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  Darling Jenny

  The Americana Series: Wyoming

  Janet Dailey

  Janet Dailey's Americana Series

  Dangerous Masquerade (Alabama)

  Northern Magic (Alaska)

  Sonora Sundown (Arizona)

  Valley Of the Vapours (Arkansas)

  Fire And Ice (California)

  After the Storm (Colorado)

  Difficult Decision (Connecticut)

  The Matchmakers (Delaware)

  Southern Nights (Florida)

  Night Of The Cotillion (Georgia)

  Kona Winds (Hawaii)

  The Travelling Kind (Idaho)

  A Lyon's Share (Illinois)

  The Indy Man (Indiana)

  The Homeplace (Iowa)

  The Mating Season (Kansas)

  Bluegrass King (Kentucky)

  The Bride Of The Delta Queen (Louisiana)

  Summer Mahogany (Maine)

  Bed Of Grass (Maryland)

  That Boston Man (Massachusetts)

  Enemy In Camp (Michigan)

  Giant Of Mesabi (Minnesota)

  A Tradition Of Pride (Mississippi)

  Show Me (Missouri)

  Big Sky Country (Montana)

  Boss Man From Ogallala (Nebraska)

  Reilly's Woman (Nevada)

  Heart Of Stone (New Hampshire)

  One Of The Boys (New Jersey)

  Land Of Enchantment (New Mexico)

  Beware Of The Stranger (New York)

  That Carolina Summer (North Carolina)

  Lord Of the High Lonesome (North Dakota)

  The Widow And The Wastrel (Ohio)

  Six White Horses (Oklahoma)

  To Tell The Truth (Oregon)

  The Thawing Of Mara (Pennsylvania)

  Strange Bedfellow (Rhode Island)

  Low Country Liar (South Carolina)

  Dakota Dreamin' (South Dakota)

  Sentimental Journey (Tennessee)

  Savage Land (Texas)

  A Land Called Deseret (Utah)

  Green Mountain Man (Vermont)

  Tidewater Lover (Virginia)

  For Mike's Sake (Washington)

  Wild And Wonderful (West Virginia)

  With A Little Luck (Wisconsin)

  Darling Jenny (Wyoming)

  Other Janet Dailey Titles You Might Enjoy

  American Dreams

  Aspen Gold

  Fiesta San Antonio

  For Bitter Or Worse

  The Great Alone

  Heiress

  The Ivory Cane

  Legacies

  Masquerade

  The Master Fiddler

  No Quarter Asked

  Rivals

  Something Extra

  Sweet Promise

  Tangled Vines

  Introduction

  Introducing JANET DAILEY AMERICANA. Every novel in this collection is your passport to a romantic tour of the United States through time-honored favorites by America's First Lady of romance fiction. Each of the fifty novels is set in a different state, researched by Janet and her husband, Bill. For the Daileys it was an odyssey of discovery. For you, it's the journey of a lifetime.

  Preface

  When I first started writing back in the Seventies, my husband Bill and I were retired and traveling all over the States with our home—a 34' travel trailer—in tow. That's when Bill came up with the great idea of my writing a romance novel set in each one of our fifty states. It was an idea I ultimately accomplished before switching to mainstream fiction and hitting all the international bestseller lists.

  As we were preparing to reissue these early titles, I initially planned to update them all—modernize them, so to speak, and bring them into the new high-tech age. Then I realized I couldn't do that successfully any more than I could take a dress from the Seventies and redesign it into one that would look as if it were made yesterday. That's when I saw that the true charm of these novels is their look back on another time and another age. Over the years, they have become historical novels, however recent the history. When you read them yourself, I know you will feel the same.

  So, enjoy, and happy reading to all!

  Chapter One

  'PLEASE fasten your seat belts,' the red light flashed above the arched doorway of the tourist section. Jennifer Glenn obeyed the instruction silently. She brushed back a strand of her red-gold, shoulder-length hair that had strayed to the corner of her eyes, tilting her head upwards towards the fresh, cooling air from the vent. As the breeze played lightly on her face, Jennifer's brown eyes were sadly contemplative.

