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."Looks like they's here."Gritting her teeth, Willa folded her arms and narrowed her eyes.She watched Zach hop out of thepickup cab and go over to one of the SUVs and say something to Kate as she climbed from behind thewheel."Made it just in time," the old man continued, undaunted by Willa's hostile silence.He paused to squirt astream of tobacco juice into the ground to one side of the door, then added, "Be two weeks t'morrasince the funeral.""Oh, there was never any doubt they'd make the deadline," Willa muttered."I'm sure they couldn't waitto get here and claim the lion's share of the ranch.""'Pears to me you oughta be glad 'bout that, 'stead of standin' there looking like you just swallered alemon.The way I heard it, if they hadn't'a accepted the inheritance, you'd be out on your ear."Willa glared at the old man, but he paid no attention.With a huff she returned her gaze to the line ofvehicles.Pete had worked on the Rocking R for almost sixty years, even before Seamus had inherited the ranch.He'd taught her to ride and rope and brand, how to string barbed wire, build a campfire, inoculate andcastrate cattle and the other myriad skills that ranch life entailed, skills Seamus either had not had thetime, patience or inclination to teach her.When Willa had been a child Pete had been the one whobandaged her cuts and scrapes and dried her tears if her mother or Maria wasn't around.He'd also givenher backside a wallop a few times when he'd thought she deserved it.Willa's temper didn't faze Pete."Yes, well & that's what makes it so galling.That and the fact that they have no to right to this place.""Well, now, I don't rightly know as how I'd agree with you there, Willie, seeing as how they's old Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.htmlSeamus's grandsons, wrong side of the blanket or no.You'd best accept it, girl.Blood counts fer a lot,'specially to a feller like Seamus.""So I've discovered." She tapped one booted foot against the hard-packed ground, simmering inside."Maybe they have the legal right, but they don't deserve it.They've never put in so much as a day's workon this ranch.While I was pouring my blood, sweat and tears into the place all those years, where werethey? When Seamus needed them, where were they? They never bothered to call him or write to him orcome for a visit their whole lives.Then, when he was so old it was obvious he couldn't last much longer,they showed up with their greedy hands out.""You know that fer sure an' certain, do ya?" Pete rolled his cud of tobacco to his other cheek andslanted her a glinty look out of the corner of his eye."Seamus said Good grief! I don't believe it! Look at all those children! One, two, three why there'sfive of them.""Looks like it," Pete agreed."Just what we need," Willa mumbled."A bunch of chattering kids underfoot.They'll be nothing but anuisance.""Oh, I dunno 'bout that.When you was no bigger than a button you tagged after me or Seamus all thetime, soakin' up ever'thing like a sponge.Tell you the truth, I plum enjoyed it.Ya ask me, havin' youngunsaround sorta brings a place to life."Willa made a noncommittal sound.It wasn't so much the children who worried her, it was the adults, thefive strangers with whom she would have to share her home.Her gaze zeroed in on Zach again.That onein particular bothered her.Just watching him, even from that distance, made her edgy and irritable.Whatwas it about the man?Willa watched as Maria bustled out the kitchen door onto the back porch, wiping her hands on herapron.The elderly housekeeper hurried down the gravel walkway and greeted the adults effusively thenmade a big fuss over the children, persuading the oldest boy to leave the horses in the corral, but after abrief exchange the sulky child climbed down off the corral fence and stomped after the others.Everyone disappeared inside, and Willa turned to go back into the barn but she stopped when shespotted a red pickup cresting the rise at the top of the road.Visitors to the Rocking R were rare enough that Willa experienced a dart of surprise.Thanks toSeamus's rotten disposition, with the exception of his grandsons, about the only outsiders who ever setfoot on the property were George Pierce, the local veterinarian, and Edward Manning.Shading her eyes with her hand, she squinted against the glare of the sun and watched the truck descendthe road into the valley.It wasn't one of theirs.All the Rocking R pickups were silver-gray.Willa couldn'tsee who was behind the wheel, but the truck looked vaguely familiar.Who in the world& ?Recognition came with a jolt.Before the shock wore off, her legs were moving.By the time the truckcame to a stop in the ranch yard behind the line of parked vehicles she was there to meet it."What are you doing here, Lennie?" she demanded, making no effort to hide the irritation in her voice.Not that it mattered.Lennard Dawson was much too self-involved to notice.The man had the sensitivity Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.htmlof a stump.He flashed what he fancied to be a killer grin."Why, I came to see you, gorgeous.I figured sinceSeamus wasn't around to object anymore, I'd drop by and see if you'd like to go out tomorrow night."Willa barely stifled a groan.She might have known.Eight months ago she'd made the mistake of goingout with Lennie.It had been only one date, and she never would have accepted that if Seamus hadn'tbutted in and forbidden her to go.Lennie was handsome and as the only child and heir of another local rancher he was probably the mosteligible bachelor in that part ofMontana.The trouble was, he knew it.Willa hadn't liked him when theywere kids, and in her opinion he had not improved with age.In addition, there had been bad blood between Seamus and Lennie's father, Henry Dawson, for years.Over what, Willa had no idea, as Seamus had refused to discuss the matter, but for that reason alone,had he given her the chance, she would have refused the invitation without a qualm.Her entire life she'd gone out on only a few dates, and never twice with the same man.SomehowSeamus had managed to run off every male who had ever shown an interest in her.That night hishigh-handedness had been the last straw, and for once she'd defied him and agreed to meet Lennie intown for dinner [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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."Looks like they's here."Gritting her teeth, Willa folded her arms and narrowed her eyes.She watched Zach hop out of thepickup cab and go over to one of the SUVs and say something to Kate as she climbed from behind thewheel."Made it just in time," the old man continued, undaunted by Willa's hostile silence.He paused to squirt astream of tobacco juice into the ground to one side of the door, then added, "Be two weeks t'morrasince the funeral.""Oh, there was never any doubt they'd make the deadline," Willa muttered."I'm sure they couldn't waitto get here and claim the lion's share of the ranch.""'Pears to me you oughta be glad 'bout that, 'stead of standin' there looking like you just swallered alemon.The way I heard it, if they hadn't'a accepted the inheritance, you'd be out on your ear."Willa glared at the old man, but he paid no attention.With a huff she returned her gaze to the line ofvehicles.Pete had worked on the Rocking R for almost sixty years, even before Seamus had inherited the ranch.He'd taught her to ride and rope and brand, how to string barbed wire, build a campfire, inoculate andcastrate cattle and the other myriad skills that ranch life entailed, skills Seamus either had not had thetime, patience or inclination to teach her.When Willa had been a child Pete had been the one whobandaged her cuts and scrapes and dried her tears if her mother or Maria wasn't around.He'd also givenher backside a wallop a few times when he'd thought she deserved it.Willa's temper didn't faze Pete."Yes, well & that's what makes it so galling.That and the fact that they have no to right to this place.""Well, now, I don't rightly know as how I'd agree with you there, Willie, seeing as how they's old Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.htmlSeamus's grandsons, wrong side of the blanket or no.You'd best accept it, girl.Blood counts fer a lot,'specially to a feller like Seamus.""So I've discovered." She tapped one booted foot against the hard-packed ground, simmering inside."Maybe they have the legal right, but they don't deserve it.They've never put in so much as a day's workon this ranch.While I was pouring my blood, sweat and tears into the place all those years, where werethey? When Seamus needed them, where were they? They never bothered to call him or write to him orcome for a visit their whole lives.Then, when he was so old it was obvious he couldn't last much longer,they showed up with their greedy hands out.""You know that fer sure an' certain, do ya?" Pete rolled his cud of tobacco to his other cheek andslanted her a glinty look out of the corner of his eye."Seamus said Good grief! I don't believe it! Look at all those children! One, two, three why there'sfive of them.""Looks like it," Pete agreed."Just what we need," Willa mumbled."A bunch of chattering kids underfoot.They'll be nothing but anuisance.""Oh, I dunno 'bout that.When you was no bigger than a button you tagged after me or Seamus all thetime, soakin' up ever'thing like a sponge.Tell you the truth, I plum enjoyed it.Ya ask me, havin' youngunsaround sorta brings a place to life."Willa made a noncommittal sound.It wasn't so much the children who worried her, it was the adults, thefive strangers with whom she would have to share her home.Her gaze zeroed in on Zach again.That onein particular bothered her.Just watching him, even from that distance, made her edgy and irritable.Whatwas it about the man?Willa watched as Maria bustled out the kitchen door onto the back porch, wiping her hands on herapron.The elderly housekeeper hurried down the gravel walkway and greeted the adults effusively thenmade a big fuss over the children, persuading the oldest boy to leave the horses in the corral, but after abrief exchange the sulky child climbed down off the corral fence and stomped after the others.Everyone disappeared inside, and Willa turned to go back into the barn but she stopped when shespotted a red pickup cresting the rise at the top of the road.Visitors to the Rocking R were rare enough that Willa experienced a dart of surprise.Thanks toSeamus's rotten disposition, with the exception of his grandsons, about the only outsiders who ever setfoot on the property were George Pierce, the local veterinarian, and Edward Manning.Shading her eyes with her hand, she squinted against the glare of the sun and watched the truck descendthe road into the valley.It wasn't one of theirs.All the Rocking R pickups were silver-gray.Willa couldn'tsee who was behind the wheel, but the truck looked vaguely familiar.Who in the world& ?Recognition came with a jolt.Before the shock wore off, her legs were moving.By the time the truckcame to a stop in the ranch yard behind the line of parked vehicles she was there to meet it."What are you doing here, Lennie?" she demanded, making no effort to hide the irritation in her voice.Not that it mattered.Lennard Dawson was much too self-involved to notice.The man had the sensitivity Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.htmlof a stump.He flashed what he fancied to be a killer grin."Why, I came to see you, gorgeous.I figured sinceSeamus wasn't around to object anymore, I'd drop by and see if you'd like to go out tomorrow night."Willa barely stifled a groan.She might have known.Eight months ago she'd made the mistake of goingout with Lennie.It had been only one date, and she never would have accepted that if Seamus hadn'tbutted in and forbidden her to go.Lennie was handsome and as the only child and heir of another local rancher he was probably the mosteligible bachelor in that part ofMontana.The trouble was, he knew it.Willa hadn't liked him when theywere kids, and in her opinion he had not improved with age.In addition, there had been bad blood between Seamus and Lennie's father, Henry Dawson, for years.Over what, Willa had no idea, as Seamus had refused to discuss the matter, but for that reason alone,had he given her the chance, she would have refused the invitation without a qualm.Her entire life she'd gone out on only a few dates, and never twice with the same man.SomehowSeamus had managed to run off every male who had ever shown an interest in her.That night hishigh-handedness had been the last straw, and for once she'd defied him and agreed to meet Lennie intown for dinner [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]