He had learned that he'd never really made love before. He'd had women,

but he had never really, truly made love. He'd never wanted anyone like

he'd wanted her.

Wanted her still. Who had taught whom? he wondered.

He kissed the soft skin of her back and wondered again at the ripple of

longing that went through him. Then he sighed. He had to wake her up and

let her go hack to the house before the morning began, before the ranch

came alive.

By nine that morning they arrived in town. Jamie drove the wagon with

Tess sitting primly by his side.

Morning had changed things amazingly, he thought. Since he had awakened

her, she had been distant. She had donned her flannel gown, and with it

a peculiar silence. She hadn't seemed remorseful about anything; she had

been cool and quiet. She hadn't sneaked back to the house; she had

walked very calmly. She had promised him she would be ready in thirty

minutes. When he had pressed his lips to hers on first awakening, she

had responded with warmth, but already there had been that widening

within her eyes, as if she thought that something very grave had gone

on, something she hadn't quite realized at the time. He'd almost braced

himself, waiting, but she hadn't anything to say to him at all. She had

dressed quickly and walked to the house. Her chin was high, and she

wasn't about to hide anything, but then again, Jamie thought, maybe she

wasn't about to do anything again, either.

I never wanted to rush it! he reminded himself in silence. But he still

hadn't found the right words to say to her, and she sat by him quietly

as they rode into town. They didn't five words.

It was early, and the streets were nearly still. Only a pass- by or two

walked the plank sidewalks in front of the bank and the barbershop and

the offices of the Wiltshire Sun. Tess bit her lip and looked at the

newspaper office, but she remained silent on that point.

"Mr. Barrymore's office is fright ahead. He was always Joe's solicitor."

"Well, then, fine, we're going to go see Mr. Barrymore." He helped her

from the wagon. She was dressed for ll~ ring in light-blue-and-white

checked muslin, with a matching wide-brimmed bonnet.

The touch of her fingers against his seemed electric. She met his eyes

and flushed.

"We need to talk," he told her.

"I need to get to the newspaper," she retorted.

"So hurry along now, will you?"

"Eager to turn it all over to me, eh?"

"I shall resent it to my dying day," she said sweetly, "but then, you

are better than von Heusen."

"Such a compliment!" he teased, bowing low as he opened the door to the

lawyer's office.

Tess started to reply, but instead smiled at the tall, lean man behind

the desk.

"Mr. Barrymore, how are you?" she inquired, walking forward, reaching

out her hand. The man rose instantly to his feet. He reached out for

Tess's hand, but his eyes were on Jamie. Jamie winced inwardly,

realizing this man had been in the saloon the other night when he had

met von Heusen's boys.

Tess didn't see the recognition in his eyes.

"Mr. Barrymore, this is Lieutenant Slater. Lieutenant, Mr. Barrymore,

who has helped my family for years."

Mr. Barrymore was still staring at Jamie. "Mr. Barrymore!" Tess said

more sharply.

"Oh, my dear, my dear, I am so glad to see you! Of course, you know that

Joe left everything in your name" -- "That's why I'm here," Tess said.

"Of course, of course" -- "No, you don't understand. I want to turn over

half my holdings to Lieutenant Slater."

"Half your holdings?"

"Half."

At last, Mr. Barrymore looked at Tess. The pen he held in his hands

nearly snapped as he stared at her.

"Half?"

"Half."

He cleared his throat and stared at Jamie.

"That will make you a very rich young man."

"I intend to pay the lady, but the money is going to be due to her in

payments over the next few years. Can we draw up a schedule?" Jamie

said.

Tess stared at him then.

"You're going to pay me?"

"Of course. You didn't think I was just going to whisk away your

property." "Yes, but" -- "Tess," he said softly.

"You're--I mean, the land is worth it."

He thought she was going to leap to her feet and scream. She managed not

to.

She leaned over the desk and smiled at Mr. Barrymore.

"Make sure he pays the premium price then, will you?"

"Well, yes," Mr. Barrymore said nervously. He looked at amie, then he

looked at Tess, then he cleared his throat.

"You're sure this is what you want, Tess?"

