Part 26 (1/2)

”Where's he supposed to go?” Cynthie looked toward the table but Kyle

grabbed her shoulders and pulled her around to look at him.”He's made excuses to stay. If you can't see that you're as blind as he is.””Let me go,” she said. She tried to pull away but he wouldn't let her.”No! You have to listen to me.” Kyle struggled for control.”I can't watch you make a fool of yourself over that invalid.””He's not an invalid!” Cynthie wanted to slap his face but he held her too tightly. Suddenly she wished Winn's punch had landed square on Kyle's nose.”Face facts, girl! He's using you. He is an invalid and he knows it.He's found a good thing with you and wants to keep it. Tell me, has he made advances? ”

”No,” she answered, too quickly. She could feel the blood rus.h.i.+ng to her

face.

”I don't believe you.”

Cynthie looked at Kyle and knew her face had betrayed her.

”This is none of your business,” she said.

”The h.e.l.l it isn't! You know by now how I feel about you. Marry me.”

”I can't.” He had finally loosened his hold on her shoulders and she pulled

away.

Kyle watched her closely. What did she mean.

can't? Horror gripped him.”Have you and he already...””No. Of course not, Kyle.”He took her shoulders again, this time very gently. ”It doesn't matter if you have. I love you, Cynthie.””Kyle, please...”His hands tightened again, frustration at her ma king him reckless.”You better think about it, girl. You're bound to lose everything.””What do you mean?” she asked, shaking off his hands.”Don't you know why you're the only target around here for those cattle thieves? It's because your ranch is the most vulnerable. A woman alone, anold man as foreman. It's too d.a.m.n tempting. If you don't do somethingquick, Ott will just pick off the rest of your men, one by one.”

' ”And by doing something, you mean marry you?”

Kyle was too self-absorbed to notice the incredulity in her voice.

”Yes!

He'd think twice about hitting a ranch run by a man. ”

Cynthie was so angry she couldn't answer. She turned sharply away and

stomped toward the crowd. Kyle watched her go feeling somewhat bewildered.He had enough sense not to follow.Winn listened to the spurs as Dempsey and Cynthie moved away from him.He felt absolutely helpless. He didn't want Dempsey talking to Cynthie, though he knew he had no right to object. The thought of Dempsey touching her left Winn fairly shaking with rage.

At the same time he couldn't help but worry about

Greg. It had been his fault that the boy had run away. If he had been thin king about the child'sfeelings when Dempsey had arrived, he could have rea.s.sured him. At the veryleast he could have kept a better grip on Greg's hand.

Instead he had been thin king like a jealous lover.

The noises around him were confusing. Cynthie's voice wasn't among them andhe knew she and Dempsey had gone quite a distance to talk. He pictured themstrolling along beside a tree-lined river and forced the image away.

He needed to keep his mind on Greg. Where might he have gone? What sound around him might indicate an attraction for the boy? His imaginationconjured up all kinds of things from the sounds he heard.

His visions of Greg facing one terrible danger or another were interrupted bya tap on his shoulder and a voice near his ear.

”Excuse me. We've got to move this bench.”

Winn wasn't sure what to do. He didn't want to point out to these strangersthat he was blind and needed help going somewhere else.

”They're bringing in another table for the food, and you have to move,”

the voice added.

Winn mumbled an apology. At least the voice didn't sound impatient with him.He stood up and started to edge away. There were people all around him. If he moved slowly he wouldn't knock anyone over, he hoped.

”Is this your basket?”

”Ah, yes.” He reached a hand toward it and the basket handle was placed overhis arm, which mildly irritated him as he had expected to grab the handle.

He heard the dishes inside clatter before he steadied it with his other hand.

He walked farther away, hoping to get clear of the men moving the table butsure he was putting himself into someone else's path. If he moved away fromthe noise, he reasoned, he would be moving away from the crowd and thereforeout of everyone's way. In a few minutes he stopped and listened, realizingthat all the noise was well behind him. He was far enough away that he couldno longer smell the food.

He turned around and tried to pick out different sounds. The orator was still expounding but he was too far away for Winn to make out the topic.

The sounds of the crowd around the tables of food were even softer than the speaker, which must mean they were farther away. He was sure he was still close enough and tall enough that Cynthie would find him if he just stoodhere.

Something was thumping against the hard-packed earth. It was a steady beathe recognized as a walking horse and it was coming toward him. He heard the rattle of a chain and knew it pulled a wagon.

”Hey! Get out of the way!” a voice yelled.

Winn didn't take time to consider where he should go. He walked quickly at aright angle away from the moving sound.