A Woman's Touch

damned fool thing to feel, considering that his right to this valley was stronger than anyone else’s including Rebecca’s.
    Rebecca glanced over her shoulder, as if sensing his hesitation. „What’s wrong?“ she asked with a small frown.
    „Nothing.“ Kyle was suddenly irritated with himself. He strode boldly into the house. „Alice Cork would have a fit if she could see me now. She never let me step foot in here. The day we brought Joker to her, she allowed Dad to carry him into the living room and put him down in front of the fire and that was it. I had to wait on the porch.“
    „Look at this place,“ Rebecca said softly. „It looks like something out of a museum of late nineteenth-century Americana.“ She studied the massive stone fireplace, the braided rug, the worn, hardwood floors and the old furnishings. „No modern appliances, no central heat. The only thing that looks reasonably new is the telephone.“
    „She needed a phone. People were always calling to ask for advice on how to handle the flu or a stomachache.“
    Kyle felt a rush of subdued excitement as he strolled through the old house.
    At last, after all these years, Harmony Valley was within reach. It was closer now than it had ever been to belonging to the owner of Flaming Luck Ranch. If his luck held, he would have it all, he told himself. There was no reason why both Rebecca and the valley should not wind up belonging to him. His confidence was returning rapidly.
    „You can get that look out of your eye, Kyle.“
    Rebecca spoke from the other side of the living room. She was examining the faded chintz drapes. „This place is mine.“
    Her perception annoyed him. „And you belong to me,“ he reminded her curtly.
    „No more than Alice belonged to your father or her mother belonged to your grandfather. It’s interesting, isn’t it, Kyle?“
    „What’s interesting?“ he asked challengingly.
    „How those women held out against both the Ballards and the Stockbridges. I feel as if a tradition has been passed on to me.“
    „Don’t get any ideas,“ he warned, trying to squelch the flicker of panic he felt when she looked at him that way.
    „Besides, you didn’t exactly hold out against a Stockbridge, if you’ll recall,“ he added bluntly.
    She shrugged. „A mistake, I admit. I didn’t know about the family tradition at that point. Now I do.“
    Kyle closed the drawer of a bureau with a violent shove and shot Rebecca a quelling look. „Don’t call our relationship a mistake, damn it. And don’t start talking about family traditions. You didn’t even know Alice Cork was family until yesterday.“
    „I’m sorry about never having met her,“ Rebecca said with genuine regret as she prowled through a desk. „I would like to have known her. She must have been a remarkable woman. I like this old house of hers.“
    Kyle decided intimidation was not going to work. He wished he knew how to deal with Rebecca today. Her aloofness was making him increasingly wary. He had been so certain he would be able to handle her when she found out the truth – so sure he could control the situation without losing either the woman or the land. But everything was in danger of unraveling.
    „Baby, be reasonable. This old place is dangerous. Portions of it could collapse at any moment. The only sensible thing to do is tear it down.“
    Rebecca glanced back at him. „And build a new house?“
    Kyle looked at her and slowly shook his head. He glanced out the window at the beautiful mountain slopes. „You know what I’d do with this valley?“
    „What?“ Rebecca didn’t move. She was watching him intently.
    „I’d put in a first-class ski resort.“
    „A ski resort!“ She seemed startled.
    Kyle nodded. „I’ve been thinking about it for a long time. Harmony Valley would make a great ski area. The resort would bring new business and new life into these mountains. It would revitalize the area economically. If it was well planned, the resort could be used year-round. We get plenty of tourists driving through here in the summer. No reason they can’t be persuaded to stop.“
    „That kind of development would take an enormous amount of financial backing,“ Rebecca observed. „Flaming Luck Enterprises couldn’t do it alone. You’d need to bring in other investors.“
    Kyle braced one hand against the window, thinking about his dreams. „It could be done,“ he insisted.
    „If I sell you the land,“ Rebecca retorted crisply.