Then he wrapped his arms around her and held her very tightly. He eased

to her side, taking his weight from her but keeping his arms around her

so that she fell atop him. She sighed softly. Damp tendrils of her hair

curled over him. He touched it and remembered wondering how it would

feel against him.

Like silk. it felt like silk. And it looked like the sun, so blond

against the bronze of his skin. And she felt like silk, her body so

slick with all that had been between then, covering him.

Her face lay against his chest. She didn't say a word, and she didn't

seem to want to look at him.

"Are you all right?" he asked her, softly smoothing back a tendril of

her hair.

She nodded against him.

"Did I--hurt you?"

She shook her head, but still she didn't say a word. "You're not crying,

are you?" he asked her.

"No!" she said in muffled, indignant protest. "Women do, you know."

"Women do!" she repeated, speaking at last. She sat up, and her eyes met

his.

"How many women do you--did you ... Oh, never mind!" She started to

pull away. Her breasts swung heavy and fascinating before him, and he

quickly laughed, pulling her back. His voice was husky when he spoke.

"I've never, never, been in a--er, circumstance like this one before."

"Like" -- "With a virgin," he said flatly.

She flushed crimson. He pulled her close to him. She was wiggling and

squirming, ready to retreat now that it was all over, despite the way

she had played the seductress so boldly. He didn't want to lose her.

"Tess!"

"What? Will you please" -- "I didn't go back to Eliza that night,

either.

The whole thing was a show" -- "Eliza is in love with you."

"Eliza is in love with a lot of people." She Paused, tossing her hair,

studying him with her enormous eyes.

"And what about you?" I m not in love with anyone, he said. Agam"~e felt

her pulling away. He tightened his hold around her. But I am your eyes.

And I love the way you fight until the bitter end, though I could also

strangle you for that same quality. I love the way you think, and I love

the way you take ~ of the people around you, and I even love the way

your ~Yes flash when you're jealous."

"I'm not jealous" -- "Then nosy. You were damned determined to I had

taken my bath."

"Because" -- She broke off, staring at him. i He grinned.

"Because you weren't about to come near me had been near another woman,

was that it?"

He laughed again, hugged her close and rolled her over in the hay.

"Never fear, my feisty little love. When I am near you, I will never

find the need for another."

His lips closed over hers. He stroked his hand down the length of her,

touching her openly and intimately. A sound rumbled in her throat

against his kiss. He ignored her. All the fires of hell were burning

inside him again, and this time he need not be so slow, so careful. She

had learned about tenderness. She was ready to learn about the tempest.

Later, when dawn neared, she slept. Jamie stared at the rafters as the

first pale light of day appeared, impressed by the eagerness and

complete abandon with which she had approached lovemaking. He had never

known a feeling of such relaxation, of physical bliss as her sleeping

body against his.

She had learned many things this night. She slept with her knee slightly

curved upon him, her hair tangled around his shoulders and chest. He

touched a strand lightly, and it was almost as if the gold and honey

touched him back, as if it gave him warmth. He looked at her face, so

beautiful, so perfect, her lips just slightly parted, cherry red in the

first rays of light, tempting. He stroked her shoulder and her back. She

moved against him, and he felt the warmth of her breath upon him as she

sighed softly.

She had learned so much. But he had lea rued a great deal that night,

too.

He had learned that he'd never really made love before. He'd had women,

but he had never really, truly made love. He'd never wanted anyone like

he'd wanted her.

Wanted her still. Who had taught whom? he wondered.

He kissed the soft skin of her back and wondered again at the ripple of

longing that went through him. Then he sighed. He had to wake her up and

let her go hack to the house before the morning began, before the ranch

came alive.

By nine that morning they arrived in town. Jamie drove the wagon with

Tess sitting primly by his side.

Morning had changed things amazingly, he thought. Since he had awakened

her, she had been distant. She had donned her flannel gown, and with it

a peculiar silence. She hadn't seemed remorseful about anything; she had

been cool and quiet. She hadn't sneaked back to the house; she had

walked very calmly. She had promised him she would be ready in thirty

minutes. When he had pressed his lips to hers on first awakening, she

had responded with warmth, but already there had been that widening

within her eyes, as if she thought that something very grave had gone

on, something she hadn't quite realized at the time. He'd almost braced

himself, waiting, but she hadn't anything to say to him at all. She had

dressed quickly and walked to the house. Her chin was high, and she

wasn't about to hide anything, but then again, Jamie thought, maybe she

wasn't about to do anything again, either.

I never wanted to rush it! he reminded himself in silence. But he still

hadn't found the right words to say to her, and she sat by him quietly

as they rode into town. They didn't five words.

It was early, and the streets were nearly still. Only a pass- by or two

walked the plank sidewalks in front of the bank and the barbershop and

the offices of the Wiltshire Sun. Tess bit her lip and looked at the

newspaper office, but she remained silent on that point.

"Mr. Barrymore's office is fright ahead. He was always Joe's solicitor."

"Well, then, fine, we're going to go see Mr. Barrymore." He helped her

from the wagon. She was dressed for ll~ ring in light-blue-and-white

checked muslin, with a matching wide-brimmed bonnet.

The touch of her fingers against his seemed electric. She met his eyes

and flushed.

"We need to talk," he told her.

