessaprobationaryjob.

Delighted,shegotintotheapronandcapandgotstarted.

Bytheendoftheday,heremployerwasquiteimpressedandTesswashiredunconditionally.

Shewentbacktoherapartmenttiredbutsatisfiedthatthingshadworkedoutforhersoquickly.She
sparedathoughtforCag.Ifhe'dcomehome,heprobablywonderedwhereshewas.Shedidn'tdare
expandonthatthemeorshe'dbeintears.

Running away had seemed the answer to all her problems yester-day, but it wasn't so cut-and-dried
today.Shewasinastrangecitywhereshehadnofamilyorfriends,inalonelyapartment,andallshe
had to show for it was a job. She thought of the brothers waiting patiently for their breakfast and
nobody there to fix it. She thought of Cag and how happy she'd felt that night she'd taken him the
special dessert in his study. Things had been magical and for those few minutes, they'd belonged
together.Buthowsoonithadallfallenapart,throughnorealfaultofherown.

"Ishouldhavestayed,"shesaid,thinkingaloud."Ishouldhavemadehimlisten."

Butshehadn't.Nowshehadtolivewiththeconsequences.Shehopedtheywouldn'tbetoobad.

Callaghandraggedbackintothehouseadayandahalfafterhe'dleftitwithhismiserysovisiblethat
itshockedhisbrothers,who'dcomebackfromtheirbusinesstriptoanominouslyemptyhouse.

Theysurgedforwardwhenhewalkedthroughthedoor.

"Well?"Leopromptedimpatiently,lookingpastCagtothedoor."Whereisshe?"

Cag'stiredmindtookaminutetoworkthatquestionout."Whereisshe?Whatdoyoumean,whereis
she?Sheisn'there?"heexploded.

ReyandLeoexchangedworriedglancesasCagpushedpastthemandrusheddownthehalltoTess's
room.Itwasempty.Hersuitcasewasgone,herclothesweregone,hershoesweregone.Helooked
overherdresserandonthebed,buttherewasnonote.Shehadn'tleftatrace.Cag'sheartturnedover
twiceasherealizedwhatshe'ddone.She'drunaway.She'dlefthim.

Hisbigfistsclenchedbyhissides.Hisfirstthoughtwasthathewasgladshe'dgone;hislifecouldget
backtonormal.Buthissecondthoughtwasthathefeltasifhalfhisbodywasmissing.Hewasempty
inside.Cold.Alone,ashe'dneverbeen.Heheardhisbrotherscomeupbehindhim."Herthingsare
gone,"hesaidwithoutanyexpressioninhisvoice.

"Nonote?"Leoasked.Cagshookhishead.

"Surelysheleftanote,"Reymurmured."I'llchecktheoffice."Hewentbackdownthehall.

Leoleanedagainstthewallandstaredunblinkingathisbigbrother.

"Gaveherhell,didyou?"heaskedpointedly.

Cag didn't look at him. His eyes were on the open closet door. "She lied. She tricked me into
marriage."HeturnedhisblackeyesonLeo."Youhelpedherdoit."

"Helpedher?Itwasmyidea,"hesaidquietly."You'dneverhavemarriedherifitwasleftuptoyou.
You'dhavegonethroughlifegettingolderandmorealone,andTesswouldhavesufferedforit.She
lovedyouenoughtoriskit.I'dhopedyoulovedherenoughtoforgiveit.

ApparentlyIwaswrongrightdowntheline.I'msorry.Inevermeanttocausethis."

Cagwasstaringathim.“Itwasyouridea,nothers?'

Leo shrugged. "She didn't want any part of it. She said if you didn't want to marry her, she wasn't
goingtodoanythingthatwouldforceyouto.ItalkedherintokeepingquietandthenReyandImade
sureyoudidn'thavemuchtimetotalktoeachotherbeforethewedding."

His eyes narrowed. "All of us care about you, God knows why, you're the blooming idiot of the
family.Agirllikethat,asweet,kindgirlwithnoguileabouther,wantstoloveyouandyoukickher
out the door." He shook his head sadly. "I guess you and Her-man belong together, like a pair of
reptiles.Ihopeyou'llbeveryhappy."

