People Will Talk

by Carol Rose

  The ground seemed to fall away, wind whistling past them as Chessie came up beside General and gradually pulled ahead. Nora saw Bret's sideways glance and registered the surprise on his face. He had to have known she was on his tail, but Chessie's speed probably came as a shock.

  They galloped over the pasture, side by side, the two cowboys lengths behind them. Nora struggled to block out Bret's presence. She leaned forward further, calling out to Chessie. They had to give it their all.

  Picking up speed, the mare lengthened the distance between them and Bret. She flew along over the turf, guided by Nora's steady hands, avoiding the soft spots, the uneven patches of ground.

  With Bret at their heels, they had to secure their lead. Nora couldn't be sure of beating him around the pole in close quarters and she didn't want to be there at the same time he was.

  As they approached the pole, she reined Chessie back just enough to make the turn.

  With the reins held tight in her left hand, she grabbed at a ribbon.

  The sliver of fabric slipped through her fingers. All too aware of the approaching riders, Bret out in front, she bit back a sob and wildly grabbed again.

  Just as she grasped the ribbon, Bret's horse thundered toward her.

  Her prize clenched in her fist, Nora set Chessie flying toward the finish line, flattening herself over the horse's neck.

  The home stretch lay before them. Nora could hear the thunder of hooves behind and knew Bret was on her heels. She poured everything into the moment, using every ounce of horsemanship she possessed to communicate with Chessie.

  They raced back over the pasture, the horses running full out. General hung at Chessie's tail as they tore toward the barns. Nora could feel the excitement of the horse beneath her, feel the mare's thrill for the race.

  The cheers of the crowd seemed to rise up to greet them as they pelted closer and closer. Nora heard the din, a clamoring racket in her ears muffled by the reverberation of her own heartbeat.

  Closer and closer they carne, Bret gaining on her, inch by inch.

  Everything seemed in slow motion. The finish line lay straight ahead. Nora's ears were filled with the pounding thunder of the horse's hooves, the frenzied cheering of the crowd and the throb of adrenaline through her body.

  Her eyes glued on the finish, she urged Chessie forward, her breath clutched in her throat as they raced toward the finish.

  It was over in an instant. Chessie and Nora raced across the line, just a half-length in front of Bret.

  Dazed and overwhelmed that she'd actually won, Nora reined Chessie in and found herself off the mare, surrounded by a cheering crowd that urged her toward the makeshift platform.

  A cowboy took Chessie from her, yelling, "I'll cool her off," as excited onlookers pulled Nora toward the announcer.

  Some part of her brain registered that the other riders had crossed the line. Her quick look around failed to locate Bret, however. Had he simply ridden off?

  "My God, girl! Where'd you learn to ride like that?" A grizzled cowboy clapped her on the back as she was swept forward.

  Eager hands helped her up on the mounded bales of hay.

  "Hey, Bret!" a voice called. "A woman brought you down."

  "Ain't that the truth," Bret responded, his voice drawing Nora's gaze.

  He stood off to the far right, hat off, his eyes meeting hers when she finally spotted him.

  Nora felt the jolt of impact and saw something in his face that she couldn't identify. There was no resentment at her win, just a burning impression of intensity in his eyes.

  Shaken, Nora looked away, still dazed by the turn of events. The crowd was talking excitedly.

  "I never thought I'd see ol' Bret beat so bad." Several ranch hands standing nearby snickered loudly. "How the mighty have fallen."

  Behind the group of cowboys, Nora saw Richard's mother standing next to Sara Burton. Cissy was nowhere in sight, but the expression on the older women's faces said it all. If she'd won some hearts today, theirs weren't among them.

  Nora couldn't have cared less.

  She smiled at the two women, enjoying their surprise in response to her gesture.

  Suddenly, their enmity didn't matter. She was through worrying about other people's opinions,

  "All right, folks," the announcer called out. "Quiet now. We have a trophy to give out here, Miz Hampton," he spoke into the microphone, "it's my great honor to present you with the Association's trophy for the best rider in Montague County. "

  Nora clasped the statue of horse and rider in trembling hands.

  "This is the first time in ten years," the announcer went on, "that this award hasn't gone to Bret Maddock-"

  A cheer rose from the crowd.

  "-and the first time, ever, that it's gone to a woman.”

  More applause greeted this.

  "And may I say," the man took Nora's hand, "what a pleasure it is to have such a beautiful woman up here instead of some old weather-beaten cowboy."

  As the crowd laughed, the announcer handed Nora the microphone.

  For a long moment, she could do no more than clutch it. A welter of emotions held her voice captive-relief, excitement and satisfaction among them.

  In the back of the crowd, she spotted Mrs. Turner. Nora cleared her throat. "Thank you," she said, meeting the older woman's gaze over the heads of those clustered around her. "I want to thank everyone here, especially Mrs. Turner, for her encouragement and sponsorship."

  Energetic applause rose in response to her words. Glancing down as she handed back the microphone, Nora was surprised to see Bret standing in front of her.

  Without a word, he reached out and scooped her into his arms

  "What are you doing?" she gasped as the crowd around them began laughing and calling out.

  "We've got to work out that personal favor from the loser to the winner." Bret pitched his reply so those near could hear as he strode through the bystanders.

  Knowing her embarrassment was all too visible, Nora hissed, "Put me down!"

  "Just hang on to that trophy," Bret recommended. "It may not be mine this year, but I still wouldn't want you to drop it."

  Not wanting to look any sillier than she already did, Nora decided not to try struggling out of his grasp. Instead, she followed his recommendation and clutched the statue more tightly.

  Unfortunately, being carried in his arms felt like the most natural thing in the world.

  When he finally deposited her on her feet, they stood beside his pickup truck. He opened the passenger door for her.

  Nora stood there, eyeing him without getting in.

