she stood fully upright, not slumping as she had. She walked out of the cabin with Leah, who escorted her to Justin's wagon. She didn't seem afraid of the other men as Leah feared she would be. Softly Verity asked to see Revis's body, and when the sheet was pulled back she smiled and stood even straighter. She then proceeded to tell Justin about some of her relatives in the East.

Revis's cabin was ransacked and all the goods, except for a sack of food, were removed.

"Find the owners of the jewelry if you can and distribute the food to whoever needs it," Wesley toldJustin.As they were stacking goods, Justin caught Leah's arm. "Is he good to you? You look different.""He is good to me," Leah said with some surprise. "I don't know what will happen in Sweetbriar when he sees Kim again, but."

"Kim?" Justin said, his head coming up. "Didn't Wes tell you that she and John Hammond were married a few days ago?"

"No," Leah said, trying to catch her breath. "No one told me."

It was dark when the overloaded wagons were ready to leave. Leah stood by Wesley and waved

good-bye, giving John an especially hearty send-off. She was very happy when they were gone at last.

"Something certainly put a sparkle in your eye. It wasn't Justin, was it?" Wesley asked, one eyebrow raised.

"You didn't tell me Kimberly was married."

"I guess it slipped my mind." He shrugged. "Let's go up the mountain and see who can get out of their clothes the fastest."

"And what do I get if I win?" she said with a laugh.

"Me and my male m."

"I understand," she interrupted. "What are we waiting for?"

For three days they did little else but make love. They didn't talk about themselves or anyone else, and

Leah refused to think of what awaited her in Sweetbriar.

The cabin that had been so full of hate and fear was now full of laughter and teasing. They chased each other about the table, made love on the table, under the table, and once half on a chair, half on the table.

On the morning of the fourth day she knew it was over. As she curled against Wesley's nude body she

felt the tension in his muscles.

"I'll start packing," she said, but he caught her to him before she could move away.

"I've never enjoyed myself more in my life, Leah," he whispered, hovering over her lips. "Even the time

with Revis was almost enjoyable because you were here."

She held her breath, praying he would say he loved her, but he rolled away and sat up.

"But the honeymoon's over because we need to get back. I've got crops to put in, animals to feed,

people to set to work and."

"And a wife who's known as a thief," Leah said flatly.

"We'll fix that," he said, brushing her words aside. "The Dancer is more important."

"Why did you say Revis lied when he told you who the Dancer was?"

Wesley stood, his big body beautiful in the hazy early morning light in the cabin. "Devon Macalister is my

friend, a very good friend of mine, and it's going to go against everything I believe to prove he's the leader of thieves. And yet"he paused"he does have access to knowledge and he does know the woods.

"Goddamn it!" Wes suddenly bellowed, and his mood changed from that of a lover to one of brooding

silence.

Leah had her own grim thoughts. It was easy for Wesley to dismiss her fears, but Leah couldn't. She kept seeing the hatred in the eyes of the woman Revis had wounded. Would that hatred be in other people's eyes?

As they went down the mountain, they were quietly occupied with their own dark thoughts.

Chapter 24.

Leah stood on the hill, reins trailing behind her, and looked down at what her husband said was her new home. It wasn't Stanford Plantation, but it was large and sprawling, with two barns, three sheds, acres of

cultivated fields, and an L-shaped log cabin.

"There's a spring not far from the house," Wesley was saying, "and I'll put in a kitchen garden for you this week." He paused. "Do you like it, Leah?" he asked quietly. "It's not the house Travis gave his bride, but I'll add onto it soon, I promise."

Turning, she smiled at him. "It's better than I'd ever hoped for. I like it very much."

"I had Justin and Oliver make some repairs on the house."

She looked away because she didn't want him to know she remembered that he'd said he couldn't bear

even sleeping in the house because she was to live in it and not Kim.

They mounted their horses and as they rode onto Wes's land three dogs came out to greet him. Oliver Stark, his sleeves rolled up, came from the barn.

"Am I glad to see you! I've got a horse foaling and it's breech. Know anything about horses?"

Wes was on the ground and following Oliver in seconds. "The house is yours, Leah," he called behind

him.

For a moment Leah sat there studying the house with its deep, columned porch. Hers. Her very own house, her very own husband. Months ago in Virginia she'd imagined this time. She'd hoped Wes would

be in love with her and she'd thought of how he'd carry her over the threshold and they'd be the picture of wedded buss.

But the actuality was that she was to enter alone, her husband might or might not be in love with

Kimberly, Leah was publicly known as a thief, and Wes was not by any means in love with his wife.

"Good morning."

"Good morning."

Leah looked to each side of her horse to see identical twin boys, big, strong, sturdy boys of about

seventeen, with handsome faces, dark skin, and brilliant blue eyes.

"I'm Slade," said one, eyes twinkling.

"And I'm Cord Macalister. Welcome."

"We work for Wes. Actually we keep the place going better when he's not around," said Slade.

"Wes has an awful habit of interfering with us. Would you like to see the house?"

"Or the fields? Or the town? Sweetbriar's not much, but it's what we have to offer."

"Can I help you down?"

"I'll help too."

"Wait a minute!" Leah laughed. "You're going too fast for me. Yes, I'd like to get down, and yes, I'd like

to see the house, but no thank you, on the town. At least not today."

Cord walked around the horse to stand beside his brother and they were indistinguishable from each

other.

"Allow me," Slade said, arms extended.

"And me," Cord added.

Their humor was infectious and Leah allowed herself to be helped down by both young men and they did

it with ease and grace, as if they often, together, lifted women from horses.

"It's not much," Cord said. Or was it Slade?

"But we did the best we could. Justin told us so much about you that we wanted to make the house nice."

"Bud and Cal had a few things to say about you too."

"You met them then? They're safe?" Leah asked.