CHAPTER 12

	After breakfast Blake brought the truck around and everybody went to fetch their
bags. While Harvey loaded the luggage, Joey had a teary goodbye with Jill, and shared
a warm hug with Reggie. He didn’t mind at all the emotional show of affection, much
unlike the boy who had arrived one week before. When he stepped back, he placed his
cowboy hat on his head and adjusted it firmly, then smiled at her.
	“Thank you, Miss Joey,” he said, and she thought for a moment that she would
cry again.
	“I’ll be back tomorrow,” Blake told her, standing close to her while Harvey
ushered the kids into the truck.  Behind her, Mable and Tilly and Maria were all lined up
on the veranda, and on the other side of the truck, Ethan was sharing a fancy
handshake with Reggie through the window of the truck, and Clayton and Susannah
stood arm in arm ready for the usual send-off the visiting children usually got.  Blake
grumbled under his breath as he glanced around at his staff. The most wonderful people
he knew, he thought, but he wished none of them were there at that moment. He
wanted desperately to kiss Joey goodbye before getting in the truck, but he didn’t want
to embarrass her in front of everybody, not to mention all the questions he would have to
face from Harvey afterwards!  As it was, the older man was standing by the truck looking
at him with a silly sideways grin, wondering why he was taking so long talking to Joey
before getting in the truck.  He cleared his throat and straightened. 
	“So, I promise we’ll get down to business on that book when I get back. I’ve let it
go far too long without giving you much to work with,”  he said, giving Harvey a glance
out of the corner of his eye, then rounding the truck and hopping into the driver’s seat. 
	The house seemed much more empty than it ever had when Joey walked back
inside after watching Blake drive down the driveway away from house. After wandering
around the empty rooms for a while she decided she knew exactly the thing to cheer her
up.
	“Joey Webber, where are you!
	The excited voice rang through the phone line and Joey laughed.  “I’m in
Montana, Max,” she said, and waited for her friend’s response.
	“Montana!?” Max exclaimed. “What on earth are you doing in Montana?”
	“Writing a book,” Joey said, an audible shrug in her voice.  She knew her friend
well, and she knew her lack of information was driving the other girl crazy. 
	Max groaned on the other end of the phone. “Joey!” she exclaimed in
exasperation, and Joey laughed.
	“OK, here’s the story in a nutshell. I’m writing the biography of Blake Winters. 
One of his staff came to see Mr. Colville one day, and ...”
	“Blake Winters?!” Max interrupted her.  “You mean, the Blake Winters?”
	“The only Blake Winters I know,”  Joey said, trying her best to sound indifferent
about it.  “They were looking for an unknown author to write his biography and they liked
one of the articles I had written on the Eastside Women’s & Children’s Shelter, and ...”
	“You’re writing the biography of Blake Winters!?” Max repeated.
	“Maxine, I’ve already said that,”  Joey reminded her, the laughter threatening to
boil up inside her as she pictured her friend’s expression at the other end of the line. 
	“Joey! “Max’s exasperation was peeking. “You’re acting as if this is just another
feature for the Elmdale Times.  Don’t you think there’s anything just the slightest bit
amazing about this? I mean, Blake Winters — isn’t he like a multi-millionaire or
something?”
	Joey laughed. “You’ve heard of him?”
	“Heard of him?” Max exclaimed. “Joey, this is Max you’re talking to, not Mikki. I
read all those magazines she scoffs at.  This is absolutely amazing!  How often does a
small town reporter get an opportunity like this?”
	Joey pretended to think seriously about her friend’s question. “Hmmm, gee, I
don’t know, Max. Probably in the neighbourhood of — never?”
	“I’ll say!” Max agreed, and Joey finally burst out laughing. 
	“Oh Max, it’s good to talk to you, I’ve missed you, but I’ve been having a really
great time. At least, part of the time, anyway.  It didn’t start out too well.”
	“What do you mean? What is this guy like? Where does he live? How on earth
did they end up picking you? How long are you going to be there?  Oh Joey, you have to
tell me everything!”
