by Janet Dailey
'Mr. Harris, I don't think it's any of your business where I may or may not belong, and I would appreciate it if you would get out of my way so that I may have the pleasure of bidding you good-bye!'
Glowering down at her from his greater height, Cord Harris seemed about to say something, but clamped his mouth shut in a grim line. Although already regretting her hasty words, Stacy felt compelled to raise her chin to emphasize her stand. They stood glaring at each other for a few minutes and then, without warning, the rancher swooped her up in his arms.
'Allow me the privilege of helping you on your way,’ he said fiercely, holding her in an iron grip against his chest.
So astounded was she by his action that Stacy didn't even attempt to struggle but lay in his arms, her heart beating wildly. She realized that she was playing with fire, crossing this man. Effortlessly, he deposited her in the saddle of the sorrel, tossing the reins over the horse's head. Catching them, she looked down at his blazing eyes.
'That's what you wanted, wasn't it?' the mocking face said darkly.
Regaining some of her composure, Stacy retorted, 'As I said before, Mr. Harris, I didn't ask for your help.'
'You'll find people around here don't ask—for anything. If they want to do something, they do it.'
Diablo, sensing the tension in the air, began dancing about. Stacy could think of no answer to Cord's cryptic words and felt sure that anything she said would only make the situation worse. She didn't want to incur his wrath again. The consequences were too unpredictable with a man like him. With as much poise as she could muster she reined the sorrel around the imposing figure. She could feel his eyes on her as she urged the horse into a trot back up the road she had just come down. Burning in humiliation, she longed to gallop away from those haunting eyes, but her pride insisted on an orderly retreat.
Stacy had to steel herself to keep from looking back. Finally she heard the car door slam and the motor start. Immediately she kicked the sorrel into a gallop. She didn't allow the horse to slow down until they had reached the turn-off to the cabin.
By the time the three reached the house, Stacy's humiliation had turned to anger. He had no right to treat her like that! His overbearing manner was outrageous and interfering. He acted as if he had a right to tell her what to do. Fuming, she unsaddled the fidgety horse, flinging the saddle and bridle in the shed with an unusual disregard for their care. She stomped out of the corral, closing the gate vehemently, and continued her pace to the porch of the cabin. The dog sensed the mood she was in and scurried off to a corner of the building under the shade.
Disgustedly, Stacy sat in the chair on the porch and gazed moodily at the quiet meadow. She shuddered as she recalled Cord's arms around her. She could still smell the masculine odour of his cologne that was clinging to her blouse. If only she had struggled or -fought with him or done anything instead of just lying so passively in his arms, submitting herself to his will! She could have at least scratched those rugged features or pulled his dark hair. Never again would she allow herself to be so weak-kneed in his presence. If she ever met him again, she vowed, she would tell him exactly what she thought of him.
The serenity of the valley meadow failed to comfort her wounded pride. The peace she had felt earlier in the morning was gone and the inactivity of just sitting only increased her agitation. Finally she rose and entered the cabin. It was almost noon, but she had no appetite. Grabbing her swim suit, she changed clothes and, with a terrycloth jacket over her shoulder, started down to the brook that ran through the meadow. Perhaps an icy dip in the mountain stream would cool her temper.
Not far from the cabin the stream widened just deep enough and wide enough to enable her to swim. Kicking off her sandals, Stacy dived into the water. Cajun had followed her at a safe distance and settled himself under a shade tree to watch over his mistress. She splashed around for nearly an hour before pulling herself exhaustedly on to the bank. Propping herself up against the tree with Cajun, she lit a cigarette and relaxed. The afternoon sun started making its way across the sky, but still the two sat under the tree. The exertion of her swim had calmed her nerves, but it hadn't taken away the loathing she felt for the arrogant rancher. She toyed with the idea of returning home, but dismissed it quickly when she remembered Cord Harris's mocking smile as he said, 'Go back where you belong.' Never would Stacy give him that satisfaction.
