As they rattled along the narrow paved road that crossed the lonely prairie, Cal suggested that they pull off and park for a while.
"Later," Millie said. "Maybe on the way home. I don't want to get all mussed up now."
Cal didn't press his desire at the moment.
Arriving in the small town of Kenyon, Millie asked Cal to drop her in front of Connelly's store, where she used to work. She said she wanted to see the people she knew, then would walk to her mother's house. Cal agreed to pick her up at the same spot at three o'clock.
Millie realized that what she had in mind was a long shot gamble. But she felt it was worth trying, for Danny's sake. Though Gus and his other sons were prepared to sell the ranch, Danny wanted to hold on – and what he wanted, she wanted also.
The Reed Land Company occupied the second floor of a store building on Main Street. As soon as Cal's pickup had turned the corner at the edge of town and was out of sight, Millie walked down the street and entered the doorway which opened on the flight of stairs that led to Reed's office.
At the top of the stairs there was a large room with filing cabinets, maps on the walls, and several people working at desks.
The middle-aged, female receptionist glanced up. Millie had seen her around town and had waited on her a few times at Connelly's, but they had never known each other by name.
"Hello, dear," the woman said. "What can I do for you?"
Millie tensed. "Is Mr. Reed in?"
"Well, he is, but… uh, did you have an appointment?"
"No. I believe he'll see me, though. Tell him it's Millie Hinshaw – Danny's wife."
"Oh. Sit down for a minute, will you, dear?"
Millie took a straight wooden chair opposite the woman's desk and waited, her heart thudding excitedly. Though she was no longer the naive, fearful girl she had been when she had married Danny three weeks ago, what she now had in mind was daring, even by the new liberal standards she had come to accept.
She had never met Trevor Reed, though she had seen him about town, driving his big, fancy car and coming out of the cattlemen's club. He was in his late thirties and quite handsome.
"You can go in, Mrs. Hinshaw," the receptionist said as she returned. She indicated the paneled door, marked Private, through which she had just exited. It stood ajar.
Millie got up, straightened her shoulders, and walked to Trevor Reed's private office. She pushed the door the rest of the way open, and hesitated.
Reed stood up behind his desk, and smiled. He was slender, dark-haired, and wore a small mustache. His Western-style jacket and shirt, with a string tie, had obviously come from an expensive style shop in Las Vegas or Reno.
"Come in, Mrs. Hinshaw," Reed said in a mellow voice that indicated refinement. "Close the door, if you will please. Sit down." Reed gestured toward a comfortable-looking leather chair beside his desk.
The nervous young woman felt his eyes taking inventory of her body as she walked to the chair and sat. Her moderately short skirt slid well above her knees, which were sheathed in sheer panty hose.
Reed leaned back in his chair, his brown eyes twinkling. "Now, to what do I owe this pleasure?"
Millie took a deep breath. She didn't smile. "I wanted to meet the man who's been giving my husband and his family so much trouble."
"Oh?" Reed chuckled a bit uneasily. "Well, I'm not an ogre. I bear no ill will toward your husband's family, I assure you. On the contrary, I've made them a very generous offer for their ranch."
"But they don't want to sell."
"Did they appoint you as their agent to come and tell me that?" Reed's eyes continued to twinkle.
"No," Millie said. "This was my own idea."
The slender man leaned forward. "Your husband doesn't know about it?"
Millie shook her head.
Reed's gaze slid down to her breasts, caressed them through her close-fitting blouse, then dropped to the warm roundness of her hips and tapering thighs. Millie tingled under his frank examination.
"You're a very lovely young woman," Reed said. "How old are you, if I may ask?"
"Eighteen."
"You haven't been married to Dan Hinshaw long, have you?"
"A few weeks."
"And you came here without his knowledge?"
"Yes."
Reed looked at her closely. "Just exactly what did you have in mind?"
Millie's nervousness increased. Reed wasn't making things easy for her, but she could tell that he was interested.
She looked him right in the eyes. "I was hoping I could, uh, persuade you to quit trying to push us off Stallion Ranch."
The twinkle returned to Reed's eyes. His lips quivered. "And how do you propose to accomplish that?"
He's having fun with me! Millie thought. She quickly rose, her cheeks turning pink.
"Wait!" Reed said, gesturing impatiently. "Sit down."
Millie sat but glared at him.
"I'm sorry. It's just that… well, I could hardly believe you were saying what you seemed to be saying. You're very young and…"
"Too young for you, Mr. Reed?"
His tone lowered slightly as he said with feeling, "No. Not at all." He hesitated. "But are you sure your husband isn't outside waiting for the right moment to…"
"Danny's lying at home with a broken hip. His brothers and father are working on the ranch. They don't know I'm here."
Reed's expression became very serious and he straightened in his chair. "All right, let's be frank. Are you offering to go to bed with me?"
Millie blushed, but kept looking directly at him. "If that will do any good."
Reed laughed.
The young woman felt so humiliated that she wanted to slap his face.
"Forgive me," he said, his laughter subsiding, "but that was a pretty juvenile idea, as befits your age. I have women friends, Mrs. Hinshaw. Uh… Millie, is it?"
She hated him, but decided to persist. The way he was looking at her didn't agree with what he had said. Although he had laughed at her, she still believed he was interested.
"I want you to give up your idea to cut off the creek on our ranch," Millie said, struggling to keep her voice firm. "And I want you to get our taxes cut down, the way they were."
"And in return for all that?" Reed idly fondled a bone-handled letter opener.
"You know."
"I want you to say it."
Millie hesitated, the tension building. Finally she blurted, "I'll let you fuck me."
The statement, though uttered softly, crackled in the charged air.
Reed's eyes widened a bit, then he smiled and the twinkle returned. "Not interested."
"Why, you…" Millie was so furious, she didn't know what to say.
"I'm not interested," Reed calmly continued, "because nobody lets me do anything. I do what I want to do. And if I want to go to bed with a woman, she responds because she wants to – or else I leave her alone. Do you understand?"
Millie didn't speak. But she remained seated, looking directly at him.
His eyes slid over her once more. "You're very attractive. And yes, I would like to… fuck you, as you uninhibitedly put it. I admire your frankness, too. The only thing is, I don't make deals when it comes to sex."
"Do you expect me to go to bed with you," Millie flared, "when you're trying to take my husband's ranch away?"
"Mmmm. I can see how that might make it difficult for you to respond."
Millie warmed to her purpose. "I'd like to be able to respond to you," she said, half-meaning it because he was a handsome and attractive man.
"Would you really?"
"Yes." Millie felt a gentle glow in her cheeks. Her nerves were very alive.
"Show me," Reed said.
She quivered. The critical moment had arrived, and Millie still wasn't sure where she stood with the man. He might only be mocking her. On the other hand, she might be able to persuade him, provided she worked very hard at it.
She stood.
Reed tensed visibly. His voice was slightly husky as he said, "Come closer."