your mother believes that I became pregnant in order to snare you.
Living near your parents while we wait for your return is in many ways a comfort, but these townspeople are so hateful. I’ve got to go someplace where people are more educated. I’m moving to San Francisco so that I can be there when you return.
You’re kind and gentle, and I’m truly happy when I’m with you, but if you don’t love me, if you feel trapped by our situation, then please tell me. I won’t marry a man who doesn’t love me. The baby and I will somehow find our way without you.
I’ll send you my new address when I’m settled. I love you more than any woman has a right to. I hope you feel the same love for our baby and me. We will be waiting for your speedy return in San Francisco.
A thousand times I love you,
Your Kate
Do I love her ?, he asked himself. He had met her in Washington, DC while working as an aid with Naval Intelligence. She had come to the ranch to meet his folks during his last leave.
He could envision her clearly on that winter morning. She rode an old, soft-eyed gelding named Dollar. Mitchell rode his own horse, a six-year-old Appaloosa stallion named Caesar, who kept dancing around while flagging his long tail, not content to meander at Dollar’s pace. Caesar would toss his head like haughty royalty and prance ahead until Mitchell reined him in. Even Smoke, who followed from a respectful distance with his nose to the ground, seemed impatient.
Whenever Dollar managed a brief trot, Kate would cling to the saddle horn and squeal with a mixture of fear and delight.
He felt sure she didn’t enjoy the ride, but there was two inches of snow carpeting the pasture and the view of the mountains was magnificent. The crisp air had a hint of sweetness. The mountains were covered with pine, and down in the meadows the aspens were bare, like white roots growing toward the sky. That landscape had touched his heart with its clattering streams and glistening pastures; it swallowed him whole with its fathomless, uncomplicated open space. It was grand to be alive and able to share the grasslands with someone on such a morning.
They came across tracks stitched across a meadow that led into a steep canyon. Smoke began to follow the tracks, but Mitchell’s whistle brought him back.
“What made those tracks?” she asked. “A deer?”
With an effort to hold a straight face, he told her, “Naw, not a deer, and it’s too big for a coyote. Must be a mountain lion.”
She looked up the canyon where the tracks led. “Mountain lion! Nathan Mitchell, you take me back to the house this instant. Do you hear me?”
He couldn’t hold it any longer. A burst of laughter flew from his throat as he bent forward over Caesar’s neck. The horse took several side steps, adjusting to the shift in weight.
Her cheeks burned red, angry red. She turned old Dollar in the direction they had come and gave his ribs a good kick. Dollar took a couple of quick steps and began to amble toward the barn. She didn’t say another word the long ride home.
In the barn, she lay on a pile of hay while he pulled the saddles and blankets off the horses and brushed both animals down. The barn was warm with the rich smell of horse and hay and manure. He pulled a hoof pick from his pocket and methodically cleaned the dirt from Dollar’s hooves. He did the same to Caesar.
She beckoned to him with her hands and he lay beside her. The horses, standing in their stalls, watched with their ears pricked forward, sensing a change in mood.
“You think it’s funny to tease a city girl. I think you’re mean, but I forgive you.” She kissed him, not a girlish peck but a sensual kiss that opened his mouth and allowed her tongue to explore. They made love for the first time.
“Do I love her?” He repeated the question. It doesn’t matter , he thought. She’s having my baby.
He crumpled the sheets of paper into a tight ball, tossed it onto his desk, and hurried
Living near your parents while we wait for your return is in many ways a comfort, but these townspeople are so hateful. I’ve got to go someplace where people are more educated. I’m moving to San Francisco so that I can be there when you return.
You’re kind and gentle, and I’m truly happy when I’m with you, but if you don’t love me, if you feel trapped by our situation, then please tell me. I won’t marry a man who doesn’t love me. The baby and I will somehow find our way without you.
I’ll send you my new address when I’m settled. I love you more than any woman has a right to. I hope you feel the same love for our baby and me. We will be waiting for your speedy return in San Francisco.
A thousand times I love you,
Your Kate
Do I love her ?, he asked himself. He had met her in Washington, DC while working as an aid with Naval Intelligence. She had come to the ranch to meet his folks during his last leave.
He could envision her clearly on that winter morning. She rode an old, soft-eyed gelding named Dollar. Mitchell rode his own horse, a six-year-old Appaloosa stallion named Caesar, who kept dancing around while flagging his long tail, not content to meander at Dollar’s pace. Caesar would toss his head like haughty royalty and prance ahead until Mitchell reined him in. Even Smoke, who followed from a respectful distance with his nose to the ground, seemed impatient.
Whenever Dollar managed a brief trot, Kate would cling to the saddle horn and squeal with a mixture of fear and delight.
He felt sure she didn’t enjoy the ride, but there was two inches of snow carpeting the pasture and the view of the mountains was magnificent. The crisp air had a hint of sweetness. The mountains were covered with pine, and down in the meadows the aspens were bare, like white roots growing toward the sky. That landscape had touched his heart with its clattering streams and glistening pastures; it swallowed him whole with its fathomless, uncomplicated open space. It was grand to be alive and able to share the grasslands with someone on such a morning.
They came across tracks stitched across a meadow that led into a steep canyon. Smoke began to follow the tracks, but Mitchell’s whistle brought him back.
“What made those tracks?” she asked. “A deer?”
With an effort to hold a straight face, he told her, “Naw, not a deer, and it’s too big for a coyote. Must be a mountain lion.”
She looked up the canyon where the tracks led. “Mountain lion! Nathan Mitchell, you take me back to the house this instant. Do you hear me?”
He couldn’t hold it any longer. A burst of laughter flew from his throat as he bent forward over Caesar’s neck. The horse took several side steps, adjusting to the shift in weight.
Her cheeks burned red, angry red. She turned old Dollar in the direction they had come and gave his ribs a good kick. Dollar took a couple of quick steps and began to amble toward the barn. She didn’t say another word the long ride home.
In the barn, she lay on a pile of hay while he pulled the saddles and blankets off the horses and brushed both animals down. The barn was warm with the rich smell of horse and hay and manure. He pulled a hoof pick from his pocket and methodically cleaned the dirt from Dollar’s hooves. He did the same to Caesar.
She beckoned to him with her hands and he lay beside her. The horses, standing in their stalls, watched with their ears pricked forward, sensing a change in mood.
“You think it’s funny to tease a city girl. I think you’re mean, but I forgive you.” She kissed him, not a girlish peck but a sensual kiss that opened his mouth and allowed her tongue to explore. They made love for the first time.
“Do I love her?” He repeated the question. It doesn’t matter , he thought. She’s having my baby.
He crumpled the sheets of paper into a tight ball, tossed it onto his desk, and hurried
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