“Did she?”Leigh gave him an assessing look.“Sounds as if Freddy is somewhat interested, as well.She doesn’t assign nicknames to people she doesn’t like.”
Ry glanced away, afraid those knowing eyes would read too many things from his expression.“If the deal goes through and my partners and I buy the ranch, you and Freddy will become our employees.She and I both understand the politics of that.”
Leigh chuckled.“Loosen up, Ry.Out here on the ranch, we don’t worry about office politics.People are people.Besides, you don’t strike me as the kind who would fire an employee because a love affair didn’t work out.”
“No, I wouldn’t.But she might quit.”
“She wouldn’t leave the True Love over something like that.But suit yourself.Lord knows, I’m not trying to talk you into anything.I’m glad you decided to take the name she slapped on you, though.”
He shrugged and stretched out his legs.The gesture hurt like hell, but he was working hard to appear nonchalant.“No big deal.”He wished he had on denim and boots.Out here in the West, denim and boots seemed to telegraph nonchalance much faster than khakis and deck shoes.“I’m pretty burned out with the big-city routine.The new name felt right.”He looked over at her.“This ranch feels right.”
“You’re not the first person to think so.The True Love has been welcoming people home for generations.”
Ry straightened in his chair.“That’s going a bit further than I intended.I’m just talking about a change of pace.Nothing permanent.”
“Oh, I see.”She sat quietly, gazing out across the sparse crop of grass.
“What are those earrings supposed to be?”he asked.“They look like a special design.
She reached up to finger one of the silver hoops.“They’re called dream catchers.The Ojibwe up north invented them but many indigenous tribes have adopted the design.Legend has it that the web keeps bad dreams out and lets good ones through.”
“Interesting idea.”He wouldn’t mind trying that one out.“What’s your take on this curse business?”
She turned those incredible almond-shaped eyes on him.“When something as terrible as that massacre happens, the land bears the mark of it, whether it was deliberately cursed or not.But I like to think the Singletons have been pumping good vibrations into the area for so many generations that the power of the curse is fading.”She smiled at him.“After all, Thaddeus Singleton did name it the True Love.Think of the energy inherent in that.”
“Energy in a name?Come on, Leigh.”
She gazed at him, her sense of inner calm almost palpable.“I can’t believe you would doubt it...Ry.”
He gazed at her as a chill ran up his spine.He’d assumed he could buy this ranch, change its name, revamp its purpose and move on, a wealthier man.Why did that assumption seem suddenly naive?
Leigh nudged the dog from her feet and stood.“If you’ll excuse me, I have to drive down to the corrals and saddle a few trail horses.We have a sunset ride scheduled tonight.”She glanced down at him.“Want to come on the ride?”
“ I… ah…”
She laughed.“Never mind.I was teasing you.Besides, you’d probably better stay here.Last I heard, Freddy had called Eb Whitlock and invited him to have supper in our dining room with her and the other guests, as a gesture of thanks for his coming up to check on you two this morning.You’ll probably want to hang around and protect your interests.”
He lifted his eyebrows.
“In the ranch, of course,” she explained.Then, with a low whistle to the dog, she cut across the yard to yet another battered pickup with the ranch’s brand painted on the door panel.This truck boasted an added decoration, however.Over its dark blue fender curved an iridescent rainbow.
Freddy told herself she’d invited Eb out of courtesy.After all, he had gone out of his way this morning to make sure she was okay.But her pride still smarted from that dunking in the horse trough.She wasn’t above needling Ry a little with Eb’s presence at her dinner table.
With only eleven guests in residence and five of them out on a sunset trail ride and barbecue, the dining room seemed almost empty.The six remaining guests had all been at the ranch for a week and had become friends, so they commandeered one of the longer pine tables.Freddy ushered Eb to a table set for four with the traditional True Love heart-shaped place mats in red-and-white checks, red napkins and tin plates enameled in red with white flecks.
“I see you’ve kept the traditions alive,” Eb commented, pulling out a chair for Freddy.
“With difficulty.”Freddy kept glancing at the door to see if Ry would appear for dinner.“This tinware isn’t easy to find anymore.”
Eb leaned forward as he pushed her chair closer to the table, and she could feel his breath on her bare shoulders.Her blouse, one Leigh had talked her into buying, had “cold-shoulder” cutouts.The blouse, along with a tiered denim skirt, was her newest outfit, and she’d swept her hair on top of her head and added silver concho earrings.She hadn’t been this dressed up in weeks.But a woman who had last appeared climbing from a horse trough had to think of her image.
Of course, Ry might skip dinner.At this moment, he could easily be sound asleep in his room.At least he wasn’t in the Jacuzzi — she’d checked.
“I said, this sure brings back memories,” Eb said, a little too loudly and with a trace of impatience.
Freddy realized she hadn’t heard him the first time.“Yes, it does.”She smiled at Eb, who had seated himself at right angles to her.“Sorry I haven’t had you over sooner, but...”
“Never mind.I know you’ve had troubles.Seems like all sorts of things have been going wrong.”
