Texas Ranch Justice. Karen Whiddon

like kiss her.

       Chapter 3

      As she trudged outside back to Travis’s truck, stunned and a bit shell-shocked, Scarlett had to bite the inside of her mouth to keep from demanding answers from him. She couldn’t help but feel like he’d enjoyed himself a bit too much in there.

      Kind of like his mother was a piranha and Scarlett newly trapped bait he’d hung dangling above the water for Vivian to snap at.

      But since he’d already made it clear he didn’t trust her, she kept her thoughts to herself.

      At least his sister had been friendly.

      Everyone else’s reactions were far too weird, with the exception of Delilah and Hal himself. She could understand her presence was a shock and they’d need time to adjust, but still. Why no one could even pretend to be happy that Hal had a long-lost daughter, she didn’t understand.

      Whatever she had expected, it hadn’t been this. She’d entertained dreams of being welcomed into a new family; a bit naive, clearly. Truthfully, she hadn’t thought much beyond getting to know her father and, while she’d never expected to find him with a terminal illness, she saw no reason for Travis and his kin to doubt her.

      Maybe she should have expected some resistance. After all, to these well-established existing members of Hal’s family, she’d just come up out of the woodwork. Clearly, Hal hadn’t even known Maggie was pregnant when she’d walked out on him. Though nothing could make up for the years without a father, knowing he hadn’t deliberately ignored her all this time felt like salve upon her wounded heart.

      Still, Vivian was Hal’s ex-wife. Why would she care if Hal had a daughter from a prior relationship? Why would this bother anyone? They all acted like Hal was a multimillionaire whose fortune Scarlett had come to steal. What they didn’t seem to understand was, if she’d truly been a gold digger, she’d have taken one look at Hal’s worn and battered furnishings and turned around to beat a retreat as quickly as she could.

      These people didn’t know her, but if they’d take the time to try, they’d realize money was the last thing she cared about. Her mother had left her enough to ensure her comfort. And even before Scarlett had left the art gallery where she worked to care for her mother, she’d been able to save a significant amount with the goal of eventually opening her own gallery someday.

      She’d temporarily put that dream on hold. What she wanted more than anything was a relationship with the man who’d sired her.

      Bittersweet now too, as his time on this earth was apparently limited. She’d be damned if she’d let anyone take that away from her.

      “Wait,” Travis said, just as she reached the side of his truck.

      She spun around to find him right there, mere feet away from her. Handsome as sin and sexy as hell. She reached up, cupped her hand along the side of his ruggedly chiseled cheek. Desire flared. It must have shown in her eyes or on her face because he muttered her name and then hauled her up against him, covering her mouth with his.

      Too stunned to react at first, she froze, heart pounding, blood pumping. As he slanted his lips over hers, a jolt of fire shot through her. In the same way that had compelled her to touch him, he acted as if he couldn’t help himself. She could relate. Punishing and angry, true. At first. Opening her mouth to him, she kissed him back with a hunger that surged up from deep within her and surprised the hell out of her.

      When he finally lifted his head from hers, her entire body quivered.

      “Let’s go,” he rasped, releasing her so quickly she stumbled backward.

      What the actual hell? Yanking open the truck door, she swung up and clicked the seat belt into place without saying a word.

      Travis cleared his throat, probably intending to apologize. She ignored him. He turned the key, started the engine and put the vehicle in gear. They headed back to the main house in silence.

      Lost in her own thoughts, she couldn’t help but wonder if the kiss had affected him as deeply as it had her. Honestly, his behavior completely baffled her. She alternated between anger with him and annoyance at herself for enjoying the kiss far too much.

      The truck had barely stopped rolling when she unhooked the belt and jumped out, striding into the house without a backward glance. Though technically, she and Travis really needed to discuss what had just happened, right now she felt way too frustrated to even attempt to deal with him.

      Hal waited in the living room, his wheelchair parked in front of the television. His tired face lit up the instant she walked into the room, which instantly banished her exasperation.

      “Hey there,” she murmured, crossing the room to crouch near him.

      “Delilah said she thought she saw you and Travis go off in the pickup,” he said, smiling.

      “We did.” Travis came inside, his gaze flicking over Scarlett before returning to Hal. “Since she says she’s staying awhile, I took her out to meet Vivian, Amber and Will.”

      “Excellent.” Hal chuckled. “Well, Scarlett? What’d you think?”

      “They all seemed...nice,” she said, aware she sounded lame but aware she had to be careful what she said.

      Hal burst out laughing, which quickly turned to a rasping cough. Delilah bustled into the room. “What’s going on?”

      “Nothing,” Hal managed, trying to straighten up. “My daughter is funny.”

      Behind her, Scarlett swore she could hear Travis grinding his teeth.

      “I’m sorry,” she ventured. “I wasn’t trying to be amusing or anything. I didn’t actually spend a lot of time with them, so can’t really form an opinion.”

      For whatever reason, this comment had Hal and Travis exchanging looks.

      “It’s okay,” Hal finally told her. “Vivian can be a handful, but she has a good heart. I’m not sure about her new boyfriend, Frank, but if she likes him, that’s okay with me.”

      “I didn’t meet him,” Scarlett replied.

      “He doesn’t live on the premises,” Travis interjected. “He just visits.”

      Despite trying not to, she found she kept sneaking looks at his mouth. The raw sensuality of his kiss had taken her by surprise. Worse, she found herself wanting to kiss him again.

      Which made her think she must be losing her mind.

      “What’s for supper?” Hal asked, eyeing Delilah. Since she was a nurse-type aide, Scarlett wondered why everyone seemed to expect her to cook.

      If cooking wasn’t supposed to be in her job description, Delilah didn’t seem to mind. She simply smiled and told them they’d have to wait and see. When she disappeared into the kitchen, Scarlett jumped up and followed her.

      “Let me help,” she offered.

      “What?” Delilah shook her head. “That wouldn’t be right. You’re a guest.”

      “I’m family,” Scarlett insisted firmly. “And as far as I can tell, your official capacity here is something like a nurse’s aide. Am I right?”

      “Sort of. I cook, clean and do whatever I can to help Hal feel comfortable. You might call me a jack-of-all-trades.” She chuckled at her own joke. “And tonight I’m just making sloppy joes and french fries. It’s a simple matter of browning the meat and baking the fries. I bake them so there won’t be as much grease. Hal’s stomach can’t handle a lot of fat.”

      “Do you use ground beef or ground turkey?”

      “Turkey or chicken. It’s healthier. But don’t tell Hal or Travis. Since they run a cattle ranch, they tend to frown on