'We're going to stay, Cajun, and what's more, we're going to enjoy ourselves. No more are we going to avoid Mr. Harris's ranch. If he doesn't like it, well then, that's just too bad,' asserted Stacy, rising to her feet. 'Tomorrow, though, I'd better go into town and post that letter before Carter sends a search party after us.'
The two started back for the cabin, Cajun trotting contentedly behind the heels of his mistress. Stacy's spirits rose as she walked. Her stride had a little spring in it and her face wore a satisfied expression. She was convinced that any future confrontation with Cord Harris would not find her coming out second best.
The next morning Stacy overslept, awakening at the persistence of the Shepherd's nuzzling. Hurriedly she had dressed and made coffee. She had hoped to get an early start into town. Just as quickly she fed the dog and gave the sorrel some oats and fresh hay before donning the shirt that matched her yellow slacks. Ordering Cajun to stay at the cabin, Stacy hopped into her black Jaguar and started down the trail to the main road.
She increased her speed, as she turned towards town. This time she was able to look a little more at the view around her. The tall stone mountains seemed to rise out of the prairie as they reached for the sky, their peaks changing into a dark grey contrasting the tans and greens of the plains below. The panoramic view was breathtaking. An occasional greasewood tree dotted the horizon with an exclamation point.
As the car passed the bend in the road where Stacy had had her run-in with Cord Harris yesterday, its speed increased perceptibly. Stacy didn't want to be reminded of that episode and was glad that she could hurry by it. But her spirits were dampened by merely passing the place, causing her to ignore the scenery and concentrate on the road. It was difficult to escape the image of those dark, compelling eyes that had watched her so intently as she sat astride her horse the day before. Their sardonic gleam remained indelible on her memory along with the tanned, sculptured face and dark, almost black hair.
A little over a half hour went by before Stacy reached the town of McCloud. The streets were fairly quiet with only a few people walking from store to store. She parked her sports car in front of the post office. As she climbed out of the car she removed the letter from her purse before walking into the brick building. Nodding a good morning to the clerk in the mail room, Stacy dropped her letter in the outgoing mail slot. She started to leave and then hesitated. Turning around, she walked back to the counter in the mail room.
‘Excuse me, is there any mail here for Stacy Adams?' she inquired.
'You're the young lady that rented Nolan's hunting lodge, aren't you?' the quiet voice drawled. 'Yes, you had a letter, but I gave it to Cord to drop off to you. You've met him, haven't you? He said he knew you and since he's your neighbour, it seemed natural.'
'You gave him my letter?' Stacy was astounded. 'He i knew I would be coming into town.'
'Maybe it just slipped his mind,' offered the middle-aged man. 'He'll probably drop it over to the cabin today. People are pretty neighbourly around here.'
'In the future, please hold my mail here until I come personally to pick it up,' Stacy said, checking her rising temper. The clerk had obviously thought he was doing her a favour, so she really couldn't blame him.
'Yes, ma'am,' he replied, eyeing her quizzically.
With a quiet thank-you, Stacy turned away from the counter and walked out the door. Reaching the sidewalk, she stopped and hesitated for a minute. She decided that it would only be polite to stop in and talk to Mrs. Nolan and thank her for all the extra work she had gone to at the cabin.
As she walked, into the grocery store,
she noticed Molly talking to a young, red-haired woman with two spirited youngsters tugging at her skirt When Mrs. Nolan recognized Stacy coming in, her face immediately broke into a smile that reached all the way to her eyes. The young woman beside her also turned to meet Stacy. Her smile held as much welcome as Molly Nolan's.
'Stacy, I was wondering how you were gettin' along,' the elder woman said, walking up to take both of Stacy's hands in her own. 'Cord said he met you on the road yesterday and, you seemed to think you were doing all right.'
'Yes, I'm doing fine,' Stacy replied, biting her lip to keep from making a caustic comment about Cord Harris. 'And I love the cabin. Mr. Nolan told me about all the decorating you did to make it more feminine, and I want to thank you.'
'Well, don't thank just me, thank my daughter, too,' Molly said, indicating the redhead beside her. 'I'm glad you stopped in, because I was really lookin' forward to you two meetin'. Mary, this is Stacy Adams, as you must have guessed. And this is my daughter, Mary Buchanan.'
