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before him, and began.
"My dear, this should basically be very simple. As you know, all that Fred and Rainey had will naturally be yours." He sat back down at his desk. For the first time Jessica could ever recall, he had a rather sheepish look on his face.
"Uhthere is only one small stipulation to the will that Fred and Rainey added about a year ago." He glanced up at Jessica and continued. "I don't imagine you're going to like it."
Not like it. Jessica couldn't imagine what the judge meant but mentally braced herself for what was to come.
Judge Baker began to explain the details of the will. "Land, house, material possessions, etc., etc., all to go to

 

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you with the stipulation that you return to run the farm for six months. If you insist on remaining in Austin, then the entire estate will be left to Manor Methodist Church, where, as you know, Fred and Rainey had been members for over fifty years.''
Jessica sat with a stunned expression on her face, rage simmering within her. How dare they play God with her life again! She was an adultperfectly capable of controlling her own destiny. She jumped to her feet and stormed over to the large window which looked out on the main street. "How could they do it?" she exclaimed. " Why did they do it?"
"Why?" the judge said gently. "Because they loved you, Jessie. They simply could not stand the thought of you never coming back to the home and land they had loved. They have waited patiently all these years, hoping you'd return"the judge cleared his throat before continuing"and that you had forgiven them. It weighed heavily on their minds, Jessicawhat they had done to you and Jason."
"It should have," Jessica replied in a rare show of hurt feelings, "but they knew I had forgiven them. How in the world am I going to run that farm? I know very little about it now. I've been gone all these years!"
The judge began to shuffle through a stack of papers on his desk, seeming to search for the right words. Finally, tossing the papers aside in agitation, he blurted out, "Fred suggested you hire Jason to do it."
" What? " Jessica's mouth gaped in shock.
"Now think about it for a minute, Jessica. It could make a whole lot of sense. He's one of the biggest ranchers around right now. His property adjoins yours, plus he's got the manpower to run both ranches. Andto tell you the truth, I don't know of another man around I would trust or even recommend to do the job for you."
Jessica stood in front of his wooden desk, speechless. Finally, able to find her tongue, she said in a determined

 

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voice, ''Even if I would think about anything that preposterous, Judge Baker, I'm sure Jason would never have anything to do with such an asinine suggestion. My gosh, you do realize we didn't exactly part the best of friends. I seriously doubt that he would cross the road to pull my fanny out of a fire."
"Oh, now, Jessica," the judge admonished laughingly, "that was a long time ago. You are two reasonable adults now, more than able to conduct a simple business agreementwhich is all this would be."
Jessica snorted in a very unladylike way.
"I suggest you take a few days to think this over, dear. As soon as you calm down, I'm sure you'll view things differently."
As Jessica let herself out into the hot afternoon air her mind was spinning in a thousand directions. What in the world was she going to do now? Even though she had wanted to come back home, it was the principle of the thing! She had to have that inheritance to start her business, but she sure in the devil hated to think she was being forced to claim it.
Well, her hands seemed to be tied. No money, no business. She couldn't see much of a choice. It was either crawling to Mr. High and Mighty Rawlings or going back to eking out a living for the rest of her life in a schoolroom. Jessica literally stomped her foot in a fit of anger.
Storming back out to the old truck, she remembered the words of Judge Baker as she had angrily complained about