JobeDodd

Chapter1

Sandy noticed that he looked absolutely disgusted. It was hard to get Jobe Dodd to stand still long
enough to listen to anything she said. But when she was trying to get him to listen to her about
computers,shemightaswellhavesavedherbreath.

"It'smybrother'sranch,"SandyRegansaidhotly,glaringatthetallblondranchforeman."Hesays
you'regoingtomodernizetherecord-keeping,soyou'redamnedwellgoingtomodernizeit!"

Narrowgrayeyesglittereddownatherfromanimpossibleheight.Leanhandsonleanhipsmadea
visualstatementabouthisopinionofherandherinfernalmachineswithouthissayingasingleword.
Hemightnothaveacollegedegree,buthehadarrogancedowntoascience.

"Did you hear what I said? Ted said we're doing it!" she persisted, pushing back a strand of unruly
darkhair.

Shewasrecoveringattheranchfromaroughboutofinfluenza,whereTed'swifeandSandy'sbest
friend,Coreen,hadbeennursingher.Shewasbetter.Orshehadbeen,untilnow.

"Ted still owns that ranch in Victoria," Jobe said pointedly in his deep, curt drawl, alluding to the
ranchwherehe'dworkedbeforeTedandSandyhadmovedbacktotheoldhomeplaceinJacobsville.
"NoreasonIcouldn'tgoworkupthere."

"Greatidea.YoucanworkthereuntilTedhasmeconvertthoserecordstocomputerfiles,too!"

Hegaveheralevellookguaranteedtoprovokeasaint."I'lltellTedyourecommendedit."

Her lips made a thin line. She was furious. It was her long-standing reaction to this man, who had
beenhernemesissinceherfifteenthbirthday.He'dstartedworkingforTedjustbeforeshewentaway
to college, and the more she studied, the more he provoked her. He had a good sound high school
education, followed by some vocational training in animal husbandry, but he knew next to nothing
aboutelectronicequipment.Shedid,andheresentedherexpertise.Notthathe'dhaveadmittedit.

"Youjustcan'tstanditthatIhaveacollegedegree,canyou?"sheraged."Itgoesrightthroughyou
thatamerewomanunderstandssomethingyoudon't!"

"Idon'tneedtounderstandcomputers,"hesaidsmugly."Notaslongasyoucan'tunderstandgenetics.
Iguessyournextstepwillbetostuffcowsintothatdamnedthing."Henoddedtowardthecomputer
systemshe'dsetupintheranchoffice.

"Asamatteroffact,Iwascomingtothat,"shesaidwithacoldsmile."Iwanttousecomputerchip
implantsinthehidesofthecattle-"

"Overmydeadbody,"cametheshortreply.

"So that we can scan the cattle and get their records simultaneously. It will save a lot of time and

troublewithhisbreedingprogram,andhoursofpaperwork."

"Ioverseethebreedingprogram."

"Youcandoitbetterwithacomputer."

"AndI'lltellyouexactlywhatyoucandowithyours,"hesaidinadeceptivelypleasanttone,"andhow
far."

She sighed angrily. Her hand went to her forehead. She was still feeling rocky from the flu, and
arguingwithJobealwaysgaveheraheadache.Shetriedtothinkofhimasanoccupationalhazard,
but it made the time she spent at home fraught with difficulties. In the past few months, she'd found
excuses not to visit Ted and Coreen because it put her in such close contact with him. Then flu had
struck,andshe'dhadnoplaceelsetogo.Grownshemightbe,butTedlookedafterhisown.

SadlyheconsideredJobefamily,too,becauseheandJobe'sfatherhadoncebeeninthecattlebusiness
together.

Sandy'santagonismforhisranchmanagerdidn'tbotherTedonebit.Heknewthatbothofthemwere
professional enough to overlook their small personality conflicts. From Sandy's point of view, that
wasgoingtotakealotofoverlooking.

"You need to get some more meat on those little bones before you start arguing with me," he
murmured,andhisvoicegentled."You'refrail."

"HandmeastickandI'llshowyouhowfrailIam."Eyesalmostasblueasherbrother'sblastedhim.

"DidTedtellyouthatyouweregoingtohavetolearnhowtousethecomputerandinputrecords?"

Helookedshellshocked."What?"

"Iwon'tbeheretoprogramthecomputer,"shecontinued."You'llhavetolearnhowtouseitsothat
youcaninputherdrecordsandbreedingrecordsandanyotherlittlethingyouwantaccessto."

He glared at her. "Like hell I'm going to learn to use a computer. If God had wanted men to use
computers,we'dhavebeenbornwithkeyboards!"

She grinned at him. "Do tell?" She could imagine steam coming out of his ears. It made her feel
superior,whichwasararesensationindeedwhenshewasaroundhim."Well,Tedsaidyou'dhaveto
learn."

He cocked an eyebrow. "I'll learn to program computers when you learn to cook, cupcake," he
offered.

Herpaleblueeyesflashedfire."Icancook!"

"Ha!"Hewasenjoyinghimselfnow.Hehadherontherun."Istillrememberthelasttimeyouhelped

uswithacompanybarbecue,"herecalled,tongue-in-cheek."FirsttimeinmylifeIeversawcattlemen
eatfish.Ifriedthat,ifyourecall."

"The cowards," she remarked. "It was good barbecue. It had a crust. Good barbecue always has a
crust!"

"Notblackandhalfwaythroughthemeat,"herepliedeasily.

"IcancookwhenIfeellikeit!"sheraisedhervoice.

There was a muffled laugh from behind them. She turned in time to see her brother, Ted, come in
fromthebackyard.Hisprematurelysilverhairgleamedinthelight.

HeglancedfromJobe'samusedexpressiontohissister'soutragedoneandsighed.

"IfoughtinVietnam,"herecalled."Amazinghowmuchhomeremindsmeofitlately."

Sandyflushed,butherglitteringeyesdidn'tyieldaninch."Hesayshewantstoworkattheranchin
Victoriasohewon'thavetolearnanythingaboutcomputers!"shesnarled.

Jobedidn'tsayaword,whichsomehowmadeitevenworse.

Tedglancedatherandthenbackathisforeman."Wehavetomoveintothetwentiethcentury,"hetold
theotherman."Godknows,Iresisteduntiltheverylastminute.ButeventheBallengersyieldedtothe
inevitable,andtheydiditsomeyearsago."

"It'sallthosekids,"Jobemused."Theydon'twanttheirsonsknowinghowtodosomethingtheycan't
do."

"That'spossible,"Tedsaidknowingly,andgrinned."Ourboy'sbarelyayearoldnowandhe'sgota
littlecomputerofhisveryown."

"Indeed he does," Sandy chuckled, because she'd given little Pryce Regan that beginner storybook
computerforhisfirstbirthday.

"Ifalittlekidcandoit,youcandoit,"TedassuredJobe.

Theothermanliftedablondeyebrowandacornerofhismouthinafull-scalegrimace."Idon'tlike
machinery."

"Justbecausethehaybalercaughtyourjacketonetime...!"Sandybegan.

"Itdamnednearcaughtmywholearmandjerkeditoff,"hesnappedbackather.

"Well,acomputercan'tjerkyourarmoff,"shepromisedhim.

Hiseyesnarrowed."Sotheysay,"hemuttered."Butlittlekidscanuseonetobuildnapalm."

"I'llbethefirsttoagreethatsomechemicalformulaeshouldn'tbepostedontheInternetwhereany
childcanaccessit,"Sandyagreed,"andthatsomesortofmonitoringdeviceshouldbeavailableto
parents."

"Niceofyou,"Jobereplied."Butmykidswouldbetoobusytositwiththeirnosesinacomputerall
afternoon.

They'dbeoutworkingwithlivestockandlearninghowtotrack."

"Alldayandallnight?"Sandyaskedsweetly."Andpraytellwhereareyougoingtogetthesemythical
well-occupied children in the first place? As I recall, you've never found a woman who lived up to
yourhighstandards!"

"Certainlynotyou,"heagreedwithago-to-hellsmile.

Sandygotupfromherchairfuriously,rockingalittleonherfeet.

"Whoa," Ted said, stepping between them. "The idea is to feed herd records into the computer, not
startWorldWarIIIoverit."HelookedfromJobetoSandy."Iwantyoutwototryandmakepeace.
Youhavetoworktogetheronthisthing.Ifyoukeepscoringpointsoffeachother,I'llnevergetmy
systemupandrunning."

"I'dliketogethimupandrunning!"SandyflashedatJobe.

Jobelookedhaughty."Don'tbevulgar,"hechided.

Sandyrealizedwhatshe'dsaidandwentasredasaradish.

Tedshookhishead."Youtwoaregoingtobethedeathofme,"hesaidsadly."AndallIwanttodois
moveintothetwenty-firstcenturywithmycattleoperation."

"Andyourhorses,"Sandyadded.

Jobelookedhunted."Computersareacurse."

"Well, you're cursed, then," Ted answered, "because whether Sandy sets up the system or I have
someoneelsesetitup,you'regoingtohavetolearntouseit."

When Ted used that tone of voice, nobody argued. Jobe's broad shoulders rose and fell in silent
acceptance,butheglaredatSandy.

"She'sgoodatherjob,"Tedsaidpointedly."ShecandothisbetterthananyoneelseIknow."

"Soletherdoit.Foremenarethickontheground."HenoddedtowardTedandturnedonhisheel.

"You'renotquitting!"Tedsnapped.

Jobeglancedbackoverhisshoulder."LikehellI'mnot."Hekeptwalking.

"Youcan'tfindanyplaceinTexastoworkthatdoesn'tuseacomputer!"

"ThenI'llgotoNewMexicoorArizonaorMontana,"hereturned.

"What's the matter, Jobe, afraid you aren't smart enough to learn it?" Sandy asked in the softest,
sweetesttone.

Hestoppeddead.Whenheturned,hiseyesglitteredlikecoalsoffire."Whatdidyousay?"heasked
softly.

She'dseengrownmenbackdownwhenhelookedlikethat.Itwasoneofthereasonshewassucha
goodforeman.Hehardlyeverhadtousethosebigfistsonanyone.

Butshewasn'tbackingdown.AlthoughsherespectedJobe,shewasn'tafraidofhim.

"Isaid,areyouafraidyoucan'tdoit?"shepersisted.

Hestuckhishandsonhiships."Icould.Ijustdon'twantto."

Sheshruggedandturnedaway."Ifyousay

so."

"Icouldlearnit!"Sheshruggedagain.

Jobe's high cheekbones were overlaid by dusky color. His nostrils looked pinched. Ted had to
smother a laugh, because nobody got under Jobe's skin like Sandy. It often amazed him that two
peoplewithsuchviolentfeelingsnevernoticedthattheremightbemoretothoseemotionsthanjust
anger.

"All right, I'll give it a shot," Jobe said, but he was speaking to Ted. "And if I don't like it, I'm not
staying."

"I'llacceptthat,"Tedagreed."ButIthinkyou'regoingtofindthatitsavesyouquitealotoftime."

Jobestaredathim."Andifitsavesmeallthattime,whatamIgoingtodowithit?"

"Improvethebreedingprogram,"Tedrepliedatonce."Gotoseminars.I'llsendyoutoconferencesto
learn more about the newest theories in genetics. You can have more time to study, right down to
finishingyourdegreeinanimalhusbandry."

Jobelookedtempted.Hethoughtaboutit.Finally,henodded."Whendoyouwanttostart?"

"Assoonasshe'sbackonherfeetagain,"Tedinformedhim,noddingtowardSandy."She'shadabad
timewiththeflu.Iwanthercompletelyrecoveredbeforeshetakesonaprojectthissize."

"I'mokay,"sheprotested,andthenruinedthewholethingbycoughing.

"SoIsee,"Jobemuttered."Youshouldn'thavegotoutofbedsosoon.Areyoucrazy!"

"Don'tyoucallmenames!"shesnappedrightback,andcoughedagain."Icantakecareofmyself."

"Sure,"henodded,"lookwhatagreatjobyou'vedone.IfTedhadn'tcomeuptoVictoriaafteryou,
you'dbedeadofpneumonia,allaloneinthatapartment."

Shereallywouldhaveenjoyeddisputingthattheory,butshedidn'thavealegtostandon.Sheblew
hernoseandtuckedthehandkerchiefbackintothepocketofherjacket.

"We'llshootfornextweek,"shepromised."Thatwillgivemealittletimetoworkouthardwareand
programs.

I'll probably have to do some engineering on the programs to make them work the way you want
themto.Butthat'sjustalittlething,noproblem."

"Yougobacktobed,"Tedtoldher."I'vegotsomethingstotalkoverwithJobe."

"Okay,"sheagreed.Shefeltweakerthanever,butsheshottheforemanasmuglookonherwayout.

Heglaredather.Hishandclenchedathisside."Fortwocents,"hebeganunderhisbreath.

Shewentupthestaircase,andTeddrewJobeintohisstudyandclosedtheslidingdoors.

"Stopbaitingher,"hetoldtheyoungerman.

"Tell her to stop baiting me," Jobe returned hotly. "Good God, she lays in wait for me! Snide little
remarks,sarcasm...doyouthinkI'dtakethatfromanymanontheplace?"

"You two have always rubbed each other the wrong way," Ted said pointedly. "Want something to
drink?"

"Idon'tdrink,"Joberemindedhim.

"Lemonadeoricedtea?"Tedcontinued.

Jobechuckled."Sorry.Mymindwasn'tworking.Lemonade."

Tedtookthepitcheroutofhissmalliceboxandfilledtwoglasses.ItwasahotdayevenforAugust,
theair-conditioningnotwithstanding.

The younger man sighed heavily and sipped lemonade, his pale eyes narrow as he stared out the
windowatthefencedpasturesbeyond.

"Idon'tmindsomuchthatsheknowscomputersinsideout,"Jobemurmured."It'sjustthatshecan't

resist rubbing it in. Hell, I know I'm not machinery-minded. But I know animal husbandry and
geneticsbackwardandforward!"

Tedknewhurtpridewhenhesawit.HewonderedifSandyevenrealizedhowthinJobe'sskinwas.
Probablynot.Shedidherbestnottonoticetheranchforeman.

"Ofcourseyoudo,"Tedcommiserated."Andshe'snotreallyrubbingitin.Shelovesherwork.She's
alittleoverenthusiasticaboutit,maybe."

Jobe turned, running an impatient hand through his thick hair. "She's a high-powered engineer with
delusionsofgrandeur,"hemuttered."Jacobsvillewasneverbigenoughtosuither.Shewantedbright
lightsandsuavecompany."

