Fresh-Start Ranch. Leann Harris

showed up,” Doc said.

      Did he hear something in Doc’s voice?

      “Yeah, it seems I’ve been doing that lately. I’ll see you on Friday at the courthouse.” Ethan walked out of the office.

      “Ethan,” Tessa called to him, following him outside.

      Stopping by his truck, he turned to face her. “Yes?”

      “Thanks again for your help with William and Kevin.” Her eyes softened with gratitude, making his chest tighten. “When you got here, I was wondering what I could do to stop them from taking Hope.”

      Her words sent a chill down his spine. “Be careful of Kevin. Despite the charming smile he so easily flashes, he’s a con man, who’s spent time in the state penitentiary some time back. And from what I’ve seen, I doubt that he’s changed since he got out.”

      “Why was he in jail?”

      “He ran a bookie operation.”

      “Gambling?”

      “That’s it.”

      “Thanks for the heads-up.” The cold tone of her words could’ve frozen a side of beef in the middle of summer. “I’ve seen the destruction caused by it, so I’ll make sure Kevin doesn’t get his hands on Hope or Lady.” Ethan was surprised by the vehemence of her reaction. Obviously, she had had some sort of run-in with a bookie.

      “Don’t try to take Kevin on. I can’t guarantee he won’t be violent. If it comes to your life or the horse’s, you’re more valuable.”

      The expression in her eyes mellowed. “I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks.”

      Would she thank him if she knew why he knew that truth about Kevin? But there was no reason for her to know. His past mistakes wouldn’t make a difference in their professional relationship, and that’s the only kind of relationship either of them seemed to want. No doubt that was for the best. Anything else would only lead to disaster. He’d been down that road before and didn’t like where it led.

      * * *

      The tiny town of Los Rios sported a beautiful courthouse, constructed in the late twenties, built in the Southwestern style using adobe and giant crossbeams.

      Ethan had plenty of time to admire it as he sat beside Tessa and they listened to Mary Jensen summarize what they’d found at the ranch. Tessa had finished her testimony. When Mary was done the Moores’ lawyer argued that the family had fallen on hard times. They hadn’t meant to starve their animals.

      The judge told them he would be back with his verdict in a few minutes. When he returned, he addressed the Moores.

      “Doris, this is not the first time you’ve been before this court. But, this case is judged on its own merits. Seeing the pictures and listening to Dr. Grant, I’m awarding all the horses to the Rescue Society.”

      “You can’t do that,” Doris yelled, jumping to her feet.

      The judge glared at her. “My ruling stands.”

      “What about the foal I sold?” she shot back.

      “You’ll have to pay the buyer back. If they aren’t happy with that solution, have them file with the court for relief.” The judge left the chamber.

      The older woman turned, glaring daggers at the opposition table.

      Tessa leaned close to Ethan and whispered, “Is she going to be trouble?”

      “I don’t know. She doesn’t take defeat well.”

      Tessa looked at William, whose face had lost all color. “What about her son?”

      Ethan didn’t answer immediately.

      “What do you think?”

      “I hope he’ll accept the verdict.”

      Tessa didn’t like the sound of that.

      “We’ll just see,” Doris muttered to herself. With a final defiant glare, Doris left the courtroom with William trailing behind her.

      Ethan walked to the prosecution table and talked to Mary. From their body language, it was an awkward exchange. Mary Jensen was tall, probably five-ten, slender, with long blond hair and deep blue eyes. She was just the right height for the tall rancher who stood over six feet tall. With dark hair and steel-gray eyes, Ethan looked perfect with the golden woman. They were both smart, capable, cared strongly for the same causes. Tessa could see why they would have gotten together. So what had gone wrong?

      “You ready to go?” Ethan asked, coming to Tessa’s side.

      Tearing her mind from her speculation, Tessa gathered up her notebook and purse. “Sure, I’m ready.”

      They left the courtroom, heading for the elevators. Mary stayed inside the courtroom, packing up her briefcase.

      After Ethan pushed the elevator button, he looked down at his watch. “I ate at six this morning and the cantina across the street has a great lunch special. You want to join me?”

      Tessa opened her mouth to refuse when her stomach growled. She flushed.

      “That’s a yes if I ever heard one.”

      She was still tempted to refuse, but her stomach growled a second time, drowning out her pride. She’d eaten her breakfast earlier than Ethan and was hungry.

      “Lead the way. But it’s just a business lunch. We go dutch.”

      Ethan nodded. “Absolutely.”

      It was what she expected and demanded, so why did she feel disappointed he gave in so easily?

      Chapter Four

      “I couldn’t believe Doris thought she’d get her horses back.” Tessa reached for another tortilla chip and popped it into her mouth.

      Ethan watched Tessa down the chips. The cantina stood directly across from the courthouse in the southwest corner of the square. As they’d walked across the street to the restaurant, he’d explained the Wednesday special was flautas, and they were some of the best he’d ever eaten. They’d both ordered the special.

      Tessa picked up another chip and dipped it into the house salsa. “How she thought any judge would give her back those starved horses is beyond me. She had some prime horseflesh, an Arabian and a retired thoroughbred, and she starved them.” She punctuated her comment by waving her chip around. A bit of the salsa landed on the table in front of Ethan.

      Tessa stared at the blob. “Uh, I’m sorry.”

      “No problem.” Ethan wiped the spot with his napkin, holding back a smile. The lady had a passion for horses and he liked it. And shared it.

      “If she wanted to sell Hope, why not take care of the mare? What she did makes no sense.”

      He shrugged. “Doris didn’t much care for her two children, neglected them, so why would she care for her horses?”

      “Really?”

      “Yeah.” William and Shanna had often showed up to school in torn and dirty clothes.

      Tessa fell silent.

      The waitress appeared with their lunches. Ethan watched as Tessa tasted her food. After she swallowed, she grinned. “Okay, I have to agree with you. These are good.”

      As they ate, Ethan discussed how he’d notify the different ranchers caring for the horses that their organization now had legal custody. “I’ll leave Lady and Hope with you, of course.”

      She nodded. “Okay.”

      He could tell something was on her mind. “Is something wrong?”

      His question snapped her out of her musings. “No.” She wouldn’t meet his eyes.

      He