Honey was amazed at the even, almost cordial sound of her son's voice as he said, "I feel dry enough to swallow a river and come back for more."

Both males made short work of the tall glasses of iced tea. Honey flushed when Jesse winked at her as he set his glass back on the tray. She looked quickly at Jack to see how he reacted to Jesse's flirtatious behavior. Her son shrugged…and grinned!

She turned and stared in amazement at Jesse, What on earth had he said to Jack to cause such a miraculous reversal in her son's attitude? Honey frowned as the two shared a look of male understanding. Whatever it was, she ought to feel grateful. And she did. Sort of.

Honey tried to pinpoint what it was that bothered her about Jack's acceptance of the drifter. Her forehead wrinkled in thought as she slowly made her way back to the house. She wasn't pleased with the conclusions she reached.

So long as Jack found the drifter a threat and an interloper, it had been easier for Honey to justify keeping Jesse at an emotional arm's length. She had realized there was no sense letting herself get attached to him if one of her children clearly abhorred him. Jack's sudden acceptance of Jesse left her without a piece of armor she had counted on. Now, with her defenses down, she was extremely vulnerable to the drifter's entreaties.

Halfway to the house, the phone started ringing. Honey was breathless from running when she finally answered it.

"Honey? Did I catch you outside again?"

"Oh, Adam. Uh, yes, you did. When are you coming home?"

"I am home. Are you free to go out tonight?"

Honey thought about it for a moment. Clearly she needed to be sure Jesse wasn't anywhere around when she told Adam she couldn't marry him. Going out was probably not a bad idea. "Sure," she said at last. "What time should I meet you and where?"

"I'll pick you up."

"That isn't necessary, Adam. I-"

"I insist."

It was clear he wouldn't take no for an answer. Rather than argue, she agreed. "All right."

"See you at eight, Honey."

Honey almost groaned aloud at Adam's purring tone of voice when he said her name. It was not going to be a pleasant evening. "At eight," she confirmed.

When Jesse and Jack came into the house for supper they found only two places set at the table. It was the most subtle way Honey could think of to say that she was going out for the evening. From the look in Jesse's eyes, subtlety wasn't going to help much.

It was Jack who asked, "Aren't you going to eat with us?"

"No. Adam is taking me out to supper."

Identical frowns settled on two male faces. It had apparently dawned on Jack that his mother had not one, but two suitors. Honey would have laughed at the chagrined expression on her son's face if the situation hadn't been so fraught with tension.

Jack looked warily at Jesse. "Uh…Adam is mom's…uh…friend," he said by way of explanation.

"That's what your mom said," Jesse agreed.

Jack relaxed when it appeared Jesse wasn't upset by the situation. He turned to his mother and asked, "Are you going to tell Adam tonight that you won't marry him?"

Honey clutched her hands together, frustrated by the situation Jack had put her in. The gleam of amusement in Jesse's dark eyes didn't help matters any. She simply said, "Adam deserves an answer to his proposal. And yes, I intend to give it to him tonight."

"And?" Jack prompted.

"After I've given Adam my answer, I'll be glad to share it with you," she said to Jack. "Until then, I think you should sit down and eat your supper."

Honey escaped upstairs to dress, where she managed to consume most of the two hours until Adam's expected arrival at eight.

Shortly before Adam was due to arrive, Jack knocked on her door and asked if he could spend the night with a friend.

"What time will you be home tomorrow morning?" Honey asked.

"Well, me and Reno were thinking maybe we'd go tubing tomorrow. I figured I'd stay and have lunch with him and spend the afternoon on the river."

"Jack, I don't think-"

"It's the first Saturday of summer vacation, Mom! You aren't gonna make me come home and work, are you?"

Jack knew exactly what to say to push her maternal guilt buttons. "All right," she relented. "But I don't think you can make a habit of this. I'm depending on your help around the ranch this summer.¹'

"Believe me, Mom, it's just this once."

Moments later Jack came by with his overnight bag thrown over his shoulder to give her a quick, hard hug. Then he scampered down the stairs and out through the kitchen. She heard the screen door slam behind him.

If Honey thought she had managed to avoid a confrontation with Jesse by staying in her room until the very last minute, she was disabused of that notion as soon as she descended the stairs. He was waiting for her at the bottom.

"You told me you aren't going to marry that Philips guy," Jesse said.

Honey postponed any response by heading for the living room. She brushed aside the lacy drapery on the front window and looked for the headlights of Adam's sports car in the distance. No rescue there. She turned and faced Jesse, who had followed her into the room and was standing behind the aged leather chair that had been Cale's favorite spot in the room.

"I've never given Adam an answer to his proposal," Honey said. "He deserves to be told my decision face-to-face."

"Tell him here. Don't go out with him."

Honey felt a surge of anger. "I may not be willing to marry Adam, but I care for him as a person. I agreed to go to dinner with him, and I'm going!"

She watched Jesse's eyes narrow, his nostrils flare, his lips flatten. His anger clearly matched her own. But he didn't argue further.

Neither did he leave the room. When Adam arrived five long minutes later, he found Jesse comfortably ensconced in Cale's favorite chair idly perusing a ranching magazine.

Jesse looked up assessingly when Adam entered the living room, but he didn't rise to greet the other man. He kept his left ankle hooked securely over his right knee and slouched a little more deeply into the chair, concentrating on the magazine.

"Don't be too late," he said as Adam slipped an arm around Honey to escort her out the door. Jesse smiled behind the magazine when the other man stiffened.

His smugness disappeared when Honey replied with a beatific smile, "Don't wait up for me."

Jesse would have been downright concerned if he could have heard what passed between Honey and Adam in the car on the way to the restaurant.

"That hired hand sure made himself at home in your living room," Adam complained before too many minutes had passed.

Honey sighed in exasperation. "It wasn't what it looked like."

"Oh?"

"He was trying to make you feel uncomfortable," Honey said.

"He succeeded. I wouldn't have been half as upset if it weren't for the things I know about him."

"You've only seen him twice!" Honey protested. "You don't know anything about him."

"Actually, I did some checking up on him."

"Adam, that really wasn't necessary." Honey didn't bother to keep the irritation out of her voice. Men! Really!

"Maybe you'll change your mind when you hear what I have to say."

Honey arched a brow and waited.

"Did you know he's got a criminal record?"

"What? Jesse?" Honey felt breathless, as though someone had landed on her chest with both feet. " Dallas vouched for him."

" Dallas obviously covered for his friend. The man's been arrested, Honey." He paused significantly and added, "For rustling cattle."

Honey leapt on the only scrap of positive information Adam had given her. "Arrested. Then he was never convicted?''

Adam released a gusty breath. "Not as far as I could find out. Probably had a good lawyer. It was only by chance that there was any record of the arrest. Don't you see, Honey? He might even be one of the rustlers who've been stealing your stock. He probably moved in so he could look things over up close."