The Pirate & The Adventurer & The Cowboy

and went out into the patio to savor the short cool hours of early morning in the desert. Soon the temperature would start climbing rapidly.

    "Good morning, Margaret. Come and join me in a cup of coffee."

    Margaret glanced in surprise at Bev Cassidy who was sitting alone under the umbrella. A stout-looking woman in her fifties had just finished putting a silver pot of coffee and a tray of fresh breakfast pastries and fruit down on the table. The woman smiled at Margaret and nodded a greeting. Margaret smiled back.

    "Margaret, this is Ellen. Ellen comes in during the days to take care of the house for Rafe."

    "Ellen."

    "Nice to meet you, Miss Lark. Hope you enjoy your stay. By the way, I love your books."

    "Thank you very much."

    "Sit down," Bev urged as the housekeeper disappeared.

    "You're up bright and early, Bev." Margaret summoned up a smile and walked over to take a seat opposite her hostess. She had known when she had boarded the plane that there would be no way to avoid Rafe's mother. She braced herself for this first one-on-one confrontation.

    "I love the early hours in the desert." Bev poured a cup of coffee and handed it to Margaret. "Did you sleep well, dear?"

    Margaret took refuge in a social white lie. "Very well, thank you."

    Bev smiled gently. "I'm sorry you had to learn about your father's engagement the way you did. Rafe was very insistent on keeping the full truth from you until…" She let the words slide away into nothingness.

    "Until he was ready to close his trap?" Margaret nodded as she sipped her coffee. "That's Rafe, all right. Sneaky." She reached for a slice of melon.

    Bev let out a small sigh. "He cares very deeply about you, Margaret. I hadn't fully realized just how much until you left him last year."

    "I would like to clear up a major misconception around here, Bev. I didn't leave Rafe. He told me to get out of his life."

    "And you went."

    "Yes."

    Bev slowly shook her head. "I won't deny that at the time I thought it was for the best."

    "I can imagine your feelings on the matter. I know exactly how you felt about me as a wife for your son." Margaret smiled to cancel any bitterness that might have tinged the words. "If it makes you feel any better, I've come to agree with you."

    Bev's eyes widened with sudden shock. "What are you saying?"

    "That you were right when you told me I would make a lousy wife for Rafe."

    "I only said that because I was afraid you would try to change him—make him into something he was not. Margaret, please believe me when I tell you that I never had anything at all against you personally. The truth is, I like you very much. I admire you." Bev smiled. "I've even started reading your books. I'm enjoying
Ruthless
enormously."

    Margaret grinned. "As any author will tell you, flattery will get you anywhere. We're suckers for people who say they like our books."

    "Good. Then perhaps you'll forgive me for some of the things I said to you last year?"

    "We both know they were true, Bev. I would probably make Rafe very unhappy, frustrated and eventually blazingly angry if I were to marry him."

    "I used to think so but I'm not so sure about that anymore, Margaret."

    "I am. For starters, I would insist on our relationship getting equal billing with his business interests. Truth be known, I'd go farther than that. If the chips were down, I'd insist that our marriage come first. I would make every effort to force him to live a more balanced life. I would make him work regular hours and take vacations. And I would not play the role of the self-sacrificing executive's wife who always puts her husband's career first."

    Bev sighed. "I sensed that when I met you. I think I reacted so strongly to you because I had played exactly that role for Rafe's father. I was certain Rafe needed a wife who would do the same."

    "I think you're right. He does need a wife like that. But I couldn't live that life, Bev. It would turn me bitter and unhappy within a very short period of time. I want a husband who loves me more than he loves his corporation. I want a man who puts me first. I want to be the most important thing in his life. And we both know that for Rafe, business is the most important thing in the world. For him, a wife will be only a convenience."

    "Margaret, listen to me. Last year I believed that every bit as much as you did. But now I no longer think that's true. Rafe has changed during the past year. Your walking out on him did that."

    "I did not