Darling Jenny

by Janet Dailey

  'In Europe these animals are known as moose, although you can see they bear no resemblance to the animal we call moose. The males stand about five feet tall at the shoulder and top out at about a thousand pounds. The females are smaller. The males you see with the short, spiked antlers are usually one or two years old. The older bulls will have five or six points on each antler.' Logan's low voice came from just behind her ear.

  'Where do they all come from?' Jennifer wished the unsettling awareness of how close he was to her would go away.

  'Mostly from the Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks to the north. At the first good snow they migrate down here to the refuge.'

  'Have they always come here?'

  'No, they used to travel further south to the plains around Rock Springs. In the 1880s when ranching operations cut their winter forage to practically nothing, both here in Jackson Hole and elsewhere, they began starving to death. One spring it was said you could walk for miles on the carcasses of dead elk. Plus the elk had to contend with hunters called tuskers, who killed them only for their teeth, which were highly prized by the Elk Lodge. That was finally outlawed and the refuge established by Congress in 1913.'

  An eerie, yapping wail broke out from the hillside, joined by several other equally mournful voices. The uncanny howl, like an animal in pain, sent shivers down Jennifer's spine. She glanced at Logan apprehensively.

  'Don't you like the serenade? It's coyotes. They're the sanitarians of the wild, cleaning up the carcasses of dead animals.'

  'Don't they attack the herd?'

  'They don't need to. There are always crippled and wounded elk that make their way to the refuge after hunting season. Some make it through the winter, but others are too weak to survive. Others die simply from old age. The coyotes and other scavengers like the raven live very well.'

  'How horrible!' Jennifer shuddered expressively.

  'Just the balance of Nature,' Logan reasoned, but with a sympathetic smile. 'Look there on the hillside.' His arm reached around her to point. She trembled, but this time not because of the coyotes. 'You can see our dubious choir there by that stand of pines.'

  She looked obediently in the direction, knowing that he must be able to feel the quaking of her body even through her coat.

  'Are you cold, Jenny?'

  Her heart leaped at his words and the sudden tightening of his arm around her shoulder. Although she stiffened slightly, he pulled her closer to him, his hand rubbing her shoulders briskly.

  'We'd better head for home and get you in front of a warm fire,' he said calmly, either ignoring her resistance or unaware of it as he urged the mare into a trot. 'Very rarely do you see other animals in the refuge,' Logan continued conversationally. 'Deer and moose usually find their own forage in the Park or migrate south. Sometimes you see the rare trumpeter swan on the refuge waters. They spend the year here. There's a fish hatchery as well, but we'll see that another time.'

  Jennifer nodded a silent agreement, resolving inwardly that she wasn't going to subject herself to this type of an intimate excursion again. He was too physically attractive for her peace of mind.

  They made the circle in silence past the small building housing the concession ride with Logan, raising a hand in good-bye to the man named Frank. Once again the jingling bells on the horse's harness were the only sounds heard in the silence of a wintry afternoon. The shiny black sleigh with its curving sides seemed to snuggle its two riders in its lap. Jennifer romantically pictured herself resting against Logan's side, his arm hugging her to him. She blamed the idea on the old-fashioned setting and not on any desire on her part for such a scene to take place with Logan.

  His gloved hand moved to rest on the side of her neck, caressing it affectionately.

  'You can rest your head on my shoulder if you want,' Logan suggested. Jennifer's eyes flashed resentful sparks of anger at him. Trust him to know that she had just thought of the singularly inviting idea herself!

  'I'm perfectly all right, thank you,' she said firmly, moving as far away from him as the small seat would allow, which wasn't very far.

  'What's the matter? Are you afraid I had designs on your virtue?' His seductive glance played havoc with her pulse.

  'No, I was merely assuring you that I was warm enough and comfortable enough not to need to make use of your—your—'

  His bewitching smile melted her attempt at cool composure and he finished her sentence for her. 'Shoulder is the word.'

  'I know,' Jennifer retorted indignantly. She was only too aware that he knew exactly what effect he had upon her senses. She maintained silence the rest of the ride back to the house.

  'Well, Jenny Glenn, here we are, safe and sound.' Logan baited her roguishly as he reined the horse to a stop in front of Sheila's.