  She should have put her hair in its proper place, in a burnished bun on top of her head. Her mouth compressed painfully. Brad had liked it this way, loose and curling gently under her chin. Jennifer liked it this way, too, but it made her look so young and vulnerable. Just now she felt very old, much older than her meager twenty-two years. But she had been vulnerable, so very vulnerable.

  Just two short years ago she had graduated at the head of her class in secretarial school. Beaming and full of confidence, she had kissed her parents good-bye, climbed aboard the bus in Alexandria and headed for the big city—Minneapolis! For three weeks, she had made the rounds, in and out of executive offices, her certificates and recommendations proudly carried in her hand. And the results had always been the same. She would walk into the room for her interview and see the impressed and interested looks on her interviewer's face change to one of doubt. After the second week, Jennifer could almost predict their reactions as they had studied her petal-smooth complexion, her bright, beaming eyes, her button nose sitting pertly in the middle of her face, and her red mouth that managed to spread into a wide nervous smile. Always the same unasked question had been in their faces—are you really twenty, you look more like sixteen. But instead they had murmured about her lack of experience.

  Finally, the third week, with her reserves running short and the prospect of returning to the YWCA again that night without a job, Jennifer had practically pleaded with her interviewer to give her a chance to prove she was as good as her credentials said. With a fatherly look in his eyes, the man reluctantly had consented to place her in the attorney firm's typing pool. Jennifer could tell he had regretted his decision the minute he had made it, but at last she could write her anxious parents that she had a job.

  For a year and a half she had stifled her naturally gregarious and exuberant personality so that she would appear efficient and businesslike even amid the gaggle of women. Secretarial positions in the attorney firm Smith, Katzenberg, Petersen, and Rohe, occupying fully two floors of a downtown office building, were few and far between. At last, after months of dull legal forms and hundreds of hours in front of a typewriter, Jennifer had got her chance. Mr. Bradley Stevenson's secretary had abruptly left her job, and a replacement was needed immediately.

  The stewardess walked by, offering magazines to the plane's passengers. Jennifer declined politely when she stopped by her seat. She preferred to stare out of the plane's window at the misty fog of clouds that enshrouded it, her thoughts drawn back again. The memory was so very fresh. It might have been yesterday instead of six months ago.

  Jennifer had known the minute she stepped into his office that things were going to change. After repeatedly being accused of lying about her age, she had begun wearing her hair piled on top of her head in an effort to appear sophisticated and older. She had known exactly what to expect of Bradley Stevenson. He had been termed one of the more brilliant young lawyers in the state and one of the most attractive bachelors in the firm. Although she had seen him several times in the building, this was the first time she had actually met him.

  When she stepped into his office, a roguish lock of black hair had drifted over his forehead as he glanced
up from his papers. The full force of his dark eyes settled on her, accompanied by a wide, extremely charming smile.

  'Well, Miss Glenn,' he had said. 'You certainly have a very impressive record. Mrs. Johnston, your supervisor speaks very highly of you.'

  There had been a few more pleasantries and questions about her qualifications, but Jennifer had known all along that the job was hers, that she was going to be the private secretary to this compelling, handsome attorney. The Minnesota farm girl had landed the most envied job in the firm.

  With a stubborn determination born of self-will, Jennifer had set out to make herself indispensable to Mr. Bradley Stevenson. For three months she had sacrificed precious minutes of her lunch hour, stayed after hours typing crucial briefs, or seen that important correspondence was finished. In the beginning the extra effort was to prove that she was capable, but ever so gradually it was for the reward of his smile and brief words of appreciation. One particularly late night, he had insisted on taking her out to dinner despite her protests.

  'I am your employer,' he had finally told her, 'and I demand that you accompany me to dinner.' Laughing, he had added, 'If it upsets your strict code of ethics to dine with your boss, pretend I'm going to give you some dictation over a glass of wine.'

