Lorraine Heath by Sweet Lullaby Page B

anything. But Brett had touched everything, every nook and cranny, exploring her mouth, slowly, deliberately. It had been pure heaven.
    “I remember him.” She sighed wistfully.
    “First loves are hard to forget,” Zach admitted. “I think no matter how many times a person falls in love, the first love and the last love are the only two that really matter. Now you had some curtains that needed hanging?”
    Nodding, she walked into the house. For her, the first love and the last love were one and the same.
    Frank sat straight in his saddle, his chest swelling with pride. Ruth had slowed her horse down to a trot and then to a walk, for which he was extremely grateful. Traveling at a slower rate allowed him to gaze upon her beauty. And Lord, she was beautiful.
    Only one thing was spoiling the moment. There was no one to see him with this woman by his side. There was nothing but open space between the Rocking R and theTriple Bar. He wished they could detour through town.
    Twilight was setting in as they arrived at Ruth’s house. Ruth dismounted before Frank had a chance to help her. Then she was hurrying up the steps to the house. Frank rushed after her, grabbing her arm. She jerked free and glared at him. Frank smiled.
    “I was wondering if you’d like to go riding with me sometime.”
    “I just went riding with you.”
    His smile grew. “Yeah, I know. And I thought it was kinda pleasant. Thought maybe you’d like to do it again.” “No.”
    The smile left Frank’s face. “Why the hell not?”
    “Because you’re a boy.”
    “I sure as hell am not. Hell, I shave every day!”
    Ruth rolled her eyes. “I’ve got to get inside.”
    Dumbfounded, Frank watched as the door closed, taking her away. He tromped down the stairs and mounted his horse. Ruth was nearly as beautiful as Reb. He wondered how Jake had managed to make Reb love him. He thought of the way Jake looked at Reb, the way she looked at him. The man made her feel special. Frank smiled. He’d just have to think of a way to make Ruth feel special.
    Laughter escaped Rebecca’s throat as she pressed both palms against her aching side, trying to ease the spasms brought on by the antics of the cowboys preparing themselves to ride into town. She wondered why they had even bothered to bathe when they were coating themselves with all the dust they were stirring up. Jake was smiling, shaking his head, and she wondered if he wanted to go with them. She couldn’t recall ever seeing him go off on a Saturday night when they had lived in Kentucky, but then she hadn’t really paid that much attention back then. The dust settled and the two of them were left, moving towards the chores that awaited them without speaking.
    Life had settled into a pleasant routine. Each day, she and Jake would ride the range, keeping a watch on the cattle, inspecting the progress of the barbed-wire fencingthat was being strung up with mechanical stretchers. Their journey was slowed because of Rebecca’s expanding girth. Jake would pick up their meals from the cook and they would eat together at the rough oak table in their house. They’d discuss plans for the ranch, Jake’s desire to build tanks to catch the rainwater, windmills to pull up the water that the earth hoarded like a miser deep below. He had been toying with the idea of growing his own hay so he could feed his cattle if the winter turned harsh. It was a novel idea in a state known for its mild winters, but Jake didn’t trust Mother Nature and didn’t want to be dependent on her moods. Rebecca greeted all his ideas with excitement and enthusiasm, adding a few ideas of her own, suggesting he lease some of his land to farmers who would use part of their land to plant, harvest, and bind the hay that Jake wanted.
    On Saturday afternoons, they did what they were doing now—washing their clothes. Jake scrubbed them in the big wooden tub and handed them to Rebecca to drape over the line he had strung up. The first time he had