Jenny

by Bobbi Smith

"I'll do that. I can't wait to see how they turned out."

  The photo developing was a lengthy process, but worth every minute especially to get to see her picture of Dan.

  As soon as everything was unpacked, Rose went to work while Jenny arranged for Richard's and Aubrey's luggage to be delivered to them in town.

  Dinner time came and went, but Rose did not join them to eat. She worked on, not emerging until much later when all her photographs were finished. She was smiling as she came downstairs to where they were all waiting for her in the parlor.

  "Well?" Jenny asked excitedly when Rose appeared in the doorway.

  "Come take a look," Rose invited.

  They all followed her upstairs.

  At their first look at her work, they were in awe of her talent. The photographs were magnificent. She had captured the mountain scenery expertly, and the portraits from town had turned out better than she'd ever hoped. The picture of George in front of the mercantile was wonderful, and the photographs she'd taken at the High Time with Dan and Fernada were perfect.

  "Are you happy with them?" Jenny asked.

  "Very.,,

  "Your father's going to be impressed, too. Once he's seen them, I bet he'll help you set up your own studio in no time."

  "I hope so," Rose said excitedly. "That's been my dream for ages."

  As she thought about it, though, she wondered for the first time if that was what she really wanted to do. All her dreams about a studio back in Philadelphia had been before she'd met Dan.

  It had been late when Cole had finally ridden home the night of the dance. He'd arrived back at the Branding Iron long after midnight and didn't get much sleep, rising at dawn to take care of ranch business. He deliberately worked hard all day long, concentrating on getting things done, wanting to tire himself out so he'd get some rest that night. It seemed that no matter how busy he kept himself, it was impossible to ignore the image of Jenny reaching out to him, inviting him to her bed.

  "You all right, boss?" Fred asked late that after- noon, noticing how distracted Cole had become.

  Fred's question interrupted Cole's deep thoughts, and he forced his attention back to the business at hand.

  "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just a little tired, that's all," he answered shortly, irritated with himself.

  "Too much partying in town last night, huh, boss?" the ranch hand joked.

  Cole wished that had been the case, but the one thing he hadn't been doing was having fun. "You finish up here. I'm going on back to the house."

  He wheeled his horse around and rode away.

  Cole was angry with himself. He'd always taken pride in his self-control, and the fact that Jenny could haunt him this way day and night disturbed him. He had known working with her might be awkward, but he'd considered himself a mature man who could handle it smoothly. Ever since he first set eyes on her the day she'd returned, though, his life had not been the same.

  He had believed he was over her.

  He'd believed he didn't care about her.

  He'd believed he didn't love her anymore.

  He'd been kidding himself.

  He still loved Jenny.

  Cole was shocked as he finally admitted the truth to himself He wondered how he'd had the strength to walk away from her last night.

  Damn, but she'd looked gorgeous lying there on the bed waiting for him. He could only imagine how wonderful making love to her would have been if he'd given in to his desire for her.

  Cole cursed under his breath in frustration as he continued to ride toward the house. Sometimes pride was a good thing, but sometimes a man's pride could stand in the way of his true happiness.

  He would not let that happen to him.

  Jenny had already told him she loved him. Now it was his turn to acknowledge the truth of what was in his heart.

  He made up his mind.

  It was too late to go to Jenny tonight and profess his love, but he would ride for the Lazy S first thing tomorrow.

  Cole reached the house and passed an uneventful night. He got little sleep, but didn't mind so much this time. It was his excitement about the prospect of seeing Jenny and telling her he loved her that kept him awake.

  He was in a good mood in the morning when he rose and got cleaned up, ready for his trip to see Jenny. He was certain that after today, his life would never be the same.

  "Cole!" Shorty Parkins came running up to the main house.

  "What is it?" Cole asked, hurrying out on the porch to see what the trouble was.

  "Word just came in the rustlers have hit us again."

  "Where?"