"Don'tmostyoungpeople?"Tedasked.

Jobe's broad shoulders rose and fell. "I never did when I was young. I was happy with ranch life.
Therewasallthetimeintheworld,goodpeoplearoundme,thelocalbarifIneededcheeringup,and
plentyoffriendswhenIneededthem."HeglancedatTedcuriously."Didn'tthosethingsevermatterto
Sandy?"

"They mattered," the older man replied. "But she had a good brain and she wanted to use it. She's
madeacareerforherselfinafieldthatwasn'toverpopulatedwithwomeninthefirstplace."

"Oh,yes,"Jobesaidharshly,"itwasimportanttoshowpeoplethatawomancoulddoanythingaman
could."

"If it was, it was your fault," Ted said critically, and held up a hand when the other man started to
speak."Youknowit,"hecontinuedunabashed."Fromthetimeshewasateenager,youwerealways
lording it over her, making fun of her when she tried to help the mechanic work on machinery,
tauntingherwhenshecouldn'tliftbalesofhayaseasilyasthemencould.Yougaveherahellofan
inferioritycomplex.Sandygrewupwithjustonethoughtinmind,toprovetoyouthatshecoulddo
somethingbetterthanyoucould.Andshehas."

Jobemadeanangrygesture."ShespentallthoseyearscomplainingabouthowsmallJacobsvillewas.
Shedidn'twanttospendherlifeinahicktown,shewantedsophistication.Shesaidoftenenoughthat
shedidn'twanttoendupwearingcottondressesmarriedtoacowboy."

Ted'seyesnarrowedthoughtfullyashestaredattheotherman.Helookedaway.

"Kids don't realize what's important until they become adults. I think you might find that Sandy's
attitudetowardJacobsvillehaschanged.She'scrazyaboutourlittleboy,youknow.Shesitsandplays
withhimallthetime."

"He'snotherkid,"hesaidpointedly."Shecanleaveanytimethepressuregetstoomuch.Howwouldit
beifhewasherownkid,andshecouldn'trunawayfromhim?"

"Askher."

Jobe laughed coldly. "Who, me? If I ever marry, it's going to be some sweet small-town girl who
doesn't give a damn about making a name for herself in a man's world. I want a mother for my
children,notacomputerexpert."

NeitherofthemknewthatSandyhadforgottenherglassoflemonadeandhadcomeback,silently,to
getit.

She'dpausedjustoutsidethedoorandthatwaswhenshe'dheardJobe'swords.

Herfacecoloredfrantically.Sheturnedandwentsilently,slowly,backupthestaircase,feelingkicked
inthestomach.Well,she'dalwaysknownthatinJobe'smind,thethoughtofherandmarriagedidn't
followeachother.Hewasn'tinthemarketforacomputerexpert,andshewasn'tgoingtosettlefora
male chauvinist who wanted a biddable little wife who'd stay pregnant half her life having his
children.

She'dalwaysknownthat.Curious,thatitshouldcomeassuchashocknow.But,then,Jobehadalways
had the power to hurt her more than anyone else ever could. He made her feel small, inferior,
worthless.Andshewasn't.

She was as intelligent as any man on the place, and more intelligent than most; certainly more
intelligentthanhim.

As for marriage, there were plenty of men in the world who'd be proud to have a wife who could
engineer computer systems! Mentally she went back over her dates in the past year and grimaced.
Well,therewereplentyofmenwho'dhavelovedhavinganaffairwithher,sheamended.Shewasa
littleshortofmarriageproposals.

Thatdidn'tmatter.Shewasgoingtobeacareerwoman.Theworldwasheroyster.Shecouldfitin
anywhere now, and she didn't have to depend on any man to support her. She didn't want children,
anyway,althoughshelovedTedandCoreen'slittleboy.Hereyeswentdreamyasshethoughtabout
howcuddlyhewas.

Jobewasn'tcuddly.Hewasthemostirksomemanshe'deverknown,anditwasjustunfortunatethat
shehadtoworkwithhimonherbrother'sranch.

If only Ted would fire him. There must be a dozen men who could do his job twice as well as he
coulddoit.

Menwithcollegedegrees,whoknewgeneticsblindfolded,whocouldbuyandselllivestock,improve
breedingstock,andbeatthehelloutofanycowboywhogotfreshwithTed'sbabysister...

She didn't like remembering how protective Jobe had been about her when she was younger. Ted
didn'tgetthechancetowatchher;Jobediditforhim.Healwaysseemedtoturnupwhenshewentout
ondates,evenifheonlyhadasoftdrinkatacafewhereshewaseating,orabagofpopcornatany
theater she went to. He'd been around during one of the worst nights of her life, when one of her
boyfriendsdrankheavilyandstartedtryingtoforceherintothebackseatofhiscar.

Jobe had dragged the boy out by his belt and pummeled him royally, before calling the police and
havinghimarrested.Hisshockedparentshadtocomeandbailhimout.Theboyhadgonetolivewith
agrandmotheroutofstatethenextdayandhenevercameback.

Hisparents,nicepeople,lookedshellshockedforweeksafterwardwhentheysawJobe.

The men had razzed him about his special care of Ted's sister. They thought he was sweet on her.
Sandyknewdifferently.Hewasjustoverbearing,obnoxiousanddeterminedtokeepherfromgetting
marriedtoanybodylocally.He'devenadmitteditonce.Hewantedheroutoftownandoutofhislife.
Hewasn'ttakinganychancesthatshemightmarryalocalboyandsetuphousekeepingnearby.

Meanwhile, Jobe went through women like water through a sieve. He was pleasant, attentive,
courteous, but no woman was ever able to get a commitment out of him. He was the original
bachelor,asslipperyasaneelwhenweddingringsbecamethetopicofconversation.Hewasthirty-
sixnowandstillseemedtohavenoaspirationstowardbeingahusbandandfather.

Sandydidn'tcare.Hecouldstaysingleforeverasfarasshewasconcerned.Shehatedhim.Yes,she
did!Hewassocruel,soviciouslycruel...

Tears were sliding down her cheeks when she got back to her room and closed the door quietly
behindher.

Why, oh, why had she to love such a man, and for so long, with no hope at all of anything except
rejection?

Chapter2

CoreenTarletonReganopenedthedoorquietly,havingheardthemuffledsobsfromthehallway.She
satdownonthebedbesideherbestfriendandslowlygatheredherinherarms.

"Ihatehim,"Sandysniffed,savagelywipingawaytears."He'sanidiot!"

"Yes,Iknow,"Coreensaidwithagentlesmile.Shepulledatissuefromtheboxbesidethebedand
handedittoSandy."Dryyoureyes.Ted'ssenthimtoVictoriafortherestoftheday,topickupsome
herdrecordsattheofficethere."

"Good!Ihopealienskidnaphimonthewayback!"

"Now,now,thinkhowwe'dmisshimaroundhere."

"Iwouldn't!"

Coreen's blue eyes smiled. "Didn't it ever occur to you that he might like you? All these little snips
couldbenothingmorethanawaytoattractyourattention."

Sandy'sred-rimmedeyesglaredather."No."

"Heusedtobeyourshadow,"Coreenpersisted."Untilyouwentawaytocollege,atleast."

"Mykeeper,youmean,"shemuttered."Eventhen,hewasmakingfunofme,puttingmedown."

"You'reveryintelligent.Maybehefeltthreatened."

"He'sintelligentenough,"Sandyrepliedwithamuffledcough."Hejustdoesn'tlikewomenwhoare
smart.IheardwhathejustsaidtoTeddownstairs.Hesaidthatallhewantedwasabunchofkidswho
didn'tknowoneendofacomputerfromtheother."Hereyesflashed."AsifI'dwantkidswithaman
likethat!"

Coreenjustpattedhershoulder,tryingnottolookashelplessasshefelt.ShewonderedifSandyknew
how transparent her feelings for Jobe really were. Probably not, or she'd be horribly embarrassed.
Sandy thought of herself as impervious to Jobe. Actually it was pretty much the reverse. Coreen,
herselfaveteranofturbulentrelationships,knewexactlyhowherbestfriendfelt.

"Youfeellousy,don'tyou?"Coreenaskedgently."Whydon'tyoutrytosleepforalittlewhile?"

"Thatmightbeagoodidea."Sheforcedasmile."You'rethebestfriendIeverhad,youknow."

"You're the best friend I ever had," Coreen replied warmly. "Don't you worry, if worse comes to
worse,I'llhelpyoupushJobeintoashark-infestedoceansomewhereandI'llswearIdon'thaveaclue
whereheis."

Sandygrinnedthroughhertears."Nowthat'srealfriendship."

Coreennodded."ExactlywhatIthought!"

But if Sandy had hoped that a day's absence would improve her situation, she was badly mistaken.
JobecamebackfromVictoriainafoultemperandavoidedSandyfortherestoftheweek.Thatsuited
her,becauseitgavehertimetogetalittlebetterbeforeshebeganthearduousjobofteachingJobe
howtouseacomputer.

He presented himself in Ted's office the following Monday looking like a man facing imminent
execution.

Sandy,inslacksandatubetop,hadherhairinabunandwascoolandcomfortable,atleastonthe
surface.Jobewaswearingjeansandbootsandalong-sleevedred-checkedshirt.Helookedtheimage
ofarodeocowboy.

Sandyknewforafactthathecouldrideanythingontheplace,fromabulltoTed'smeaneststallion.

Itamusedheralittlethathealwaysbuttonedhisshirtstothetopbutton.Hewasamodestman.She'd
neverseenhimstrippedtothewaistortheleastbitrumpled.Evenhisblondhairwasneatlycombed.
Hewasoneofthecleanestcowboysshe'deverknown.Maybethatwasanefforttomakeupforhis
nastytemper,shethoughtprivately.

"Allright,"hesaidcurtly."Let'sgettoit."

"Sitdown,"Sandyinvited,puttinghiminachairinfrontofthecomputer.

Heglaredatit."Thisisgoingtobeadisaster,"hemuttered."I'mnotmechanical."

"Evenyoucan'ttearupthiscomputer.It'salmostfoolproof."

"Where'stheswitch?"heasked,frowningattheconsole.

"This entire complex plugs into a surge spike. You push the red button, here, on the strip," she
demonstrated,

"andeverythingcomeson,includingtheprinter."

Hewatchedthescreen."There'snothingthere,"hesaidpointedly.

"Giveitaminute."

Theywaitedandthemenucameup.

"See?" she said, smiling. "Now take a look at the options. What you want is here." She moved the
cursorwiththemousetoaparticularboxandclickedonit.AscreenopenedupwithallTed'sherd
recordsonit.

"Wheredidthatcomefrom?"heasked.

"Itypeditinwhileyouwereawaylastweek.Thisisonlyapartiallisting.You'llhavetodotherest
whenyouhavetime.Nowthisishowyouselectoptionsandmakechanges."

Itwasslowgoing.He'dneverevenplayedcomputergamesbefore.Itwasliketeachingachild,and
everybitasaggravating.Hehatedeveryminuteofit,andmadehisdislikeapparent

"It'sawasteoftime,"hesaidshortlywhenthey'dgonethroughthepreliminariessixtimes."Ikeepall
theserecordsinmyhead.Icantellyoueverythingthereistotellaboutanyparticularbreedingcow
ontheplace,andeverybulltoboot."

"Iknowthat,"sherepliedcalmly.Jobe'smemorywaslegendary."Butwhatifyougetsickorhaveto
goaway?

Whoknowsitthen?"

Heshrugged."Nobody."Heglancedather."IsTedplanningonfiringme?”heaskedcannily."Isthat
whyhewantsallthisonacomputer?"

She grinned. "He's waited a long time, hasn't he? You were working here before I went away to
college."

"SoIwas."Hedidn'tlikebeingreminded.Itshowed.Helookedbackatthecomputerscreen."Now
thatwe'vemadechanges,howdowekeepthemthere?"

Sheshowedhimhowtosavethefileandthenhowtopullitbackoutagain.

Hesighed."Well,IguessI'llgetusedtoiteventually."

"Sureyouwill,"sheassuredhim."It'snothard.Evenlittlekidsdoit.Theygrowupwithcomputers
now."

"Oneday,"hemurmured,"thepowerwillallgooff,andnobodywillknowhowtodomathorwrite.

Civilizationwillvanishinaheartbeat,andallbecausepeopletrustedmachinestodothework."

Shehesitated."Well,maybenotrightaway,"shesaid.

Helookedupatherwithnarrowgrayeyes."HowamIsupposedtosupervisethedailyoperationof
thisplace,andtheranchinVictoria,andinputallthesedamnedrecordsatthesametime?"

Sandypursedherlipsandwhistled."IwonderifTedthoughtaboutthat?"shemused.Shestudiedhis
leanface.

"Doyoureallyneedtosleepandeat?"

"Yes."

"In that case, I guess Ted is going to have to hire somebody with computer experience to put the
recordsinfiles."

"Iguessheis."

"We'lladvertise..."

"Noneed,"Jobesaid,gettingtohisfeet"MissyHarveyjustgraduatedfromthetechnicalschoolwith
adiplomaincomputerprogramming.Sheneedsajobandshe'sfuntohavearound."

"Tedwill have todecide about that,"Sandy said stiffly, becauseshe knew thatJobe had been dating
Missyonandoffforafewweeks.

"I'llspeaktohim,"Jobesaid,andwalkedout.

Sandystaredafterhimwithconfusingemotions.Shedidn'twantMissyhere,inthishouse.Butwhat
sort of protest would she be able to make without sounding like a jealous shrew? As if she'd be
jealousofJobe!Ha!

Allthesame,whenJobementionedittoTedatsupperthatnight,CoreenshotaquicklookatSandy.

"Wewouldn'tneedherpermanently,"Jobeemphasized."ButIcan'thandlewhatIhavetodoeveryday
andspendseveralweekstypinginherdrecordsoneletteratatime,too."

Tedwasfrowningthoughtfully."Ididn'tconsiderthat,"hesaidafteraminute.HeglancedinSandy's
direction.

"Idon'tsupposeyou'dliketodoit?"

Shegrimaced."I'vealreadytakenallmysickdaysfortheyear,Ted,"sheconfessed.

"IhavetogobacktoworkorIcouldlosemyjob."

"Godforbid,"Jobemurmurednastily.Sheshotaviciouslookhisway."Ilovemyjobasmuchasyou
loveyours,"shereplied."Stopbaitingme."

He slammed his fork down on the table, gray eyes blazing. “You're the one who does the baiting,
honey."

"Don'tcallmehoney!It'sdemeaning!"

