Texas Bluff. Linda Warren

comes first.”

      The guys laughed, but Luke had made up his mind. The next day he asked Becky and she accepted. The night of the dance he stood on the sheriff’s front porch thinking he had more guts than common sense. The urge to run was strong.

      The sheriff opened the door. He stood over six feet, and was broad and muscular. Luke was tall himself, but Hub Parker seemed like a giant. The gun on his hip reinforced Luke’s urge to run. Then Becky came into the room. His fear quickly subsided. Her blue eyes sparkled and her warm smile welcomed him. For the first time he realized she was pretty.

      “Good night, Daddy.” She stood on tiptoes to kiss her father’s cheek.

      The sheriff pointed a finger at Luke. “No speeding with my daughter in your truck.” The growl in his voice reminded Luke of Mr. Bailey’s junkyard dog.

      “Yes, sir,” Luke replied without taking a breath.

      “And, Chisum, you have my daughter home by midnight or I’ll come looking for you.”

      “Yes, sir.” Luke backed out of the house knowing hell included a large dose of fear, just as he was experiencing at that moment.

      He soon forgot about the sheriff. He kept an eye on his watch most of the night, though, but he and Becky had a good time. They danced, laughed and talked. He didn’t do much talking with other girls, and he found he liked talking to Becky.

      At eleven they left the dance and went to the Dairy Queen for a burger and fries. Then he took her home. He didn’t kiss her because he knew the sheriff was on the other side of the door. But he’d wanted to.

      The next Monday in school he couldn’t wait to see her. Becky wore a perpetual smile and it was one of the things he liked about her. She was friendly, nice and sweet. That was why everyone called her Sweet Becky Lynn.

      He never noticed those qualities in other girls. Hot and sexy were the qualities at the top of his list. A great personality wasn’t required of his dates and neither was scintillating conversation. He had been such a puffed-up idiot in high school. But he hadn’t been a complete loser—at least he’d recognized all of Becky’s good qualities.

      They’d started dating and had become an item. The sheriff’s place was next to the Chisum ranch, and he and Becky would meet on weekends by the pond on the Chisum property. The first time he kissed her was under the big live oak that hung partially out over the pond. They’d made love for the first time under that tree. Sweet Becky Lynn had taken on a whole new meaning for him.

      Luke ran his hand over the steering wheel. How could something that started so perfectly go so wrong? Even as he asked himself the question, he knew the answer. Someone had told Becky about the dare. He was never quite sure who and it was just as well. He would probably have done them some bodily harm.

      That time was forever imprinted in his memory. Becky had waited for him after gym class. She hadn’t been smiling, her eyes had been red and she’d looked as if she’d been crying. He’d known something was wrong. A heavy feeling had settled in his gut.

      When he walked up to her, she held out the chain with his senior ring he’d given her for her birthday.

      “You don’t have to pretend anymore. I know the truth.”

      He stared down at the chain and ring in her hand, not making a move to take them. “What are you talking about?”

      “You asked me out because your friends dared you. All the kids are laughing behind my back. I can’t believe you’d do that. You made a fool of me.”

      The pain in her eyes was almost more than he could take. He should have told her the truth long ago, but it didn’t seem important. They loved each other—that was all that mattered. Or so his young mind had thought.

      “Okay. The first date was a dare.” She flinched at his admission and he realized he was about to lose something vital to his existence. “But after that I asked you out because I wanted to.”

      “I don’t believe you. I bet you and your poker buddies had fun laughing about gullible Becky, easy, gullible Becky.” She threw the chain at his chest and it fell to the concrete. “I don’t want to ever see you again.” Turning abruptly, she ran to her car.

      “Becky,” he shouted. As he made to go after her, he stepped on his ring. He bent and picked it up.

      Brady, Jake and Cole came out of the gym. They stared at Luke, who was blankly examining the chain in his hand.

      “What happened?” Brady asked.

      Luke glared at his friends. “Who told her?”

      Jake frowned. “What?”

      “Someone told Becky about the dare.”

      Collectively, they took a step backward, shaking their heads in denial.

      “Man, that’s bad,” Cole said.

      “Why haven’t you told her before now?” Brady asked.

      “Shut up.” Luke sprinted for his truck, cursing himself for being so stupid. He had to make Becky understand.

      When he drove into Becky’s yard, he saw her car and knew she was home. The sheriff’s patrol car was there, too, but that didn’t deter Luke. He had to see Becky.

      The sheriff opened the door before Luke reached it, and closed it behind himself. “Go home, Chisum. You’re not welcome here.” The deep growl in his voice would have frightened a sane person, but not Luke.

      “I want to see Becky.” He stepped onto the porch, determined to bypass the sheriff. The next thing he knew, the sheriff’s fist connected with his jaw like a nine-pound hammer, sending him flying backward to the yard. He lay flat on his back staring up at a blurry sky, the fictional Tweety Bird circling his dazed head.

      That was his first taste of hell.

      The sheriff’s bulky frame stood over him. “Stay away from my daughter or I’ll kill you, Chisum. Now get off this property.”

      Somehow Luke made it home. His jaw ached for a week, but he never gave up on seeing Becky. As many times as he tried to talk to her, though, each time she refused to listen. He began to see a side of her he didn’t like—her stubborn side. So he said to hell with her. If she could forget him so easily, then she didn’t really love him.

      When she started dating Danny Howard he thought he’d die, and he knew he had to get out of River Bluff as soon as he could.

      His second taste of hell.

      He joined the army and said goodbye to his family, who were in shock at his sudden decision. He spent sixteen years serving his country, rising to the rank of Chief Warrant Officer 4. He flew a Black Hawk helicopter. His latest mission in Iraq had been rescuing wounded soldiers and flying them to safety and aid. His fellow soldiers called him the Texas Ace because he was from Texas and when he was free for any length of time he was playing poker.

      His last rescue had almost killed him. A soldier was down behind enemy lines, and Luke and a medic flew in late at night to retrieve him. On the way back, the copter was detected and insurgents fired at them. Luke knew the Hawk was hit and he fought to control the unstable aircraft. They were losing altitude, and Luke smelled smoke and fuel and knew they were going down fast. Struggling with the controls, he was determined to land the Hawk. He was never quite sure how he did it, but the helicopter bumped hard, skidded on the ground and spun to a stop. He jumped from the cockpit, helped the medic with the now unconscious soldier and the three of them bolted for safety. They made it about twenty yards when the helicopter exploded.

      He woke up in a base hospital and was then flown to Walter Reed in Washington. After many tests he was diagnosed with a severe concussion, dislocated shoulder, broken ribs, multiple cuts, burns and bruises. One doctor told him he was one lucky son of a bitch. Although the medic and the other soldier were alive, too, the soldier had lost a foot, the medic an arm.

      In the days that followed,