Walking through the stables Edward encountered a young woman mucking out the stalls.
“Excuse me miss?” He called walking toward her.
Kristen looked up to see a tall man in his sixties or seventies walking toward her. “Yes.” She said setting aside the scoop shovel she had been using. She assumed he was yet another employee of the Harrington’s. “I’m almost finished with the stalls.” She told him with a smile.
“Good work.” Edward said looking the stalls over briefly, before turning to study the girl. She had long blond hair and blue eyes. She was just a kid, small of stature. She reminded him of his late wife. She had smudges of dirt on her face and she was sweating. But he didn't doubt she would be a beauty when she was clean and dressed up. “I was wondering if you had seen a young woman wandering around here looking at the horses. She’s probably dressed pretty fancy.” He asked after a moment.
“No Sir.” Kristen answered wiping the sweat from her brow. “And I’ve been working in here for nearly two hours.
“Well I’ll keep looking. Keep up the good work.” Edward said giving her a rare smile.
“I will.” Kristen said picking up the shovel. She quickly finished cleaning the stall. Her back and arms ached; it had been a while since she last did this kind of work. She sighed in relief when she had at last finished the stall. She looked up to see the foreman headed her way. “I’m done.” She said proudly indicating the clean stalls.
“Good work.” The foreman said after inspecting her work. “What’s your name kid?” He asked looking her over.
“Kristen Anderson.” Kristen replied with a smile.
“Do you ride?” Will asked thinking she was awful small to be working on a ranch.
“Yes.” Kristen replied nodding her head.
“Good, come with me. There are some stray cows that need to be rounded up in the north pasture. You ride out with the boys and help them.” He told her as they walked out of the stable. Kristen had to run to keep up with him. “Take that mare there.” He said indicating a mare that was already saddled and tied to a fence.
“Okay.” Kristen said hurrying over to the horse. She untied the mare and climbed into the saddle. She was excited over the chance to ride. This was much better than mucking stables she thought happily. She followed the other cowboys that were riding out. They galloped through the pasture toward the north pasture.

Jessica arrived at the mansion in a near panic. Arthur greeted her at the front door. “Have you found Kristen?” She said hurrying inside.
“No, security is still looking?” Arthur answered closing the doors.
“And where is my father in-law?” Jessica asked dreading his answer.
“Still out looking for Miss Anderson.” Arthur told her quietly.
“Great!” Jessica said her voice was brittle. She spent the next thirty minutes pacing the living room floor, and cursing herself for leaving the poor girl alone. Hearing a chopper she sighed with relief. John was finally home. She hurried out to the main hall to await his arrival. Within a few minutes Trey entered the house followed by John.
“Where’s Kristen?” Trey asked worry etched into his face.
“I don’t know no one’s been able to find her.” Jessica told him quietly.
“My father?” John asked her.
“He’s missing too. Someone saw him ride out about an hour ago.” Jessica answered embracing her husband.
“Find her.” Trey ordered Damon quietly. Before heading down the hall to talk with security. “What the hell are we paying you people for?” Trey demanded entering the security office. “How the hell do you lose her, we’ve got camera’s everywhere!” He yelled at Paul.
“The cameras are still down.” Paul replied calmly.
“We spend a fortune on security and this is what we get! Why the hell are you sitting in here? Get your ass out there find her.” Trey said very close to beating the crap out of him. He silently cursed himself for ordering his men to disable the security cameras.
“I’m monitoring the search parties from here. Someone has to be here to do that.” Paul said in his defense.
“You better hope you find her and soon.” Trey threatened causing the Paul to swallow hard.

