“And you don’t want to go?”
“Not alone,” Billy admitted. “But Mother says she can’t leave Jessie alone, either, and Jessie wouldn’t consider coming back with us. I can’t blame Jessie for that, though. I wouldn’t give up this ranch, either, if it were mine. I just wish I could stay here, too.”
“Well, I don’t imagine your mother is eager to part with you.” Chase grinned. “So you’ll probably be around here for a while. Enjoy it while you can.”
“Oh, I will,” Billy replied. Seeing Chase unconsciously rubbing the bridge of his nose, he asked, “What happened yesterday?”
Chase looked at him sideways, ready with a sharp retort. Then he shrugged. Billy meant no harm. “Your sister punched me.”
“Did she really?” Billy grinned, his blue eyes lighting up with wonder.
“I don’t see what’s so funny about it,” Chase said testily, his eyes narrowing.
“It’s not funny,” Billy assured him quickly. “It’s just, well, I mean, she’s not much taller than I am, and here you are twice her size. But then, it’s not so unusual when you consider Jessie. She can do anything.”
Chase shook his head. There was obviously some hero worship there, hero worship of a girl. It was absurd. Did Rachel know about this?
“You like her, do you?” Chase said dryly.
“I sure do. I never even knew I had a sister, not until Mother got that letter, and then she told me about Jessica—I mean Jessie,” he corrected. “She doesn’t like to be called Jessica, you know. And she’s so different! And beautiful. The boys back at home will never believe me when I tell them about her.” His voice dropped. “I just wish she liked me a little.”
Chase drew himself up. “What do you mean? Has she been taking that foul temper of hers out on you, too?”
Billy looked away, embarrassed. “I only wish she would,” he said. “But the fact is, she ignores me. I’ll win her over, though,” he added confidently. “She only tries to act rough because she thinks she has to. I can understand that. After all, she’s only eighteen, and she has to boss men older than she is. A girl’s got to be tough to do that. A girl’s got to be tough just to be a girl, out here.”
Chase sat back in bemusement. All that logic pouring out of a boy nine years old. He was amazed. Every bit of what Billy said made sense. It certainly explained the girl’s attitude. Chase was suddenly seeing Jessica Blair in a different light.
Chase looked at Billy. “How about us going for that ride? As you pointed out, your sister has a ranch to run and is probably too busy to ride with you.”
Jessie was worn out when she rode into the yard late that night. She might have stayed out on the range and gotten an early start the next morning. The roundup of the cattle that would be driven north to fulfill her contracts had started, and work would be long and hard over the next weeks. But Jessie’s curiosity had gotten the better of her, so she rode in, wanting to see if her mother’s friend had moved on.
She knew the answer as soon as she led Blackstar into the stable, for there was that beautiful golden palomino bedded down next to Jeb’s old roan. Strangely, Jessie didn’t know what she really felt. But she was too tired to give it any thought just then.
The prospect of removing Blackstar’s thirty-pound saddle in her exhausted state made Jessie’s movements slow. She lit a lamp and turned him into his stall, sorry Jeb had gone to bed.
There was nothing for it but to get it done and turn in for the night. Though she was starving, she was too tired even to scrape up something to eat. She had left the men just as they were settling down to eat, so she could ride the three-hour journey back to the ranch.
“Can you use some help?”
Jessie started and looked over to see Chase Summers leaning against the railing of Blackstar’s stall. He was dressed in a blue cotton shirt tucked into black pants. His open shirt front revealed a dark mat of curls across his chest. Jessie was struck by his powerful attractiveness and felt a pang of regret that she could never like him.
“I couldn’t sleep, and I happened to see the light go on,” he was saying in a friendly voice, “so I thought I’d come out to see who was still up.”
Jessie made no comment, leery of this sudden overture. She wouldn’t forget what he’d tried to do to her. Why was he being so friendly after she’d socked him? She noted that there was no swelling around his nose, only a slight discoloration that was hardly noticeable. Disagreeably, she vowed to punch him harder next time.
She turned away from him and began unbuckling the cinches, hoping he would go away if she continued to ignore him. But when she began to lift the saddle, he was there beside her. Taking hold, he easily tossed the saddle over the side railing. Jessie didn’t thank him for his help or even look at him as she went about giving Blackstar a brisk rubdown, then seeing to his food and water.
When she had finished, she walked past Chase, still without a word, turned out the lamp, and headed for the house. He fell into step beside her.
“You’re not going to make this easy, are you?” Chase asked softly. When she didn’t reply, he sighed. “Look, Miss Blair, I realize you and I have gotten off to a bad start, but is there any reason to continue that way? I’d like to apologize if you’ll let me.”
Jessie didn’t stop walking, but after a while she asked, “What exactly are you apologizing for?”
“Well... everything.”
“Are you really sorry, or did Rachel Ewing put you up to this?”
Chase winced at the coldness in her voice when she said her mother’s name. Rachel hadn’t been exaggerating. The girl did hate her. He wanted to find out why, but right now wasn’t the time. He finally had her talking to him, and it was best to proceed cautiously.
“I don’t apologize often, Miss Blair. If it weren’t my own idea, I wouldn’t be doing it, believe me.”
“Then you’ll leave?”
Chase stopped short, stunned. “Can’t you just accept my apology?”
“Sure I can,” she said lightly as she continued walking. “But you haven’t answered my question.”
Jessie didn’t wait for him to answer, either. As she reached the back door to the kitchen, she stepped inside. Rachel had left a lamp burning low, and Jessie turned it up.
Chase followed her inside, finding her by the kitchen counter, her back to him, opening a can of beans. When she began to eat the beans cold, right out of the can, he grimaced.
“We missed you at dinner,” he said as he closed the door behind him. “I believe there are some leftovers on the stove if you’re hungry.”
She turned, her eyes flashing, and he realized he must have picked a sore subject. It was a sore subject in fact, for Jessie hadn’t sat down for one of Kate’s excellent hot meals since Rachel and Billy had come. It was a reminder that they had succeeded in pushing her out of her own house. Her own choice, but that didn’t change it any.
“Then again, dinner wasn’t that good tonight,” Chase added quickly, an outright lie, but it seemed to mollify Jessie. She stopped glaring at him and continued to eat her cold beans.
Jessie hadn’t planned to eat anything, hadn’t planned to let anything keep her from her bed. But for some reason she wasn’t quite so tired anymore.
“You haven’t answered my question, Mr. Summers,” Jessie pointed out casually.
“I don’t recall your being too willing to talk to me.” Chase grinned, trying to keep it light.
Jessie frowned. “I answered the one question you had a right to ask. I told you why I lied to you. But my question does concern me, Mr. Summers. I would appreciate it if you would give me an answer.”