"Shut up!" Hank snapped. He shoved a hard elbow in the other man's ribs as he caught sight of Dayna and Karen standing by the door, watching and listening to them.
"What did you do that for?" the recipient of the jab asked.
"Dummy," Hank said in a loud whisper, glancing in embarrassment at Dayna, "that redhead's the woman. Don't look! Jeez! Are you stupid!" Hank scolded, grabbing the other man's elbow and hustling him away.
Karen had opened the door to the lodge but stopped and tilted her head wonderingly at Dayna. "What's going on?"
"If you're referring to their conversation, I told you," Dayna replied with a mixture of impatience and irritation, "he wants me."
"I've met my share of them," Karen answered. "But a woman doesn't bother them when she's not around." Karen raised a dubious brow at her. "I'll go order our iced tea." She closed the door behind her, leaving Dayna alone.
Dayna sat down on the porch swing. Swaying slightly, she turned her head at the sound of the door opening and smiled at Bonnie as he came out.
"What are you doing out here all alone?" he questioned.
She laughed lightly. "Would you believe meditating?"
"My daddy used to call that loafing."
Dayna nodded. "That's what I was doing."
She looked past Bonnie to the corral. Her eyes grew bright with interest as she watched a prancing white stallion circling with impatience inside the railed fencing. "He's a beautiful horse."
Bonnie glanced over his shoulder. "Proud bloodlines there. It shows, doesn't it?" he stated, his admiration apparent. "Valiant belongs to the boss. The horse isn't being ridden as much as he should be." His eyes swept over her outfit. "Been playing tennis, huh?"
Dayna laughed and flicked a finger at the tennis skirt. "What gave you that idea?"
Bonnie answered with a grin. "My keen powers of observation. It's part of good ranching."
Dayna laughed with him and then said more seriously, "It's part of being a good travel agent too. Maybe that's why W.R. and my father hit it off so well."
He nodded agreeably. "Could be. I've worked for W.R. a long time. He's a fine boss, real fair with his people. And I'm not just saying that because you're from the travel agency. Most people out here are real honest. You know how Brand's always saying just what's on his mind. Well, lots of folks here are like that. They don't try to hogwash another man and take him for a fool."
Dayna nodded. She could personally vouch for one man's bold candidness. Pain stirred inside her at that faint reminder of Brand's offer and she swiftly suppressed it with another question. "You knew W.R.'s wife well, didn't you?"
"Sure did, ma'am. Beautiful lady. Real shame she left us so soon. She was the kind of lady everybody liked. Didn't matter who you were, she made you feel welcome. Tell you, if it hadn't been for the tykes he had, I don't think W.R. would have wanted to keep going, but they needed raising. And let me tell you," he said, his eyes growing bright with memories, "they were a handful to bring up."
Dayna laughed. "All children are at times."
"You like little ones?"
At Dayna's affirmative answer, Bonnie replied, "That's good. Real good. Some men just take naturally to young 'uns. Brand does. He says if he could find the right lady and she was agreeable, he'd have six. He said there was sure plenty of room to raise that many here." Dayna frowned enigmatically. Bonnie shrugged his shoulders in response, but his eyes were dancing. "Just thought you might be interested in knowing."
"Is that so? Roscoe T. Bonner, I do believe you're a romantic matchmaker at heart."
Bonnie guffawed. "Been called a lot of things, little lady. Some of them not too nice, either, but never been called that."
Dayna smiled warmly. "I'm sure you've been called friend by many. But," she said, rising from the swing and turning to open the door, "I don't think you know what the Double R foreman really wants."
Swinging the racket in her hand, Dayna wandered through the dining room. Preparations were beginning for lunch, and fresh tablecloths were being laid down by Charlie's assistants. Dayna joined Karen in the guests' lounge and smiled at the sight of the tall, frosty glass of iced tea waiting for her. Slouching in a chair near Karen, she propped her feet on an ottoman and laid her head back, running the cool outer surface of the glass across her cheek.