After a while they came to a halt on a rise overlooking the pasture. “There they are.” One of the hands said pointing to some cows that were grazing in the pasture. “Let’s split up and start rounding them up.” He said before giving his horse a kick. They started down the rise toward the cattle. Kristen had no idea what she was supposed to do. But she rode through the pasture looking for more cows. Everywhere she looked cowboys were rounding up strays. She could see water in the distance and decided to ride out toward it. Clearly the hands didn’t need her help. And she wanted to explore the ranch more. It took a while but she finally reached a large body of water. It was too small to be a lake she decided. Probably a pond, created by spring run off from the mountains. As she got close she heard a calf bawling. Glancing around she rode closer to the pond. The bawling was getting louder; she looked out over the water. A calf was stuck in the pond. Its head barely above water as it struggled. The poor thing would drown she thought. Its head kept disappearing below the water as it thrashed about. Taking the rope from around her saddle horn she hopped off her horse. She hurried into the water. She made her way toward the struggling calf. It was a warm day, and the water, cooled her off. She finally reached the struggling calf. She managed to get the rope around the calf’s head. The poor thing was so weak it was having trouble keeping its head above the water. It would drown if she didn’t get it out soon. As she started back to shore the calf’s head disappeared beneath the water. Dammit! She thought hurrying to her horse. She climbed into the saddle and wrapped the rope around the saddle horn. Than she kicked her horse and the horse moved back struggling to pull the calf out. But the calf was stuck good. She was relieved to see the calf’s head above water. But was afraid the rope would strangle the poor thing before she could get it out. Her heart was pounding as she urged the horse to pull harder. Finally the calf was free. But too weak, to stand. Her horse managed to pull it to shore. But than the large calf just flopped over onto its side, becoming a dead weight. The calf was still lying in shallow water. It needed to lift its head to breath. Jumping down from the horse Kristen ran back to the calf. She didn’t notice Edward riding toward her. She was lifting the calf’s head onto her lap, so that it could breathe.
“What have we got here?” Edward asked dismounting from his horse. He had been out looking for the women Trey planned to marry when he came across Kristen.
“The calf got stuck in the water. I managed to pull him partly out. But than he collapsed. Now I can’t get him to move.” Kristen told the man, stroking the calf’s head. There were tears in her eyes; she didn’t want to lose the calf.
“I’ll get my rope. Both horses should be able to pull him all the way out.” Edward told her not missing her tears. The poor kid was taking it hard. He got his rope, although he doubted he would be able to save the calf. The poor thing was too far gone. Still the body needed to be removed from the water, or it would contaminate the water. He wrapped his rope around the calf’s neck. “Come on let’s get him out of the water.” He told Kristen. He walked back to his horse and mounted it. Kristen hurried over to her horse and quickly mounted it. Together they pulled the calf out of the water and up onto the beach. Kristen hopped down and hurried to loosen the ropes around its neck. The calf was still breathing, but it was shallow. Edward quickly examined the calf. Kristen sat at its head stroking it.

“Will he be all right?” She asked seeing his frown.
“No, he’s too far gone. I’ll have to put him down.” He replied reluctantly. The poor kid took the news hard. Tears started streaming down her cheeks. “You head back to the ranch; I’ll take care of it.” Edward told her.
Kristen nodded her head, and got up. She walked back to the horse and mounted. Giving it a kick she headed back to the ranch. She didn’t know why she was so upset; she was a farm girl after all. Losing animals was just part of life. Had the calf survived it would have ended up on someone’s plate eventually. Must be the pregnancy she thought. It was messing with her emotions. She jumped at the sound of a gun shot. It was over! The calf was gone! At least it wouldn’t suffer anymore. She slowed her horse to a walk; it occurred to her that she had no idea how to get back to the house. And it was getting late the sun was going down. She would wait for the old cowboy to catch up, than she could follow him in. Drying her tears with her shirt, she looked around at her surroundings. The ranch was huge, pastures stretched out for miles. Hearing the thunder of hooves she glanced over her shoulder to see the cowboy riding toward her.
“What’s your name kid?” Edward asked bringing his horse up beside her’s.
“Kristen.” She replied as they rode along. “What’s your’s?”
“Edward.” He decided not to tell her he was a Harrington. “How long have you worked here?”
“This is my second day.” Kristen answered. It wasn’t really a lie she thought. After all she had worked hard. She just wasn’t getting paid.
“What do you think of the ranch?” Edward asked smiling. She looked like a drowned rat.
“It’s beautiful.” Kristen commented looking around in wonder.
“This the first time you’ve worked on a ranch?”
“No, I’m a fourth generation farm girl.” Kristen replied proudly.
“What does your family raise?” He asked still smiling. She was proud of her heritage he thought.
“At one time everything. But now it’s wheat and Barley. My great grandpa had dairy cows at one time. Than we went to raising cattle for beef. But when the market started taking a hit, my grandpa got out of the cattle business. Now we raise wheat and barley.” Kristen explained to him.
“Do you have horses?” Edward wondered.
“No, I had a pony when I was younger, that’s how I learned to ride. But my dad sold the pony. I haven’t been able to talk him into buying a horse.” Kristen answered shaking her head.
“How many acres does your family farm?”
“Twenty-two hundred acres! It’s not a real big farm.” Kristen said realizing how small her farm was compared to this ranch.
“Farmer’s and Rancher’s are the back bone of this country, you remember that.” Edward told her.” He kicked his horse to pick up the pace. It got cold when the sun went down. And the poor kid was soaked. They rode hard. The girl was a natural in the saddle. When they arrived back at the ranch they pulled their mounts to a halt outside the building that housed the Foreman’s office. Will was standing outside talking to the men. He glanced up when Edward and Kristen rode up. Seeing Kristen’s condition, he strolled over to offer her a hand down.
“Are you alright Miss? What happened? Did the horse throw you?” He asked reaching up to help her down.
“I’m okay.” She assured him through chattering teeth. She was so cold.
“You best go get dried off.” Edward told her handing the reins to their horses to one of the hands.
Kristen nodded and headed in the direction of the bunkhouses. Once she was out of their sight she would slip around the buildings and head back to the mansion. She shivered in the cold night air, unable to keep her teeth from chattering. As soon as I get back to the house I’m going to take a long hot bath. She just hoped that she could slip up to her room without being seen. She made her way carefully toward the house. Dodging amongst trees and bushes. Once the barn disappeared from sight, she moved out onto the road and walked up the hill toward the house. As she got closer she could see men moving about outside with flashlights. Great! How do I get by the security guards without being seen? Oh well! She was too cold to spend time trying to find a back entrance. What did she care if security saw her? She was a guest after all. She continued to walk toward the mansion, nearly numb from the cold. Suddenly someone grabbed her arm from behind causing her to cry out in fear.

