“I have to get back to work.”

“Wait.” Kid held up a hand. “I’d like to talk about oil leases.”

“What?” Lucky eased back into her chair.

“Shilah Oil would like to lease your land for oil and gas.”

She wanted to laugh and without realizing it, she did. She had something Kid wanted. This was going to be fun.

“No,” she replied without having to think about it.

“Come on, Lucky. This could be good for you.” He glanced around. “Maybe you could get out of this beer joint.”

That did it.

“The land is not for lease.”

“Why not?”

“I’m not leasing to a Hardin.”

He drew back as if she’d hit him. “Come on, Lucky.”

Come on, Lucky. That and his I-live-for-you smile were his trademarks. Come on, Lucky. He’d kiss her cheek. Come on, Lucky. He’d stroke her hair. Come on, Lucky. And she’d do anything he wanted.

But not anymore.

Dear Reader,

The Texan’s Christmas is the last book in The Hardin Boys miniseries. I’ve lived with these characters for almost two years and it’s sad to let them go, but I’m going to end the series with a bang—with tears and laughter. The best way!

If you’ve read the other two books, The Texan’s Secret and The Texan’s Bride, you’re well acquainted with Cisco “Kid” Hardin, the middle brother. If you haven’t, that’s okay. You’ll still love Kid, the charmer, the ladies’ man. He has a devil-may-care attitude and nothing in life fazes him much. Until he has to face his past—his first love, Lucinda “Lucky” Littlefield.

You probably know someone who has the gift of gab. Who never meets a stranger. Who’s the life of the party and always makes you laugh. My younger brother, Paul, is like that. He keeps everyone in stitches at family gatherings and is fun to be around.

Kid Hardin has some of those traits, and it was a challenge to see what it would take to make him serious. Kid and Lucky have a love story that has kept me on the edge of my seat and I hope you enjoy these characters as much as I’ve enjoyed creating them. So it’s goodbye to the Hardins, but I hope they live on in your mind.

With love and thanks,

Linda Warren

P.S.—It’s always a pleasure to hear from readers. You can email me at Lw1508@aol.com or write me at P.O. Box 5182, Bryan, TX 77805. Visit my website at www.lindawarren.net

or www.facebook.com/authorlindawarren. I will answer your letters as soon as I can.

The Texan’s Christmas
Linda Warren

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

RITA® Award-nominated and award-winning author Linda Warren has written thirty books for Harlequin, including stories for the Superromance, American Romance and Everlasting Love series. Drawing upon her years of growing up on a farm/ranch in Texas, she writes about sexy heroes, feisty heroines and broken families with an emotional punch, all set against the backdrop of Texas. When she’s not writing or at the mall, she’s sitting on her patio with her husband watching the wildlife and plotting her next book. Visit her website at www.LindaWarren.net.

I dedicate this book to my brother,

Paul William—you’ll always be the life of the party.

I would like to thank all the patient and

understanding people who answered my endless

questions about the oil industry, trains and cattle

rustling. All errors are strictly mine.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

EPILOGUE

CHAPTER ONE

LUCINDA LITTLEFIELD.

The name evoked a torrent of high school memories—heavenly blue eyes, kissing in the bleachers, making out in his old pickup…and a whole lot of regret.

Cisco Hardin shifted restlessly in his truck as he sped down the road in High Cotton, Texas. Everyone in school had called her Lucky, and they’d dubbed him Kid. Somehow he knew they’d meet again, but he never dreamed it would be like this.

In his mind their eyes would lock across a crowded room. She’d smile that smile that turned him inside out and all the promises he’d broken would be forgotten. Chickens wearing high heels might be a more likely scenario, he mused. Lucky wasn’t going to forget what he’d done. It was time to roll the dice and see if twenty years had mellowed the cockles of Lucky’s heart.

As he pulled into the parking area of the one beer joint in the small town, his cell jangled to the tune of “Ain’t Going Down (’Til the Sun Comes Up).” Turning off the ignition, he reached for the phone on his belt.

“Hey, Cadde.” His brother was the CEO of Shilah Oil. Kid and Chance, their other brother, had a vested interest in the company, too. The Hardin boys were in the oil business.

“Did you get Lucky to sign the lease?” Cadde always came straight to the point.

“I just reached The Joint.”

“What took so long?”

“Well—” he tapped his fingers on the steering wheel “—I wanted to see Aunt Etta and Uncle Rufus and then I went to Chance’s, but the baby was asleep so I stopped at your house to play with Jacob. He’s crawling everywhere and pulling up to his feet by himself.”

“He’ll be walking soon. Jessie and I can hardly keep up with him.” There was a long sigh. “Kid, you’re stalling.”

“Maybe.” He had to admit this wasn’t easy for him.

“You were only a boy when you promised to call and come back after you left for Lubbock and Texas Tech, but you didn’t. That was years ago. You’ve both moved on.”

“I know. I can’t figure out what she’s doing in High Cotton running her dad’s bar.”

“Don’t worry about her life, just get the lease signed. I’ve already purchased our drilling contract from Anadarko and it didn’t come cheap. Since Bud transferred the land and mineral rights to Lucky, we need her fifty acres to complete the desired acreage to drill the oil well. We have a personal stake in this because our property left to us by our parents is a major part of the tract.”

“I’m well aware of that, big brother.”

“Do you want me to talk to Lucky?”

“Hell, no. Leasing is my department and I’ll handle it.”

“You’ll have to get out of your truck to do that.”

Kid looked around. “Are you watching me?”

There was a laugh on the other end. “No, but I know you and, believe me, this is a first—Kid Hardin afraid to talk to a woman.”

“Lucky’s not any woman.”

“You might want to analyze that statement and why this is so hard for you.”

He’d rather not. “You always said my past was going to come back and haunt me. I can feel the ol’ Ghostbusters chomping at my butt.”

“If you don’t want to see her, Chance or I will do it.”

“Like hell.”

“Then get out of your truck.”

Kid clicked off before the curse words could leave his mouth. Grabbing his hat from the passenger’s seat, he got out. The parking lot was graveled as it had been years ago and it crunched beneath his boots like corn-flakes. The weatherworn siding and tin roof with the rusty spots were the same, too. An iron rail ran across the front. Bud had put it up after a drunk had plowed through his building one night. “The Beer Joint” blinked from a neon sign. Bud hadn’t used much creativity in naming the place. Besides Kid’s truck, three more were nosed up to the rail and it was only five o’clock on a hot September afternoon.

Opening the heavy door, he stepped into the dimly lit bar and just like that, twenty years smacked him in the face. They were seventeen years old and he’d fixed up an old Ford pickup to drive to school. After classes, The Beer Joint was the first place they’d stop. Lucky would go in the side door and sneak out two beers. Then they’d cruise the back roads, stopping at the old abandoned Potter place beneath an overgrown entrance. He’d drink his beer and then hers because she’d only take a couple of sips. The rest of the afternoon they’d spend making out when they should have been studying.

He was her first and he’d thought he would love her forever.

After his eyes adjusted, he saw the inside was the same, too; the back wall had a row of red booths that now looked more orange than red. Wooden tables were scattered in the center, the old jukebox that probably held records from the 1980s occupied another wall, and to the left was the mahogany bar Bud had built. It shone like glass. A couple huddled together in a booth, two guys sat at a table and three cowboys were bellied up to the bar talking to a waitress.

He didn’t see Lucky.

Straddling a faded red bar stool, he looked around, his eyes falling on the waitress. She made no move to serve him. One cowboy said something and she laughed. His mind reeled. Oh, my God! He knew that soft, seductive chuckle. It visited him often in his dreams. Could she be…?

His eyes roamed over her slim yet curvy figure dressed in tight jeans. Her breasts pushed against a blue fitted blouse and the first button was undone. That he noticed, but her hair drew his attention. Lucky’s blond hair was long and flowing. This woman’s was short, kind of chic, wobberjawed is what he’d call the style. It looked damn good on her, though.

Lucky.

What have you done to your hair?

Just when he was about to fall off his bar stool from shock, she turned and walked over to him.

“Can I get you anything?”

The soft lilting voice was the same but there was no recognition in the blue eyes—the eyes that used to sparkle for him. Now they just stared at him with irritation.

He wanted to say, “It’s me, Kid,” but somehow the words got tangled up in the past of his misdeeds. What he said was, “Beer. Miller Lite.”

“Can or bottle?”

“Bottle.”

Behind her was a large cooler filled with numerous kinds of beer. She opened the door and grabbed one. After placing it in front of him on a napkin, she laid a ticket on the bar. He pulled out his wallet and placed a five on top of it.

“Keep the change.”

