I wouldnt think of putting Pearl through that sort of torture, he teased back, then added in a serious tone, Dont worry. Well take a break or two before we get there.
He handed her the mares reins and she took a few moments to let the horse get accustomed to her smell.
So where or what is Chillicothe?
A ghost town. It was built back in the mid-eighteen hundreds, when the Golden Spur was thriving. The old mine is just a short distance away from the town. I thought you might enjoy looking it all over.
Im sure Ill love it.
She led Pearl up a few steps, then lifted the reins over her head. As she put her foot in the stirrup, she felt Quints hands wrap around the sides of her waist. She wasnt expecting him to help her into the saddle and she glanced around with surprise.
Pearl isnt that tall. I can manage, she assured him.
My father always helped a lady into the saddle. So just in case hes watching I dont want to disappoint him.
With her toe still in the stirrup and her weight balanced on one boot, she paused long enough to allow her gaze to slide warmly over his face. Im very glad you invited me out today, Quint, she said softly.
Im very glad youre here, he replied, his gaze locking onto hers.
Feeling suddenly quite breathless, she cleared her throat and turned back to the horse. Taking her cue, he helped her into the saddle. Once he was confident that she was in control, he moved away and mounted his horse, a big brown gelding with a stripe down his nose.
Chillicothe is to the northwest. This way, he said, motioning slightly to their left. Not far from here, well hit the old road that led to the town. Its just a dim path now, but it makes for easy riding.
Sounds great.
As they moved away from the barn, Maura swung Pearl alongside the big brown and the horses set out in an easy trot toward a pasture full of jumping choya. It was the time of summer for the plants to be in full bloom and the pink and yellow blossoms made for a pretty sight as they maneuvered their way through the prickly cacti.
All of this area needs to be cleared away for pasture, Quint told her. Thats one of the things Ill be doing now that most of the barn and outbuildings are nearly finished.
Oh, what a shame. The flowers are so beautiful.
Yes, but there would be triple the amount of grass without them.
Maura cast him an impish look. Youre a practical man, arent you? And not very much like Abe.
Oh, I can loosen upwhen I need to, he added.
She laughed. Well, if you put a third less cattle on this particular range, then you could keep the flowers, she suggested.
Normally, Quint would have been quick to shoot down such a suggestion, calling it ridiculous and wasteful. But something about the pleasure she was gleaning from the cactus roses made him happy, made him reconsider even the smallest things around him.
Ill think about that, he said.
Halfway through the ride to Chillicothe, they stopped near a deep arroyo. A shallow amount of water covered the rocky bottom while desert willows and twisted juniper grew at precarious angles from its loamy banks.
They rode down into the mini canyon, then dismounted and led the horses to the waters edge. The day had grown exceptionally warm and while the horses drank deeply, Quint shared his canteen with Maura.
Once the animals had their fill of water, they led them over to the bank and tethered the reins loosely around a willow limb.
After they were certain the horses were secured, Quint said, I see a nice flat rock over there. Lets sit a few minutes before we head on to Chillicothe.
Sounds good to me, she agreed. Right now my legs feel like two pieces of rubber.
He offered his arm to her. Here. Youd better hang on to me. Just in case you stumble.
Thanks. She wrapped a hand around his forearm, then quickly moved her clutch higher toward his elbow. This is your cut arm, she explained. I dont want to injure it again.
She could have torn the cut wide open again and Quint probably wouldnt have noticed. Just having her touching him again, walking close by his side, her body brushing against his was enough to send his libido into overdrive.
Was my grandfather okay with you being gone from Apache Wells today? Quint asked as he helped her get seated on the big boulder.
Smiling contentedly, she stretched her legs out in front of her. He was more than okay. He was very happy.
He eased down beside her on the rock. Hmmph. Thats not surprising, he admitted. Abe thinks I should show more interest in women. And he gets very disgusted with me when I dont.
Sighing, she looked up toward the sky. What had started out as nothing but bright blue sky this morning was now filled with fluffy white clouds.