Now that she'd seen Hank again, she recalled the puzzling conversation he had had with Cutler when she was doing her laundry.
"You're still wearing that troubled frown," Karen commented.
"I was thinking about something I saw today."
"What was it?"
Dayna shook her head and waved her hand in dismissal. "It's nothing important, I guess." She shrugged aside thoughts about Hank and John Cutler. They weren't her problem, but Brand was. And for even more personal reasons now Dayna needed to find out if Alexandria Minter's story was true. She had to know if he made a habit of seeking out female guests for a few weeks of fun and games.
Draining the iced tea, she set the glass down and rose to her feet. "I'll see you in the room, Karen. I've got a few things I have to do."
Dayna paused once she reached the lobby. She couldn't put it off any longer. She had to get some answers now before she allowed herself to become too involved with Brand.
Chapter Eight
Because of her association with the travel agency, Dayna had been given W.R.'s permission to inspect any part of the ranch. Dayna took advantage of that offer and wandered into the kitchen. Over another glass of iced tea, she was able to pump Charlie for some information. Despite her difficulty in following his broken English, she learned he had had his share of problems a few months ago, having to cater to the Epicurean whims of a very rich lady.
Dayna squeezed some lemon into her glass and asked matter-of-factly, "Was she here long?"
"No, missy. Only three days. Very angry when she left."
"She didn't enjoy her stay here?" Dayna asked, looking up. "Did something happen?"
Charlie looked over his shoulder at her, his slanted eyes narrowing warily, and with a suddenness that didn't surprise Dayna, pretended he was totally unable to comprehend her questions. She didn't pursue the subject with him and sought out a more talkative source. Bonnie was the one she really meant to talk to, but it was Hank who ended up being an encyclopedia of information. Dayna eased him into the subject of Alexandria Minter. It didn't take much effort, for she knew he was flattered by her attention and would discuss anything. Offhandedly, she mentioned Charlie's woes.
Hank said informatively, "She was kind of high-falutin. Everyone was supposed to jump for her. It was as if she thought there weren't any other guests here."
"Is that why she left so quickly?"
"No," Hank answered with a smirk. "I really shouldn't say anything, but," he shrugged, "she got more attention than she bargained for during one horseback ride." He made a wry face. "We all forget ourselves sometimes," he added, confirming for Dayna that it was an employee Mrs. Minter had been with. "She just left in a huff after that."
"If you have one bad apple you usually get rid of it before it spoils the rest."
"Couldn't do that," Hank answered. "W.R. wasn't here and…"
Wryly, she finished, "You can't run a ranch without a foreman."
A heaviness settled on Dayna. In just days, Brand had woven a maddening spell over her with little effort. She had hoped the incident with Alexandria Minter wasn't true. She wanted to know for sure if W.R. had been told but Hank, discerning he might have said too much already, made a quick excuse to get away.
A frown settled on Dayna's face as she realized how much she had wanted to believe that Brand had genuine feelings for her. She forgot about Alexandria Minter while she was with him. She sighed knowing she had begun to believe his attentiveness and his flattering words. She raised her chin, angry with herself for caring about him.
After what Hank just said, she could only assume W.R. didn't know about the incident with Alexandria Minter. Out of loyalt
y to Brand, the people she had talked to who knew what had happened would have automatically taken a pledge of silence. But if W.R. did know, Palmer Travel Agency would have to exclude the Double R from their recommendations. Brand was another coma much more personal one. She could handle private emotions, couldn't she? Although there was a physical attraction, she was an adult, a mature woman, certainly not prone to infatuation that made one blind to the faults of another. But she had to admit to herself that she was much more vulnerable to Brand.
Head bent in thought, she wasn't prepared to encounter Brand at that moment. She entered the lobby, and her steps faltered as she looked up and was met by his piercing blue gaze.
He moved quickly toward her, grabbing her arm. "Come on. I want to talk to you."
Dayna balked, pulling back slightly. "What's the matter with you?"
"Come on. I've had enough of this."
"Enough of what?" Dayna flared in response.
