The Rancher and His Unexpected Daughter by Sherryl Woods Page B

read at all.
    â€œPoetry, short stories, just about all of it, I suppose,” he said, clearly unoffended. “Of course, by today’s standards, I suppose he seems pretty tame. Not nearly as graphic as some writers. It always seemed to me there was something to be said for leaving things to the reader’s imagination, the way Poe did.”
    Jenny’s expression brightened. “That’s what I thought,” she said eagerly, then caught herself. “Never mind. You probably don’t care about what I think.”
    Janet’s breath caught in her throat as she waited for Harlan’s reply. Her ex-husband had never been interested in hearing his daughter’s thoughts on much of anything. For the most part, Barry had believed children should be seen and not heard, unless showing Jenny off had had some professional benefit. He’d enjoyed being perceived as an up-and-coming lawyer and proud family man. When Jenny’s grades had slipped in direct proportion to the amount of arguing going on at home, he’d lost what little interest he’d ever had in her school days.
    For a time, Janet had been fooled by her ex’s superficial evidence of concern and pride. Now thatshe’d observed Harlan Adams for a couple of weeks, especially when Cody was around to banter with him, she had seen what a genuine family was all about. What she and Barry and Jenny had shared had been a mockery of the real thing, more feigned than substantive.
    She watched now as Harlan fixed an attentive look on Jenny. That was the gaze Barry had never quite mastered, an expression of real interest. Seeing it warmed Janet through and through and further endangered her already shaky determination to keep Harlan at a distance.
    â€œOf course I’m interested in your opinion,” he assured Jenny. “And if you’re going to be in an advanced class, you must be pretty smart.”
    â€œMy teacher in New York said my short stories and essays are really good,” Jenny admitted, pride shining in her eyes. “She said I could probably be a writer someday, if I want to be.”
    â€œAnd do you want to be?” Harlan asked.
    Jenny nodded, her expression suddenly shy as she revealed a dream that Janet knew she’d shared with almost no one. It was a tribute to the fragile trust flowering between Jenny and Harlan that she was telling him.
    Once again, Janet couldn’t help thinking that the theft and subsequent accident that had brought Harlan Adams into their lives was turning out far better than she’d had any right to expect, especially for Jenny. It made her more determined than ever not to do anything to shake the trust the two of them were establishing, even if it cost her a chance with Harlan for herself.
    â€œI’m going to write about Native Americans,” Jenny said. “I want to tell all the stories that Lone Wolf told Mom.”
    â€œAnd who was Lone Wolf?”
    â€œHe was my great-great-grandfather. He died way before I was born.”
    Harlan glanced at Janet. “But you spent time with him?”
    â€œJust one summer,” she admitted sorrowfully. “My father didn’t want me spending time with my Comanche relatives. He said I’d grow up wild and out of control. One year, though, my mother insisted. She sent me to stay with Lone Wolf on the reservation in Oklahoma. It was the best summer of my life.”
    â€œWhich almost explains why you ended up in Texas when your marriage ended,” Harlan said. “Why here and not Oklahoma?”
    Janet flushed guiltily and avoided Jenny’s knowing gaze. “Because he talked about Texas a lot and the days when our ancestors lived here,” she said, leaving it at that.
    Harlan didn’t appear convinced. “Something tells me there’s a lot more to it,” he said.
    â€œNot really,” she denied. “I’m just following a little girl’s dream.”
    He shrugged,