HeturnedandwentbackdownthehalltofindRey.

Cagwipedhisforeheadwithhissleeveandstaredblindlyintospace.Tesswasself-sufficient,butshe
was young. And on top of all his other mistakes, he'd made one that caused the others to look like
minorfumbles.Hehadn'tusedanythingduringthatlong,sweetlov-ing.Tesscouldbepregnant,and
hedidn'tknowwhereshewas.

Chapter11

Tesswasenjoyingherjob.Theownergavehercarteblanchetobecreative,andsheusedit.

DespitetheachinghurtthatCaghaddealther,shetookprideinhercraft.Shedidagoodjob,didn't
watchtheclockandperformedbeautifullyunderpressure.Bytheendofthesecondweek,theywere
alreadydiscussinggivingheraraise.

Shelikedhersuccess,butshewonderedifCaghadworriedabouther.Hewasprotectivetowardher,
whateverhisotherfeelings,andshewassorryshe'dmadethingsdifficultforhim.Shereallyshould
callthatlawyerandfindoutaboutherstock,sothatshewouldn'thavetodependonherjobforallher
necessities.Andshecouldaskhimtophonethebrothersandtellthemthatshewasokay.He'dnever
knowwhereshewasbecauseshewasn'tgoingtotellhim.

She did telephone Clint Matherson, the lawyer, who was relieved to hear from her because he had,
indeed,checkedoutthosestockshermotherhadlefther.

"Idon'tknowquitehowtotellyouthis,"hesaidheavily."Yourmotherinvestedinaverydubiousnew
company,whichhadpoormanagementandlittleoperatingcapitalfromtheverystart.Theownerwas
apparently a friend of hers. To get to the point, the stock is worthless. Absolutely worthless. The
companyhasjustrecentlygoneintoreceivership."

Tessletoutalongbreathandsmiledwistfully."Well,itwasnicewhileitlasted,tothinkthatshedid
rememberme,thatIwasindependentlywealthy,"shetoldthelawyer."ButIdidn'tcountonit,ifyou
seewhatImean.Ihaveajobasapastrychefinarestaurant,andI'mdoingverywell.Ifyou,uh,speak
totheHartbrothers...."

"Speaktothem!"heexclaimed."HowI'dlovetohavethechance!CallaghanHarthadmeonthecarpet
for thirty minutes in my own office, and I never got one word out. He left his phone number,
remindedmethathisbrotherwasactingattorneygeneralofourstateandleftherecertainthatI'dcall
himifIhadanynewsofyou."

Herheartleapedintoherthroat.Callaghanwaslookingforher?She'dwonderedifhecaredenough.
It could be hurt pride, that she'd walked out on him. It could be a lot of things, none of which
concernedmissingherbecausehelovedher.

"Didyoutellhimaboutthestock?"sheasked.

"AsIsaid,MissBrady,Inevergottheopportunitytospeak."

"Isee."Shesawalot,includingthefactthattheattorneydidn'tknowshewasmarried.Herspiritsfell.
IfCallaghanhadn'tevenmentionedit,itmustnotmattertohim."Well,youcantellthemthatI'mokay.
ButI'mnottellingyouwhereIam,Mr.Matherson.SoCallaghancanmakeagoodguess."

"Therearestillpaperstobesigned..."hebegan.

"ThenI'llfindawaytoletyousendthemtome,throughsomeoneelse,"shesaid,thinkingupways
andmeansofconcealingherwhere-abouts."Thanks,Mr.Matherson.I'llgetbacktoyou."

Shehungup,secureinheranonymity.Itwasabigcountry.He'dneverfindher.

Even as she was thinking those comforting thoughts, Clint Matherson was reading her telephone
number, which he'd received auto-matically on his Caller ID box and copied down while they were
speaking. He thought what a good thing it was that Miss Brady didn't know how to disable that
function,ifsheevensuspectedthathehadit.Hedidn'tsmirk,becauseintelligent,successfulattorneys
didn'tdothat.Buthesmiled.

