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but no more now than usual."
    "He and everyone else in this area would have a field day with a marriage between us," she warned. Was the flicker of tension in his eyes annoyance or satisfaction that she was obviously taking his proposal seriously?
    "I don't give a damn what anybody else thinks," he stated succinctly.  Susan didn't think he cared much about his local popularity. She searched his features to see if there were any telltale signs of concern.
    "People can be cruel."  Neither of them elaborated, but they both knew people would criticize her for marrying so soon after Shane's death. They'd call Luke a lecher and accuse him of preying on her vulnerability. Some would call her a slut and a gold digger. There would be no secret about marrying to keep the family's land holdings intact. Nothing was ever really private in so small a community.
    The Hanchart money and power would prevent them from becoming social outcasts, but things could get very unpleasant. The rest of the Hanchart family might be the worst offenders.
    Susan would prefer to isolate herself on the ranch and ignore popular opinions, but she knew that was nearly impossible.
    "I can handle it," Luke assured her. "Can you?" She gave him a sad smile. "Talk is cheap. There was a time when it would have bothered me a lot." That was when her parents were living and her family had been a pillar of the community, before her life had been shattered into a million pieces. "Very little bothers me now."
    His eyes were glittering slits of silver as they scoured her face for signs of emotions in conflict with her words. "Does that mean you're accepting my proposal?"
    A frown creased her brow. "It means I'll give it some thought."  His reaction was swift and harsh. "I thought you couldn't afford to wait any longer. It's stupid to move everything to Houston if we're going to be married. You can move in right now:"
    Susan was a little taken aback by his attitude. She knew there was a strong physical attraction between them, but there had to be more to his impatience. Even though she understood how important the land was to him, she couldn't help resenting his impatience to have his way.
    "That would really stir up the gossip," she insisted.
    "You could go back to Shane's place."
    "No!" she was equally adamant about that. "Then stay here. Juan and Rosa can move into the house as chaperons or Granddad can move back for a while if you think it's necessary."
    Juan and Rosa Lopez were part of the ranch staff, he a foreman and she a housekeeper. They had their own smaller house, as did John, but everyone occasionally stayed at the main house. "I'm not worried about chaperons." She might be a little wary of being alone with him, but not enough to suffer several unfamiliar companions.
    "Good, because I'm not too fond of having a house full of people, either."
    Susan absently stroked Mariando's neck while she gave more thought to Luke's suggestion, trying to study it from every conceivable angle. It would solve a lot of her immediate problems. She wouldn't have to move to the city, leave her beloved horses, or worry about her dismal finances.
    On the other hand, her experience with marriage had been terrible. The brutal death of her youthful dreams had convinced her there were no Prince Charmings. She never wanted to be trapped in a bad marriage again, but how was one to know? There were no assurances. Would it be wiser to marry for strictly practical reasons? Was it so wrong to yearn for security and the promise of a family?
    She liked what she knew about Luke. Without Shane's interference, their relationship might have developed into a deeper commitment. They shared a solid foundation of growing up in the same community with a long line of Texas blood in their veins. They seemed to want the same things from life: home, family and commitment. At least she thought they did.
    "I've learned there aren't any guarantees in life. What if we can't make it work?" she asked.  "We make