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pages of amagazine. This time, it looked as if he’d stopped to read the story that went along with the pictures.
    About time, Maggie thought.
    Cruz had spent the better part of the reception in Savannah Clark’s company. That had to mean something since he normally divided his time with no less than five women during the course of one of these parties.
    But to say so, Maggie knew, would be to annoy him. She decided to save that little observation as ammunition for some future time. She never knew when she might need it.
    “Indefinitely.” Maggie watched Cruz saddle his horse, his face impassive. She knew him better than that. He wouldn’t be asking questions if he wasn’t interested. He wasn’t one for idle gossip. “It seems the school where she was teaching had to let some of their staff go. She needed a job and Vanessa offered her one. She’d going to be the ranch’s new bookkeeper.”
    So, she’d be working for the Fortunes. That put her on the same level as he was. Cruz wondered if Savannah thought of that as a step down. He knew from experience that the Fortune family and their hired help did not readily mix, no matter what magnanimous words might be said to the contrary or what invitations were extended. The bottom linewas that the Fortunes were above them and would always continue that way.
    Tightening the saddle cinch, he looked at his sister. “So she’ll be staying on.”
    Maggie nodded. “Looks that way.” Maggie made no attempt to hide the fact that she was taken with his reaction. “Are you interested?”
    Yes, he thought, he was interested. For all her shyness, Savannah had been a very satisfying lover and he wanted to lure her back to his bed. Just to assure himself that he’d over-glorified the night in his mind.
    But he’d missed his chance to find out last night. After Dallas had cut in on them, other members of the Fortune family had followed and gone on to monopolize Savannah’s time. So he had distracted himself with the woman he’d been with.
    Or tried to. But his heart hadn’t been in it and he’d gone back to his cabin alone, to fall into a restless sleep that had left him more tired than refreshed when he woke up this morning.
    The tangle of dreams he’d had had faded the moment he’d woken up, but they had left him weary. And more restless.
    “Are you interested?” Maggie repeated, peering at his face.
    Cruz shrugged, absently looking over toward the house. “No more than usual,” he finally said.
    But Maggie had her doubts about that.

Four
    V anessa and Devin left on their honeymoon immediately after the reception, and life on the sprawling ranch went back to normal.
    But normal did not really include her, Savannah thought as she sat the next morning in the dining room, pretending to eat breakfast. She’d gone from being Vanessa’s best friend to being a ranch employee, and wasn’t really sure anymore how to behave.
    Dallas was at the table with her, as was Ryan. After murmuring a preoccupied hello in her direction, Ryan had been prodded by his son to give the final okay on Savannah’s hiring.
    “Hmm? Oh yes, of course. I’m sure you’ll be fine.” Picking up the cup of coffee at his place, he began walking away with it, heading for the front door. “But there’s no need to rush into anything,” he tossed back at her in his wake, still preoccupied. “Why don’t you wait until Vanessa returns before you get started? Just consider this an extended vacation for now.”
    Translation: I’m being retained as a favor , Savannah thought. There was no reason to wait for Vanessa. Vanessa was a psychologist, not the manager of the ranch. That position belonged to Ryan, and to Dallas in part because Dallas would be the one who’d be taking over the ranch when his father retired.
    A sour taste formed in Savannah’s mouth. She’d told Vanessa that she didn’t like the idea of being anyone’s charity case.
    Dallas waited until he heard the front door close before