an instant he thought he caught a flash of hurt in her eyes and regretted that he’d been the cause of it. He ignored the temptation to apologize, though. If he could get her to write him off as a jerk, maybe he’d finally get some peace.
Of course, then he’d also be all on his own with Annie. That was more terrifying than the bull, the bronc and Val all rolled into one.
“Sorry,” he muttered halfheartedly.
“For what?” she said, her eyes shining a little too brightly. “Being honest? No one can fault you for that.”
“Still, I should have kept my mouth shut. You’ve been good to my daughter. I owe you.”
“Now that’s where you’re wrong. Around here people look out for one another, no thanks necessary.”
“And where I come from, you don’t lash out at someone who’s done you a kindness.”
A faint smile tugged at her lips. “Are we going to argue about this, too?”
Slade shrugged. He figured arguing was a whole lot safer than the kissing he was seriously tempted to do. “More than likely.”
“Maybe we could call a truce,” she suggested. “For Annie’s sake.”
“Won’t work,” he said succinctly.
“Why on earth not?”
“Well, now, the way I see it, you and I are destined to butt heads.”
“Because that’s the way you want it,” she accused.
Slade grinned. “No, because you’re a woman and I’m a man. Simple as that.”
“Tell me something I didn’t know. Why does that mean we have to fight?”
“Human nature.”
“Sweetheart, if that were human nature, the population would dwindle down to nothing.”
He gazed directly into her eyes, then quaked inside at the impact of that. Still, he managed to keep his voice steady. “Now, you see, sweetheart, that’s where God steps in. He set it up so all that commotion would be counterbalanced by making up. Bingo, you’ve got babies.”
Val listened to him, her eyes sparkling with growing amusement. When he’d finished, she grinned at him. “Seems to me like you’ve just given me something to look forward to, cowboy. Let me know anytime you’re ready to start making up.”
She turned then and sashayed off, leaving Slade to stare after her in openmouthed astonishment. Just when he thought he finally had her on the ropes, dadgumit, she won another round.
Four
Slade was just starting to check out a prized new stallion that had been delivered when he glanced up and saw Harlan Adams waiting just outside the stall, his gnarled hands curved over the top rail.
“Something I can do for you?” he asked the rancher. Slade had to wonder if this had something to do with the party. They’d already discussed it, and Harlan had embraced the idea with the expected enthusiasm.
Harlan Adams might have relinquished the day-to-day running of White Pines to Cody and Harlan Patrick, but no one who knew anything about him doubted the influence he still held over the place. Even in his eighties, his mind was sharp as a tack. Only the physical limitations of aging kept him from doing everything his son and grandson did. Slade always tried to grant him the respect he was due, even when the man hadn’t just done him a huge favor.
“Just came down to get a look at that horse you and Cody spent a fortune of my hard-earned money on,” he replied, his gaze moving over Black Knight as if he expected the horse to be nothing less than solid gold.
“We’ll get some excellent foals for you in a year or two,” Slade said. Even though Harlan’s grumbling remark about the stallion’s cost had been made good-naturedly, Slade was unable to keep a hint of defensiveness out of his own voice. “He was worth every penny.”
“Oh, he’s a beauty, all right,” Harlan agreed readily. “Don’t get all lathered up, Son. I trust your judgment. Cody carried on so, I just wanted to see him for myself. Thought it might give us a chance to talk some more, too. You were in too big a hurry when you stopped by the house to ask about the party.”
The casual announcement set off alarms. Harlan Adams never came out to the stables merely to chat. He came when he wanted to poke and pry into matters that were none of his concern. Slade waited warily to hear what was on his mind.
Harlan found a stool and dragged it over so he could observe as Slade expertly went over the horse. Not used to having anyone watch his every move—except when he’d been in the rodeo ring—Slade was unsettled by