Callaghan hadn't smiled for weeks. Leo and Rey walked wide around him, too, because he looked
readytodeckanybodywhosethimoff.Thebrothershadasked,justonce,ifCagknewwhyTesshad
leftsoabruptlyandwithoutleavinganote.Theydidn'tdareaskagain.

Even Mrs. Lewis was nervous. She was standing in for Tess as part-time cook as well as doing the
heavyhousework,butshewasinaweofCallaghaninhisblackmood.Shewasn'tsurewhichscared
hermore,Cagorhisscalypet,shetoldLeowhenCagwasoutworkingontheranch.

Always a hard worker, Cag had set new records for it since Tess's disappearance. He'd hired one
private detective agency after another, with no results to date. A cabdriver with one of Jacobsville's
twocabcompanieshadbeenfoundwhorememberedtakinghertotheairport.

Butifshe'dflownoutoftown,she'ddoneitunderanassumednameandpaidcash.Itwasimpossible
tofindaclerkwhorememberedsellingheraticket.

Jacobsvillehadbeenthoroughlysearched,too,butshewasn'there,orinnearbyVictoria.

CallaghancouldhardlytellhisbrotherstherealreasonthatTesshadgone.Hispridewouldn'tlethim.

But he was bitterly sorry for the things he'd said to her, for the callous way he'd treated her. It had
beenalast-ditchstandtokeepfromgivingintotheloveandneedthatateathimnightandday.He
wantedhermorethanhewantedhisownlife.Hewaswillingtodoanythingtomakeamends.ButTess
was gone and he couldn't find her. Some nights he thought he might go mad from the memories
alone.Shelovedhim,andhecouldtreatherinsuchaway.Itdidn'tbearthinkingabout.Sohe'dbeen
maneuveredintomarriage,sowhat?Helovedher!Diditmatterwhytheyweremarried,iftheycould
makeitwork?

Butweekspassedwithnowordofher,andhehadnightmaresaboutthepossibilities.Shecouldhave
beenkidnapped,murdered,raped,starving.Thenherememberedhermother'slegacy.She'dhavethat
becausesurelyshe'dbeenintouchwith...thelawyer!Hecouldhavekickedhimselffornotthinkingof
itsooner,buthe'dbeentooupsettothinkstraight.

CagwenttoMatherson'sofficeandmadethreatsthatwouldhavetakentheskinoffalesserman.She'd
havetocontactMathersontogetherinheritance.Andwhenshedid,he'dhaveher!

Sureenough,afewdaysafterhisvisitthere,theattorneyphonedhim.

He'djustcomeinfromthestockpens,dirtyandtiredandworntoanub.

"Hart,"hesaidcurtlyasheansweredthephoneinhisoffice.

"Matherson,"camethereply."IthoughtyoumightliketoknowthatMissBradyphonedmetoday."

Cagstoodup,breathless,stiffwithrelief."Yes?Whereisshe?"

“Well, I have Caller ID, so I got her number from the unit on my desk. But when I had the number
checkedout,itwasapayphone."

"Where?"

"InSt.Louis,Missouri,"camethereply."Andthere'soneotherbitofhelpfulnews.She'sworkingasa
pastrychefinarestaurant."

"I'llneverforgetyouforthis,"Cagsaidwithgenuinegratitude."Andifyou'reeverinneedofwork,
comeseeme.Goodday,Mr.Matherson."

Cagpickedupthephoneandcalledthelastdetectiveagencyhe'dhired.Bytheendoftheday,theyhad
thenameoftherestaurantandtheaddressofTess'sapartment.

Unwillingtowaitforaflightout,CaghadacompanyLearjetpickhimupattheJacobsvilleairport
andflyhimstraighttoSt.Louis.

ItwasthedinnerhourbythetimeCagcheckedintoahotelandchangedintoanicesuit.Hehaddinner
attherestaurantwhereTessworkedandorderedbiscuits.