His fingers tightened on her arm and he began to draw her along with him. Over Brand's shoulder, Dayna saw W.R. emerge from his office before she heard his softly spoken command.
"Brand, would you come here?"
"Could it wait a minute?" Brand asked tightly over his shoulder.
"No, it can't, Brand. I want to talk to you now."
Dayna waited, holding her breath, sensing the battle waging inside Brand.
"You and I are still going to have a talk," Brand said in a tightly controlled, calm, low voice before he turned and walked away.
Dayna hurried up the stairs, realizing that was the first time she had seen the temper that simmered beneath Brand's outwardly easygoing nature.
As she stepped into the shower to wash away the perspiration of the morning's tennis game, she heard Karen come in. Her heart was still doing a slow gallop when she finished the shower and slipped on her blue wrapper. Trying to ease away the excitement Brand's agitated state had caused, she decided to relax for half an hour until lunch was served.
Karen glanced up from the book she was reading as Dayna emerged from the bathroom. "Shelly left a note," she remarked, setting her book aside. "She and Martin are sitting in on a lecture by a visiting professor on archaeological sites of the Pueblo cliff dwellers of the eleventh century."
Dayna smiled over the lengthy explanation. "Do you think she would have gone to that without Martin?"
Their laughter was interrupted by a thundering knock on the door. Startled, both Dayna and Karen jumped. Dayna rose from the bed and approached the door. "Who is it?"
An angry masculine voice replied, "You know damn well who it is."
Dayna flung the door open, ready to meet Brand's anger head on. "What's the meaning of this?" she asked indignantly.
Brand's blue eyes blazed. "I'm going back downstairs, and fifteen minutes from now," he said with ominous softness, "you'd better be waiting at the stables for me."
His command took her by surprise. She found herself gaping at his retreating form and shut her mouth quickly.
Dayna closed the door and turned back toward Karen. What had provoked his ire? He certainly looked primed for an all-out war with her.
Stirred into action, she discarded her blue wrapper and replaced it with jeans, a blue cotton shirt, and her boots. Grabbing her western hat, she made a brief stop before the mirror and then hurried out.
Diamond, the bay horse she'd become accustomed to riding, was already saddled and waiting for her at the stable. Brand's eyes flicked over her breasts in the brightly colored blouse and down the length of her legs in the snugly fitting jeans. Dayna expected some remark, but without a word, they rode away from the ranch toward the grayish-gold desert. The only comment he made was to say that he had to ride out and check on some cattle.
He led the way at a leisurely gait, riding with the sureness of a man moving as one with the animal beneath him. For a long time, they rode along the barbed wire fence. She would have enjoyed the ride more if he had been a more cheerful companion, since she knew she was seeing the ranch as few other guests did. But the strong planes of his face appeared hard, and his mouth was tightly set in a determined line. She couldn't guess the reason for his foul mood. When he finally slowed his horse to a walk and rested one hand on his thigh and the other casually on the saddlehorn, Dayna relaxed, too, and made a stab at conversation. "Bonnie said the spread was big."
"There's a game refuge nearby. That way," he said, pointing to the west.
"I understand from Mrs. Whitaker there's supposed to be a couple of hundred species of birds around here."
"She's probably seen them all." He shrugged one shoulder. "If that's what excites her, who am I to question it?" His gaze slid to her, his voice suddenly husky. "You know what excites me."
Dayna looked away, ignoring his remark. "Did Mrs. Whitaker give you a demonstration yet on all the bird calls she knows?"
"Cut the small talk, Dayna," he exploded. "Silence is better than this pretense."
Dayna clamped her lips together, wishing now she had paid more attention to the direction they had taken so that she didn't have to depend on him to find her way safely back to the lodge.
The blazing sun was high in the sky, and perspiration had soaked through her blouse, molding it to her skin, by the time Brand was finished inspecting the fence and checking on the cattle. Blotting her face with her open palm, she let her eyes stray to him. His tanned face was wet, his shirt as sweat-marked as her own. She didn't want to complain, but she hoped he'd find some shade and stop for a few minutes.
