Wildest Dreams - By Rosanne Bittner Page 0,190

seem like very long to some, but from that very first day we met, I felt so comfortable with you. I'm glad you know. Now we can share everything."

A strange, almost guilty look came into his eyes then. He kissed her forehead, then pulled away with a deep sigh. "The trouble is, we have to get your pa's permission first to marry."

Katie frowned. "He won't object, once he meets you and finds out what a good person you are; and especially when he realizes I love you. My parents will be thrilled that I have found someone who can take away the bad memories. They want nothing more than for me to be happy and to live a normal life. And with you being a cattleman and all—"

"That's the trouble," he interrupted. "Now it's my turn to 'fess up, Katie." He sighed and walked a few feet away, studying a row of books for a moment before turning to face her. "You're right that we should share everything. Now it's my turn to tell a secret, Katie." He ran a hand through his hair nervously. "All I said was that I was a rancher, Katie. I never said it was cattle that I raised."

Katie frowned thoughtfully, then her eyes widened. "Not sheep!"

He nodded. "It's all I know. My grandfather raised sheep, my father, and now I want to get started on my own, but I can't do it down in Colorado or even in Wyoming. Between the drought we've been having and the trouble with cattlemen, I've got to try someplace new."

She put a hand to her lips. "Oh, dear."

"Yeah." He rolled his eyes. "Now do you see our problem? It's bad enough we haven't known each other all that long, and that your folks have never even met me yet, let alone the fact that your pa probably expects you to marry some rich rancher's son. Not only am I not rich, but I'm not in cattle at all. Your pa will probably blow to high heaven when he finds out you're in love with a sheep man, and it will probably mean we'd have to live far away from here. He'd never allow me to graze sheep anyplace around here." He shoved his hands into his back pockets and paced. "This doesn't change how you feel about me, does it?"

Katie folded her arms, watching him longingly. "No. I just know how my father feels about sheep." She sighed thoughtfully. "Brad, my father isn't the monster you think he is, and there is one way he can be convinced, one person who can keep him calm and reason with him."

"Who's that?"

"My mother. As powerful and determined as my father can be, he'll do anything my mother asks. I just have to talk to her first." Yes, Lettie would understand more than anyone what it meant to her to find love, to find a man who could overlook what had happened to her. "My mother will come to get me this weekend. I'm going home for Christmas. Pa probably won't come with her to town this time because he already attended a cattlemen's meeting last week, and he said he had to stay at the ranch this week. He's going out to the north section with some of his men to bring in some stray cattle that could starve this winter if they aren't brought closer to the main ranch. It will take several days, and he'll get back just in time for Christmas. Mother will probably just bring a couple of men from the ranch along to accompany her, so you and I will have some time alone."

"You and I?"

"Yes. You're coming to the Double L for Christmas, Brad. It's time you met my family, and we can tell Mother about our plans and about you being a sheep rancher. That way at least she will be prepared and ready to handle my father when he finds out. Please say you'll come."

Brad rubbed at his eyes. "Why do I get the feeling this will not be a very merry Christmas?"

"It will be, Brad, once my father realizes how much we love each other and how determined I am. Mother will know how to smooth it over."

"What if she doesn't like me?"

"Oh, but she will. I'm not worried about that. We can make this work, with my mother's help. We'll tell my pa flat out that we're in love and intend to be married. Maybe between the three of us