Wildest Dreams - By Rosanne Bittner Page 0,98

today, caught off guard with her hair drawn back into a simple bun, perhaps she would be less beautiful. Perhaps he would feel completely different from the first time he met her, but nothing had changed. He struggled not to let his feelings show in front of Luke, who he could tell, even sitting in a wheelchair, was a formidable man, obviously tall, looking strong and rugged. He'd heard stories about men like Luke, and about Luke himself. He belonged to a breed of men who guarded their land and possessions to the death, and that surely included their women.

"I am delighted to see you again, Mrs. Fontaine." He looked down at Luke. "Your wife did a fine job the other day at the cattlemen's meeting."

"So I'm told."

Nial swallowed at the look in Luke's eyes. He knew! The man already knew what he was thinking! He made a point of not looking back at Lettie. "Well, you are a lucky man, Mr. Fontaine. And might I add, I am very sorry for your injury. I heard the story of the buffalo hunters."

"Probably from Will Doolan," Luke answered, reaching up and touching one of Lettie's hands. He grinned. "Will loves to tell tall tales."

Nial cleared his throat and sat back down. "Yes, well, I have a feeling it was not such a tall story. A person could write a book about the experiences you and your family have had since coming here."

Little Pearl came back out to stand beside her mother and stare at the oddly dressed visitor, and Paul toddled out after her, grasping his mother's skirts and wanting to be picked up. Lettie reached down and lifted him, introducing Pearl and him, then Katie, who also came out to have a look. Robbie and Ty ran by then, screaming and playing Indian. "Our other two sons," Lettie explained. "Tyler is the oldest boy. He's seven and Robert is four."

Nial caught the pride in her voice, saw it in Luke's eyes. "You have a fine family, Mr. Fontaine."

Their eyes held for a moment, and Luke nodded. "I think so."

Nial could see that having any feelings for Lettie Fontaine was hopeless. He put on a grin. "Well, about my cattle. They're called Herefords, and believe me, they carry more pounds of beef on the hoof than any shorthorn. They have very broad heads and big necks, huge chests and short legs. An eight-month-old steer can weigh well over six hundred pounds, maybe a thousand. I've known mature steers to reach close to two thousand pounds. They're a sturdy animal, I assure you, and resistant to disease."

"Can they survive a Montana winter?"

"The ones I brought with me did just fine last winter."

"We've had winters that were a lot worse than last year's."

Nial leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "I'll make a deal with you. Buy five hundred head from me, and if they don't make the next winter or don't breed well, I will refund your money. I'll sell you three bulls and several cows so you'll have some breeding stock. The rest will be young steers, money in the bank for you when they're grown and fattened. I have a lot more cows, but I need them for my own breeding purposes. I'll let you have all five hundred for eighty cents a head. That is very cheap compared to what you'll get for the steers later on, probably at least six to eight dollars a head."

Luke took a thin cigar from his shirt pocket, along with a match. He lit the smoke, looking out at some of his own cattle grazing below as he took a few puffs before replying. "Why are you so anxious to help the rest of us? We're your competition."

"We're all part of the Cattlemen's Association now, all here to help each other, are we not? Besides, I don't really own the cattle on any of my ranches, Mr. Fontaine. I only own the land itself. My father and several others formed a company back in England that invests in American cattle. They foresaw the profit that could be made in this industry. I came here to manage those investments and find a market for the Herefords. My father's company strongly believes in the breed and I am here to promote them and find new buyers."

"All right, Bentley. Lettie and Will both already told me a lot about this new breed. I'll give them a try, but I'll pay you half their worth. I'll