  He stepped down off the sleigh and turned to place his hands firmly around her waist before lifting her to the ground. She stared angrily up at his bemused expression as he failed to release her from the circle of his arms. Breathlessly she saw his gaze fasten on her lips. For one horrifying moment she thought he was going to kiss her. His sensuous masculine lips hovered invitingly above hers, reminding her how vulnerable and responsive she had been the last time that they had exquisitely possessed hers with a wild sweetness.

  'I had a very nice time, Logan,' she rushed in hurriedly, knowing her inner confusion made her words sound stiff and insincere.

  'As much as you would allow yourself,' Logan laughed. His gaze shifted from her lips to encompass her entire face with an amused detachment. His hands returned to his side and she was free.

  'It never hurts to be on one's guard,' Jennifer retorted scathingly, stepping away from him before he changed his mind about having released her.

  'Tell Sheila that I'll be out of town for the next day or two, will you?' he asked without rancour. 'When I get back, I'll probably have to spend a few days at the ranch. Unless I hear from her otherwise, Mother and I will be over about seven on Christmas Eve.'

  'Christmas Eve?' Jennifer questioned in stunned surprise. 'What are you coming over for?'

  'Mother and I usually come over for an hour or so on Christmas Eve,' he frowned. 'It's been a tradition in our family since Eric and I were boys in school.'

  'I didn't know.' Jennifer's reply was an apologetic whisper. The nearly burning resentment in his eyes had startled her. She was so accustomed to the charming side of him that she had forgotten until this moment how dominatingly displeased he could become, and she didn't like being the object of his displeasure. 'We'll look forward to seeing you Christmas Eve, then,' Jennifer said calmly and with dignity.

  'Till then,' Logan agreed with a half smile of politeness.

  Jennifer passed Logan's message on to Sheila that evening. Her sister admitted in an offhand manner that it was something that they had done every year, confirming Logan's assertion.

  'If you like, the children and I always get them a gift every year, nothing too expensive, but we can add your name to the card' Sheila had suggested.

  'No…' Jennifer had hesitated, a rebellious, devilish idea forming in her head. 'I think I'd rather pick out a gift for Logan myself.'

  'As for Mandy, Logan's mother, you can always play it safe by getting her the latest best-seller.'

  'Mmmm, thanks,' Jennifer had replied absently, hugging her secret plans to herself in malicious glee.

  It was three days later before she was finally able to have a free afternoon. Jennifer had no difficulty locating Mrs. Taylor's present. Taking Sheila's advice, she had gone to the local bookstore and discovered them in the midst of unpacking the latest best-sellers and chose a biography. She also found a very delicately filigreed metal bookmarker which she also purchased. With the simple task done, she went in search of Logan's present. Several stops later she finally found what she was looking for. She was nearly bubbling with laughter as she watched the skeptical clerk wrapping it up for her.

  Leaving the store, Jennifer glanced at her watch. Sheila was to pick h
er up in less than an hour. Time enough to have a leisurely cup of coffee at the restaurant.

  She chose the little café that Logan had taken her to, for no other reason, she told herself, except that it was close at hand. It was quite crowded with skiers who were beginning to call it a day on the slopes. The only free table she could see was a small one for two off in the corner. She was half finished with her coffee when she happened to look up and notice Dirk Hamilton walk in the door. By chance he spotted her at almost the same instant. He glanced around the full tables, then back at Jennifer, and hesitated before striding over to the table.

  'Would you object to sharing the table with me, Jenny?' Dirk asked politely, almost steeling himself for her refusal.

  'Of course not,' she smiled.

  He managed a half smile of gratitude before he settled his stocky frame in the chair opposite her. For some reason his calling her Jenny didn't ruffle the hair in the back of her neck. The way Logan said it always made it sound like a substitute for 'darling'.

  'You don't mind me calling you Jenny, do you?' Dirk questioned after ordering a cup of coffee. 'The name Jennifer always conjures up the image of a sophisticated person for me, and there's not a trace of artificialness about you.'

  'I'll take that as a compliment, thank you,' Jennifer laughed. 'Strangely enough it's only since I've come to Jackson that people have shortened my name. I resented it a great deal at first.'

