Read Online Against the Rules by Linda Howard - Free Book Online Page A

county social life. Most of the marriages and at least a few of the pregnancies of the last fifteen years had gotten their start at the Saturday night dances. “Thanks for reminding me. I’ll think about it, though I don’t think Rule would thank you for volunteering him for escort duty.”
    â€œTry him!” was Wanda’s laughing advice.
    â€œNo, thanks,” muttered Cathryn to herself as she left the coolness of the pharmacy and the heat of the cloudless Texas day hit her in the face. She had no intention of being there for the next dance, anyway. She’d be on that plane in less than twenty-four hours, and by the next Saturday she would be safe in her Chicago apartment, away from the dangers and temptations of Rule Jackson.
    She opened the car door and dropped her purchases onto the seat, but stood for a moment allowing the interior of the car to cool somewhat before she got in.
    â€œCathryn! By God, I thought it was you! Heard you were back!”
    She turned curiously and a grin widened her mouth as a tall, lanky man with white hair and sun-browned skin loped along the sidewalk to reach her. “Mr. Vernon! It’s nice to see you again!”
    Paul Vernon reached her and enfolded her in a hug that lifted her off the ground. He had been her father’s best friend, and she had carried on the tradition with his son, Kyle. To Paul Vernon’s disappointment the friendship between the two had never matured into romance; but he had always had a soft spot in his heart for Cathryn and she returned the affection, in some ways liking the older man more than she had Kyle.
    He replaced her on the ground and turned to beckon another man forward. Cathryn knew him at once as a newcomer, even though she had been away for years. The man who removed his hat politely and nodded at her wasn’t dressed in quite the manner a local would have dressed. His jeans were a little too new; his hat wasn’t a hat that had been on the range.
    Mr. Vernon’s introduction confirmed her guess. “Cathryn, this is Ira Morris. He’s in the region looking at some livestock and horses; he owns a spread in Kansas. Ira, this is Cathryn Donahue...sorry, but I can’t remember your married name. Cathryn is from the Bar D.”
    â€œBar D?” asked Mr. Morris. “Isn’t that Rule Jackson’s spread?”
    â€œThat’s right; you’ll have to see him if it’s horses you want. He’s got the best quarter-horse farm in the state.”
    Mr. Morris was impatient. He barely contained his restlessness when Paul Vernon seemed content to linger and chat for a while. Cathryn was in sympathy with his impatience, because she was burning with fury and it was taking a great deal of self-control to hide it from Mr. Vernon. At last he said goodbye and admonished her to come visit soon. She promised to do so and quickly got into the car before he could continue the conversation.
    She started the car and slammed it into gear with violent temper; not in years had she been so consumed with white-hot rage. The last time had been that day by the river, but there wouldn’t be the same ending this time. She wasn’t a naive teenager who hadn’t any idea of how to control a man or handle her own desires now. She was a woman, and he had encroached on her home territory. Rule Jackson’s spread, indeed! Was that how people thought of the Bar D now? Maybe Rule thought it was his, too; maybe he considered himself so much in control that there was no way she could dislodge him. If so, he’d find out soon that she was a Donahue of the Bar D and a Jackson just didn’t belong!
    The first wave of anger had passed by the time she reached the ranch, but her resolve hadn’t faded. First she took her purchases in to Lorna, knowing that the woman would have seen her arrival from the kitchen window. That guess was proved correct when she opened the door and saw Lorna standing at the