Give Me Tonight(100)

"Mmm-hmmmm. Everything, even the cattle we handle. Lately there's been a demand for better beef than what we're gathering in and trailing up to Kansas. Longhorns are easy to take care of, but they're tough and stringy. "

"Weren't you and Daddy talking about breeding them with some better stock? Some shorthorns with more meat on them?"

"A lot of ranchers are talking about that. The prob­lem is, shorthorns need more care and attention, and most of the boys don't want to fool with them. And breeding shorthorns means more fencing, which means soon there'll be so much wire around the district you'll have to cut your way to town. So . . . " He cast a glance up and down the empty halls before leaning over and stealing a quick kiss from Addie. ". . . the open range will keep getting smaller and smaller. And the East is going to keep spreading out here. And with all those changes going on, cowmen will have to change their way of doing things."

"So you're going to become a new kind of rancher?"

"Yes, ma'am, And I'll be one of the best."

"To think of what you could do if you only had some confidence."

He grinned at her before heading out the door. Ad­die smiled wryly and shook her head, standing in the doorway as she watched him leave.

Fall roundup had begun. To everyone on the ranch it was a roundup like any other. Calves born since last spring were weaned from their mothers, branded, and marked as the property of the Sunrise Ranch. Bulls were gathered in so they could be fed and tended dur­ing winter, while the older, unproductive cows were destined for slaughter. Plans were made to drive a huge herd of cattle to market.

Those things came to everyone's mind when the word "roundup" was mentioned. But to Addie it meant Russell was in danger, and if anyone would try to kill him, it would be now. She lay awake at night listening for the slightest sound, occasionally getting up and looking out the window until she saw the cow­boy whose duty it was to watch the house that evening. After discovering the nightly patrol outside the ranch house each night, Russell had demanded to know the reason for it. Ben had treated the matter casually, giving little explanation except to say he felt it was necessary.

Still fussing about it after dinner—"Whose damn ranch is this anyway?"—Russell went to his office and soothed his own temper with two fingers of whiskey. Addie crept in surreptitiously to see him. His back was to the door, but it was obvious he was pouring himself a drink. She grinned as he tossed a guilty look over his shoulder.

"It's just me," she said, and he relaxed with a grunt.

"Honey, don't tell your mama 'bout this. I promised her I'd cut down on this stuff."

"Are you going to?"

"Yeah. Sometime. " He gestured her over and sighed with pleasure as the fire of the whiskey slid down his throat. "Whatcha in here for?"

"Oh, nothing. I just wanted to ask you about what you and Ben were arguing over—"

"Ben and his damn foolish notions," Russell said in disgust. "Havin' someone watch over the house at night . . . 'to protect the family,' he says, as if I can't protect my own family! And y' got Pete and Cade upstairs too! What does he think's gonna happen?"

"It might not be a bad idea. Everyone knows the Warners aren't too popular with the rest of the county:' Addie hesitated before adding, "I wouldn't put it past the Johnsons to murder a man in his own bed. Daddy, don't laugh—I'm serious."

"The Johnsons can't touch me." Russell smiled shrewdly. "My fence is goin' back up, an' there's nothin' they can do to stop it. And if they ever did get me outta the way, they still couldn't get their paws on my ranch, 'cause Ben's gonna be a part of the Warner family soon, and he'd tear it apart himself before let­tin' Big George get hold of it."

But what if they made it look as if Ben is guilty of your murder? Addie wanted to cry out. That was what they'd done before. "All the same, there's reason to be extra careful," she said sharply. "And by the way, whenever you mention Ben marrying into the family, it sounds as if he's going to be Ben Warner. But I have a suspicion he likes his own last name and plans to keep it."

Russell laughed heartily. "The name don't matter to me, 's long as he marries my Adeline—"

"—and takes care of your ranch."

Russell chuckled and waved her out of the room before pouring himself another drink.

As several nights passed and nothing happened, Addie became less fearful. She started to let herself believe nothing would happen. There were many ways to rationalize things. Maybe Jeff had believed her warning and her threats. Maybe the Johnsons had de­cided it was too risky to send someone after Russell. Maybe the man they'd hired had already come and was frightened off by the sight of the cowboy watching over the house.

With roundup going on and May and Caroline mak­ing plans for her wedding, the ranch was overrun with activity. Addie missed Ben acutely, especially at night, but they had enough stolen moments together to take the edge off her hunger. Hardest of all were the hours when she lay in bed and knew that he was only a short distance away, alone in his small cabin near the main house.

Then finally the waiting became too much to bear and caution lost to desire. Addie had planned to be patient and content herself with the odds and ends of time they had together until the wedding. But she needed him now. She wondered how she could find a way to be with him, when May's watchful eye was on them both. She would think of something, in spite of the risk of someone catching wind of it afterward. By now propriety meant little to her.