Jobe stood up, bristling with anger. "To you, just being a woman is demeaning," he said icily,
ignoringTed'sglare."Youdon'thaveaclue,doyou?Youdresslikeaman,worklikeaman,think
likeaman.Hell,youevenactlikeaman.Youalwayshavetoknowmore,domore,thananymanon
theplace!"

She stood up, too, shaking with fury. "Not any man," she said, correcting him. "You! I have to be
betterthanyou!"

"Sandy,"Tedsaidwarningly.

"Oh, why try to protect him?" she demanded, throwing down her napkin. "He started it, making
hurtful remarks and downgrading me when I was barely sixteen. To hear him tell it, I couldn't do
anything!"Sheloweredhervoice."Well,I'mtwenty-sixnow,andIcandoahellofalotofthingsthat
hecan't.Andifyouwanttoknow,itfeelsreallygoodtogettotalkdowntoJobeAlmightyDoddfora
change!"

Jobe'shighcheekboneshadgonearuddycolorasheglaredatSandy."That'llbetheday,whenyou
cantalkdowntome,lady,"hereturned.

"It isn't hard to do, when you can't tell the difference between the enter key and the delete key on a
computer!"

shesaidwithahaughtysmile.

Hedidn'thaveacomeback.Hegaveheralookthatcouldfrybread,turnedonhisheelandleftthe
roomwithoutanotherword.

Sandy,stillshaking,staredafterhimwithasick,emptyfeeling.

"That,"Tedremarked,"wastheworstmistakeyou'veevermade.Youdon'tridiculeamanlikeJobe."

"Whynot?"sheraged,neartears."Heridiculesmeallthetime!"

"Sitdown."

Shesat,defeated,deflated,tiredtothebone.

Ted leaned forward on his elbows and glanced at his wife, who seemed to understand what he was
feeling-asusual.

"Sandy,Jobe'smotherwasascientist,"hesaidquietly.

"Ted,no,"Coreentriedtoheadhimoff.

He held up a hand. "She needs to know." He looked back to his sister's fixed expression. "Jobe's
motherworkedinnuclearresearch.Hisfatherwasacowboy,likeheis,whoknewtheweatherand
animalsandnotmuchmore.

Hismotherhadseveraldegreesandspenthisyounglifemakinghisfatherfeelstupidandinadequate.
ShediditsowellthatheshothimselfwhenJobewasten."

Sandythoughtshemightfaint.Shepickedupherglassoficedteaandpressedittohercheek."Oh,my

God,"

shewhispered.

"Itdidn'tevenseemtobotherher,"Ted

recalledcoldly."NotevenwhenJobepacked

hisbagandwenttoliveatthejuvenilehall."

"Ithoughtyouhadtobearrestedandsent

there,"Sandyventured.

"Bingo,"Tedsaid,smilinghumorlessly."Hestoleahorseandeventhoughtheownerwouldn'tpress
charges,hewasarrestedandarraigned.Hismotherdidn'twanthim-notintelligentenoughtostaywith
her,shesaid-sothestateprovidedforhimuntilhewasoldenoughtogetajobandgotowork.He's
beenhereeversince."Hisfacewascolderthanhissisterhadeverseenit."Pityyoudidn'taskmewhy
Iwantedyoutoteachhimtouseacomputer.Theherdrecordscouldhavewaited,butJobewaslosing
groundwiththemenbecausemostofthemaremorecomputerliteratethanheis."

Sandyputherfaceinherhands."I'msorry,"shewhispered.

"Tellhim,notme,"Tedsaidrelentlessly.

"She didn't know, Ted," Coreen interjected. She got up and put her arms around Sandy. "I don't
supposeeitherofusthoughtyouneededtoknow,"shetoldtheotherwoman.

Sandybrushedawaytears."Heisn'tstupid,"shesaidangrily."Hismothermusthaverealizedthat!"

"Shedidn'twanthiminthefirstplace,"Tedsaidsadly."Shewasoneofthosestrait-lacedpeoplewho
put appearances before everything, and she'd had a major fling with a cowboy and got herself
pregnant.Shemarriedhimonlytopleaseherparentsandfriends,andmadehimpayforiteveryday
helived."

"Whereisshenow?"Sandyasked.

"Nobodyknows.Jobeneverspeaksofher."Heshookhishead."It'sagoodthingyoudon'tlikehim,I
suppose,inthecircumstances.Becausehe'llneverforgivewhatyousaidtoday."

Sandy felt sicker. She averted her eyes. Coreen handed her a handkerchief and patted her back
awkwardly,givingTedahelplesslookoverSandy'sbenthead.

"You'llhireMissy,Iguess?"Sandyaskedwithoutlookingup.

"Yes,"Tedsaidflatly."She'sthekindofwomanwhobuildsamanup.She'llrepairthedamageyou
did,andthensome.She'sagentlesoul."

"Iwouldn'thavesaidthatJobeneededagentlewoman,"Sandysaidthroughherteeth.

Tedcockedhisheadandstaredather."Howwouldyouknowwhatheneeds?"heasked."You'venever
caredahootwhathedid."

"Isupposenot."Sheshiftedinthechairanduncrossedherlegs."Missydoesn'tlikeme."

"I'mnotsurprised,"Tedreplied."ShethinksJobe'ssweetonyou."

Sandy'sheartleaped."Doyou?"

Tedlaughed."You'rebetteroffnotknowingwhathesayswhenyouaren'taround.You'vedamaged
hispride,butnowomancantouchhisheart.Theysayhismotherburieditalive."

SandyputdownthehandkerchiefCoreenhadgivenher,slumpingalittle."Ididn'tmeantoputitlike
that.He'salwaysattackingme.Ijusthadenough,that'sall."

"Oh,I'mnotprotectinghim,"Tedremarked."Jobecantakecareofhimself.Buthittingbelowthebelt
isprettylow."

"Iwon'tdoitagain."

"You won't get the chance," her brother predicted. "I don't imagine he'll let you within clawing
distanceasecondtime."Hegaveheracuriouslook."AsforMissy,Ithinkyoucanhandleanything
shecandishout,can'tyou?"

Shesmiledbackathim."Iguessso.I'myoursister,afterall."

Ted'sremarkaboutJobe'sattitudetowardhissisterturnedouttobeaprettyaccurateprediction.Jobe
nevermentionedwhatSandyhadsaidtohim,buthismannerchangedovernight.Hetreatedherthe
samewayhetreatedTed,withcourtesyandrespect,butnothingmore.Eventheoldantagonismwas
gone.Apparently,he'ddecidedtobeindifferent.

Missywasn't.HerdevotiontoJobewasevidenttheminuteshesteppedintoaroomwithhim.Herlong
straightblackhairfellinacurtainaroundherovalfaceandbigbrowneyes.Shehadaprettymouth
andanicesmile,andalthoughshewasverythin,shewasn'tunpleasanttolookat.

Butshedidn'tlikeSandy,anditshowed.

ShelistenedsilentlywhileSandytoldherwhatshewouldbeexpectedtodo.Shedidn'thavetospeak;
hereyessaidplenty.

Sandywasdressedforwork,inanexpensivegraysilksuitwithneatlittleplainlow-heeledshoesand
herhairinaFrenchpleat.ShehandedthelastofTed'sfilestoMissyandlookedaroundtoseeifshe'd
forgottenanything.

"If you have any questions and you can't find Ted, Coreen will know where to look for him," she

assuredtheyoungwoman.

"If I have any questions, I'll ask Jobe," Missy said coolly without looking at her. "After all, he's the
bossaroundhere,notyou-Oh!"

She gasped as Sandy caught the back of her chair and swung it around sharply. "You work for the
Regans,"

Sandysaidcurtly,"whichmakesmeyourbossaswell."Sheleanedclosertothegirlwiththreatsin
herwholeposture."You'reonlyherebecausemybrotherwantedtodoJobeafavor.Idon'toweJobe
anyfavors,so,giventheleastexcuse,I'llshootyououtthedoorlikeabomb,"sheaddedwithacold
smile."Ihopethat'sclear."

Missy,suddenlywhite-facedandshaking,nodded.

"Good,"Sandysaid,standingerect.Hereyesblazedattheyoungerwoman.

"I'msorry,"Missystammered.

Sandydidn'tevenanswerher.Shewhirledandwentthroughthedoor,almostcollidingwithJobe.

HeglancedpastheratthetearsrunningdownMissy'scheeks."Hadyourrazorbladesforbreakfast,I
see,"hesaidcoldly."Ifyou'vegotaprobleminthisoffice,takeitupwithme."

"This is my home," Sandy reminded him with fury. "And nobody here talks to me as if I were the
familypet!

Youmightrelaythattoyourgirlfriend.Sheseemstothinksheworksforyou."

Shepushedpasthimandwalkedout,herfacesoredthatshelookedpositivelyfeverish.

MissyranintoJobe'sarmsandcried."Shewashatefultome!"shewhimpered.

Hesmoothedherdarkhairinvoluntarily,fumingoverSandy'sremarks."It'sokay.I'llprotectyou."

Missysnuggledcloserwithasigh."Oh,Jobe,you'resostrong...!"

Sandyheardthatlastremarkasshewentupthestaircaseandshecouldhavechewednails.Itwasallan
act, surely Jobe could see through it? Or, perhaps he couldn't. If his mother had been a strong,
independentwoman,awomanlikeMissymightappealtohimasanoppositetypefromhisdespised
parent.

Well,Sandyhadtoomuchpridetoactlikeasimperingsimpletonforthebenefitofanyman.Since
girlhood,Tedhadtaughtherthatshewasn'tasecond-classcitizen.ShewasaRegan.

Shepackedhersuitcaseandwentdowntohercarwithoutsparingaglancefortheoffice.LetTedsee
howmuchworkgotdonewithMissymakingeyesattheforemaneverywakinghour.Whenhe'dhad
enough,MissywasgoingtofindherselfonthereceivingendofmuchworsethanSandyhadgiven

her.

She didn't go back for a week, having traveled most of east Texas on business. She was worn to a
frazzlewhenshepulledhersmallwhitesportscarintothedrivewayatTed'shouseandparkedit.With
hertravelbagoveronearmandhershoulderbagovertheother,shemarchedupthefrontstepswith
wearinessineverystep.

She had her key in her hand, but the front door was unlocked. She pushed it open and went inside,
closing it gently behind her in case the baby was asleep. Ted and Coreen got precious little time
togetherthesedayswhiletheirsonwascuttingteeth.

AsoundcomingfromTed'sofficecaughtherattention.Thedoorwasopen,andasshenearedit,the
soundsgrewlouder.Theywereunmistakable,evenwithoutthedeliberatesoftmoan.

Shestoppedatthedoorway,hereyesascoldasawintersky.MissywaslyingacrossJobe'slegs,her
head in the crook of his arm. He looked up and saw Sandy standing there, and an odd expression
crossedhishandsomeface.

"Oh,don'tmindme,"shedrawled,alltooawareofMissy'ssudden,frantichastetogettoherfeetand
rearrangeherclothing."IgatherthatTedisnowpayingthetwoofyoutotestthespringsinhissofa."

Sheturnedonherheelandwentupthestaircase,ignoringthesternvoicecallinghername.

Sheshouldhaveknownthatshecouldn'twalkawayfromJobe.Hefollowedherrightupthestaircase
andintoherbedroomwithouthesitation.

"ForGod'ssake,"shesaidangrily,turningonhim,"I'mtired!HavethisoutwithTed.He'syourboss,
asyouliketoremindme.Ihavenovoiceinthebusinessexceptinanadvisorycapacity."

Sheavertedhereyesfromhisshirt,unbuttonedtothecollarbone,andshowingadisturbingamountof
thickdarkhair.Shehatedtheverysightofhim.

"Idon'twantMissyblamedforsomethingthatwasmyfault,"hepersisted.

Shesatdownontheedgeofherbedwithahardsigh,pushingbackstrandsofloosenedhair.Shestill
wouldn'tlookathim."Iwon'tsayanything,"shesaidstiffly."ButTedwouldhave."

"I'mawareofthat."

She rubbed her fingers against her forehead. "I've got a splitting headache. Close the door on your
wayout,wouldyou?"

Hedidn'tleave."ShallIsendMrs.Birdupwithsomeaspirin?"

"Ihaveaspirinofmyown,ifIwantthem."Shelookedathimthen,withaccusingeyesthatgaveaway
hercontempt.

Hisjawtautened."Tellmethatyou'veneverkissedyourbossinhisoffice,Sandy."

Themockingremarkdidn'thitanerve."Mybossisagentleman,"shesaidquietly."Hehasabusiness
degree from Harvard and he's quite reserved. It would never occur to him to wrestle any woman
downonacouch,muchlessanemployee."

Hiseyesnarrowed.Theyskimmedoverherloosejackettothefirmthrustofherbreastsunderit,and
hisfacechangedimperceptibly."Wouldheknowwhattodowithyouifhedidwrestleyoudownona
couch?"heaskedinatonehe'dneverusedwithher.

Shestaredathimblindly,awareofthesuddensilenceintheroom,ofhisgrayeyesholdinghers,of
theraggedsoundofherownbreathing,theuneventhrobofherheartatherribcage.

"Youhave...noright...tosaysuchthingstome,"shechoked.

"MaybeIhavemorerightthanyourealize,"hesaidgrimly.

"Missy'stheonewiththerights,"Sandysaidcurtly.

"Atleast,"hesaidsoftly,"sheknowsthatshe'sawoman."

Sandy stared at him without blinking. It was ridiculous that she should feel betrayed. But she did.
"Luckyyou,"

sherepliedinabaitingtone.

"That's the one thing you've never tried-throwing yourself at me," he continued in a conversational
tone."Pity.

Youmighthavelearnedafewthings."

Sheflusheduncomfortably."Idon'tthrowmyselfatmen,"shesaidunsteadily.

"Ofcoursenot,"hereplied."You'remuchtoosuperiortothinkaboutitseriously.Yourmothershould
havetaughtyouhowtomanagemen."

Shestoodup."Don'tyoumakeremarksaboutmymother!"

Hiseyebrowsrose."WasI?"

"Everyoneknowswhatshewas,"shesaidangrily."Sheleftourfatherandranawaywithanotherman,
and shortly afterward, she left him for yet another one. No man could ever satisfy her," she said
bitterly."Well,I'mnotlikeherandIneverwillbe.Idon'tneedaman!"

Jobewasoddlysilent.Hesearchedherwhitefaceforalongmomentbeforehisgazefelltothehands
clenchedathersides.

"So that's it," he said, almost to himself. "I knew Ted didn't like women until Coreen came along. I
neverreallyknewwhy."Hisjawtautened."Iguessshedidajobonbothofyou,didn'tshe?"

