Song of the West by Nora Roberts Read Free Book Online

doesn’t.” He heard the wistful note in her voice and turned to regard her. “Life isn’t always fair, though, is it, Samantha?”
    â€œI suppose not.” She sighed. “You seem to know quite a bit about what happened here. You must have had a good history teacher.”
    â€œI did.” He held her curious look with a teasing half-smile on his lips. “My great-grandmother lived to be ninety-eight. She was Sioux.”
    Samantha lifted her brows in surprised interest. “Oh, I’d love to have met her. The things she must have seen, the changes in nearly a century of living.”
    â€œShe was quite a woman.” His smile faded a moment. “She taught me a lot. Among other things, she told me that the land goes on no matter who walks on it, that life moves on whether you fight against it or flow with it, that when you want something, you go after it until it’s yours.”
    Suddenly, she felt he was leading her out of her depth, reaching for something she was not sure she possessed. She turned from the directness of his eyes to search the land.
    â€œI’d like to have seen all this before there were any fences, before there was any fighting.”
    Jake pointed skyward. Glancing up, Samantha watched the graceful flight of an eagle. For a timeless moment, it soared overhead, the undisputed sovereign of the skies. They moved off again, in companionable silence. “I hope you’re getting some fun out of this trip, some compensation for taking care of your sister,” Jake said at last.
    â€œI don’t need any compensation for taking care of Bree, she’s my sister, my . . .”
    â€œResponsibility?”
    â€œWell . . . yes. I’ve always looked out for Bree, she’s more delicate, more . . . dependent than I am.” She shrugged and felt uncomfortable without knowing why. “Dad always joked that I took my share of strength and half of Bree’s while we were still in the womb. She needs me,” she added, feeling compelled to defend what she had always taken for granted.
    â€œShe has Dan,” Jake reminded her. “And she’s a grown woman now—just as you are. Did it ever occur to you that you have your own life to lead now that Sabrina has a husband to care for her?”
    â€œI’m not trying to take over for Dan,” she said quickly. “Perhaps you can figure out how he could see to her needs and tend to the house and the ranch all at the same time, but I can’t.” She glared at him, half in anger, half in exasperation. “What do you expect me to do? Sit up in Philadelphia teaching kids to jump on a trampoline while my sister needs help?”
    â€œNo, Samantha.” He met her eyes with a quiet patience that was more disturbing than angry words and shouts. “What you’re doing is very kind and unselfish.”
    â€œThere’s nothing kind or unselfish about it,” she interrupted, shrugging the words away. “We’re sisters. More than that, we’re twins. We shared life from its beginning. You can’t understand the kind of bond that creates. I’d give up a hundred jobs to help Bree if she needed me.”
    â€œNo one’s condemning your loyalty, Samantha. It’s an admirable trait.” He gave her a long, level look. “Just a word of advice. Don’t become so involved that you forget who Samantha Evans is, and that she just might have the right to her own woman’s life.”
    Samantha drew herself up to her full height in the saddle. “I hardly need your advice on how to run my life. I’ve been managing nicely for some time now.”
    His face creased in a lazy smile. “Yes, ma’am, I’m sure you have.”

Chapter Four
    Samantha had been riding the dapple gray in stubborn silence for nearly thirty minutes when she noticed more cattle. Her guide seemed unperturbed by her silence and