Without a word, she put the ticket and money in the cash register. She slammed it shut and went back to the cowboys, ignoring him as if he were invisible.

That was cold.

But she was beautiful and sexy, just like he’d remembered. The classic lines of her face were now mature as was her body. And her breasts—were they always that full? They used to fit the palm of his hand perfectly.

She didn’t recognize him! That took a moment to digest. Getting her to sign a lease was going to be so much easier now. He’d worried for nothing.

Looking down, he saw the bottle still had the cap on it. He knew it was a twist-off, but just to niggle her, he called, “Miss?”

She glanced his way.

“Aren’t you supposed to remove the cap?”

“Oh.” She moved over to him, her blue eyes narrowed. “I thought you could flick it off with your thumb.”

He frowned. Was she joshing him? He used to brag about that in high school. Not that he could, but it didn’t keep him from boasting.

Taking the bottle, she gave it a quick twist and placed it in front of him on the napkin. Foam oozed from the top and spilled onto the side. Did she shake it?

Again, without a word she walked away.

He needed another napkin, but decided against asking. He took a cold sip.

A man came through the door on the right, carrying a case of beer. Bubba Joe Grisley. In school, he’d had a big head and his body had finally caught up. The man was huge. Did he work here? From the apron he wore, Kid figured he did. Bubba Joe used to have a crush on Lucky. Had they hooked up? Chance had said that Lucky wasn’t married, but that didn’t mean a thing.

Bubba Joe unloaded the case into the cooler and turned, his eyes catching Kid’s. “Well, if it ain’t Crisco Hardin.”

Kid ran his thumb over the frosty bottle. “If you call me Crisco one more time, I’m going to jump across this bar and show you how strong I’ve gotten in twenty years.”

Bubba Joe laughed, a sound that rumbled through his large chest. “Hey, Kid. I’m joking.”

“I didn’t like it when you called me that in third grade and I don’t like it now.”

“Hell, Kid, you got all the looks and charm and all I got was a big head. I had to have some fun.” Bubba Joe rubbed his balding head. “I think I still have knots that you put there.”

“I didn’t hit you that hard.”

“Life was good back then, huh?” Before Kid could answer, Bubba Joe shouted to Lucky. “Hey, Kid Hardin’s back in town.”

“I know. I served him a beer,” she said without any emotion, and without looking his way.

That was even colder.

She remembered. On that thought came another. After all these years she was still pissed and madder than a bear caught in a trap. He knew Lucky and her stubborn pride. She wasn’t ever going to forgive him. Forgiveness wasn’t something he needed—too many years had passed for that. But he was sorry he’d hurt her.

After his parents’ tragic deaths, his mind was all messed up and Lucky was there to comfort him in a way no one else could. They were friends a long time before their relationship had become intimate.

“Are you moving back to High Cotton like your brothers?” Bubba Joe asked, leaning on the bar.

“Nah.” Kid took a swallow. “I’m staying in Houston. I’ve gotten used to the bright lights.”

“Yeah. I bet.” Bubba Joe snickered in that I-know-what-you-mean sort of way.

Kid just drank his beer, but every now and then he could feel Lucky’s heavenly baby blues on him. But now there was nothing divine about them. Instead, they gave off more of a fire and brimstone feel.

“Chance built a huge roping pen back of his house. I see him out there roping most weekends. His little girl, too. Sometimes Tyler Jakes ropes with him. He’s a roping champion.”

Kid brought his attention back to Bubba Joe. “Tyler’s a rodeo guy and he and Chance will always be cowboys.” Tyler was younger than the Hardin boys but his rodeo success was well-known.

“Chance’s wife just had a baby.”

“Yeah.” Kid twisted the bottle. “A little boy named Cody.”

“His wife teaches at the school. My cousin has her for a teacher and he has a big crush on her—a beautiful blonde. Who wouldn’t?”

“Shay’s a real nice lady and Chance is lucky to have met her.” But the relationship almost disintegrated on its own when Chance had found out the truth about Shay’s past.

Chance had been asleep in the backseat the night their parents had crashed into a tree and died. Loud voices had awakened him. Seemed their father was leaving his family for another woman. That was the horrible secret Chance had kept, never telling anyone until about three years ago when he’d finally told his brothers.

No one knew who the other woman was until Shay literally crashed into Chance’s life. The other woman was her mother.

Kid gulped the cold beer. That news had been hard to take, but they’d gotten through it as brothers. Their father had been a big part of their lives, so much so they’d followed him into the oil business. Chuck Hardin had roughnecked most of his life. He’d told his sons that they’d do better than him. They’d get an education and move up the ladder into a position of power. Everything their father had taught them felt tarnished by his betrayal.

“We all knew Cadde was going to succeed,” Bubba Joe was saying. “He had that drive, even back then. Who knew he’d marry the boss’s daughter.”

“Yeah, who knew?” Kid swirled the beer around in the bottle. The marriage of convenience had turned into something special. Nothing much distracted Cadde from the oil business, except Jessie. When they’d lost their first child, Kid feared Cadde was never going to make it back from the edge. But he’d heard love had the power to heal. Kid didn’t know much about that, though.

“I see his wife every now and then at Walker’s General Store. She pushes the baby around in a stroller looking at everything in there like she’s at Neiman Marcus. Her dog is in the stroller, too. It’s a weird thing without any ears and if you get anywhere near that baby it growls and barks. Jessie, I think her name is, always apologizes. Man, she’s a looker, and pregnant again. You Hardin boys are going to keep the name alive.”

“Yeah,” was all he said. His brothers had found something rare and he was happy for them. But he would always be the uncle and he was comfortable in that role.

“How about you, Kid. You married?”

“Nah. How about you?” Kid drained his beer.

“I still live with my momma. Every time I try to leave she gets sick.”

Kid wanted to laugh. “Big-headed momma’s boy” is what they used to call Bubba Joe. He didn’t quite understand why kids had to be so cruel. In third grade Billy Ray Tarvel couldn’t say “Cisco” so he’d called Kid “Crisco” because that’s what his mom used to make pies. Kid had to forcibly hold Billy Ray down one day to make him say “Kid.” After that no one but Bubba Joe called him that twice. Bubba Joe never did it in a cruel way. It was fun and he wanted to be Kid’s buddy. Kid put knots on his head anyway.

Mostly, he had good memories about school, especially high school, and Lucky was a big part of that.

“Nice talking to you, Kid,” Bubba Joe said. “I have to get back to work. Stop in again when you’re in town.”

“Thanks.” He nodded and glanced toward Lucky. She was still talking to the cowboys as if they were her very best friends and giving them a very good view of her breasts. This wasn’t the shy, demure girl he’d once known. It didn’t matter. He was here on business and he had to get the job done.

“Lucky?”

She glanced at him, said something to the guys and came his way.

“You want another beer?” Her voice was so cold a chill ran up his spine.

“No. I…uh…I’d like to talk.” Damn! He sounded like he was sixteen asking her for a date. But he’d never been this nervous. Talking to women came naturally to him. Why wasn’t it easy to talk to Lucky?

“Talk,” she replied, keeping the temperature subzero.

He stood and motioned toward a table. “In private.”

He thought she was going to refuse, but she walked around the bar and sat down on a faded chair. He joined her. The air-conditioning was cool but he could feel the heat building between them. And it wasn’t a good heat.

Removing his hat, he placed it on the table and looked into her cold, cold eyes. “You look great.”

Lucky clasped her hands in her lap. What was she supposed to say to that? You lying cheating bastard came to mind. But she wouldn’t sink to his level.

“I’m thirty-eight years old and I left looking good behind in my twenties.”

“Come on, Lucky, you’re still a knockout.”

So are you.

This was where his deep sexy voice and sincere brown eyes always broke any resolve about not letting Kid get to her. He had a way of making a woman feel special, as if she was beautiful and the only woman in the world for him. As a teenager she had fallen for his smooth-talking lies. As a mature woman she could hardly believe she’d been so naive—so naive that she’d actually believed a popular boy like Kid loved the barkeeper’s daughter.

Due to her father’s occupation the kids in school tended to look down on her. But Kid took her to school parties and dances and the shy girl finally fit in for the first time in her life.

Because Kid Hardin loved her.

Briefly.

Why couldn’t he have loved her the way she’d loved him?

From the rumor mill in High Cotton she’d heard that many women had filled her shoes since. That hurt.

“What do you want, Kid?”

His warm glance slid over her face, and she felt a weakening deep in her stomach. The years had been kind to him. His hair was dark with just a hint of gray, and his chiseled features, strong chin, devil-may-care attitude and twinkle in his eyes could melt the coldest heart. The five o’clock shadow added to his sex appeal.

Don’t let him get to you.

“Why did you cut your hair?”