"I need to get to the newspaper," she retorted.

"So hurry along now, will you?"

"Eager to turn it all over to me, eh?"

"I shall resent it to my dying day," she said sweetly, "but then, you

are better than von Heusen."

"Such a compliment!" he teased, bowing low as he opened the door to the

lawyer's office.

Tess started to reply, but instead smiled at the tall, lean man behind

the desk.

"Mr. Barrymore, how are you?" she inquired, walking forward, reaching

out her hand. The man rose instantly to his feet. He reached out for

Tess's hand, but his eyes were on Jamie. Jamie winced inwardly,

realizing this man had been in the saloon the other night when he had

met von Heusen's boys.

Tess didn't see the recognition in his eyes.

"Mr. Barrymore, this is Lieutenant Slater. Lieutenant, Mr. Barrymore,

who has helped my family for years."

Mr. Barrymore was still staring at Jamie. "Mr. Barrymore!" Tess said

more sharply.

"Oh, my dear, my dear, I am so glad to see you! Of course, you know that

Joe left everything in your name" -- "That's why I'm here," Tess said.

"Of course, of course" -- "No, you don't understand. I want to turn over

half my holdings to Lieutenant Slater."

"Half your holdings?"

"Half."

At last, Mr. Barrymore looked at Tess. The pen he held in his hands

nearly snapped as he stared at her.

"Half?"

"Half."

He cleared his throat and stared at Jamie.

"That will make you a very rich young man."

"I intend to pay the lady, but the money is going to be due to her in

payments over the next few years. Can we draw up a schedule?" Jamie

said.

Tess stared at him then.

"You're going to pay me?"

"Of course. You didn't think I was just going to whisk away your

property." "Yes, but" -- "Tess," he said softly.

"You're--I mean, the land is worth it."

He thought she was going to leap to her feet and scream. She managed not

to.

She leaned over the desk and smiled at Mr. Barrymore.

"Make sure he pays the premium price then, will you?"

"Well, yes," Mr. Barrymore said nervously. He looked at amie, then he

looked at Tess, then he cleared his throat.

"You're sure this is what you want, Tess?"

"And Mister--er--Lieutenant Slater, would you, uh, like ~,to explain how

you want these payments to be made?" . Certainly," Jamie said. He

rattled off sums and amounts, and Mr. Barrymore began to write quickly.

"And When we're done with this," Jamie said, "I need to make and Miss.

Stuart is go' rag to do so, too. In the case deaths, the property is to

be equally divided in between my two brothers, Cole Slater and and in

case of their deaths, to their heirs."

smiled at Tess reassuringly.

"Oh, yeah, and Mr. I want you to make sure you talk about this. I the

whole town to know that there's just no way, no at all, the Stuart

spread is ever going to be up for sale.

understand me?" stayed silent for a long moment, then he be" You got it,

Lieutenant Slater. Damn, but it! Oh, excuse me, Tess.

I plumb forgot you were there!" amusing," Tess said with a stiff smile.

"They'll know, all right, they'll know ... " Mr. Barrymore was writing

quickly.

"I must hand it to you, Lieutenant, you do seem to know what you're

doing with property and the law. Though it ain't surprising, not one

bit. You sure do know what you're doing with those Colts of yours. Why,

in all my life, I've never seen anything like the shootin' you did in

the saloon the other night" -- "Shooting?" Tess interrupted, sitting

straight. "Oh, my, yes, you should have seen him! Some of those

hooligans of Mr. yon Heusen's come in and they were giving Hardy a bad

time, but the Lieutenant here, he stood right up to them." Mr. Barrymore

slapped his hand hard on his desk and hooted with laughter.

"It was a joy to these weary eyes, Tess, it was! Didn't you tell Miss.

Stuart about it, Lieutenant? Hell--heck, boy, if it had been me, I'd

have told the whole damned--darned--world about it!"

"I didn't seem to have the chance, Mr. Barrymore. When I got home, a few

more of Mr. yon Heusen's boys were at the ranch.

And someone needed to tell those fellows that it wasn't a good thing to

play with matches."

"You shot yon Heusen's men in the saloon?" Tess asked, staring at him.

"Sure," Mr. Barrymore said cheerfully.

"Why, you would have heard about it if you'd gone into the paper, Tess.

The lieutenant was sitting with Ed Clancy and Dec?" Tess stood and

stared at Jamie.

"I think I'll take a little walk over to the Wiltshire Sun right now.

I'm sure, Lieutenant Slater, that you know exactly how you want

everything worded. Then Mr. Barrymore can draw up the papers and I will

come back and sign them. Excuse me, will you?"

Jamie and Mr. Barrymore both stood quickly, but Tess was already at the

door.

She stormed out, feeling her face red, wondering if she should be

furious with the man or if she should run back and kiss him. She wasn't

going to do 167 either--she was going to see Ed and find out exactly

what had happened.

She walked into the Wiltshire Sun office as if she were a battleship.

Harry, the printer, looked up from his plates.

Edward, at work at his desk, also looked up. The naked joy in his eyes

as he saw her made her first questions flee. He leaped up to hug her,

nearly breaking ~ery bone in her body.

"I knew you were all right, Tess, because I saw Slater.

But, girl, it does an old body good to see you!"

" Thank you, Edward, thank you!" she told him.