Page 57 (1/2)

As she was s the last strand of hair into its neat coil, there was a knock at the door She went to it, and paused, noticing the key in the lock

“Benteen?” she asked

“Yes”

When she opened the door, his gaze flicked to her dress and back to her face “I thought you ht be awake by now”

“I got up a few o,” Lorna admitted “Is it very late?”

“After nine o’clock”

It see Her exhaustion had obviously been of the mind as well as the body

“Are you ready to go down for breakfast?” Benteen asked

“Yes I suppose you’ve eaten,” she guessed

He nodded “I’ll have coffee with you Then I’ll have to ride out to the herd There’s a buyer ants to look over those three hundred head of steers I plan to sell”

“Oh” Lorna wasn’t sure why she had expected him to spend most of the day with her Wasn’t it always the cattle? She was sure if it ever cae and the cattle, the cattle would win

“You’ll be all right, won’t you?”

“Of course,” she declared on an airily sarcastic note that he didn’t understand

The cattle buyer stopped by their breakfast table to see when Benteen wanted to ride out to the herd Lorna could tell how anxious Benteen was, so she suggested that he leave now, assuring hie fine on her own Then she was irritated when he accepted it without protest

She wasn’t used to all this idle time, and didn’t really knohat to do with it After breakfast she spent so She ventured out of the hotel for a short walk, and returned in time for lunch