Frank?" She smiled warmly at her husband.
"Yes, it has," Frank agreed.
"And, Michael, if we hadn't lived together after our marriage, how would you have gotten here?" she asked her
son, her eyes twinkling in good humor.
"Mother--" Michael was uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation.
Casey, too, was all but squirming over their discussion.
She hadn't come to grips yet with the knowledge that
she'd be living with Michael, let alone making love with
him. She shivered at the thought, then glanced his way
to see his scowling expression. It was obvious he was just
as put off by the idea as she was.
"You will be living together," Elizabeth went on, unfazed by their discomfort. "The question is, where? I'm
sure you won't want to stay with us or with Jack."
"No," Michael answered before Casey could reply.
"We've got time enough to build a house."
"But I have to be close to the Bar T," Casey insisted.
"And I want to be close to the Circle D," he returned.
"Why don't you build on the hill overlooking the river?"
Frank suggested.
"Good idea. You'd be right there on the property line,"
Jack added. "That way you wouldn't be too far from either
one of us."
"That's settled, then," Frank said, not waiting for any
more discussion.
"And Foster?" Jack demanded.
"I told you. I'll pay off your loan after the wedding."
"You want everything signed, sealed and delivered
first."
"That's right."
They eyed each other again. There was a tentative
peace between them, but it was an uneasy one; old hatreds were hard to put aside.
"I guess that's all we have to discuss today," Frank said,
satisfied with the way things had turned out.
Jack and Casey got up to leave.
"I do need to talk with you about the wedding plans,"
Elizabeth said to Cassandra as she showed them from the
room. "Do you want to go with me to speak with Reverend Harris?"
Casey was nervous at the prospect, but agreed.
"Good. I'll send a note to Reverend Harris and ask
when he can meet with us. I'll let you know as soon as I
hear back from him."
"Fine."
They had just reached the front door when Michael
came out of the parlor behind them.
"Casey"
She stopped and looked back to see him coming toward her. Her father and Mrs. Donovan went outside to
give them a moment of privacy.
"We need to talk," Michael said in a serious tone.
"Yes, we do."
"Can you meet me later?"
"Where?"
"At the river?"
"All right." She agreed to the rendezvous for she knew
they had a few things to say to each other that could only
be said in private.
Michael walked with her out to the buckboard. He
started to help her up, but she shrugged off his touch.
"I don't need any help." Casey climbed easily up to sit
next to her father.
Elizabeth saw the exchange between them and knew
she had some work to do to turn Cassandra into a lady.
It was going to be a challenge.
"We'll be in touch," Jack said as he took up the reins.
Elizabeth and Michael stood together watching as they
drove away.
It was late afternoon when Casey reached the rendezvous
spot to find Michael already there, waiting for her.
When Michael saw her riding in, he went to meet her.
"Did you have any trouble getting away?" he asked as
she reined in before him.
"No. I just told Pa the truth. There was no point in lying
about it." She dismounted and tied up her horse. "He
understood when I told him we needed to talk a few
things out."
"That we do," he agreed.
"So talk," Casey urged, walking along with him to stand
in the shade on the bank. The thought that in four short
weeks Michael was going to be her husband was intimidating, and she needed to clear the air between them
right now. She wanted to make sure they understood
each other from the start.
"My mother's comments aside, you and I both know
this upcoming `marriage' of ours is strictly business," Michael began. "We're only going through with it because
we have no other choice."
Michael was blunt, Casey gave him
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