If you enjoyed this story you can purchase the completed novel Montana Legacy's Forbidden Love from www.amazon.com

It took a while but when she was finally able to move Kristen got up. She went back to her room. She brushed the tangles from her hair, and straightened her clothing. She had decided she would explore the ranch while the family was away. She made her way outside, and headed down toward the barn and stables. The ranch was huge. There were several large stables besides the large barn. As well as a long building that served as a bunkhouse. She passed several large corrals where cowboys were working. She followed a road that led out to the pastures that were separated by fences. Some pastures held horses, others had cattle. She stopped to pet several horses.

Chapter Seventeen
Edward Harrington arrived by chopper. He looked over his massive ranch with pride. His son was taking care of the place everything looked in order. He was glad to be home. But he wasn’t happy about the reason for his visit. His grandson was getting married, to a commoner! Like father like son he thought in disgust. He had expected more from his grandson. Well he was here now and he intended to look the situation over. The fact that the girl was pregnant made no difference to him. He would see to it that the girl had an abortion. She would of course be well compensated. And that would be it. He was sure he could reason with the girl in question. He had arrived a day earlier than planned in hopes of catching the family unprepared. He knew his son well. They probably planned to stash the girl somewhere upon his arrival. The chopper landed on the lawn smoothly. An employee opened the door and lowered the steps to the chopper. Edward stepped from chopper but didn’t duck the turning blades on the chopper. It was a fool’s inclination to duck the blades; the blades were higher than his head even at his height of 6”4. The chopper was impressively large. The same size as the one used to transport the president. It was equipped with cutting edge technology. The chopper was all black with the Harrington’s name etched in gold letters on the doors. The inside was made of cream colored Italian leather, and wood. There was a table that sat four people by the window. And a sofa bench seat that sat four more. A refrigerator, sinks, and microwave, as well as a bathroom, with a toilet and sink. A TV and several phones. The counters were made of granite, the faucets of gold. The chopper was made of bulletproof material. And it had its own weapons system, including machine guns and rocket launchers. The crew included a pilot and copilot, as well as a navigator, and communications officer. Leaving the chopper Edward was accompanied by his personal valet, and his security detail. He had twelve men on his security detail. A second chopper had landed with his security detail. They joined him as he walked across the lawn toward two waiting limos. Edward and his valet climbed into the first car. His security detail rode in the second car. The cars drove up to the main entrance. Where Arthur and the entire staff were lined up outside for his inspection. Edward shook his head in wonder; he had been trying for years to catch Arthur unprepared. But had never succeeded, the old butler was always prepared. The staff was fully assembled and immaculate in appearance. He could find no flaw. “I take it my rooms are prepared?” Edward asked marching up the stairs where Arthur waited by the door.
“Yes, everything is in order, just as you requested Sir.” Arthur answered stiffly. He had never been at ease around Edward Harrington. The man set his nerves on edge. Always finding fault with something. He waited for John and his security detail to enter the house, before entering the house himself.
“Have my things brought up to my room.” Edward ordered walking toward the library. “And send whomever’s in charge of security today too the library.” Edward marched down the hall with several security guards in tow. His valet headed upstairs to oversee the unpacking of his belongings. Edward took a seat behind the massive desk, and nodded to a guard when someone tapped on the door. The guard opened the door, allowing a security guard to enter.
“You wanted to see me Sir?” Paul the Chief of Security asked coming to stand before the massive desk.
“I would like you to explain to me how a virus got into out system and took the whole system out?” Edward asked his face darkened as he spoke.
“Were looking into it Sir. Whoever it was, was an expert.” Paul answered starting to sweat under Edward’s cold stare.
“That’s not good enough I spend a fortune on security and yet my ranch is currently defenseless against attack.” He told Paul.
“Sir we have the men. I’ve doubled the patrols until the system is fixed.” Paul stated.
“You get the system up and running or you’re done as Head of Security here.” Edward ordered. “And you make damn sure this never happens again! Now where might I find the young lady to whom my grandson is marrying?” Edward asked with a hard look.
“She’s down at the stables.” Paul replied nervously. He knew better than to lie to Edward Harrington.
“Is that so?” Edward said in surprise. He had expected the girl to be lounging about the house.
“Yes Sir, she likes horses.” The guard assured him.
“My security chief will be looking over security on the ranch.” Edward said looking Paul over. “You may go.” He said dismissing him. Edward leaned back in his chair for a moment. “You look over security, and make sure there aren’t any flaws. Get the boys settled in. I’m going to track this girl down, and deal with her.” Edward told his chief of security, rising from his chair. Walking out of the library he headed toward his suite of rooms that were located in the farthest wing of the house. He made his way down several long hallways. He inspected things as he walked. Everything appeared to be in order. Reaching his rooms he headed upstairs to his bedroom. His valet was over seeing the unpacking of his clothes. “Get me a pair of jeans and work shirt; I’m going down to the stables.” He ordered his Valet.

