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She had to keep the discussion light. Not a hint of anger or even irritation could surface. Keep it light.

Yes, that would work. No matter what he did or said or didn't say, she'd keep smiling.

Because if there was one thing Tess had learned in the past few days, it was that her smile knocked Jack completely off guard.

It took Tess about twenty minutes to get to the barn, but she considered it a major victory. She was, after all, conscious when she arrived.

"Jack?"

"Yeah?" His answer came from the darkened corner.

She clutched the workbench's splintery end and slowly turned around. Her gaze narrowed as she searched the black, cobwebby corner. "Jack?""I'm here. What do you want?""I'm waiting for you to hitch up the team."He stepped out of the shadows. A twig snapped beneath his heel, and the sound echoed through the still, silent barn. "You'll be waiting a long time.""Are you saying you won't take me to the school?" "I said you'd be waiting a long time for me to hitch up the team."Tess fought a wave of impatience. Keep it light. "Yes, I heard the words you used, I was inquiring as to your meaning."Jack was in front of her in a heartbeat. "I meant that if you want to go to school, go ahead. You can take Red." Tess got a sinking feeling in her stomach. "Red?" Jack smiled and cocked a thumb toward the nearest stall. A big, Roman-nosed sorrel snorted in response. "Big Red."Tess swallowed thickly. "Do I ride?" "Only thoroughbreds.""Somehow that doesn't surprise me. Well, saddle them up."His smile faded. "Them?""I'm not going alone."

"I'm not going with you."

"Of course you are. How else would I find the school?"Jack stared at her as if she were something stuck to the bottom of his shoe. "You don't remember where the school is?"The plan fell in her lap. Perhaps a little ... misinterpretation was the best way to deal with Jack. She batted her big brown lashes at him. "Did I ever know?""It's just up the road about?" She cleared her throat.

He stopped midsentence and glanced down at her.

"And what road would that be?" "Lissa, I swear?"She shook her head. "Please don't. I'd rather not hear it."Jack squeezed his eyes shut. Tess got the distinct impression that he was envisioning himself strangling her. "Lissa." His voice had that tight-edged calm that bespoke a storm of emotion underneath. "You know damn well?" "I thought we only had a cistern." He blinked. "Huh?"This time her smile was blazingly bright. "You were saying something about a well."His eyes narrowed. For a split second she wondered if she hadn't pushed him too far.

"Fine." The word shot from his mouth like a poison dart. "You want to go to the school, we'll go to the school. But don't expect me to say a damn thing."Tess had a nearly irrepressible urge to throw her arms around him. At her sides, her gloved fingers curled into fists. He was going to go with her! The plan had worked.

She'd gotten him to be a parent, at least for the moment.

She smiled. It was a start.

A few minutes later, Tess stared at the sidesaddle in disgust and wondered if her plan had been as good as she'd thought.

"I'm supposed to ... perch on that thing?"Jack nodded, making no effort to conceal his smile.

Tess gritted her teeth. "Help me up.""I don't know, Lissa, wouldn't you rather?""I'd rather get behind the wheel of my Jeep, but since that isn't too likely, what I'd like is a hand up." Jack let his reins drop to the ground and gathered hers in his hand. "Here." She took the flat leather reins and shoved them in her mouth, biting down hard. Then she reached for the leather thingamajig that stuck out from the top of the saddle. Step ping cautiously into Jack's laced fingers, she flung her other leg over the seat.

Jack cleared his throat.

Wincing, she pulled the dusty-tasting reins from her mouth and glanced down.

He shoved the battered black Stetson off his eyes. "You aren't going to ride like that, are you?""It's more comfortable this way," she lied. It was the most uncomfortable contraption she'd ever been in.

He shook his head. A smile lurked in his green eyes.

She hazarded a guess. "This is unladylike." "Very."She leaned over a tiny bit and studied the two curls of leather that sprouted from the side of the saddle like rabbit ears. "Let me guess: I slide down and dangle my right leg over this ... thing."The smile slipped to his mouth and turned into a grin. "You got it."She grabbed hold of Red's mane and slid cautiously into place. "This can't be right. I feel like a bug on the side of a car antenna."He frowned at her description. "You always say a lady?a southern lady?doesn't care about comfort."She smiled thinly. It took a great deal of self-control not to snap at him. "Obviously not. Shall we go?"First surprise, then anger, flashed in his eyes. "You still want to?" "Of course."With a bitten-off curse, Jack mounted up and turned his horse toward the road. "Come on Turk, let's go."It was a long, silent ride to the schoolhouse.

