Legacies Read Free

as the buffeting wind off the Plains.
    She made it impossible for him to think. Soon he would forget everything but her. Lije knew her power was the kind that could make a man hunger, make him ache. It could make him weak just when he couldn't afford to lose his resolve. He had other priorities, other responsibilities.
    He pulled back even as he wanted more and more of what she offered in abundance.
    Diane's eyes opened slowly when her mouth was free. She looked directly at him and saw longing and caution and a glimpse of emotion that stirred her.
    "I've wanted you to do that," she murmured, "for a long, long time."
    Lije took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. "I think we had better rejoin the others." At the moment he didn't trust himself to be alone with her.
    "Why?" But her teasing eyes told him she knew the answer.
    "I should never have touched you."
    "Why?"
    "It leads to more, and I'll be leaving soon."
    "Not for another week, at least. Not until you've danced with me, remember?" Without waiting for a response, she linked her arm with his and directed them both back to the others.
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    Strings of festive lanterns lit the terrace where couples whirled in an ever-moving circle to the lilting strains of a waltz. From the tented pavilion on the lawn came the sounds of laughter, tinkling crystal, and chattering voices. But Lije was aware only of the woman in his arms, so beautiful in her white ball gown trimmed with blue forget-me-nots, her eyes aglow with happiness.
    "Did you know my father taught your mother how to waltz years ago?" There was a lightness in her voice that didn't match the heady tension that throbbed between them.
    "I have heard the story before."
    Her glance slid to his mouth, wreaking havoc with his control. "I remember the first time my father told me about it. He made it sound so magical. I think that's when I started wondering whether it would be like that if you and I danced together." Her eyes lifted their glance to once again lock with his. "It's more than magic, Lije. Much more." She threw a quick look at the other guests. "Everyone can see it. That's why "they're staring at us."
    Lije spared a glance at the guests on the sidelines, noting the number of feminine eyes that watched him over the top of fluttering fans and the thinly disguised glares from many of the men. Their reactions were typical of others he had encountered during his four years in the East.
    "They are staring because they are scandalized that you are dancing with a Cherokee when you could have your choice of a dozen other, more suitable partners," he told her.
    Diane laughed easily. "I know them better than you do. Most of them are only pretending to be scandalized to cover their envy or their wounded egos. Especially the women. They look at you and secretly wish they could trade places with me, but they are too concerned with what other people would think."
    "Aren't you?"
    The curve of her lips deepened. "One of the advantages of being raised on the frontier is that polite society overlooks it when I indulge in what it would consider improper behavior in its own ranks. It's proven quite useful on occasion."
    "This being one of them."
    "Yes." Still smiling, Diane cast another glance over his arm at the onlooking guests as Lije guided her through a sweeping turn. "Truthfully, I suspect half the women here are waiting to see if you scoop me up and carry me off somewhere to ravish me." She looked back to him, her smile fading as their eyes met. "I have a feeling they'll be disappointed if you don't."
    "We can't have that, can we?" His fingers tightened their grip on her gloved hand, a rush of heat flowed between them as the ripe man-woman tension leapt to another level.
    "No, we can't." Her voice turned husky with desire.
    The song ended in a flourish of notes, Lije stepped back and bowed to her, then took her hand, tucked it under his arm, and escorted her from the floor to the shadowy edges of the terrace. A moment later they