Sandra Chastain Read Free Page A

time,” she added hurriedly. “Once we’re married, you’re free to come and go, so long as you remember that you’re a Wilder and conduct yourself accordingly.”
    “A Wilder?” All the tension simmering just beneath the surface suddenly caught fire and erupted. Cade sat up, narrowed his lips, and spit out his response, one knife-sliced word at a time. “Not on your life, boss-lady. The name is McCall, the same as yours will be if we should get married, which is, I might add, highly unlikely at this point. Even if I accepted your proposal, I have a child who needs a mother, not a ranch foreman.
    “In addition,” he went on tightly, “I like to drink, play poker, and make love to a woman now and then. What sort of terms do you intend to write into that contract to take care of my personal needs?”
    Cade didn’t bother to add that those pastimeshad been discarded years ago in the aftermath of his divorce.
    “Perhaps you should see Silverwild first, before we try to iron out the fine points,” Rusty said smoothly.
    Ignoring the tense silence, Rusty banked the plane, circling the mountains to the south. Cade McCall was a hard man to decipher. He hadn’t said no, but he didn’t seem to be receptive to the idea of marriage either.
    But wasn’t that what she wanted? A six-month trial period where they could work out the details and decide whether or not marriage was to their mutual advantage?
    Cade’s strongest objection so far was over the issue of changing his name. Well, she could make that worth his while. Cash flow was limited since she’d bought the new bull, but outside of her banker, nobody else knew. And a few well-chosen stud fees for the bull would change all that.
    By the time the other ranchers got over the shock of her new bull, she and Cade would be well on her way to working out the more personal part of their future plans. The truth was, it didn’t matter what the man’s name was or what name appeared on the marriage certificate. Once Cade McCall married Rusty Wilder, he would be a Wilder, whether he wanted to admit it or not.
    McCall was a definite surprise. He didn’t seem to be a typical drifter or some fortune hunter looking for a free ride. She was prepared for him to demand concessions of his own. She just didn’t know what those concessions would be. However, she knew that in order to stand up to Cade McCall, she’d have to deal with him directly. No guile, nofeminine wiles—not that such maneuvers had ever been Rusty’s style.
    “I know this seems like an impossible proposition, McCall, but if you will be patient until after dinner, I think I’ll be able to assure you that Silverwild will satisfy all your needs.”
    “Oh? That ought to be interesting.”
    She ignored the implication of his words. “Now if you’ll look below, I’m going to take a quick pass around the spread so that you can get an idea of what I’ll be offering the man I choose. And you’re right, it isn’t a foregone conclusion that it will be you. You may not be able to handle the terms of my agreement.”
    “Oh I can handle them, Ms. Wilder. As long as you are prepared to give as much as you get. Don’t you worry about that. The question is whether or not I
choose
to.”
    The plane bobbled for just a second, and Cade felt an immense glow of self-satisfaction that he’d broken through her steely reserve again. She might appear as cold as one of those snow-covered peaks below, but so did Mount St. Helens until she erupted. Then the entire Northwest felt her heat.
    “Another thing you’re right about, ma’am,” he added carelessly. “Just like you said earlier, appearances can be deceiving. But passion? That’s something a person can never completely disquise. I’m looking forward to dinner—and learning how you intend to satisfy my needs.”

Two
    She came up behind him on the patio like a shadow.
    “Well, does what you’ve seen of the ranch come up to your expectations?”
    “I had no