untied the kerchief from his throat, then soaked it as Dolly had. He

leaned low and plunged in his whole head, then rubbed the kerchief over

his throat and shoulders. Tess stared at him, unaware that she did so.

He smiled, watching her. She jumped slightly when he touched her

cotton-clad shoulder.

"You're soaked," he told her.

"I suppose so."

He grinned, recalling memories of a different brook, a different time.

"I rather like you wet."

"You" -- "Ah, now, please, Miss. Stuart!"

She fell silent, but his smile faded and he sat on his haunches, folding

his hands idly over his knees.

"We've got to talk, Tess."

She didn't intend to blush, but color rose swiftly to her cheeks.

Damn him!

"What?" she said harshly.

"Well, I'm waiting to find out if you're going to bargain with me or

not."

She was silent, feeling her body burn. "Well?"

"You are a bastard."

"Come, come, now, Miss. Stuart, will you bargain?" She leaped to her

feet.

"Yes!" she spat at him.

"Yes-and you were right, you knew damned well that I would do so. I am

desperate. You can have anything. Anything that you want."

She swung around in what she hoped was indignant fury. She was suddenly

blinded. She nearly tripped as she started forward. She reached for a

branch to steady herself. "Miss. Stuart!"

he called to her lightly.

"Oh, for God's sake! What now?" she demanded. "Well, pardon me, but you

didn't wait to hear just what it was that I wanted."

"What?" she gasped.

"I said" -- "But, but ..."

She stared at him. He was still seated so comfortably on the ground,

casual now, idly chewing upon a long blade of grass.

"But, but, but, Miss. Stuart! Where is your mind, dear lady, but deep,

deep down in the gutter?"

He stood. Warily she backed away from him.

"Listen, Lieutenant, I'm not sure that you do shoot well enough for all

this!

What do you want now?"

She backed straight into a tree. He was right in front of her, smiling.

He stroked her cheek lightly with his knuckle and laughed softly as she

indignantly twisted her face to the side.

"Still waters do run deep, eh, Miss. Stuart? You ready to listen?"

"What" -- "Land."

"What?" she repeated, dazed.

"Land. I want some acreage. Some of your prime acreage, and maybe a few

cattle. If I'm going to go out and die for this land, I'd like to have a

bit of it in my own name."

"That's--that's what you want?"

' "That's it ."

"Land?

"Land, Miss. Stuart. I know you've heard the word." She pressed against

the tree, slipping her hands behind her to hold furtively to keep

herself from falling. Then a crimson blush surged to her cheeks again,

and she raged out in a tempest.

"You! You made me think that--oh, God! You are the lowest, most horrid,

most terrible" -- "Disappointed?" he interrupted pleasantly. She

shrieked something unintelligible and swung at him.

He caught her hand before she could strike him, but she continued to pit

herself against him. He pulled her against him, lacing his arms around

her.

"Don't be angry" -- "Angry! I could gouge out your eyes" -- "Ouch! It

would be hard as hell for me to aim at this yon Heusen of yours if you

did that."

"I could shoot off both your knee caps!"

"Then how could I get places to find out the truth?"

"All right! All right! You fight yon Heusen, then I'll gouge out your

eyes and shoot your knee caps. Now let go of me!"

"No, not yet, I'd be risking my eyesight, I'm afraid. Or my--ouch!" he

said as she stamped on his foot. Her feet were dangerous. And her knees.

"Don't even think about it!" be warned her, pressing her so close

against the tree trunk that she could barely breath.

Nor could she kick him--his thigh was pressed close to hers. Her breasts

heaved with agitation; her heart was thundering.

His lips were close. So close to hers. He was going to kiss her again,

she thought. And if he did, she'd probably let him get away with it,

despite all he had done to her. "Did you know that you have a really

beautiful mouth, Miss. Stuart?" he asked, his own nearly touching it.

"Ah! Not nearly so beautiful as my cattle!" she retorted.

He laughed softly again.

"You are disappointed."

"Don't deceive yourself, Lieutenant. I am vastly relieved."

"Why don't I believe you?"

"Because you're an egotist and a scurvy rat."

"Why is it that you just beguile me so, Tess Stuart? Is it that you

taste like wine and smell of roses, even in the most god-awful heat of

the day.

Is it that fall of golden hair, or your eyes, like wild violets? No ...

it must be the tender words you're always whispering so gently to me.

Words like ... scurvy rat."

"Lieutenant, will you please" -- "I do want you."

"What?" she cried.

"Very much. But I don't want to bargain about it. When you decide to be

with me, you'll do so because you want to.

You might have to think it through and weigh all the factors, or you

might just wake up one night and come to re108 aliz~ that it's going to

be, that there's just something there. I feel it when I touch you, when

I'm near you.

"You're a fool!"

"Am I?"

He l~aned closer. H~ was going to ~ h~ aga~. "Don'tv' she cfi~ out.

H~ igno~ the wa~ing, tang h~ lips with his ~n, ~d ou~ sh~ m~bl~ a ~nd

prot, her mouth was al- ~dy pa~g to his. ~d his tongu~ was d~,. d~

within bet, and it touch~ her in pla~ it could not possibly ~ch.

She ~ ~at h~ was right, and she ha~ ~ for it, but she ~ h~ stffi, and

she wan~ h~ stffi. She t~bl~ against th~ swat sava~e~ of his touch, and

she felt the p~u~ of ~s b~y, of h~ t~ aga~st h~, of mo~ than his thigh.

H~ hands we~ in her hair, strong her fa~, rounding over the full ri~ of

her b~st, and sh~ was still bra~ against him, unabl~ to do anything

other than f~l. ~en he ~1~ her. She gas~ ragg~ly and fell back.

