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rumors about Brig McKenzie are true.”
    The words whispered through the gardens, and Cassidy, hidden by the rose arbor as she carried her towel and radio, nearly stumbled on the path. Catching herself, she stopped before her sister and friend could catch a glimpse of her. What rumors? There seemed to be a new one about the McKenzie boys every day.
    Felicity’s laugh was nasty. “It had better be worth it, ’cause if your daddy found out you were going to seduce one of the hired hands—”
    “Hey, wait a minute. You’ve got it all wrong,” Angie said. “ He’s gonna seduce me. He just hasn’t figured it out yet.”
    “Well, what can you expect? He’s probably all brawn and no brain.”
    Cassidy couldn’t believe it. What was Angie thinking? She was actually planning to do it? With Brig? The idea made her sick, but it wasn’t because Brig was an employee; it was the fact that his life was being planned—manipulated—and he didn’t have a clue. Maybe it didn’t matter. He was a surly one anyway, but the thought of Angie and him kissing and touching and getting all sweaty turned her stomach.
    “When?” Felicity asked, leaning closer.
    “Soon.”
    Felicity’s smile stretched wide and catlike. She nearly purred, “He’ll never know what hit him.”
    Cassidy had heard enough. Coughing loudly, she walked through the arbor, her bare feet suddenly seeming to smack against the flagstones.
    Conversation stopped. Angie and Felicity exchanged smirking glances. “What’re you doing sneaking around here?” Angie asked as she picked up her drink and scowled at the melting ice cubes.
    “What’s it look like? I thought I’d go for a swim.”
    “Don’t you think you should shower first?” Angie’s nose wrinkled slightly at the dust that clung to her younger sister’s skin.
    “I’m okay.” Cassidy wasn’t going to get into an argument with her sister. At least not now when her ears were ringing with Angie’s announcement.
    Felicity slid a look up Cassidy’s body—her cutoff jeans, frayed around the edges, the smudges on her legs, the red blouse that was opened to reveal the top of her two-piece. Cassidy nearly blushed. She knew she wasn’t as endowed as either of the two older girls; in fact, she’d been waiting for her breasts to grow for the last couple of years. It seemed as if they barely got started, then stopped completely. “Be careful,” Felicity warned. “Good ol’ Willie has been sneaking around here trying to get a free peek.”
    “I told you, he’s harmless.” Angie swirled her drink.
    Rolling her eyes, Felicity said, “He’s a grown man with the brain of a ten-year-old. Hardly harmless.”
    Cassidy wasn’t worried about Willie. She stripped off her blouse and cutoffs, scraped her hair back and snapped it into a ponytail, then dived quickly into the water. She’d never liked Felicity Caldwell and didn’t know what Angie saw in the redhead. Felicity wasn’t quite as pretty as Angie, but she was the daughter of Judge Caldwell, who was a good friend of their father’s. Rex and The Judge—his real name was Ira but everyone called him The Judge—played golf together, hunted together and drank together. They’d known each other all their lives, and Felicity and Angie had grown up together. For as long as Cassidy could remember, Felicity had had her eyes and heart set on Derrick.
    Cassidy surfaced, shook the water from her hair and began swimming laps. Felicity and Angie left. Well, good; Cassidy didn’t want to think any more of Brig and Angie and what they would do together if Angie got her way. And what would stop them? Nothing. The stories about Brig McKenzie were legendary; even Cassidy had heard a few. If you could believe all the town gossip, Brig McKenzie had warmed more beds than all the electric blankets in Prosperity put together. Cassidy didn’t know if she trusted the rumors, but she couldn’t deny that she, herself, had noticed he was sexy in a rough-and-tumble,