“Excuse me?”

“Your hair.” He waved a hand toward her. “It used to be long and gorgeous.”

She looked him straight in the eye. “I’m not eighteen anymore.”

“Ah, Lucky, I think we’ll always be eighteen.” That you’re special gaze in his eyes did a number on her senses. She felt like that young girl who believed in fairy-tale endings—who believed in Kid. The thought stiffened her backbone.

“I’m not going down memory lane with you.”

As if she hadn’t spoken, he said, “What are you doing running your dad’s beer joint? What happened to your plans of being a nurse?”

What happened?

Her stomach clenched tight. The day Kid had left for Texas Tech played vividly in her mind as if it were yesterday. It was mid-August and hot, much the same as today. Kid had driven to her house in his new red Chevy pickup that Dane Belle had bought him. After his parents’ deaths, the Hardin boys lived on the High Five ranch, owned by Dane, with their aunt and uncle. Dane became the father figure they’d lost. All the boys loved and respected him.

That day they’d leaned against his truck saying goodbye.

“I wish your dad had sprung for you going to nursing school in Lubbock, and then we could have been together.”

“It’s too far away and I’m all he’s got.” She stroked his chest. “I wish Dane hadn’t insisted you go to Tech.”

“It’s where Cadde is and Dane feels we need to stay close as brothers.”

“But I’m going to miss you.”

“I’ll call and write,” Kid said, running his fingers through her long hair.

She pressed into him, not knowing how she was going to exist without Kid. He kissed her long and deep.

“When are you leaving for Austin?” he asked against her lips.

“In about two weeks.”

He tucked her hair behind her ears, his eyes dark and serious. “You’re not going to forget me, are you?”

“I’ll never forget you,” she whispered.

“I love you, Lucky.” His voice cracked when he said her name. “I will always love you.”

“There’ll never be anyone else for me.”

“I’ll call as soon as I get there,” he promised.

They’d held on to each other for a long time and then Kid had driven away. She’d waved until she couldn’t see him anymore. Every day she’d waited for that call. At the end of two weeks she finally had to admit to herself that he wasn’t ever going to call or come back for her.

She’d left for Austin with a broken heart.

Kid Hardin was a liar and a cheat.

Why was she even talking to him?

“Lucky?”

She quickly got her emotions under control. “What do you want, Kid?”

“My brothers and I are in the oil business.”

“I’m aware of that. I don’t live under a rock. Cadde and Chance have moved back home and I see their wives all the time.”

“You know Shay and Jessie?”

“Yes.” Why did he seem so shocked? She supposed he thought the barkeeper’s daughter wasn’t good enough to socialize with the Hardins. She immediately pushed all that resentment away. “Darcy’s the only kid I know who would come into a bar to sell Girl Scout Cookies.”

“Shay let her do that?”

There was that note of concern again. In that moment she knew what she’d probably known for the past twenty years. That Kid had used her like all the other boys in school had tried. But he’d done it with words of I love you and forever. And she’d fallen for his lies like a child tottering on a cliff.

“Don’t worry, Kid, Shay was waiting outside. Chance had said that Darcy had to sell the cookies herself and she was determined to sell the most in her troop.”

“Yeah. I bought two cases. I munched on those things for months.”

She took a long breath, not wanting to get into a family discussion. That was too easy, too familiar.

“I have to get back to work.”

“Wait.” He held up a hand. “I’d like to talk about oil leases.”

“What?” She eased back into her chair.

“Shilah Oil would like to lease your land for oil and gas.”

She wanted to laugh and without realizing it she did. She had something Kid wanted. This was going to be fun.

“No,” she replied without having to think about it.

“Come on, Lucky. This could be good for you.” He glanced around. “Maybe you could get out of this place.”

That did it.

“The land is not for lease.”

“Why not?”

“I’m not leasing to a Hardin.”

He drew back as if she’d hit him. “Come on, Lucky.”

Come on, Lucky. That and his I-live-for-you smile were his trademarks. Come on, Lucky. He’d kiss her cheek. Come on, Lucky. He’d stroke her hair. Come on, Lucky. And she’d do anything he wanted.

But not anymore.

CHAPTER TWO

KID SANK INTO A COMFY CHAIR in Cadde’s den, feeling out of breath and sucker punched by a blue-eyed, short-haired blonde.

The land is not for lease. To a Hardin.

After that, Lucky put the lid on anything else he had to say. It was the first time in his life that his smile, his words, had failed, but it wasn’t over. Lucky just thought it was.

His chest tightened and he focused on Jessie playing on the floor with Jacob. The moment the baby saw him he fell to all fours and crawled over, pulling up on Kid’s jeans.

“Hey, partner.” Kid lifted the nine-month-old baby onto his lap. Jacob bounced up and down, smiling, showing off his two lower teeth. Kid had always thought he didn’t want kids, but the moment Jacob was born something changed in him. Instead of going on a date, he’d play with Jacob. He didn’t understand that. Maybe it had something to do with his thirty-eight-plus years, which he’d been reminded of more than once today.

The whirl of a helicopter sounded above. Before Roscoe Murdock, Jessie’s father, had died, he’d purchased a top-of-the-line helicopter for Shilah Oil so they could save time when traveling to oil wells. It was also an easy way for Cadde and Chance to go to work in Houston. Jacob’s eyes opened wide and his mouth formed an O. Quickly he scooted from Kid’s lap and crawled to his mother.

Jessie clapped her hands. “Daddy’s home.”

Excited, Jacob bounced up and down again on his butt. All he had on was a diaper and a T-shirt.

“What door does Daddy come in?” Jessie asked.

Jacob’s mouth formed another O. “Da, da, da, da,” Jacob babbled. Mirry, Jessie’s dog, barked and trotted to the back door. The baby zoomed after her.

“He’s understanding a lot,” Kid said.

“Yes, he does,” Jessie replied. “We read to him all the time and he loves animals.”

“Wonder where he gets that from?” Jessie had an affinity for animals. Besides Mirry, she had a one-eyed donkey, a ram with no horns, five abused horses that were now healthy and a fawn she’d raised from a bottle. She’d set the doe free, but she always came back for feed and pampering.

When he’d first met Jessie, she was standoffish, but a looker, like Bubba Joe had said, with dark tumbling hair and black eyes. Her father protected and sheltered her all her life. On his deathbed, the man had made a deal with Cadde—marry my daughter and keep her safe and I’ll give you my shares in Shilah Oil.

For ten years Cadde had worked his ass off for Roscoe. He’d earned everything he’d inherited, but Roscoe forgot to mention that Jessie received the largest part of Shilah. That set up the biggest test of wills Kid had ever seen. It had brought his strong brother to his knees and Jessie almost lost her sanity. But through it all they found the magic formula—love.

Love—what the hell was it?

“You look a little down,” Jessie remarked, picking up a toy.

Kid clasped his hands between his knees. “I just had to face my past and it was a little unsettling.”

“Cadde said you were trying to lease a piece of land from an old girlfriend.”

“Yeah. My high school sweetheart, Lucky Littlefield.”

“Oh.” Jessie paused in stacking Jacob’s toys on the coffee table. “I’ve met her.”

“That right?”

“Yes, at Walker’s General Store. I was browsing so long at the old neat stuff that Jacob grew fussy. He threw his stuffed dog out of the stroller. Lucky handed it back to him. Mirry didn’t bark or growl like she usually does if anyone gets near him. Mirry’s a very good judge of character. Lucky introduced herself and I liked her. She’s very pretty with a stylish haircut.”

“Yeah.”

“Why are you frowning?”

Was he? He hadn’t realized that.

“Don’t you like her hair?”

He shrugged. “It used to be long.”

“And you liked it that way?”

He looked into Jessie’s teasing eyes. “Could we change the subject?”

She picked up another toy as if he hadn’t spoken. “Cadde said she was the owner of The Beer Joint. When he said ‘beer joint,’ I had this vision of an older woman with yellowish bleached blond hair, tight-fitting clothes, a cigarette dangling from her lip and someone who had lived a rougher-than-rough lifestyle. Lucky wasn’t like that at all. It’s all about how we perceive people and most of the time it’s wrong.”

He stared down at his locked hands. “Kids in school looked down on her because her dad ran The Beer Joint.”

“Did you?”

“What?”

“Did you look down on Lucky because of her circumstances?”

Did he?

“No,” he answered his own question. “We were close since about the seventh grade. I didn’t care what her father did for a living.”

“That’s a long time to know someone.”

“Yeah.” He rubbed his hands together. He remembered the first time she’d smiled at him and his heart had almost pounded out of his chest. He remembered the first time he’d kissed her. He remembered…

The back door opened and childish squeals of delight echoed from the hallway. Cadde walked in with Jacob in his arms, Mirry at his feet, barking, as if to alert everyone that Cadde was home.

