“So she accuses him of rape? What a great way to land a proposal : ‘

“Of course not, but ” Dallas put down her fork and covered her face with her hands. “I’m so damned confused”

“Hey, it’s not as if you did anything wrong; Amber said softly. “You had to go by the evidence.”

Dallas combed her hair back from her face with trembling fingers. “If I helped turn a rapist back out on the streets, I did do something wrong. If only I could know.”

“That’s the tough part. But, Dallas, in the meantime , watch out for yourself, okay? Have Frank or

Turner walk you to your car tonight. If you don’t want

Gabe around, that’s your business, but in case lies right, protect yourself.”

“I will: She sighed. “But it’s the uncertainty that bothers me the most: ‘

“You may have to live with that, babe: ‘

BUT DALLAs xNq’w that uncertainty was one thing she’d never been able to live with. She still had all the telephone numbers for her fellow jurors, and after a lackluster shopping spree with Amber she went home and called each one. She left several messages on answering machines, but was able to talk with three people. Each of them confirmed that they believed Neal was innocent.

“And he is innocent, Dallas told Gretchen as she locked her in the yard before driving off to work. “But in case I’m wrong, chew the hell out of anyone who comes around, okay?

Gretchen wagged her tail and barked.

“Some killer dog you are.” Dallas grinned and got into her truck. Then she scrambled back out, her heart hammering. On the seat of the truck lay a single red rose.

DALLAS WAS THROUGH her gate and back inside her locked trailer, Gretchen close by her side, inside of twenty seconds. Moments later she reemerged without

Gretchen, her Lady Smith & Wesson cocked and ready in her hand.

She scanned the area around her trailer. Creosote bushes grew three or four feet high all over the desert floor. Any one of them could hide a grown man. In her imagination Neal crouched behind each one she studied

A movement.

There! She aimed at the bush and fired, shattering the afternoon quiet. A huge jackrabbit bounded away unharmed , and she gasped in dismay. Trembling, she lowered the gun. She’d have to get hold of herself before she killed some innocent animal. Fighting panic, she worked her way through the gate, but she left it open for a quick retreat.

First she checked the back of the truck, but nothing was there except a few stray wisps of hay from Saturday At last she opened the passenger side of the truck and looked in quickly, before spinning around to check behind her. A ground squirrel popped back in his hole, and Sugar and Spice moved restlessly in the corral, but otherwise the landscape remained the same.

After climbing into the truck, she sat beside the rose and locked both doors. Had she locked the truck after coming home from lunch with Amber? Probably not. She wasn’t in the habit of doing that out here in the country. Obviously she’d have to start.

A note had been slipped under the stem of the rose. She could read it without moving the flower. Holding her breath, she scanned the brief message. Sorry my dog got your dog in the family way. You’re right. It’s timeforlgortoretire. Yours, George Stanhope

Dallas’s laughter had an edge of hysteria to it. Was she going to live this way from now on, afraid of anything that suggested the presence of Neal Parnell? Would she panic every time she saw a black Corvette or red roses?

“No, by God, she said, getting out of the truck, the rose and note in one hand, her gun in the other. She went back into the house, looked up the number of the prosecuting attorney Fred Axton, and dialed.

“Mr. Axton’s in court right now, his assistant told her. “I’ll be happy to take a message, Miss Wade.”

“I need to speak with him as soon as possible. Do you think he could meet me at Rowdy Ranch sometime tonight ? I’d be very grateful .”

“I don’t know, Miss Wade-” the assistant began.

“Please, it’s very important; Dallas cut in.

“Well, I could certainly ask him.”

“Thank you so much. Oh, and if he has any boots and jeans, this would be the time to wear them. Otherwise he II stick out like a sore thumb.”

“I’ll tell him.” The assistant sounded amused. “Will he have to do the Achy-Breaky?”

“I hope not.”

The assistant laughed. “So do I. He’s brilliant but uncoordinated. May I tell him what this is in reference to?”

“The sexual assault trial of Neal Parnell; Dallas said, takin ga deep breath. “I want to know everything about it ,”

DALLAs wALKED QUICKLY into Rowdy Ranch, hating the unscheduled disturbance that had made her late. But , she soon forgot about the time. Gabe stood by the pool table nearest her shop. He wore his black hat pulled low, so she couldn’t see directly into his eyes, but she didn’t need to see them to know his attention was focused like a laser on the front door.

