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So inside her knotted "I don’t need that I just need you Laughing with me like always"

"But you do You’rehere" His curls bounced as he tossed his head in the direction of the fine ladies and gentlery look in his eyes eased "You know you are"

"What does that otten et us the world With your beauty, andwe can’t do"

"And if I lost htly, but a sudden feeling of fear made her breathless

"My beautiful rose" He touched her face again Really, he had the most extraordinary ability to block out her end of the conversation when he got on a tear "I don’t knohy you won’t let me call you Rose"

"You knohy" Her insides twisted harder "I don’t like it And it isn’t even my name"

"It’s part of your name!" He leaned in "Rose"

"Don’t, Martin"

She looked away and blinked up into the patchwork of sky and evergreen needles overhead Nearly two decades of distance could not dio words

"We cannot continue to call her Rose," Grandmother said She had co to see for herself what had becohter’s children Miranda’s mother had never liked the woman

Miranda did not like her either

"Why not?" Father asked in genuine confusion

Miranda squir place behind the Chinese silk screen in the drawing room

"Have you paid no notice to the child?" she retorted irritably

"Of course I have, Lillian Only eight and she is a beauty I’ve never seen her equal" He laughed lightly, nervously Grandmother always made Father nervous

"I fear beauty is all she has She does not possess Poppy’s coh as it is, ith…" Grandmother sucked in a breath

Father oda wavered before Miranda’s eyes

"Enough discussion, Hector I’ve set my mind to this We shall call her Miranda It is her true name after all Rereat enough as it is"

Miranda pressed her lips together and firht to tell him why, but could not ot to his feet easily enough "Sometimes, I don’t understand you" He held out a hand "Have you any other orders for the day or s It sees Miranda let him help her up "No more orders," she said softly, then kissed his cheek "Just that"

His expression turned warm "Well ’that’ is very nice indeed"

Chapter 3

Central Mexico, March 15, 1881

He was a shadow of hi For a cure Archer squeezed his eyes shut, blocking out the view of yet another desert The urgency within hithened until it held his ht bond He craved to run, punch, slash, anything if only it would ease this need But there was nothing Nothing except to keep going

So he was here, in a strange desert in Mexico, following yet another well -paid guide and a band of indigenous Indians in search of their holy land His new guide, Michael Suides, S froht have paid the man half the amount, and Smith would probably have taken the job anyway When Archer had first approached hi his way through a bottle of tequila and playing chess with a Mexican Indian

War the scent of fried cornmeal and roasted chilies to Archer’s nose The huuitar As Archer had approached S, asas the desert coyotes that haunted the area

The bar was nearly deserted The only occupants other than Sainst the bar and a Mexican eating soup at a nearby table

Bothas Archer passed Perhaps it was their surprise,his head as Archer approached Archer got the is, didn’t give anything ard unless he wanted to

Smith eyed hihtful fascination

"Good evening," Archer said as he stopped before him "You are Michael Smith, are you not?"

The American was said to have lived in Mexico since President Andrew Johnson had sent troops in to aid the Mexicans during the Franco-Mexican war back in ’65

Seant, had done his duty, then promptly deserted