Made For The Rancher. Rebecca Winters

behind it, mountains filled with sapphires created at the dawn of time, sapphires his family had mined for years.

      His eyes burned with hot tears. Wymon missed his father like hell. Maybe it was better he wasn’t alive to hear that today’s bill had been postponed. But Wymon had no intention of giving up.

      * * *

      AFTER GETTING OFF the phone with Rob, Jasmine Telford sank down on the side of her bed, wishing she hadn’t told him she’d go with him. But he said he’d be there at 8:30 a.m., so she couldn’t back out now.

      Her gaze strayed to the small suitcase she’d just packed. She’d never gone away with him overnight, but he’d been hinting that this was something important for his career. He’d sounded so serious that she’d agreed to take the day off from her job at the university. But she’d told him they would have to have separate bedrooms. She’d never been to bed with a man and didn’t have those feelings for him.

      Rob Farnsworth, an energy engineer from Helena, was running for a second term as a state representative. She’d met him three months ago in her father’s office, and he’d instantly won over her parents with his charm and intelligence. As for her, she wasn’t so sure, but from that time on he’d pursued her with a vengeance. At first she was flattered, but after a while little things about him started to bother her. He’d been indulged by his wealthy family—and she discovered that his ambition, like theirs, went beyond Montana politics, which made her nervous.

      She’d come from a ranching family. Though her dad had been involved in local politics, he planned to get back to the family feed business once he was out of office. Her hardworking father was serving his last term as a state public service commissioner.

      Jasmine’s mother was always right at his side supporting him and often stayed with him in Helena when he had business there, only coming home to Philipsburg on the odd weekend. That left Jasmine, who still lived at home, on her own.

      Heaving a sigh, she phoned her mother and got her voice mail. Jasmine left a message saying that she was going out of town with Rob and would be back the next day, but that she’d stay in touch.

      Before Rob arrived, she went in the bathroom to refresh her coral lipstick and run a brush through her wavy dark blond hair that was naturally streaked by the sun. She kept it medium-short so it didn’t need a lot of work.

      He’d said to dress casually, so she’d put on designer jeans and a short-sleeved khaki blouse. After slipping on her leather sandals, she put on some lemon-scented lotion and decided she was ready.

      Within seconds she heard him honk and left the house with her suitcase. Rob got out to hug her and take her bag. “I hope you’re up for an airplane ride.”

      No-o. Her head lifted. “You’re kidding.”

      “Why would I do that? I’ve been asking you to fly with me for a long time, and you’ve always turned me down. But I’m not going to let you get away with it today. By the way, you look beautiful.” He planted a firm kiss on her mouth, but his plans had caught her off guard.

      “Hey—” His brown eyes swept over her. “What’s wrong? I thought you told me you’re not afraid of flying.”

      “I’m not.”

      “So, it’s just me you don’t trust. Honey, I logged two thousand flying hours in the military.”

      “Trust has nothing to do with it. I’ve said no because you fly for your job. I haven’t wanted to interfere with that.”

      He frowned. “Interfere? I want you with me whenever possible. Remember that huge rally scheduled in Helena in three weeks? You promised you’d come with me and my parents.”

      “I know.” She had promised him. But since then she’d become less sure about their relationship. “I’ll fly with you this one time, Rob, but that’s it.” While they were on this trip, she’d tell him she would rather not be at his political rally.

      Rob stowed her case in the rental car, and they took off for Riddick Field Airport in Philipsburg where he’d flown in from Helena. She saw a plane she didn’t recognize sitting out on the runway.

      “That’s yours?”

      “It’s a Cessna 177B single-engine plane.”

      “You got a new one?”

      “That’s my surprise!” He grinned at her, reminding her of a kid on Christmas. “Nothing but the best when you buy a Cessna Cardinal. She’s a four-seater and a real honey of a serious cross-country machine. She’s got 180 horse power. You’re going to love it.”

      Before long they reached the parking area. He walked her to the shiny blue-and-white plane and introduced her to his mechanic. They shook hands. “You’re going up on a beautiful day, Ms. Telford.”

      “It is gorgeous out.”

      Rob helped her onboard. “As you can see, there’s a lot of room in a Cardinal. Take out the back seat and you can fit camping gear for three weeks. It’s really amazing. We can get two folding bikes, kid seats and a cooler behind the back seat for a full-family day trip, or fit a family of four in here with all the ski gear, no problem.”

      Whoa. His mind was taking their relationship to a whole new level. When he’d said this outing was important for his career, she hadn’t realized she was a part of it. Whatever he was leading up to, she wasn’t ready for anything that serious. Jasmine still didn’t know him well enough yet, not after three months. And what she did know raised certain concerns in her mind.

      Pretty soon they were settled and both put on their headgear. He turned to her with a smile. “We’re flying to Seattle and won’t be back until Sunday.”

      “The whole weekend?”

      “I have a little business to do there. How does that sound?”

      “You’ve surprised me. I haven’t been there in years,” she said to cover what she’d really wanted to say, that she’d rather not go.

      “Good. I have it all planned out.”

      Rob was a planner with enough drive for three people. That was why he’d been so successful in business and politics. Besides his good looks, he had many admirable qualities, but that drive he’d inherited from his parents made her nervous.

      Did he ever slow down? Have a quiet moment? Maybe spending the weekend with him would help her figure out if he could just be still and enjoy life. So far she suspected he was a workaholic. Jasmine wondered if she could live with a person like that, never mind that he might take exception to her more laid-back personality.

      After starting the engine, he was cleared for takeoff. Soon the land receded, and they headed into a picture-perfect blue sky. Philipsburg lay below between two mountain ranges filled with mining ghost towns and lakes that made the scenery a never-ending tapestry of beauty.

      “We’re flying over a portion of the Sapphires on our way,” he explained after they’d reached cruising altitude. “Did I tell you we’re finally showing some real progress on getting rid of the pollution from the old mines?”

      “Yes.” She chuckled. He couldn’t help talking about his ideas for cleaning up the rivers to help the fish population thrive.

      “I’m happy about the decline in the wolf population, too. Wolves are on a downward trend in the area. It means the tools we’re using to manage them are effective. The impact we’re making there is positive, and there’s more good news. The bill to reintroduce grizzlies into the area was postponed for a month due to pressure from our side. That particular ranching coalition is a tough group, but we’ve prevailed so far.”

      “I know you were strongly against it.” Jasmine looked down at the green canopy below.

      When she was young and on a hike with her parents, she remembered seeing a grizzly with her two cubs up in the Coffin Lakes area. Her father had whispered, “Isn’t she a magnificent