Jamie was behind her. She turned and shouted to him. "It's still
standing!"
"Yes," he began.
She didn't let him say more. She nudged the mare hard again with' her
heels and thundered toward the ranch. She passed the paddocks and the
beautiful mares with their foals and she felt joy cascade throughout
her. Von Heusen hadn't beaten them--not yet.
She reined in the mare as she came to the house. Dust flew as the little
horse pawed the ground. Tess leaped down and went racing for the front
door.
"Dolly, Jane, Hank!" She stood in the entryway, looking at the large
desk, at the stairway leading to the second floor, at the furniture in
the parlor, at the dining table. She was home.
"They're here! Someone is here!" a voice shouted. It was an unfamiliar
voice. Tess stared in astonishment as a tall, slim blond woman came
hurrying down the stairway. She was followed by a handsome little boy of
about five, then a second blond woman with a serene and beautiful face.
"Miss. Tess!"
Tess swung around as Jane hurried from the kitchen, throwing her arms
around her.
"I knew you'd come back, I just knew that you would!"
"Well." The first woman had reached the entryway.
"I knew that Jamie wouldn't come back without you, of course," she said.
"Where is he?"
Tess stared with astonishment at the two women and the little boy.
Then the door burst open behind her. Jamie had arrived, but he wasn't
alone.
With him were two men, both as tall as he, with the handsome but rugged
features of ranchers, of men who eked their existence from the land and
the elements. They were talking, the three of them were talking, the
darkest of them saying something about yon Hensen.
Then Dolly emerged' from the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron.
"Those twins!" she proclaimed.
"The little darlings are going to eat us out of cookies and cakes, they
are!
Oh!
Oh, Tess! Jamie, Lieutenant Slater, why you're home! You're home!" There
were tears in her eyes, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"I knew Tess wouldn't come home without her lieutenant. I knew you
wouldn't!" Dolly flung her arms around Jamie, and then Dolly and Jane
were fighting to hug Tess, and she was trying to hug them back.
But she still couldn't help staring at the strangers who were suddenly
filling her house. Twins? What twins?
The two blond women were kissing and hugging Jamie. Jamie was laughing
in return and thanking both for coming.
Tess wasn't sure if she would lose her temper or her mind first.
"Excuse me!" she said, but there was too much noise. "Excuse me!" she
shouted. The room went still. She looked around, and then said frankly,
"Excuse me, but--who are you?"
"Jamie!" the taller woman wailed.
"You didn't tell her?" Tess smiled sweetly.
"No. No, he didn't tell me."
Jamie stepped forward.
"These are my brothers, Cole and Malachi. And their wives, Kristin and
Shannon. And that's my nephew, Gabe. And I take it that Shannon and
Malachi's twins are in the kitchen" -- "The little darlings!" Dolly said
rapturously. "We've come because Jamie sent us a wire about von Heusen,"
Cole Slater told her.
Tess gasped. She stared at them all. So this was having a family.
They were so close. They knew one another so well.
They were happy and content, she could see it on their faces; they were
serene with their world.
She shook her head.
"Thank you, but" -- She swung around on Jamie.
"Jamie, you can't--they could get killed here!"
"Well, ma'am, I'm not planning on getting killed," Malachi told her,
tipping back his hat.
"I'm not planning on it at all. You see, we came to kill them if need
be."
"You don't know von Heusen." "Oh," Kristin said cheerfully, "we have
known men a great deal like him." She smiled, stepping forward.
"We're family, Tess. And that's what it's all about." She flashed Jamie
a quick grin.
"My brother-in-law was always there when I needed him," she said.
"Oh!" Shannon said suddenly.
"Smell that! Oh, no, Jamie and Miss. Stuart have come home at last, and
it seems we've let dinner burn!"
She swung around, then looked back.
"Well, isn't anyone hungry?"
And Tess realized she was starved.
She glanced at Jamie. She was still amazed, still in shock. But Kristin
Slater set a hand upon her arm.
"Come on! I promise you, things will start to look more reasonable after
a good dinner and a full night's sleep!"
Jamie shrugged.
Tess felt herself gently pulled along. Dinner. The perfect end to the.
perfect day?
Chapter Thirteen.
They had just reached the table when Jon Red Feather came in with Hank.
Tess let out a startled, joyful cry and raced to Jori, giving him a
fierce hug.
"You did come back! You made it out, and you came back!"
"Of course," he told her.
"Someone had to be here to welcome the Slaters. I mean, this is
practically a tribe. Have you realized that yet?"
"A tribe!" Kristin said indignantly.
"Sit down, Jon, and watch your tongue, if you will. Jamie, by the way,
you should marry this girl before you find out that you've got
competition on your hands."
Jon laughed, and Tess flushed. She wasn't sure about Jamie's reaction.
Kristin Slater started calmly doling out food into the numerous plates
on the table. It was a good thing it was a big house.
Uncle Joe, you would have loved to have seen this! she thought.
"If everyone would come sit down," Malachi said, pouting wine into the
glasses around the table, "I think that Jon has something to tell Tess
and Jamie."
"Yes, I do, as a matter of fact." Jon walked to the table and picked up
a glass of wine. He smiled at Tess and Jamie. "Cheers," he said, raising
his glass to his lips.
"Will you all please sit!" Cole said emphatically.
Tess sat at her own dining table--as she had been so politely orderedl
Jamie sat beside her, and they stared at Jon, who looked at them.
"I have discovered why von Heusen is so particularly eager to seize hold
of your land, Miss. Stuart."
Tess gasped, and she and Jamie stood.
"Why?" Tess demanded.
Jon smiled, swirling his wine.
"The railroad." "Oh, my God!" Jamie said, sinking into his chair.
Tess stared at him. He obviously understood completely what was going
on, but she didn't have the least idea.
"What?"
"Miss. Stuart," Cole Slater told her, drawing out a chair and sitting
back in it, "the railroad is coming through here.
That means that this property is going to go sky-high in value. If you
wanted to sell some land straight, it would be worth a small fortune."
"But there's more," Jon Red Feather told her softly.
"If 9ou do sell just the necessary land, the rest of your property will
still go sky-rocketing in value--you'll be able to send your produce
right out from your own doorstep. Tess, you're sitting on the best land
this side of the Mississippi. And that's why von Heusen has been so
desperate to get rid of you. With this property in his hands, he could
really control a good percentage of western Texas."
Tess smiled slowly, looking at Jamie.
"But--but he can't touch any of it now. He must know that! Half of it is
in your name, and even if we hadn't returned" -- "Ownership would have
come to Cole and me and our families," Malachi supplied for her.
"Well, he must know that."
"He does know that," Jon said. Gabe was sitting beside him, and he
tousled the lad's brown hair to be rewarded with a fascinated smile. Jon