'I'm so pleased to meet you at last. Mother has talked of nothing else, but that ‘lovely young girl’ living all alone in the cabin, and she didn't quite do you justice,' the young woman smiled, extending a hand to Stacy.
'Thank you,' Stacy replied. 'Your mother has really made me feel at home.'
'I think she'll always be the mother-hen type looking after her chicks regardless of whether they're hers or not,' teased Mary, smiling affectionately at the woman beside her. 'As you must have guessed, these two Indians here are mine. This is Jeff and this is Dougal.'
Stacy knelt down to shake hands with the two young boys.
‘You're awful pretty,' Jeff said, scrutinizing the golden-brown hair that fell becomingly around the oval face smiling back at him. ' 'Most prettier than. Mom.'
‘Well, thank you,' Stacy laughed.
'You have conquered him,' Mary smiled, gazing at her oldest son with pride. 'But then he always had good taste. Takes after his father.'
'Naturally,' said Mary, 'and don't ever forget it!'
'That's Mom, always reminding me what a catch I made, as if I would forget,' Mary grinned. 'Are you in a hurry or anything? Why don't you come over to my house for coffee?'
That would be wonderful,' said Stacy, warming to the friendliness of the attractive woman. 'My car's parked right out front and—–'
'Good, we walked down here and now we can beg a ride back,' Mary said with a bewitching smile. 'We only live a few blocks away.'
'You two run along then,' said Molly Nolan, 'so I can get back to work. Take care of these two boys. And don't let them eat all that candy I gave them.'
Mary directed Stacy to her home, a beautiful ranch-type house with a large fenced yard. The boys brawled out of the car reluctantly, wishing the ride could have lasted longer.
'They really got a thrill out of riding in your car. They'll remember that for ages,' said Mary, opening the front door and waiting for Stacy to enter first.
'I enjoyed it, too,' Stacy answered as she followed the other girl into a big, spacious kitchen. 'As trite as it sounds, I love children.'
'Well, I'm not going to make that natural comeback of ‘wait until you have some of your own’, because I love mine and wouldn't change them for the world,' Mary agreed, heating coffee for the two of them. 'Mothers that moan and groan about all the trouble their children make almost drive me up the walls.'
'I know what you mean, although I'm not too experienced on the subject,' Stacy said, sitting down at the table.
'Tell me, do you have someone waiting back home?'
'Sort of,' said Stacy, remembering Carter Mills and his recent proposal.
'Sort of? You mean, he hasn't popped the question and you've come out here to make him see how much he misses you?' Mary concluded as she joined Stacy at the table with the coffee. 'Cream or sugar?'
'No, black,' Stacy answered. 'He did propose before I left, but I'm not sure if I want to get married just yet.'
'Do you love him?'
'I suppose so. I've never dated anyone else but him. We just knew each other so well that—–'
'I see what you mean,' Mary nodded. 'I suppose with the loss of your father and all, you didn't want to make any rash decisions.'
'Partly,' Stacy sighed.'
'Maybe being apart will help you decide how much you really do care, for him,' suggested Mary, realizing that the girl beside her was confused. 'Fortunately, there never was any doubt for me as to how I felt about Bill. He's the doctor here. The minute he got into town and took over old Doc Gibbon's practice, I knew he was the man I wanted to marry. I was almost twenty-two by then and had dated my share of men.'
'I wonder if that's my problem. Travelling with my father on his various photography assignments the way I did, I was never in any one place long enough to meet people my age.' It was comforting to be able to confide in Mary, a comparative stranger. 'And when I got back to town I always had Carter to fall back on. I admit I did have a crush on one of the reporters Dad worked with,' Stacy chuckled.
'I guess everyone has those,' Mary laughed. 'I had it bad for Cord Harris. I used to chase him all over.'
'Cord Harris?'
'Yes. Every girl around here has fallen under his spell at one time or another. He used to be quite the playboy,' said Mary, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth.
'That woman-hater? I can't imagine him being polite to anyone!' commented Stacy.
