No, she thought-. It did not put her mind to rest at all. He might be in control of his feelings, but she had never learned to master her own feelings. She loved him more than ever, and it would be hard to hide that love from him.
"All right," she said sitting down on the edge of the sofa and folding her hands demurely in her lap.
He sat down beside her, but took great care not to touch her. "Kane," she said, reaching for something to talk about, "have you hired all the men you will need for the roundup?"
He smiled, showing off his dimples and his flashing white teeth. "Yes, Maleaha." He reached out and covered her hand with his. He arched his eyebrow inquiringly when he felt her hand tremble. "I have everything a man could ever want . . . almost."
Jonas entered the room at that moment. His hair was wet and slicked down, indicating he had just come from his bath. He watched Kane and Maleaha move apart quickly. It was the first time he had seen them touching each other. He had already shown Kane enough to keep him busy for a long time. There was not much left that he could teach him. Kane had taken to ranching as naturally as if he had been born to it. Jonas thought it was time to leave the two of them alone.
He sat down on a chair and stretched his legs out in front of him. "I have decided to go home tomorrow morning. I have done all I can for you, Kane. You will be able to run this ranch as well as I could."
"I wish you wouldn't go just yet, Father. I like having you here," Maleaha said, suddenly panicked.
Jonas saw the apprehension in his daughter's face, and he knew it was past time for him to leave. Perhaps with him gone, Maleaha and Kane would work out their problems.
"I gotta get home, honey. I have been away from Deveraux for over a year now."
"We will miss you, Jonas," Kane told him. "I can never even begin to thank you for all you have done for me.
"Hell, Kane. You are my son now. There isn't anything I wouldn't do for you."
"You have given me far too much, not the least of which is your help and advice. And how can I ever thank you for a horse like Diablo?"
Jonas's eyes twinkled. "I knew when I gave you that horse that I would be keeping him in the family."
Maleaha stared open-mouthed at her father, and she was further surprised when Kane's laughter filled the room. "You are the damnedest mind reader I ever met."
"It didn't take mind reading, son. It just took common sense and a good eye."
Words stuck in Kane's throat. He had never met a man like Jonas. He had been very forbearing, never losing patience with him if he didn't understand something, just firmly showing him the correct way of doing it. Jonas had showed Kane what to look for when buying cattle, and he had helped him hire only top hands to handle the cattle. Jonas now smiled at Kane as if he could read what he was thinking.
"Words are not necessary, son. I know how you feel."
Kane was glad that Mrs. Higgens chose that moment to announce that dinner was served, because he didn't know how to answer Jonas. Kane extended his arm to Maleaha, and she placed her hand on it. Maleaha had been so upset that her father was leaving that she had forgotten about the newly decorated dining room.
As they entered the room Kane looked about in surprise, then he smiled down at Maleaha. "You are a marvel, Maleaha. Is there no end to your talents?"
"Are you sure you like it, Kane?" she asked apprehensively.
He glanced at the red rug and drapes. He knew most women would never use such bright colors in decorating, but Maleaha's flair had made the bright colors appear elegant and charming. It was a room like no other he had ever seen. "I can assure you, Maleaha, I have never seen a more beautiful room. Somehow it speaks of you. It . . ."he searched for the words he wanted. "It feels like a home."
Maleaha smiled brightly, cheered by his praise. Kane pulled out her chair and she sat down. She had all but forgotten the confrontation they had had in the sitting room earlier.
At dinner they all laughed easily and the conversation seemed to flow. As always Jonas and Kane began to talk about ranching.
"You need to have a name for the ranch, son. Then you will need to have Jim Hanes, the blacksmith, make you a branding iron."
"I have thought about a name, but nothing seems to fit."
"You could always just call it Benedict Ranch," Jonas volunteered.
"Yes I suppose so, then the brand could be a B with a circle around it."
"No, you can't have the circle B for a brand. Dave Benson already uses that for his brand."
"How about something Spanish?" Maleaha spoke up.