The waiter gave him an odd look, but Cag refused to be swayed by offers of delicate pastries. The
waitergavein,shruggedandtooktheorder.

"Withapplebutter,"Cagaddedpolitely.Hehadexperienceenoughofgoodrestaurantstoknowthat
moneycouldbuybreakfastatoddhoursifawealthycustomerwanteditandwaswillingtopayfor
theextratrouble.

ThewaiterrelayedtheordertoTess,whowentpaleandhadtoholdontothecounterforsupport.

"Describethecustomertome,"sheaskedcurtly.Thewaiter,surprised,obligedherandsawthepale
facegoquiteredwithtemper.

"Hefoundme,didhe?AndnowhethinksI'llcookhimbiscuitsatthishourofthenight!"

Theassistantmanager,hearingTess'sraisedvoice,camequicklyovertohushher.

"Thecustomerattablesixwantsbiscuitsandapplebutter,"thewaitersaidwithresignation.

"MissBradyisunsettled."

"Tablesix?"Theassistantmanagerfrowned."Yes,Isawhim.He'sdressedveryexpensively.

Ifthemanwantsbiscuits,bakehimbiscuits,"hetoldTess."Ifhe'sinfluential,hecouldbringinmore
business."

Tess took off her chefs hat and put it on the counter. "Thank you for giving me the opportunity to
workhere,butIhavetoleavenow.Imakebiscuitsforbreakfast.Idon'tmakethemforsupper."

Sheturnedandwalkedoutthebackdoor,totheastonishmentofthestaff.

ThewaiterwasforcedtorelaytheinformationtoCag,whoseeyestwinkled.

"Well,inthatcase,I'llhavetogoandfindher,"hesaid,rising.

"NobodymakesbiscuitslikeTess."

He left the man there, gaping, and went back to his hired car. With luck, he could beat Tess to her
apartment.

Andhedid,withonlysecondstospareasshegotoffthedowntownbusandwalkedupthestepstoher
second-floorapartment.

Cagwasstandingthere,leaningagainstthedoor.Helookedwornandverytired,buthiseyesweren't
hostileatall.Theywere...strange.

Hestudiedherclosely,notmissingthenewlinesinherfaceandthethinnercontoursofherbody.

"Youaren'tcutoutforrestaurantwork,"hesaidquietly.

"Well,I'mnotdoingitanymore,thankstoyou.Ijustquit!"shesaidbelligerently,butherheartwas
racingmadlyatthesightofhim.She'dmissedhimsobadlythathereyesachedtolookathim.But
he'dhurther.Thewoundwasstillfresh,andthesightofhimrubbedsaltinit."Whyareyouhere?"
shecontinuedcurtly."Yousaidyou'dhadenoughofme,didn'tyou?"sheadded,referringtowhathe'd
saidthathurtmost.

Heactuallywinced."Isaidalotofstupidthings,"herepliedslowly."Iwon'texpectyoutooverlook
them,andI'llapologizeforeveryone,ifyou'llgivemeachanceto."

She seemed to droop. "Oh, what's the point, Callaghan?" she asked wearily. "I left. You've got what
youwantedallalong,ahousewithoutmeinit.Whydon'tyougohome?"

Hesighed.He'dknownitwouldn'tbeeasy.Heleanedhisforearmagainstthewallandmomentarily
restedhisheadtherewhilehetriedtothinkofasinglereasonthatwouldgetTessbackontheranch.

"Mrs. Lewis can't make biscuits," he said. He glanced at her. "We're all starving to death on what
passesforhercooking.Therosesaredying,"headded,playingeverycardhehad.

"It'sbeensodry,"shemurmured.Blueeyesmethis."Haven'tyouwateredthem?"

Hemadearoughsound."Idon'tknowanythingaboutroses."

"Butthey'lldie,"shesaid,soundingplaintive."Twoofthemareoldroses.Antiques.They'reprecious,
andnotbecauseofthecost."

“Wellll,''hedrawled,“ifyouwanttosavethem,youbettercomehome."

"Notwithyouthere!"shesaidhaughtily.