  Shorty quickly told him everything he knew. "Down in the south range. It looks like about fifty head are missing. Some of the boys are trying to track them down, but I don't know if they'll have any luck. Every other time this has happened, they've gotten clean away."

  Cole was furious, but realized there was nothing more he could do right now. His men were already on the trail.

  "I've got to ride over to the Lazy S this morning, so I'll check to see if any of their stock are missing, too. I'll tell them to keep a look out for anything suspicious. Let Fred know that I'm going, and ask him to keep an eye on things while I'm away. I should be back tonight."

  "I'll tell him."

  Cole rode off to see Jenny. But his excitement was tempered by the news that the rustlers had returned.

  "It looks like the boys did a fine job while we were in town," Wayne bragged to Mira as she came out to the stable. "They just told me they hit both the Branding Iron and the Lazy S again."

  "Good," Mira said, glad that she was able to strike back at both Jenny and Cole in some way.

  "Where are you going?" Wayne asked as she started to saddle up her horse.

  "Not that it's any of your business, but I have a few things to say to Jenny that won't wait."

  "You sure you should be doing this?"

  "Oh, yeah." She smiled coldly at him as she tightened the cinch and swung the stirrup down. "I've had enough of her, and it's time she knows it. I' 11 be back."

  "Rose! You've got company coming!" Melanie called out as she entered the main house. She had been down at the stables and had seen the rider coming in.

  "I do?" Rose's heartbeat quickened. She hurried outside just as Dan reined in before the porch.

  "Good morning, Rose," Dan greeted her, his voice warm and deep.

  "What brings you out to the Lazy S?" she asked, smiling brightly at him. She'd feared that he wouldn't be able to get away from the High Time and was delighted to see him.

  "There's this young lady who's staying at the ranch, and I needed to see her," he said as he dismounted and tied his reins over the hitching rail. As he took a step toward her, he dropped his voice and said in a more intimate tone, "I've missed you, Rose."

  All she wanted to do was throw herself into his arms. How she controlled the impulse, she would never know.

  "I've missed you, too, Dan. Would you like to come inside and see everyone?"

  Truth be told, he didn't want to do anything but grab Rose and run away with her, but he behaved himself. "Of course."

  Rose took his arm as he mounted the steps, and she led him indoors. Dan doffed his hat when he entered the house and was greeted warmly by the ladies.

  "I've developed all the pictures," Rose told him. "Would you like to see them?"

  "Yes, I'd love to. When I saw Fernada this morning, she told me to ask you about them."

  "I think she'll like the way they turned out."

  They excused themselves from the others and made their way upstairs to the room she'd used for her work. The minute she opened the door for him, he took her by the wrist and drew her inside. Alone with her at last, Dan pulled her into his embrace and kissed her.

  Rose had been anxiously hoping for just this moment, and she eagerly surrendered to his mastery. When he parted her lips, her tongue met his in a heated exchange. Her pulse was racing as his kiss ignited a fire of desire within her. They
clung together, unable to get enough of each other, desperate for these few moments of privacy.

  When Dan finally ended the kiss, he simply stood there, holding her close. He needed to let the fever of their nearly out-of-control passion cool.

  "You had some pictures you wanted to show me?" he murmured. He did not want to let her go, but feared someone might happen upon them at any minute.

  "I did?" she answered dreamily. She did not make any move away from him. She was perfectly content in his arms.

  "That's what I heard," he said with a grin. "Of course, if you can think of something better to do while we're up here alone, I could forget the pictures-"

  "You tempt me sorely, sir," Rose said, reluctantly moving away from him. "But come look at my work."

  She had the pictures spread out about the room, and she took Dan's hand and led him to the first photograph of the mountains. He studied it seriously, then looked up at her. He was amazed by her ability to capture the beauty of the scenery with her camera.

  "You really are very good."

  He was sincere in his compliment. He had known Rose was an intelligent woman, but he'd had no idea she was so talented.

  "Thank you."

  He viewed the rest of her work, and his respect for her grew even more. Her portraits of people were as impressive as her landscapes.