I know the feeling. Since my divorce, my mother thinks I should be out searching daily for another man. She shook her head. Shes been married to my father for nearly forty years. She has no idea how scary it would be without him.
Quint cast a curious glance her way. Is it scary for you to be without your ex-husband?
Her brows arched with faint surprise, she looked at him. No. I know how to take care of myself. I just meant that its scary to think about dating again. I guessafter Gilbert I dont trust men, she said, then swiftly shook her head. That didnt exactly come out the way it should have. What I was trying to say is that I dont trust myself to pick the right man.
Oh, Lord, there had been so many times hed felt that very same way, he thought. Choosing Holly had been one of the worst mistakes hed ever made. And though Holly had done the cheating and the leaving, he still considered the whole affair as his mistake.
It had taken Quint quite a while to finally understand and admit to himself that hed been blind and young where Holly had been concerned. Hed not been mature or wise enough to see that shed been wrong for him in the first place.
Picking up a few pieces of gravel, he began to toss the tiny pebbles toward the pool of water. You probably wouldnt want to tell me what happened to your marriage, would you?
Even though he could only see her profile, it was enough to tell him that her expression had become shuttered.
I wouldnt mind, she said, then glancing at him, her lips twisted sourly. Gilbert married me for my money. I didnt know that at first. In fact, I didnt know it with certainty until the very end of our marriage. You see, he was a great actor.
What do you mean by that?
Maybe I should start from the first to explain, she told him. Id been working at a clinic in Alamogordo when I first met Gil. We dated for about four months before I finally decided to accept his marriage proposal. Which was impulsive for me. Up until I met Gil I was very cautious about my relationships with men. But hed come along at a time when I wanted to get on with my life and hed been so attentive, so considerate of my needs and wants. He kept reassuring me that he wasnt interested in my money and I foolishly believed him. After all, he earned a good salary of his own and he never asked me for anything that was connected to finances.
Youre a rich woman, Maura. You never had suspicions about his motives? His brows pulled together. Damn, you must have been a trusting soul.
Youre a rich woman, Maura. You never had suspicions about his motives? His brows pulled together. Damn, you must have been a trusting soul.
She groaned with regret. Thats what I meant about being a good actor. Gil was the sort that could make a person believe the sun was shining in the middle of a rainstorm. Even Mother believed he was sincere. But Daddy totally disapproved of him. He described Gil as slicker than an oil pit. At that time I thought Daddy was just being overly protective with his daughter. But unfortunately, it turned out that Daddy was right and I was the naive one. I believed Gil truly loved me.
He caught the sound of self-deprecation in her voice and was amazed at how much that sound depicted his own feelings.
So how did you learn hed married you for your money? Werent there signs on the wall that you could have read?
Maura answered ruefully, There was nothing about Gil that appeared out of line. Until after we were married. And even then I didnt think it suspicious when he wanted to use our moneyor technically you could call it my moneyto buy luxury items like vehicles and boats and exotic vacations. He always reasoned the purchases away by insisting he wanted me to have the best of things. Because he loved me. Because I worked so hard as a nurse that I deserved them. Full of shame, she looked at him. I couldnt see through him, Quint. I wanted to believe that he loved me so much he merely wanted to spoil me with gifts. I didnt want to consider, even for a moment, that he was in the marriage for ulterior reasons. But as time went on I couldnt ignore his lavish spending. Then finally I started asking myself if he was really buying these things for himself and using me as an excuse.
How did you discover the truth? he asked gently.
She let out a long sigh. It all happened over the course of two or three years, she told him. But the turning point began when I wanted to get pregnant and have a child.
Struck by that, he turned toward her. He didnt want children?
Shaking her head, she said, Gils job had him traveling at least three or four days out of the week, sometimes more. We both agreed that wasnt conducive to raising a family. So I promised to wait and he promised to put in for a desk job that would allow him to stay home. But year after year began to pass and everything stayed the same. He always came up with excuses as to why he couldnt change jobs within the company.
His expression stern, he said, Maybe he resented the fact that you were working at a career you liked while you expected him to change jobs? What did he think about you working?
