Star by Danielle Steel Read Free Book Online

have missed her.
    What kind of school? Her eyes were bright and alive, and he sensed that hidden beneath the shyness was mischief.
    Law school.
    That must be hard.
    It is. But it's interesting, and I like it. What do you do? It was a foolish question and he knew it. What could she do at her age, other than go to school and play with her friends in the valley.
    I go to school. She pulled a long blade of grass from where she stood and played with it.
    Do you like it?
    Sometimes.
    That sounds about right. He smiled at her again and wondered what her name was. Probably Sally or Jane or Mary. People didn't have unusual names here. And then, as though it would matter to her, he introduced himself, and she nodded, still watching him with cautious fascination.
    I'm Crystal Wyatt. The name seemed perfect for her.
    Are you related to the bride?
    She's my sister.
    He wondered that Tom hadn't waited for her instead, but perhaps people here didn't realize how incredibly beautiful she was, although it was hard to imagine that they didn't.
    It's a beautiful ranch. It must be a nice place to live.
    She smiled then, more openly than before, as though anxious to share a secret. It's prettier back in the hills, there's a river you can't see from here. My dad and I ride up into the mountains together sometimes. It's beautiful back there. Do you ride? She was curious about him, almost as curious as he was about her, as he listened to her.
    Not very well. But I like it. Maybe I'll come back some day and you and your dad can show me. She nodded, as though she liked the idea, and then someone called her. She ignored it at first, and then turned, and was sorry she had. It was her brother. Spencer felt his heart sink. They had finally missed her. It was nice talking to you. He knew that in a moment she would leave him, and he wished he could reach out and touch her for just an instant. He was afraid he would never see her again, and he wanted to make time stand still so he would always remember that moment, beneath the trees ' before she grew up ' before she went away ' before life could change her.
    Crystal! There were several voices raised in chorus now. And there was no ignoring them. She shouted to them that she would be there in a minute.
    Will you really come back one day? It was as though she sensed it too. As though she didn't want him to leave her, she had never seen a man as handsome as he was, except the movie stars she'd pinned up on her wall. But he was different, he was real. And he talked to her as though she weren't a baby.
    I'd like to come back. Now that I know Boyd is here, maybe I'll drive up sometime to see him. She nodded, as though in silent approval. I'll come to see Tom too ' His voice drifted off, wanting to say and you, but he knew he couldn't say that to her. She would have thought he was crazy, and he didn't want to scare her. Maybe it was the wine, he told himself, maybe she wasn't as beautiful as he thought she was, maybe it was just the mood, and the day, and the aura of the wedding. But he knew it was more than that, that she was more than that. And then, with a last look, and a shy smile, she waved and went back to the others. He stood watching her for a long time, as her brother said something to her, pulled her hair, and then suddenly she was running after him, and teasing and laughing, as if she had forgotten they had ever met, but as he started to walk away he saw her turn toward him and stand for an instant, watching him, as though she wanted to say something to him, but she didn't. She returned to watching the others as he walked back to Boyd and Hiroko.
    He saw her again before he left, standing on the porch, talking to her mother, and it was obvious she was being scolded for something. She carried a heavy platter into the kitchen, and she didn't come out again, and a moment later, he was driving away, still thinking of the child he had met. She was like a wild colt, beautiful and untamed and free, the child