“What about her?” Webb lifted his head to coolly meet her challenging gaze.
“Since her mother isn’t here to look out for her, I feel it’s my place to do it for her.” She established that her concern was to protect the daughter of her best friend, rather than her own son. “You have been seeing Ruth on a somewhat regular basis for more years than I care to count. Just what does that mean?”
“It means I like her, but she isn’t the only woman I’ve been seeing.” He was irritated by this questioning.
“Is there someone else?” his mother asked sharply, betraying a surprise at the possibility.
“No.” He snapped the denial then realized it required a qualification. “I mean there’s no special woman I’m seeing.”
“Are you saying that you don’t regard Ruth as special?” Her look was far from pleased.
“No, I don’t, and I’ve never said anything that would give her reason to think she is.” A dark frown gathered on his hard features as he swirled the whiskey in his glass.
“Maybe you haven’t said anything, but your actions have certainly indicated otherwise,” his mother insisted. “When a man continues to see a woman over a long period of time, it’s natural for her to believe that their relationship will evolve into something more permanent. It’s hardly fair to expect Ruth to wait for you to make up your mind when she could be meeting other men.”
“I have never asked her not to see anyone else,” Webb declared.
“Have you just been trifling with her all this time?” she demanded.
“I’ve known Ruth all my life. Now that we’re grown, am I supposed to ignore her?” he challenged in return, “I guess it’s what I should have done, since now you’re accusing me of trifling with her affections. I may have kissed her a few times, but I’ve never stepped out of line. And I’ve never made her any promises.”
“Then you have absolutely no intention of ever marrying her,” his mother concluded.
The anger went out of him as the pain returned once more to empty him of feeling. “She’s a nice girl, and she’d make a good wife. But she won’t be marrying me.
Lorna sighed with regret. The sadness in her heart wasn’t just from a sense of loss for a long-held dream that someday her son and the daughter of her best friend might marry. It came more from the knowledge that Ruth was hopelessly in love with Webb and it was all in vain.
“I share your mother’s desire to see you married and settled down,” his father spoke up, the frosted tips of his dark hair showing up strong in the light. “It’s time you stopped avoiding responsibility and made some hard decisions about what you’re going to do with the rest of your life.”
Something prompted Webb to voice the thought he’d been mulling around in his mind the last few weeks. “I thought after the fall roundup I might head down to Texas and take a look around.”
Dark brows drew together in a frown as Benteen Calder eyed his son. “To look around for what? There’s nothing in Texas that can match what you’ve got right here.”
“Maybe I just want to see for myself.” Webb shrugged, mentally bracing himself for the argument that was bound to erupt.
“Benteen—” Lorna attempted to play the part of peacemaker. “Maybe it isn’t such a bad idea. I’ve been wanting to visit my parents for quite a while now. With things the way they are, I know it’s hard for you to get away
for any amount of time.” The real truth was that Benteen had no desire to go back to Texas, having cut all ties when he’d left it. In the past, he’d mentioned returning only because he knew it was what Lorna wanted. “If I go with Webb, you wouldn’t have to worry about me traveling alone.” It was also a way of ensuring that Webb returned with her.
“I’ll think about it,” Benteen agreed, but under obvious protest.
Uneven footsteps approached the den, accompanied by the thud of a cane on the hardwood floors. “You’ll think about what?” Bull Giles paused in the opening.
“Webb’s got some wild-goose idea about making a trip to Texas this winter,” Benteen muttered into his glass. “As if we aren’t going to be short-handed enough as it is.”
Bull threw Webb a look and limped into the room. “Are you thinking about trying to get in on that oil boom?”
“I might.” Actually, he hadn’t thought about it. In this area, he would always be Benteen Calder’s son. Somewhere else, he would be only himself. Texas was just a possible starting point if he finally decided to make the move.
Later that evening after dinner was finished, Benteen suggested that they retire to the den for a glass of brandy. “I think I’ll pass that invitation,” Bull Giles refused as he rested his weight on the cane. “I’m going to take a turn on the porch instead.” He looked at Webb. “Care to join me?”
Concealing his surprise at the unexpected invitation, Webb quickly saw it as a way to avoid another lecture from his father. “Sure,” he accepted.
“Go ahead and enjoy your brandy, Benteen,” Bull instructed and deliberately didn’t suggest that his old friend accompany them.
Outside, the air was warned by a summer wind. A half-moon was perched drunkenly in the sky, throwing its light across the roofs of the many ranch buildings that spilled out from the base of the knoll. Bull Giles reached inside the jacket of his suit and withdrew two cigars from the inner pocket, offering one to Webb.
“Are you serious about this Texas thing?” he asked as Webb bent his head to the match flame Bull had struck.