The realization of what awaited Willow made the sound of her laughter and teasing voice almost too painful for Jessica to bear. She watched with helpless agony as Willow took Wolfe’s arm to steady herself across the uneven ground where small patches of snow and mud competed with the green resurgence of life.
When Willow walked past Two-Spot, she looked up at Jessica with curiosity and a quick smile that offered friendship. Jessica smiled in return, but Wolfe didn’t stop or even look up.
«Wolfe?» asked Willow, tugging on his arm.
«Your present is next in line.»
Grinning, Rafe kicked his right leg over his horse’s mane and slid to the ground. When he took off his hat, the sun blazed in his pale gold hair, hair that was the exact color of Willow’s.
Willow stared, made a sound of joyous disbelief, then began laughing and crying and sayingRafe’s name over and over again.Rafe picked her up in a big hug and held her for a long time, saying things that were too soft for anyone but Willow to hear. Finally, he set her down and blotted the happy tears that were streaming down her face.
«Well, Willy, I have to say you grew up to be quite a woman. From what Wolfe told me, you’ve got yourself a fine man.»Rafe paused, then added slyly, «Sure as hell he’s a potent one.»
Willow flushed, laughed, and swatted her older brother on his broad chest. «Shame on you. You’re not supposed to notice.»
«Be kind of like overlooking a mountain,» he retorted. «When are you going to make me an uncle?»
«In a few weeks.» She smiled up at her older, much bigger brother. «Dear Lord, Rafe. It’s so good to see you! I can’t wait until Caleb and Matt get back from checking the north meadow.»
«I can’t wait, period. I’ll ride out as soon as we’ve unloaded the pack animals.»
Willow slipped her arm throughRafe’s and said, «I’m almost afraid to let you out of my sight. It’s been years.» She rubbed her cheek against his arm and took a deep breath. «Now, introduce me to your wife. She’s beautiful, but I expected that. You always had an eye for beauty, whether it was women, horses, dogs, or land.»
«Red is beautiful, all right,» Rafe agreed, «but she’s Wolfe’s wife, not mine.»
Open-mouthed, Willow spun and stared at Wolfe. Every question she had died unspoken when she saw his bleak, blue-black eyes.
Swallowing quickly, Willow turned to the girl who sat in her sidesaddle so elegantly. She had a delicate, elfin face, aquamarine gems for eyes, and hair whose buried fire rippled and shimmered with every motion of her body. The riding habit she wore had seen hard use, but its fashionable lines and fine fabric spoke eloquently of wealth.
Abruptly, Willow remembered. «Lady JessicaCharteris?»
«Not any longer. My name is JessicaLonetree. OrJessi.»
«Or Red?» Willow asked innocently.
«Or Red,» Jessica agreed, smiling slightly atRafe. «It’s the Western way to have nicknames, I’m told.»
«Get down and come into the house. You must be exhausted. I remember my first trip over the Great Divide. If it hadn’t been for Caleb, I wouldn’t have made it. He ended up carrying me.»
«We came the easy way,» Wolfe said. «Lady Jessica has neither your strength nor your adaptability.»
Willow gave Wolfe an uncertain look, wondering at the edge to his voice.
«I disagree,» she said quietly. «Anyone who came through thosemoutains riding sidesaddle is stronger than I am.»
Wolfe grunted and said nothing.
Jessica began dismounting, moving stiffly. Before she could put any weight on her right leg, Rafe caught her waist between his big hands and supported her until her left foot was able to take most of her weight.
«I could have managed,» Jessica said in a low voice, «but thank you.»
Only Willow saw the instant of anger before Wolfe brought it under control, just as she had been the only one to see the small, almost involuntary movement he had made toward Jessica when she began to dismount.
«No point in pushing your luck,» Rafe said. «Your ankle still isn’t up to snuff.»
«What happened?» Willow asked.
«She fell off,» Wolfe said curtly.
«It’s nothing,» Jessica said. «A bruise. Nothing at all.»
«Nonsense,» Willow said, seeing the strain on Jessica’s face. «Come in and sit down. I’ll make you some tea.»
«Tea?» Jessica looked stunned. «You actually have tea?»
Willow laughed. «It’s left over from Wolfe’s last visit. He’s the only one who drinks it.»
Jessica gave Wolfe a shocked look, remembering how many times she had longed for a comforting cup of tea.
«But we had only coffee,» she said faintly.
«Western wives drink coffee. You wanted to be a Western wife. Remember?»
The cool taunt in Wolfe’s words was unmistakable.Rafe’s eyes narrowed as he winced and said something under his breath. But he said nothing aloud. He and Wolfe had reached a tacit agreement where Jessica was concerned: Jessica was Wolfe’s responsibility, notRafe’s.Rafe didn’t understand what was driving Wolfe, but he was certain that Wolfe wasn’t a cruel man by nature.
So was Willow. With a perplexed look at Wolfe, she took Jessica’s hand.
«Come with me.»
«First I have to care for my horse,» Jessica said.
«Let Wolfe do it.»
«Western wives take care of their own horses. They curry, saddle, bridle, clean the feet of, rub down, and otherwise —»
«Go to the house,» Wolfe interrupted curtly. «I’ll see to your horse.»
«Well, I should hope so,» Willow said tartly. «Jessihas ridden just as far as you have and she hasn’t a third your strength. Plus that ridiculous sidesaddle. I’d like to see howspritely you’d feel if you had to ride that way. Honestly, Wolfe, what’s gotten into you?»
Jessica wondered at the dull red stain on Wolfe’s cheekbones as he turned away and led horses toward the barn, but Willow tugged at her hand, distracting her.
«I’ve never been able to make a good cup of tea,» Willow confessed, leading Jessica firmly toward the porch. «You’ll have to show me how.»
«A paragon who can’t make tea.» Jessica blinked. «Impossible. Breathtaking.» She smiled slightly and shook her head. «Actually quite wonderful.»
«Who said I was a paragon?»
«I did,» Jessica admitted. «With a lot of encouragement from Wolfe.»
«Good Lord. Why?»
«Because compared to me, you are.»
Willow made a rude sound. «You’ve had a very long trip. It must have affected your mind. Not to mention Wolfe’s. I’ve never seen him so edgy.»
«Perhaps a cup of tea would help,» Jessica suggested with an unconscious sigh.
Willow muttered something that sounded like, «A swift kick in the pants might do more good.»
«Paragons don’t think such things.»
The hazel flash of Willow’s eyes was alive with wry laughter. «Perhaps. And perhaps paragons just aren’t caught thinking them.»
The front door opened and closed, cutting off the sound of women’s voices. The men hadn’t been able to hear any real words for the last few minutes, but it hadn’t been difficult to guess what the topic of conversation was — Wolfe’s manners.
Or lack thereof.
After a few moments of silence, Wolfe glanced up from the pack horse he was working on and let out a long breath. Hearing it, Rafe smiled.
«Well, I can see that marriage hasn’t trimmed Willy’s tongue one bit,» Rafe said wryly as he undid the saddle cinch. «She can still tear a mean strip when she has a mind to. Only thing she does better is make biscuits.»
Wolfe grunted.
«Of course,» Rafe said, lifting the saddle one-handed from the horse’s back, «the fact that a man knows he has it coming tends to make it sting all the worse.»
Wolfe spun around, ready to take exception toRafe’s calm words, but the other man had already turned away. Saddle balanced on one shoulder, saddle bags and bedroll slung over the other, Rafe was walking through the barn door.