Kristen was having fun exploring the stables. She loved horses, and was looking forward to getting to ride one of them. She wondered whom she should ask. She was walking through the stables when a man called out to her.
“You, come here.” Will the ranch foreman said waving the girl over too him. He was in his early sixties. His hair and beard were gray, his eyes were almost black. He had a medium build. “Get to work cleaning those stables out over there.” He told Kristen indicating several stables on the end where a wheelbarrow and pitchfork were waiting.
“Okay.” Kristen said not wanting to argue with the man. She had pretended to be a farm hand and now she was trapped in the role it appeared, but she didn’t really mind it would give her something to do at least. She was a farm girl after all and had cleaned her share of barns. She walked over to the stall and picked up a pitchfork. Going into the stall she started scooping up poop, and carrying it toward the wheel barrel. The ranch foreman watched her for a few minutes before leaving. He strolled out of the stable still trying to put a name to the girl’s face. But he didn’t have a clue whom she was. He had been trying to figure out who she was ever since he had pulled Tyler off of her. Frankly he was surprised she had come back after what Tyler had done. She had to be a new hire he thought. He would ask Dan about her when he got a chance. Dan was his assistant, and would take over as foreman when he retired. He looked up in surprise as he saw Edward Harrington headed toward him. It was a rare sight to see Edward these days. Every since his marriage, he hadn’t been around much.
“About time you showed up, I’d given you up for dead!” Will told him, with a smile.
“Will.” Edward said with a smile. He was dressed in blue jeans and a blue denim work shirt. He wore a brown cowboy hat, and cowboy boots.
“What brings you down here?” Will asked, shaking his hand.
“I’m looking for my grandson’s fiancée. I was told she was down here looking at the horses.” Edward answered; he liked Will. They had been friends for years.
“Josh is getting married again?” Will asked sounding surprised.
“Not Josh, Trey.” Edward was surprised that Will didn’t know about Trey’s engagement.
“Trey’s getting married? You’re shitting me!” Will exclaimed.
“I wish I was.” Edward replied.
“Shit! I never thought that boy would settle down.” Will commented shaking his head.
“Have you seen her?” Edward asked again.
“I haven’t seen her. What does she look like?” Will asked.
“I don’t know, but I’m sure she’ll stand out. Probably dressed in designer jeans and such.” Edward said not bothering to hide his disgust.
“Well I haven’t seen anyone like that. I’ll ask the boys. Maybe one of them saw her.” Will replied with a frown. Clearly Edward didn’t think much of his Trey’s bride to be.
“Do that, I’m going to look through the stables. I hear she likes horses.” Edward said heading off toward the stables. “I’ll see you later Will, we got some catching up to do.” He called over his shoulders.

