Benteen raised an eyebrow to register mild surprise and pleasure. “That’s good news.”

“I thought you’d say that.” Elaine smiled. “I must go. Take care of yourself.”

With parasol in hand, she glided to the door. Lorna unlinked her fingers from Benteen’s grasp. “I’ll be back in a minute,” she promised, and hurried after Lady Crawford. She carefully closed the door behind her.

“Did you want something??

?? Lady Crawford inquired with a regal tilt to her head.

“I wanted to thank you,” Lorna admitted.

“Thank me?”

“Yes, for what you did in there—the impression you left with Benteen.” She regarded the woman warmly, because it had been a very generous thing to do.

“Yes, well … you were quite right, you know,” Lady Crawford said, and made a study of smoothing the gloves on her hand. “There is one thing that I can’t give him … but there are other dreams that I can fulfill.”

“Thank you,” Lorna repeated.

“Nonsense.” She dismissed the expression of gratitude. “Don’t forget, I shall profit enormously from the association.”

She moved toward the front door before Lorna could say anything else. But it had all been said. Lorna slowly turned and went back into the room where Benteen was. She found him sitting on the edge of the cot, swaying unsteadily.

“Chase Benteen Calder, what are you doing?” She hurried over to help him.

“We’re going home, aren’t we?” he said, then turned a questioning eye on her. “What did you have to talk to Lady Crawford about?”

“It was nothing.” Lorna helped him on with his shirt. “She returned something, and I wanted to thank her for it.”

Three weeks later the first shipment of furniture arrived for the new house. Included was the big desk for the study. Lorna halted the workmen and had them uncrate the desk and carry it into the study. She hung the map on the wall behind it, and put Benteen’s ranch papers in the drawers. There were a couple of chairs that belonged in the living room, but she arranged them in the study in front of the huge fireplace.

When she heard Webb galloping across the porch to greet his father at the steps, Lorna slipped out of the room to meet him in the entryway. His shoulder was still stiff and sore from the wound, and he was leaner, but there wasn’t any doubt that he was back in full control of the Calder Cattle Company.

Webb was riding on his hip. Benteen swung him to the floor as they entered the house. His gaze went to Lorna, sweeping over her in that intimate way that always sent her pulse chasing after itself.

“Supper ready?” he asked.

“I haven’t even started it,” Lorna admitted, then laughed and grabbed his hand, tugging it like a child. “There’s something I want to show you.”

With barely contained excitement, she led him to the study doors, opened them, and stepped into the room. She made a whirling pivot to watch his reaction as his gaze traveled around the room.

“Part of the furniture arrived after you left this morning. I’ve had the workmen busy ever since, uncrating it and getting it arranged,” she explained.

“The map.” He noticed it and smiled at her. “I like that.” He wandered over to the cavernous stone fireplace. “The mantel needs something.”

“I was thinking that myself.” She bit at the inside of her lip, then walked calmly over to a desk drawer and took out the daguerreotype of his mother when she was young. “Would you want to put this on it?”

She handed it to him, and watched him study it. There was a rush of conflicting emotions across his ruggedly planed features. His chest lifted on a deep breath as he looked at her.

“No.” He slowly shook his head. “Put it away somewhere if you want.”

There was nothing left of the old dream, or the old bitterness. Lady Crawford and the image in the picture were two different things, separated in his mind. Lorna crossed the room and put her arms around his middle.

“You knew that, didn’t you?” Benteen murmured against her hair.

“I hoped that all the ghosts were gone,” she admitted. “She couldn’t be what you wanted.”

A chuckle came from his throat. “Can you imagine Webb calling her grandmother? She’d be horrified.” He lifted his head to look at her, linking his hands at the small of her back to mold her against the lower half of his body. “Speaking of Webb, you don’t think you could persuade your son to go out and play for another hour?”

Tags: Janet Dailey Calder Saga Romance
Source: readsnovelonline.net