Free Land of Enchantment by Janet Dailey Page A

grudgingly. 'I had hoped to keep him for a second stallion. As it is I'll only get half what he's worth, but it will give me the money to make the necessary improvements to the ranch to get us by for a couple of years.'
    'I could keep on working, Lije,' Diana offered. Her heart going out to him because of the sacrifice he was making for her. 'I have a little money saved now. Not much really, but…'
    'No! Absolutely not!' he barked. 'Listen, darling,' he went on more calmly. 'I'm the original male chauvinist, but my wife is going to be with me wherever I am, not off posing for some guy with a camera. We'll make it together.'
    'That's the way I want it, too,' she whispered earnestly.
    'I love you, Diana.' The hands that had held her away now drew her to him as Lije proceeded to rain kisses on her lips, nose, eyes, and neck. 'Tonight will be my last rodeo, darling,' he murmured against her cheek. 'Tomorrow we'll drive to El Paso. We can get married in Juarez, Mexico. By Tuesday, we'll be at my ranch…our ranch…our home. Is that too long to wait?
    'I would wait a lifetime if you wanted me to,' Diana breathed, her happiness knowing no limits when he held her like this in his arms. His mouth covered hers quickly, letting her know without words that that wasn't necessary.
    With a shaky laugh of exaltation, Lije lifted his head from hers. 'The first thing we'd better do is get you checked back into a hotel for tonight.'
    'Do I have to?' she asked impishly.
    'Yes,' he growled mockingly. 'This afternoon you can go out and buy yourself a wedding dress while I handle a few other things.'
    'You're the boss!' Her blue eyes twinkled up at him demurely. She was rewarded for her meek acceptance with another kiss and a promise of more.
     

 
    Chapter Six
     
    'WELL, Mrs. Masters?' Lije looked at her lovingly. 'You're now in New Mexico, the land of enchantment. Are you happy?'
    'Very happy,' she answered, snuggling closer to him as she gazed out the window of the pick-up truck at the thinning marks of civilization.
    It was all too wonderful to believe it had happened, Diana thought, sneaking a glance at the man who, last night, had become her husband in every sense of the word. She still marvelled at how tender and gentle he had been with her when he had discovered that she had never been with a man before. And she had been astounded by her own response. Lije had always been able to arouse her, but Diana had never believed that she could be transported to that level of rapture.
    'Darling, are you sure you don't mind not having a honeymoon? We could spare a few days in El Paso. We aren't that far away that we couldn't turn back.' The concern and desire to please in Lije's gaze made Diana's heart leap with love.
    'I'd rather go home, Lije,' she assured him.
    'I hope you won't be disappointed,' he said quietly. 'Don't conjure up images of an enormous house with plush furnishings. It's just a one-storey frame house that's seen better days. Some day I'll build a new home for you, but…'
    Diana placed her hand on his mouth to hush his proud apologies. 'If you're there, it will seem like a palace to me.'
    His arm circled her shoulders and pulled her closer against his chest while he drove with one hand on the wheel.
    'With you, right now I feel like a king,' taking his attention from the four-lane highway long enough to give her a quick kiss. 'There are so manyplaces I want to show you. Where I used to hunt when I was a kid. We'll sleep out under the stars sometimes, too, when it's warmer. I hope you grow to love the ranch as much as I do, Diana.'
    'I will.'
    When they turned west out of Socorro and left the Rio Grande Valley behind, the landscape began to change. The few towns they passed were minuscule compared to the metropolis of Dallas/Fort Worth where Diana had lived all her life. The mountains, too, seemed more rugged and forbidding even with their pine-covered slopes. Diana was beginning to realize what an alien world she was coming to