Jessie placed her hand on the coffee table and tried to stand, but at seven months pregnant she was having difficulty.

Cadde kissed his son’s cheek. “Go play with Uncle Kid. Daddy has to help Mommy.”

Jacob shook his head vigorously and clung to Cadde. Reaching down, Cadde lifted Jessie with one arm while still holding Jacob. Nestling into his side, Jessie kissed him, her eyes sparkling.

“I think this baby is going to weigh ten pounds,” she said, rubbing her stomach. She stroked Jacob’s head. “You get a little territorial when Daddy comes home.”

Jacob made a whimpering sound and Jessie laughed. “I’m going to check on supper. Kid, you’re welcome to stay.”

“I didn’t know you cooked.”

Her eyes darkened and he knew that was the wrong thing to say. Trying to rectify the blunder he quickly added, “Thanks, Jessie, but I’m eating at Aunt Etta’s.”

“Rosa does not do all the cooking at our house,” she told him. Rosa and Felix Delgado had raised Jessie since she was seven. They now lived next door in a house that Cadde had built for them. They were Jessie’s protectors. Her family. When Roscoe’s niece had been kidnapped and murdered, he made sure that no one could get to his daughter. Roscoe was more than paranoid about her safety. But that was all behind them and he knew how important it was for Jessie to have a life. A family. He should have kept his mouth shut.

“I’m sorry, Jessie. I’ve had a rough day.”

She walked over and kissed his cheek. “You’re forgiven.”

After Jessie left, Cadde sat on the sofa with Jacob resting against him, his legs locked around Cadde’s waist.

“Stop aggravating my wife.”

“I seem to be pissing off everyone today—without even trying.”

Cadde rubbed his son’s back, kissing his fat cheek.

As Kid watched his brother with his son, he felt a blow to his chest. This was what he wanted; a child rushing to the door in excitement to greet him, a woman who had eyes only for him. He wanted his own family.

“From the look on your face I’d say that you managed to piss off Lucky.”

It took a moment for him to focus. He shifted in his chair. “She’d rather tar and feather me and then set fire to me before leasing to Shilah.”

“I’ll talk to her.”

“No. I just need to regroup.”

He could feel Cadde’s eyes on him. “Maybe you need to start with an apology.”

“It’s been twenty years. What do I have to apologize for?” He stood in an angry movement. “We didn’t even know what love was.”

“Do you now?”

“Hell, no.”

“The Kid I know would have sweet-talked his way through this, but somehow Lucky is a stumbling block for you. Why?”

“I don’t know. All these memories seem to crowd in on me.”

“Guilt, maybe?”

Kid ignored that. “I just can’t figure out why she’s running her dad’s place.”

“Why does it matter?”

“I’m going down to Chance’s to talk to him.” He was going to kiss Jacob but saw he was asleep.

“Kid,” Cadde called as his brother walked away.

He glanced back.

“Let me or Chance handle this. We need the lease signed.”

“I said I’d do it and I will.”

In less than a minute Kid was in his truck and headed down the road to Chance’s. He had stayed in High Cotton longer than any of the brothers. He probably knew more about Lucky than anyone, and Kid planned to be prepared the next time he saw her. Today she’d knocked him for a loop. That wasn’t going to happen again.

Cadde had built a big two-story house to the right of their parents’ old house. To the left was Chance and Shay’s house, a sprawling one story with a barn and a corral. Because of Jessie’s animals Cadde also had a barn and pens. The Hardin boys had come home in a big way.

Pulling over to the side of the road, he gazed at the old home place for a moment. The decaying white frame house sat on Kid’s part of the land. Some day soon they’d have to do something about the house. For years they’d been putting it off. They might be grown men but they were afraid to open the door and face the demons of their youth. Or maybe it was the memories they didn’t want to face. Memories that were perfect in their minds, but maybe in reality they weren’t.

Whatever it was, Kid decided he had enough demons to face. One in particular was Lucinda Littlefield.

Kid saw Chance and Darcy at the roping pen so he drove there. Darcy was throwing a rope at a dummy calf while Chance leaned on the fence watching her and giving instructions. Tiny, Darcy’s Chihuahua, sat at Chance’s feet.

“Twirl it,” Chance shouted to his daughter. “Use your wrist.”

Eleven-year-old Darcy flung the rope toward the dummy and it missed by an inch. “Shoot.” She stomped her foot.

“Try again,” Chance said.

Kid joined his younger brother at the pipe fence. “Are we having a rodeo or something?”

“Nah. Just showing Darcy a little extra attention. Everyone makes a fuss over the baby and I don’t want her to feel left out.”

Darcy was adopted, but no one would ever guess that by the way Chance doted on her.

“Hey, Uncle Kid.” Darcy waved. “Watch me.”

“Hey, hotshot.” He waved back. Hotshot was Chance’s nickname for her. Now everyone called her that. It fit. The girl was spunky and didn’t have a shy bone in her body.

She swung the rope and it landed in a perfect loop over the dummy. “Daddy, Daddy, did you see?” Darcy jumped up and down.

“That’s my girl.”

Darcy ran and jumped on the fence. Chance lifted his daughter over the top.

“I’m good, huh, Daddy?” Darcy pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose.

“You’re the best.” Chance hugged her and kissed the top of her head.

“Here comes Mommy.” Darcy drew away and dashed to meet Shay who was walking across the lawn, holding baby Cody. Wearing denim shorts and a tank top, Shay looked beautiful, as always.

“He was asleep earlier,” Shay said, handing the baby dressed in a blue outfit and cap to him. “Now he wants to see his uncle Kid.”

Kid stared down at the three-month-old baby. Cody moved his head around, his greenish-brown eyes wide-open as he flailed his hands and legs.

“I just nursed him and he wants more.”

Chance kissed his son’s forehead. “Enough, buddy.”

“Can I hold him, Mommy?” Darcy wanted to know.

“When we get back to the house.”

“Does anyone notice how much Cody looks like Jacob?” he asked, studying the chubby cheeks and cap of brown hair.

“Yeah,” Chance replied, “except Jacob has Jessie’s black eyes. Cody’s will probably be brown like mine.”

Kid cradled the baby in the crook of his arm and there it was again. That feeling. Suddenly he could put a name to it. Loneliness. His brothers, his running partners, were married and settled with families. He was the odd one out—alone and unattached. Holding their children filled that loneliness inside him. But it wasn’t enough. The thought startled him.

“Shay.”

Shay’s cousin, Nettie, strolled toward them. The woman wore a long full skirt and a gypsy blouse with her long gray hair flowing down her back. A purple scarf was tied around her head. Beads of every color were around her neck and on her wrists. She professed to be a gypsy-witch and took some getting used to. But she and Kid were now friends.

From the start, Shay had wanted Nettie to move in with them because Nettie had raised her and Shay didn’t want her to be alone. Nettie, not wanting to horn in on newlyweds, refused. She liked her independence. When Shay became pregnant, Nettie changed her mind. She moved in about four months ago and took care of Cody while Shay taught school.

“It’s too hot out here for the baby,” Nettie said.

“The sun’s going down and it’s only for a few minutes,” Shay told her, glancing at her son. “He’s asleep so you can put him down. How’s that?”

“I know I’m a little overprotective.” Nettie’s beads jangled as she talked.

“A little?” Chance laughed.

Kid handed off the precious bundle to Nettie, who immediately pulled the cap over Cody’s forehead.

“Hey, Nettie, how about telling my future?” Nettie read palms and Kid thought he could use some help.

“It’s right in front of your face.”

“What? You haven’t even looked at my palm.”

“I don’t need to. Your life line is long and leads to home, but it will not be a pleasant journey.”

Kid frowned. “Are you yanking my chain?”

Nettie smiled and walked toward the house with Cody.

Darcy waved a hand in front of his face. “Can you see anything, Uncle Kid?”

“Don’t be a smart…”

Chance cleared his throat.

“…butt,” he finished.

Darcy giggled and darted after Nettie, Tiny trailing behind her. “I’m gonna help with Cody.”

Standing on tiptoes, Shay reached up and kissed Chance. “Supper’s in about thirty minutes. And we have ice cream.”

Chance smiled and kept smiling.

“Kid, you’re welcome to stay,” Shay said, looking at him.

“Thanks, but Aunt Etta’s waiting.” What was it with the cooking? The women he knew didn’t know how to use a stove.

“I can’t beat that.”

Shay followed the others and Kid noticed Chance was still smiling. “Is ice cream a secret code or something?”

“What? Oh. Just memories of when we were dating.” Chance turned to him. “How’d it go with Lucky?”