  They wanted to linger there in the room longer, but the sound of a rider coming up to the house at a gallop drew them back downstairs. They saw Jenny on the porch, deep in conversation with Louie. She looked so serious that they waited in the parlor for her to come indoors. When she did come back inside, it was obvious from her expression that she was angry.

  "What's wrong?" Rose asked.

  "I have to leave for a while. Some of the hands reported to Louie that there are cattle missing from up in the north pasture. I'm going to ride out and talk to them, and see what I can learn."

  "Isn't that where your father had his accident?" Evelyn asked as she came in from the kitchen.

  "Yes," Jenny answered tersely. She found herself wondering anew if there was any connection between the rustling and her father's death.

  "Do you want me to ride with you?" Dan offered.

  "No, Louie's getting one of the men to go with me. You two enjoy your time together. I should be back before dark."

  Jenny hurried out to the stable to get her horse. She was angry at the news and wanted to get to the bottom of this trouble. Louie and Gene were waiting for her. They had already saddled her horse.

  "Gene's going with you," Louie told Jenny.

  "I appreciate the company."

  Jenny's mood was determined as they mounted up and rode out.

  It was early afternoon when Cole finally reached the Lazy S.He'd meant to get there earlier, but all the trouble on the Branding Iron had delayed him. As he tied up in front of the house, he was surprised when Frances came out to meet him. He'd been hoping Jenny would be the first one out the door.

  "Is Jenny here?" Cole asked, eager to talk with her.

  "No, not right now, but she should be back before dark, I hope," the older woman told him.

  "Where did she go? Do you think I can catch up with her?" He was ready to declare himself and didn't want to put it off any longer than necessary.

  "She's been gone awhile. Louie heard from some of the hands that stock was missing from the north pasture. She rode out with Gene to see what happened."

  "So you were hit, too. I'm missing about fifty head, myself," he told her. "That was one of the reasons I came to see her."

  "Why don't you come on in and wait for her? Dan came out from town to see Rose today, and they went off on a picnic a while ago, but I expect them to return any time now. Evelyn, Tillie, and Melanie are all down at the stable watching Tom and another hand saddle-breaking horses."

  Cole was greatly disappointed that Jenny wasn't there. He debated going back home. He certainly had a lot of work waiting for him, but he wanted to speak with Jenny too much to just ride off. He'd made the trip to the Lazy S to tell her he loved her. He was going to wait for her return no matter how long it took.

  Mira's mood only worsened as she traveled the miles toward the Lazy S.She had always been jealous of Jenny, but that jealousy had now turned to deadly rage.

  How dare Cole make love to Jenny up in that hotel room?

  Mira was amazed that she'd managed to control her fury this long. But she would control it no longer. It was past time she and Jenny had a private little talk.

  Riding cross-country to cut down the travel time, Mira topped a rise still some miles north of the Sullivan ranch house and reined in. There below her in the valley she caught sight of two riders. She watched intently and soon recognized that one of them was Jenny.

  What luck! She'd wanted to talk to Jenny alone, and now was the time. Mira started to ride down, then reined in again as an idea came to her an idea that brought a feral smile to her face.

  They were alone there was no one else around for miles-no one who would hear the gunshots.

  This was the woman who had stolen Cole from her, and she was within easy rifle range. She could pick them both off easily.

  The choice was simple for Mira. If she acted right now, no one would ever know who'd shot them.

  With slow calculation, Mira slid her rifle from its sheath and took aim. She had no second thoughts about doing it. The only thought in her mind was the memory of Cole coming out of Jenny's hotel room, his clothing in disarray.

  Cole was hers! Jenny would never have him. Never!

  Mira squeezed off the shot and smiled in vicious delight as the man fell from his horse. Jenny reined in and looked her way just as she fired again. Again Mira hit her mark. She laughed as Jenny fell from her horse and lay still, face down on the ground. The panicked horses raced off.