  'You really don't have to do this,' Jennifer had said, embarrassed at the growing colour in her cheeks and the pounding of her heart at the prospect of being with him in an informal atmosphere.

  'If you have a date, say so. I certainly don't want to defend myself to a jealous lover.' His dark eyes had studied her intently as she had replied.

  'Oh, I don't have a steady or anything like that. I don't go out very much.' Immediately she had regretted her words. To Jennifer, they had sounded too much like an invitation, so she had added brightly with a teasing glance, 'Besides, I've been working so hard.'

  It had been a wonderful evening in a cozy, dimly lit restaurant with Brad—he had insisted that she call him that—as he asked what seemed like really interested questions about her home life and background. That night when he had driven her to her apartment, and she had suitably thanked him for the evening, he had touched her arm and said,

  'If you really enjoyed the evening, do me a favour. Tomorrow wear your hair down and have lunch with me, that is if I don't have another appointment. Do I?'

  'No, you don't,' Jennifer had laughed gaily before getting out of the car and dashing happily into the building.

  So it had begun. The occasional lunches and dinners had grown into dancing and theatres and hockey and football games until it had ended…was it only two nights ago?

  'This is certainly the bumpiest ride I've ever had on a plane,' the lady seated next to Jennifer stated, bundling her knitting up and placing it in her tapestry bag. 'I've dropped three stitches in the last two minutes.'

  Jennifer was suddenly conscious of the turbulent bouncing of the aircraft and murmured agreement with her seat companion. Taking Jennifer's polite comment as an invitation for conversation, the woman continued,

  'I was in Salt Lake City with my daughter and her new baby. It's her first, and I told Richard, that's my husband, that it wasn't right for her to cope with those first few weeks on her own. Of course, it's our first grandchild and we were both dying to see her. Her name is Amy, a nice, old-fashioned name, I think.'

  Jennifer nodded and smiled politely, wishing the woman would stop talking and at the same time grateful to get her mind off that painful night.

  'Are you going to Wyoming on a skiing holiday?' the woman asked. 'The weather's certainly perfect for it.'

  'No. I'm going to stay with my sister for a while,' Jennifer answered.

  'Oh, does she live in Jackson? I'm from outside Alpine myself. What does her husband do? Wouldn't it be a coincidence if I happened to know them? I know quite a few people there.'

  'Sheila manages a motel in Jackson, but she's only been there a couple of years. Her husband was killed on active service with the army a few years ago,' Jennifer replied.

  'Oh, that's too bad.' With a sudden movement, the woman turned towards Jennifer. 'Was it the Jefferies boy?' At the answering affirmative nod, she continued, 'I know his parents very well. It was such a trying time for them when he was listed as missing in action. They'd hoped for so long, only to learn he was dead.'

  'Yes, it was quite a blow to them. That's why my sister moved to Jackson. She felt the children should get to know their grandparents better. And it would ease their grief, too.'

  'You say she runs a motel. It's coming up on the busy time for her now with the holiday season just a few weeks away. Of course, the skiers are just a small few compared to the horde of tourists that descend on the Grand Teton and Yellowstone areas of Wyoming in the summer. Will your sister be waiting for you at the airport?'

  'Yes, I imagine so,' Jennifer replied.

  'I hope she won't be too upset when we don't get there,' the woman stated.

  'What do you mean?' Jennifer raised an arched eyebrow curiously.

  'The weather, dear. Before I left Salt Lake, the radio said there were heavy snows in the Jackson Hole area,' the woman answered prophetically.

  'Good afternoon. This is your captain speaking,' the pleasant, masculine voice said over the aircraft speaker system. 'I have some good news for you skiers. The temperature in Jackson Hole is thirty-two degrees, I've been told there's six inches of new powder on the slopes, and it's still coming down. Unfortunately, the wind is blowing and the visibility at the airport is below the required minimums for landing. That means we'll be landing at Idaho Falls instead. The airline will provide ground transportation for passengers to Jackson. You can check at the ticket counter when we arrive at Idaho Falls. Our arrival time will be twelve-fifty-five p.m. Thank you and happy skiing!'