  'I've noticed that Logan Taylor calls you Jenny.' A bitter smile played across his lips. 'Was it the name you resented or the person using it?'

  'Since he's played such an active role in my sister's life, I think I'll let that question pass.'

  'I detect a lack of endorsement of the indomitable Mr. Taylor in your statement.' Dirk eyed her curiously. 'Doesn't his charm work its magic on you?'

  'I'm just not taken in by it,' Jennifer asserted. Her basic honesty refused to let her lie about the physical attraction he aroused in her. 'Sheila is another question.'

  'Sheila is blinded by his security,' Dirk sighed. Exasperation and anger mingled with his words. 'His material security.'

  'Raising two children on your own usually forces a person to look at the financial side of life.' Jennifer spoke up firmly, not liking the picture Dirk was painting of her sister as a gold-digger.

  'And an artist can rarely offer much promise of that, can he?' It was a rhetorical question that lapsed into silence as Dirk stared moodily at the table. Finally when the waitress had returned with his coffee, Dirk looked up at Jennifer, a very determined expression on his square-jawed face. 'When I first started out painting, I had to prostitute a lot of my work to survive. I'm thirty-five years old, Jenny. Between exhibits and commissions, I've passed that early stage of struggle. I make a fairly adequate living.'

  His big fist slammed the table to emphasize his words. He glanced around him in embarrassment, then ran his hand through the dark thatch of his hair.

  'But your sister has reduced me to the stage of a puppy dog, running in circles chasing his tail,' Dirk added grimly. 'There's no painting I particularly want to do here. It's all just an excuse. I take it she never talks about me to you?'

  Jennifer shook her red-gold head negatively.

  'I fell in love with her last summer, and I thought Sheila fell in love with me, too. I mean the kind of love where you accept the person the way they are. But all of a sudden she was talking about me getting a job and painting on the side. The financial future of an artist was too uncertain for her. She wanted to know there was money coming in every week, without being dependent upon the whims of the buying public. It didn't matter to her that painting was my life and my future. All those idyllic days were swept away by vicious arguments. I left, telling myself I was lucky to be rid of her and her materialistic world. I told myself she was better off with Logan, and in time, I'd get her out of my system.'

  'But you couldn't convince yourself,' Jennifer stated softly.

  'No,' Dirk agreed in a quiet, resigned voice. 'I had to come back one last time. So far, I haven't even seen the back of her head. My God!' he exclaimed suddenly, 'why am I unburdening all this on you!'

  'I have a very sympathetic ear.' Jennifer's heart went out to her tortured companion. 'Besides, who would make a better conspirator than the victim's sister?'

  'I couldn't let you do that.' The light that had flickered so hopefully in his dark eyes blinked out. 'I wouldn't want to put you in the position of being disloyal to your family.'

  'How would I be doing that?' she quipped. 'The idea of Logan as Sheila's husband sends chills down my back. I would just be looking out after my sister's interests by introducing someone I thought more suitable back into her life.'

  'You've set yourself out a demanding task. She's been making it perfectly dear that she doesn't want to see me.' Dirk shook his head ruefully, gradually being drawn into Jennifer's plot despite his misgivings.

  'She certainly can't stop me from having my friends over, unless she kicks me out of the house, which I doubt. And if she should happen to be at home when you come over, well…?' Jennifer ended with a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

  'You're a conniving little witch.' But the smile on his face was so wide and such a marked change from the sullen, sober expression that Jennifer broke into a lilting laugh.

  'I found her, Mommy!' a childish voice cried just before two red-parkaed arms flung themselves around Jennifer.

  'Cindy, I didn't expect to see you,' Jennifer exclaimed in surprise.

  'We been lookin' all over for you,' Cindy admonished as Jennifer glanced up to see Sheila and Eric making their way over to the table. Evidently Sheila hadn't seen her companion as yet.

  'Hello, Cindy,' Dirk said quietly.

  She turned a pair of startled blue eyes on him before breaking into an enormous smile and dashing over to his side.

  'Oh, Dirk, I mithed you tho,' she lisped, her little voice trembling with emotion. 'Mommy thaid you'd never come back.'

