The pig! she thought about that dirty old man. Oh, how stupid it is to keep rehashing all this. But God, Daddy… what have you done to us?

Katie felt the hot tears stinging her cheeks, and she'd vowed days ago that she'd never let it happen again. Yet, she hadn't counted on this Ron Carter either, and somehow he'd stirred her up miserably.

Lord knows, Daddy had meant only the best for them. He'd given them the K-Bar-L with its splendid furnishings, ample wardrobes, three cars, and finally her Gallant Red and Genghis, the latter being a magnificent beast she had seen in a San Francisco zoo and fallen in love with. She knew he had cost her father a sizable amount, and somehow he'd managed the difficult purchase from the zoo.

Then, it had taken several months of gradual and professional acclimation before the Lobo could cope with the desert heat. Now, he was her prize possession, just as the ranch was Daddy's, while to Lee and herself, if was only a figurehead place.

She guessed that it probably hung fine amongst the Breynar Country Club group, placing her parents on the exclusive social level. It was a beautiful, gentleman spread that most people would give a great deal to be a part of, but neither Lee nor did she feel quite that way about it. And although she wasn't certain, she had her doubts about her Mom's professed contentment there.

If only she and her brother hadn't drifted so far apart. Whatever had come between them, Katie couldn't put her finger on it. After all, they'd always been so close. In fact, there'd almost been a secret bond drawing them closer to one another in Tucson, and thinking about it caused an unexpected ripple of excitement to tingle along her spine again.

She recalled that he would come into her room at night before going to bed, wearing only his shorts, while she might sit at her vanity brushing her hair in her nightie.