As if reading her mind, Brand reined his horse to the right and led the way toward a small group of trees. He slid from the saddle and unhooked a canteen. Moving beside her bay, he offered her the water first. She gripped it in her hands and drank greedily, drawing a cautioning command from Brand. "Slow down. You'll make yourself sick."
As she handed the canteen to him, his hand brushed hers. Despite the time that had elapsed since they left the stables, anger still showed in his eyes. The quiet, brooding mood that possessed him was so alien, she couldn't help wishing for the return of the teasing, persistent man who bore an amused smile almost every time he looked at her.
Without a word, he grabbed the blanket from behind his saddle and walked toward the patch of grass under the trees. Dayna made a face at his back and squared her shoulders, bracing herself as she dismounted and followed.
Sitting on the blanket with his arms wrapped around his knees, he scrutinized her face closely, as if he could read some answers there. "I think it's time you were honest with me." As she sat on the blanket beside him, an anxious shiver ran up Dayna's spine. It took a great deal of restraint for her not to fidget beneath his penetrating blue gaze. "Out here you can't just up and run if you don't feel like answering. I understand you've been asking a lot of questions. Do you want to tell me what's going on?"
Dayna sat a little straighter, realized this moment was inevitable. "Yes," she answered. "You're right. It is time." Looking down, she plucked a few blades of grass and then tossed them quickly aside. "I am on vacation, but I'm also here to verify some information."
He shot her a look. "You're checking up on the Double R?"
"No. The ranch deserves its high rating. What brought me here was a phone call to the travel agency from one of our best clients about his wife's stay here. You," she said, meeting his narrowed blue eyes, "were the reason for the complaint."
"Me?" Brand asked, looking perplexed. He remained reclining casually but his fair brows knitted together.
"W.R. was in Dallas at the time. Since everything I've heard appears to be true, even if W.R. didn't know about it, it would be my responsibility to tell him. If he doesn't dismiss you, Palmer Travel Agency will have no choice but to discontinue our tours at the Double R."
His gaze rested on her. "Quite a businesslike lady when you have to be, aren't you?"
"We've spent a lot of years building a reputable firm. I'm not going to allow personal feelings to get in the way."
&nbs
p; "So you've finally decided to admit there are personal feelings to get in the way." A corner of his mouth twitched slightly with a hint of a smile. With no trace of bitterness, Brand stated, "Alexandria Minter is the lady whose husband called."
Dayna nodded. "Yes. Your preferential treatment didn't find a receptive guest. Considering what I've learned, you're lucky she didn't press charges against you."
"That rich lady expected a great deal of special treatment," he answered meaningfully.
"Yes, but not the kind you were offering. And that's the point. You harm the Double R Ranch with that kind of behavior."
"There you go again. You've always believed the worst of me." Amusement danced in his eyes.
Dayna frowned and tilted her head questioningly, finding it incredible that he was taking the matter so lightly. "She was very specific. The foreman almost immediately started making advances toward her. You're good at that," Dayna commented wryly. "I know that from personal experience. I suppose I should say thank you for not forcing yourself on me as you did with her."
"I never felt the need to force you. Sooner or later I knew we'd reach a mutual agreement."
Dayna's green eyes flashed at him and her delicate jaw tightened.
Brand raised a placating hand and said soothingly, "Easy. I'm just teasing you. John Cutler was acting as foreman when she was here. I suggested he fill in for me. It was a case of poor judgment on my part to choose him, but he was qualified to handle the working ranch. The problem was, he thought his temporary authority extended to the guests. He shouldn't have had any association with Mrs. Minter, but he smelled a little money and moved in on her."
"Why wasn't he fired?" Dayna asked softly.
"Dayna, up until then he'd been a good, dependable worker. Since he wouldn't ordinarily have another chance to associate with the guests, it didn't seem necessary to fire him. It was my mistake for suggesting him. By the way, W.R. called Mrs. Minter yesterday and extended an apology to her."
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