gadget on charge last night, Cassie snatched it off its base. The caller was Jo Nell.
"Gosh, girl, it's good to hear your voice."
"I can't believe you haven't called me," Jo Nell responded in a hurry tone.
"Well, I've only been here twenty-four hours."
"That's no excuse. You could've called me from your car phone."
"So I screwed up. Cut me some slack, okay?"
Jo Nell chuckled.
"Only if you'll come over soon and let me fix you dinner."
"It's a deal. So how did you know I was home?"
"Are you kidding? Have you forgotten I own a beauty salon?"
Cassie's laugh was genuine.
"Sorry, guess I did."
There was a long pause.
"So how are things?"
"Good and terrible."
"Ah, I get it." Another pause.
"You've seen Aus- tin?"
Just hearing his name spoken aloud almost stopped her heart.
"Yes.
Which reminds me that I could cheerfully strangle you."
"Me? What did I do?"
"It's what you didn't do that has me upset."
"I can't imagine."
"You didn't tell me Austin had quit his job with the real estate company
and was overseeing the hotels."
"Jeez, Cass, I just assumed you knew, or that you would put two and two together. After all, he inherited Alicia's stock, so why not?"
"Because he already has a lucrative job," Cassie said.
Alicia shrugged.
"That's all I know, kiddo. Sorry.
Besides, we never had time to discuss hardly anything, much less Austin
and what he was doing."
"You're right. In the precious amount of time I had on the phone, he was the last person I wanted to talk about."
"Look, we'll talk more when I see you. But every- thing's going to be
fine.
You'll see." "I pray you're right," Cassie said, her voice brightening somewhat.
But after she shut off the cell phone, her world darkened again.
Cassie hugged herself and let the tears flow, regardless of her makeup.
It could be repaired. Her heart couldn't.
Unfortunately, Jo Nell was wrong. Nothing would be all right. She knew
what she had to do. Not only couldn't she take her mother's place at the hotel, she couldn't even stay in town.
Once again, Austin had nixed that.
Six Gi five him the wide-open spaces anytime.
Austin almost smiled at the trite expression that came to mind. as he
made his way toward the barn. He stopped for a moment and let his eyeswander over his most prized possession--his horse farm. Several corralswere filled with Thoroughbreds who seemed to be enjoying the gorgeousafternoon. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, which meant it was hotterthan hell.
While he stood still, Austin lifted his hat and raked the back of hishand across his forehead. The hand came off wet with sweat just as amosquito buzzed around him. He slapped at it, but with no success. Itkept buzzing.
Unless he could trap that little bloodsucker on a hard surface andsquash the shit out of it, he might as well save his time and energy.
A horse whinnying drew his attention. Nothing was more beautiful andunpredictable than a stable of horses, he thought. That was what madethis such an exciting venture. And a profitable one, too; he couldn'tforget that.
He had slaved like a field hand to obtain this acreage and hold on toit.
One day he hoped to make it into a real money-maker, the same as he'ddone with the Hill- crest chain of hotels. Already he had some prizehorse r flesh that would eventually bring him a shipload of money, or sohe hoped.
Turning, Austin squinted against the sunlight and focused on the housethat he had hoped to move into. But Alicia had refused to spend onenight in it, much less live there.
It wouldn't have mattered if it had been as palatial as any suite in thehotel either. She wasn't into "roughing it," as she'd phrased it.
She had thought horses were for cowboys and had no place in their lives.But then, that had been just one of the many bones of contention betweenthem.
Pain, laced with a feeling of failure, was so intertwined with hismarriage and the tragedy that followed, he still couldn't separate thetwo.
Austin frowned and shook his head, determined not to let his mind veerdown that road. Anyway, he couldn't afford to lollygag any longer. Afilly was waiting for him to saddle and break in. He upped his pacetoward the barn.
"Yo, boss."
Austin stopped mid stride again, having recognized Robb Hancock's voice.Robb was his trainer and foreman, a man for whom he had the utmostrespect and who he depended on without fail. He could not havemaintained this place without Hancock, since he himself was out of townso much.
Austin swung back around. Robb was hurrying toward him. He smothered acurse, expecting bad news. If something had happened at the hotel thatneeded his attention, he would be fit to be tied. He had earned at leastone afternoon off, for chris sake having left his cell phone behind on purpose.
"What's up?" he asked when Robb halted in front of him. Though histrainer's physical condition was as good as his own, Robb's breathingseemed a notch faster.
Before Robb could respond, however, Austin added, "It had better besomething I want to hear."
"Otherwise get lost, right?" Robb said, his full lips breaking into asmile.
Austin didn't answer that smile.
"That's about the size of it."
"Hey, you are in a pissy mood."
Not many people could get by with talking to him that way. But Robb was
that good a friend. He had stood by him when he'd lost Alicia and theirbaby, had taken care of everything. Austin could never repay him,although he tried in every way he could.
Loyalty was important to him, and he made it a practice to reward that attribute instead of abuse it.
"I wasn't until I saw you." This time Austin did smile.
"Go to hell."
Austin tipped his hat.
"Same to you."
That momentary bantering un kinked Austin's stomach, and he decided that Robb's appearance had nothing to do with the hotel in Jasmine after all.
But it wasn't hotel problems that had him in such a huff, though he hated to admit that. Something much more personal figured into his mood.
Cassie's unplanned and unexpected return was at the bottom of his ill humor and discontent.
Refusing to veer down that forbidden path, Austin said, "I'm about to take another round at breaking in Wonder Woman."
Robb's ruddy, sun-kissed skin crinkled into a full- faced frown.
"That's the most god-awful name I ever heard. I wish you'd change it."
"Not on your life. I think it fits her to a tee."
"We'll see," Robb muttered, rubbing the belly that protruded over his belt.
Austin knew that paunch resulted from his trainer's love of beer. Aslong as he didn't drink on the job, Austin didn't care; he enjoyed a fewbeers himself on occasion.
"When Wonder Woman brings home the Triple Crown.you'll eat those words."
"I'd eat shit if that happened."
Austin's grin was sincere but short-lived.
"Well, you'd better get your knife and fork ready." Robb harrumphed,