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“I’ you from your business I’m sure you’re anxious to show your herd to cattle buyers” For a vain instant Lorna wanted the reassurance that Bull desired her coher priority on the cattle
“I’ to deprive myself of the company of a beautiful lady,” Bull declared with his usual charm
“Why is it that men feel that way before they are htly teasing retort Only after she heard herself saying the words did she realize it revealed her disillusione She tried quickly to cover it with a deprecating remark about her own sex “I suppose women are that way, too”
“I’ve never known a beautiful wole, who didn’t want the attention of her eneralities the way she had, but Lorna sensed he was seeing through it
She took another sip of coffee, then held the cup and traced a portion of its ri uncommon interest in a sie the subject
“Isn’t it strange howtastes—food, coffee—when you aren’t having it out of a tin plate orshe could admit to Bull Giles, but she hadn’t said it to Benteen He would have seen it as a complaint, whereas Lorna fel
t Bull would understand
“With tablecloths and napkins,” Bull added with a hint of a responding smile
“Two days of this”—Lorna let her glance stray around the roos that now represented luxury—”will spoil me”
“You deserve to be spoiled,” he asserted “A trail drive is no place for a lady like you”
“It certainly isn’t an easy way to travel” She deliberately understated the hardships that had tested her endurance and taken her one step beyond her li will be fine e reach Montana” She said it without conviction as she studied the polished silver of a spoon against the white tablecloth
A moment of silence followed; then Bull spoke very quietly “You don’t have to go to Montana, Mrs Calder, if that isn’t where you want to go”
Her glance lifted to meet his Bull Giles was much too intuitive, she realized Lorna suessed too oes, Mr Giles,” she stated to establish fire work
“Of course” But there was doubt in his expression
It had been a er over coffee, so she made it clear to him in a subtly polite way that it was time to leave Bull made no attempt to persuade her otherwise, and escorted her fro room