Texas Forever. Janet Dailey

stayed long enough in any one place to make close friends. If things worked out, he’d be with the Rimrock through the fall roundup. Then, with winter weather coming on and no more horses to shoe, he’d likely head south to the big ranches that ran cattle year round. There were bosses down there who knew him and would have need of his skill.

      Or he could go home to Oklahoma, where he’d been raised, and spend time with the elderly grandmother whose nursing home care he paid for. It cost a lot to keep her in a good place, but she had taken him in when he had nowhere to go. Aside from the half brother he’d lost touch with years ago, she was his only living relative. Almost ninety, she was too hard of hearing to use a phone, but he sent her monthly letters, which the caregivers read to her. And he kept the staff informed of his whereabouts—something he’d need to do again in the next few days.

      Most of the time, he avoided thinking about his half brother Bart. Thoughts of Bart only triggered the nightmarish memory that had plagued him for years.

      Eleven years his senior, Bart had reluctantly taken in twelve-year-old Luke. Life with Bart and his Comanche wife, sleeping on the sofa in their one-bedroom apartment and holding his ears against the noise coming through the bedroom door, had been no picnic. Neither had washing his clothes in the bathroom sink and going to school hungry most days. But at least he’d had a roof over his head, and he could look forward to the day when he’d be old enough to leave and get a job.

      Then one night, everything had changed. Luke had been jarred out of sleep by the sounds of a drunken fight. He’d rushed into the kitchen to find a nightmare scene.

      Brandishing a butcher knife, Bart had backed his wife into a corner. As Luke watched in horror, he’d slashed her face from her temple to the corner of her mouth. Amid the bleeding and screaming, Luke had thrown the woman a towel, ordered his drunken brother out of sight, and called 911 for an ambulance. That was the last he’d seen of her.

      The police had never been called, but Bart had paid the price for what he’d done. His wife’s brothers had caught him alone and beaten him up so badly that he’d suffered head injuries and been forced to go on permanent disability. A few months later, when Bart had been arrested for stealing to support his drug habit, Luke’s widowed grandmother, who owned a small farm, had taken in the traumatized boy and given him the love and support he’d needed. Paying for her care now was the least Luke could do.

      The call of a whip-poor-will brought Luke’s thoughts back to the present. In the big house, a single light had come on. Except for visiting family, the funeral guests had gone. Only the white Camry with rental plates remained parked among the family vehicles.

      He remembered the sight of Erin in her simple blue dress, her loose-blowing hair catching the sunlight. His memory lingered for a moment on the way the sleeveless top had clung to the firm peaks of her breasts and narrowed around her tiny waist. The first sight of her had stopped his breath. Then he’d noticed the tall, handsome man with her and wondered if she’d picked up an older boyfriend. Luke’s relief, when she’d introduced the stranger as her uncle, had caught him by surprise. Why the hell should it matter? For all he cared, the man could be her sugar daddy.

      All he wanted from the Rimrock Ranch was a season of steady work and enough money to pay for a few months of his grandmother’s care, with cash left over to get him to wherever he was going next. The last thing he needed was the distraction of Will Tyler’s sexy little princess daughter.

      Forcing her image from his mind, he slipped on his shirt, buttoned it, and lengthened his stride toward the bunkhouse.

      * * *

      Erin took Kyle’s phone call in the kitchen, where she’d been cleaning up after an informal supper. He was sweetly repentant, apologizing for his earlier behavior and for being forced to escort his mother to the funeral.

      “Mom was so emotional,” he said. “I didn’t know that she’d ever even met the old man. But when she took your dad’s hand, I thought she was going to cry. I wanted to come and find you, but she wouldn’t leave my side.”

      “Don’t worry about it,” Erin said. “I was busy the whole time.”

      “I know you’ll be going to the Hill Country for the burial tomorrow,” he said. “But I’m hoping we can spend some time together next week. Maybe we could even drive into Lubbock for a movie and dinner. We’ve gotten into a rut with the Burger Shack. It’s time we had a real date. How does that sound?”

      “Not bad,” she hedged. “Let me check Dad’s schedule and see when he can spare me.”

      “You’re not still mad at me, are you?”

      “Of course not.” Erin could almost picture his puppy dog expression. “I’ll call you on Monday. We can make plans then.”

      She ended the call, wondering why she wasn’t more eager for an evening in the city. It wasn’t as if she was still angry with Kyle. It was more like she didn’t care—as if her attitude had undergone a subtle shift. Maybe it had something to do with Beau’s advice to take her time until she was sure of her feelings.

      Drying her hands on a dish towel, she walked into the den, where Will and Rose were watching a newscast on the big screen TV. Beau’s family had gone into town for pizza, probably to avoid any chance of an ugly confrontation over the evening meal.

      “Here you are,” her father said, using the remote to switch off the TV. “Sit down. I have a big favor to ask of you.”

      Erin sank onto a footstool, knowing that, coming from her dad, any request for a favor would be more like an order.

      “You may not like it,” he said.

      Erin braced herself and waited for him to continue.

      “Tomorrow, when we take Jasper to the Hill Country, I’ll need somebody to stay behind and supervise the ranch work,” he said. “The best person available for that job is you.”

      Erin stifled a murmur of disappointment. She’d wanted to make the drive and see Jasper laid to rest. But she was old enough to know that ranch duties had to come first. “I thought Pete Waxman was going to do that,” she said. “He’s been here long enough to handle things.”

      “Pete’s had a family emergency. He’ll be gone most of next week. And since Sky will be going with us tomorrow, we’ll need somebody in charge who knows the horses and can make sure Maddox has enough work.”

      Maddox. Something that felt like a coiled spring tightened in Erin’s stomach. The surly farrier wasn’t going to like her bossing him. But that was his problem.

      “As long as you’re staying here,” Will continued, “you may as well clean out Jasper’s side of the duplex. Throw away the junk, box his clothes and things for donation, and save anything that looks important. I know that might be hard on you, Erin, but somebody’s got to do the job. Strip the bed and put out clean sheets for Maddox. You can leave the dishes and some coffee, too.”

      “Maddox?” It was more of a protest than a question. “But Jasper lived in that duplex for years. It was his home.”

      “Well, it’s not like he’s coming back,” Will said. “Maddox is a tradesman, not a cowhand. He deserves better quarters than the bunkhouse. You can tell him it was my decision.”

      Erin sighed and nodded. On the Rimrock, even for her, Will’s word was law. But she wasn’t looking forward to the next day.

      As if sensing some tension, Rose broached a different subject. “Erin, I met your young man and his mother at the luncheon today,” she said.

      “My young man?” Erin didn’t recall having told Rose about Kyle.

      “That’s how his mother introduced him to me,” Rose said. “Not as your young man—I suppose that’s an old-fashioned term these days—but as your boyfriend. He seemed very nice and polite—and handsome, too. Of course, it’ll take more than a pretty face and good manners to make the kind of husband you’ll want to stand by your side and help you run