Kid placed his boot on the bottom pipe of the fence. “Like sticking a needle in my eye for pleasure.”

“Ouch.”

“She’s mad and refused to sign a lease. No.” He rested his elbow on the fence. “She’s angry as hell—at me. After all these damn years, she’s still angry. I don’t get it.”

“Do you want me to hold a mirror up to your face?”

“What?”

“Nettie said your future is in front of you. Maybe you have to confront your past before you can see the future.”

“Is the heat making you loony?”

Chance sighed. “Kid, back away from this and I’ll talk to Lucky in the morning.”

“No.” Kid pointed a finger at his brother. “Cadde said the same thing, but neither one of you is taking over my job.”

“Okay. Okay.” Chance held up his hands. “I’m not going to mention how important it is to lease Lucky’s land. Everything else is leased up. Without that piece of property, we’re not drilling a well.”

Kid removed his boot and leaned his back against the pipe. He knew all the risks and he never saw a problem until today. There had to be a way around his shady past.

“How long has Lucky been home?”

Chance shrugged. “Five or six years. Why?”

“You’ve talked to her, right?”

“Lots of times.”

“Did she ever ask about me?”

“No.”

“Never?”

“Never.” Chance sighed again. “She didn’t bring up your name and I didn’t, either. Why is this so important to you?”

“Why did she come back?”

Chance leaned heavily on the fence and Kid got the impression he wanted to bump his head against it. “We were kids, but I know you remember the time two guys tried to rob The Beer Joint.”

“Yeah. It’s the only crime ever committed in High Cotton. Some stealing, family squabbles and speeding tickets, but no big crimes like the attempted robbery. As I recall two guys came in after closing with guns drawn demanding all the money. They just didn’t count on Bud having a .45 pistol in the cash register. He shot both of them before they could blink. When he walked around the bar, one of them squeezed off a shot and hit Bud in the hip.”

“That’s about it. One winter he slipped on some ice and injured the hip pretty bad again. Lucky came home to take care of him and she never left.”

“So she got a nursing degree?”

Chance shook his head. “I don’t think so, but I’ve never asked.”

Kid kicked at the dry September grass. “Why is she slinging beer?”

“That bothers you?”

“For some reason it does, and if you mention something about a mirror again I’m going to hit you.”

Chance shook his head. “Okay. But the bottom line is that Cadde’s not going to let this slide. It’s too important for Shilah. And it’s too important to us as a family.”

Kid headed for his truck. “I know. Talk to you later.”

No one had to tell him what signing that lease meant. They’d researched it thoroughly and the land around Giddings was rich in oil and gas. Through sheer tenacity Cadde had managed to secure several leases from other oil companies. That didn’t happen overnight. It took a lot of hours of negotiating.

The only holdout was the Littlefield tract. Bud had leased the land many years ago but the contract had expired without the property being included in a well. His research showed that ten years ago Bud had transferred the title of the land and all mineral rights to Lucky.

As someone who had leased many tracts of land for Shilah, he wondered about that. Why would someone in this economy refuse money? He couldn’t leave it alone so he dug deeper, calling some old friends who worked for other oil companies. The response he got was the daughter was harder to deal with than the father and it wasn’t worth the trouble for those fifty acres.

So maybe it wasn’t about not leasing to a Hardin.

Maybe it was something else.

AFTER KID LEFT, LUCKY SPOKE with Mr. Harvey, who had leased his land to Shilah. He was excited about the deal. She wasn’t and she’d just as soon never see Kid again. She tried to act normal, but her nerves were shaky, her stomach queasy. Hurrying to the storeroom, she sank onto a couple of cases of beer and took several deep breaths.

How could he waltz in here as if they’d never been lovers, never planned a future together? And how could she keep holding on to that pain? She bent forward, sucking air into her lungs. Oh, God, she hated herself for this weakness. She’d gotten over Kid a long time ago, she told herself. It was just seeing him so suddenly that had wiped out years of perfecting a cool facade. She hoped none of her inner turmoil showed.

Her nerves subsided and she forced herself to relax. As always, he was cool, collected and charming. That hadn’t changed, but when she looked at his handsome face all she could feel was the pain he’d caused her—the pain was a permanent reminder of their teenage relationship.

Her hand went to her hair. He used to love her long tresses, but that wasn’t the reason she’d had it cut. The style was easier in her line of work and it drew less attention. She took another breath. Running her hands through the thick layers, she wondered how different she looked to him.

Stop it!

Her cell buzzed and she eagerly reached for it, anything to keep Kid out of her head. It was her boss, Travis Coffman, and they set up a time to meet. She didn’t like working in The Beer Joint any more than Kid liked it, but it was part of her job, which meant a lot to her. It gave her validation and purpose she desperately needed.

As she slipped her phone into her pocket, Bubba Joe walked in. “It was great seeing Kid, huh?”

“I know you like him, Bubba, but I’d rather he didn’t come in here anymore.”

“Oh.” That blew Bubba’s mind. Everybody liked Kid.

“Listen.” She got to her feet. “I have to go out for a little while. Can you handle things?”

“Is Thelma Lou coming in?”

“No. It’s a weekday and it won’t be that busy.” She hated to douse Bubba’s obvious enthusiasm. He and Thelma had something going and she didn’t want to know about it. Thelma’s husband had left her with four kids and Lucky thought Bubba was getting in over his head. But then, what did she know about relationships? “I won’t be long.”

Going through the side door, she felt a rush of energy. This was the job she loved and she did it well, even if she had to run The Beer Joint as a cover.

Fortunately, Kid would never know about her secret life. And that was fine with her.

CHAPTER THREE

LUCKY HURRIED THROUGH the back door of her home, wanting to check on her father before meeting Travis. She found him in the living room in his recliner watching Wheel of Fortune—a double-barrel shotgun lay across his lap. Ever since he was wounded in an attempted robbery years ago, the gun was never far from him. Faithful as always, Ollie, his black-and-white border collie, lay by the chair, also watching the TV as if he understood every word.

“Hey, girl, what’re you doing home so early?”

“I wanted to check on you and make sure you had supper.”

Her father’s fall about six years ago had injured an already bad hip. Now it was stiff and cumbersome and he walked with a cane. He was the only family she had. She didn’t even remember her mother, who’d died when she was small. Her grandmother helped raise her, but her father was always in charge. No matter what, she would be here for him like he’d been there for her.

“I had a bowl of soup. I’m not too hungry.”

“Dad, you have to eat.” She worried about him. He’d gotten so thin in the past few years and it took effort to get him moving around. The cattle on the property were his only interest. Every now and then she could coax him into coming into The Joint so he could visit and talk to people.

“Girl, you get on my nerves sometimes.”

“That’s what daughters are for.”

“Humph.”

She went into the kitchen, cut cheddar cheese into wedges, grabbed crackers, a clump of grapes and a Dr Pepper, his favorite drink besides beer. Placing them on the TV tray by his chair, she said, “Something for you to nibble on.”

Ollie looked up at her, wagging his tail.

“Okay, I’ll get you some bacon strips.”

Once Ollie had his treat, she glanced at her father, who was trying to look around her to see the TV.

“I saw Kid Hardin today.”

“What?” She suddenly had her dad’s full attention.

“I tried to maintain my cool.” She wrinkled her nose. “I think I failed a couple of times, but I didn’t get my gun and shoot him. It was on my mind, though. He strolled in bigger than Dallas expecting me to forgive and forget. Not that he asked for forgiveness. He just wanted the past swept under the rug, like it had never happened.”

She took a deep breath. “He…uh…looks as good as ever. He’s gotten older, of course, but even that’s appealing with a couple of gray hairs and a Hollywood five o’clock shadow. On most men the look seems as if they need a bath, but Kid has it perfected. His body isn’t as lean as it was, either. He’s filled out with a lot of muscle.”

“Sounds as if you looked at him pretty good.”

Maybe too good.

“I was trying to figure out where to put the bullet.”

Her father laughed and it felt good to hear that robust sound. He didn’t laugh enough.

“After all these years, did he have a reason to stop by?”

“Oh, yeah. He wants to lease our land for oil and gas.”

“That son of a bitch!”

“Mmm. When he left, I talked to Mr. Harvey. The rumor is that since the oil well on the Hardin property isn’t producing, Cadde acquired the drilling contract from another company, as well as another tract, for a pretty penny. But they need our land to complete the desired acreage for a horizontal well or whatever.”

“So, now Kid wants a favor?”

“That’s about it.”

Her father’s eyes narrowed. “What was your answer?”

