Montana Sky

There’s more than plenty.”
    “Thanks, Bess, but . . .” He was getting the hell out while he still had all of his skin. “I’ve got to get on home.” He gathered his papers together, keeping a wary eye on the two women who remained in the room, scowling at each other. “I’m leaving three copies of all the documents. Any questions, you know where to reach me. If I don’t hear from you I’ll check back in a couple days, and see . . . And see,” he ended. He picked up his hat and his briefcase and left the field.
    In control again, Willa took a cleansing breath. “I’ve put sweat and I’ve put blood into this ranch from the day I was born. You don’t give a damn about that, and I don’t care. But I’m not losing what’s mine. You figure that puts me over a barrel, but I know you’re not walking away from more money than you’ve ever seen before, or hoped to. So that makes us even.”
    With a nod, Tess sat on the arm of a chair and crossed her silky legs. “So, we define terms of our own for livingthrough the next year. You think it’s a snap for me to give up my home, my friends, my life-style for a year. It’s not.”
    Tess gave a quick, sentimental thought to her apartment, her club, Rodeo Drive. Then she set her jaw. “But no, I’m not walking away from what’s mine, either.”
    “Yours, my ass.”
    Tess merely inclined her head. “Whether either one of us likes it, and I doubt either one of us does, I’m as much his daughter as you are. I didn’t grow up here because he tossed me and my mother aside. That’s fact, and after being here for a day, I’m beginning to be grateful for it. But I’ll stick the year out.”
    Thoughtfully, Willa picked up the whiskey Lily hadn’t touched. Ambition and greed were excellent motivators. She’d stick, all right. “And at the end of it?”
    “You can buy me out.” The image of all that money made her giddy. “Or failing that, you can send the checks for my share of profits to LA. Which is where I’ll be one day after the year is up.”
    Will sampled the whiskey again and reminded herself to concentrate on now. “Can you ride?”
    “Ride what?”
    With a snort, Will drank. “Figures. Probably don’t know a hen from a cock either.”
    “Oh, I know a cock when I see one,” Tess drawled, and was surprised to hear Willa laugh.
    “People live here, they work here. That’s another fact. I’ve got enough to do handling the men and cattle without worrying with you, so you’ll take your orders from Bess.”
    “You expect me to take orders from a housekeeper?”
    Steel glittered in Willa’s eyes. “You’ll take orders from the woman who’s going to feed you, tend your clothes, and clean the house where you’ll be living. And the first time you treat her like a servant will be the last time. I promise you. You’re not in LA now, Hollywood. Out here everybody pulls their weight.”
    “I happen to have a career.”
    “Yeah, writing movies.” There were probably less useful enterprises, but Willa couldn’t think of any. “Well, there’retwenty-four hours in a day. You’re going to figure that one out fast enough.” Tired, Will wandered to the window behind the desk. “What the hell am I going to do with the little lost bird?”
    “More like a crushed flower.”
    Surprised at the compassion in the tone, Willa glanced back, then shrugged. “Did she say anything to you about the bruises?”
    “I haven’t talked to her any more than you have.” Tess struggled to push away the guilt. Noninvolvement, she reminded herself. “This isn’t exactly a family reunion.”
    “She’ll tell Adam. Sooner or later everyone tells Adam what hurts. For now at least, we’ll leave the wounded Lily to him.”
    “Fine. I’m going back to LA in the morning. To pack.”
    “One of the men will drive you to the airport.”
    Dismissing Tess, Willa turned back to the window. “Do yourself a favor, Hollywood, and buy some long underwear. You’ll need it.”
     
    W ILL RODE OUT AT DUSK . THE SUN WAS BLEEDING AS IT fell behind the western peaks, turning the sky to a rich, ripe red. She needed to think, to calm herself. Beneath her, the Appaloosa mare pranced and pulled on the bit.
    “Okay, Moon, let’s both run it off.” With a jerk of the reins, Will changed directions, then gave the eager mare her head. They streaked away from the lights, the buildings, the sounds of the ranch and into the open land where the river curved.
    They