"That is an excellent idea!" Kane said, smiling at his wife. "Have you any suggestions?"
Maleaha was thoughtful for a moment. "I suppose you could name it for the Pecos River that runs through it. Rio Pecos—but that is not quite right, is it?" She knitted her brow. "I know. You could call it El Paraiso."
"What does that mean in English?" Kane asked.
"The paradise," Maleaha said smiling and only half serious.
"Hum, El Paraiso," Kane said, testing the name out loud.
"Damn me if I don't think she has something there. You could have a branding iron made up in a B with two wings on either side of it. The flying B," Jonas injected.
Kane smiled at Maleaha. "All right, El Paraiso it shall be." His eyes became dark and he held her gaze. "It will be our paradise, Maleaha."
Maleaha caught the deep undertone in his voice and looked quickly at her father to see if he had caught it also. Jonas, however, seemed to be concentrating more on his plate of trout. When Maleaha glanced down at her own plate, Jonas looked at Kane and winked.
"Trouble in paradise?" he speculated.
Kane chuckled, "Perhaps, Jonas, but I am not a man without hope."
Maleaha began to feel uneasy at the two men's light banter, and she chose to change the subject.
"Kane, I am ready to start on the master suite tomorrow. What color would you like the room to be done in; What is your favorite color?"
He paused with his fork halfway to his mouth and grinned. "When it comes to eyes, I like the color green."
"Oh," Jonas said, tongue-in-cheek. "I never knew you liked my eyes."
Kane grinned. "Yours might be the original, but I prefer the copy."
"Ah, I see. You were speaking of my daughter's eyes. I suppose they are rather nice," Jonas said, reaching across the table and squeezing Maleaha's hand.
"Will the two of you be serious for a moment? I need to know what color to do Kane's room in," Maleaha said in exasperation.
"What are your favorite colors, Maleaha?" Kane asked.
"For a bedroom I like blue and cream colors."
He smiled slightly and gave her a leering glance. "I would like the master suite in blue and cream, perhaps then I could entice you to share it with me."
It was the first reference anyone had made to her and Kane's sleeping apart, and Maleaha blushed a bright red while her father roared with laughter.
Maleaha felt her temper rising and stood up abruptly. "I can see there is no sense trying to have an intelligent conversation with either one of you. I am going to bed." She paused in the doorway. "I will see you in the morning, Father. Good night to both of you.'' She swept out of the room and both men stared after her.
"Don't worry, Kane. Maleaha will come around in time. She is a high-spirited little filly like her mother was. Sometimes she needs a strong hand to lead the way."
Kane stood up and motioned for Jonas to follow him into his study. Kane poured brandy into two glasses and handed one to Jonas. Both men sat down and then Kane spoke.
"Lord, Jonas, my patience is about exhausted. For the first time in my life I have met a woman whom I don't know how to handle. She has made this house a beautiful home. She sees that I have the best meals to eat, my clothes are always laundered and folded neatly in a drawer. If there is a speck of dust in this house anywhere I challenge you to find it. She has given me a lovely daughter, but…I do not know how to win her heart."
"As I told you, Kane, Maleaha needs a strong hand. Hell, son, she will never come to you if you wait for her. She has the pride of the Jojoba running in her veins. You will have to take matters into your own hands."
"Is that your advice to me?"
"Yep, for what it's worth."
Kane took a drink of his brandy, then swirled the dark liquid around in the glass. "I don't know, Jonas. I would never have taken half off of any other woman that I have from Maleaha. I am as unsure as a young schoolboy where she is concerned. I fear very few things in life, but I have a fear of Maleaha's finding out how I really feel about her."
"Why is that?" Jonas asked thinking his daughter suffered from the same fear.
"That's hard to say. I suppose if one were to analyze my feelings, one would find that I feared Maleaha's finding out about my love for her because she might…tear my heart out."
Jonas leaned forward and studied Kane's face. "Maleaha is at heart a very kind person. She would never deliberately hurt anyone. She is proud of you, Kane. I have seen this in her eyes many times. She has great pride in how much you have accomplished after starting with nothing."