Shedrewherselfuptoherfullheight."Mymotherisnoneofyourbusiness."

"That'samatterofopinion,butwe'llletitdropfornow."

"Ifyou'rethroughgoadingme,I'dliketorest.It'salongdrivefromHouston."

He stuck his hands into his jean pockets and watched her with keen eyes. "We're having a barbecue
tomorrow,tocoincidewithTed'shorseauction."

"I'm sure you and Missy will enjoy it," she said pointedly. "I have no intention of attending, if that
reassuresyou."

Hescowled."Whyshouldyouthinkthat?"

Shelaughedmirthlessly."ForGod'ssake,Iknowhowyoufeelaboutme,"shesaidinahollowtone,
turningaway."I'vealwaysknown."

"HowdoIfeelaboutyou?"heaskedinastrangetone.

"Youdespiseme,"sherepliedwithoutturning."Didn'tyouthinkIknew?"

Chapter3

Jobestaredatherstraightbackwithconflictingemotions."Whotoldyouthat?"heaskedfinally.

"Nobodyhadto,"shesaidinadefeatedtone."WhenIwasyounger,nothingIdidevermeasuredupto
yourexpectations.Ispentyearstryingtobewhatyouwanted,andIalwaysfellshort."Shewrapped
herarmsaroundherself,asifshewerecold,andstaredoutthewindow."FinallyIgaveup."

Hewasscowling."Idon'tunderstand,"hesaid."Youdon'tcarewhatIthink.You'vealwaysbeenatmy
throat."

Shelaughedbitterly."Haven'tI,though?"

"Why?"

She wouldn't have told him ordinarily. But she was worn out and half sick from what she'd seen
downstairs.

Therewasnohopeleftwherehewasconcerned,sheknewthatnow.Hershouldersliftedandfell."So
youwouldn'trealizethatIwasinlovewithyou,"shesaid,withoutlookingathim.Evenso,shecould
feelthesuddentensionintheroom.Sheletoutabreath."Oh,don'tworry,Igotoverit,"shesaid,her
eyesonadistanthorseoutinthepasture.

"That'sarelief."Hisvoicesoundedchoked.

She nodded. "I imagine so. I didn't know anything about you. If I had..." She closed her eyes. "I
supposeyouhadyourfillofcareerwomenalongtimeago."

"Whotoldyouaboutmymother?"heaskedcurtly.

"Ted."Shesmoothedherhandsoverherforearms."I'msorryaboutwhatIsaidtoyouthatday,"she
addedquietly."Imeantittohurt,butI'msorry."

Therewasalongpause."Noharmdone."

That wasn't quite true, she thought, but she didn't pursue it. She leaned her head against the cool
windowpane.

"You'llhavethingstodo,"shesaid,closinghereyes."AndIreallyhavetoliedownnow.Myhead's
splitting."

Afteraminute,sheheardfootstepsandtheclosingofthedoor.Untiltheydiedaway,shedidn'teven
realizethatshewascrying.

Later, she was horrified at what she'd admitted to Jobe. He must have had a good laugh about it,
probablywithMissy.Godknew,thegirllookedsmugenougheverytimeSandysawher.Andasthe

barbecuegotunderway,itseemedthatMissyhadsuddenlybecomethehostess.

Coreenputastoptothatimmediately,herblueeyesflashingfireatthegirlevenasshegentlysenther
tothekitchentomakecoffee.SandynoticedthatJobeheldherhandanddrewheralongtothekitchen
tosoftentheblow.

"Honestly," Coreen exclaimed shortly thereafter, "did you see that? She's getting a little big for her
britches!"

"Jobeindulgesher,"Sandysaidwithoutemotion.

"Hecanindulgehersomeplaceelseifshetriesthatagain,"Coreensaid."I'mnotputtingupwiththat
sortofnonsense."

Sandydidn'tsayaword.

Coreen scowled at her. "Sandy, what's wrong?" she asked gently. "You haven't been yourself at all
lately.Isn'tyourbosssupposedtocomedowntodaytobringthosepapersyouleftinHouston?"

"Yousawthefaxhesent,Iguess?"Sandymused."Hesaidhemight,butIdoubtit.Mr.Cransonisn't
muchonparties.He'sstrictlyabusinessman."

"DoeshedriveablackMercedes?"Coreenaskedconversationally.

"Well,yes,hedoes."

Coreengrinned."Thenhe'shere."Sheletoutasoftwhistleasthebig,darkmanclimbedoutofthe
car."Goodgrief,youdidn'tsayhewasadish!"

"He is, isn't he?" Sandy murmured, smiling. "I'm very fond of him. But he's in love with someone
else."

"Pity."

"Yes,itis,"Sandyagreed.Shewenttomeetherdark-eyedboss."Gladyoucouldcome,Mr.Cranson."

"YoumightaswellcallmePhillip,underthecircumstances,"hesaid,handingherathickfile."Thisis
thedossieryoumislaid,Ibelieve."

"Yes,itis.Mr.-Phillip,"sheamended,"thisismysister-in-law,Coreen.Coreen,Mr.Cranson."

"Nicetomeetyou,"Coreensaid,smiling."TedandIhaveheardalotaboutyou."

"Hopefully some of it was good," he murmured with a dry glance at Sandy. He looked down at his
expensivesuit."Iseemtobeoverdressed."

"We'rehavingabarbecueandlaterthere'llbesquaredancing,"Coreensaid."Ihopeyou'llstay."

HepursedhislipsandglancedatSandy.

"I'dloveitifyouwould,"shesaidhonestly.

Hechuckled."Inthatcase,I'dbedelighted."

HewalkedaroundthegatheringwithSandybesidehim,lookingverycomfortablenowthathe'dtaken
off his jacket and rolled up his white shirtsleeves. He was rakishly handsome, and Sandy had often
wondered what had happened to sour him against women so much. He never spoke of the past, but
sometimeshesatinhisofficeandglowered,intimidatingyoungemployees.

"Haveyoualwayslivedhere?"heaskedSandywhentheypausedtogetcoffee.

"Mostofmylife,"sheagreed"IloveJacobsville.Itmaybeasmalltown,butithasabighistory."

"Doesit?Tellmeaboutit."

She did, and he listened attentively. Neither of them noticed a pair of gray eyes glaring in their
direction.

JobepausedbesideTedandCoreen."Whoishe?"heaskedcurtly.

"Herboss,"Tedmurmured,avoidingtheotherman'seyes."Nice-lookingman,isn'the?Iwondered
whathewaslike.She'sbeenverysecretiveabouthim."

Jobe'seyesnarrowed."He'solderthansheis.Agoodbitolder.Andforallherage,Sandyisababein
thewoodswheremenareconcerned."

If Ted was shocked at Jobe's words, and he was, it never showed in that poker face. "Well, she's
twenty-six,Jobe,"heremindedtheotherman."It'spasttimeshethoughtofsettlingdownandhaving
children."

Jobe'seyesflashed."Shewon'tmarry.She'sacareerwoman."

"Nonsense," Coreen said shortly. "She loves kids, and there's nothing she enjoys more than riding
aroundtheranch."

"Shecan'tcook,"Jobemuttered.

"She'sneverhadto,"Tedinterjected.

"We've always had housekeepers. She does pretty needlework, though, and she knits." He studied
Sandy and her boss. "They look good together," he remarked. "Of course, he's a city boy. You can
tell."

"Heprobablyknowscomputersinsideout,"Jobesaidirritably.

"Actually he doesn't," Coreen replied. "He's good at business, but he's pretty much limited to
marketing.Hedoesn'tride,either."

"That'sashame,"Tedadded."BecauseIcan'tseeSandylivinganywherethatshecan'tride.Sheloves
horses."

"Ifhecaredenough,he'ddowhatpleasedher,"Coreenremarked.

Jobe's face paled. He murmured something and went off alone, to be waylaid by Missy shortly
afterward.

"IseeLadyBosshassomebodytohangonto,"Missyremarkedpertly."Heisn'tbad,buthe'sold."

Jobedidn'treply.Hewasglaringatthem.

Missypressedclose."Wanttogosomewherewecanbealone?"shepurred.

Hescowleddownather.Hedidn'tknowwhyhe'dlethimselfbetempted.Shewascuteandsweet,but
she had no maturity at all. A few kisses, and she'd become horribly possessive. He wondered if
anyoneelsehadnoticed.

"Listen," he said quietly, "we work together and I like you. But that's as far as it goes. We aren't a
couple."

Missy'seyebrowslifted."Youkissedme."

"Ikisslotsofgirls,"hesaidhonestly."You'resweet,honey,butI'mnotinthemarketforanaffair."

Shecolored."Well,neitheramI!"

"Ormarriage,"headdedfirmly."Idon'twantitNotever."

Missylookedasifhe'dhitherwithabrickbat.Shemovedalittleawayfromhim."I...see."

"No,youdon't,"hesaidsharply."It'snotthatIdon'tlikeyou.Idon'twantarelationship,that'sall."

She looked so young. Tears swam in her eyes. He felt guilty and ashamed as he looked at her. He
shouldneverhavegivenherideas.

"I'msorry,"hesaidquietly.

Shepressedagainsthim,cryingsoftly.Hegatheredherclose.

"Damnit,Missy!"hemuttered.

"Don't fuss," she pleaded, sniffing. "I won't stand in your way, or anything. I'll just be around when
you'relonely."

Heonlyhalfheardher.HiseyeswereonSandy.Herbosshadputhisarmaroundherastheywalked
toward the barbecue pit, and his heart leaped with fury. He felt jealousy as if it were acid in his
stomach,andwonderedattheintensityofit.

Missy felt him stiffen and pulled away, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue she'd produced from her
pocket.

"What'swrong?"

Hedidn'tanswerandshefollowedhisangrygazetoSandyandthebig,darkmanbesideher.

"Youdon'tlikeheratall,doyou?"Missysaidwithevidentsatisfaction."I'mglad.Maybeshe'llmarry
herbossandgoaway.Ihatetoseeherupsetyoulikeshedoes."

"Shedoesn'tupsetme,"hesaidstiffly."Heropiniondoesn'tmatter."

"Good.Thenyoucancomeanddancewithme,can'tyou?"Shecoaxedhimontothedancefloor.He
went,buthisheartwasn'tinit.IfonlyhecouldkeephiseyesoffSandy,damnher!

Sandy,unawareofthereactionshewascausing,atebarbecuewithherhandsomebossandthensatand
talkedcomputersuntilthemusicchangedtoslow,sultrysongs.

"Caretodance?"Jobeaskedsuddenly.

Shejumped.Shehadn'trealizedhewassoclose.Shehesitated.

"Oh, go ahead," Mr. Cranson chided. "You've been talking business with me all evening. Go enjoy
yourself."

Jobeglaredattheman,buthenoddedpolitelyashetookSandy'shandandpulledheralongwithhim.

Shewasstiffinhisarms,sotensethatshefeltbrittle.

"Relax,"hemutteredangrily."WhatcanIdotoyouonadancefloor?"

He'dbeamazed,shethoughtwildly.Herheartwasactingup,sowasherbreathing.Herlegsfeltlike
jelly under her. Only by holding her body rigid could she retain some semblance of dignity. She
wantednothingmorethantopressclose,asMissyhadearlier,andfeelhisstrength.Butthatwasthe
onethingshedidn'tdaredo.

His big hand spread between her shoulder blades. His fingers linked into hers. His cheek rested
againsthertempleashemovedslowlytothemusic.Hissighwaswarminherhair.

"Youalwayssmelllikeviolets,"hemurmured.

Shedidn'tknowhowtoanswerthatHehadhisownuniquefragrance,aspicysmellthatclungtohis
face,onethatshealwaysassociatedwithhim.Oddhowkeenhersenseswerewhenhewasclose.Not

thatheeverwas.

She'd only danced with him once before in her life, and that had been a square dance. This was
different.Itwasfartooclose,toointimate.Shewasvulnerable,andshedidn'twanttobe.

"I'm...tired,"sheprotested,weaklypullingagainsthisarm.

"No,youaren't,"hereplied,holdingherinplace.Hisheadliftedandhecaughthereyesrelentlessly.
"Now,relax,"hecommandedsoftly.

Heseemedabletomakeherbodyobey.Littlebylittle,sherelaxedintohimandshiveredslightlyat
thereactiontheirclosenessprovokedinher.Allhersensesseemedtocomealiveatonce,inariotof
sensation.

Hisbighandsmoothedupanddownherspine,rivetinghertothelean,powerfullengthofhim.She
shiveredagain.Involuntarily,hercheekwenttohiswarm,muscularshoulderandshegaveintoall
theforbiddenlongingsofthepast.

Hesighedunsteadily.Hewashavinghisownproblemswithhercloseness.Itwasgood.Itwasbetter
than he'd ever imagined it would be. His eyes closed. She felt soft and sweet against him, womanly
soft. The lights were low and they were a little apart from the other dancers, in the shadows.
Impulsivelyheloweredhisheaduntilhecouldfeelhersoftmouthunderhissearchinglips.Hemade
asound,deepinhisthroat,andstoppeddancing.

Hismouthopened,becamedemanding,fierceandhardonhertremblinglips.Theypartedforhim.
Shestiffenedalittleandthenpressedclose,asobbingmoanrisingfromherchestHishandwasather
neck,coaxing,guiding.Heliftedhismouthonlytoloweritagain,insoftbitingkissesthatmadeher
tremble.

"Sandy," he groaned, looking around him in agonized hunger. There was a big tree close by and
nobodywaspayingattentiontothemjustyet

He maneuvered Sandy behind the tree and levered his body down against hers in a fever of need,
crushinghergentlybetweenthetreeandhimself.

"No,"hewhisperedwhenshemanagedaweakprotest"No,sweetheart,no,don'tfight..."

Hismouthcoveredhersagain,withslow,sweetardorthatbroughtherarmsaroundhim.Shemadeno
moreprotests.Hekissedheruntilshewouldhavefallen,butforthesupportofthetreeandhisarms.
Somanydreamscametrueinthatspaceofminutes,somanypainfullongings.Shehadn'tdreamed
that the two of them would generate such sweet desire between them. She wanted him with all her
heart,lovedhim,neededhim.Theworldspunawayandtherewasonlythetwoofthemandthedesire
thatgrewlikeaseedling.

Eventuallyhehadtostop.Hisbodyached,butheignoredit,pullingSandyfreeofthetreetrunkand
intoarmsthatweresuddenlygentleandprotective.

She couldn't stop trembling. She shivered helplessly in his arms while he rocked her in the warm
eveningsilence,brokenbysweet,mutedstrainsofmusic.

