better shape than Griff.”
“He’ll be on his feet in a day or two.”
“Then you’ll leave?”
“I’ve got to get back to my ranch.”
“Tell me about your ranch. Where is it?”
“It’s up near Junction City on the Big Thompson River. It’s a good two days’ ride from here.”
“Is it near the Clayhill ranch?”
Surprised, he hesitated, then said almost gruffly, “No. It’s about thirty miles beyond.”
“Why did you hit that man when he called Mr. Clayhill your pa? Was it your father that ordered his men to hang Griffin because
he was going to file on land he wanted?” Lorna’s eyes were fixed unwaveringly on his and there was a terrible intensity in
her gaze, as if his answer were a matter of life and death to her.
“Why is it so important to you to know?” His voice was abrupt. “You heard me tell them to leave Griffin be.”
“Do you think they will?”
“They sure as hell better!”
“Why do you hate your father?”
“Goddammit, Lorna! Leave it alone!”
“I can’t leave it alone. I must know everything about you.”
She reached out and took his hand. Her touch was a shock to him. He clasped her hand tightly and their fingers entwined. He
sat down on the boulder he’d sat on the night before and made room for her to sit beside him, but she stood close to him,
leaning against his thigh, looking into his face.
“I don’t… talk about it.”
“I know. It’s buried deep.” Her voice was a mere whisper on the breeze that came gently down the valley.
“Yes, it’s buried deep. It’s something I’ve learned to live with. I don’t think about it or talk about it.”
“I know,” she said again.
He glanced at her, his brows drawn together in a puzzled frown, but he didn’t speak. A minute passed—or an hour—Cooper had
no idea which, for he was mesmerized by her gentle voice, drugged by the warm pressure of her body against him. It seemed
to him that nothing existed beyond the charmed circle of their closeness. This woman who leaned so trustingly against him
was completely without guile. Her large, almond-shaped eyes that focused on his face were as frank as a child’s. She was so
utterly lovely that he was awed into silence as he stared at her perfectly formed features and milk white skin framed with
dark, shiny curls.
“I don’t understand you. You’re the… strangest woman I ever met.” They were not the words he wanted to say and he searched
for others, but none came to mind. “I don’t mean you’re strange, I mean—”
She laughed softly, musically. “I’m just a woman, like any other.”
“No,” he protested. “Not like any other woman I’ve ever come across.”
“Does that mean you like me even if I’m… strange?” Eyes that laughed into his sparkled like wild violets after a heavy dew.
“Of course. I didn’t mean I didn’t
like
you!”
“Oh, Cooper!” She laughed again. The cleft in her lower lip gave her mouth a three cornered shape and he couldn’t look away
from it. “After you get to know me you won’t think I’m strange at all. I feel like I’ve known
you
forever.” She added the last in a quiet, serious voice.
“You don’t know me at all. I could be an outlaw—”
“I’m serious, Cooper. There’s so many things I want to tell you about myself. I want to tell you about Grandpa Light and Grandma
Maggie. I want you to know about my granny and my mother and most of all I want you to know about Light’s Mountain where I
live. And I want to know what
you
think and what
you
dream about, then I’ll know why you hide so much tenderness behind that hard shell.”
Cooper felt his heart jump out of rhythm, felt his blood pound and drain away. He let out a snort of a chuckle to hide his
confusion.
“You want to know a lot. The telling would take all night.”
“We’ve got all night.”
The moon came up over the treetops, but they didn’t notice it. Lorna stood beside Cooper, her
“He’ll be on his feet in a day or two.”
“Then you’ll leave?”
“I’ve got to get back to my ranch.”
“Tell me about your ranch. Where is it?”
“It’s up near Junction City on the Big Thompson River. It’s a good two days’ ride from here.”
“Is it near the Clayhill ranch?”
Surprised, he hesitated, then said almost gruffly, “No. It’s about thirty miles beyond.”
“Why did you hit that man when he called Mr. Clayhill your pa? Was it your father that ordered his men to hang Griffin because
he was going to file on land he wanted?” Lorna’s eyes were fixed unwaveringly on his and there was a terrible intensity in
her gaze, as if his answer were a matter of life and death to her.
“Why is it so important to you to know?” His voice was abrupt. “You heard me tell them to leave Griffin be.”
“Do you think they will?”
“They sure as hell better!”
“Why do you hate your father?”
“Goddammit, Lorna! Leave it alone!”
“I can’t leave it alone. I must know everything about you.”
She reached out and took his hand. Her touch was a shock to him. He clasped her hand tightly and their fingers entwined. He
sat down on the boulder he’d sat on the night before and made room for her to sit beside him, but she stood close to him,
leaning against his thigh, looking into his face.
“I don’t… talk about it.”
“I know. It’s buried deep.” Her voice was a mere whisper on the breeze that came gently down the valley.
“Yes, it’s buried deep. It’s something I’ve learned to live with. I don’t think about it or talk about it.”
“I know,” she said again.
He glanced at her, his brows drawn together in a puzzled frown, but he didn’t speak. A minute passed—or an hour—Cooper had
no idea which, for he was mesmerized by her gentle voice, drugged by the warm pressure of her body against him. It seemed
to him that nothing existed beyond the charmed circle of their closeness. This woman who leaned so trustingly against him
was completely without guile. Her large, almond-shaped eyes that focused on his face were as frank as a child’s. She was so
utterly lovely that he was awed into silence as he stared at her perfectly formed features and milk white skin framed with
dark, shiny curls.
“I don’t understand you. You’re the… strangest woman I ever met.” They were not the words he wanted to say and he searched
for others, but none came to mind. “I don’t mean you’re strange, I mean—”
She laughed softly, musically. “I’m just a woman, like any other.”
“No,” he protested. “Not like any other woman I’ve ever come across.”
“Does that mean you like me even if I’m… strange?” Eyes that laughed into his sparkled like wild violets after a heavy dew.
“Of course. I didn’t mean I didn’t
like
you!”
“Oh, Cooper!” She laughed again. The cleft in her lower lip gave her mouth a three cornered shape and he couldn’t look away
from it. “After you get to know me you won’t think I’m strange at all. I feel like I’ve known
you
forever.” She added the last in a quiet, serious voice.
“You don’t know me at all. I could be an outlaw—”
“I’m serious, Cooper. There’s so many things I want to tell you about myself. I want to tell you about Grandpa Light and Grandma
Maggie. I want you to know about my granny and my mother and most of all I want you to know about Light’s Mountain where I
live. And I want to know what
you
think and what
you
dream about, then I’ll know why you hide so much tenderness behind that hard shell.”
Cooper felt his heart jump out of rhythm, felt his blood pound and drain away. He let out a snort of a chuckle to hide his
confusion.
“You want to know a lot. The telling would take all night.”
“We’ve got all night.”
The moon came up over the treetops, but they didn’t notice it. Lorna stood beside Cooper, her
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