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obvious that I have one? I'm flattered."
"I'd like to know. Please."
"'Please' from you. Now, that is a surprise. I'm almost tempted to tell you. But you wouldn't believe me."
"Did you go to college?"
"Harvard."
"You're lying."
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"I said you wouldn't believe me. But it's true. I even graduated. After that, my father offered to pay me
to stay away for good."
"Why?"
"Why? Obviously he didn't like my company," he murmured with a half-smile, and stood up from the
fence. "Time to go in."
"Is your family from the Nor "
"No more questions. I've bared my soul enough for one night." He reached to take her arm and stopped
in mid-motion as she edged away from him. "Oh, yes. No touching. Come on, Adeline."
Everything he said and did was carefully cataloged in her mind. She would have to remember it all.
Maybe that was why she had found herself here. Maybe she was intended to expose the other side of
him, to in-terrupt the events that would lead up to Russell's death. The fact that I'm here must change
a lot of things. The fact that I'm here instead of Adeline Warner is just the beginning of it all.
Everything will be different now. I'll make it different. I'll stop Russell's murder. I'll ruin Ben
Hunter before it ever gets that far.
After she retired for the night, she turned fitfully as questions burned through her mind. There were things
she had to know. Things she had to find out tomorrow. Addie threw off the light sheet that covered her
and rolled over onto her stomach, hot and frustrated . . . frightened.
Her thoughts stilled as the clear, lovely notes of a guitar floated through the windows from a distance.
Haunting, sweet music. Was that Ben? She didn't know the melody, but it was the most beautiful thing
she had ever heard, soothing and faultlessly played. She could sense the entire ranch settling down to
listen. Soon Addie ceased to wonder at the source of the music and relaxed. How could someone like
Ben play something so beautiful? she thought drowsily, and then she thought of Leah, sleeping only a few
rooms away. She wondered if Leah was listening.
3
ADDIE WAS UP AT DAWN WITH THE OTHERS, UNABLE to stay in bed while the smell of
breakfast crept stealthily through the air and the sound of quiet morn-ing conversation floated up to her
from the dining room. She washed and dressed quickly, feeling strangely at peace in spite of a long and
restless night.
Was there any way to get back to the Sunrise she belonged in? She didn't know how to go back-she
didn't know how she'd gotten here in the first place. What if she was stuck here forever? Addie shivered
at the thought and pushed it aside. There was no use worrying about that. It didn't seem as if she could
do anything about it. If it was all a dream, it would end sometime. And if she was crazy, it was better to
pre-tend to herself and everyone else that she wasn't.
But there was something practical for her to think about. Russell Warner was still alive, and she might be
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the only one who could keep him that way. To the rest of the family and everyone in Sunrise, she would
be Adeline. She would figure out how to be who they thought she was. From now on, no one would
notice anything peculiar about her. And while he was fooling them all, she would find some way to
expose Ben for what he was and stop him from killing Russell. As things stood now, Russell would be
murdered just af-ter fall roundup. She had until then to change every-thing.
Addie went downstairs with a light step. As she walked into the dining room, she painted on a bright
smile. "Good morning," she said airily, seating her-self by May.
"What in tarnation's got you so happy?" Russell demanded. His eyes twinkling.
"Nothing." She leaned to the side as the maid reached over to pour her coffee.
"I think it may have something to do with Jeff," May said, pleased by the thought. "Isn't that right,
Adeline?"
"It might be," Addie conceded, stirring sugar into her coffee. "I have to admit, Jeff is super."
A blank silence greeted her statement.
"Super?"
Addie realized her mistake and covered it hastily. "New expression." You'll hear it about fifty years
from now. "It means nice ... wonderful."
Russell chuckled. "Don't know why young people have to go makin' up new words. We got all we
need."
"Because young people always think they're feelin' things no one has ever felt before," Caroline said
rea-sonably. "Thinkin' up new words only makes sense to 'em."
"Adeline, are you going to see Jeff again today?" May's face was warm with motherly interest.
"Well, we'd talked about it."
"I want Adeline to be out with me today," Russell interrupted brusquely.
There was a short silence around the table. Then May spoke with a frown etched on the comers of her
mouth, displeasure knitting her brow. "Later you can take Cade "
"Cade will be in school all day," Russell coun-tered, his jaw set obstinately. "And Adeline and me
haven't been ridin' in a long time. She wants to go. Don't you, punkin?"
Addie nodded eagerly. "Yes. It sounds like a fine idea. "
"We'll look over the ranch, see things are bein' done right, won't we, honey?"
She grinned at him. "We sure will."
"Wait." Ben's eyes darkened with annoyance. "The men don't need to have her looking over their
shoul-ders and putting in her two cents about what they're doing."
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Addie sat up straighter in her chair, looking directly at him. "I won't say a thing to anyone."
"You don't have to," he replied curtly. "Just look-ing at you is going to distract them." He turned to
Russell, his voice becoming softer, more persuasive. "We've got a lot of things to do today, and no time
to put up with her antics. Most of them get to see a woman seldom enough, Russ, and they can't help
star-ing. But to have one right there while they're trying to work, and one that looks like Adeline it's
asking a little much, isn't it?"
Addie frowned, wondering if there had been a com-pliment hidden in there. It was hard to tell. "I'm glad
you've got a foreman smart enough to tell us what to do, Daddy," she said, her eyes round. If she'd had
Mary Pickford curls, she would have twirled one around her finger.
Russ harrumphed irritably. "No one tells me what to do with my daughter, Ben. She's lookin' over the
ranch with me today. "
"By all means." Ben's face was smooth, wiped clean of all emotion.
By the time Addie and Russell arrived at the barn, Ben had already left to organize the ranch hands as
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