After Tex. Sherryl Woods

he prayed to God he was right about that. She was already jaded enough without another disappointment.

      “Any idea what she was getting at the office-supply place?” he asked.

      Tess shot him a disgusted look. “Duh! Office supplies would be my guess.”

      “You know, kid, one of these days somebody’s going to take exception to that smart mouth of yours.”

      “Oh, yeah? Who?”

      “Lyle Perkins for one. You did your darnedest to rile him back there.”

      She grinned. “I know,” she said proudly. “Who else?”

      “Me.”

      “And then what?” she asked, clearly unintimidated. “You gonna lock me in my room?”

      “No. I’ll wash your mouth out with soap, the way my mama used to do with me.”

      Tess’s eyes widened. “She did that? Oh, gross.”

      “Gross pretty much sums it up, but it was effective. I cleaned up my language. Think about it.”

      Jake fell silent, as did Tess, though whether she was actually pondering his warning was anybody’s guess. She trailed along a step or two behind him, scuffing the toes of her sneakers on the sidewalk.

      He spotted Megan up ahead, looking predictably more impatient than worried.

      “There you are,” she said, when she noticed Tess behind him. “Where on earth have you been? I’ve been waiting here for a half hour at least.”

      Tess shot an imploring look his way. Jake relented and left the encounter with the sheriff and Mrs. Perkins unmentioned. “Visiting with me,” he said. “We were going for ice cream and came to ask you to join us.”

      “I was hoping to get back to the ranch so I could get all this equipment set up. I have work to do.”

      Jake peered into the back of the sport utility vehicle. There were a half-dozen cartons, along with bags that appeared filled with reams of paper and other supplies. He took heart from the sheer amount and extravagance of the purchases.

      “Was this stuff cheaper here than it would be in New York?” he inquired lazily.

      “Of course, but that wasn’t the point.”

      “What was?”

      “I need a few things if I’m going to be able to get anything done while I’m here.”

      He took a better look at the cartons. “A fax machine, a copier, a computer, a printer, a scanner. Yep, that ought to get you through the afternoon, all right.”

      “I’m delighted you approve. Now, if you don’t mind, we’ll be on our way.”

      “I mind,” Tess protested. “Jake promised me ice cream, after what happened.”

      Only when the words were out of her mouth did she realize her mistake. She slapped a hand over her mouth and backed away a step.

      “After what happened?” Megan asked. When Tess remained stubbornly silent, she turned to Jake. “Well?”

      “Sorry. Attorney-client privilege.”

      “She hired you to represent her? Why, for heaven’s sake?”

      “Now, Meggie, you know I can’t answer that.”

      “Somebody had better answer me,” Megan declared, foot tapping and arms folded across her chest.

      Amused by the display of temper, Jake glanced toward Tess. “I don’t think she’s crazy about being left out of the loop. How about we all go for ice cream and explain once she’s mellowed out on hot fudge?”

      “You’re going to tell her no matter what, aren’t you?” Tess demanded. “Geez-oh-flip, nobody around here’s any good at all at keeping secrets. What about professional ethics?”

      “I can only tell her if you say it’s okay,” Jake agreed. “It’s up to you.”

      “But that’s the only way I’m getting ice cream, right?”

      He nodded.

      “Okay, fine. Blab your heart out.” She turned and marched off.

      Jake turned to follow. Megan regarded him impatiently, but eventually fell into step beside him.

      “I’m not going to like this, am I?” she asked with weary resignation.

      “On a scale of one to ten, compared to some of the other things you’ve heard in the past few days, this can’t be more than a two.”

      “I’m so relieved.”

      “Don’t worry, Meggie, I’ve handled it. There’s nothing for you to worry about.”

      “Why does that make me even more nervous?”

      “Because you have control issues?” he suggested.

      “Oh, go to hell,” she retorted, and snapped her mouth shut. She didn’t say another word to him until after the awestruck waitress had begged for an autograph, chattered endlessly about Megan’s TV show and then—finally—taken their orders. Sundaes with double hot fudge prevailed.

      “Well?” Megan asked, turning her attention back to them. “You might as well get it over with. What happened earlier?”

      After a glance at Tess, Jake gave her a quick overview of the encounter with Mrs. Perkins, Lyle and the sheriff.

      “Why, that pompous old witch,” Megan declared, with every bit as much indignation as Tess had displayed earlier. “I’ll have a thing or two to say to her when we’re finished here. As for Lyle, I never liked him and it seems as if time hasn’t improved his judgment or his temper.”

      Tess regarded her with wide-eyed amazement. “You’re going to take on Mrs. Perkins?”

      “Well, of course I will,” Megan said emphatically. “Nobody messes with an O’Rourke.”

      Jake settled back onto the bench beside her. “Go, girl,” he murmured, delighted by her reaction, by the quick rush to Tess’s defense.

      There’d been a time when she’d been equally protective of him, when she’d stood defiantly beside him in the face of all sorts of accusations, a good many of them trumped up by the envious Lyle.

      But when the most serious charge of all had been made, when he’d been accused of rustling Tex’s cattle, she’d failed him. He’d guessed that years of silent doubts had added up at last. Even with him understanding that, the pain of her turning on him had been worse than sitting in a jail cell in which he didn’t belong.