"I want her to be proud of me, Jonas. Perhaps that is why I have worked so hard, but I want more than for her to be proud of me. I want her love."
"Then go after it son. You can't just sit idly by thinking she will come to you. Look, you wanted to have this ranch, so you got out and worked for it. Can you do any less with my daughter
"How, Jonas? Tell me how."
"I can't tell you that, Kane. I bet you don't need anyone to tell you how to lure a woman to your bed, least of all the woman's father."
Kane laughed out loud. "I see what you mean." The smile left Kane's face and he became serious. "Hell, Jonas, that daughter of yours has me all tied up in knots."
Jonas lit a cigar and then leaned his head back against the leather chair he was sitting on. "Just remember that the end justifies the means. One thing I know for sure. You cannot accomplish much by sleeping in separate bedrooms."
Kane looked into the green eyes that were so much like Maleaha's. "Whose side are you on?"
"I am on my granddaughter's side. I want to see her mother and father together as they should be," Jonas told him lazily.
Kane could hear the cold winds blowing outside the house, and he glanced at the warm fire that glowed in the fireplace. "You know, Jonas, the first time I came to your house I could feel something special about it. That was when I began to question many things in my life. I found myself wanting what you had. I know I am not explaining myself very clearly. I am not even sure I know what I mean myself.''
Jonas blew out a smoke ring and turned to Kane. "Don't you know what you felt about my house, son? You felt Maleaha's presence. It's never the house but the people in it that make a house into a home."
"Yes, I have come to know that." • "You know, Kane, you could live in the grandest house in the world, but if you don't have love you don't have a damned thing."
"I know. I grew up in such a house. How sad it is when one can live all one's life chasing the wrong rainbow. My father always had all that money could buy, and yet I doubt that he has ever been really happy."
"Pity him then, son, because he has existed without having lived. From what you have told me about your mother and father, I gather you blame your father for everything that went wrong between them. I do not mean to speak ill of your mother, but it takes two to make a happy marriage and it takes two to destroy one."
Kane closed his eyes. He had never considered that his mother was at fault in any way. It was a new idea, and he was bothered by it.
The next day was a busy one for Maleaha. After seeing her father off she had played with Cimeron and given all the servants their orders for the day. It was midmorning before she made her way up the stairs to begin work on Kane's room. She had just finished measuring the windows when Rosita came upstairs to tell her that Betsy was below. It had been a long time since she had seen Betsy, and she decided that the work on Kane's room could wait one more day.
Entering the sitting room, she was greeted by a brightly smiling Betsy. "I am so glad to see you, Betsy. I hope you can spend the entire day."
"I have been dying to see you, and I couldn't wait another day. Mother isn't expecting me home until late."
After lunch Maleaha took Betsy upstairs to see little Cimeron. Betsy was enchanted by Maleaha's daughter and played with her until Cimeron fell asleep. Maleaha showed her friend through the house and afterwards they sat in the sitting room talking.
"Maleaha, I love this house. It will be years if ever before Bob and I will have anything to compare with it."
"When do you and Bob intend to be married, Betsy?"
"That's what I want to tell you," Betsy said smiling brightly. "We have set the date. We bought the old Wilson place. The house has fallen into disrepair and will take a lot of fixing up, but I am so happy."
Maleaha squeezed her best friend's hand. "I am happy for you, Betsy. You and Bob have been in love since childhood, and you have always known you would one day marry." In truth, Maleaha envied her best friend. She would be marrying the man she loved and she was loved in return. "What is the date you have decided on?"
"The twenty-second of November. Will you stand up with me?"
"It would be my honor, Betsy. I would not have wanted you to ask anyone other than me."
Betsy gripped Maleaha's hand tightly. "Maleaha, are you happy?" she blurted out.
"I am not unhappy. I am married to the man I love, and I have his daughter.''
"I can tell that you are not as happy as you pretend to be, Maleaha. Is Mr. Benedict good to you?"