The one-room building came into view as they turned the last corner on Portland Hill Road.

Jack stared at the small clapboard structure that served as meeting hall, church, and summertime schoolhouse, and felt anger at the woman who dared to call his Katie lazy creep uncontrollably back into his chest. Don't do it, he thought. Don't let yourself feel rage or fear or pain.

The familiar litany didn't work this time. He tried again and again, getting more and more desperate with each attempt. He couldn't distance himself from his emotions, not this time. They were roiling around inside of him like liquid fire, coiling around his gut. "What a pretty little building. Is that the school?" Jack's fingers tightened around the reins. Tension drew his mouth into a grim, colorless line. "Yes.""Good. Okay, let's talk about how to handle this situation."Her sentence hit him like a cold wind. "What did you say?""We need a plan of attack, so to speak. A way to enlist the old bat's help with Katie. We have to be calm and pleasant at all costs." She frowned in thought. "Maybe buttering her up would help."Terror stole through his body. Surely she didn't mean for them to speak to the teacher together. As parents. He could never remain numb if he actually heard the condemning words about his baby. "We won't do a damn thing. I showed you where the schoolhouse is. My job's done.""Sorry, Jack. It takes two to tango.""What in the hell does that mean?""It means it took both of us to create Katie. And it'll take both of us to help her through this crisis."Both. Create. Help. The words hurled at him like can-nonballs. He tried to feel angry, and failed. All he felt was cold and frightened and more alone than ever. "I'll wait," he said dully, "but I won't go in."They'd reached the schoolhouse by the time she finally answered. "Yes, Jack, you will."

Chapter Thirteen

Katie sat cross-legged on the rag rug, staring forlornly at her own feet. "What'dya think's happenin' now?"Savannah held her finger out to Caleb, who was lying on the floor between them. He curled his tiny red hand around her forefinger and squeezed. "I dunno. Prob'ly ain't there yet."They lapsed back into silence.

"Mama seemed pretty mad when she saw the note," Katie said quietly, plucking a wrinkled strip of blue flannel from the rug. "Not like last time.""No ..." Katie shuddered at the memory of "last time." Mama had smacked her hard and yelled at her for being such a stupid, lazy little girl who didn't want to be no better'n her crazy daddy.

"Don't think about that." Savannah touched Katie's knee. "It ain't gonna be like that again."Katie looked up. Stupid, stinging tears filled her eyes, but she couldn't hold them back. "You don't know that," she whispered. "Could be she's just tryin' to trick us again."Savannah swallowed hard. "I know, but ... but I don't think so. She seems ... differ'nt."A tear slipped down Katie's cheek and plopped on the hand fisted so tightly in her lap. She was so scared, she felt sick and twisted-up inside. Savannah was just tryin' to make her feel better. They both knew what was gonna happen when Mama got home. It was gonna be just like last time.

And there was nothin' they could do. Nothin' that would change anything. They just had to wait.

"Mary Katherine shouldn't be in school."Tess thought she'd misheard. "Excuse me?"Miss Ames peered down at them from her position in the front of the room. Planting her palms on her desk, she scooted her chair out from behind her and stood. A thin, humorless smile stretched her lips. "I said, Mary Katherine has no right to be in this school. She's lazy, inattentive, and obviously has no intention of learning to read." She paused, frowned. The wire-rimmed spectacles slid down her bumpy nose. "Perhaps she's not all there. In the head, you know, somewhat?""Don't you dare say it," Tess hissed.