  ''I'm a very determined man," Bret said softly. "You wouldn't talk to me before, so we're going to talk now."

  She looked at him, knowing her own stubbornness had to be reflected in her face.

  "Please?" he asked with that crooked smile. "You wouldn't make a man pour out his heart in public, would you?"

  Nora got into the truck. If they had to have this conversation, she didn't want an audience, either.

  Besides, she loved him, and her heart demanded that she at least listen to his story, even if he were lying through his teeth.

  "What about Chessie?" she asked, once he'd gotten in and started the engine.

  "The hands will take her back to the ranch," he assured her.

  Nora fell silent as they drove, unsure and confused by the turn of events. Did he really expect to be able to lie his way out of this?

  And yet, every crazy instinct urged her to give him the benefit of the doubt. Was he really devious enough to set her up for scandal? How could she love him this much if he were so evil?

  Her thoughts in a whirl, she didn't realize he'd driven to the Turner property until they arrived there. She glanced at him sideways as they turned into the disused, overgrown driveway.

  When he stopped the pickup in front of the house and got out without comment, she didn't know what to do but follow him.

  Bret crossed the front yard and
climbed the steps that had been the scene of their heated passion on that afternoon so many weeks before.

  Opening the front door without hesitation, Bret held it wide for her.

  "It was locked before," she said.

  "I got the key from Mrs. Turner." His face was serious. "I wanted to talk to you here. Go in."

  She stepped over the threshold and found herself in a spacious front room with large sash windows and a cozy fireplace. At one end of the room was a wall of built-in bookcases, and to the side of the fireplace sat an ancient wooden rocker.

  "Why are we here?" Her voice trembled with the weight of might-have-beens. More than the house, she mourned the loss of him-his laughter and the warmth of being in his arms.

  Bret had said he loved her, and the words haunted her still. She'd wanted his love so much.

  "This place started all the trouble between us," he said. "It seemed like the best place to tell you how wrong I've been."

  "What?" She turned to study his face.

  He stood facing her in the empty room, his back to the sunlit windows. "I screwed up this thing between us pretty bad."

  Nora didn't know what to say.

  Shoving his hands into his pockets, Bret took a step toward the fireplace and turned back to face her. ''I've always wanted you, Nora. Probably since we were teenagers. But until this week, I didn't realize how much you've come to mean to me."

  Nora's heart stopped beating.

  He ran a hand through his hair, the gesture loaded with an awkward frustration she'd never seen in him before. "Dammit, I'm so used to finessing things, so used to finding ways to make everything come out … that I got careless with you."

  Her mind grappled with the implications of his words.

  ''I'm a risk-taker, Nora. It's what I do. I run close to the line in everything I do. Hell, just ask my mother. I ran her ragged as a kid." He turned to pace back toward the window. "And basically, pushing the limits has worked out pretty well for me."

  Bret faced her again. "I meant what I said that day we got stuck in the mud. I love you. I never meant to hurt you, and I swear I never planned any of this stuff to keep you from getting this land. The Burtons showed up out of nowhere, I swear."

  Why she should believe him was beyond her, but she felt herself weakening. That he stood here at all, saying these things after she'd publicly beaten him, was even more astonishing.

  "When you first came back to town, I wanted to help you with the gossipy old broads." He stopped and looked her straight in the face. "I also wanted to sleep with you. Really, really wanted to make love with you."

  Nora looked at him, unsure of what his confession meant. "I think the old broads will hate me till I die."

  A smile broke over his face then. "Boy, you showed them today. I could have cheered."

  "You wanted to lose the race?" she gasped.

  "Hell, no." Bret grinned. "I did my best to beat you. And I'll bet you money that next year, I'll have another horse to give you and Chessie a run for your money. But when you crossed that finish line like a demon on that mare, anyone who appreciates great horsemanship had to cheer."

  "You didn't mind my beating you?" Nora asked incredulously.

  He crossed the room to where she stood. "What I mind is you thinking that I'd cheat you out of something. That I'd make love to you while I'm plotting behind your back. I didn't betray you, Nora, not really. I just didn't tell you all the truth."

  She swallowed hard against the lump in her throat. Bret went on, his gaze intent on her face, "I didn't tell you about my bid on this land because I knew how you felt about it and I didn't want to lose my chance with you. I wasn't sure you'd actually get to the point of trying to buy the land. So I didn't say anything to you about it."

  Shoving his hands in his back pockets, he took another agitated turn in front of the windows. "I wasn't completely honest with you and I'm sorry."

  Nora looked up into his face, beginning to tremble.

  "I called Mrs. Turner three days ago," Bret said, "and withdrew my offer on the land. I think she'd already made up her mind to sell it to you, but I'm not buying the property one way or the other.”

  "What?"

  "It's yours," he said softly. "Build your dream here, only let me be a part of it. Don't kick me out of your life. "

  Tears blurred Nora's vision, a sob of relief tight in her chest.

  Taking an unconscious step forward, she found herself in his arms, the strength of his embrace holding her steady against his thudding heart.

  "I love you, Nora," he whispered unsteadily against her temple. "I want to live with you forever."

  His kiss seared her and she felt the trembling of his body against hers. As impossible as it seemed, he was offering her everything-all her hopes, all her dreams.

  Bret straightened, his eyes locked with hers. ''I'm asking you to take the biggest risk. Will you marry me? I can't say I won't give you grief sometimes, but I promise to love you faithfully, always."

  "That's all I could ever want," Nora whispered shakily as he drew her nearer.

  Moments later, their breathing ragged and heavy, Bret whispered, "If you let me put in my landing strip, I might even help you pay the note."

  Laughing as she buried her face against his shoulder, Nora knew she was signing on for the ride of her life.

  Table of Contents

  People Will Talk

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten