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For the next two days she tried to focus on the wedding plans He told her to stay away fro about hers, so when she needed a picture that was in her house, she decided to et it She knew exactly where it was, so it shouldn’t take more than a few minutes

She followed the plan, had the picture in-hand and was locking the door to the house when Brutus wandered up with a bloodywith another dog, but further inspection revealed no injuries He had been eating so the picture and her purse in the car, she decided to look around and see if there was a carcass When she spotted soate

Brutus followed her to the pile of hide and bones It looked like a deer There was no question in heron the carcass, but did he kill it? She glanced around nervously Maybe the wild dogs were back Shefor tracks and finally found one It was big enough to belong to Brutus –At any rate, she found no other tracks Surely if wild dogs had attacked the deer, they would have left tracks

She took Brutus back to the house and washed his muzzle off What would Alex do if he found out Brutus was killing deer? Would he want her to put hi out of the house and went back up to the deer carcass Shoving the re, she tied it up and tossed it in the burn barrel Maybe other critters could get into it, but it was out of Brutus’ reach

She fed Brutus again and left Maybe he wasn’t getting enough to eat Surely Alex was feeding hiain, as little attention as she paid hi feral When she caht now she’d better get back to Katie and Bill’s house before Alex ca to anyone, but Katie was on her like a hen on a June bug the h the door

"I know you," Katie said "So happened today that has you worried What was it?"

"I’ht now I need to stay focused on "

Katie rolled her eyes "You haven’t been focused on you’re wedding yet Nohat’s going on?"

Carht as well talk to Katie about it She was the only one ould probably understand her concern for Brutus

"I went by the house to pick up a picture and Brutus came to the house with blood on his muzzle I looked around and found a deer carcass up by the tree line"

Katie frowned as she considered the infor deer?"

"I don’t knowmaybe"

Katie shook her head "No way"

"I found a track It was big enough to be Brutus"

"So you’ve got a big wild dog You’d better tell Alex what you found"

"He’ll think Brutus did it Besides, I’m not supposed to be out there without hi "You actually disobeyed him? And you’re not even married yet"

"I didn’t disobey him He said not to be at his house"

Katie’s eyes were twinkling with huot around it on a technicality"

"It’s not funny What if Brutus is killing deer?"

Katie laughed "He guarded your dairy herd and he’s watching your goats now Why would he suddenly start killing deer?" She shrugged and sobered "Anyway, you don’t think he’s killing deer or you’d do so about it yourself So what did kill the deer? I’ you, you’d better talk to Alex"

Caret married"

Katie threw her hands in the air and rolled her eyes "Fine, but at least tell Bill about it – or let me tell him"

"What could Bill do?"

"He could look at the track – h "All right Tell Bill – but tell hiet a chance to"

"Sure," Katie said

That was the last of their conversation If Katie told Bill, he didn’t say anything about it, and if he knew about it, he obviously didn’t say anything to Alex or Alex would have been upset because she went to the house

Friday o out for the evening He didn’t say where they were going and she didn’t care She would be with hi a blue dress that so out the violet in her eyes The neckline plunged far enough to expose the beginning swell of her breasts She pulled up the bodice as she observed her ie in the bathroom mirror The princess style made her waist look small, and the ave the ensemble a dressy look Satisfied that she would please Alex, she finally walked into the living roolanced up and then did a double-take "Wow!" she said

Bill turned around and his expression assured her that a ht she would keep her eet so frustrated

Within a few minutes, Alex arrived and whisked her off for a few private hours They took her car this time Other than the test drive, it was the first time he had driven it She relaxed in the luxury of leather seat covers and a sant in a light gray suit that accentuated his dark tan He parked the car at the restaurant and turned to her

"You’ve been quiet tonight"

"I’m just happy to be with you," she said

He shts" He leaned toward her

"Mether always" She leaned forward and accepted his kiss "I love you soout was dinner and a dance Alex was an excellent dancer – strong, sure and fluid Soed to keep up with hi

"Where did you learn to dance so well," he asked

She grinned up at hihtto the radio in the evenings That was usually during the winter when he wasn’t so busy and had y"

Alex chuckled "He y to keep up with toirl then" She shrugged and sighed "Josh wouldn’t dance He said it was silly"

Alex lifted a brow "Why would he think that?"

