The Pirate & The Adventurer & The Cowboy

come equipped with an unlimited checking account and a handful of charge cards?"

    "I don't think he's marrying her for her money."

    "How do you know? You only met him once last night."

    "I liked him. And even if he is marrying her for her money, there's still not much you can do about it. Your best bet is to stay on good terms with your sister regardless of whether her decision is right or wrong."

    "I could always try buying Winters off," Rafe said thoughtfully.

    "I don't think that would be a very smart thing to do, Rafe. Julie would hate you for it. Give Sean a chance first before you try anything drastic. Come to the gallery show with me."

    "Why? What will that prove?"

    "It will give you an opportunity to meet him on his turf, instead of yours. If you're going to have him in the family you should make an effort to learn something about his world."

    "Stop talking as if the marriage is an accomplished fact."

    "Rafe, you're being deliberately stubborn and bullheaded about this. Give the man a chance. You know you should."

    "Yeah? Why should I?" he challenged.

    "I thought giving the other guy a fair chance was one of those fundamental tenets of the Code of the West."

    He scowled ferociously at her. "What the devil are you talking abut now? What's this nonsense about a code?"

    She smiled again. "You know that basic creed you probably learned at your father's knee. The one he undoubtedly got from his father and so on. The one that's supposed to cover little things like vengeance, honor, justice and fair play among the male of the species."

    Rafe swore again in disgust and paced the length of the foyer. He stopped at the far end, swung around and eyed her for a short, tense moment. "You want to play by the Code of the West? All right, I'll go along with that. We'll start with a little simple frontier justice. If you want to manipulate me into going to that damn gallery, you've got to pay the price."

    Margaret watched him with sudden wariness. "What price?"

    Rafe smiled dangerously. "In exchange for my agreement to go to the showing, you agree to let me announce our engagement. I want it official, Maggie. No more fooling around." Margaret took a deep breath. "All right." Rafe stared at her in open astonishment. "You agree?"

    "You've got yourself a deal, cowboy." Rafe gave a shout of triumph. "Well, it's about time, lady."

    He took one long stride forward, scooped Margaret up in his arms and carried her down the hall to the nearest bedroom. This time he took off his boots.

8

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    R afe saddled his best chestnut stallion the next morning at dawn. Out of the corner of his eye he watched with satisfaction as Maggie adjusted her own saddle on the gray mare. He took a quiet pleasure in the competent manner in which she handled the tack and the horse. Connor had been right. His daughter knew her way around a barn.

    Rafe wondered how he could have spent two whole months with Maggie last year and never learned that single, salient fact about her.

    Then again, those two months had passed in a tangled web of sudden, consuming passion mixed with an explosive game of corporate brinksmanship that had involved millions. There had been very little time for getting to know the small, intimate details of his new lover's past. He had been far too anxious to spend what little free time he had with her in bed.

    Money and love were a dangerous combination, Rafe had discovered. A pity he hadn't learned to separate the two before. But, then, in all fairness to himself, he'd never come across the two combined in such a lethal fashion until last year.

    He knew what he was doing this time around. He could handle both.

    "All set?" he asked as he finished checking the cinch on his saddle.

    "I'm ready." Margaret picked up the reins and led her mare toward the barn door.

    "We'll ride out over the east foothills. I want to show you some land I'm thinking of selling." Rafe walked the chestnut out into the early morning light and vaulted lightly into the saddle. He turned his head to enjoy the sight of Maggie's sexy jeans-clad bottom as she mounted her mare. The woman looked good on horseback. Almost as good as she looked in bed. Rafe nudged the stallion with his knee and the chestnut moved forward with brisk eagerness.

    The day was going to be hot, Rafe thought. They all were this time of year. But at this hour the desert was an unbelievably beautiful place— still cool enough to allow a man to enjoy the wide open,