“Hell, no.” She looked down at her fingernails. One she’d bitten down to the quick since this afternoon. Damn Kid! She’d wondered for years what her reaction would be if she ever saw him again. Hi. How you doing? They would be polite, or maybe just indifferent. She just didn’t expect all the hurt and pain to still be there, and be so vivid.

“Lucky.” Her father noticed her hesitation, her inner struggle. She could never keep anything from him.

“I’m okay.” She brushed it away. “It was just a shock seeing him after all these years.” She reached down and scratched Ollie’s head. “I’ve got to go. I have to meet Travis in a few minutes.”

“Lucky.”

“Dad, I really don’t want to talk about Kid.”

“I’m not worried about Kid. It’s Travis. I want you to get out of this job.”

“It’s what I do and I’m very good at it.”

“It’s dangerous.”

She sighed at this same old conversation. “I’m well trained and can take care of myself.”

“You’re a woman and cattle rustling is a man’s game.”

Her job was top secret and she knew her father would never tell anyone. It would endanger her life. She worked as an undercover agent to a special ranger for the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association. Cattle rustling was on the upswing because of the economy. Not only cattle, but tractors, ATVs, farm equipment, saddles and tack—anything that could be sold. She spent most of her day selling beer and listening for tidbits of information. Sometimes it paid off and they could shut down an operation or a petty thief eager to make a fast buck.

“Don’t worry.” She kissed her dad’s cheek and headed for the door before he could get in another plea.

In her Chevy pickup she sped toward an old dirt road that was rarely used. She tried to push thoughts of Kid away, but he was always there in the hidden corners of her mind. So many wasted years of regret. She wished she could erase him like a recording and all that would be left would be a blank tape—a place to rewrite, a place to start over.

She spotted Travis’s truck. Parking behind him, she pushed a button and the window slid down. The heat of the late afternoon was still oppressive, or maybe it was just the warring thoughts inside her.

A tall lean man with sandy-blond hair and blue eyes walked toward her. At the lowest point in her life she’d found a friend—a true friend who wanted nothing but to help her.

When her dream of having a nursing career had fallen apart, she’d had to search for work. No way could she come home with her tail between her legs. The old biddies in High Cotton said she would never amount to anything. How could she? She was practically raised in a bar. The Bible-touting women did little for her self-esteem, but Kid had restored her confidence in herself, in life.

And then he’d destroyed it.

She’d fought the memory like she’d fought for so many things. After years of menial jobs, she was hired as a gopher for a big convention center in Austin. It was still a menial job, but it was interesting. That’s how she’d met Travis. The Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association was having a big meeting and Travis was the keynote speaker, educating people on how to keep their cattle and their equipment safe.

He’d arrived early as she and another lady were setting up microphones, video equipment, tables with water and every little thing that had been requested. One of her jobs was to make the guests comfortable with coffee, water or whatever. She liked Travis and he was easy to talk to. Before she knew it she was telling him about High Cotton, her dad, The Beer Joint.

It was a one-meeting-type thing, or so she’d thought. He’d called the next day and asked if she was interested in a job. When he’d told her what he needed, she was shocked and told him she had no experience. His answer was she’d have to be trained. She went to seminars at the police academy in Austin, took self-defense classes and learned to use a gun.

It was exciting compared to her ho-hum life. While they were working a case, she’d asked him why he’d picked her without any qualifications for an undercover agent. His answer was simple—he’d liked her character and she knew her way around a bar. Surprisingly, that didn’t hurt her feelings. Beer and rustling seemed to go together.

She’d worked several counties with Travis where rustling was the strongest. Her cover was always in beer joints in small, out-of-the-way towns. Then her dad had fallen and that had given her the courage to return home. She was still the barkeep’s daughter, but ironically it didn’t matter anymore. Even though no one knew her real job, she felt good about herself. And that’s all it took—belief in herself.

Like Kid had once made her feel.

As Travis stopped at her window, she wondered why she’d never fallen for him. He was handsome, personable and trustworthy, but the passion, that special chemistry, wasn’t there.

She feared she’d used it all up on a man who hadn’t deserved it.

“Got anything?” he asked, tilting his hat. Sweat peppered his forehead. For the first week in September, it was still hot.

They usually met once a month if they were working a big case, but most of their contact was through the phone and text messages. She was careful to delete everything from Travis in case someone managed to get her phone. His name wasn’t even on her cell. His number was under a fake name. They were very cautious.

“No,” she replied. “The three cowboys came in, but they didn’t let anything slip. They only stayed about thirty minutes and were more interested in flirting with me.”

“Lucky, be careful. These guys are no good.” Concern coated every word.

“I’m always careful. You know that.”

“Yeah. You throw yourself into these cases and sometimes I feel guilty. You should be married with babies.”

Her heart stopped and for a moment she couldn’t breathe. He was right. At thirty-eight she should be married.

I’ll love you forever, Lucky.

But Kid hadn’t loved her at all. Why couldn’t a starry-eyed teenager see that? Because she wanted to believe.

“Nine cows and six calves were stolen from the Hopper place last night,” Travis was saying. She blinked and forced her thoughts back to the conversation.

“The Hoppers are in their seventies and they use the money from calf sales to supplement their Social Security. Now it’s gone—” Travis snapped his fingers “—just like that. I preach infrared digital game cameras to ranchers all the time. They’re relatively cheap at a sporting goods store, but I have a hell of a time getting anyone to use them until something is stolen.”

Lucky had installed two on their property in trees overlooking their corral and the fence line. They were battery operated and snapped photos of anything that moved, even at night. Her father had also used calf sales to supplement their income. He usually sold calves around Christmastime so Lucky could have a good Christmas. One year rustlers wiped out his herd and Christmas was very lean at their house. Lucky always remembered how hurt her father had been. Maybe that’s why she was in this business. She didn’t want anyone else to go through that. Or maybe she enjoyed doing something meaningful for the community. It boosted her self-worth and confidence.

“It’s always an afterthought,” she said, running her hand along the steering wheel.

Travis reached for his cell and showed her several photos. “There’s the Hopper brand that’s on the cattle. And here’s a silver inlaid saddle Mr. Hopper was going to give to his great-grandson.”

She studied the pictures. “The Hoppers are really nice people.” She didn’t know them personally, but they were big in the church and spoke to Lucky whenever they saw her. Most of the holier-than-thou people turned their heads without acknowledging her presence.

“Yeah. My guess is the cowboys will try to move the saddle quickly. If they come back in tonight, they’ll probably have a lot of cash.”

“I’ll watch for the signs.”

Travis patted the window opening. “Just be careful. I’ll be patrolling the back roads tonight. Call if you need anything.”

He strolled to his truck and she started her engine. She’d be on the alert. If the cowboys had stolen the cows, they’d be flashing cash and the more they drank the more they wouldn’t be able to resist bragging. That was usually a rustler’s downfall—the urge to brag to his friends.

Now if she could just keep Kid out of her life, but she knew he’d be back. Good thing she was licensed to carry a gun.

AFTER SUPPER, KID TOSSED and turned on the bunk he’d slept on as a kid. Thank God Chance had installed heating and air-conditioning years ago or he wouldn’t be able to sleep at all. Chance was the homebody, always there for their aunt and uncle. Now that Chance was married with a family Kid decided he needed to help out more. It was the very least he could do.

He flipped onto his side. The room was small, cramped, and Aunt Etta hadn’t changed a thing about it in almost twenty-five years—the night their parents had died.

A twin and a bunk bed filled the room. A closet was on the left and a dresser on the right. They barely had space to get into their beds, but they didn’t care. It was a place for the brothers to be together. A place to grieve.

But Dane Belle hadn’t let them grieve long. He kept them busy on the High Five ranch. A man was what they had needed in their lives and Dane had fit the bill. He was the most assertive, strong and loving man Kid had ever known. He made the orphaned Hardin boys part of the Belle family.

Aunt Etta was the housekeeper for High Five and Uncle Ru cowboyed for Dane. They lived in a small house not far from the Belle residence. Actually, in their backyard.

Dane was a ladies’ man and had three daughters by three different wives. Caitlyn, the oldest, lived on the ranch because her mother had died in childbirth. Madison and Skylar lived with their mothers, but they spent every summer on the ranch. They had great summers with the sisters. Through the laughter and fun, their grief had slowly eased.

The sisters were all settled now and living in High Cotton. Caitlyn had married a neighboring rancher, Judd Calhoun. For years, he’d been her arch enemy, mainly because Cait had broken their youthful engagement without an explanation. Somehow they’d worked out their differences and now had twin sons. Maddie, the sweet sister, had fallen in love with Walker, the constable, and they had three children. Dane’s wild child, Skylar, owned High Five with her husband, Cooper Yates. Kid would have bet money that Sky would never live in this homey town. Now she was a mother of two, living in wedded bliss. If Sky was cooking, he might have a heart attack. What was it about this place that drew everyone back? What made them rethink their lives and settle for the best of the best?