Heburiedhisfaceinherwarm,scentedthroat,hangingthereashefoughttocontroltheragingdesire
she'dkindledinhim.

Hereyesopened.Shesawtheshadowyleavesabovethem,andbeyondthem,thestars.Itwaslikea
momentoutoftime.Shewasafraidtobreakthesilence,tospeak.Shedidn'tdareaskwhy.Shedidn't
want to know. It was enough that he'd wanted her, even for such a brief time. She could live on it
forever.Hereyesclosedagainandshestoodagainsthimwithoutaprotest,withoutasound.

Helethergoinchbyinch,hisfaceashardasstone.Hedidn'tsayanything.Shecouldfeelhiseyes,
butitwastoodarktoseethem.Herheadloweredandshefeltcoldashemovedback.

Thesoundofherownbreathingwasunusuallyloud.Shedidn'tlookup.Herarmswrappedaround
herselftowarmherinthechillofhiswithdrawal.Herlegsstillfeltunsteady.

They didn't speak. A full minute later, Missy's shrill voice calling to Jobe brought his head up. He
cursedsilently,butheturnedandwenttoher.Hedidn'twanthertoseeSandylikethis,vulnerableand
defenseless.Hedidn'tthinkanyofhisownturmoilwouldshowinthedimlight.

"There you are," Missy said, linking her arm through his. "They're about to play the last song. I'm
readytogowhenyouare.Wasn'titfun?"

Hedidn'tanswerher.Hismindwasspinning.

Sandy got her breath back and went in search of Phillip Cranson, smiling blandly at people she
passed.Noonelookingatherwouldeverguessthatshe'dbeensoabandonedinaman'sarmsonly
minutesearlier.Fortherestoftheevening,shewastheperfectco-hostess.Sheevenmanagedanice
smileforMissyandJobeastheyleftafterthelastdance.Butshedidn'tmeethiseyes.Shewonderedif
shewouldeverbeabletolookathimagainafterthewayshe'dbehaved.

Bythenextmorning,she'dconvincedherselfthatithadn'thappened,anyway.Shesleptlateandhadto
bedraggedoutofbedbyadisapprovingCoreen.

"Comeon,sleepyhead,youcan'tspendyourlifeinbed!Iwanttogoriding."

Sandyblinked."Riding?Beforedaylight?"

"It'salmostnoon,youidiot,"Coreenchuckled."Ted'sgoingtobaby-sitwhilewe'reout."

Thatgotherattention."ThisI'vegottosee,"shesaid,andgotup.

Sureenough,Tedwasinthelivingroomwithhisson,hisfaceradiantasheheldthelittleboyinhis
arms.Itwasamazing,thechangeinTedsinceheandCoreenhadmarried.Hertaciturnbrotherwas
the picture of a contented parent, and a loving husband. It hadn't always been that way. He'd given
Coreenalotofpainbeforehe'dfinallygivenintohisfeelingsforherandstoppeddwellingonthe

agedifferencebetweenthem.

Helookedupasthewomenentered."Takeaslongasyoulike,"hesaidgenerously."I'llstayhome."

Coreen snuggled up to him and kissed him tenderly before she pressed her lips to her son's tiny
forehead."Isn'theamiracle?"shesighed.

Tedwaslookingatherinsteadofthebaby."MylifeisonelongmiraclesinceIputthatringonyour
finger,"hereplied.

Sandyfeltlikeaninterloper."I'llgooutandsaddlethehorses,"sheofferedwithanapprovinggrin.

"ItoldJobetodothat,"Tedsaid."Buthemayneedhelp."

Sandy'seyesflashed."IsMissywithhim?"

"Missydoesn'tworkSaturdays,"Tedremindedher.

"Amazing,"Sandysaidunderherbreath."I'vegottogetmyhat,"shesaidaloud,becauseshedidn't
wanttogotothestablesandbealonewithJobe,notafterlastnight.

"Don'ttakelong,"Coreencalledafterher."It'sgoingtorainlater,theysaid."

"Okay!"

Shewasbackwithinfiveminutes,andCo-reenwentoutthedoorwithher.

Jobewasloungingagainstabaleofhaywhentheywalkedin.Hedidn'tsayanything,butthelookhe
gaveSandyinhertrim,well-fittingjeans,wouldhavemadeanywoman'skneesweak.Hedidn'tsmile
orjokeorsayaword.Hejustlooked.

"Thanks,Jobe,"Coreencalledtohimastheymounted.

He shrugged. "No problem. I'm going out to check on the baler. They were having trouble with it
earlier,andit'sduetorain.MindifItagalongasfarasthebottoms?"

"Ofcoursenot,"Coreensaid,ignoringSandy'shuntedexpression.

Jobedrewhisownhorse,alreadysaddled,outofanearbystallandswunggracefullyintothesaddle.
Theyrodealonginapleasantsilenceforafewminutes.

"Don'tholdthosereinssotight,"JobechidedSandy."You'llhurthismouth."

Sheloosenedthematonce.Shedidn'targueorsnapback,whichwassouncharacteristicthatCoreen
shotherastartledlook.Butwhenshesawherfriend'sface,shehidasmile.

"I'mgoingtorideoverandtalktoHankforaminuteaboutthenewfoalwe'vegotinthebarn,"she

said."Berightback!"

Sandywantedtocallafterher,butshecouldn'tadmitthatshewasafraidtobealonewithJobe.Alone,
shemusedhumorously,inthemiddleofaranchwithcowboyseverywhere.Whatalaugh!

Jobe'sglovedhandrestedonthepommel.Hedidn'tlookather,butoffintothedistance,hisbroad-
brimmedhatpulledlowoverhisgrayeyes."Thatrainwouldbewelcometwodaysfromnow.Ihope
itholdsoffuntilwe'vegotthishayup."

"Willitbehard...tofixthemachine?"

Heturnedhisheadandlookedintohereyesunderthebrimofherwide-brimmedstrawhat,seeingthe
nervousnessthere,theunfamiliarvulnerability.Hemaneuveredhishorseclosertohers.

"Don'tbeafraid,"hesaidunexpectedly,holdinghergaze.

Shelaughedunsteadily."Afraid?Ofyou?"

"Iwasn'tgoingtofollowuponwhathappenedlastnight,Sandy,"hesaidsolemnly."Itwasamoment
outoftime.Nothingtoworryabout."

Herheartfell.Shedidn'tlookathim."Isee."

"Unless..."

Sheglancedup."Unless?"Hisnarroweyesfelltohermouth.

"Unlessyou'rewillingtotakeachancewithme."

Herbreathcaughtinherthroat."What...sortof...chance?"

Hesearchedherdrawnfacecarefully."Thesortwetriedtogetherlastnight,"hereplied."Itwasgood.
BetterthanI'deverthoughtitcouldbe.We'vebothhadourshareoffalsestartswiththeoppositesex.
Whydon'tweseehowwedoasacoupleforawhile?"

Shefeltherheartstopinherchest.Itwasthelastthingsheexpectedhimtosaytoher."Whatabout
Missy?"

Shechoked.

"Whatabouther?"Hisfacehardened."Ihaven'tmadeherasinglepromise."

"Yes,Iremember.Youdon'tmakepromisestowomen."

"Don'tmakeajokeofit,"hesaidflatly."I'mnotkidding.Thisisseriousbusiness."

Shecaughtherlowerlipbetweenherteethandstaredathim,half-afraid."You'reasingleman.You

likeitthatway.I'mnot...notinthemarketforanaffair.I'msorry."

Shestartedtomoveaway,buthishandcaughtherswhereitheldthereins.

"I'mnottalkingaboutanaffair,Sandy,"

hesaid.Hemanagedasmile."Tedwouldkillme.Helivesinthepast,too."

Sheglaredathim."SoI'mold-fashioned.Sowhat?"

"Idon'tmind,"hemused,chuckling."Insomeways,I'mold-fashionedmyself."

Shemovedinthesaddleandheardtheleatherscreak."Whatdidyouhaveinmind?"

"Supposewegoouttoeatandtakeinamovie?"hesuggested."Oristhattoomiddle-classforyou?"

Sheflushed."I'mmiddle-class,too."

"Likehellyouare,"hecountered."YouandTedwereborntomoney.You'veneverbeenwithoutit"

"Iearnmyownwaynow,"sheremindedhim,refusingtoadmitwhyshe'ddecidedtogoouttowork
whenshestoodtoinheritafortunefromatrustwhensheturnedtwenty-eight.

"Yes,Iknowyoudo,"hereplied."AndIknowwhy."

Shemethiseyes,shocked."You...do?"

Hestartedtospeak,andjustasheopenedhismouth,CoreencamegallopingupbesideSandy.

"We'd better get moving," she said with an apologetic smile, indicating the black clouds building.
'Thathaywillbeadeadlossiftheraingetsit."

"Soitwill,"Jobeagreed.HeshotawistfulglanceatSandy,tippedhishatandrodeaway.

"SorryIinterrupted,"Coreenbegan.

"Inthenickoftime,"Sandysaid,forcingalaugh."Don'tworry.Everything'sfine."

Chapter4

IfSandyhadhopedtoavoidJobe'sofferofadate,theraindidn'tstophim.Hecamelookingforher
latethatafternoon,afterthehaywasin.

ItwasdarkandrainyoutsideandSandyhadbeensittinginthegardenroomoutback,watchingthe
raincomedownonthepecantrees.

Jobefoundherthere,curleduponasofainwhiteslacksandabriefbluetop.

"Avoidingme?"heaskedquietly.

Shesatupabruptly,flustered."Why,no,ofcoursenot."

Hemovedrightintotheroom,tookoffhishatandsatdownbesideheronthesofa."Ilikethrillers,"
hesaidwithoutpreamble."There'soneatthetheaterdowntown.Ifyou'dratherseesomethingelse,I
believethere'sacomedyattheGrand."

"Ilikethrillers."

Henodded."Wecanhaveapizzaoraburgerandfriesbeforewegotoseeit.Orthere'sacafeteria,if
you'dlikethatbetter."

Hewastestingher,sheconcluded,toseeifshemindedaninexpensivemeal.

Shesearchedhiseyesforalongmoment."Idon'thavetogotothebestrestaurantsortotheoperaor
aplay,incasethat'swhatyouwerethinking,"shesaidgently."Ilikeaburgerandfries,andmovies
suitmeverywell."

"Itisn'twhatyou'reusedto,though,"headded.Hesighed."Totellyouthetruth,Ihadsecondthoughts
aboutaskingyououtatall."Hetwirledhishatinhishands."Maybeit'sabadidea."

Shedidn'tknowwhattosay.Sheshiftedalittle."Whateveryouwanttodoisfine,"shesaid.

"Isthatso?"Hiseyesglittered.Hethrewhishatonthefloor,caughtheraroundthewaistandboreher
downonthesofa,findinghermouthwithhisatthesameinstant.

Shecouldn'tgetenoughairtobreathe,muchlesstoprotest.Hewasroughwithher,asifherreplyhad
angered him. There was no hesitation, no tenderness, in his demanding mouth or the weight of his
bodyoverhers.

Shemadeasoftsoundofprotestandherelented,liftinghisheadtoglareather.

"ThisiswhatIwanttodo,"hesaidharshly,lookingatherasifhehatedher."It'swhatI'vewantedto
dosinceyouwereseventeen,damnit!"

Shepaled,seeingtheself-loathingwrittenalloverhisface.Hewantedherandhatedhimselfforit.If
shehaddreamsofhappilyeverafter,theyturnedtoashesfromthelookinhiseyes.

Suppressing quick tears of anger and disappointment, she put both hands against his shirtfront and
pushed.

"Letmeup,please,"shesaidthroughherteeth.

Tohersurprise,hedid.Hegottohisfeetandwhippedhishatoffthefloorwithanangryhand.

"Idon'twanttogooutwithyou,thanksallthesame,"shesaidinachokedtone.Shesidesteppedhim
andtheinstantshewasanarm'slengthaway,sheranallthewayupstairs,intoherroom,lockingthe
doorbehindher.

Tears ran down her cheeks, and she wiped them away angrily. He was the cruelest man she'd ever
known.Howcouldhetreatherlikethat,afteralltheyearsthey'dknowneachother?Itbrokeherheart
thathehadnomorerespectforherthanthat.Itmadeherfuriousthatshe'dletherguarddownatall.

Shewentintoherbathroomandwashedherface,coldwithsuppressedrage.

Shedidn'teventhinkasshedraggedhersuitcaseoutoftheclosetandstartedpacking.Nowaywasshe
goingtostayhereafterthat.

Aquickchangeofclothing,fromjeansintoaneatbeigesuit,herhairinabunandherpurseoverher
arm,andshewasonherwaydownthestaircase.

Shepausedatthekitchendoorway,whereMrs.Birdwascookingsupper.

"IhavetogobacktoVictoria,"shetoldthewoman."Anemergency."

"Oh,didthephonering,then?"Mrs.Birdasked."Iwasoutintheyardgettinginthethrowrug,Imust
havenotheardit."

"You must not have," Sandy agreed with a straight face. "Tell Ted and Coreen that I'll phone them
later,wouldyou?"

"Ofcourse,MissSandy."

Shesmiledatthehousekeeperandmarchedoutthefrontdooranddowntothegarage.

Jobewasleaningagainstthetrunkofhercar.Shestoppedshortwhenshesawhim,butonlyforan
instant.

"Ifyou'dmove,Icouldputmysuitcaseinthetrunk,"shesaidwithicedrippingfromeveryword.

He searched her wan face, noting the redness of her eyes. "You're always running away," he
remarked.

"Andyoudon'tthinkIhavegoodreasonto?"shedemanded.

"This time, yes, you do," he replied. His narrow gaze slid over her face. "I'm just as hesitant about
gettinginvolvedasyouare.Ididn'tmeantohurtyou,"headdedheavily,notingwithagrimacethe
swollenplaceonherlowerlipwherehisteethhadcaughtit.

"Noharmdone,"sherepliedtightly."Wouldyoumove?"

Hesteppedaside,watchingirritablyassheputhercaseinthetrunkandclosedit.

"Wouldn'titbebettertogetitoutofoursystems?"heasked.

Shestraightened."Didn'tyoudothat,onthesofa?"sheaskedwithcoldirony.

Hisjawtautened."Idon'tmakeapracticeofhurtingwomen.I'msorry."

"Youwantedmetoleave."

Heletoutanangrybreath."Allright,maybeIdid,"hesaidshortly."Therearesomanyobstacles...."