Hesmiledwithpureself-condemnation."Iwasafraidyou'dfeelthatway."

"Idon'twanttocomeback."

"Toorichtobotherwithworkthat'sbeneathyournewstation?"heaskedsarcastically,becausehewas
losingandhecouldn'tbearto.

Shegrimaced."Well,thereisn'tgoingtobeanymoney,actually,"shesaid."Thestocksareworthless.
Mymothermadeabadinvestmentandlostamilliondollars."Shelaughedbutitsoundedhollow."I'll
alwayshavetoworkformyliving.But,then,Ialwaysexpectedto.Ineverreallythoughtshe'dleave
anythingtome.Shehatedme."

“Maybeshehatedherselfforhavingdesertedyou,didyouthinkofthat?"heaskedgently.

"Shecouldn'tloveyouwithouthavingtofacewhatshe'ddone,andlivewithit.Somepeoplewould
ratherbealone,thanadmitfault."

"Maybe,"shesaid."Butwhatdifferencedoesitmakenow?She'sdead.I'llneverknowwhatshefelt."

"WouldyouliketoknowwhatIfeel?"heaskedinadifferenttone.

Shesearchedhiseyescoolly."Ialreadyknow.I'mmuchtooyoungforyou.Besides,I'maweakness
thatyoucan'ttolerate.AndIlie,"sheaddedshortly."Yousaidso."

Hestuckhishandsdeepintohispocketsandstaredatherwithregret."Leotoldmetheweddingwas
allhisidea."

"Ofcourseyou'dbelieveyourbrother.Youjustwouldn'tbelieveme."

Hischestroseandfell."Yes,that'showitwas,"headmitted,notbotheringtolieaboutit."Imadeyou
runaway.ThenIcouldn'tfindyou."Hisblackeyesglittered."You'llneverknowhowthatfelt."

"SureIknow,"shereturnedgrimly."Itfeltjustthesameaswhenyouwalkedoutthedooranddidn't
comebackallnight!"

He leaned against the wall wearily. He'd avoided the subject, walked around it, worried it to death.
Nowhereitwas.Heliftedhisgazetoherface."Iwantedyoutoobadlytocomehome,"hesaid."I
couldn'thavekeptmyhandsoffyou.SoIspentthenightinthebunkhouse."

"Gee,thanksforsavingme,"shemuttered.

Hestooderectwithoneofthoselightningmovesthatoncehadintimidatedher."Ishouldhavecome
homeandravishedyou!"hesaidshortly."Atleastyou'dstillbetherenow.You'dhavebeentooweak
towalkwhenIgotthroughwithyou!"

Shecaughtherbreath."Well!"

Hemovedforwardandtookherbytheshoulders.Heshookhergently."Listen,redhead,Iloveyou!"
he said through his teeth, and never had a man looked less loverlike. “I want you, I need you and
you'regoinghomewithmeorI'll..."

Herbreathwassuspendedsomewheresouthofhercollarbone."Oryou'llwhat?"sheasked.

Heeasedherbackagainstthedoorandbenttohermouth."Oryou'llgetwhatyouescapedwhenIleft
youthatnight."

She lifted her mouth to his, relaxing under his weight as he pinned her there and kissed her so
hungrilythatshemoaned.Sheclungtohim.Thepastweekshadbeensoempty,solonely.Cagwas
here,inherarms,sayingthathelovedher,anditwasn'tadream!

Afterafewfeverishseconds,heforcedhimselftoliftawayfromher.

"Let'sgoinside,"hesaidinatorturedvoice.

She only nodded. She fumbled her key into the lock and apparently he closed and locked it behind
them.Hedidn'teventurnonalight.Hepickedherup,purseandall,andcarriedherstraightintothe
bedroom.

"Amazinghowyoufoundthisroomsoeasilywhenyou'veneverbeeninherebefore,"shewhispered
shakilyashelaidheronthebedandbegantoremoveeverythingthatwasinthewayofhishands.

"Nestinginstinct,"hewhispered,hishandsurgent.