	Joey laughed. This was the Max she knew, and if her friend ever let her get a
word in, she would be glad to tell her the whole story.  Joey sat down in the chair near
the phone and swung her legs over the arm.  It was good to hear her friend’s voice
again.  
	Eventually Max stopped asking questions, and Joey was able to get down to the
business of answering them. She told how Clark Nielson had ‘borrowed’ her from the
Times and taken her back to Montana to meet Blake Winters on his ranch miles out in
the back of nowhere, and how Blake had nearly sent her packing because he had
wanted a male biographer.  Max listened in awe, interjecting only a few times to ask a
question here and there, like ‘what happened next?’ and ‘what did you do?’.  Then Joey
told her about the horses, and how she had started riding every day, and about the
children, and even the dramatic rescue of Reggie the night before.
	“Oh Joey, the poor boy!  It must have been horrible before you found him!” 
	“I was never so pleased to see Blake, let me tell you!” Joey said. “I felt like I had
lost the boy myself, I just couldn’t not go out and help look for him.  Blake didn’t want me
to go, but I wouldn’t hear of staying behind.  I’m so glad we found him.”
	Max chuckled. “Well, I’m glad to know where you are now, too!” 
	“Yeah, sorry about that,” Joey said, a little sheepishly.  “It all happened so
suddenly, and I’ve had a lot on my  mind.  I did try to call you a few weeks ago, but I
couldn’t get through to either of you.  What’s Mikki up to?”
	Max laughed outright. “Oh, she’s been having an adventure of her own!  She’s
getting married!”
	“Married!”  Joey sat up straight in her chair. “Not our Mikki?”
	“Yep, the very same.” 
	“To who?” Joey still couldn’t believe her ears. Mikki had always insisted she didn’t
need a man, and Joey and Max had dedicated their free time to trying to set their friend
up with one.  They had even gone so far as to run a personal ad in the Times
impersonating Mikki.  Suddenly a thought struck her, and Joey blurted out “Not the guy
from the newspaper ad?”
	“That’s the one.” Max sounded smug. “Turns out it wasn’t him writing to us at all,
it was his aunt, meddling in his love life like we were meddling in hers.  Things got a little
mixed up for a while, but it has all ended up perfect in the end.”
	“Well I’ll be!  I never would have dreamed our Mikki would be getting married!
See what I miss when I leave the two of you alone for a few weeks!”  The conversation
turned to Mikki, and by the time she got off the phone she’d heard all of Mikki’s wedding
plans from Max, even the fact that Mikki hoped the two of them would stand up with her
on her special day.  When she tried to call Mikki herself and got no answer, she was
glad she had got all the information from Max, and that she had left the phone number
for the Silver Star with Max so she was sure Mikki would be able to get in touch with her.
	She was happy for her friend, and excited about the upcoming wedding, enough
to keep her thoughts occupied for the rest of the day.  She wandered into the staff
kitchen and told Mable her news, and that woman was as excited as if she knew Mikki
herself.  Then she stayed for lunch and talked well into the afternoon before finally
heading out to the stables to see Candita and go for a ride.
	Later she went to her room and pulled out all the notes she had scribbled down,
and pictures she had chosen from the albums Blake had given her.  She threw herself
into her work, and didn’t realize how much time had passed until Mable tapped at her
door with a plate of food and she realized the light outside had dimmed to the point
where she should have the lamp on.  She welcomed the food, she was more hungry
than she had realized, and in no time her plate was empty and she was back at the
book.  It was late when she finally fell into bed, and she was tired.  She rolled over and
hugged her pillow and smiled as she drifted off to sleep remembering the last time she
had been in that bed.
	The next day Joey slept in.  When she finally woke, the sun was high in the sky.
Her first instinct was to look at the pillow beside her, as if expecting to see Blake asleep
there, then blushing, she rolled over and threw back the blankets.  One night doesn’t
make forever, she scolded herself as she rummaged through her clothes.  Unable to
find anything she felt suited her mood, she begrudgingly pulled on a pair of jeans and a
tank top, for the day was already hot, and looked at herself in the mirror.  She knew what
her problem was.  She was trying to dress for him, because she knew he would be
coming back to the ranch today.  Never had she felt the need to dress to please a man
before, and the realization that she was doing it now annoyed her. 