"He is not unkind, but he does not love me. He married me again—did you know that? He wanted to give Cimeron his name. As you know, he did not honor the Jojoba ceremony."
Betsy's eyes became angry. "Surely he loves you. Why else would he stay in New Mexico, build this house, and make you his wife?"
"I know he married me only because of Cimeron. Sometimes I love him so much it hurts. I never thought I would feel this way about a man. I don't know what to do about it."
"Do not despair, Maleaha. I think he loves you or he would never have married you," Betsy said kindly.
"Let's talk about something else. It's much too nice a day to have long faces," Maleaha said brightly.
"I want to tell you before I forget," Betsy said softly. "I hate to tell you this, but I feel you have a right to know."
"What is it?"
"I ran into Mrs. Phelps last week in town and she asked me all about you. You know what a gossip she is?"
"Yes, and I can well imagine what she must be saying about me. What did she say?"
"She implied that you and Mr. Benedict were not married before the baby was born," Betsy said, hating to repeat gossip, but wanting Maleaha to know what Mrs. Phelps had been saying about her and Kane.
Maleaha sighed heavily. "I know there must be a great deal of speculation about Kane and myself and I shouldn't care, but I do."
"Don't worry too much about it, Maleaha," Betsy said, looking like the cat who swallowed the canary. "I do not believe Mrs. Phelps will ever try to malign you again. In fact, it would not surprise me the least little bit if she became your strongest champion."
"Whatever do you mean?"
"Well, she made me mad, so I told her that she had better have a care about what she spread around town about you. I reminded her what a temper your father had and how unkindly he would view a person trying to spread untruths about his daughter."
"What did she say to that?"
"Not much, but then I reminded her about the seven soldiers who killed your mother and how they all mysteriously died. You should have seen her face when I asked if she would know Mangas should he sneak up on her from behind some day."
Maleaha laughed so hard tears washed down her face. "Betsy, surely you didn't say that to her?"
"I can assure you I did."
"Well, as you can imagine, she looked over her shoulder and grabbed me by the arm. 'I have always known Maleaha is a good and decent young lady,' she told me. 'If I should hear anything to the contrary I will defend her good name,' she declared before she rushed down the street, still glancing over her shoulder as if Mangas were waiting in the shadows to pounce on her.''
"Betsy, you are incorrigible. You must have scared poor Mrs. Phelps half out of her mind," Maleaha said laughing.
"That may very well be true, but I bet should someone hint that you were not married a full nine months when Cimeron was born, she will declare that you were."
"Now I know why I chose you to be my best friend," Maleaha said softly. "You are the sister that I never had."
' 'I did no more than you would have done for me in the same situation. Besides, I spoke no more than the truth." Betsy giggled. "Of course, no one needs to know that you were married first by Mangas, although I bet if poor old Mrs. Phelps knew Mangas joined you to your husband she would carry around a big sign saying you and Mr. Benedict were married a good ten months before Cimeron came along."
The afternoon passed pleasantly as the two friends talked about Betsy's upcoming wedding. They were both seated on the floor while Maleaha drew sketches of wedding gowns, when a deep voice came from the doorway.
"What a pretty picture to come home to," Kane drawled. He was dressed in a plaid shirt and leather chaps that fit snugly about his trim waist and hugged his long legs, and Maleaha thought he had never looked half so handsome.
Betsy scrambled to her feet, and Maleaha looked at the clock on the wall. "You are home early today, Kane."
He advanced into the room and reached out his hand to help Maleaha to her feet and then planted a kiss on her cheek, much to her surprise. "I wanted to rush home to my beautiful wife," he said as his eyes twinkled merriment. He turned to Betsy and bowed slightly. "It is a pleasure to see you again, Miss Kincade."
"Thank you Mr. Benedict," Betsy said nervously. He always seemed to upset her when he looked at her with his silver eyes, and she still secretly thought he was the handsomest man she had ever met. "I did not intend to stay so late. I really must be going," she said, picking up her bonnet and tying it beneath her chin.
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