His lips ~ghtly bmsh~ fffst her forbid, then her ch~ks. He smile.

"Egotist, eh?"

He w~ off guard. She sl~m~ her ~ aga~st h~. She didn't qui~ hit home,

but she must have given h~ a good bm~ in the thigh. He groan~ at ~e pa~,

gritting h~ ~th, flash~g her a lethal glad.

"~ Stua~, if I didn't have ~me vague memo~ of ~- ~g a gentleman" -- "If

you have any memo~ at all, sir, it must ~ vague~"

"Miss. S~art, I should tan" -- "Do ex~ me, Lieut~ant," she ~id, at~pt~g

to s~ past h~.

"It's not that you have~'t got d~nt lips, it's just that it's ~possible

to know wh~e they've ~n befog."

"~nt lips]"

"~nt, y~," she said sw~tly, still walking. He caught h~ a~ and pull~ her

into his a~s.

"I ~uld just" -- be ~gan, but then he laughs.

"Impo~ible to 109 know where they've been before! Why, honest to God! I

do believe that you're jealous!"

"Not on your life, Lieutenant!" she protested. But he touched his lips

to hers again, sweeping her swiftly into realms she was just beginning

to discover, then righting her just as quickly and dropping his arms. He

cast his arm out, indicating the trail.

"After you, Miss. Stuart. I will always wait."

"You'll wait until you're old and gray!" she snapped. She was jealous,

she thought. Anguished. It was painful to care like this, so deeply and

so quickly.

He smiled serenely.

"Will I?"

She managed to return the smile.

"Not all women are like Miss. Eliza, Lieutenant."

"No? I had rather thought that they were--at heart."

"You're mistaken."

"Maybe you're mistaken. Maybe most women are hypocrites."

"Oh, you are impossiblev' Tess cried. She swung around and began to

stride angrily toward the wagon.

But before she could reach the break in the bushes, he had pulled her

back.

She started to snap something to him, but the words caught in her throat

when his smoky gaze fell upon her.

"Tess, you are different."

"Different from what?"

He smiled.

"From any other woman I have met," he said softly.

Then he stepped past her and preceded her to the camp fire Jori had

burning with a welcoming warmth and light.

Chapter Six.

The delicious aroma of cooking was already filling the air as Tess

stepped toward the fire. She inhaled deeply as she tried to dispel her

immediate memories of Lieutenant Slater. The fire had been set in the

center of the clearing. A small animal roasted on a spit atop it. Jon,

on his haunches, turned the spit. On a bed of hot rocks surrounding the

fire sat a coffeepot.

Dolly was coming from the wagon with tin plates, and with mugs for the

coffee. She smiled at Tess.

"Rabbit! A nice, plump brown rabbit. Jon caught and skinned that thing

in minutes flat. I do declare, he's a fine provider!"

"Yes, he is," Tess said, smiling at Jon. She strode past him and

daintily swept her skirts beneath her to sink upon the ground. Jamie was

coming across the clearing toward them, too. He sat beside her.

"You caught a big one," Jamie acknowledged.

"Good."

"We need some water for this coffeepot," Dolly said.

"I'll get it," Jamie and Tess volunteered simultaneously. "Fine, you get

it," Tess said.

"No, you can go."

"But, Lieutenant" -- "Jori, give me the damned pot, will you?" Jamie

said.

He started toward the brook, then paused, looking back.

"How's our supply in the barrels?" "Good," Jon said.

"Later we can fill the canteens." Jamie nodded and started toward the

water.

Tess hesitated a minute, then started after him. "Tess!" Dolly called.

"I'll be right back!" "We'll never have coffee!" Dolly said dolefully.

Tess ignored her.

She was panting and breathless, and wondering what in hell had made her

rush into the den with the lion.

She caught up with Jamie at the brook. When he wanted to, he could move

quickly.

He stared at her as he filled the coffeepot, arehing one brow.

"You want acreage," she said.

"How much?"

"Well, now, I don't know. I haven't seen the property, have I?"

"Give me an idea."

He shrugged. His eyes were hard as he stared at her. "Half. Half of what

you own."

She gasped, stunned.

"You're insane!"

"I can ride back to the fort."

"But you don't even know what I own!"

"That's right. You're the one pushing the point here."

"A quarter."

"Half."

"Never!"

"Half. And that will be it. I won't ask another thing of you, Miss.

Stuart."

"Not on your life."

"We can ride right back." He stood and walked toward her. He didn't

touch her, but he was smiling still.

"Miss. Stuart, normally I don't barter at all, not without seeing what

it is I'm willing to risk my life for."

"You're in the cavalry. You risk your life daily."

"They pay me. And you" -- "I'll pay you wages."

He shook his head slowly.

"You know what I want."

Tremors swept through her. She did know what he wanted--and he kept

saying it was property. He kept smiling, and his eyes roamed up and down

the length of her. "Like I said, I usually like to see what I'm buying

with my time and my Colt. Since I trust you so, I'm willing to take a

chance in this circumstance."

"A quarter," Tess said firmly.

"Half."

He walked by her quickly. She stumbled to keep up with him, but he moved

too fast. She was still stumbling when he walked into the clearing. She

slammed into him and he turned, lifting her chin.

"Half!" he whispered.

She pulled quickly away from him.

"We'll discuss it later. I think you're insane. I think you're just as

crooked as von Heusen. Just another Yankee carpetbagger."

He stiffened, dropped her chin and turned in harsh, military fashion,

then took the coffeepot to the fire. He sank down across from Jori.

"Well, the coffee will taste much better once we've eaten that sizzlin'