	So we made love, she scoffed at herself as she ran a brush through her long
black hair.  I was only wearing a towel before that happened, why should I think he cares
what I wear?  She frowned at herself and grabbed a light cotton shirt and pulled it on
over her top.  Even if he wants to do it again, it won’t be because of what I’m wearing, he
probably won’t even notice. Men who want sex don’t care what the woman is wearing,
only that he can get her out of her clothes.
	She tossed the brush on the dressing table and frowned deeper.  She was angry
with herself over this train of thought, for it made her feel like she was selling herself
short.  Had he just made love to her because he was a man, and he had been out on
this ranch for so long, and she was the only woman he’d seen in all that time?  Was it
just because she was there?  In the back of her mind she told herself she really didn’t
believe that, but in the forefront she hung on to the possibility.  Believing that Blake had
any sort of feelings for her would mean setting herself up for disappointment and
embarrassment later on when she found out that just wasn’t the case.  Better to keep
her love for him safely hidden and avoid getting hurt. 
	She sighed and frowned at herself.  Yes, she loved him.  The idea would take
some getting used to, but it was true, and there was no denying it.  After hearing about
Mikki’s upcoming wedding,  she had daydreamed about marrying Blake and living at the
Silver Star.  Silly, she had scolded herself, the man isn’t going to marry me, he isn’t
going to marry anyone. If he were, he’d be married already! Just a silly daydream she
would take with her to look back on when she eventually went back to Elmdale, she
insisted, as she set down her brush and left the room.
	There were a few seconds later in the day, however, where she questioned her
rationalizations of the morning.  When Blake arrived home shortly after lunch, he took
the front steps two at a time and burst into the house just as Joey was coming down the
stairs from her room.  He stopped, just inside the door, as soon as he saw her there,
and his eyes travelled over her from head to toe.  The look she saw on his face wasn’t
just the look of a man who wanted to whisk her up and take her back  upstairs, it also
held a heavy helping of appreciation of what he saw, and she blushed slightly.  But just
as he opened his mouth to speak, they heard Mable talking as she came out of the staff
quarters, and Blake averted his attention to the cook.
	“Well there ya be, Mr. Blake. All them kiddies safely back where they came from?
The flight down to Billings be a good one I hope?”  Mable chattered, a bright smile on her
face.
	“All delivered.” Blake nodded, bending to give Mable a kiss.  Joey blushed again
when he cast her a fleeting glance over Mable’s shoulder.  Was he wishing he could kiss
her in greeting too, for the thought had crossed her own mind.  Quickly she looked down
and continued down the stairs.
	“It looks like a good day for flying, anyway,” she said, making light, frivolous
conversation, pretending to look outside at the weather.
	“Yes, it is,”  Blake agreed, and when she dared glance his way he was still
looking at her and she quickly looked away. 
	“I’ve been working on the book,” she said, hoping to punctuate her purpose at
the ranch and draw her mind away from her feelings for the man who stood larger than
life in front of her.  “I’ve got quite a bit drafted out actually, I—”
	“Oh yes, the book,” he said, cutting her off with his comment. His tone was
disturbing, and Joey felt her heart do a flip. Had he decided not to have the book written
afterall?  Would he be sending her home sooner than she had expected?  Had making
love with her made it so difficult for him to keep her around the house that he wanted to
get her off the ranch as soon as possible?  She took a deep breath and spoke again.
	“Yes, the book,” she said flatly, forcing every word out to keep from sounding
shaky.  “That is why I am here. Would you like to read what I have done so far?”
	He turned his attention to Mable.  “Could you be a Dear and whip me up
something small to eat? Just a sandwich.  I need to talk to Joey about the book, then I’ll
be heading back to Draper and won’t be home for dinner.”
	Mable nodded.  “Aye Mr. Blake, I’ll be right back.”  The cook disappeared  and
Blake turned back to Joey.  She was staring out the window with a frown on her face.  If
the truth be known she was mulling over her feelings at having heard he would be
leaving again almost as soon as he had returned, and chastising herself for having fallen
into the trap of caring where he was and what he did, but she hoped to keep that from
him.  