Kid sat up on the edge of the bed and bumped his head on the top bunk. Damn it! He’d done that so many times when he was a boy and he suddenly realized the bed wasn’t suitable for a grown man. His feet hung over the end. The cot was harder than he remembered, too. Back then they were just boys and they didn’t care about much of anything besides sports and trucks.

Chance had been twelve, he was fourteen and Cadde had turned sixteen—young boys just starting to discover life…and girls. They weren’t ready to face the death of their parents and later they certainly weren’t ready to face the truth about their father—an adulterer—who was willing to leave his wife and young sons for another woman.

Oh, God. Why was he thinking about it? To keep from analyzing his own feelings, his own actions. Why hadn’t he called Lucky? Why hadn’t he come back for her?

He meant to call her that first night after he’d reached Lubbock, but there was a party going on and they drank way into the wee hours of the morning. A hangover kept him in bed for two days. Then there was another party. When he finally sobered up, it was time to start classes. He still avoided the call because he knew she was going to be so mad.

And there were all those Texas Tech beauties smiling at him. He was young, wild and a whole lot of crazy. One day turned into another and the call was never made. He was having too much fun. After that he didn’t have the nerve to call. The miles and the different environment drove them apart. It was his fault. He was very aware of that.

Dane had insisted he come home for Christmas that year and he had, along with Cadde. The next morning they’d left again for Lubbock. After that first year in college, he decided sitting in a classroom wasn’t for him. He and a friend headed for the Alaskan oil fields to get a hands-on job and to learn the business from roughnecking. The freezing weather almost got him, but he stayed for two years.

Every time he talked to Dane, he’d asked Kid to come home. Aunt Etta and Uncle Ru had asked, too. For some reason he couldn’t do that. It was the first time he’d done anything without Dane’s approval.

Another guilt mark on his soul.

When he’d returned to Texas, Chance was at the university and the Hardin boys partied all night. But soon Kid left for the East Texas oil fields. And then south Texas. He roughnecked just about everywhere.

Cadde had graduated with a petroleum engineering degree and was working his way up the corporate ladder. Chance wavered between the oil business and cowboying, but he was never far from home. On the other hand, Kid couldn’t seem to get far enough away.

Until he got the call.

Dane Belle had passed away.

Kid’s return was painful and heartbreaking. He’d looked for Lucky at the funeral, but she wasn’t there. When he tried to talk to Bud, he’d walked away and Kid knew he wasn’t welcome in High Cotton.

The strip of guilt got wider.

But he never let it show.

He ran his hands over his face and got up, turning on the light. Cadde was right. He had to start with an apology and now was as good a time as any. Reaching for his jeans on Cadde’s bed, he noticed something on the wall by his bunk. It couldn’t be. He bent down to take a closer look. It was a heart he’d drawn with a Magic Marker. Inside he’d printed Kid Loves Lucky, and underneath that was Lucky and the Kid. Damn! Aunt Etta had never removed it.

All those feelings of first love blindsided him. He sat on the bed with a thud. Maybe he’d been trying to outrun them. Maybe that’s why it was so hard to come home. Maybe it was Lucky.

He quickly dressed and searched for a pen and paper in the dresser drawer. Some of their high school books were still there. Did Aunt Etta never throw out anything? Scribbling a note he tiptoed into the living and kitchen area and placed it on the table. Suddenly the lights came on. Aunt Etta stood in the doorway in a flowered cotton robe, her gray hair sticking out in all directions.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“Who sleeps?” Aunt Etta went to the refrigerator and pulled out a carton of milk. “I thought you went to bed.”

“I did, but I’m going out again and I was leaving you a note.”

“A note?” Aunt Etta paused in reaching for a pot.

“So you wouldn’t worry.”

“Ah.” She grabbed the pot and poured milk into it. “It comes with the territory. And if an old aunt might be so bold, where are you going this time of night? It’s almost twelve.”

“I need to talk to Lucky.”

Aunt Etta turned from the stove. “Now, Kid, I think the time for talking to Lucky has long passed.”

“I screwed up.” He finally had to admit the truth.

She nodded. “Yeah. You’ve done that a time or two. You’ve always had this urge for freedom and you and Lucky got too serious too quick. I think you’re a lot like your father.”

No, no! Don’t say that!

“I’m not like him, am I?” Suddenly that was very, very important.

Aunt Etta bristled. “Why wouldn’t you want to be like him? He was your flesh and blood.”

He collected himself quickly. Aunt Etta didn’t know about her brother’s infidelity and Kid couldn’t tell her. At this late date, he couldn’t break her heart.

Giving her a peck on the cheek, he swung toward the door. “I’ll see you later.”

He’d dodged a bullet, but he thought about it all the way to The Beer Joint. He liked women. It was a fact he couldn’t deny, but he never cheated on anyone. Well, that wasn’t quite true. At Tech, he’d dated two girls at the same time. There was no commitment, though. Just fun. He never crossed that line of committing to forever, except with Lucky. He’d promised her as soon as he had a good job, they’d get married. They’d be together. No…oh, God!

He was just like his father.

WHEN HE REACHED THE BEER JOINT, he parked on the left side, away from the glare of the big spotlight Bud had installed. Three trucks were on the right so someone had to still be here. He slipped out of his vehicle. Before he could take a step, Bubba Joe came out, head down, and quickly drove away in the little Nissan. Did he leave Lucky by herself?

Suddenly, three cowboys half staggered to the Dodge pickup, the ones he’d seen earlier talking to Lucky, but they didn’t get in. They stood there talking, but Kid couldn’t make out what they were saying. His eyes centered on the door as Lucky came out, a purse over her shoulder, keys in her hand. She locked the door and made her way to the Chevy truck.

Unlocking it, she opened the door as one cowboy came around the front and the other two around the back to confront her. How he wished he had something besides his fists because this wasn’t good.

“Hey, Lucky,” one of them shouted, “why don’t we continue this party somewhere else?”

“You’re drunk, Clyde. Go home.” She looked at the other two. “That includes you, too, Earl and Melvin.”

“You’ve been teasing us all evening,” the one called Earl said.

“Yeah. Now it’s time to ante up,” Melvin, the heavy-set guy added.

Clyde grabbed her arm and she knocked it away. “Don’t touch me or you’ll regret it.”

“Hot damn, she’s got a temper.” Clyde and the other two closed in.

Kid stepped into the light. “Get away from the lady.”

All three cowboys swung around.

“Who the hell are you, mister?” Clyde asked.

“Someone who’s going to kick your ass if you don’t get out of here.”

Earl snickered. “You think you can take us?”

“In a heartbeat.”

Melvin pulled a switchblade knife from his pocket, the silver catching the light with a startling eeriness. “Can you take this?”

Before Kid could reply, the other two jumped him. They went down into the gravel, fists flying. Kid slammed a right into Clyde’s stomach and he rolled away, moaning. He didn’t have time to think as a blow connected with his chin. Kicking out with his boot, he knocked Earl over the rail and he landed against the building. His body slithered down like a snake. Kid immediately jumped to his feet to face Melvin who was coming toward him with the knife.

“I’m gonna cut you six ways from Sunday, mister.”

Suddenly, a gunshot ripped through the September night. Lucky had a gun. Where in the hell did she get a gun?

“Party’s over, boys,” she said in a voice he’d never heard before. “Now get out of here.”

“What…?”

She pointed the gun at him. “Shut up.”

With grunts and moans, the cowboys lumbered to their feet. Melvin looked at him one more time before they got in the Dodge and left.

Lucky reached with her left hand into her purse for her cell and poked in a number. The gun was still pointed at him and he found that a little disturbing.

“Walker, this is Lucky. Three drunken cowboys just left my place. They’re headed east in a black Dodge Ram. You might want to alert the highway patrol. Yeah. I’m okay.” Deftly she slipped the phone back into her purse, her eyes and the gun focused on him. “I want you out of my life for good. Don’t come back here or to my house. You got it?”

“That’s cold for someone who saved you from a fate worse than death.”

“You didn’t save me from anything!” she shouted. “I had the situation under control. I knew they were waiting for me and…”

“What!” He had no idea what she was talking about.

“Get in your truck and leave. Now!”

He could feel anger emanating from her in waves of white heat, much like the simmering night. “Put the gun down, Lucky, and let’s talk.”

“I’m not talking to you.”

He stepped closer, going on a hunch that she wouldn’t shoot him. “Why are you so angry?”

At the question, she took several deep breaths as if to calm herself.

“I’m worried about you,” he said when she remained silent, hoping to find a chink in that solid wall of steel she’d built around herself.