"Isthatwhatitis?"Shereachedup,pushingathisjacket.

"Firstthingsfirst,"hemurmured,resistingherhands.Whenhehadheroutofherclothes,hestarted
onhisown.

Minuteslater,hewasbesideherinthebed,buthedidnothingaboutit,excepttopullhercompletely
againsthimandwrapherupunderthecovers.

"Oh,dearGod,"hegroanedreverentlyasheheldherclose."Tess,IwassoafraidthatI'dlostyou!I
couldn'thaveborneit."

Shemeltedintohim,awareofthestarkarousalofhisbody.Buthewasn'tdoinganythingaboutit.

"Idon'tlikebeingalone,"shereplied,nuzzlingherfaceagainsthiswarm,barechest.

"Youwon'tbe,everagain."Hishandssmoothedoverherback.Oneeasedbetweenthemtoliegently
againstherstomach."Howareyoufeeling?"heaskedsuddenly.

Sheknewwhathewasasking."Idon'tthinkI'mpregnant,"sheansweredthequestionhehadn'tputinto
words."I'mtiredalot,butthatcouldbeworkstress."

"Butyoucouldbe."

Shesmiledagainsthim.Ifthiswasadream,shehopedshedidn'twakeuptoosoon."Iguessso."She
sighed."Why?Nestinginstinct?"

Hechuckled."Yes.I'mthirty-eight.I'dlovekids.Sowouldyou.Youcouldgrowthemalongwithyour
preciousroses."

Shestiffened.“Myroses!Oh,Cag...!"

Hisintakeofbreathwasaudible."That'sthefirsttimeyou'veevershortenedmyname."

"Youdidn'tbelongtomebefore,"shesaidshyly.

Hisarmstightened."AndnowIdo?"

Shehesitated."Ihopeso."

"Iknowso.Andyoubelongtome."Hemovedsothatshewasonherback."I'vebeenroughwithyou.
Eventhefirsttime.Tonight,it'sgoingtobesoslowandsilkysweetthatyouwon'tknowyourname
bythetimeI'vesatisfiedyou."Hebentandtouchedhismouthwithexquisitetendernesstoherparted
lips."Howconceited,"sheteaseddaringly.

Hechuckledwithaworldlinessshecouldn'tmatch."Andwe'llseeaboutthat...."

Itwasunexpectedlytenderthistime,afeastofexquisitetouchesandrhythmsthatprogressedfartoo
slowly for the heat he roused in her slim young body. She arched toward him and he retreated. He
touchedherandjustasshetrembledonthebrinkofecstasy,hestoppedtouchingherandcalmedher.
Thenhestartedagain.

Onandonitwent,sothattimeseemedtohang,suspended,aroundthem.Hetaughtherhowtotouch
him,howtobuildtheneedandthendenyit.Shemoanedwithfrustration,andhechuckledwithpure
joy.Whenheheardhersobundertheinsistentpressureofhismouth,hegaveintothehunger.But
eventhen,heresistedherclinginghands,herwhisperedpleadings.

"Makeitlast,"hewhisperedatheropenmouth,lazilymovingagainsther."Makeitlastaslongasyou
can.Whenithappens,you'llunderstandwhyIwon'tletyoubeimpatient."

She was shuddering already, throbbing. She met the downward motion of his hips with upward
movementsofherown,herbodyonelongpleaforsatisfaction.

"It'sso...good,"shewhispered,herwordspulsingwiththerhythmofhisbody,thesamethrobinher
voicethatwasinherlimbs."Sogood...!"

"Itgetsbetter,"hebreathed.Hemovedsinuouslyagainsther,anewmovementthatwassoarousing
thatshecriedoutandclungtohimwithbruisingfingers."There?"hewhispered.

"Yes.There.Andhere...."

Shewassobbingaudibly.Herwholebodyached.Itwasexpanding,tense,fearsome,frightening.She
wasnevergoingtolivethroughit.Shewasblind,deaf,dumb,somuchapartofhimthatshebreathed
onlythroughhim.

