town and been able to stay with my parents.”
“I’m glad I go to my school,” Katy said. “I like going with all my friends.”
“I never had friends,” Bess confided. “Except one. She died when we were in the eighth grade, and I mourned her for a long time. I…don’t get close to people easily.”
“You’re close to me.”
“You’re different.” Bess smiled. “You’re very special.”
The young girl hugged her. “So are you. I’m glad you’re my mother.”
“Darling, so am I.” Bess kissed the black hair that was so like Jude’s, and then reached out to stroke Blanket’s nose again.
“Would you like to go riding?” Katy asked. “We’ve got a lot of saddle horses, and Benny’s as gentle as a lamb.”
Bess’s eyes lit up. “Yes!”
“Come on.”
Minutes later, Bess was riding the old gelding beside Katy’s little buckskin mare, heading down one of the trails on the property. The air was nippy, but it felt good.
“I should have worn boots, I guess,” Bess said, glancing down at her low-heeled walking shoes. “Not to mention jeans. This is insane, riding around in a dress. What if someone sees us?”
Katy laughed at Bess’s bare legs. “Nobody will, I promise.”
They rode through the woods where pines and leafless oaks and mesquite sheltered the trail, and Bess thought she’d never felt so alive. She forgot Crystal and Jude in his study; she forgot everything but the joy of being alive, and gloried in the stark beauty of the landscape.
“The cattle look cold,” Bess murmured, watching them as they paused beside a barbed-wire fence where cactus grew in a line paralleling it. “And so am I,” she added, glancing at her bare, chilly legs. “We’d better go—”
“So there you are,” Jude growled, riding up on his big chestnut gelding. He looked ferocious with his hat pulled low over his eyes; his very posture spelled trouble. His eyes went to Bess’s bare legs and he caught his breath. “Are you crazy?”
“Don’t be mad, please, Daddy,” Katy asked gently. “We just wanted to go riding, and Bess didn’t want to go all the way back to the house to change.”
“No, she’d rather catch pneumonia and be waited on,” he growled.
“We’ll go back now,” Bess said quietly, turning her mount. All the sweet pleasure of the day had gone, and the excited, happy radiance of her face had paled to numb disillusionment.
“Go ahead, Katy. It’s getting cold. Go play in the house,” Jude said tautly.
“Yes, sir.” Katy tossed an apologetic glance at the older woman and reluctantly turned back toward the barn.
Bess sat straight in the saddle and met Jude’s hard eyes. “Where’s Crystal?”
“Back at the house, wondering why her damned stepsister can’t spare a few minutes to talk to her,” he said coldly.
“You took her into your study and closed the door,” she reminded him. “I assumed that meant you wanted privacy, and Katy wanted to go riding.”
“Didn’t you mind that I closed the door?” he asked with a watchful expression.
She had, but she wasn’t going to let him know that. She shook her head. “Do what you please, Jude. I don’t have the right to say anything.”
He looked as if she’d hit him. She coaxed her mount forward, but his lean hand shot out and jerked the bridle, halting her.
“For God’s sake, stop looking like a lost orphan,” he said harshly.
“I am an orphan,” she said quietly, searching his hard, shadowed eyes. “And I feel lost.”
“Bess…damn you!”
He was out of the saddle before she could blink, reaching up to pull her down with him. And even as she looked up, stunned, his mouth went down to take total, absolute possession of hers.
“No, don’t fight me,” he whispered urgently when she put her hands against his chest. His mouth softened on hers, coaxing, teasing.
“I wasn’t going to,” she confessed. Her fingers unbuttoned his shirt, very slowly, while his mouth teased her lips and his
“I’m glad I go to my school,” Katy said. “I like going with all my friends.”
“I never had friends,” Bess confided. “Except one. She died when we were in the eighth grade, and I mourned her for a long time. I…don’t get close to people easily.”
“You’re close to me.”
“You’re different.” Bess smiled. “You’re very special.”
The young girl hugged her. “So are you. I’m glad you’re my mother.”
“Darling, so am I.” Bess kissed the black hair that was so like Jude’s, and then reached out to stroke Blanket’s nose again.
“Would you like to go riding?” Katy asked. “We’ve got a lot of saddle horses, and Benny’s as gentle as a lamb.”
Bess’s eyes lit up. “Yes!”
“Come on.”
Minutes later, Bess was riding the old gelding beside Katy’s little buckskin mare, heading down one of the trails on the property. The air was nippy, but it felt good.
“I should have worn boots, I guess,” Bess said, glancing down at her low-heeled walking shoes. “Not to mention jeans. This is insane, riding around in a dress. What if someone sees us?”
Katy laughed at Bess’s bare legs. “Nobody will, I promise.”
They rode through the woods where pines and leafless oaks and mesquite sheltered the trail, and Bess thought she’d never felt so alive. She forgot Crystal and Jude in his study; she forgot everything but the joy of being alive, and gloried in the stark beauty of the landscape.
“The cattle look cold,” Bess murmured, watching them as they paused beside a barbed-wire fence where cactus grew in a line paralleling it. “And so am I,” she added, glancing at her bare, chilly legs. “We’d better go—”
“So there you are,” Jude growled, riding up on his big chestnut gelding. He looked ferocious with his hat pulled low over his eyes; his very posture spelled trouble. His eyes went to Bess’s bare legs and he caught his breath. “Are you crazy?”
“Don’t be mad, please, Daddy,” Katy asked gently. “We just wanted to go riding, and Bess didn’t want to go all the way back to the house to change.”
“No, she’d rather catch pneumonia and be waited on,” he growled.
“We’ll go back now,” Bess said quietly, turning her mount. All the sweet pleasure of the day had gone, and the excited, happy radiance of her face had paled to numb disillusionment.
“Go ahead, Katy. It’s getting cold. Go play in the house,” Jude said tautly.
“Yes, sir.” Katy tossed an apologetic glance at the older woman and reluctantly turned back toward the barn.
Bess sat straight in the saddle and met Jude’s hard eyes. “Where’s Crystal?”
“Back at the house, wondering why her damned stepsister can’t spare a few minutes to talk to her,” he said coldly.
“You took her into your study and closed the door,” she reminded him. “I assumed that meant you wanted privacy, and Katy wanted to go riding.”
“Didn’t you mind that I closed the door?” he asked with a watchful expression.
She had, but she wasn’t going to let him know that. She shook her head. “Do what you please, Jude. I don’t have the right to say anything.”
He looked as if she’d hit him. She coaxed her mount forward, but his lean hand shot out and jerked the bridle, halting her.
“For God’s sake, stop looking like a lost orphan,” he said harshly.
“I am an orphan,” she said quietly, searching his hard, shadowed eyes. “And I feel lost.”
“Bess…damn you!”
He was out of the saddle before she could blink, reaching up to pull her down with him. And even as she looked up, stunned, his mouth went down to take total, absolute possession of hers.
“No, don’t fight me,” he whispered urgently when she put her hands against his chest. His mouth softened on hers, coaxing, teasing.
“I wasn’t going to,” she confessed. Her fingers unbuttoned his shirt, very slowly, while his mouth teased her lips and his
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