Westward the Tide (1950) (30 page)

Bardoul looked down at her as they stopped by the pool. "This looks like some sort of an end ... or is it a beginning?"

She leaned back against the clasp of his hands on her elbows, looking up at him, her face flushed, her eyes very bright. "Matt, do you think I would make a good rancher's wife?"

"Why not?" he said seriously. "You can learn to herd cattle, cut hay, split wood..."

"Mathieu Bardoul!" Jacquine protested. "If you think I'm going to do all that, why you're sadly mistaken!"

"All right! All right! Anyway, with all those kids you'd be busy enough without that."

Jacquine's expression grew ominous. "All what kids? How many?"

"Oh," he shrugged carelessly, "maybe fifteen or so. Fifteen seems like a good number!"

"Fifteen?" She was horrified."Fifteen ? If you think...!"

He drew her close, laughing at her, turning her chin up with his fingers, and bending his own head lower. Her lips trembled as his met them, and then slowly they relaxed and lost their fright and became warm and soft and yielding.

After awhile with her head against his chest, she said softly half pleading. "Matt? Would it have to be fifteen? Couldn't we sort of compromise?"

"Well," his expression was judicious, "we might! Now maybe we should go back. We have wagons to unload, and the rest of a town to build."