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crushed against that broad chest. It was hard to believe any of this was happening to her. She couldn't think of anything to say and she never remembered being this tongue-tied on any date. She felt embarrassed telling the waitress that she wanted her coffee black.
    'Are you from San Antonio?' Lije was leaning back in his chair, his long legs stretching beneath the table. If Diana seemed uneasy, Lije appeared totally relaxed and in command—which he was.
    'No, I'm from Dallas. I grew up there and except for a few weekend excursions I really haven't been anywhere. That probably sounds very dull to someone like you who travels all over the country.' Diana nervously clasped her hands around the heavy mug of coffee.
    'Not quite what you would expect from a model,' he agreed dryly.
    'Modelling is just like any other job or profession. It may sound glamorous, but it's really a lot of hard work and self-discipline.'
    'Don't you enjoy it?' An eyebrow raised briefly over a grey eye.
    'I…I like it well enough.'
    'What made you decide to become a model?'
    'It seemed the only logical choice at the time,' Diana sighed, taking a sip of the hot liquid. 'I didn't seem suited for anything else. Education costs money.'
    'What about your parents? Couldn't they help?'
    'I have no parents.' Camouflaged defiance made her look at him boldly. 'I'm your typical baby on the doorstep.'
    His gaze made a slow study of her face. There was authorityin his expression, but Diana couldn't detect any patronizing air of superiority.
    'You were never adopted?'
    'I was very sickly as a baby and a child,' Diana replied. 'My earliest memories are of hospitals and doctors and nurses. By the time I gotover all the illnesses, I was too old. People only want to adopt babies or children under five. So I had a succession of foster parents, which was nice, because I always had a room of my own.'
    'I imagine if you were as beautiful then as you are now, it must have been difficult for you.'
    Diana glanced at him in surprise. 'How did you know? Most people think it made it easier.'
    'Generally children are placed in homes where there are other children almost the same age. It would be logical for the natural children of your foster-parents to be envious and even jealous of you,' Lije reasoned.
    'Yes. It really complicated things. The parents tried to be objective, but it was hard for them, too. I mean, every parent likes to believe that their child is the prettiest or the most intelligent.' All the little long-ago hurts brought a haunting quality to her expression. 'The last family I stayed with had a daughter just a few months younger than myself. When I first came there she had a steady boyfriend, but, just by my being there, they broke up. I never did anything to make him think I was interested in him. It was really awful. He kept calling me on the phone. She was really a nice girl, and I would have liked to have had her as a friend.'
    'What made you decide to take up modelling?'
    'It seemed obvious. After all, how many bosses' wives would want someone like me as their husband's secretary?' Diana smiled. 'As I said, I didn't have the money to go on to collegeeven if I could have got a partial scholarship. I went to work in a department store in Dallas. Within a month I was modelling some of their clothes, which was when Connie Deveronne saw me. She's my employer now.'
    'What would you have done if you were able to choose?'
    'I think I would have liked to be a teacher in the primary grades or pre-school.' She stared wistfully at her coffee.
     

 
    Chapter Three
     
    'WELL, Diana breathed in deeply, "I've managed to give you my life history. Now tell me about yourself. I know you're a rodeo rider and come from New Mexico.'
    She liked the amused glint that came into his eye. Did he guess that she had changed the subject so she wouldn't reveal how really empty and lonely her life had been?  
    'That about sums it up,' Lije stated with infuriating calm.
    'Are you married?