Lean, Mean and Lonesome. Annette Broadrick

be hanged before he’d admit his pain to Mandy.

      Part of the macho creed, he supposed, amused at himself.

      “Oh, you’re a great one to be spouting off about manners. You practically accused him of doing away with Dan so he could run the ranch!” Mandy turned away and quickly scrambled some eggs and placed them on a plate along with what was left of the bacon and biscuits. She set the plate hard enough down at the table where he’d been sitting that Rafe feared for the safety of the china plate.

      “Eat,” she said tersely.

      “What about you?”

      “I’ve managed to look after myself just fine for all these years without your help, McClain. I don’t need you or any other man looking after me, have you got that straight?”

      “Look, Mandy, I’m not sure why you’re upset, but I—” But he what? Was he sorry for anything he’d said or done? Not only no, but hell no. So what did he say to her? “I don’t want to see you upset,” he finally muttered.

      “Then sit down and eat your breakfast,” was her only reply.

      He sat down and ate his breakfast, which he found a little tough to do since he’d already helped himself to a large portion earlier. But he figured it wouldn’t hurt to pacify her at the moment. She seemed to be just a mite touchy. Maybe he should have taken into consideration all she’d been through these past few days before he let loose at the foreman.

      “You had no reason to accuse Tom of trying to take over the ranch,” she finally said from across the room, where she busied herself loading the dishwasher. He tried not to wince when breakables collided.

      “Didn’t I? Well, that’s good to hear.”

      “He and Dan are very close.”

      “So?”

      “If you think that he might have had anything to do with Dan’s disappearance—”

      “Whoa! Now wait a minute, Mandy. That’s quite a leap you’ve made between the two subjects.”

      “Is it? I don’t think so. You’re implying that Tom has something to gain if we can’t find Dan.”

      “Am I? Funny, but I don’t see it that way. In the first place, I don’t know enough about what has happened to start coming up with conclusions about anything.”

      “Then what were you implying by your out-of-line comment?”

      He grinned. “I figure he was making damned sure that I understood he’d already staked his claim where you’re concerned and he didn’t like the idea I might be trespassing on that claim.”

      “Me?!”

      “Aw, come on, Mandy. You’re not that naive. The man is obviously playing the protector role where you’re concerned. Not that I blame him. In his place I’d be doing the same thing. After all, if Dan hadn’t been worried abou something several weeks ago, he never would have sent me that letter. The fact that he has now disappeared and no one seems to know why or where, or even—God forbid!—it he’s even alive tells me we’ve got something serious on our hands. If something has happened to Dan, that leaves you in a very vulnerable position.”

      She stopped what she was doing and looked at him. “In what way?”

      “You’re a very attractive woman, Mandy, as well as being the only family member left to inherit the ranch if something has happened to Dan. Don’t pretend not to see wha a sweet setup that would be for some unscrupulous male.’

      “Ah. I see. You think Tom hopes to acquire me and this ranch in one neat package. How gracious of you to believe that a man would want more than just me in a relationship Not only that, you’ve already managed to figure out tha Tom is just unscrupulous enough to make a play for me based on those terms.” She crossed her arms and glared a him from across the room. “What sort of stuff are you smoking these days, Rafe? I swear, you must be downrigh delusional!”

      He certainly wasn’t making any points at the moment Rafe decided. So maybe he’d better get started on his plans for the day.

      He got up and carried his dishes to where she stood Nudging her aside, he rinsed his plate, utensils, cup and saucer and quietly placed them in the dishwasher. He looked down at her, suddenly amused at the fiery glints shooting from her eyes. He’d forgotten how much fun he’d had as a kid teasing her in order to provoke just that expression.

      He had a sudden urge to kiss her, just to provoke another reaction. He leaned toward her, wondering if she would taste as sweet as he remembered. She’d been staring past him, looking out the window. When he leaned toward her, she glanced back, focusing on him once again.

      Their eyes met and he realized how much trouble he’d be in if he actually followed through on the idea. Man, what was he thinking!

      He immediately straightened and turned away. He had already learned one thing since he’d returned to Texas. Mandy Crenshaw affected the grown man just as strongly as she had the young boy. This time, he was supposed to have enough self-discipline not to succumb to the temptation she presented.

      Four

      Rafe walked over to the door and looked outside, watching the activity in the ranch yard and concentrating on why he was there. “You mentioned Dan’s partner last night,” he finally asked when it became obvious that Mandy wasn’t going to speak. “His partner in what?”

      “He and James Williams started a business with computers. I think they met in college. They make circuit boards for computer companies who want to hire that part out. I guess they’ve been fairly successful. I know they have a small factory with over fifteen employees. James takes care of running the plant—he’s some kind of computer whiz—while Dan’s been handling sales and contacting potential clients.”

      She walked over to the table and sat down. Rafe glanced around and saw what she had done. With a certain amount of reluctance he decided to join her. He needed whatever information Mandy could give him. The sooner he resolved the matter, the sooner he could hightail it out of there.

      He crossed the room and sat down across from her. “Which would explain why he spends his time traveling,” he replied, thinking out loud.

      She nodded.

      “But this Williams—he doesn’t know where Dan could be?”

      “No, but he said he isn’t worried. He said Dan travels all the time. When I pinned him down, he admitted that Dan usually lets him know when he’s going to be out of town for any length of time.” She hugged her waist. “He’s never been out of touch for this long.”

      “When is the last time either the foreman or Dan’s partner saw him?”

      “It’s been almost two weeks now since July 1. Tom said he spoke to Dan that evening, but he wasn’t around the next morning when he came up to the house for their meeting.”

      “Any of his clothes gone?”

      She shrugged. “I have no way of knowing. Plenty of his things are still here. I don’t know what kind of luggage he kept, so I have no way of knowing if he has bags with him.”

      “You mentioned last night that you reported this to the sheriff. What sort of response did you receive from that avenue?”

      “A deputy came out to talk to me. He was very patronizing. Asked a lot of personal questions about me and my interest in my brother and his possible disappearance. Wanted to know if I was his heir if something had happened to him. He was a real jerk.”

      “Do you remember the deputy’s name?”

      “Oh, yeah. I’d never forget it. Dudley Wright. I think of him as Dudley DoRight. Treated me like some kind of neurotic female who needed to get a life instead of trailing along behind my brother, asking inane questions.” She looked at Rafe for what seemed to be a