  'I thought I taught you how to say your S's,' Dirk stated, a mock reprimand sparkling out of his dark eyes.

  'Sssss,' Cindy went. A sad almost lonely expression came on to her face as she enunciated very clearly, 'It didn't seem very important after you left us.'

  Dirk never replied to her statement because he had just glanced up into Sheila's white face. Jennifer was amazed at the lack of expression in his face and voice as he greeted her quietly.

  'Hello, Sheila. How are you?'

  Sheila glanced numbly at her sister before mumbling that she was fine. Dirk turned to a very sulky-looking Eric.

  'And how's my little man?'

  'I'm not your little man!' Eric retorted sharply, stepping away from the hand reaching out to him.

  'Aren't you glad Dirk is back, Mommy?' Cindy cried, then turned excitedly back to him. 'You should thee Ragth. He'th real big and fat now! You know what we bought him for Chrithmath? A toy pork chop! Ithn't that nithe!'

  'Hush, Cindy!' Sheila's face was incredibly flushed as she met Dirk's glance. 'I'm sure Mr. Hamilton isn't interested in that.'

  'Yes, he ith tho, aren't you, Dirk?' Cindy insisted.

  'Of course,' he answered calmly, raising an eyebrow in Sheila's direction.

  Cindy flicked her mother an 'I-told-you-so' glance before continuing. 'You should thee what I bought Eric. We're gonna open our prethenth Chrithmath Eve. Oh, I wish you could be there. Our tree ith tho beautiful.'

  'Isn't that strange you should say that, Cindy?' Jennifer inserted quickly. 'I was just asking Dirk what his plans were for Christmas Eve, and he said he hadn't a thing to do. He was going to be all alone.'

  She knew it was unfair using the child to further her plans, but Jennifer knew she would do anything to wrest her sister away from the clutches of Logan Taylor.

  'Jennifer!' Sheila exclaimed in a horrified whisper with an angry, accusing gleam in her eyes.

  'Do come, Dirk. Pleathe!' Cindy pleaded.

  'Of course I'll come,' Dirk said, then look
ed over at Jennifer. 'If you're sure it's all right?'

  'Seven o'clock in your best holiday attire!'

  'It's a date,' Dirk smiled.

  'Good. Well, I imagine you're ready to go,' Jennifer said to Sheila. 'I'll probably see you tomorrow, Dirk.'

  The silence of Eric and Sheila was hidden by the chorus of good-byes exchanged among Cindy, Jennifer, and Dirk. They were out on the street when Sheila managed a very angry 'How could you?' to Jennifer which she shrugged off indifferently. After all, she had invited Dirk for her sister's own good. It was certainly nothing to do with needing a shield for herself from Logan's presence. Or was it?

  Chapter Six

  IT was the night before Christmas Eve and Jennifer had tucked Cindy and Eric into their beds more than a half hour ago. Sheila was still at the Lodge, working. Sheila. If anyone would have told Jennifer a week ago that there would be such a strained silence between them, she would have laughed. She had expected her sister to explode after the invitation to Dirk, thus allow Jennifer to use all her well-thought-out arguments. But her raven-haired sister had discovered a better weapon. Her silence was a much more eloquent accusation of betrayal, one that didn't allow Jennifer the opportunity for discussion.

  With a sigh of annoyance, Jennifer closed the book that had failed to capture her attention. She gazed at the twinkling lights on the Christmas tree. They really had done a good job of decorating the spindly thing. It had taken hours of stringing popcorn by the two children and two sisters before they had enough garlands to fully circle the tree. Many of the ornaments had been too heavy, as Logan had decreed, but there had been some that they were able to use, which, with the aid of a few hand-made snowflakes, had dressed it out nicely in its holiday garb. A few applications of artificial snow had hidden the worst of the bare spots. And now with the twinkling fairy lights, it looked quite festive.

  Restless stirrings from Eric's room quickly switched her thoughts back to Sheila and Dirk. It hadn't taken Jennifer long to discover that Eric's sullenness marked him as a second adversary in her desire to bring her sister and the artist together. But his reticence in accepting Dirk was all the more confusing when compared with Cindy's wholehearted endorsement.