Lorraine Heath by Sweet Lullaby Page B

once he had her safely on the dance floor. He grew serious. “When Jake puts up his fence, he won’t be able to avoid the war that will follow.”
    “And which side will you choose?” she asked.
    “I won’t. I’ll take my cattle and go somewhere else. You should probably do the same.”
    “Is that a threat?”
    “No, ma’am. I just wouldn’t want to see you get hurt. There’s no reason for you to be exposed to the dangers.”
    She met his gaze levelly. “Mr. Truscott, if something touches Jake, it touches me. I assure you if I wished to avoid the trouble, I’d need only ask Jake not to put up his fence. He explained to me what would happen if he fenced in his land. But it’s his land, every acre, and if he wants to fence it in, he has the right to do so and I’ll stand by him.”
    Zach smiled, shaking his head. “I didn’t mean to offend you. I find myself in an unusual position. I never expected to envy Jake anything. But I envy him for having you.”
    The dance ended and Rebecca pulled away. “Thank you for the dance.”
    Zach took her arm. “I hope we can still be friends.”
    She gazed into brown eyes similar to Jake’s, but the shade was not as deep nor the reflection of emotion as rich. “I’d like for us to be friends, but I want to make sure you understand my position. I told Jake if he put up his fence,I’d shoot anyone that tried to tear it down. I meant it. I was raised on a ranch. I was raised to be a rancher. And I was raised to fight for what is mine. Side with Ethan and you not only go against Jake, you go against me.” “Jake is a lucky man.”
    “Funny,” Rebecca said as she turned to leave, “I’ve always considered myself the fortunate one.”
    Watching her return to her husband’s side, Zach gazed longingly after her. Jake deserved some good in his life, but he had outdone himself when it had come to choosing a wife.
    He waited patiently until Frank escorted Rebecca out to the dance floor. Then he took a deep breath and walked up to Jake.
    “Don’t suppose you could use another ranch hand on your spread, could you?” he asked, wishing his palms weren’t sweating.
    Jake studied the man standing before him. The handshake they’d exchanged at the Reading Ranch couldn’t erase the memories of all those bitter years, but working beside Zach today had seemed to forge a fragile bond between the two men. “Helping me build my barn is one thing. Working for me is something entirely different. Don’t you think it’ll cause hard feelings between you and Ethan?”
    “I can handle Ethan.”
    “What about your cattle?”
    “I’ll take my share from Ethan, graze them with yours. If I don’t turn out to be the best hand you ever hired, you can keep them.”
    “You seem to forget I know exactly how good you are.”
    Zach smiled. “Then you’ll win either way, won’t you?”
    Jake wanted to make sure Zach understood what his position would be if he came to work for him. “Lee Hastings is my foreman. You’d have to take orders from him.”
    “I’ve got no problem with that.”
    “And Reb. She’s my partner. Her word’s the same as mine.”
    “Figured as much.”
    “Well then.” Jake extended his hand. When Zach took it, he smiled. “Welcome to the Rocking R.”
    Gray-haired men swore the route of the Shawnee Trail was determined by the town of Pleasure. Silver-haired women swore Pleasure chose its location because of the route of the Shawnee Trail. Neither side could prove their case, but one certainty remained: the town of Pleasure took its name from the reason for its existence.
    Andrea Shanley had come to the barren land with one purpose in mind: to make herself wealthy. She hired carpenters and, in what at that time seemed to be the middle of nowhere, she erected a large house.
    One week after the carpenters left, the residents of her establishment arrived and the place opened for business. Its business was to bring pleasure to the men who drove the herds up from