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Her shoulder lifted in an expressive shrug of indifference “I’d much rather be your partner, but we’ll talk about that another time”

“There won’t be another time, and I’m not interested in any proposition of yours—business or otherwise I suggest you leave before I throw you out” There was no softening of his hard, embittered features

“I’ll leave” She so”

“Then say it and be done with it,” he snapped, showing the first rush of impatience

“I believe you know a man named Judd Boston”

“What about hiuarded

“It seems he has a friend in the land office who had told him about three claims that have not had the necessary improvements hts and title will be denied the present clai them over”

“Very interesting, but hardly surprising That’s the way Boston works,” Benteen replied

Shesatin skirts “Ah, but those three claims are yours, Benteen” The uncertainty of disbelief flickered across his face “So you see, I can be very helpful to you—in htly against his cheek, stroking her fingers across it in a brief caress “I’ll be in touch in a few days, and we’ll talk about that proposition”

After she walked by him to the door, Benteen reht a pain that splintered through hilass For a split second he was a little boy again, wanting the war the beautiful woman in the picture would come back to him That was before he realized his dream mother didn’t exist

Slowly he turned and walked to the front door, where she waited to be escorted to her carriage Benteen didn’t look at her He tried to expel her existence froh he knew her to be in her late forties, she didn’t look it She was too elegant and sophisticated to ever be considered matronly

Ma

ny times in his youth he had planned what he would say to her if she ever ca her, ordering her out of his life Yet, the sensation of her touch lingered on his cheek He ached from it But no one could see it His hard features had been too well schooled in concealing the privacy of his emotions

The southern exposure of the house had thee chunk of blue, crowning the range in all directions Benteen surveyed it with a sloeeping gaze, aware of the land’s rawfro into his thoughts He had been too confident, too sure of himself

When they reached the carriage, Lorna was just co out of the cabin with Webb at her side Bull Giles followed her, carrying little Arthur in the hook of one arm Despite the skinned knees and the traces of tears on his cheek, the toddler seemed quite happy on his lofty perch