While, Edward was looking for Trey’s fiancée. Arthur was busy trying to locate Jessica. He finally reached her after several attempts. “What is it Arthur?” Jessica asked when she finally answered her phone. She had turned it off during the meeting.
“I wanted to inform you that Mr. Harrington has arrived.” Arthur informed her quickly.
“What? He’s a day early.” Jessica said with alarm. Kristen was alone on the ranch. “Where is Kristen?” She asked fearfully. Edward would tear the poor girl apart.
“Down at the stables.” Arthur replied. “Mr. Harrington is down there looking for her. I have security looking for Miss Anderson; they’ll stash her somewhere if they get to her first.” Arthur told her.
“Thank you Arthur, I’ll alert John and come straight home.” Jessica said before hanging up. She quickly dialed her husband’s office. “Yes, this is Jessica Harrington. I need to speak to John, its urgent!”
John and Trey were in his office going over reports. John was seated behind his desk flipping through reports. Trey was seated at a nearby table working on his laptop. There was a stack of reports next to him. They both looked up when the buzzer sounded on John’s desk. “I thought I told you to hold all calls.” John told his secretary, clearly irritated.
“It’s your wife, she says it’s urgent!” The secretary replied quickly.
“Put her through.” John said. “What is it Darling?” John asked into the phone. “What!” John asked again clearly upset. “When?” “Calm down will come home.” John said with a frown. Hanging up the phone he looked at Trey, his face grim.
“What? Has something happened to Kristen?” Trey asked in alarm.
“Not yet.” John replied, picking up his phone, he pressed a button. “Dino call and have the chopper pick us up on the roof, tell them to hurry,” He said before slamming the phone down.
“What’s going on?” Trey asked getting up from his chair.
“Dad’s at the ranch. And he’s looking for Kristen. We need to get back to the ranch.” John informed his son heading toward the door.
“Grandpa won’t hurt her.” Trey argued growing alarmed.
“Not physically. But he’ll probably get rid of her.” John told his son grimly.
“What do you mean?” Trey demanded following his Dad out of the office.
“He didn’t like me marrying your mother, and he did everything in his power to stop me from marrying her. I don’t think he intends to let history repeat itself.” John told him as they hurried down the hall toward the elevators.

If you enjoyed this story you can purchase the complete novel at www.amazon.com The title of the book is Montana Legacy's Forbidden Love by Melinda Ann Camp.

Upstairs Kristen wandered back to her room from Trey’s. She needed to get dressed for breakfast. She opened the door to her room and was surprised to find her mother waiting for her. She had never seen her Mom so angry. “You little slut, off spreading your legs again I see!” Rebecca growled as she started for Kristen. Backing into the hall Kristen tried to escape. But it was too late! Rebecca grabbed her by the hair, and started hitting her daughter in a blind rage. Kristen struggled to get free, but it was no use. She begged her Mom to stop. In the next moment she was free of her mother’s grasp.
“That’s enough.” Damon told Rebecca, blocking her path to her daughter. Kristen raced into her room, locking the door behind her.
“Take your hands off of me!” Rebecca yelled trying to jerk free.
“You have no right to abuse your daughter.” Damon replied calmly his eyes as cold as ice.
“It’s none of your business.” Rebecca huffed.
“Kristen is under Trey’s protection, which means she is under mine as well. You would do well to remember that.” He warned finally releasing her. He took up position in front of Kristen’s room.

