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Benteen took a half-step back so the lower half of his body no longer pinned her against the buggy His gaze dropped to the hand on her breast, and he slowly brought it down

“I shouldn’t have let you do that,” Lorna whispered anxiously “I don’t knohat got into —”

“—that I want to bury myself in you,” Benteen finished the sentence for her, the sexual significance of his remark lost on her innocence He seemed to realize it, as one side of his et married damned soon, because I need you, Lorna”

“I need you too,” sheemotionally

“The things you do to ht shake of his head “I’ll be a solid stone by our wedding night”

A shudder treht would bring, and her possible reactions The shawl had fallen down around her arently pull it up around her shoulders

“It’s getting cool We’d better get you home before you catch a chill”

“Will you have dinner with us tonight?” she asked, not wanting him to leave her now that he had returned

“I need to get back and check on the herd,” he refused gently, then promised, “I’ll be in town tomorrow I’ll see you then”

He assisted her into the buggy This ti the reins and driving the horse to the Pearce house

6

On a trail drive the cook was second in importance only to the trail boss Most of the drovers considered him to be more i theall the time, he doctored s and money, pulled teeth on occasion, and trimmed hair The cook could make life pleasant on the drive or turn it into sheer hell

There was only onewho claimed to have been the personal cook of an adotten, probably even by him, ever since a cowboy had claimed that his coffee tasted “rusty” “Rusty” emptied the pot on the cowboy’s head No one ever ain, but the name stuck

Rusty had been cook on two of the outfits Benteen had bossed He allowed himself to be persuaded to accept Benteen’s offer to trail with him a third ti for Benteen sothe wanderlust in his soul

Together Rusty and Benteen picked out the chuck wagon, since it would be Rusty’s doave Benteen the naon for sale He slipped the piece of paper in his pocket and walked over to Pearce’s Emporium with Rusty