Carht it up"

Alex smiled "I’m not"

She let the subject drop Any tiht up Josh, it left her a little nervous

By the tiht her back to Katie and Bill’s, it was late and the lights in the house were off He walked around the car and opened the door for her, helping her out For adown at her Finally he spoke

"Katie tellsplans"

Heat rushed up her neck "I’ve been helping"

He chuckled "I don’t doubt that, but that isn’t what I said"

She shrugged "I guess I should be asha "

"Why should you be asha so hard on it"

He sighed heavily "I have azed up into his face "Why?"

"You’re so independent All this would beall the work Do you really wantyou all the tiht her breath "I do want you to make the final decisions You’re always so sure of where you are going and how to get there You’re intelligent and always have the entire picture in perspective If I ever get in your way, just tell ot me up on a pedestal What happens when I fall?"

She laid her head on his chest "When either of us falls, the other will pick theether We’re only hu

It was so wonderful siht now there was no excitement – only contentment Was this what it would be like azed into his eyes

"I’ht back at you," he said, stepping back "I have so for you" He reached in his pocket and pulled out a sripped the small box in her hand, he pulled her into his arms and claimed her lips in a way that was different than he had ever done before Maybe it was because he was trying to control his e for a response Whatever the case, she pulled away unsatisfied More than likely, he did too

"I’d better go," she said

"I’ll coht? I want to check the fence line before I turn the buffalo into the north pasture"

She nodded "I’ll be ready"

Hopefully there wouldn’t be any little surprise piles of fur and bones Maybe Katie was right Maybe it ild dogs again She should tell hi to him Maybe that hy he wanted to check the fence line

He pulled her close again and this ti her, he turned and walked away

As she watched him climb into his truck, she decided that she could tell hiain she watched his truck fade away into the darkness One day and one night – then they would be together forever She unlocked the door and walked into the house In her rooht and looked at the box It looked like a ring box, but they had already purchased the rings

Inside the box was a note with only three words

"Your sos - delicate filigree in white gold with sparkling dia way tooset, then the car, and now these earrings The earrings would go ith her white lace and satin wedding dress – and her wedding ring, of course She gazed down at the solitary diae one, but it sparkled brilliantly The wedding ring hite gold filigree with tiny diamonds As usual, Alex went for quality, not showand senti set contained only Arkansas diaem Pretty talk Mom always said to be careful of a man as full of pretty words – but then, she probably never h diaes back in the box Day after to day There had been a tiht never co as she had done so often before Only this tiet-e vows, the cake with its three tiers of cascading flowers It was strange how sos could stir her interest in the wedding, but it did Did Alex knoould? Did Katie tell hi a night gown Toet up early and dress Alex liked to ride in the , so he would probably be over early

The nextin jeans and a waist length blouse, she was in the Kitchen by the tiot up Katie walked into the kitchen with her hair uncoht I heard someone in here Do you realize it’s only 6:00 a over to pickHe’ll probably be pretty early"

Katie shook her head and rolled her eyes "I doubt if he is as excited about it as you are Honestly, Car you think about? Most woht for their wedding All you can think of is riding on a horse with Alex"

"Well," Car her head "He’ll be on Ed and I’ll be on Princess Do you need ?"

"No" Katie sat down at the table "Everything is ready for tohed "I’ve been more than ready for the last teeks"

"You’re not nervous?"

"About the wedding? What’s to be nervous about?"

"Everyone is nervous about their wedding, Caruess I never thought about it We’re just going to exchange vows It’s not like ill be reciting anything Mr Reynolds alk ive me to Alex What’s so difficult about that?"

Katie rolled her eyes "Oh boy" She poured a cup of coffee from the coffee maker on the counter and sat down at the table

"Did you tell his?"

Car today, I’ll tell him about it Did you tell Bill?"

Katie sipped her coffee "Yes" She made a face "He told o"

Through the living roomCarmen sahite truck slon to pull in the drive

"Here’s Alex I’ll see you later" Grabbing her purse, she ran out the door

Alex was starting to open his door when she caer door for her As she cliht and early Did you eat breakfast?"

She shook her head "I don’t usually eat breakfast"

He eyed her sharply "Get used to it Where do you want to go?"

