"But Nate Pearson is here. He wants to talk with Mr. Donovan. He says it's urgent."
Before she had finished speaking, Tom was on his feet and heading toward the door. "That will be about Starbright," he explained quickly to Trace. "She's ready to foal at any moment. She's been behaving strangely, and I told Nate to stay with her and call me if anything developed."
"I see," Trace replied, following Tom into the hall.
Nate Pearson was waiting just inside the door. The three men huddled together in serious conversation for a moment, the low murmur of their voices drifting into the room, their words indistinguishable. Then suddenly Tom jerked open the front door and strode out, with Nate on his heels. Trace closed it behind them and returned to the living room.
"I'm sorry, Katy, but there's an emergency down at the stables, and your father felt he should be there. Since it's likely he'll be busy for several hours, possibly even all night, I told him I'd see you home."
Katy stood up, alarmed. "Thank you, but please don't trouble yourself on my account. I'm quite capable of getting home by myself."
"Nevertheless, I'll drive you."
"Oh, no! Really, that's not necessary," she protested quickly. The last thing Katy wanted was to be cooped up in a car with Trace. "I can walk. It's not that far."
"I wouldn't hear of it."
"Oh, for God's sake, Trace!" Saundra spat out irritably. "Let the girl walk! It won't hurt her. After all, she's only ..."
"That's enough, Saundra!" Trace snapped. He glared at her, his hazel eyes narrowed into glittering slits of green ice. "Miss Donovan is my guest, and I'm going to see her home. I'm not going to tell you again that from now on things are going to be done my way. If you don't like that, then I suggest you pack your bags and leave." Saundra blanched. "Trace! You don't mean that!" "I mean it." The flat statement left no room for doubt. Turning his back on the shocked woman, he looked at Katy. "I'll get your wrap."
Five seconds after he had left the room, Saundra turned on her like a spitting cat. Her face was contorted into a livid mask of rage. "Stay away from him, do you hear me! He's mine! I should have married Trace in the first place, not his father. And now I'm going to. And I'm not going to let a stupid little farm girl stand in my way. So if you know what's good for you, you'll remember your place." Her pale eyes raked over Katy contemptuously. "You're just the daughter of a hired hand, and don't you forget it."
Katy looked back at her in sick disgust. Would Trace really marry his father's widow? Saundra was only five or six years older than he, and she was still very attractive. But she was hard and grasping, not a nice person at all. But then, Katy thought, what do I know? Maybe that didn't matter to men. Maybe they didn't see beyond the blond hair and the carefully made-up face. In any case, it was none of her business.
She tilted her chin proudly. "You're behaving very foolishly, Mrs. Barnett. I have no intention of becoming involved with Trace or any other man." "And you expect me to believe that?" "I really don't care what you believe." "Why you little—" The sound of Trace's footsteps crossing the hall abruptly halted the angry tirade, and Saundra clamped her mouth shut, shooting Katy one last, furious glare.
"Here we are." Trace draped the lacy shawl over Katy's shoulders and placed a hand beneath her elbow.
"Shall we go?" He ignored his stepmother completely, but Katy could feel the woman's eyes boring into her back as she allowed him to lead her from the room.
Outside on the veranda Trace paused. "If you'll wait here, I'll get my car and bring it around."
"No, please. I would really much rather walk."
"Very well. If that's what you want." Trace smiled pleasantly and extended his arm. "Shall we go?"
It was then Katy realized that he intended to walk with hef. "Oh, but I meant . . ."
"I know what you meant, Katy," he said softly. "But I also meant it when I said I
Before she had finished speaking, Tom was on his feet and heading toward the door. "That will be about Starbright," he explained quickly to Trace. "She's ready to foal at any moment. She's been behaving strangely, and I told Nate to stay with her and call me if anything developed."
"I see," Trace replied, following Tom into the hall.
Nate Pearson was waiting just inside the door. The three men huddled together in serious conversation for a moment, the low murmur of their voices drifting into the room, their words indistinguishable. Then suddenly Tom jerked open the front door and strode out, with Nate on his heels. Trace closed it behind them and returned to the living room.
"I'm sorry, Katy, but there's an emergency down at the stables, and your father felt he should be there. Since it's likely he'll be busy for several hours, possibly even all night, I told him I'd see you home."
Katy stood up, alarmed. "Thank you, but please don't trouble yourself on my account. I'm quite capable of getting home by myself."
"Nevertheless, I'll drive you."
"Oh, no! Really, that's not necessary," she protested quickly. The last thing Katy wanted was to be cooped up in a car with Trace. "I can walk. It's not that far."
"I wouldn't hear of it."
"Oh, for God's sake, Trace!" Saundra spat out irritably. "Let the girl walk! It won't hurt her. After all, she's only ..."
"That's enough, Saundra!" Trace snapped. He glared at her, his hazel eyes narrowed into glittering slits of green ice. "Miss Donovan is my guest, and I'm going to see her home. I'm not going to tell you again that from now on things are going to be done my way. If you don't like that, then I suggest you pack your bags and leave." Saundra blanched. "Trace! You don't mean that!" "I mean it." The flat statement left no room for doubt. Turning his back on the shocked woman, he looked at Katy. "I'll get your wrap."
Five seconds after he had left the room, Saundra turned on her like a spitting cat. Her face was contorted into a livid mask of rage. "Stay away from him, do you hear me! He's mine! I should have married Trace in the first place, not his father. And now I'm going to. And I'm not going to let a stupid little farm girl stand in my way. So if you know what's good for you, you'll remember your place." Her pale eyes raked over Katy contemptuously. "You're just the daughter of a hired hand, and don't you forget it."
Katy looked back at her in sick disgust. Would Trace really marry his father's widow? Saundra was only five or six years older than he, and she was still very attractive. But she was hard and grasping, not a nice person at all. But then, Katy thought, what do I know? Maybe that didn't matter to men. Maybe they didn't see beyond the blond hair and the carefully made-up face. In any case, it was none of her business.
She tilted her chin proudly. "You're behaving very foolishly, Mrs. Barnett. I have no intention of becoming involved with Trace or any other man." "And you expect me to believe that?" "I really don't care what you believe." "Why you little—" The sound of Trace's footsteps crossing the hall abruptly halted the angry tirade, and Saundra clamped her mouth shut, shooting Katy one last, furious glare.
"Here we are." Trace draped the lacy shawl over Katy's shoulders and placed a hand beneath her elbow.
"Shall we go?" He ignored his stepmother completely, but Katy could feel the woman's eyes boring into her back as she allowed him to lead her from the room.
Outside on the veranda Trace paused. "If you'll wait here, I'll get my car and bring it around."
"No, please. I would really much rather walk."
"Very well. If that's what you want." Trace smiled pleasantly and extended his arm. "Shall we go?"
It was then Katy realized that he intended to walk with hef. "Oh, but I meant . . ."
"I know what you meant, Katy," he said softly. "But I also meant it when I said I
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