Lone Star 04 Read Free Page A

curve of a thigh tinted in gold in the soft light. Jessie approved of what she saw, and neither lingered nor turned away from her reflection. Many young women of her day might have blushed at their own sexuality, she knew—but old Myobu, the geisha who had been her father’s courtesan in his early days in Japan, and later Jessie’s friend, tutor, maid, and almost mother, had taught her better than that. A body was born with its beauty, and the feelings that went with it. Whether she was alone or in the arms of a man, those feelings, for Jessie, were as natural and healthy as breathing.
    Turning off the light, she stretched out on the coarse railway sheet, closed her eyes, and listened to the miles clack by. Even though the sun had vanished hours before, the land held on to its heat. The compartment was stuffy and close. She was tempted to raise a window, but then thought better of it. Smoke and cinders from the big Baldwin engine would have filled the room instantly.
    â€œDamn it all, anyway!” she said crossly. Slipping bare legs to the floor, she sat up and glared at the wall. The thoughts of the day still plagued her, and wouldn’t let go. She couldn’t put the looming shadow of the cartel out of her mind. They were always there—her father’s enemies, and now her own. She’d learned a great deal about them since Alex Starbuck’s murder; they were bigger and far more frightening than she’d first imagined. It wasn’t just the Starbuck empire they wanted. That was only the start. It was the country itself they had their eyes on—a young and burgeoning nation of untold wealth and promise. They wanted that wealth, and would stop at nothing to get it. She and Ki had met them head-on more than once, and knew what they were capable of doing.
    Jessie leaned back with a sigh. And now it was likely starting again. Like Ki, she didn’t believe his encounter had simply happened—not with the two of them headed for Roster, Kansas, and the problems they’d face there. The message had come to the Starbuck ranch three days before. The Starbuck land offices had financed a number of groups of European immigrants—loaned them the money to get wheat started, in exchange for crop committments. Now those immigrants wanted to back down, sell their land at disastrous prices, and move on fast.
    Why? Jessie wondered. They’d come from the Old World to get a new start. What was scaring them off? Instinct, and a few lessons learned the hard way, told her the cartel had its hand in the deal somewhere.
    Finally, Jessie drifted off to sleep, but her waking thoughts followed her into dark and fitful dreams ...
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    When Jessie Starbuck entered the diner for breakfast, she earned the admiring glances of every male in the car—and chilly looks from their wives. For the sake of comfort, she’d cast aside her more tailored traveling wear in favor of faded, sky-blue denims and a matching jacket. The wide brown leather belt emphasized the natural slimness of her waist. The denims were scandalously tight, and when Jessie moved down the aisle to the click of her boots, the motion caused lovely things to happen to her firm bottom.
    She was aware of the whispers in her wake, and ignored them. Trailing a wealth of riotous, strawberry-blonde hair over her shoulders, she made her way to the table Ki was holding. The strain of the day before and a nearly sleepless night should have left her drawn and depressed. Instead, her stubborn Starbuck heritage had come to the fore, and she’d traded the mood for a saucy and impish air. She would not give in to her troubles, and by God, anything that got in her way would wish it hadn‘t!
    â€œMorning,” she greeted Ki cheerily. “Slept well, I hope?”
    â€œAs well as you, I’m sure,” he said, raising his brow a bare quarter-inch.
    Jessie got the message and stuck out her tongue. “All right, so I