Jessica was seated in the dinning room, enjoying a nice cup of tea. She was trying to soothe her frayed nerves. The last thing she needed right now was a visit from her father in-law. Things were bad enough, without him making things worse. She would have to keep a close eye on Kristen, once her father in-law arrived. She could well imagine his reaction to Trey marrying a simple farm girl. He had never forgiven John for marrying her. A simple waitress, with poor parents, her father had been a mechanic, her mother a waitress. They were poor people. But they had always done their best for their only child. Jessica had always had clothes and food. They had gone without to give her the best life they could. Her father was a fun loving man who liked to drink. Her mother was a gentle, hardworking woman, who always had a smile on her face. They had instilled strong values in Jessica. She had met John when he wandered into the café where she worked. His car had broken down on the nearby highway. He’d come in to get something to eat, while the car was repaired. She was eighteen and had never dated anyone seriously. She had never done more than kiss a couple of boys. She still remembered how John’s eyes had moved over her while she took his order. But Jessica hadn’t been taken in by his flirting. She was a serious girl, who knew her own way. She wasn’t about to let some handsome rich kid talk her into bed. But John was persistent; he kept after her until she agreed to a date. And from the first kiss it had been all over for Jessica. She had tried to resist his attempts to get her into bed. But in a moment of weakness she had given in. Waking up in his arms, she had been filled with remorse; sure that he had used her. But that hadn’t been the case. John had proposed to her. And she had accepted. His father had flown into a rage when John announced his intention to marry her. He had wanted John to marry a woman of wealth. Someone, who would, add to their wealth and power, He had called her a gold digger, said she was only after the family fortune. He’d done everything in his power to get rid of her. But for once John had taken a stand against his father. On the morning of her wedding, John’s father had handed her a check for a million dollars. All she had to do was disappear. She had refused. Now Kristen would face the same ordeal. Would the girl prove strong enough to survive? Looking up she smiled as Josh entered the room. But there was no answering smile. “Good morning.” She said watching her son take a chair at the table.

“Morning.” Josh replied. He was dressed casually in a polo shirt and tan slacks. He waited while a butler served him his breakfast.
“I take it; you’re not going to work.” Jessica said indicating Josh’s clothes.
“I resigned.” He reminded her, taking a bite of his food.
“You look unhappy, what’s wrong?” Jessica asked he had been happy the day before but now he looked miserable.
“Kristen has decided to marry Trey. She told me last night.” He replied staring down at his plate.
“Oh Josh I’m so sorry.” Jessica said her heart breaking for him. She had been afraid this would happen.
“It’s because of the baby. She wants the baby to have both its parents.” He said as he picked at his food.
“Good morning.” Trey said coming into the room followed by John. Josh didn’t bother to look up from his plate. Just the sound of his brother’s voice made him ill.
“Well isn’t this nice.” Jessica commented dryly. You could cut the tension in the room.
John took a seat at the head of the table without comment. He waited while he was served. Taking a sip of coffee he glanced at Josh. “You’re a little under dressed aren’t you?”
“Why?” Josh asked picking at his food. He’d lost his appetite as soon as Trey walked in. “I’m not going into the office. I resigned!”

