Land of Enchantment (5 page)

'That about sums it up,' Lije stated with infuriating calm.

'Are you married? Single? What about your parents? How long have you been riding in rodeos?' Diana lightly rattled off a list of questions, hoping she didn't betray her intense interest in his answers.

The corners of his mouth lifted in a faraway, indulging smile. 'I'm thirty-one years old and unmarried, which is the only way a man should follow the rodeo circuit with any success. My mother died when I was seven and my father a few years ago. I started out competing in high school rodeos, but I've been competing in RCA-sanctioned rodeos off and on for the last twelve years.'

'What does RCA stand for?'

'Rodeo Cowboys Association. Do you want any more coffee?' At his adept change of subject, Diana realized that Lije was as reticent to discuss his past as she had always been.

She declined the coffee and rose when he did to leave. They strolled leisurely back to the stable area, ignoring the cold bite of the night breeze as Lije shortened his long stride to match hers.

'Why do you ride in rodeos?" Diana glanced up at him curiously.

'It's probably the cleanest sport there is. Although the spectator thinks of it as man competing against man, it really is a battle between man and animal. Not a life-and-death struggle like bullfighting, but a pitting of skills against a clock.'

'Isn't it cruel, though, to the animals?'

'Hardly,' Lije answered, chuckling softly. "In the first place, I don't recall ever seeing a horse treated for anything more severe than a strained muscle unless he accidentally got tangled in the chutes, but I wouldn't even want to attempt to count the number of riders who'd suffered broken bones or internal injuries. The odds are with the animals basically. I don't think there's a town where a rodeo plays that there aren't half a
dozen or more representatives from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals haunting the grounds. There are horses that are born to buck, just like some are born to run.'

'Tonight I heard one of the cowboys tell you something about the bull you were to ride.'

'Riders always pass along information to one another concerning the characteristics of an animal. You'll always see some cowboy helping another in the chutes or acting as a hazer in the steer wrestling or calf roping. As I said, you compete with the animal and the clock, not each other.'

'Why do you ride?' Diana asked, aware that he had dodged any specific answer before.

'Why do you model?' he returned.

'For money.'

'That's why I'm here in San Antonio.'

'Don't you ever want to settle down? I mean, you can't rodeo forever.' She tried hard to see his expression in the dim light.

They took several steps before he answered her. When he did Diana had the thought that he had weighed each word carefully before answering.

'Another two years on the circuit and I'll be able to quit—as long as nothing changes,' Lije said firmly, too firmly for it to have been for her benefit.

'What would change?' She glanced up to his face as they passed beneath a streetlight. The harsh expression in his eyes startled her before he turned his face away.

'Nothing will,' he stated.

'After two years, what then?'

'I'll go back to my ranch in New Mexico.'

'If you own a ranch, then why are you here? Surely you should be there running it?' They were walking past the stables to some parked vehicles.

'I can't afford it,' Lije answered grimly. 'Eleven years ago, when my father was alive, we had a drought that just about wiped us out. It took a couple of years with me riding in rodeos and him working on the ranch to get it together again. I kept riding so we could make improvements to the place. Then three years ago he died and I got hit with all the inheritance taxes. I had to go back on the circuit to make ends meet.'

His steps had ceased and unknowingly Diana had stopped also. His last statement explained a lot of things. Lije Masters was a man with roots, with a heritage and pride that made him stand out from the other rodeo cowboys she had seen who lived blithely for the day with no thought of tomorrow.

'It's not much for transportation,' Lije said, lifting a hand towards a battered pick-up truck parked in front of them. 'But I think it will make it to your hotel. Where are you staying?'

'At the Hilton,' Diana replied, accepting his helping hand into the cab, smiling her thanks as he made sure the door closed fast. After he had started the pick-up and pulled on to the street, she said softly, 'You must miss your ranch very much.'

'I do.'

'Would you tell me about it?' she asked.

The grey eyes swept over her face, studying the extent of her interest.

'It's in the mountains north-west of Socorro, New Mexico. The Continental Divide bisects one corner of the ranch and the lava beds are to the north. It's miles from the nearest neighbour or town. We run mostly sheep right now, although we've started changing to cattle. It will be a while before the herd builds up, which is just as well since it would be hard for one man to handle both. Jim—the two of us were raised together like brothers—is taking care of it now for me. It's beautiful country.' He glanced at her briefly. 'Wild, rugged mountains covered with pines and lush green valleys. Sometimes I get hungry just for the sight of it.'

The warmth in that brief look made Diana swallow. Lije seemed more remote than he had ever been. As he had been describing the ranch to her, she could tell he was picturing it in his mind. She realized that there was no sacrifice too large that he wouldn't make to keep that land. Born and raised in the city, Diana knew nothing about ranches, cattle, horses, or anything that was a part of Lije Masters' life. It was frightening to think of how little they had in common. Thankfully Lije didn't seem to expect her to make a comment about the ranch he had just described, and Diana was able to nod and smile.

Her hotel was directly ahead of them. Lije parked the truck along the curb, and Diana studied his carved profile as he turned off the motor. She admired the strength of purpose that was etched there, because she knew the cost he paid. When he turned towards her, she wanted to reach out and touch him, give him some of the softness that he had been denied, but it was impossible to do.

'How long will you be staying here?' Lije asked, propping his elbow on the top of the steering wheel as he leaned against his door.

'The photographs are supposed to be finished tomorrow,' Diana admitted reluctantly. 'We'll probably go back to Dallas on Saturday. What about you?'

'After Sunday's performance, I'll be heading on to Houston.'

