Free Diamond Spur by Diana Palmer

own, for children. Not this house, of course, not his children. He didn't want any kind of permanent relationship even with Kate. He frowned. She'd meet all kinds of men in a job like that, predatory men. He didn't like to think about some suave stranger seducing her.
    "You're too damned green for a sophisticated job like that," he said aloud, shocking her. She gaped at him, her fork poised in mid-air. So did Cherry. "What?!" Kate asked, torn between exasperation and laughter.
    He crossed his long legs and took a heavy draw from his cigarette. In the overhead light, his dark straight hair seemed to have black highlights. "You'll get in trouble back East, with no one to look out for you."
    "Well, you'll probably bleed to death while I'm gone," she shot back, "since nobody else can convince you that blood poisoning is dangerous."
    "I've been looking out for myself just fine."
    "Oh, of course," she agreed. "Ripping your arm open, trying to shoot people...how's the bull, by the way?" His jaw tautened. "The bull is alive, through no fault of mine. I had to sell six cows to Tanner because his bull bred them. Luckily, I had plenty of replacement heifers this time."
    "How do you know his bull bred them?" Cherry asked innocently.
    Jason looked suddenly hunted, his whole expression set and uncomfortable.
    "Go ahead," Kate dared him. "Tell her." She knew about the new system of dyes that were used to show a stockman when a cow had been bred, but Cherry had never taken much interest in the cattle. Like Gene, she was more fascinated by art. Jason took a sharp breath and stood up. "You tell her," he said to Kate, his tone deep and cutting. "I've got better things to do."
    "You might congratulate me on my new job," Kate said quietly.
    He searched her green eyes curiously, his eyes narrowing on her oval face in its frame of dark, softly loosened hair. "I can't do that. I think you're making one hell of a big mistake." ' 'You didn't think so when I wanted to take the course in fashion design!" she argued. "That was just something to help you sew better at the plant, or so I thought. I didn't realize that San Frio was going to get too small to hold you." She stuck her chin up in the air and stared at him, refusing to be told how to live her life. "You're just jealous because you can't sew a dress, Jason," she replied, resorting to teasing to keep from blowing up at him again. "Oh, hell." He turned on his heel and walked away without another word or a backward glance. Kate smothered a grin, sharing a wink with Cherry, who was about to burst with mischief. Jason would come to his senses and then they'd talk about it. For now, he had to get used to the idea, and Kate knew very well how to skirt his moods. She'd had almost three years of practice. ' 'I never used to believe Gene when he talked about how well you managed to get along with Jason," Cherry grinned. "But I'm beginning to see the light. My gosh, he takes a lot from you, doesn't he?" "From time to time," Kate agreed with a sigh. "I wish he could understand that women aren't property anymore. He doesn't like them very much, you know." "It's hard to miss," Cherry murmured dryly. "All the same, I guess he'll marry a woman someday, as long as she's socially acceptable and doesn't mind giving him an heir."
    Cherry couldn't have known how much that supposition hurt Kate, even though she'd already faced it. "I guess he will," Kate replied, going quiet. She finished her cobbler and poured herself a cup of coffee from the carafe. She took it black, hardly tasting it as she lifted it to her mouth.
    Cherry smiled. "I thought he was going to pass out when you dared him to tell me about those bred cattle." The younger girl frowned. "How do you tell that a cow's been bred?"
    Kate told her absently, and Cherry just shook her head. "I can't imagine a man being a rancher who's too old-fashioned to talk about breeding in mixed company," Cherry remarked.
    Kate bit back a defensive comment. She couldn't help