	He sighed. Her expression seemed troubled, and the only thing he could think of
that could make her look like that was his lack of assistance with the book project. Surely
she was feeling frustrated over that, and he didn’t blame her.  He took her by the arm
and guided her into his study, gently closing the door behind them. 
	“About the book...”  he saw her shift, saw her turn her head further away from
him and concentrate on the view outside the window. 
	“Listen, Blake,” she blurted out, tears stinging her eyes.  There could be no other
explanation, he must be going to dismiss the project, and she just had to get this over
with as soon as she could. Why else would he be going back to Draper so soon if not to
take her to the plane?  If he had business to do there, he could have just stayed there
instead of making the long trip to the ranch and back again.  “If you want to call this
whole thing off, I understand.  You never wanted to do this book in the first place, I know
that.  It’s been very difficult for you and if you have had second thoughts, that’s your
right. I’ll go pack my things and...”
	“Joey!”  He gripped her shoulder and shook her, but she shook her head and
tried to smile.
	“It’s not like I don’t have other things to do back home to keep me busy.  I called
home yesterday, and one of my best friends is getting married soon, I’m going to be a
bride’s maid.  There will be a lot to do getting ready for that. “
	“Joey!”  He shook her again, and this time the tears flowed freely and she tried to
break away from his hold to turn her back to him.  He didn’t allow it, and she caught her
breath in a sob.
	“Blake, please, just let me go.  I can have my things packed quickly enough and
then you will be able to get rid of me and forget all about this whole book idea.”
	“Damnit Joey!”  He swung her around to face him and she felt a thud as she hit
his chest.  In one quick motion she was in his arms and his lips were on hers, kissing her
with a force that took her breath away. He kissed her until she stopped shaking and
stood limp in his arms, then he lifted his head and looked into her eyes.  “Now will you
shut up and let me speak?”
	Dumbly she nodded and he gave her a crooked smile. “Yes, I want to take you
back to Draper with me tonight, but not to put you on any plane!  I’m not cancelling the
book!  It’s just that there is someone you need to meet before you write any more,
someone that might change what you’ve already spent so much time writing.”
	“Oh” Joey said, meekly, staring at his shirtfront. Now hadn’t she made a
complete fool of herself, she thought.  She dared not look up at him, but soon she had
no choice, for he placed his fingers under her chin and gently lifted her face.
	“OK?” he asked, softly, as he looked down at her. 
	“Yes, yes of course,” she said, blushing under his gaze.
	“Good,” he whispered, as his lips touched hers again in a softer, more tender
kiss.   Then he lifted his head slightly and looked at her questioningly.  “Now, what was
all that about me wanting to get rid of you?”
	Joey blushed more.  “Oh, that — that was nothing. Nothing at all, I was just being
silly. Forget all about it.”
	“Hmmm,” he began, but there was a tap on the door, and Mable announced that
his sandwich was ready.  He dropped his arms and turned towards the door and Joey
took a deep breath, glad of the interruption.
	“I’ll just go change then?” she asked, as she made for a quick exit.
	“No,” he said,  as he opened the door and took the sandwich from the cook and
thanking her.  He looked back at Joey and smiled. “No, don’t change a thing. You look
perfect just the way you are.”  He looked her up and down again and his smile widened. 
“All you need is your hat.”
	Joey blushed again, remembering the monologue she had had with herself that
morning.  “Right,” she said, trying not to sound shaky.  “OK then, I’ll just go — get my
hat.” 
	She rushed out the door so fast her heart was pounding in her chest. Quickly she
grabbed her hat from the hook by the front door and leaned against the wall to catch her
breath. To her embarrassment, she noticed Mable still hadn’t left the entry way and was
smiling at her.  She groaned to herself and covered her face with her hat as she slipped
it onto her head, and slipped out the front door.  She would wait for him on the veranda
where hopefully she wouldn’t have any opportunity to make a fool of herself again!