month had rolled by.
Reaching for a drawer in the desk, Kinsman said, 'Speakin' of pay, you need an advance? Again, I wouldn't say that to just anybody.'
Longarm shook his head. 'No, thanks. I didn't ride in here stone-cold broke, and I don't like to take money until I've earned it.'
'Well, then, I reckon we're done.' Kinsman stood up and extended his hand across the desk. 'Welcome to the Diamond K, Custis,' he said, echoing what Traywick had said earlier.
Longarm shook hands with the rancher, then bade him good night. Traywick stayed behind to go over the books with Kinsman, and Longarm left the house to stroll toward the bunkhouse.
He detoured along the way and walked over to the horse barn instead, intending to check on the roan. He found a lantern on a hook just inside the door, lit it with a lucifer that he flicked into life on an iron-hard thumbnail, then walked along the broad central aisle to the stall where the roan was stabled. The horse whickered gently as Longarm reached over the gate to scratch its nose. There was still plenty of grain and water in the stall, so Longarm turned toward the front of the barn again, satisfied with this errand.
A figure stood there in the open doorway.
'What are you doing roaming around out here, Custis?' asked Molly Kinsman.
The sight of her had brought him up short. She moved quiet on her feet, like an Indian. That was something they didn't teach at Miss Hallowell's Academy. More than likely it was just natural grace on Molly's part. Longarm stood there by the stall and watched appreciatively as she walked toward him.
'Reckon I could ask you the same thing,' he said. 'I thought your daddy sent you upstairs.'
'My daddy sends me a lot of places. I don't always go.' She stopped in front of him, only about two feet separating them. 'He thinks I'm going to settle down and get married--to some dull cowboy of his choice, naturally--and then do nothing but pop out one baby after another while my husband takes care of the important things, like running the ranch.'
'You don't care much for that plan, do you?' Longarm said quietly.
'I know as much about running this ranch as anybody! At least, I would if he'd ever give me a chance. And I certainly don't intend to marry some ignorant puncher like Seth Thomas just to give my father some grandchildren.'
'Nothing wrong with marrying a cowboy, I guess,' Longarm said with a shrug of his shoulders.
'It's not what I want,' insisted Molly. 'I want a man who's been places and done things. Maybe... somebody like you, Custis.'
She closed the distance between them, sliding her arms around his waist and pressing her body to his. Longarm reacted instinctively, his shaft hardening against the soft pressure of her belly. He hung the lantern on a hook so she wouldn't get up against it and burn herself. She was already hot enough.
But he was in no mood to get himself shot or strung up for taking advantage of an innocent young girl, so he backed off and said, 'I ain't sure this is such a good idea.'
'Don't worry about my virtue, Custis,' she said in a husky voice as she moved with him. 'I lost that less than a month after I arrived in Boston. But it's been a long time since I've been with a man like you.'
Her hand strayed down to the bulge at the crotch of his denims, tracing the length and heft of him through the material. She caught her breath. 'Lord! Come to think of it, I don't believe I've ever been with a man exactly like you.'
She kissed him then, her mouth hungrily seeking out his. Longarm's arms went around her of their own volition, pulling her more tightly against him. He could feel the erect buds of her nipples poking through the soft material of her dress. She moaned deep in her throat as she thrust her hips against his groin. Her mouth opened and her tongue flickered boldly around his.
The lantern was still burning and the doors of the barn were wide open, which meant that anybody who happened to walk by could look in and see them wrapped up in each other's arms. As tempting as the thought of taking Molly into one of the empty stalls for a roll in the hay--literally!--might be, he didn't want to ruin this investigation before it even got properly under way.
He put his hands on her shoulders and firmly moved her away from him. 'This ain't a good idea, Molly,' he said. 'I don't reckon you're even half my age.'
'I'm nineteen,' she said.
'Close enough.'
'And I already told you, I'm no blushing virgin. I know what I want, Custis.'
Longarm took a deep breath. 'That don't matter. I work for your daddy, and from what I've seen of him so far, he'd likely ventilate me if he caught me messing with his little girl. If he didn't, I reckon Joe probably would.'
'You're afraid of my father?' Molly shook her head. 'I don't think you're really afraid of anything, Custis.' Again she cupped his groin brazenly. 'Unless it's that you can't keep up with me.'
'Lord,' muttered Longarm under his breath. She was persistent, he had to give her that.
He wasn't sure what he should do, but fortunately, he didn't have to make the decision after all. Footsteps sounded outside the barn, and Molly suddenly gasped and stepped back away from him. She turned and walked swiftly toward the entrance, leaving Longarm behind her, blinking a little in surprise. Molly was mighty bold, all right... until she thought she was about to be caught.
As she left the barn, she passed Seth Thomas, who Paused and lifted a hand toward her. 'Molly?' he said. But she didn't stop, just continued toward the house.
Seth looked into the barn and saw Longarm standing there next to the stalls. 'You!' he exclaimed. 'What'd you do to Molly?'
'Not a thing,' Longarm said. 'Just checking on my horse before I turned in for the night.' He reached out and