His shoulders slumped in apparent relief when he saw her, and she wanted to cry. He’d been worried about her. Then he turned with that nonchalant movement of his hips she’d come to cherish and lined up his next shot as if he didn’t care a hoot what happened to her. The rush of warmth she’d felt curdled in her stomach. She’d sent him away, and a man like Gabe didn’t come knocking twice.

Cheeks warm, she walked past him without speaking , all the while remembering their grand entrance Saturday night. From the corner of her eye she assessed the reaction of the shop owners. Dave Fogarty was immersed in photograph inga laughing group of four women attired in dance-hall costumes, but Irving Skinner, who ran the leather shop next to Fogarty’s Fotography , seemed interested in Dallas’s passage. Dallas also figured the animated con venation between Ted and Louise McNulty in the jewelry shop had something to do with her. After all, she and Gabe had put on quite a show on Saturday. For them to come in separately tonight and then not even speak to each other would provide the shop owners and staff at Rowdy Ranch enough gossip for the entire evening.

She unlocked the wrought-iron accord ian gate that closed off her shop and pushed it back against the wall. A customer was already walking toward the shop. She felt Gabe’s glance even with her back turned and wondered how she’d ever be able to concentrate on her work with him so close. She might have thought she’d severed the link between them, but a connection so powerful wasn’t easily broken. With a sigh she turned on the lights and hung up her fringed jacket. She hoped Fred Axton took her message seriously and had some free time tonight. Otherwise it would be a very long evening.

ABoU’r AN HoUR into her work schedule she realized she hadn’t seen Neal yet. Then she looked for Beth and decided it might be Beth’s night off. That could explain Neal’s absence.

It also showed how ridiculous Gabe’s claims were. Neal had simply become attracted to Dallas at the trial and been a little persistent in his pursuit, which was probably the way rich men operated. Now he d moved on to Beth, and that would be the end of that. Dallas would find out from Fred Axton that all the evidence had been presented at the trial, and Gabe would have to face the fact that Neal was no threat, had never been one. Except Gabe would never admit that, and the is sue would always stand between them, keeping them forever apart.

At a quarter to eight Fred Axton arrived while Dallas was finishing up a customer. She tried to hold back a smile when she saw him approaching the Cutting Pen. His jeans were cinched up too high at his waist, and beneath his rolled-up pant legs she glimpsed burgundy wing tips. He’d adorned his rugby shirt with a bola tie , and the high, rounded crown of his hat gave new meaning to the label “ten-gallon.” Nobody would mistake

Fred Axton for a cowboy.

He smiled when he saw her, and she decided it was safe to smile back. “Please sit down; she said, nodding toward one of the chairs lirung one wall. “I’ll be through in just a moment.”

When her customer left, she sat next to Fred.

“How do I look?” he asked.

“Uh… different from how you looked at the trial.”

“The outfit needs a little work: Fred stretched his legs out in front of him. “Bought these jeans about four years ago, never wore them. I think I might have picked up the wrong size: He shrugged. “I’ll have them fixed before I come in here again.” “you’ve already decided to come back?”

Fred glanced out the door toward the dance floor, where people three rows deep were executinga line dance to “Boot-Scootiri Boogie.” “Sure thing. I’ve been meaning to try this place for months.” Dallas’s reservations must have been obvious from her expression because he jumped to his own defense. “Hey, I watched “Gunsmoke when I was a kid. I can pick up on this.”

He took off his hat and gazed at it. “Do you think this is too big?

“


“It’s not so much the size as the shape. Let me try something: Dallas took the hat over to the sink, turned the water on hot and held it over the steam while she reshaped the crown with a depression in the middle and a slant to the sides. Then she worked a curve into the brim so it didn’t stick out like a Frisbee. “Try that, she said, returning the hat to him.

Fred stood and adjusted the hat in the mirror. “Not bad; he said. He swaggered up to the mirror. “you’re dealing from the bottom of the deck, pardner: His chin jutted. “Oh, yeah?” He whipped two imaginary pistols from invisible holsters and fired them in quick succession Then he blew smoke from the barrels, turned back to Dallas and flipped the phantom guns back into place.