Hefeltherfranticmotions,heardtheshudderingdesireinhervoiceasshebeggedhimnottostop.
Heobligedherwithsmooth,quick,deepmotionsthatwerelikestabsofpurepleasure.Sheclosedher
eyesandherteethgroundtogetherasthetensionsuddenlybuilttounbearableheightsandshearched
uptohimwithherlastounceofstrength.

"Yes.Now.Now,finally,now!"hesaidtightly.

There was no time. She went over some intangible edge and fell, throbbing with pleasure, burning
withit,sooblivioustohersurround-ingsthatshehadnoideawhereshewas.Shefelttheurgedeepin
herbody,growing,swelling,exploding.Atsomelevelshewasawareofaharshgroanfromtheman
aboveher,ofthefierceconvulsionofhisbodythatmirroredwhatwashappeningtohers.

Shelostconsciousnessforafewprecioussecondsofunbearablepleasure,andthensobbedfiercely
asshelostitevenasitbegan.

Heheldher,comfortedher.Hismouthtouchedhereyes,hercheeks,heropenmouth.Herbodywas
still locked closely into his, and when she was able to open her eyes, she saw his pupils dilated,
glitteringwiththeremnantsofpassion.

"DoyouknowthatIloveyou,afterthat,"hewhisperedunsteadily,"orwouldyouliketohearitafew
dozenmoretimes?"

Shemanagedtoshakeherhead."I...feltit,"shewhisperedback,andblushedassherealizedjusthow
closetheywere."Iloveyou,too.Butyouknewthatalready."

"Yes," he replied tenderly, brushing back her damp, curly hair. "I knew it the first time you let me
touchyou."Hesmiledsoftlyathersurprise."Youweresoveryinnocent,Tess.Notatallthesortof
girlwho'dpermitlibertieslikethattojustanyman.Ithadtobeloveforyou."

"Itwasn'tforyou,"shesaidquietly."Notatfirst."

"Oh, yes, it was," he denied. His fingers lingered near her ear. "I started fighting you the day you
walked into the kitchen. I wanted you so badly that I ached every time I looked at you." He smiled
ruefully."Iwassoafraidthatyou'drealizeit."

"Whydidn'tyousayso?"sheasked.

His fingers contracted. “Because of the bad experience I had with a younger woman who threw me
overbecauseshethoughtIwastoooldforher."Hisshouldersmoved."Youwereevenyoungerthan
she was at the time." His eyes were dark, concerned. "I was in over my head almost at once, and I
thoughtI'dneverbeenoughforyou..."

"Areyounuts?"shegasped."Enoughforme?You'retoomuchforme,mostofthetime!Ican'tmatch
you.Especiallylikethis.Idon'tknowanything!"

"You'relearningfast,"hemused,lookingdowntheirjoinedbod-iesinthelightfromthenight-light.
"Andyoulovelikeapoem,"hewhispered."Ilovethewayyoufeelinmyarmslikethis.Youmake
mefeellikethebestloverintheworld."

"Youare,"shesaidshyly.

"Oh,no,"heargued."It'sonlybecauseyoudon'thaveanyonetocomparemewith."

"Itwouldn'tmatter,"shesaid.

He touched her cheek gently. "I don't guess it would," he said then. "Because it's like the first time,
everytimeI'mwithyou.Ican'trememberotherwomen."

Shehithim."You'dbetternot!"

Hegrinned."Loveme?"

Shepressedclose."Desperately."

"Trytogetawayagain,"heinvited."You'remywife.You'llnevergetpastthefirstfence."

She traced a path on his shoulder and frowned. “I just thought of something. Where are your
brothers?"

"LeoandReyareinDenver."

"WhataretheydoinginDenver?"sheasked.

Hesighed."Gettingawayfromme.I'vebeensortofhardtogetalongwith."

"Youdon'tsay!Andthat'sunusual?"

He pinched her lightly, making her squeal. 'I'll be a model of courtesy starting the minute we get
home.Ipromise."

Herarmscurledaroundhisneck."Whenarewegoinghome?"