Diana shivered—not from the cool air. The thought that in less than two days they would both be in separate parts of the state and maybe never see each other again made her feel cold inside. Their paths had just crossed momentarily.

'I suppose I'd better go in,' she sighed, not able to think of anything else to say that would prolong their conversation.

'Will you be going to the rodeo tomorrow night?' Lije made no move to follow up her suggestion.

His question had caught Diana off guard. 'Yes, I thought I would.' Actually she hadn't progressed that far in her plans
.

'I'll probably see you then.' This time his hand did reach down for the door handle, and he opened the door and stepped out of the truck.

Diana shook her head. She had honestly expected him to make a date to see her, but he had left it to a 'maybe'. With his impassive face, it was impossible to tell whether he even wanted to make that 'maybe' become a fact. There was a constriction in her throat as she took the hand he offered her out of the truck. He didn't walk her to the hotel, but stood on the sidewalk.

'Goodnight, Diana,' he said, touching his hat, his grey eyes smiling.

'Goodnight, Lije.'

The area was well lit. People were walking along the pavement behind them. A more personal goodnight wasn't possible, and Diana sensed that Lije had arranged it this way. Before she turned to walk towards the hotel, he was already walking back to the driver's side of the car.

Stella was awake when Diana entered their hotel room. She was sitting up watching one of the late shows on television. Upon her friend's entrance, she switched off the set and turned expectantly to Diana.

'How did it go?' Stella asked eagerly.

'Fine.' Diana slipped off her jacket and hung it up before sitting down in front of the little vanity to begin brushing her long, silver-blonde hair.

'Fine? Is that any way to describe an evening? What did you do? Where did you go?'

'We went to a restaurant, had some coffee, talked, and he drove me home,' Diana shrugged, knowing how unbelievably dull that sounded.

'Are you serious?' Stella squeaked, sitting upright in the bed and hooking her dark brown hair behind her ears. 'There had to be more to it than that! He did kiss you, didn't he?'

'No, he didn't,' Diana replied sharply, setting the brush back on the table before she had completed her customary one hundred strokes.

'Oh, Di, I always knew you were slow.' Her friend shook her head sadly at her. "But we're only going to be here for another day. You just don't have time for three dates before a guy kisses you.'

'It does take two, you know!' Diana pushed the blonde hair away from her face and took a deep breath to control her rising temper. 'I'm going to see him tomorrow.'

'Then he did ask you out?'

'Not exactly,' Diana sighed, turning her bewildered gaze on her friend. 'Stella, I just don't understand him. It's infuriating. He makes a point of asking if I'm going to the rodeo tomorrow night. When I say that I am, he says he'll probably see me. And that big cowboy doesn't even sound as if he cares!'

'It's obvious that you do.' Stella leaned back against the pillow and studied Diana thoughtfully.

'I've just met him.' Diana tried to sound offhand and she failed. 'I don't know. I don't understand why he's so important to me.'

'I wouldn't let it bother you,' said Stella, punching her pillow and slipping under the covers. 'That man has a chemistry about him that attracts. If you hadn't seen him first, I would have matched him up for myself tonight.'

Sighing as she undressed and got ready for bed, Diana didn't think the answer was quite as simple as Stella thought. If she was honest with herself, she didn't want it to be that simple.

The following day's photography session seemed to last forever. Diana had never known the hours to drag so badly. Her attention wasn't on her work because her eyes kept searching the crowds for some sign of Lije Masters. More than once Rick spoke sharply to her while Connie tossed daggers with her eyes. She was so depressed by the end of the day because she hadn't seen a trace of Lije that after she had scrubbed her face clean of all its heavy make-up, she didn't even have the energy or desire to apply light touches of mascara and lipstick.

Wearing a blue windbreaker over a pair of scruffy white slacks, she dejectedly followed Stella from the trailer. From habit, her eyes travelled over the distant groups of cowboys along the route to the parking lot. She was so busy trying to identify the far-away figures that she wasn't conscious of the horse and rider approaching them, not until the man was abreast of them and Stella poked her sharply in the ribs.

'Hello, Diana.'

She stared in disbelief at the man reining his horse in beside her. The grey eyes looked calmly back. She had to swallow several times to get her voice to work.

'Hello, Lije,' she replied in a small tight voice.

'I'll see you at the car,' Stella said, stepping away quickly to leave them alone.

'Are you through for the day?' he asked.

'Yes.' Her hand went nervously to her hair as Diana realized she probably looked pale and colourless without any make-up, not realizing the sparkle that lit her eyes or the glow of pleasure that shone from her face.

'We…we were just heading back to the hotel.'

'I almost didn't recognize you without the war paint.' His gaze swept over her face with arrogant coolness, the light in his indicating that he saw the spreading pink shade in her cheeks. 'I think you look more attractive this way.'

'Thank you.' Diana lowered her gaze. Here was a compliment that she couldn't brush off as she had so many others from different people. This one came from Lije and it was special.

'Would you like to have dinner with me tonight after the rodeo?' he asked suddenly.

'That would be nice,' she agreed quickly, swallowing back the lump of happiness in her throat to smile up at him.

He nodded and started to turn his horse away to leave, then stopped to look down at her again. 'Meet me at the stables about seven and I'll show you around.'

Diana was too happy to take offence at the way he had put it as an order and not a request.

'I'll be there,' she assured him as he touched his hat and nudged his horse into a canter.

She nearly floated to the parking lot where Stella waited. Her companion didn't need to ask what had caused the bemused expression on her friend's face. It was just as well, because Diana was too wrapped up in her own happiness to talk.