A Woman's Touch

now that she thought about it. Insulting dragons was probably a dangerous pastime.
    „So what’s the solution, Becky?“ Darla asked slowly.
    „Believe me, I’ve given it a lot of thought. I just hope I can pull it off.“ She shook her head. „You know, Alice wrote at the end of her journal that she had a feeling I would be able to make a difference around here. She thought I could handle Glen and Kyle and the feud. But, Darla, I never even met the woman. What made her think she should leave the property to me?“
    „Who knows? She probably had one of her feelings about you. I swear the woman was downright psychic at times.
    Just ask anyone. If she had a feeling you were the right one to get Harmony Valley, she was probably right. I wouldn’t want to be in your shoes, though. Are you going to sell the land?“
    „And let Glen and Kyle harass some poor unsuspecting newcomer to the area?“
    „An investor might not object to that kind of harrassment,“ Darla said with a chuckle. „After all, Glen and Kyle would both be offering top dollar.“
    „True. But it doesn’t seem like the right way to handle the problem. The war would go on. This isn’t a normal real-estate deal. This is personal.“
    „For you, or Alice Cork and her mother?“ Darla asked shrewdly.
    „For all three of us,“ Rebecca said quietly. „Three different women caught in the middle of this battle. I think it’s time the opposing sides were forced to fight it out hand-to-hand.“
    Darla eyed her with sharp interest. „You have a plan?“
    „I have a plan,“ Rebecca confirmed. „It came to me yesterday evening as I watched Kyle and Glen haul themselves out of your pool.“
    Darla grinned. „That was quite a sight, wasn’t it? People will be talking about that for months. But you took a major risk when you pushed Kyle into the water. I’ve seen him explode on far less pretext.“
    Rebecca arched her brow. „I know. But as I explained, Kyle has never really lost his temper with me.“
    „That is astonishing, you know.“
    Rebecca shook her head, aware of a trace of smugness deep down inside. „I think my coworkers like me because I have a reputation for being able to walk in and out of the dragon’s lair unscathed. I go where they fear to tread. And I get away with it.“
    „Is that right? Tell me something, Becky. After you execute this big plan of yours, do you still expect to be walking around unscathed?“
    Rebecca sighed regretfully. „No. To be blunt, I expect there will be hell to pay when Kyle finds out what I’m going to do with that land.“
    „You don’t look as if you expect your relationship to survive the aftershocks,“ Darla observed.
    Rebecca looked at her. „I don’t know what will happen,“ she admitted truthfully. „But I guess I’ll find out for certain just how deep Kyle’s feelings for me go.“
    „And if his feelings aren’t as strong as you hope?“
    „I won’t be any worse off than the two other women who’ve had the misfortune to own Harmony Valley,“ Rebecca said with a calm she was far from feeling. „At least, I’ll have had the satisfaction of knowing justice has been done.“

    The cafe door opened and Glen Ballard strolled in. He nodded pleasantly to the handful of people sitting around drinking coffee and then made his way to where his wife sat with Rebecca.
    „Didn’t you two cause enough gossip last night?“ he said with a grin as he hung his gray Stetson on a nearby hook and sat down next to Darla. „You’re really adding fuel to the fire by having lunch together today. Nobody can figure out what’s going on.“
    „Keep ‘em guessing is our motto,“ Darla said, lifting her smiling face for a quick kiss. „Rebecca was just telling me she’s made a decision about what to do with Harmony Valley.“
    Glen’s smile was still easy, but his gaze was suddenly that of a hawk sighting prey as he lounged back in the booth. „No kidding? When are you going to drop the warhead on Kyle and me?“
    „Just as soon as I get the two of you together,“ Rebecca promised.
    „Well, now, that shouldn’t take too long. I saw his car over at the motel. He’s looking for you right now. Won’t take him long to figure out you’re in here. I’d like to see the expression on his face when he recognizes my car out front.“
    The cafe door opened with a sharp crack, and this time Rebecca didn’t need the murmur of interested voices to warn her who was striding into the