Heart Of Texas (Historical Romance) by Constance O'Banyon Page B

flowers.
    Casey found the inside to be just as cheery as
the outside. There were six tables with red-andwhite gingham tablecloths, with fresh flowers in
the center of each.
    The woman who greeted them could have
come straight from the pages of one of jenny's
fairytale books. She was blond and petite with
blue eyes and dimples. She wore a blue-checked
gown and a crisp, ruffled apron.
    When she spoke, her voice was soft. "Kate, what a pleasure to see you again. And who are your
friends?" She smiled at Casey. "You must be new
in this part of Texas."

    Jenny slid her hand out of Casey's and climbed
up on a chair, dipping her head so she could
smell the flowers.
    "This here's the Hamiltons," Kate said. "The little one there is jenny, and this is Casey. They're
the new owners of the Spanish Spur. Casey, this
here's Betsy Turner."
    "It's just delightful to meet you, Mrs. Hamilton.
Your daughter looks just like you."
    Jenny, never one to let an opportunity pass
without having her say, remarked, "I don't have a
mama anymore-Casey is my sister, and she's
much prettier than you are."
    Casey glared at her sister. "That's enough,
Jenny. Apologize at once."
    "But, Casey," the child reasoned, "you always
said I was to tell the truth."
    Betsy looked shocked at jenny's statement,
while Kate turned away to hide her smile.
    "You must forgive my sister," Casey said hurriedly, giving jenny a look that warned the child
she was going to be in trouble later on. "She will
say what she wants, and there doesn't seem to be
much I can do about it."
    "Perhaps," Betsy suggested, her voice no longer
soft, "you might spank her when she misbehaves.
Children should never be allowed to speak their
mind so freely."

    Kate stopped Casey from answering by picking
Jenny up in her arms. "No one is going to spank
this adorable little angel-not as long as of Kate's
'round."
    Casey flashed Kate a grateful smile as she
watched Sam cross the street toward them. Jenny
sometimes needed a stem hand, but Casey had
never hit her; she cringed at the very thought. But
Jenny would have to be punished for her rudeness, and that punishment would come in the
form of being denied a slice of the custard pie
Casey intended to bake the next day. Custard pie
was jenny's favorite dessert.
    Sam joined them at the table. After they had
ordered, he asked Casey, "Have you told her the
good news?"
    Casey shook her head and nodded at Betsy,
who was slicing bread for their sandwiches; it was
apparent that she was listening to their conversation. "We'll talk about it on the way home," she
told him.
    Betsy set a plate of assorted sandwiches on the
table, but her attention was on Kate. "I heard a
rumor that Gabe was back in the area. Have you
seen him, Kate? Can it be true?"
    "I'm sure if Gabe had come back, you'd have
seen him," Kate said. Her gaze met Casey's, and
she gave a slight shake of her head.
    Jenny frowned. "He is-"
    Casey interrupted her sister, because it was apparent Kate did not want the woman to know that Gabe was working at the Spanish Spur. "Jenny, eat
your sandwich."

    The child took a bite and mumbled.
    "And, jenny, don't talk with your mouth full,"
Casey scolded her.
    It was late in the afternoon when they finally
started back to the ranch. This time Kate was driving, and Casey was seated up front beside her.
Sam was sitting in back with a sleeping jenny
curled up on his lap.
    "How was your meeting with Murdock?" Kate
asked, slowing the horses on a steep incline.
"Oh, Kate, I couldn't wait to tell you the news."
    Casey was still dazed by the meeting with the attorney, and it was difficult to accept that they no
longer had to worry about money. "Uncle Bob
didn't owe anyone anything. And he left us with
a good deal of money-at least, I think it's a great
deal."
    Kate grinned. "I thought he might have some
money, 'cause he never spent much. I 'spect he
was saving it for you kids. That's the kind of man
he was. I never knew