He did resent me asking him to changebut I didnt find out about that until She paused, then went on bitterly, Well, until later. But as for me working, he was all for it. My job kept me occupied and out of his way. So that hed be free to do his own thing.
I think I see, he said thoughtfully. So what did you do?
She turned her palm upward in a helpless gesture. I began to question him and he promptly accused me of nagging. Bending her head, she said in a strained voice, Most women want to bear a child, Quint. Thats all I wanted. But he couldnt even give me that much.
The pain in her voice stabbed him right in the middle of his chest. What kind of man would want to hurt this woman, lose this woman? he wondered.
Thats why you divorced him?
She grimaced. That was only a part of it, Quint. I found outat the clinic where I worked, I accidentally overheard a couple of nurses discussing us. They were saying how sorry they felt for me because hed had so many women during his travels and I didnt seem to know.
What they were saying could have been unfounded gossip, he reasoned.
Thats what I wanted to think. But I confronted Gilbert about it and he confessed. Hed never intended to take a desk job or have a family. He liked things as they were. In short, he wanted his fun and a rich wife on the side.
Sounds like a real nice bastard.
Her expression was stark as she turned her head and looked at him. See. A man like thatI should have known all along. From the very first my father tried to warn me about Gilbert. But I was so blinded I wouldnt listen to him. I let love lead me around by the nose. And nowwell, Im not going to let that happen again.
Her firm vow sounded like so many hed made to himself. And yet he had the strangest urge to tell her she shouldnt be bitter or wary. She was a gentle and lovely woman and some man would eventually come along and love her. Really love her. So why wasnt he thinking that about himself? he wondered wryly. He was a good and honest man. Why didnt he believe a good, sincere woman would come along and love him?
Quint couldnt answer that question. He didnt even try. Instead, all he could say was, I understand where youre coming from, Maura.
Twisting her body toward his, she reached over and clasped his hand between hers. The unexpected touch warmed him, excited him in ways hed couldnt explain.
Do you, Quint? You and Holly
Werent compatible, he finished for her. Mainly she wanted a different lifestyle than me. A ranchers day-today grind wasnt glamorous enough for her.
Maura frowned. Everyone around here knew you would always be a rancher. Surely she didnt think you would change that for her.
Grimacing, he shook his head. No. Wed been dating since high school, but when we got engaged we were both in our senior year of college and I was earning a degree in agriculture business. She had hopes that I would put that to use in other ways than a hands-on rancher. She saw me becoming an executive for some cattle-buying firm or working my up to a prestigious position in the equine business. Or even just sitting back and managing the ranch from an office.
A faint smile curved her lips. I cant see you doing any of that. Youre an outdoor man.
He grunted cynically. Holly never understood that about me. She also believed wed make our home at the Chaparral. I explained that I considered that my parents home and I wanted something of my own. And when I made it clear that I wanted something far more modest than the Chaparral, she didnt hide her disappointment in me. In her opinion, I gave her plenty of reasons to look elsewhere. And maybe I did. But a man cant compromise his basic roots.
Well, if I remember right the Johnsons were well-off, Maura reasoned. I guess Hollys parents had always given her whatever she wanted. Thats never a good thing.
Quint grimaced. I thought her family being well-off meant that she couldnt be interested in my money. Not when she already had her own. I was a fool for not realizing that people like Holly always want more. I suppose when she met that rich real estate guy up in Denver she saw her chance to get everything she wanted. It didnt matter that he was nearly twice her age. Sarcasm twisted his features. She would consider my little house on the Golden Spur a shack. But you know what, its me and I like it. I wouldnt change it for her. For anyone.
You shouldnt have to, she said softly.
Her fingers moved gently over the top of his hand as though she wanted to console him in some way. But Quint could have told her that he didnt need that sort of comforting from her. He wanted her lips fastened to his, her body crushed beneath him. The thought of making love to this woman was beginning to consume him and make everything else seem very unimportant. That couldnt be healthy. But hed already gone past the point of stopping it.