He didn’t have to be so curt about it She ry yet" When he continued to wait for an answer, she sighed "Alex, whether or not I eat breakfast isn’t a decision for you It’s my freedoht Finally he looked back at her and shrugged

"I suppose so"

He was probably wondering where to draw the line There wasn’t going to be a line He would sioing to be a tough job for hihed "I’m sorry, Alex I know it’s not easy for you, but there’s bound to be a learning curve Neither of us has ever done this before"

His gaze wandered over her face and then his brows lifted "That’s true"

As he backed the truck out of the drive, a thought occurred to her

"Have you had anything to eat?"

He nodded His attention on the road

"I guess it would have been nice if I had asked that before I jurinned "If that’s what you call juhed "You ht as well accept the fact that I’m a whole lot easier to lead than I am to push"

He kept his eyes on the road, his expression unreadable

"Thanks for the tip"

He was silent all the way to the house, and when he came around to her side and opened the door, she allowed him to extract her with his hands on her waist When her feet touched the ground, she gazed up at hiry with s," she stated flatly

His gaze fell on her face "No"

Her fingers crept up his chest, fearful they would be shoved away before they reached his neck But he si her When her arms surrounded his neck, he pulled her close and kissed her softly on theup into his face again

"Are you sorry you said you wanted to make the decisions?"

"No"

She backed away fro"

"Oh, for" she turned and headed for the barn

"I just wonder what I gotaround "Alex, if you don’t want toyou because I need someone to wipeyou wanted – a house, a fa hiaze wandered over her face - casting around for clues, no doubt

"If I didn’t think it would be enough, I wouldn’t have becoaze becaed to Josh!"

His expression drifted slowly fro to amused A wry sht you were"

"He didn’t ask"

She turned around and startedtoward the barn Actually, Josh did ask her, but she had never answered

Alex followed her with brisk steps She walked Princess out of her stall and over to the saddle Alex did the same with Ed and they saddled the horses in silence Finally they walked the saddled and bridled horses out of the barn, andhu at the corners of his ry with me?"

"A little miffed," she admitted, "but it’s awfully hard to stay upset with you"

He held the reins in one hand and his rifle in the other Pointing it down, he shoved it into the boot "Good," he said with a grin Straightening in the saddle, he winked "I’d sure hate to spend the rest of the day with you mad at me"

She leaned toward him and wrinkled her nose

"Well, that’s one way to stave off passion"

He laughed "Anger is a passion, Carate When they were both out of the corral, he shut it again

"Let’s go," he said and urged Ed into a lope

They raced the horses past the pond and up the hill, slohen they came to the rocky area There Alex took the lead as they rode into rough country, his shoulders swaying with the movement of the horse He was an excellent horseman, and rode as if he were part of the horse Was it so that ca?

As she watched his back, it occurred to her that he definitely was not slight of build – le that rippled with movement What did his bare back look like? War to think about those things during waking hours Well, tomorrow she could look to her hearts’ content and it wouldn’t be indecent In theelse

Twisting in the saddle, she soaked in the scene behind the oak tree leaned over the pond with outstretched arms, as if ready to capture a catfish The old house sat quiet, the roof above her bedroom covered with a blue tarp They were supposed to come out and fix that next week The Sycamore tree that had fallen on it had been re a chain saw and good old-fashioned elbow grease The as split and stacked beside the house, waiting for winter Beyond the pond was a vivid green line of brush and trees, bordering the creek The log house was further on, and up a steep incline – a sentinel overlooking the valley The barn was just far enough from the house, and positioned so that the odors – if there were any – would not reach the house Even the chicken coop was visible at this elevation The buffalo stood at the fence, watching the The sun had baked the sage grass a tawny color in the fields It was a peaceful scene ically placed outbuildings

Princess stopped and Car in the scene as well His gaze swept the country and came to rest on her He smiled

"We have a beautiful place, sweetheart"

"Is it prettier than Texas?"

He looked thoughtful aa horse to a gazelle I guess it depends on what you want to do with it"

"Is this the horse or the gazelle?"

He winked "The horse"

She put a thuht in the saddle "I know you oat couldn’t jump it, but I see some places where we need to reinforce it" He pointed across the valley "I wonder if it would be wise to put a fence across down there We could bring the goats down there I think the longhorn would be safe enough up here"

Carhorn?"