Hechuckledandmovedcloser,sensuousmovementsthatbegantohavenoticeableresults.

"Notrightnow...."

ItwastwodayslaterwhentheygotbacktotheHartranch.Andtheystillhadn'tstoppedsmiling.

Tess had decided not to pursue her horticulture education just yet, because she couldn't leave Cag
when she'd only just really found him. That could wait. So she had only one last tiny worry, about
sleepinginthesameroomwithanescapingHerman,althoughshelovedCagmorethanenoughto
toleratehispet—inanotherbedroom.

But when she opened the door to Cag's room, which she would now share, the big aquarium was
gone.SheturnedtoCagwithaworriedexpression.

Heputhisarmsaroundheranddrewherclose,gladthathisbrothersandMrs.Lewishadn'tarrived
justyet.

"Listen,"hesaidsoftly,"rememberthatnestinginstinctItoldyouIhad?"

Shenodded.

"Well, even the nicest birds don't keep a snake in the nest, where the babies are," he said, and his
wholefacesmiledtenderlyashesaidit.

Shecaughtherbreath."Butyoulovehim!"

"Iloveyoumore,"hesaidsimply."Igavehimtoafriendofmine,who,coincidentally,hasafemale
albinopython.Speakingfromexperience,Icantellyouthatdeepdownanybachelorisfarhappier
withafemaleofhisownspeciesthanwithanypet,nomatterhowcherisheditis."

Shetouchedhischeeklovingly."Thankyou."

Heshruggedandsmileddownather."Ibuiltthenest,"heremindedher."Nowit'syourturn."

"Wantmetofillit,huh?"

Hegrinned.

She hugged him close and smiled against his broad chest. "I'll do my very best." Her heart felt full
untobursting."Cag,I'msohappy."

"SoamI,sweetheart."Hebentandkissedhergently."Andnow,there'sjustonemorethingIneedto
makemethemostcontentedmanonearth."

She looked up at him expectantly, with a wicked gleam in her blue eyes. "Is there? What is it?" she
askedsuggestively.

"Apanofbiscuits!"heburstout."Agreat,bigpanofbiscuits!Withapplebutter!"

"Youfraud!Youcharlatan!Luringmebackherebecauseofyourstomachinsteadofyour...

Cag!''

Hewaslaughinglikeadevilashepickedherupandtossedhergentlyontothebed.

"I never said I wouldn't sing for my supper," he murmured dryly, and his hands went to his shirt
buttonsashestoodoverher.

Shefeltbreathless,joyful,absolutelygloriouslyloved."Inthatcase,"shewhispered,"youcanhave
twopansful!"

Bythetimethebrothersarrivedthatevening,Caghadalreadygonethroughhalfapanful.

However,heseemedmoreinterestedinTessthanthefood,anyway,sothebrothersfinallygottheir
fillofbiscuitsafteralong,dryspell.

"WhatareyoutwogoingtodowhenIbuildTessahouselikeDorie'sgot?"Cagaskedthem.

Theylookedhorrified.Justhorrified.

Reyputdownhishalf-eatenbiscuitandstaredatLeo."Doesn'tthatjustbeatall?Everytimewefinda
goodbiscuit-maker,somebodygoesandmarriesherandtakesheraway!FirstCorrigan,nowhim!"

"Well, they had good taste, you have to admit," Leo continued. "Besides, Tira can't bake at all, and
Simonmarriedher!"

"Simonisn'tallthatcrazyaboutbiscuits."

“Well,youdohaveapointthere,''Leoconceded.

Rey stared at Tess, who was sitting blatantly on her husband's lap feeding him a biscuit. He sighed.
He'dbeenalonealongtime,too.

"I'mnotmarryinganybodytogetabiscuit,"hesaiddoggedly.

"Me,neither,"Leoagreed,stuffinganotheroneintohismouth.

TableofContents

Chapter1
Chapter2
Chapter3
Chapter4
Chapter5
Chapter6
Chapter7
Chapter8
Chapter9
Chapter10
Chapter11