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Red put her hands on his arms. “Why isn’t she? Isn’t she Mathison’s only kid? I bet if he thought she wanted you, he wouldn’t put you back in jail.”
“It’s my neck if you’re wrong, isn’t it? Besides, she doesn’t want me. It was just that she thought I was the leader and the forest can make you feel as if there’s nobody else on earth. It was the time and the place. And the fact that there was no competition.”
“So now that you’re out of the forest, she won’t be interested in you, is that it?”
“I’m sure of it.”
Red turned away for a moment. “You know something? I have more faith in this young lady. From reading her articles I think she’s not at all flighty. If she said she loved you, I think she does.”
“For how long?” Ty asked in disgust. “Deliver me from the faithful love of a good woman.”
“How about putting her to a test?”
“Such as?”
“Rory Sayers.”
Tynan didn’t speak for a moment. “Ishehere?”
“At the hotel. Want to introduce your Chris to him?”
“She’s not mine.”
Red smiled at him. “You know what your problem is, Tynan? You’ve never had to work to get any female. Did you know that there are other things to do with a woman besides take her to bed? You’ve probably never spent five minutes talking to a woman who wasn’t a whore. I’ll bet that you don’t even know what to do with a girl outside the bedroom.”
“I talked to Chris one afternoon in the forest.” He narrowed his eyes at her. “Red, what are you trying to do?”
“I want you to do something that’s not so easy for you. I think you’re half in love with this Chris. Why don’t you take her out a few times, talk to her, get to know what she’s like? It’ll be practice for when you’re lookin’ for a wife.”
“And what if she keeps saying she loves me? I’m not going back to jail for her or anybody else. And I’ll not be cheated out of the ten grand.”
“There, you see, you can organize a few socials yourself. Take Chris and Prescott for a ride in the country.Helphim court her. You’ll learn from him and he’ll learn from you.”
“And what about Sayers? What has he got to do with all this?”
“Don’t you think Rory would be a perfect match for your Chris? He’s rich, established, owns all that lovely timberland and Rory certainly doesn’t lack force. Maybe you could get Chris to marry him. I’m sure Mathison would approve and you’d get your ten thousand dollars.”
Ty didn’t say anything but picked up his empty whiskey glass and refilled it. “I can’t see Chris and Sayers together.”
“Oh, I can. Rory has so much personality and the women all adore him. You could take Chris and Rory and the handsome young man Mathison chose out in the country for the afternoon and just sit back and think about your ten thousand dollars. It’ll be the easiest money anyone ever made.”
“Chris may not like Sayers. She’s got taste. She’s a real lady. All her underclothes have her initials on them, not big and gaudy like Susie used to wear, but tiny initials done in white on white cloth. And Chris asks a lot of questions. She finds out about people. If Sayers tries a line on her, she’ll see through him.”
“But you’ll be there to smooth things over and help Rory over the rough spots, won’t you?”
“Chris isn’t all that easy to fool. You know that she figured out I was in pain? Even guessed that my feet were blistered from the damn new boots. And she put it all together and figured out about my being in jail.”
“Not like other women you’ve known, is she?” Red said softly.
Abruptly, Ty put his half full whiskey glass down. “Look, I got things to do. I’ll see you tonight for supper.”
“Yes, honey, you do that. Let’s eat at the hotel and invite your friends. Maybe I can help you get the money. I’ll make your Chris see what a charming gentleman has been chosen for her. And maybe we can invite Rory. He always livens up any gathering.”
“Yeah, well, maybe. Chris won’t like him, though. He’s all hot air.” He put his hand on the door. “And she’s notmyChris.”
“She is until you sell her to someone else.”
“Why do I feel like I’ve been run over by a twenty-car train? I’ll see you tonight.”