"Yes,thereare,"sheagreedatonce."Missy'sjustyourstyle,uncomplicatedandsweet.I'msureyou'll
beveryhappytogether."

"Ashappyasyou'llbewithyourboss?"heaskedharshly.

Sheturnedatthedoor."Mr.Cransonisinlovewithsomeoneelse,"shesaid."Ilikehimverymuch,
butI'mnotromanticallyinvolvedwithhim."

Hewassurprisedatherlackofguile."Youseemedaffectionatewithhim."

"Ilikehim,"sherepeated."Idon'tlikeyou,"sheaddedwithavenomouslook."Notonebit."

"Icouldworkonthat,ifyou'dletme,"hereplied.

Sheavoidedhiseyes."Youdon'twantmehere,"shesaidperceptively,bringingafleetingsurprised
looktohisfeatures."MaybeyouwereflatteredbywhatItoldyou,aboutthewayIusedtofeeltoward
you,butyoudon'twantmehereanditshows.Youneedn'tfeelguiltyonmyaccount,becauseofan
oldcrushthatI'mover.Youdon'towemeanything."

Hescowledfaintly.

"ForGod'ssake,youdon'tevenlikeme,"shesaidheavily."Youneverhave.YousaidyouknewwhyI
wentawaytowork.Thatexplainsitall,doesn'tit?"

"Youwereseventeen,"herecalled,"whenyouwenttocollege.Iknewitwastogetawayfromme.I
justdidn'tknowexactlywhy."

"You were dating Liz Mason," she replied sadly. "We all thought you'd probably marry her." She
movedoneshoulder."Iwasn'tprettylikeLiz,andIcouldn'ttalkcattle.ItwasnosurprisetomethatI
rubbedyouthewrongway.Youpickedatmeallthetime.Ileftbecauseithurttoomuchtobearound
you."

"Itwasn'tbecauseIdidn'tlikeyou,"hereturned.

She managed a smile. "I understand that now," she said with what dignity she could muster. "You
wantedme,didn'tyou?"

Henodded,acurt,angrynodofhishead.

"Andyoustilldo,"shesaidwithgatheringmisery."MaybeIshouldbeflattered,butI'mnot.Bodies
arecheap,adimeadozen."

"Thesortofchemistrywehavetogetherisn'tallthatusual,"heremarked."Infact,it'squiterare."

"I want more than a few nights in bed with a man who has nothing but desire to offer," she said
honestly."That'swhyI'veneverbeenarounder.I'mmuchtooseriousforlight-heartedaffairs."

Hischinliftedandhedidn'tevenblink.Theintensityofhisgazemadeherheartrace."Icouldtake
youtobedanytimeIliked,"hesaidquietly."Thatwastruewhenyouwereseventeenandit'struenow.
I'vealwaysknownit."

Sheflushed."Youarrogant...!"

"Oh, hell, don't fidget," he muttered. He stuck his hands into his pockets. "I haven't done anything
about it. And if I've antagonized you, it was for your own protection. Just how much willpower do
youthinkI'vegot?Ifyou'deverthrownyourselfatme,neitherofuswouldhavehadaprayer."

Shestiffened."Idon'tthrowmyselfatmen."

"Good thing," he replied. "Otherwise, you'd have found yourself standing in front of the nearest
ministerIcouldproduce.Idon'tplayaroundwithwomenwhodon'tknowthescore."

"I'mnotsomeignorantschoolgirl!"

Hedrewinalongbreath."Iknowexactlywhatyouare,Sandy,"hesaidquietly."Ithasn'tmadethings
easier."

Hesearchedherface."Ifyou'redeterminedtoleave,Iwon'ttrytostopyou.Maybeyou'reright.We'd
bothhavealotofadjustingtodo.Idon'tknowifyoucouldreallysettleforamiddle-classlife,and
I'mnotthesorttogiveupmyjobandliveonmywife'sincome."

"Idon'twanttogetmarried,"shesaidthroughherteeth.

Hesawthroughthepretense,buthedidn'tsayanything."Haveasafetrip,"heremarked,andturned

away.

Sandy watched him walk off, her heart down around her ankles. She didn't know what he really
wanted,andhewasn'tgoingtotellher.Asusual,hewasgoingtoforcehertoreadhismind.

"Ihatemen,"shemutteredtoherself.

Sheclimbedintothecar,starteditanddroveaway.AllthewaytoVictoria,shekepttheradioplaying
as loud as she could stand it, just to stop the thoughts that plagued her. She shouldn't have left, she
should have stayed and let things take their course. But she was afraid of being hurt. Jobe couldn't
guarantee her that they'd find anything more than desire in each other's arms, and desire wasn't
enough.

Butshe'dneverknowwhathewasoffering.She'dbeentooafraidtoriskherheartwithhim.Nowshe
wasgoingtopaytheprice.

Payitshedid,fortwosolidmiserableweeks,tryingdesperatelytoputJobetothebackofhermind.
Buthewouldn'tstaythere.Hekeptpoppingupallthetime,especiallyinconversationswithCoreen.

"Hewon'teventalktoMissylately,"Coreenmusedoverthephone."He'ssomorosethatoneofthe
menaskedifhe'dhadarelativedieorsomething.It'sstrange,youknow,forJobetobeanythingbut
pleasantandeasygoing."

"Maybehehadbadnews,"Sandysaidstiffly.

"Oh,no,it'snotthat.He'sbeenthiswaysinceyouleft."

Sandy'sheartjumped."Pulltheotherleg."

"I'mnotkidding,"Sandytoldher."Hemissesyou."

She didn't say a word. After a minute, she changed the subject and Coreen didn't say anything else
abouttheranchforeman.

Buttwodayslater,Tedcalled.

"We'verunintoasnagwiththecomputer,"hetoldSandy."Thefileswon'tcomeup,andIhavetohave
themforaproductionsale.Canyoucomedownandhavealook?"

"Okay.I'llbehomefirstthingtomorrow."

"Goodgirl!"

He hung up and she considered the workings of providence. Fate was taking a hand. She wondered
whatwouldbewaitingforherinJacobsville.

She packed her case and left early the next morning, refusing to admit to herself how much she'd

missedJobe,howmuchshecaredforhim.

Hewasn'tintheofficewhenshewenttohavealookatthecomputer,butTedwas.

Heglowered."Ineverdidtrustthedamnedthings,"hemutteredwhileSandycheckedfilesonthehard
drive.

"Nowseewhatit'sdone,it'seatenmydamnedherdrecords!"

"Ithasn't,"Sandyreplied."They'vebeenerased,butIcanrecoverthem.Juststopcursingandgiveme
alittletimetodoit."

“Areyousureyou

Hemadearoughsound,can?"

“Yes."Sheranthroughthefiles."Howdidithappen?"

"Missywasupsetandhitthewrongkeys,orsoJobesaid."

Shelookedatherbrothercuriously."Whatupsether?"

"Idon'tknow,"hereplieddryly,"butIthinkitwasbecauseJobedidn'twanttogowithhertosome
partyintown.Sheboughtanewdressjustfortheoccasion."

"Whydidn'thewanttogo?"

"Askhim."Heperchedhimselfagainstthedesk."He'sbeenhelltotalktolately.Hesnaps,nomatter
whatyousaytohim.Irritableasallhell,sinceyouleftthatday.Odd,isn'tit?"headdedwithacool
smileandnarrow,intenteyes.

Sandycoloredinspiteofherself."Webothagreedthatwe'rebetteroffwiththestatusquo."

"Inotherwords,you'retooscaredtotakeachanceonhim,isthatright?"

She stopped working with the computer and whirled around in her chair. "We're both scared," she
replied. "He doesn't think I can settle for a middle-class life, and I don't think he's capable of any
feelingsthataren'tphysical.

Doesthatputthingsintoperspectiveforyou?"

Ted chuckled. "I thought it was something of the sort." He folded his arms across his chest. "But
sometimesyouhavetotakeachance,"headdedgently.

"You'dknow,"shereplied,rememberinghowhardhe'dfoughtCoreen'sinfluence.Hereyessoftened.
"IguessyouandCoreenhadtomakeadjustmentswhenyoudecidedtogetmarried."

"You don't know the half of it," he replied, tongue-in-cheek. "We were explosive together. Well, we
stillare,butnotquiteinthesameway."

"Igetyourmeaning."Shestudiedherhandsfoldedneatlyinherlap."Iran."

"Iknow."

Sheshiftedinthechairandcrossedherlonglegs."Actually,Ithinkheran,too.We'vespentalong
timeateachother'sthroats.It'shardtomakepeace."

"Especiallythesortofpeacehewantstomake?"Tedprobedgently.

Sheflushed."Yes."

Hetookalongbreath."Honey,Ican'ttellyouwhattodowithyourlife.Ican'tpromiseyouthatthings
wouldworkoutifyouandJobeputyourdifferencesaside.ButI'vebeenaloneandI'vebeenmarried.
Believeme,marriedisbetter."

"Idon'tthinkhewantsmarriage."

Hisfacehardened."He'dbetter."

"Now,Ted,don'tstartplayingbigbrother."

"Don'tyoustartwithlecturesonmodernmorality,either,"hesnappedback."Thisisasmalltownin
Texas."

"Andyou'regoingtotellmethatwomendon'tlivewithmeniftheyaren'tmarriedandthatallkids
areborninwedlockhere."

Hemadeaface."Ofcoursenot.Butyou'refamily."

"Yes,Iam.Ithinkyou'reterrific,incaseIhaven'tsaidso,"shemurmured."ButI'lllivemyownlife,
whetheryoulikeitornot."

Heglaredather.

Sheshrugged."ActuallyI'mnotmuchonlooserelationships,either,whichiswhyIran.Jobeisn'ta
marryingman."

"Allmenare,withtherightwoman,"Tedreplied.

"IthoughtMissywastherightwoman."

Hiseyebrowjerked."Youwouldn'tthinksoifyou'dseenherlightoutofhereyesterday,madderthan
awethornet."

"Everybodyargues.Usuallytheymakeup."

"Whydon'tyou?"Tedreturned.

Shestudiedherhandsagain."Heisn'taround."

"Yes,heis."

Asoftsoundinthehallcaughtherattention.SheturnedjustasJobecameinthedoor.Butnottheman
ofhermemories.Thisonewascold-facedandlookedashardassteel.Hebarelynoddedatherbefore
heturnedtoTed.

"We'vegotsixhorsesintheroad.ThefencebrokeoutonJasperRoad."

"How?"Tedasked,allbusinessashestoodup.

"Atruckhadaflatgoingthespeedlimitandranthroughit.I'vegotmenoutlookingforthem."

"I'll go and help. Sandy says she can get the files back for you," he added, nodding toward Sandy.
"YoucanhelpherwhileIseeaboutmyhorses."

Heleft,andJobecursedunderhisbreath.

"I don't like it any better than you do," Sandy said with a speaking glance in his direction. "But we
seemtobestuckheretogether."

Hepausedbyherchair,watchingherfingersraceacrossthekeys."Whatareyoudoing?"heasked,
diverted.

"I'musingaprogramtorecoverfiles.Ifyouwipesomethingoutaccidentally,mostofthetimeyou
can get it back if you know how." She went on to explain about temporary files and the manner of
theirstorage,andtheuseoftherecoveryprogram.

"That'sincredible,"hesaid.

"Yes,isn'tit?"Shesmiled."Igrewupwatching'StarTrek'reruns.Iwantedtobeacomputerexpert,
justlikeMr.Spock."

"Alotofkidsdid,"heagreed,smilingback."Youmakethislookeasy.Itisn't."

"I've been doing it for a lot of years. Practice improves most things. Look how good you are with
horsesandcattle,"sheadded,punchingmorekeys."Becauseyougrewupwithit."

Hestoodbehindher,watchingthescreen.Hisleanhandtouchedherhairlightly."Imissedyou,"he
saidsuddenly.

Shecaughtherbreath."Didyou?"

"Tedsaidhewasonthevergeoffiringme,"hecontinued."Heknewwhatwaswrong,Ithink,buthe
wouldn'tputitintowords."Hepaused."How'syourtemperbeen,whilewe'reonthesubject?"

"Notmuchbetterthanyours,accordingtomyco-workers."

He drew her up from the chair and pulled her into his arms. "Then I think it's time we made some
decisions,"hesaid.

"Whatsort?"

Hesmiledandbenthishead."Thissort,"hewhisperedagainstherwarmmouth.

Itwaslikecominghome.Shepressedclose,savoringthemuscularwarmthofhisbodyinthesilence
thatfollowed.Shehadn'taprotestleft.Shefollowedwhereheled,eagerly,withoutreservation.

Whenheliftedhishead,shelookedupathimwithherheartinhereyes.

Helookedoddlyhesitant,hisgazeintentandalittleworried.

"What'swrong?"sheasked.

Hetouchedhercheek."Coldfeet,"hemurmured,chuckling.

"Iknowhowyoufeel."Shesighed."ButI'mmiserable,justthesame."

"Weknoweachotherprettywellbynow,"heremarkedthoughtfully."Godknows,wearen'tkids.Let's
justtakeitonedayatatimeandseehowitgoes."

Shenodded."Okay."

Hebentandkissedheragain,lightlythistime."Noheavystuff,either,"hemurmuredagainstherlips.
"Wecouldbeinoverourheadsmuchtooquick."

Shesighedandlaidhercheekagainsthischest.Itfeltfamiliar,safe.Hereyesopenedandshestudied
theofficeacrosshispatternedshirt.

"Remember when my puppy died, and you found me crying in the barn so Ted wouldn't see?" she
recalled.

Hechuckled."Youdidn'twantmetosee,either."

"Nothing ever seemed to bother you and Ted. I felt like a sissy. But you picked me up and held me
untilthetearsstopped.Rememberwhatyousaid?"

"Thattearshealedabrokenheart,"hemurmured."Dothey?"

"Youwouldn'tknow.Younevercry."

Hishandslinkedbehindherwaist."Ididwhenmyfatherkilledhimself,"hereplied."Hewasagood,
decentman,buthewasn'tsmartenoughtosuitmymother.Shesaidsheneededamanwithaproper
education,withthemindofagenius."

"Doyouknowwhathappenedtoher?"sheaskedgently.

Hestiffened."No."

"Sorry."

"It's all right. I didn't mind the question. I lost track of her after he died. I suppose she's still doing
researchinsometop-secretlabsomewhere.Maybeshe'sevenfoundamansmartenoughtosuither,
but I don't imagine she stayed with him. You see, if he was too smart, she wouldn't like the
competition."

"My mother wasn't all that smart, she was just a rounder," she volunteered. "It warped Ted, really
badly.IfCoreenhadn'tcomealong,Idoubthe'deverhavemarried."