“Your resignation will have to wait.” John stated between bites of food. “Your grandfather is on his way here.
“So?” Josh replied indifferently.
“So, he’ll want a full review of the company’s many projects.” John replied trying to hold onto his patience.
“Well that’s Trey’s department. He handles projects; I just do the grunt work he won’t.” Josh said tersely.
“That’s not true; you handled the project in Arizona.” Trey put in calmly.
“Only because you wanted to steal Kristen from me!” Josh replied angrily.
“What? You were assigned that project several months ago. After you complained about not being given enough responsibility!” Trey answered growing annoyed.
“You only gave it to me, because you considered the project beneath you.” Josh accused glaring at his brother. “I’m tired of taking your crap!”
“That’s enough!” John roared angrily. “I’ve had it with this fighting. The Arizona project is yours, and you’ll be the one to present it. So change your damn clothes!”
“John, just because you cater to that old bastard doesn’t mean our son has too.” Jessica said to her husband her eyes flashing.
“Jessica, stay out of this.” John warned her. “Look I know tempers are short right now. But like it or not we all have to work together.”
“I’m going back to California.” Josh stated getting up from the table.
“Fine, but you’re still presenting the Arizona project to your grandfather.” John replied sternly.
“Whatever.” Josh said storming out of the room.
“Well that was fun! I can’t wait until your father gets here.” Jessica said sarcastically her heart going out to Josh.
“You’re not helping.” John told her with a glare. “Good morning.” John said to Kristen who had just walked into the dinning room. He took in her red rimmed eyes the girl had been crying.
“Morning.” Kristen replied taking a seat next to Trey. Her eyes were still red from crying. And she was badly shaken from her Mom’s attack.
“What happened to your face?” Trey asked noticing a bruise on her left cheek. Her eyes were red from crying.
“My face?” She asked putting her hand to her sore cheek. “I wasn’t watching where I was going and I walked into a door.” She lied as a servant served her breakfast.
“You need to be more careful.” He commented reaching out to lift her chin as he studied the bruise.
“I’m ok.” She told him blushing under his stare.
“I have to go into work today.” Trey told her with a frown still studying the bruise. The location of the bruise suggested that she had been struck.
“You’re leaving me alone?” Kristen asked fearfully.
“No, my Mom will be here.” Trey assured her seeing the fear in her eyes.
“Sorry Trey. I can’t baby sit for you today. I have a charity meeting in town. You know how we Harrington’s have to keep up appearances.” Jessica replied bitterly.
“That’s okay, I don’t need a sitter.” Kristen said rising from her chair. She quickly left the room.
“Thanks Mom.” Trey said sarcastically, getting up to follow her.
“Quite the family gathering.” Bernice said getting up from her chair. She had kept her own counsel throughout the bickering session. She walked out of the room shaking her head.
“Was that necessary?” John asked his wife when they were alone.
“What?” She asked innocently. She felt bad realizing her words had hurt Kristen.
“You know what.” John said with a sigh. “Don’t do this, I need your help.”
“I have a meeting.” Jessica said rising from her chair. She didn’t bother to kiss her husband. She was too angry with him. She walked out of the room.
“She’s in your room!” Damon told Trey as he passed him. With a nod Trey headed off to his suite of rooms. He found Kristen standing outside on his balcony. “Are you alright?” Trey asked coming to stand beside her at the railing. Kristen nodded still gazing out at the mountains.
“Will you be alright by yourself?” Trey asked her wondering if he should take her to the office with him. But it would be pretty boring for her there.
“I’ll be okay.” Kristen said with a shrug. She turned to go back inside to the bedroom. “I can take care of myself, I’m not a child.” She called over her shoulder. It irked her that they thought she needed to be watched.
“That’s not what I meant.” Trey assured her having followed her inside. He swallowed hard. Kristen was lying on her stomach on his bed.
“That’s not what your mother thinks.” Kristen said moodily.
“She didn’t mean what she said. She’s just mad at my Dad.” Trey replied fighting back the desire to take her. “Sitting on the edge of the bed Trey gazed at the woman child who could so easily arouse him. It was disturbing.
“Are they fighting because of me?” Kristen asked with worry. She turned onto her side so that she could look at Trey.
“No, it’s over my Grandpa.” He answered her still struggling with his need to take her. He wasn’t used to denying himself anything. Which brought to mind the separate room’s issue? Clearly she was under the impression that she would be staying in his room. How was he supposed to tell her that she couldn’t without hurting her feelings?
“Do you have to go to work right now?” She asked shyly. She wanted him to make love to her again. Like he had in the barn. His eyes moved over her body slowly. He didn’t miss the look of desire in her eyes. He glanced at his watch. His father would be ready to go soon. He didn’t have enough time for what she wanted. Christ he wanted her! “There’s something we need to talk about.” He said with a sigh. “My Dad doesn’t want us sleeping together, not until were married.”
“Why?” She asked unable to hide her disappointment. She liked sleeping next to him. He made her feel so safe.
“Because of Josh.” He said quietly.
“But we slept together last night.” She told him. She had a horrible thought, What if it was because he didn’t like sleeping with her?
“Yes, and I caught hell from my Dad over it.” He answered, seeing the hurt in her eyes. “It’s not my choice; I want you in my bed.”
“I understand.” She said blushing. She got up and moved to the edge of the bed.
“Do you?” He asked grasping her arm. She turned to look at him. There faces were only inches apart. She nodded memorized by his gaze. And than he reached out to pull her closer, his mouth settling on hers, she returned the kiss eagerly. He groaned laying her back on the bed. He moved his hand to cup her breast, causing her to whimper with desire. He moved his hand under her shirt and over her bra. He undid the front clasp, and her breasts spilled free. Cupping her bare breast he ran his thumb over her nipple lightly. Before pushing her shirt up to bare her breasts, leaving her mouth he took her breast into his mouth. Flicking his tongue over her nipple, his hand moved down over her hip to cup her womanhood through her jeans. She moaned frustrated by the clothing that separated his hand from her flesh. Without thinking she reached down to undo her jeans. Than grasped his hand moving it inside her jeans eagerly. Smiling at her sudden boldness, he moved his fingers into her panties. Stroking the soft hairs, he didn’t move his fingers lower. He was driving her crazy. She wanted his fingers on her, in her. What was he waiting for? He moved his head to her other breast taking the nipple into his mouth. He slowly encircled the nipple with his tongue. “Lower.” She moaned unable to take the waiting anymore. She arched her hips in invitation. With a smile he moved his finger down over her pouting lips. He slowly separated the folds, slipping his finger into her slowly. Kristen moaned her whole body was shaking with the need for release. “Trey!” She begged when he stopped moving his finger over her. Raising his head he glanced at the clock on his bed stand. He needed to get downstairs. Turning his attention back to Kristen, he captured her mouth with his. While his fingers slipped back inside her. His fingers played over her expertly, knowing just where and how to touch her. In moments her body bucked with the force of her climax. He smiled pulling back. With a sigh he got off the bed. Going into his bathroom he washed his hands.
“I’ve got to get to work, I’ll see you tonight.” He told her heading to the door. He was gone before she could manage a reply.
Damon met Trey in the hall as he was coming out of his room. “Did Kristen tell you about her mother?” Damon asked him.
“No, what about her mother?” He answered him.
“I caught her mother beating her in the upstairs hallway.” Damon replied. “That’s how she got that bruise on her cheek.”
“What?” He asked remembering the bruise on Kristen’s cheek. “She told me she walked into a door.” He said with a frown.
“Victims often cover for abusers.” Damon commented.
“Dammit! Where is her mother?” Trey asked his face darkening with anger.
“In her room, I had security escort her there.” Damon replied.
He went down the hall to Rebecca’s room, with Damon. Not bothering to knock he entered her room. Rebecca was standing at the window and turned to glare at him with hate filled eyes. “I want you off this ranch.” Trey told her. He wanted to throttle the woman for daring to lay a hand on Kristen.
“What about Kristen?” Rebecca asked. How she hated him!
“She stays here!” Trey told her. “Will send for you when its time for the wedding. But until than you’ll stay away from Kristen!”
“I’m not leaving her here!” Rebecca said stubbornly.
“Oh yes you are. That ugly scene with Kristen was caught on our security cameras. And unless you cooperate, I’ll see that you’re charged with child abuse.” Trey replied.
“I’ll have you charged with rape!” Rebecca countered.
“Go ahead. It won’t look real good when my family, testifies that you sold your daughter to me!” Trey threatened.
“Fine I’ll go.” Rebecca muttered realizing she couldn’t win this battle. But some day she vowed he would pay!
With a nod Trey left the room. He ordered security to escort her to the airport.

