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around the corral, calling enthusiastically to somebody on a horse.
With glittering green eyes, she walked down to them. She knew instinctively who it was on that
unbroken horse. And sure enough, when she got there, she saw her tall, lean husband giving the animal
a run for its money. He was wearing denims, wide leather chaps, and the old worn Stetson that looked
near retirement age. His face was animated, full of challenge and male pride, and the animal was
tiring. It leaped and bucked while the cowhands yelled encouragement to the tall, relentless rider.
Finally, the weary horse gave up and trotted around the corral, panting and sweat-lathered.
Ty swung gracefully out of the saddle, patting the animal gently before he handed it over to one of
the men to groom and water. Erin watched him with her hands in the pockets of her skirt; it had been
all too long since she'd seen him, and her eyes devoured him hungrily. He was so much a man. A
Texan.
He turned unexpectedly and saw her, and froze in place. Before he had time to say anything, she
lifted her chin pugnaciously.
"Well?" she asked, glaring at him. "You might at least say hello, even if I'm not welcome. And
while we're on the subject, thanks for all the cards and letters and phone calls; I sure enjoyed them!"
He climbed over the corral fence and dropped gracefully to his feet to approach her, while behind
him the men stared and punched each other-they loved a good fight.
"Welcome home, Mrs. Wade," Ty said with faint mockery, but his eyes were running over her like
tender hands. It had been a long time, and she was beautiful, and he wanted her until it was a raging
fever. But she was different, too: eye-catching and expensive-looking in a pretty red-and-white outfit.
The long white sweater overlapped a full red crinkle-cloth skirt that swirled around her calves when
she walked, and she'd belted it with a macramé tie. Her hair was longer now, over her shoulders,
softly waving, and her face was exquisitely made up. She was the perfect model. His eyes narrowed
as he wondered how many men had looked at her and wanted her. Had she wanted any of them? He
could only imagine how he'd compare with those city men. His face went hard thinking about it. He
was going to lose her-so what the hell; he might as well help her leave, convince her that she didn't
need to feel sorry for him anymore. The guilt was mostly gone. He had a few twinges now and then,
but he could live with himself now. He didn't need her pity.
"Hello, yourself," Erin replied curtly. He sure didn't look like a man who couldn't sleep at night for
missing her.
"Did you come back to get your gear?" he asked, pausing long enough to light a cigarette.
"Maybe I did." She straightened. "I can see how welcome I am."
"What did you expect, a brass band?" he asked. "I got along my whole life without anybody in the
house. It's pretty pleasant, if you want to know."
"Well, New York isn't bad, either," she retorted, stung. "I'm having a glorious time! I work every
day, in fact, and I'm much in demand for parties and such."
"Found somebody else, have you?" he asked with apparent indifference. "I hope he's rich. You'll be
expensive to keep."
"As if I ever cost you a dime, Tyson Radley Wade!" she shot back, raising her voice.
"Radley?" Red Davis drawled from the corral fence.
Ty whirled, silver eyes blazing. "Stuff it, Davis!" he growled.
Red saluted him, but he shut up all the same.
"That's it, yell at the poor man," Erin said scathingly. "Nobody around here is allowed an opinion
except you!"
"You don't have to start yelling out secrets, do you?" Ty asked, scowling.
"Oh, was your middle name a secret?" she asked innocently, and looked past him at the cowboys.
"Well, it's not anymore."
"Why don't you go pack your damned bag?"
She stomped her foot. "Can't wait to get rid of me, can you? Why did you bother to marry me in the
first place?"
"Because I didn't want Ward Jessup digging holes in my pasture looking for oil!" he said coldly.
"That was it, that was all of it. That, and a little pity. You sure as hell were a basket case when I
found you!"
"And now, thanks to you, I have a wonderful future in store!" she replied angrily. "I love living
alone! I have the time of my life walking around stages while middle-aged hippopotamus women try
to imagine themselves in dresses that would barely fit around one of their legs! I love being ogled by
male designers and hurried by dressers and pestered to death by photographers and harassed by
perfectionist directors on commercials! It's great coming home to an empty apartment and spending
my whole weekend watching roller derbies and championship wrestling!"
The cowboys were trying not to laugh. Ty was gaping at her. He'd never seen her like this.
She clenched her small hands at her sides, her elfin face red, her eyes sparkling dangerously. "I
hate you, you big ugly cowboy!" she raged at him. "I'm tired of waiting for the phone to ring and
haunting the mailbox for letters that never come! They've offered me a week in Saint-Tropez to shoot
a swimsuit commercial, and I'm taking it! The director is French and tall and handsome and sexy, and
he wants me, and I'm going!"
"Like hell you're going!" he burst out, throwing down the cigarette with a violent flick of his wrist.
"You're not traipsing off to the south of France with any damned Frenchman!"
"Why not?" she demanded, her voice high-pitched. "You don't want me! I'm just a burden to you,
just a cripple you're carrying around on your conscience!"
"Some cripple," he murmured, studying her.
"I wish I had a wooden leg, I'd kick you with it, you arrogant cattleman!"
He smiled slowly.
"My, my, aren't we wound up, though?"
"'Wound up'?" She backed away a step, eyes narrowing. "Wound up! I'll show you wound up...."
She picked up the nearest object-an empty bucket sitting by the fence-and hurled it at him. He
ducked, so she grabbed a bridle off the corral and threw that, following it with a piece of loose
wood.
The cowboys were chuckling behind Ty. He glared at them as he dodged the wood.
"Ship me off to the city, will you?" She pushed back a strand of sweaty hair, looking around for
another missile. "Throw me out on my ear, give me over to the mercy of strangers. A fine way to treat
your own wife!"
"You never wanted to be my wife," he said. "You married me to get even with me!"
"Sure I did!" she cried, grasping a horse collar. "To get even with you for ignoring me all the time,
for baiting me, for killing me with your indifference. You big, stupid man, I love you so much!" Her
voice broke as she flung the collar. "I've loved you from the first day I saw you, and you've given me
nothing but hell!"
He didn't duck. The horse collar was heavy and it caught him in the chest, but he didn't even flinch.
His eyes were wide and unblinking as he gaped at her, disbelieving. Had he heard right?
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