"She'sapeach,"heagreed.Helookeddownatherwithatendersmile."Soareyou.Underthathard
exteriorandthatcomputerbrain,you'reasweetwoman."

"Isthatacompliment?"

Hismouthbrushedhers."Oh,Ithinkso,"hemurmured.Hisbreathwhisperedacrosshernose."I've
spentyearstryingtopretendthatyouwerejustanothercareerwomanlikemymother.ButwhenIsee
you with that little boy of Ted and Coreen's in your arms, you don't look much like a hard-boiled
careerwoman,Sandy."

Shesearchedhispaleeyescuriously."You'venevertalkedaboutchildren,exceptonce,"sherecalled,
andlookeduncomfortable."YoutoldTedthatyoudidn'twantabunchoflittlecomputerexperts..."

Heputalongforefingeroverherlips."Weallsaythingswedon'tmean,"hetoldher."Ididn'tmean
that.I'vebeenfightingalosingbattlewithyouforyears.It'shardtostop."

"Iknow.IthoughtmylifewasexactlyasIwantedit.ThenI'dcomehomeandseeyou..."

Henodded."Iunderstandperfectly."Hedrewhercloserandbenttokissheragain,softly."Thisfeels
nice."

"Mmm, doesn't it, though?" She chuckled. She closed her eyes. "Eventually I should do something
aboutTed'sfiles."

"Theycanwait."

"Isupposeso.But..."

The front doorbell rang. They looked toward it. Mrs. Bird went to let a visitor in, and they both

frownedwhentheysawwhoitwas.

JobeletgoofSandyasMissyapproached.Shelookedverycoolandprettyinayellowsundress.She
hadherpurseandafilefolderinbothhands.

"Ithoughtyoumightneedtheseherdrecords,"shesaidwithasweetsmileatJobe."Iaccidentallytook
themwithmewhenIleft."SheglancedmutinouslytowardSandy."Iguessyoucametolookforthose
lostfiles?"

"Ifoundthem,"Sandysaidsmugly.

Missylookeduncomfortable."Ididn'tthinkyoucouldrecoverlostfiles."

"Wheredidyoutrain?"Sandyaskedpointedly.

"It's a good school," Missy said defensively, flushing. "They taught us how to recover stuff. I just
forgot."

"Bad business," Sandy returned coolly. "Especially when so much depends on stored information.
FortunatelyforTed,Iknewhowtogethisherdrecordsback.There'saproductionsalethismonth,as
I'msureJobemusthavementioned."

Missysmiled."Well,Iguesshedid,butthenwedidn'ttalkaboutbusinessallthetime,didwe,honey?"
sheaskedJobe.

Helookedveryuncomfortable.He'dmadeitseemasifheandMissywereinvolvedtoprotecthimself
fromSandy,andnowitwasgoingtogethiminserioustrouble.Hecouldtellfromtheexpressionon
Sandy'sfacethatshestillhaddoubtsabouthimandMissy,andhedidn'texactlyknowhowtodispel
them.

Chapter5

MissysawJobe'suneasinessanddecidedtoletherremarkssinkinforawhile."Well,I'llbeoffnow.
SeeyouMonday,"shetoldJobewithaflashofdarkeyesandasecretivesmile.

"Sure,"hereturned.

Missy had left the herd records on the desk. Sandy glanced through them. These were the missing
ones that Missy apparently thought she'd successfully deleted. She must have had ideas of spending
todayinputtingthemagaininlobe'scompany.

"Toobad,"shemurmured."Shemissedoutonawholedayherereinstatingthem.Shame."

Jobelookedworried."Ididn'tencouragehertodothat.Iknowitlooksbad..."

Shemovedtowardhim,hercleareyessteadyandbright."I'veseenMissyinaction,"shesaid."I'mnot
jealous.

Well,notmuch,"shemurmured.

Hechuckled."Alittle?"

Sheshrugged."Microscopic."

Hebenthisheadandkissedherslowly."DoyoulikeChinesefood?"

"Iloveit,"shewhispered.

"Good.Getyourpurseandlet'sgo."

"ButTed'sfiles...!"

"Theycanwaituntilyou'veeaten.Aren'tyouhungry?"

"Ravenous."

"Allright,then.Comeon!"

Hecaughtherhandandhelditallthewaytotheblackpickuphedrove.Heputherinsideandbuckled
herin,watchingherpossessivelythewholetime.

"Pickuptrucksmakegoodbaitforcatchingwomen,"hemurmureddryly."LookwhatIcaught."He
benthisheadandkissedher.

Shetracedhisupperlip."Worksbothways,"shewhispered,andkissedhimback.

"Whatthehell...!"Tedexclaimedashedrewupbesidethemandgotoutofhiscar.

"Whatareyoudoing?Whataboutmyherdrecords?"

"We'rehungry,"Jobeexplained."WanttogetCoreenandthebabyandeatChinese?"

Ted let out a rough sigh. "I hate Chinese." He glanced from his flushed sister to his smug ranch
foreman."ButIguessyouhavetoeatsoonerorlater.Oh,getoutofhere,"hemuttered."Therecords
canwaitawhile."

"Thanks,Ted."Sandygrinnedathim.

Hegrinnedback."Problemsolved?"heasked.

"Justbeginning,"Joberepliedbeforeshecould."Butwe'renosissies,arewe?"

"Notus,"Sandyagreed.

TheywavedatTedanddroveaway.

For the next few days, life took on a dreamlike quality for Sandy. She didn't go back to Victoria,
optingtotakeaweekoff-thevacationtimeshe'dneverused.

She and Jobe were inseparable, to Missy's irritation. They went riding and one day, he took her to
Turner'sLakenearby.Itwasapopularfishinghole,wherecustomerspaidafeetothrowtheirlines
intoalakestockedwithgamefish.

"Isn'tthisfun?"heasked,slappingatamosquitoasheadjustedthetensioninhisline.

Shewassittingbesidehimwithherbarefeetdanglingoffthepier."Heavenly,"sheagreed,andmeant
it.Shehadn'tbeenfishingsincechildhood.Itwaspeacefulhere,evenwithotherfishermenscattered
around,andbeingwithJobewassheerjoy.

"I'venevertakenawomanfishingbefore,"hemused,glancingatherfromunderhisbibbedcap.He
drewuponelong,blue-jeanedleg."You'reprettygoodatit."

Sheglancedatthetwofishonherstringandthethreeonhis."Well,I'mafishbehind,"sheremarked.

"Oh,you'redoingfine.Itlooksbetterifyouletthemancatchmorefish."

Shetossedherpoleasideand,laughing,threwherselfacrosshimtotheground.

"Youchauvinistpig,"shemurmured.

Helinkedhisarmsatherbackandgrinnedupather,hisblondhairdisheveled,hishatinthegrass.
"Youmightaswellgetusedtoit,"heremindedher."I'mconsistentasallhell."

"Inoticed."Shesighedandbenttoputhermouthsoftlyoverhishardlips.

Heheldherthere,savoringthetasteofherintheearlyafternoonheat.Amosquitostabbedintohis
wristandhenevernoticed.

She felt a surge of joy like an explosion deep in her body and sighed as he turned her in the long
grassandhispowerfullegeasedbetweenbothofhers.Hismouthbecamesuddenlydemanding.She
felt her lips part as her heart rocketed under her rib cage. His searching hand found her breast and
secondslater,sodidhishungrymouth.

Shecriedoutsoftly.

Itwasn'taprotest,butitbroughthimtohissenses.Heliftedhishead,grimacingasherealizedwhere
theywere.

"Sorry,"hemurmured,helpingherupwitharuefulsmile."Wecameheretofish.Iforgot."

"SodidI."

Hechuckled."Maybeyou'dbetterwearthis,justsopeopledon'tgetthewrongideawhenwedothings
likethat."

Hetossedasmall,grayvelvet-coveredboxintoherhands."Goon,"hecoaxed."Openit."

She hesitated, because she had a pretty good idea what it was. A question came with it, and he was
going to expect an answer pretty quickly. She looked up into his eyes and knew what the answer
wouldbe.Therewas,afterall,onlyonepossible.

Herhandsfumbledandsheopenedthebox.Hergaspwasaudible."Youpig!"

Sheclosedtheboxoverthecartooncharacterlapelpinandthrewitathim."Howcouldyou?"

"Waitaminute,waitaminute,it'sthewrongbox!Here!"

Hehadtostoplaughingbeforehecoulddigtherightoneoutofhispocket."Thatwasformylittle
cousin...tomorrow'sherbirthday.Here.Thisisyours."

Heputitintoherfingersandpulleditopen.Hiseyesneverleftherface.

"Itisn'ttheHopediamond,"hesaidquietly,watchingherlookatthesmalldiamondengagementring.
"Butthesentimentthatgoeswithitiseverybitaslarge.Iloveyou.Iwanttosharemylifewithyou."

Shefeltthetearsrushingdownhercheeks,leavinghot,wettracksbehindthem.Theringblurred.The
wayheputtheproposalwasshattering.Untilthatmoment,ithadneveroccurredtoherthathemight
loveher.

Shelookedup,seeinghimthroughamist."Don'tyouwantit?"heaskedsolemnly.

"AmItotallymistakenaboutwhatyoufeelforme?"

Sheshookherhead."Oh,no,"shewhispered."Iloveyou.Ijustdidn'tknowthatyoulovedme."

"Blindasabat,"hemused,althoughreliefwasinhisvoice.Hetookouttheringandsliditonher
finger."IfI'dlovedyouless,Ineverwouldhavepickedonyou.Weonlyhurttheoneswelove.Don't
youlistentooldsayings?"

"Youmustlovemeterribly..."

"Doshutup..."

Hekissedheragain,muchmorepossessivelythistime,andeasedherdownintothegrass,regardless
of chiggers and mosquitoes and yellow flies and possible snakes. She didn't notice the wildlife
populationbeingpotentiallycrushedbeneathher.Everysensewascaughtupinthefeeloflobe'shard
mouthonherlips,hiscaressinghandsonherbody.

"Ilikekids,"hewhispered.

"SodoI."

"Good thing," he murmured hungrily, "because I have in mind buying us a big ranch one day, and
we'llneedlotsofkidstohelpusmanageit."

Shechuckled."Whataboutmyjob?"

“Whataboutit?"hemurmured."Althoughyoumighttrytospendlesstimeontheroad,lateron."

Shelookedathimpossessively."Youdon'tmindifIwork?"

He shook his head. "That's up to you, sweetheart. I can support you. Not the way you've been
supported,"hesaidfirmly,"butadequately."

Sheputafingeragainsthismouth."I'llsettleforwhateverwecanearntogether.Ourkidscaninherit
mytrust"

Hisexpressionlightened."You'ddothat?"

"Iknowhowproudyouare,Jobe,"sheconfessed."Iwouldn'twanttomakeyouuncomfortable.I'm
usedtoworkingformyliving.Infact,Ilikeit.Ifwecanbuildsomethingworthwhiletogether,with
ourownhands,I'dmuchratherhaveitthanallthemoneyintheworld."

"Ididn'tgiveyouenoughcredit,"hemurmured.

"Ididn'tgiveyouenough,either,"shesaid."Ithoughtyouonlywantedme."

"Ido,"hesaidquietly."Verymuch."

"Yes,butIdidn'tknowyoulovedme."Shesearchedhisleanfacelovingly."Itmeanstheworld."

"To me, too," he whispered, and bent again. "God, Sandy, don't make me wait too long." His arms
became demanding. "I want you with me all the time. We'll have the foreman's house, and you can
plantalltheflowersyoulike,andcookfor...me..."

Heliftedhisheadandgrimaced."Oh,myGod,we'llstarve,"hesaid,soplaintivelythatsheburstout
laughing.

Shenuzzledhersmilingfaceintohisthroat."Don'tyouworry,mydarling,I'vealreadyenrolledina
cookingcourseatoneoftheschoolsinVictoria.I'mnotcordon-bleu,butIcanproduceanunburned
steakandscallopedpotatoesanytimeyoulike."

"Can you, really?" He rested his weight on his elbows and looked down into her eyes lazily. "I can
makeacake."

"Youcan?"

"Apoundcake,nothingfancy."Hetracedhereyebrows."Iguesswewon'tstarve,afterall.Although,"
he added wickedly, "I don't think we'll spend much time worrying about food the first week we're
married."

Shetouchedhismouth."Arewegoingtowaituntilthen?"sheaskedwithoutmeetinghiseyes.

He stiffened. "Of course we are!" he said shortly. "Good Lord, woman, you aren't trying to seduce
me,areyou?"

Hereyebrowsarched."Who,me?"

"Good thing," he murmured, "because I'm not that sort of man. I plan to wear a white suit at our
wedding..."

Shehithim."Icanjustseethat!"

"Iam,"herepeated.

"Becauseyou'reavirgin,"shesaid,tongue-in-cheek.

Hedidn'tsmile.

Hereyeswidened."You'rethirty-six!"

Hestilldidn'tsmile.

Herheartjumpedintoherthroat."Youhavegottobekidding!"

"Youcamealongatatraumatictimeinmylife,"herecalledlazily,fittinghersmallhandtohisbig
one. He grinned at her. "I fell head over heels in love with you the day we met, and I never wanted
anyoneelse."Heshrugged."Iguesswestarteven,don'twe,honey?"

Shedrewhimdowntoherandkissedhimwithallherheart.Tearsburnedhereyes."Ican'tbelieveit."

"Youwill,"hesaidwithawistfulsigh."Iexpectwe'llfumbleabitatfirst.Butitcomesnaturallyfor
birdsandthings,soIguessitwillforus,too."

Shelaughedthroughhertears."Ofcourseitwill!Oh,Jobe...!"

Thesoundoffootstepsfinallybrokethemapart.Jobelookedupatabig,bearlikemaninabibbedcap
carryingafishingrod.

"Ineverevencaughtafish,"thebigmansaidgruffly,"andyourspinningrodsareonatourofthe
lake.Somepeoplehaveallthedamnedluck."

Hestompedoff.JobesatupwithadazedSandy,andtheywatchedtheprogressoftheirrodsacross
thelake"

"Iguesswemightaswellgohome,unlessyouwanttoswimoutafterthem,"Jobeoffered.

Sheshookherhead."Notinthatwater,"shesaiddryly.

"Iseewhatyoumean."Heretrievedtheirstringsoffishandtheywanderedbacktothetruck,pausing
justlongenoughtokisseachotherontheway.

TheweddingwasarrangedbyagleefulCo-reen.Asmuchasshehatedto,SandyhadtoleaveJobe
longenoughtogetsomeworkdoneinVictoria.

