Texas Forever. Janet Dailey

memory—the Roman god Vulcan standing over his forge, virile and powerful. Vulcan in blue jeans she titled the image in her mind. Luke would probably laugh at her if he knew what she was thinking.

      What would it be like, hearing him laugh?

      Luke’s attention had been focused on the horseshoe he was shaping. As Erin and Beau came to the fence, he glanced up. A questioning look flashed in his eyes. He straightened, lowering the hammer to his side. What the hell are you doing here? his expression seemed to say.

      “Luke, I’d like you to meet my uncle, Beau Tyler,” Erin said, making the introductions. “Beau, I’ve already told you about Luke Maddox.”

      Beau extended a hand over the fence. Luke held up a work-stained hand and shook his head. “You won’t want to shake hands with me, Mr. Tyler. Not unless you want to smell like horse. I never knew Will had a brother.”

      “I live in DC. I only came for the funeral,” Beau said.

      “DC? You’re a government man?”

      “That’s right. DEA.” Beau’s gaze shifted to the horseshoe on the anvil. “I’ve never seen a farrier work. You don’t use a forge?”

      Luke shook his head. “Cold shoeing’s a lot more common these days. These steel shoes can be bought to size and hammered into the exact shape the horse needs. I have a forge, but I only use it for custom work. On a scorcher like today, that suits me fine.” He wiped his brow with the back of his hand. “You’re welcome to watch. I don’t mind questions as long as I can talk and work at the same time.”

      “There’s plenty of food in the house,” Erin said. “Could we bring you a plate?”

      “Thanks, but I’ll be fine.” He inspected the shoe. Then he moved to the horse’s side, lifted one front foot and braced it against the leather apron. Positioning the shoe, he hammered two small nails into the outer rim of the hoof, checked again, then hammered two more. The horse stood calmly, in complete trust of this powerful, gentle man.

      “I could watch you all day,” Beau said. “But I’d better get back and make sure my wife isn’t looking for me. Nice to meet you, Maddox.”

      Luke was snubbing off the nail points where they came up through the hoof. He looked up with a murmured acknowledgment as Beau and Erin turned away.

      “Not exactly a warm, fuzzy sort, is he?” Beau said when they were out of Luke’s hearing. “How much do you know about the man? Where’d he come from?”

      “I have no idea,” Erin said. “Dad found him on another ranch and hired him to come here. The only thing I’ve heard him talk about is work.” Except for when he told me not to come around him without a blasted chaperone.

      “As Jasper would say, the man plays his cards close to his vest.”

      “Yes, that’s what Jasper would say.” Erin fought back her welling emotion. “Oh, Beau, we’re going to miss him so much. The ranch won’t be the same without him.”

      “I know,” Beau said. “And looking around at the drought, I can tell this is a tough time for the Rimrock. I never meant to put Will in such a bind. I thought we were making a fair deal when I asked him to buy me out.”

      “We’d have been all right if the weather and the market hadn’t changed.”

      Beau sighed. “Will won’t even talk to me about the ranch troubles. I feel bad for the bind I’ve put him in. I’d even be willing to help out with some cash if he’d ask me.”

      “He won’t ask,” Erin said. “He’s got the Bull Tyler pride.”

      They were nearing the house. Beau stopped short of the back door. “There’s one person you haven’t told me about,” he said.

      “Who’s that?” Erin asked.

      “It’s you. I see you looking after everyone and everything around here. But who’s looking after Erin Tyler?”

      “I’m nineteen. I don’t need looking after.”

      “Not even by yourself? You’re pretty and smart and have your whole life ahead of you. You could be having fun, maybe going to college or seeing the world.”

      “I could. But how could I leave my dad alone to manage the ranch, especially now? This is where I need to be—where I want to be. It’s my home.”

      “But what about your personal life? Surely you’ll want to get married and have a family.”

      She gave him a frown. “I do have a boyfriend. He’s even proposed.”

      “Did you say yes?” Beau asked.

      “I said it was too soon.”

      “Do you love him, Erin?”

      The question shook her. “I’m not even sure I know what love is.”

      “Well, make sure you do before you say yes.”

      “I’m not a fool,” Erin said.

      “No, but you’re young and you have a lot to learn. Don’t be in a hurry. Call me if you want to talk.”

      Erin didn’t answer. They had reached the back door. Through the screen, she could see people in the kitchen, putting paper plates in the trash. She’d been glad for the chance to talk with Beau. But she couldn’t help feeling a vague sense of disloyalty to her father. Beau had invited her to call him. But it wasn’t going to happen. Not if it might distress Will.

      As she helped herself to leftovers on the buffet table, she looked around for Kyle and his mother. They were nowhere to be seen. A glance out the front window confirmed that their car was gone.

      Kyle was probably sore at her for avoiding him after the funeral. Never mind. She’d make it up to him later, after they’d both had some time to cool down.

      Do you love him, Erin?

      Beau’s question lingered in her mind. She’d replied that she didn’t even know what love was. But that wasn’t quite true. Love was what she’d observed between her mother and father, between Sky and Lauren, between Beau and Natalie—and what she’d heard in Jasper’s voice when he’d spoken of his beloved Sally. She had secondhand knowledge of what love was. But as far as she could tell, she’d never experienced it, not even when Kyle was kissing her.

      She wanted a husband and family in the future. But what if something was missing in her? What would she do if love never happened?

      CHAPTER FIVE

      BY THE TIME LUKE HAD SHOD HIS SIXTEENTH HORSE FOR THE DAY and turned it out to graze, the sun was sinking behind the escarpment. Even at day’s end, its searing fire blazed like a brand against the pitiless blue sky. Heat waves shimmered over the gravel in the ranch yard. Blown by a stray breeze, a dust devil swirled across the pasture and vanished behind a clump of mesquite.

      Dripping with sweat and aching in every muscle, Luke stowed the anvil and his tools in the trailer he’d parked alongside the barn. That done, he picked up an empty bucket, filled it with cold water from the pump, and tipped it over his head. The cold water flowed through his hair, trickled over his face, and streamed down his chest and back. He shuddered as the icy cascade gave his senses a welcome shock. The shed’s corrugated metal roof had lent some shade, but working in the space below had been like standing under a broiler.

      Recovering, he sluiced the water off his chest and arms, slicked back his hair, and reached for the chambray work shirt he’d tossed over a fence rail. By the time he made it to the bunkhouse kitchen, his body would be dry enough to slip the shirt on.

      Shadows lengthened as he crossed the yard. The warm evening breeze carried the aromas of simmering ham and beans and fresh biscuits. Luke hadn’t eaten since breakfast and his empty belly rumbled with a working man’s hunger. He had no complaints about the meals here. The food was nothing