Lone Star Rancher. Laurie Paige

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СКАЧАТЬ ran in a cascade from his gray felt cowboy hat.

      His jeans were soon soaked along the entire front of the legs as the wind blew furiously against them as if trying to stop their progress. Her feet, clad in low sandals, got wet, and the cuffs of her summer slacks filled with water and wilted.

      When they reached the parking space far out in the lot, he tossed her bags in the back of the crew cab pickup and her into the front. Not literally, but she had a feeling he would have liked to dispose of her as easily as the luggage.

      It wasn’t an auspicious start to a month-long visit, she thought.

      “I’m sorry to bring you out in such weather,” she said, giving him one of the brilliant smiles she was known for.

      He shrugged and growled in a low tone, “We don’t usually have this kind of storm in September.”

      Actually it was the second day of the month. A Friday. Two days ago, she’d finished the photo session and celebrated by hiding out at Violet’s place so she wouldn’t have to listen to the ringing of the phone every hour on the hour.

      Worse—and this was what drove her into fleeing the city—was returning from her walk on Monday and finding a pale pink rose lying in the middle of her foyer. On Tuesday, a deep pink rose had been left on the sofa table. Then on Wednesday one had been placed on her pillow with all its bloodred petals torn off. Each petal had been cut in half. A police investigation had yielded no clues.

      Shaken, she’d called Violet and told her friend she would love to visit the ranch for a month. They’d planned an elaborate strategy to get her packed and onto the San Antonio flight, via a separate ticket into Chicago for the first leg of the trip, with the help of a model friend.

      Linda was close to Jessica in size, and had taken her place on the daily walk in the park, wearing sunglasses and a denim hat and Jessica’s favorite sports outfit, just in case the stalker was watching her condo.

      Glancing at her host now, Jessica wondered if it might not be worse to be trapped for a month at a remote ranch—well, two miles from town wasn’t exactly remote—with a handsome but brooding Heathcliff type as her protector.

      Was it better to face the evil she knew than to flee to another that she didn’t? Ah, that was the question, she intoned sardonically to herself.

      “Something amusing you?” Clyde asked.

      She strangled the facetious smile and gave him a solemn stare. “No. I was just feeling sorry for you, being stuck with an unwanted guest for a month.”

      His frown could have stopped the eighteen-wheeler, coming toward them down the state highway at seventy miles an hour.

      “Violet did explain that we’re in the middle of roundup, didn’t she?”

      “Yes. You don’t have to worry about entertaining me,” she said graciously. The effort was wasted on him.

      “Good,” he said in his serious manner. “No one will have time to do any entertaining. You’ll have the house to yourself during the day. I’ll be in late most nights. Miles will be out in the hills and will sleep in the RV we keep for times when we can’t get back to the house.”

      “I see. Uh, do you have a cook or housekeeper?”

      “No. A woman from Red Rock comes in every Monday, to clean. Miles and I fix our own meals. Mostly eggs and toast or sandwiches,” he added.

      “I don’t eat a lot,” she quickly told him, making it clear she didn’t expect him to wait on her.

      His gaze ran down her like the sluice of cold rain hitting the windshield. In that one glance she felt he’d seen everything there was to see about her, both physically and mentally. It was rather daunting.

      She gazed out at the land she hadn’t seen in almost two years. Mmm… Yes, the last time she’d visited her folks, who lived in Austin now, had been two Christmases ago.

      Her sister, brother-in-law and two nieces lived in Red Rock. They ran the hardware store Jessica had bought with her first year’s earnings so her dad wouldn’t lose his livelihood.

      Since she figured Roy might somehow have her family watched, she was going to have to avoid them.

      Also, she realized, she would have to hide in the barn or somewhere when the housekeeper arrived, in case the woman was someone who knew her or her family.

      She sighed.

      Her reluctant host glanced her way again.

      “I’m not bored,” she said as if he’d asked. She realized he probably wouldn’t care if she was. “It’s just that hiding out is more difficult than I’d thought it would be. I’m grateful that you’re letting me stay at your place.”

      He hesitated, then shrugged. “It’s no problem.”

      There was an unexpected softening in his tone that caused the ridiculous tears to burn behind her eyelids again. “Well, I know Violet twisted your arm. She can be very persistent when she gets an idea. She doesn’t let go until she gets her way.”

      His chuckle was as pleasant as it was surprising. “Tell me about it.”

      “She’s a wonderful friend,” Jessica said. “She’s always been there for me. I can still remember the first time all of you came into the hardware store with some of your cousins. I’d never seen so many Fortunes in one place before. Although I was familiar with the Texas side of the family, you New Yorkers were like exotic foreigners to me.”

      “I had to tell you three times what I wanted,” he said.

      “Ah, you remember it, too.” She laughed. “I couldn’t understand a word any of you said. Except Violet. She interpreted for me and glared at you and your brothers when you laughed.”

      “Now Steven, Miles and I speak Texan jes’ like you natives,” he drawled. He even smiled.

      It did wonders for him, making him look younger than the thirty-six years she knew he was. His teeth were straight and very white against the tan of his face. She found herself wondering why he’d never married.

      “Well,” she said in mock wonder, “you have a sense of humor. Violet assured me you did, but since I was never around you guys much, I didn’t believe her.”

      The smile disappeared. “If you’re looking for charm, Miles is your man,” he suggested.

      “I’m not.” She spoke as coolly as he had. “I’m trying to avoid one man. I’m certainly not looking to get involved with another.”

      Silence prevailed as he turned off the state highway onto a paved county road that led to Red Rock. Two miles before they reached the town, he turned again, this time onto the road that went past the ranch.

      The road had been newly topped with asphalt and wasn’t yet marked with white lines. In the darkness of the storm and the deep twilight, it seemed to disappear in the downpour. She couldn’t tell where the sides of the road were or what was ahead in the rain.

      He slowed to a crawl, then made the final turn onto the ranch road, which was also paved. Her heart СКАЧАТЬ