Ifyou enjoyed this exerpt from my book you can purchase the book Montana Legacy's Forbidden Love at www.amazon.com

Thanks for all the great comments. The environment is so very important to all of us, and yet we don't seem to be doing anything to save our planet. Animals are so important to our lives. How can we stand back, and allow them to all die off? This is a very serious issue and needs to be addressed sooner rather than later. Having said this I will get off my soap box. Thanks Again!!

Desari

I stopped by a blog today that really made me think. It talked about how the honey bees and other animals are dying off. The stress of living on this planet is becoming too much for the animals that dwell here. Whales and Dolphins are committing suicide at an alarming rate. Our world has become so terrible that beautiful animals such as whales are beaching themselves rather go on living in the environment we're slowly destroying. This really got me to thinking about what this planet would be like without honey bees. First say good bye to flowers. Bees are such an important part of the environmental cycle and their dying off at an alarming rate. What happens when their gone? I for one love honey and its so good for you. Whales also serve an important role in our ecosystem. What happens when the whales are all gone. Such beautiful creatures completely wiped out. What does it say about our world that animals are being driven to commit suicide. I know that whales suffer from a high rate of miscarriages brought on by pollution. Is that why they are choosing death they can no longer bear the loss of their babies. I think its high time that people take a step back and think about a world without animals. Wouldn't you miss the sight of birds flying across our skies on a clear day. According to scientist whole flocks of birds are now refusing to return to their nesting grounds. Turtles are laying their eggs at sea instead of crawling up on beaches to lay eggs. What would life be like if we became the only species to exist on this planet. I myself would die of despair and beach myself somewhere. Animals are so important to me and I wouldn't live in a world without them. This situation has me very worried. I want my children to grow up in a world full of life and all the wonders that come from living in a world so full of life. We are never truly alone because all around us we are surrounded by living beings. They may not talk our language but they can still comfort us when we are lost. I would not have survived the dark years of my life without my dog Cochise. He loves me as no other ever has. So I ask you all to step back and think about what life would be like on this planet if there were no animals. Like it or not our planet is dying off slowly. When do we begin to care? It's up to us the people to save this planet and the animals on it. Our leaders don't care their only concerned with big business. Someone has to start caring and we need to make some serious changes. Because without animals I fear our race will be lost as well. I know I am simply a blogger with a small stream of visitors but I hope you will pass this message along for the sake of our children.

Desari