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His words stopped her like a brick wall Slade had a nasty streak of temper, but he’d never used those words with her before Steeling herself against the hurt, she turned slowly back to face hi to deserve this, and she didn’t have to take it
Every word she spoke felt chiseled out of ice “Don’t you ever call ht”
His fist crushed the e the mark, it clattered across the linoleum “You expect me to believe you haven’t been with Beau Tyler?”
His question sucked the air out of her She struggled for breath “What’s the ton three days ago”
“That’s not what I heard” Slade folded his ar that she wanted to fly at him and claw the smirk off his face “A friend told me he stuck around to help with the roundup Maybe he stuck around for a little bit of soot to say about that?”
Natalie felt herself cruidly erect She couldn’t let him see how his news had affected her
“Even if I had known, it wouldn’t have made any difference I was at the Lindfords’ If you don’t believe me, call and ask them Make up some excuse—like maybe I lost my watch and want to know if they found it Or ht now I’m so tired I don’t care what you do—or what you believe If you have anything left to say, we can talk in the ”
She turned away and headed down the hall, praying he wouldn’t follow her She didn’t want to make up She didn’t even want to be touched All she wanted was to be left alone
“I’,” he called after her, and she almost melted with relief “But hear this, lady Nobody lays a hand on my wife If that bastard Tyler comes anywhere near you, so help me, I’ll kill him!”
On Sundays, when Tori cahter, she was expected to stay for dinner Aard as it sometiave Erin a sense of fas on the ranch Anything that ht affect Erin was a concern to her
Tonight the main dish was roast wild turkey, which Jasper had shot froht not be able to ride a horse anyood and he could handle a gun with the best
Over the years, the line between the Tylers and their longtime staff had faded Jasper, as usual, had joined them at the table Bernice, too, would take her place once the food was served Sometimes Sky dined with them, but mostly he seemed to be busy elsewhere Or maybe it was just that he preferred a peaceful meal in his side of the brick duplex he shared with Jasper Conversations at the Tylers’ table could get pretty dramatic
Since it was a farace As he ra at the circle of familiar faces from beneath her half-lowered eyelashes
Erin’s freshly scrubbed features revealed glimpses of the beautiful wonawing panic as she realized her daughter’s little breasts were already budding beneath her pink T-shirt When had that happened? It was ti bra
Jasper and Bernice were getting older, too Now that Bull was gone, they were the only re links to the past, the keepers of memory and the keepers of secrets More secrets, Tori sensed, than anyone in the family suspected