  Mira stood up, watching and waiting to see if either Jenny or the man moved. She was tempted to go down and check on them, but when they continued to lie immobile in the dirt, Mira decided it wasn't necessary. She had earned her reputation as a good shot around the ranch and believed she hadn't missed. Satisfied, she mounted up again and turned around to ride for home.

  In a day or two, she'd make a trip over to the Branding Iron to see Cole. With Jenny out of the way, he would be all hers.

  Cole settled in the study and started going over some of the ranch paperwork while he awaited Jenny's return. He'd been working there for nearly an hour when he heard a horse galloping up and shouts coming from the stable.

  Certain that it was Jenny returning, Cole hurried from the study. He couldn't wait to see her again. He was smiling. This was the moment he'd been waiting for.

  "Sounds like Jenny's back," Evelyn said as she emerged from the back of the house with Frances and Tillie. They went outside with Cole.

  "Maybe she got lucky and found something out," Frances said, worried about the rustlers.

  They started out onto the front porch, then stopped. There, running wild-eyed near the stable, was Jenny's horse, but there was no sign of Jenny.

  "That's not like Jenny," Frances said, a cautious note in her voice as she stared at the lathered horse. "I wonder why she rode him so hard. And where is Gene?"

  Tom came out of the stable and grabbed up the reins. "Whoa, boy. Easy there, fella," he said as he tried to calm the panicked mount.

  "Where's Jenny?" Cole asked, looking around for her as he strode toward the stable.

  "I didn't see her actually ride in," Frances said. "I only heard the horse."

  Frances frowned as she and the other women trailed after Cole. She was suddenly remembering another time when a horse had returned to the stable riderless.

  They hurried toward Tom.

  "Is Jenny in the stable?" Cole called out.

  Tom looked his way as he continued to try to calm the horse. His expression was troubled. "No. The horse came back without her."

  "What?"

  Cole was beside Tom in an instant, grabbing the reins and checking
the horse over carefully.

  "Where did Jenny say she was going when she rode out?" he demanded. She was out there somewhere, obviously injured in some way, or in trouble, and he had to go find her. He had to help her.

  "She and Gene were riding for the north pasture," Frances answered quickly.

  Cole remembered the north pasture all too well how deserted and remote it was.

  "Take care of the horse," he directed Tom. "I'm going after them." He handed the reins to Tom.

  "What's going on?" Rose and Dan asked as they hurried over to see what all the excitement was about.

  "Jenny's horse came back without her," Cole told them quickly. "I've got to go look for her. She must be in trouble."

  "This is just like what happened to her father," Frances pointed out worriedly.

  Evelyn, Tillie, and Melanie were aghast at what had happened and shared worried looks.

  "I'm coming with you," Dan declared.

  Cole knew he might need his help. "Thanks."

  "We'll come, too!" Rose said, "We want to help."

  "No," Cole said sharply. "You women wait here." He looked at Tom and ordered, "Get the men together. We're riding out now."

  Tom led the horse into the stable and ran off to gather the hands who were at the bunkhouse.

  Cole and Dan went to get their horses while the women waited by the stable. The two men returned quickly.

  "What should we do?" Evelyn asked in a shaky voice, looking up at Cole as she nervously clutched Tillie's hand for moral support. She was nearly in tears at the thought that something had happened to Jenny and Gene.

  "Pray," Cole answered her, his tone solemn.

  The ranch hands came running, and Cole quickly organized them and told them where to start searching. They rushed to get their mounts, and then rode out to check the areas Cole had assigned to them.

  The women watched them go, horror etched in their faces. They knew Jenny and Gene were in some kind of trouble, and they hoped the men would find them quickly.

  Jenny stirred and tried to open her eyes, but the pain in her head was too violent. She groaned and lay still, trying to remember where she was and what had happened. Even trying to think, though, made her agony worse. It took a superhuman effort to lift her hand to her forehead, and when she drew it away and peered at it, she was shocked to see her hand was covered with blood. Blackness overwhelmed her, and with the darkness came relief from the pain.