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to talk about her as though she were in New Mexico.
Libby whirled to her. Rayna, I m sorry. I know Meade doesn t mean to
be rude.
Oh, yes he does, she replied. He s very good at it, too.
Meade s smile was sarcasm personified. I ve had lots of practice, thanks
to you.
Libby looked back and forth between them. I swear, you two are worse
than Jenny and Lucas, she muttered in amazement. Rayna, despite Meade s
rather heavy-handed invitation to you, I wish you d reconsider. You can t
imagine how nice it would be for me to have you around the house for a
while. I love the ranch and my children, but I do get lonely for another
woman to talk to.
Meade let out a scornful snort of laughter, and Rayna threw him a look
that dared him to express his thoughts aloud. In the face of her challenge, he
couldn t resist. Oh, by all means, Rayna, stay. I know you and Libby will have
a lovely time discussing the latest fashions and exchanging recipes.
Libby placed a hand on Rayna s arm. Don t pay any attention to him. He s
only teasing me because he knows how much I hate superficial woman-talk
about fashion and such nonsense.
Rayna looked down at the lovely, petite lady and wondered if perhaps
they might have more in common than she d thought last night, after all.
Actually, it did make sense that she stay, but only on certain conditions.
Libby, I would be happy to accept your hospitality if you ll allow me to
earn my keep around her. If you treat me like a pampered guest, I ll go crazy
within a week.
Libby hadn t been certain before, but she was now: She liked Rayna
Templeton. Anyone who could get Meade this fired up and hold her own
against his sharp tongue was definitely a woman worth getting to know. Very
well. From this moment on, I shall consider you a part of the family and treat
you as such. Tessa and I will be more than happy to have someone to help
with the household chores.
Meade laughed outright this time and looked to Rayna. Do you want to
explain the facts of life to my sister, or shall I?
Libby frowned in confusion, and Rayna told her, What Meade is so gra-
ciously trying to insinuate is that I m not very domestic. I ve been helping my
father run Rancho Verde for a very long time, and I d much rather help with
the roundup than with the dishes, if you don t object.
Libby was surprised, but not totally shocked. Of course. Whatever you
like. Case took his uncle and nephew with him, so we ve been a little short-
handed, anyway.
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Good, Meade declared. Now that that s settled, shall we head into town?
Very well. Rayna removed the letter from her valise and made her way
outside to the carriage while Libby gave Meade the list of supplies she needed
him to pick up in Bannon.
As they rode away, Libby stood on the porch watching them. She noted
their stiff backs and the more than respectable distance between them on the
wide wagon seat. They didn t speak; they didn t look at each other.
Libby smiled happily. If she d had any doubts last night, they were gone
now. Her stubborn brother, who d spent most of his life insisting he didn t
believe in love, had fallen hard. He wasn t happy about it, and he had no idea
how to cope with his intense emotions, but he was in love all right.
It seemed that in the space of a single day, Libby had discovered not one
sister-in-law but two. Of course, Case still had to find Skylar, and Meade had
to admit he was in love, before they could all truly be a family, but it would
happen. Libby was confident of that. There was nothing she could do to help
Case, but Meade was a different story.
Humming a merry tune, Libby went about her morning chores.
After a very practical shopping spree in Bannon s only general mercantile
store, Rayna waited in the wagon while Meade finished filling the supply list.
She had purchased enough clothes to get by on and had impulsively picked
up presents for Jenny, Lucas, and Libby.
The ride home was as uncomfortably silent as the ride into town had been,
and the raw tension between them became the cornerstone in the foundation
of their relationship for the next two weeks. They spoke to each other only
when necessary and managed to keep their arguments to a minimum for the
sake of Libby and the children.
Six area ranches had joined forces for the roundup, and Jedidiah was ram-
rodding the Eagle Creek contingent. Once he realized what an excellent cow-
hand Rayna was, he made full use of her services and very quickly came to
respect her. She got along well with the other hands and there was no job she
considered beneath her. From sunup to sundown, she was on the range
searching for small herds and driving them to the holding pens where they
were separated into various herds according to their brands and earmarks.
She could cut a single cow out of the herd as well as any man Jedidiah had
ever seen, and she was absolutely fearless. In fact, the only problem he had with
her was that he couldn t pair her up with Meade, who was also helping with the
roundup. In the beginning, Jedidiah had tried to keep both of them close to him
because he knew Meade had a lot to learn and Rayna needed evaluating.
The three had ridden out together every morning, but Jedidiah quickly
learned the folly of that. The first time Meade had seen Rayna charging at
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