'I assure you he's not a woman-hater. He's a little bitter after that dirty deal Lydia Marshall pulled on him. But it's only a matter of time before some girl breaks through that thin veneer of his, and then you'll see what I'm talking about. When he turns the charm on, nobody is immune,' Mary concluded with a shake of her titian hair.
'You're looking at one girl who is immune,' Stacy said vehemently. 'He is beyond doubt the most arrogant, despicable man I've ever had the misfortune to meet!'
'I see he's made a distinct impression on you,' Mary hid a smile with difficulty. 'I think you may have judged him a little too quickly. Ignoring his superb good looks and his great six-foot-four frame, you'll still find he has all the requirements of a good husband and father. And if that isn't enough, he owns the biggest ranch around and runs it with a profit.'
'That's all well and good, but I still pity the woman that ever marries him. He didn't hesitate to form a hasty opinion of me, and I don't intend to turn the other cheek.'
'Whew! The sparks must fly when you two get together,' Mary exclaimed, amused and puzzled. 'Funny, I thought you two would hit it off rather well.'
'Well, we don't,' Stacy, said, hoping to close the subject. She couldn't bring herself to confide in this understanding girl about yesterday's episode. The humiliation was too fresh in her mind to talk about.
It was the middle of the afternoon before she bade the friendly family good-bye and promised to stop the next time she came to town.
In less than an hour, the young girl was back at her cabin being greeted by the wildly thumping tail of the Shepherd. Happily the two entered the cabin. While Stacy was preparing their supper, she noticed a note on the table. Walking over to pick it up, she saw an envelope underneath it. Quickly she read the note.
'So sorry I missed you,' it read. 'I took the liberty bringing your mail.
C.H.'
'The nerve of that man!' Stacy said aloud, ripping the note into shreds and throwing it into the fireplace. ‘ ‘So sorry I missed you.’ Hmph!' she muttered, returning to the stove. 'Well, I'm not!'
After eating, she took her coffee out to the porch and read the letter from Carter in the waning light.
CHAPTER FOUR
THE late afternoon sun cast a long shadow of horse and rider picking their way through the rocky foothills. The red horse pranced a little as a lizard darted across their path, but responded to the quiet words from the rider on his back. From an arroyo on their left came the German Shepherd to rejoin his mistress.
Stacy called a hello to the dog and urged the hor
se into a canter on to the opening flatland. A smile rose on her lips as she turned to survey her back trail with satisfaction. To her there could be nothing as beautiful as this untamed land. She was glad she had finally decided to trespass on the Circle H home range. The scenery was fantastic in its undisciplined beauty. Pulling the stallion up near some greasewood bushes, she dismounted to sit in their shade and gaze at the panoramic view before her.
After removing the flat gaucho hat, she dusted her white blouse off. They had been exploring since mid-morning and even though she could feel the tiring of her muscles, she was still exhilarated by the wonderful country she had seen. She glanced at her watch and knew that when she remounted she would have to go directly back to the cabin in order to make it before sundown. After dark she might have trouble finding her way back.
Her thoughts turned to the letter she received yesterday from Carter. She knew he wouldn't be so eager for her to return if he were here beside her to enjoy all this scenery. And return she would have to. She couldn't cut herself away from the rest of the world indefinitely. Nature in all its harsh beauty had brought this realization to her today. She had decided during her ride that she would return in two or three weeks. This would be her vacation. She was sure that was the way her father would have wanted it. She'd get a job somewhere, maybe in a travel bureau. If not she would find something else.
But marriage? No, she wasn't ready for that, she thought as she shook her head. She cared too much for Carter to grab at the straw of escape he offered her. When they married, or rather when she married, Stacy knew she wanted to put her whole heart into it and the family that would come. She could only hope that Carter would understand that she wanted herself whole again before they made any life together.
Standing up, she faced the gentle breeze ruffling her long hair and smiled as she inhaled the fresh air. Life was good and there wasn't any sense in worrying about things that hadn't happened. Crossing over to the sorrel, she picked up the reins. Remounting, she whistled to the dog and turned her horse into the mountains from which they had come.