  Jennifer leaned back against her seat, turning her head towards the window to hide her misting eyes from the inquisitive woman at her side. She had been so looking forward to being with her sister again, especially after their brief telephone conversation the day before. Despite Sheila being five years older than Jennifer, they had always been close. A steady flow of letters from Jennifer had kept Sheila abreast of her sister's growing romance with Brad Stevenson. After that fateful night, Jennifer had turned to her sister rather than burden her parents with her heartbreak and humiliation. Jennifer's eyes cleared as she remembered with a smile Sheila's reaction to that last evening with Brad.

  'Bradley Stevenson, brilliant, bold, and a brute,' Sheila had stated caustically, sympathetic anger lacing her words while recalling a favourite word game of theirs as youngsters. 'You certainly can't stay working for him. Going back to the farm and Mom and Dad isn't the answer. You need a complete change of scenery. Come and stay with me. I always get lonely at Christmas time for some of my own family. Besides, I can use the extra help you'd be at this time of the year when all the skiers descend on us. Catch the next plane out—and I won't take "no" for an answer. Besides, you've never seen snow until you've spent winter in the Tetons.'

  Happily and tearfully Jennifer had agreed.

  'Write the folks a letter telling them your boss is sick and in the hospital or something and that you're taking leave of absence to come visit me,' Sheila had went on in her 'take charge' voice. 'Later on we can square it with them somehow.'

  What a blessing it was to have a sister like Sheila, Jennifer thought, always so competent and understanding. Her sister had been the beautiful one of the family, with raven-black hair and unexpected blue eyes shining out from thick, dark lashes. Jennifer had been the 'cute' one, mostly because she looked like a perennial child.

  'Please observe the "No Smoking" light and extinguish all cigarettes,' the stewardess's voice announced over the speaker. 'We've begun our final approach to Idaho Falls, and we'll be landing shortly. After landing, please remain in your seats until the plane has come to a full stop at the gates. Those passengers going to Jackson, Wyoming, are to report to the airline ticket counter. We are sorry for the inconveni
ence, and on behalf of the entire crew, we want to thank you for flying Western Airlines.'

  Jennifer hugged the pale beige, suede coat around her as she hurried down the plane's steps into the building, amidst dancing snowflakes and a chilling wind. They should have been landing in Jackson right now, and she would have been rushing to meet her sister. Now she was faced with yet another journey and more time to think about what had happened and to feel sorry for herself.

  Most of the other passengers had disembarked before Jennifer and were already huddled around either the ticket counter or the luggage area. She stood back in a less crowded area, waiting for the queues to thin out. Absently her fingers dug into the white sheepskin lining that spread on to the upturned collar of her coat as she gazed uninterestedly at the other passengers mumbling and beckoning impatiently at various clerks. She was suddenly looking into another pair of brown eyes that were interestedly inspecting her.

  The unmasked appraisal in the man's glance was unsettling as Jennifer felt each curve and feature of her body inspected and weighed. She straightened her shoulders indignantly and scathingly surveyed him. She couldn't find much fault with what she saw. Even leaning back against a closed ticket counter, she could tell he was tall, over six foot, and the width of the brown suede Marlborough jacket across his shoulders couldn't be all sheepskin. The thumb of one hand was hooked in the waistband of his slacks, holding open the coat to reveal a white pullover over brown corduroy pants. There was a roguish look to his broad, strong face emphasized by the way his brown hair with its bronzed gold highlights was combed away from his forehead only to flip forward on one side in a wave. His eyes had a devilish and knowing gleam under thick curling lashes and gold-tipped brows. The crinkling lines at the corner of his eyes reminded Jennifer of her mother's 'perpetual laugh lines', as she preferred to call them. He had strong cheekbones and a good, chiseled nose. His lips had curled into a mocking smile by the time Jennifer noticed them, revealing a disconcerting dimple in his cheek.