Her boss, Mr. Cranson, gave them a crystal bowl for a wedding gift, and her co-workers went in
togethertobuyasetofdishesandsomeflatware.CoreenandTedgavethemtowelsandsheetsand
small appliances. They'd have enough to start housekeeping, at least, and the bathroom in the
foreman'shousewasbeingremodeledbyTedasanothersmallgift.

Missyhadn'tsaidawordaboutthewedding.ButSandywasuneasy,justthesame,becausesheknew
howpossessiveandvengefulthewomanwas.Itwasn'tlikeMissytowaltzoffwithoutawordwhen
she'dlostamanshehadherheartseton.

Sureenough,thelastdaySandywastospendintheapartmentinVictoria,therewasaknockonthe
door.

ExpectingJobe,shewassurprisedtofindatearfulMissyonherdoorstep.Thetearswerereal,too.

"Comein,"Sandyinvited.

"Thanks."Missysniffed,holdingahandkerchieftohereyes."I'msosorrytocomehereandbother
youatatimelikethis,"sheconfessed,blowinghernosenoisily,"buttherearethingsyousimplyhave
toknowbeforeyoumarryhim."

"Sitdown."

Missyperchedherselfonthesofa."I'mreallysorry."

"Yousaidthat,"Sandyremindedher.

Missyclearedherthroat.Shecontrivedtolooktragic."Well,it'slikethis,"shebegan.Shetookadeep
breath.

"I'mpregnant."

Sandy'seyebrowsrose.Shesmiled."Congratulations,"

Missylookedtakenaback."Youdon'tunderstand.It'sJobe's."

Sandy searched the other woman's face. For one instant-of which she was very ashamed-she let
herself imagine that it could be true. Then she measured Missy's word against Jobe's and all her
doubtswentawayatonce.

"Dotellmeallaboutit.Doyouwantsomeicedtea?"Sandyoffered,andwenttogetit.

"You'retakingthisverywell,"Missysaid,shocked.

"IsupposeIam.Comeon.Tellmeallaboutit."

"Heseducedme,"Missysaid,sobbing.

"Youpoorthing,"Sandycommiserated."Thelouse!"

Missy'seyeswidened."Youbelieveme?"

"OfcourseIdo,"Sandylied."I'msosorryforyou.Thepig.Howcouldhedosuchathingtosucha
sweetgirl?"

Missy sipped her iced tea and peered at Sandy, trying not to grin. This was going better than she'd
everdreameditwould.

"He said he loved me," Missy continued. "He took me out to eat and then we parked on this lonely,
desertedroad.Hestartedkissingmeandonethingledtoanother,and...itjusthappened."

"Andnaturally,youaren'tonthePill?"

Missyglancedather."How...howdidyouknow?"

"Well,ifyou'repregnant..."

"Oh.Right.Yes.Well,I'maboutsixweeksalong,"sheadded."Atleast,IthinkIam.Ihaven'tbeento
the doctor. But I'm sure it couldn't be anything else. And you know, Jobe will surely marry me if

there'sababyontheway,whatwithJacobsvillebeingsuchasmalltown,andmyreputation,andhis
reputation."

"Ofcourse,"Sandyagreedreadily.

Missyputdownhertea."Youdounderstandthathecan'tmarrybothofus?"

Sandysmiled."Certainly,Ido."

"Well...thenwhatareyougoingtodo?"

"I'mgoingrightdowntoJacobsvillewithyoutotellhimwhatIthinkofhim,"Sandysaidflatly.She
gottoherfeet."Let'sgo."

Missy'sindrawnbreathwasaudible.

"Comeon!"

Shegotup."Rightnow?"sheexclaimed.

"Rightnow.You'vegotyourcar,haven'tyou?"

"Y...yes."

"Youcanfollowme.I'lljustgetmypurse..."

They went out the door together. Sandy was enjoying herself. She couldn't wait to see the look on
Jobe'sface.Itwouldbesomethingtotelltheirgrandchildren.ItwouldalsoshowMissyexactlywhere
shestood.

"Twobirdswithonestone,"SandysaidtoherselfassheledthewaydownthehighwaytoJacobsville.

Missy parked near the front door, but she was slow to get out of her car. Jobe's black pickup was
parkednearby.

Hewasprobablyintheoffice,cursingthecomputer,Sandymused.

SheledthewayintothehousewithMissydraggingbehind,andwentrightintotheoffice.

Jobewassittingontheedgeofthedesk,talkingonthephone.Helookedupandsawthetwowomen,
andendedhisconversation.

"Thisisasurprise,"hesaid.

Sandy smiled. "I'll bet it is. Uh, Missy has something to say. Go ahead, dear," she coaxed the other
woman,wavingahandinherdirection.Shesatdowninthenearestchairandpreparedtobeamused.

Missyclearedherthroat.ShewasflushedasshelookedfromSandytoJobe.

"I'mpregnant,"sheblurtedout.

Jobelookedhunted.HiseyeswentimmediatelytoSandy,andhescowled,asifhewasdaringherto
believewhatanynormalpersonwouldatthemoment.

Shedidn'tcrackasmile.Shedidarchaneyebrow,andthetwinkleinhereyesgrewmorenoticeable.

"Isaid,I'mpregnant!"Missyreturned.ShefoldedherarmsoverherchestandsmiledsmuglyatJobe.
"Whatareyougoingtodoaboutit?I'vealreadytoldher,"sheadded,noddingtowardSandy.

"Whatdidshesay?"Jobeaskedcuriously.

"Sheunderstoodthatyou'regoingtohavetomarryme."

Jobe's lip curled up. "We'll call the newspapers and the television people, too," he mused. "You're
goingtomakehistoryifI'mthefatherofyourchild."

Shelookeduneasy."Idon'tunderstand."

Hepickedupthetelephone."Ofcourse,I'mcertainthattherealfatherofthischildwillbeeagerto
learnaboutit.I'llsetyouupwithanappointmentthisveryafternoonatColtrain'sclinic.Theycantake
abloodsampletocheckifyouarepregnantandthenwhenthebabyisborntheycandoaDNAtest.
Thatwillrulemeoutimmediatelyasthefather."

Missy'sfacewentred."They...theycan'tdothatsortofthing!"

"Sure they can," he said. "Coltrain has a lab in Houston do his important work. You'd be amazed at
whatatestwillrevealthesedays.Andifyou'repregnant,youshouldbeseenatonce."Heheldonto
thereceiver."Betty?

ThisisJobeDodd.Iwantyoutosetupanappointmenttodayfor..."

"No!"Missycried.

Sherushedforwardandhungupthereceiveratonce,pantingforbreath."No,I...uh,Idon'twanttodo
that!"

"Whynot?"Sandyasked."I'dthinkapregnancytestwouldbethefirstthingonyourmindrightnow."

Missylookedhunted.ShestaredatJobe,whohadhisarmsfoldedacrosshischest.Hewasn'tsmiling.

He glanced at Sandy. "While we're on the subject," he began, "I'd like to know right now if you
believeher,"headded,noddingtowardafrozenMissy.

Sandysmiledsoftly,hereyesfullofloveandtrust."Don'tbesilly,"shesaidgently.

"Yousaidyoubelievedme!"Missyaccused.

Sandygotup."Iwantedtoseehowfaryou'dgo,"sherepliedsimply."Nowstopthisplay-actingand
tellthetruth,Missy.Youdon'twanttodosomethinglikethistoJobe.You'renotabadenoughperson
totrytoruinhislifedeliberately."

Missy'slowerlipstuckout."Ilovehim!"

"No,youdon't,"Sandysaid."Ifyoudid,youwouldn'tbetryingtotraphimintomarriage.Youwant
people to be happy if you love them. We all know that Jobe wouldn't be happy with you unless he
reallylovedyou.Andhedoesn't."

Missy'seyesclouded.Shelookedmutinous."Icouldlovehimenoughforbothofus!"

Jobeshookhishead."Thatisn'tpossible.IloveSandy.Ialwayshave.You'reasweetkid,honey,butit
wasn'tlove."

Missy'sshouldersslumped."IguessIknewthatallalong.Ididn'twanttoadmitit."Sheflushedeven
more."IguessImadearealfoolofmyself."

"Nottome,"Sandysaid."NottoJobe,either.Iimaginehe'sflattered,inaway.Butit'stimetostop
pretending."

"Okay," Missy admitted, "I'm not pregnant. He only kissed me once, like you'd kiss a kid who was
hurt.Ibuiltalotofdreamsonit."Shedrewinalongsigh."Iguessthere'ssomebodyoutthereforme.
MaybeI'llfindhimoneday."

"Ofcourseyouwill,"Sandysaidgently."Butinthemeantime,Ithinkitmightbebetterifyoufounda
differentjob.Onewherethere'saneligiblemanortwo."

"Nothere,"Missymused.

"Nothere,"Sandyagreed.ShelookedatJobequietly."Thisonebelongstome,"shesaid,andwatched
hishighcheekbonesgoruddy.

Missysawit,too.Shemanagedasmileonherwayout."Well,IhopeIgetinvitedtothewedding,at
least,"shesaid."I'mnotabadloser."

"No,you'renot,"Jobeagreed.Hesmiledather."Stayoutoftrouble,sprout."

"I'lldomybest.I'mreallysorry,"sheaddedsheepishly."Itseemedlikeagoodideaatthetime.Maybe
Iwasn'treallygrownupuntilnow."Shewentoutthedoorquickly,closingitbehindher.

Jobe got up from the desk with a sigh and walked to Sandy, pulling her into his arms. "You didn't
believeawordofit,hmm?"

Sheshookherhead."Iknowyoutoowell.You'veneverliedtome.Notevenwhenitwouldhavebeen

kinder.

It was pretty simple to tell where the truth was. Besides," she added, pulling his head down, "I love
you."

"Iloveyou,too,"hewhispered,andkissedherbackhungrily.

Chapter6

Two weeks later, they were married. They didn't plan on a honeymoon, but Ted sent them off to
Nassauonanairplaneandneitherofthemhadthehearttoarguewithhim.

Nassau was the most unexpected, glorious sight of Sandy's life. Despite the wealth that she and Ted
enjoyed,itwastheoneplaceshe'dneverbeen.Thedaytheyarrived,sheandJobedidn'tevenwaitto
change clothes. They tipped the bellboy who carried their luggage to their sixth-floor room at the
huge, gaudy hotel on Cable Beach and then took a cab into downtown Nassau, where they walked
down the narrow streets past the gaily colored straw market and friendly people, idly gazing at
passengershipsatPrinceGeorgeWharfandpausingtolookinstorewindows.

Theairsmelledoftheoceanandadventure.Theysawthestatueoftheisland'sfirstroyalgovernor,
Woodes Rogers, in front of one of the older hotels in town, and then strolled along Bay Street,
holdinghandsanddreaming.

Whentheygotbacktothehotel,theystartedtochangefordinnerwhenJobeturnedandjuststaredat
Sandyasshestoodthereinonlyherlaceteddy,withherdarkhairdownaroundhershoulders.

Hehadhisshirtoff.Hisbroadchest,hair-coveredandmuscularanddeeplytanned,drewherlikea
magnet.

Withherbreathinherthroat,shewenttohim,herheartracing.

She looked up at him, noting his own tension, the ragged sound of his breathing. "Now," she
whisperedhuskily.

Hereachedforher,gently,andbroughthertohim."Now,"hewhisperedback,andbenttohermouth.

Severalfeverishminuteslater,theywereonthebed,tremblingagainsteachotherwiththesoundof
the ocean loud even outside the closed window as they fought layers of clothing to get to the skin
underneath.

"Oh,Lord...I'vetornit,"hegroanedashefinallygottheteddyoutofthewayandhismouthburned
againsthersmall,tautbreasts.

"Whocares?"shepanted,clutchinghisheadtoher."Oh,Jobe,oh,dearGod!"

Shearchedasthesucklingmotionofhismouthsentthrillsofpleasureintothemostsecretplacesof
herbody.

Hersoftcriesmadehimwildtohaveher.Hemanagedtogetoutofthelastofhisclothingandhis
mouthbitintohersasheeasedquicklybetweenherlong,tremblinglegs.

"I'msorry,"hewhisperedurgently."I'msorry,it'sgoingtobe...rough."

"Idon'tcare!"

Sheadjustedherbodytohisinaviolentfeverofneed,sohungryforhimthatnothingelsemattered.
Shebarelyfelttheflashofpainashewentintoher,thepleasurethatfolloweddrowningherinsuch
exquisitesensationsthatshestretchedlikeawantonunderhispowerfulbodyandsighedloudly.

"Yes,"hegroaned,searchingforhermouthashishipsmoveddownandheshivered."Didyoueven
dream...thatitwouldfeellikethis?"heaskedhuskily.

"Never!"Shemethismouthandliftedtohim,matchinghisrhythm,tremblingwitheachnewcontact.
"Thisiswicked!"shewhisperedwhenhepausedandlookeddownthelengthoftheirjoinedbodies,
coaxinghertolookaswell.

"We'remarried,"hewhisperedunsteadily."TwooftheoldestvirginsinthecontinentalUnitedStates...
GoodGod!"

Hersuddenurgentmovementcaughthimoffguardandhecriedoutasshemovedagain,twistingup
tohim.

He ground his mouth into hers with a sharp groan and suddenly there was no time to savor it, to
lengthenit.

There was tension and urgent need. He drove into her, drowning in her sweetness, her husky little
criesofecstasy.Whenhefeltherarchandcryout,hewasalreadyinthethroesofhisownfulfillment.
Heseemedtoblackoutasthemostharshlysweetpleasurehe'deverexperiencedpulledhispowerful
bodysotightthathethoughthemightactuallyfaint...

Minutes later, drenched in perspiration and shaking in the aftermath of their frenzied love-making,
Sandyliftedherheadtolookathernewhusbandandshecouldn'tresistahuge,wickedgrin.

"Iguessitwasworthwaitingfor,huh?"sheteased.

Herolledover,hisfaceaglowwithloveandhappiness.Helaughedlikeaboy."Oh,yes,mydarling.
Well worth it," he replied. He bent to her mouth and rolled over in the same instant. "I love you
insanely.Andjustincaseyoudidn'tgetthemessagethefirsttime...!"

Hewasn'ttheonlyoneinsanelyinloveandachingtoproveit.Sandy'slastconsciousthoughtwasthat
marriagetoJobewasgoingtobeonelong,sweetadventure.Andthiswasonlythebeginning!

TableofContents

Chapter1
Chapter2
Chapter3
Chapter4
Chapter5
Chapter6