"And Mister--er--Lieutenant Slater, would you, uh, like ~,to explain how

you want these payments to be made?" . Certainly," Jamie said. He

rattled off sums and amounts, and Mr. Barrymore began to write quickly.

"And When we're done with this," Jamie said, "I need to make and Miss.

Stuart is go' rag to do so, too. In the case deaths, the property is to

be equally divided in between my two brothers, Cole Slater and and in

case of their deaths, to their heirs."

smiled at Tess reassuringly.

"Oh, yeah, and Mr. I want you to make sure you talk about this. I the

whole town to know that there's just no way, no at all, the Stuart

spread is ever going to be up for sale.

understand me?" stayed silent for a long moment, then he be" You got it,

Lieutenant Slater. Damn, but it! Oh, excuse me, Tess.

I plumb forgot you were there!" amusing," Tess said with a stiff smile.

"They'll know, all right, they'll know ... " Mr. Barrymore was writing

quickly.

"I must hand it to you, Lieutenant, you do seem to know what you're

doing with property and the law. Though it ain't surprising, not one

bit. You sure do know what you're doing with those Colts of yours. Why,

in all my life, I've never seen anything like the shootin' you did in

the saloon the other night" -- "Shooting?" Tess interrupted, sitting

straight. "Oh, my, yes, you should have seen him! Some of those

hooligans of Mr. yon Heusen's come in and they were giving Hardy a bad

time, but the Lieutenant here, he stood right up to them." Mr. Barrymore

slapped his hand hard on his desk and hooted with laughter.

"It was a joy to these weary eyes, Tess, it was! Didn't you tell Miss.

Stuart about it, Lieutenant? Hell--heck, boy, if it had been me, I'd

have told the whole damned--darned--world about it!"

"I didn't seem to have the chance, Mr. Barrymore. When I got home, a few

more of Mr. yon Heusen's boys were at the ranch.

And someone needed to tell those fellows that it wasn't a good thing to

play with matches."

"You shot yon Heusen's men in the saloon?" Tess asked, staring at him.

"Sure," Mr. Barrymore said cheerfully.

"Why, you would have heard about it if you'd gone into the paper, Tess.

The lieutenant was sitting with Ed Clancy and Dec?" Tess stood and

stared at Jamie.

"I think I'll take a little walk over to the Wiltshire Sun right now.

I'm sure, Lieutenant Slater, that you know exactly how you want

everything worded. Then Mr. Barrymore can draw up the papers and I will

come back and sign them. Excuse me, will you?"

Jamie and Mr. Barrymore both stood quickly, but Tess was already at the

door.

She stormed out, feeling her face red, wondering if she should be

furious with the man or if she should run back and kiss him. She wasn't

going to do 167 either--she was going to see Ed and find out exactly

what had happened.

She walked into the Wiltshire Sun office as if she were a battleship.

Harry, the printer, looked up from his plates.

Edward, at work at his desk, also looked up. The naked joy in his eyes

as he saw her made her first questions flee. He leaped up to hug her,

nearly breaking ~ery bone in her body.

"I knew you were all right, Tess, because I saw Slater.

But, girl, it does an old body good to see you!"

" Thank you, Edward, thank you!" she told him.

Harry, toothless and shy, was standing behind him.

"And you, too, Harry, come here. Let me give you a big, sloppy kiss

right on that jaw of yours!"

He flushed a bright red from his throat to his white, tufted hair, but

he accepted a kiss and hugged her tightly in return.

"We just kept doing the paper, Miss. Tess. Even when they tried to tell

us that you weren't coming back, we just kept the Sun going out on

schedule.

Every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, we had a W~tltshire Sun out on the

street!"

"And I'm so grateful and so proud of both of you I" Tess assured him.

Edward cleared his throat.

"Well, I didn't exactly have the news of the nation going out," he

admitted.

"Ah, hell, I didn't really have the balls to print too much. Von Heusen

was breathing down my neck, and I" -- "You kept it going," Tess said.

"And I'm grateful." She gloves and headed for her desk.

"Am I in time a story for the Tuesday edition?"

"Yes, yes, Miss. Stuart! I'll clean out the presses, I'll" -- "I've just

got one story," Tess assured him.

"But it's an one. I want it on the front page." smiled at Edward and

inserted paper into the new typewriter she had insisted they buy. She