CHAPTER 3
Charley rose at seven the next morning, deciding against breakfast. She hadn’t slept well. Her thoughts had warred against her all night. And this morning, they still hadn’t surrendered.
What the hell was she going to do about Jesse? She couldn’t ride into town and ask him what he planned. He’d just lie. The sheriff wouldn’t be any help, either. How that man had ever gotten elected was beyond her comprehension.
Charley went to the barn, saddled Omega, and rode to her favorite spot on the ranch—Diamond Pond. It was a deep-water runoff of the Missouri River that sparkled in the sunlight like tiny diamonds.
Charley tethered Omega to a tree in the thickly wooded area. She walked down the small embankment, removed her boots, and disrobed. She set her clothes in a pile on the shore