Miss Ames pursed her lips in disapproval. "It seems Mary Katherine's poor manners are learned at home.""How dare you imply such a thing about a seven-year-old child? Has it ever occurred to you that there's a reason she learns more slowly than the other children?"Miss Ames sniffed loudly and pushed her spectacles back onto the bridge of her nose. "I don't believe I understand you."Tess took a deep, shaky breath to maintain her calm. Remember, Tess, you want this lady's help. She twisted her hands together in a nervous ball and forced a polite smile. "I?I think perhaps Katie needs a bit more of your time than the other students. You're so helpful, so smart. Certainly you can find a way to ... help Katie. What is it ... exactly that's problematic?"Miss Ames thought about that for a moment. A small frown pleated the skin between her eyes. The glasses slid down her nose again. "Well, the pressure of reading aloud seems to be particularly challenging to Mary Katherine."Tess leaned slightly forward, resting her palms on the rough-hewn desktop. "Maybe during your lunchtime ...""I suppose I could spend a few spare moments with her then."Tess nodded encouragement. "I'll work with her at home. Every night."Miss Ames allowed herself a cautious smile. "You will? All right, then. We shall try this approach and see if it works. Thank you for coming in, Mrs. Rafferty." She shot a no-nonsense nod to Jack, who was still sitting stiff as a board at the back of the room. "Mr. Rafferty."Tess shook the older woman's bony hand. "No, Miss Ames. Thank you."Miss Ames strapped up her pile of books and strode briskly out of the schoolhouse. When the door banged shut, Tess threw her hands up in the air and let out a whoop of laughter. "We did it. She'll help her, Jack!" When she turned back around, Jack was gone. Grabbing a handful of skirt, she ran down the aisle and pushed through the half-open door. Jack was sitting on the top step. Hunched over, chin in his hands, he was staring at the ground.

She skidded to a stop and sat down beside him. Her fanny thumped on the sagging wooden slat.

"You shouldn't have done that," he said dully. "Pretending only makes it worse." "Pretending what?""To care. It'll only hurt Katie more when you go back to your old ways. Don't?" He turned to her. Pain as raw as a new wound filled his eyes. "Don't get her hopes up. Please ..."Tess touched his face in a feather-stroke of compassion.

"Why?" The lone, softly spoken word slipped out before she could stop it.

He flinched at her touch. "Why what?""Why are you so afraid of her?"His breath expelled in a tired, ragged sigh that skimmed her cheeks. The agonizing pain in his eyes tore at her heart with tiny, shredding fingers. "Lissa, please ..." His voice was frayed with emotion.

Tess moved toward him, drawn by the same dark, aching feeling she'd had when she'd first seen him. She touched his face again; this time the touch was a caress. Her eyes probed his, tried desperately to see past the fear. "I'm not the same, Jack. I won't hurt you again. I promise."For a split second, she thought she saw hope in his eyes; then, as quickly as it had come, it was gone. "Sure, Lissa.

I believe you."

"Believe this." She took his face in her hands. His eyes widened in sudden realization and he tried to pull away from her.

"Lissa, don't?"

She leaned toward him, knowing it was too early, knowing he wasn't ready, and doing it anyway.

She was going to kiss him. Jack's whole body tensed. He knew he should wrench out of her grasp and fling himself backward, but he couldn't move. He was frozen in place by the raw need of a man who'd been in love alone.

He wanted to feel her lips on his, wanted it so badly, he felt weak. He'd dreamed of this moment ever since he'd seen her half-naked in the bath. Like a prisoner left too long in dark solitude, he dreamed of the sunny warmth of her touch. Ached for it. And right now, with the memory of Miss Ames's condemnation strong and bitter on his tongue, he needed this. Needed her ...

He felt her lips touch his, whisper-soft at first, just a whirring of breath and no more. A shiver skidded down his spine.

"Oh, God." The words slipped from his mouth in a groan of pleasure and pain. Trembling, he brought his hands to her face and held her, his fingers burrowing possessively into her hair. Need washed through his body in a red-hot wave. The love and desire he'd hidden for so long filled him. God, he wanted her....

He clung to her, lowering his mouth to hers and kissing her hungrily, greedily. His tongue forced her mouth apart and plunged inside the moist warmth. The kiss was everything he'd wanted, dreamed, and yet there was something in it that surprised him. Her lips felt as soft as always, and the scent of lavender clung to her as it always had, but there was a gentleness in this kiss that was new. A caution that bespoke inexperience and just a touch of anxiety. It reminded him of their very first kiss, so long ago, when they'd both believed in love.