She laughed, a sound that curdled his insides. “Worried about me? That’s rich.”

He knew what she was talking about now. He didn’t have to ask—the past.

“Okay. I screwed up. I’m…”

“Don’t say the words and make a mockery of my intelligence. Just don’t say them.”

She was full of anger and all of it was directed at him. “I know you’re upset, but it’s been twenty years.”

“And I’ve lived every moment of it.”

There was a lot of emotion behind those words that he didn’t understand. “What are you talking about?”

“Just stay the hell out of my life.”

She made to get in the pickup, but he held the door, very aware she still had the gun in her hand. “Come on, Lucky.”

The supposed magical words didn’t have the old effect they used to. She eased back against the truck, her eyes as hard as he’d ever seen them.

“I’m going to give you a good reason to stay out of my life.”

“I know…”

“You know nothing.” She waved the gun. “Do you remember saying ‘I love you, Lucky’? ‘We’ll get married. I’ll call. I’ll write. We’ll be together, I promise.’”

“Yeah.” He swallowed hard. “I said all that and I meant it.”

“Unfortunately, I thought you meant it, too.”

“Lucky…”

She raised the gun. “I’m not through talking. I waited every day for you to call, but you didn’t. When I left for Austin, I told Dad to contact me the moment you phoned. Stupid me, I actually believed you still would. I was so stressed out with you leaving and then not calling I didn’t realize I’d missed my period. Twice. I prayed I wasn’t pregnant, but I was—three months.”

What! The ground beneath his feet moved.

“I couldn’t call my dad or come home because I was ashamed and couldn’t face anyone. I had to drop out of school because they didn’t accept pregnant girls in the program because you have to work long hours on your feet. It was a liability thing. I’m sure it’s different today. They refunded my money and I lived on that until I got a job at Walmart to put food in my mouth. I couldn’t afford a doctor so I had to go to a free clinic. I wanted my baby to be born healthy so I tried to do everything I was supposed to. I started having contractions a month early so I drove myself to an indigent hospital. They said I wasn’t far enough along and to come back when the contractions were closer together. When I reached my apartment, the pain became severe and I asked my neighbor to drive me to the hospital again. She couldn’t stay because she had kids. By the time they saw me the placenta had separated from the baby and he was deprived of oxygen. He was dead. He died…”

“Luc-ky.”

“Shut up. I’m not through.” She pointed the gun at his face. “He was a beautiful baby boy and I got to hold him for a few minutes. I was in a room with three other women, but I was all alone. They had families. I had no one. I dealt with the gut-wrenching pain alone while you were in Lubbock County trying to lay every woman in sight. I feel the pain of his death every day. I feel the pain of your betrayal every day. So don’t talk to me about anger because I’d just as soon shoot you, you low-down bastard.”

She jumped into her truck and tore out of the parking lot, spewing gravel across his chest.

Oh, my God! His knees gave way and he sank into the rocks as a pain like he’d never known before slashed through him. The spotlight was clearly on him and his sins, but it wasn’t the one in the parking lot. It was from above, exposing the guilt that had haunted him for years.

They’d had a child. A son.

He’d let Lucky down and, God help him, he’d let their baby down.

How did he live with that?

CHAPTER FOUR

LUCKY DROVE STEADILY HOME, breathing heavily.

A tear slipped from her eye and she slapped it away.

She wouldn’t cry.

Kid Hardin would not make her cry.

Lights flashed behind her and she pulled over. She knew it was Travis because she’d called him about the cowboys before she’d gone outside to confront them. Turning off the engine, she wiped her face with the back of her hands. Why was it wet? She wasn’t crying.

Drawing a deep breath, she got out of the pickup. The moon was bright and she could see Travis strolling toward her.

“There’s a man kneeling in the gravel back there. What happened?”

“The cowboys were waiting for me. They flirted and drank most of the evening. No big amounts of cash, though. I gave you time and then I went to my truck. They were there, but Kid Hardin interrupted.”

“Of the oil Hardins?”

“Yes.” Her stomach clenched.

“What was he doing there? Is he hurt?”

“I supposed he came to see me. I didn’t know he was there until Clyde grabbed my arm and they got into a fight.”

She could feel his eyes boring into her. “There’s a lot more to this story than you’re telling me.”

“Kid and I have a past, but he won’t be coming back.”

There was silence for a moment and the warmth of the night seemed to calm her shattered nerves.

“I knew there was someone,” he said, startling her, “but I sense you didn’t want to talk about it.”

“No.” That was the last thing she wanted. Kid was out of her life for good now.

“I’m worried about you. You’re taking risks that you shouldn’t. You’re not ever to confront the criminals, especially alone.”

“I knew you were on the way.”

“That’s not the point. It’s not worth you getting hurt.”

“Okay, I screwed up, but I didn’t want them coming back inside. They were too drunk to drive so I called Walker, the constable, and he notified the highway patrol. They’re probably being arrested as we speak. There might be some evidence in their truck.”

“I’ll follow up on it. Your safety is my main concern and I don’t want a repeat of what happened tonight.”

“Okay, Travis, I get the message.”

He sighed. “Lucky, you’re so consumed with your job that it worries me. Do you even have a private life?”

“Of course.” She was lying. She didn’t even know what a private life was anymore.

“Lucky.”

By the soft tone of his voice she knew the conversation was headed in a personal direction—one she wasn’t ready for and she didn’t know if she would ever be. Once burned, a lifetime shy was her motto.

“I better check on my dad. He won’t go to bed until I’m home.”

“I’ll see if Hardin is hurt.” He moved toward his truck. “Talk to you in the morning.”

She slipped into her pickup and wondered what was wrong with her. Travis was a good man and with just some encouragement from her they could have a relationship. But something held her back. Maybe the past had crippled her emotionally and she wasn’t ever going to love like that again.

When she went through the back door of the house, she heard the TV. Her dad was asleep in his chair, snoring. Picking up the remote control, she turned it off. He immediately woke up.

“Lucky, girl, you’re late.”

“Busy night.” She sank down by his chair and laid her head on the arm.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, sitting up.

“I told Kid about our son tonight.”

“Holy cow, girl, why did you go and do that? You said you never would.”

“I don’t know. He kept asking why I was so angry and the words just came spewing out like all this venom I had inside me.” She took a breath. “I saw the hurt on his face and the pain in his eyes and I wanted to feel some kind of victory. But I didn’t. Where’s my victory, Dad? I wanted to shatter his big ego, but all I felt was his agony.”

“Oh, Lucky. Sometimes we think we want something and we really don’t. It’s just human nature.”

Unable to stop them, tears flowed from her eyes. “I hurt him, Dad, and I feel more empty now than ever.”

“Shh.” He stroked her hair. “It will be different tomorrow.”

“I don’t think so.” She was always going to see that tortured look in Kid’s eyes. Ollie whined and she wrapped her arms around the dog. “I’ve asked myself a million times why I didn’t come home when I found out I was pregnant. Why did the town’s opinion matter so much to me? If I’d been stronger, I’d have my son today.”

“That’s my fault. When you kept making excuses not to come home, I should have gone to Austin to see you. But I thought you were building a new life, getting over that Hardin boy. I never dreamed you weren’t in school and going through such turmoil on your own. It’s my fault for not keeping tabs on you.”

“No, Dad, what happened is all because of me and my insecurities and my self-doubts.”

“I should have choked the life out of old lady Farley and Mrs. Axelwood a long time ago. Nothing but vicious gossipers with narrow minds.”

It wasn’t their fault, either. All of it lay squarely on her shoulders. She’d stood up to three drunken cowboys tonight. Why hadn’t she had that strength years ago? She’d been weak, but now she was strong and no one was going to take her pride again. Not even Kid.

Her father continued to stroke her hair. “You know Kid will be back.”

“Why?”

“Remember when he was about fourteen, Chuck told him he couldn’t come over here on your birthday ’cause it was a school night? After Chuck and Carol went to bed, he cranked up the tractor and came anyway.”

“Yeah. He brought me flowers from his mother’s garden.”

“Damn fool woke us up.”

“Only Kid does things like that,” she murmured.

“Chuck grounded him for a month.”

“I never liked Chuck Hardin.” When she was a teenager, she’d seen the man with more than one woman at The Beer Joint, about a mile from where he lived with his wife. She never understood how Chuck could do that.

“Did you ever tell Kid what you knew?”

“No. I couldn’t. He looked up to his father, held him on a pedestal.”

“It was mighty hard for ol’ Chuck to maintain his balance up there.”

She rubbed Ollie’s head. “I’m glad Carol never had to know.”

“Mmm.”

The year Kid’s parents had died had been sad. He’d cried in her arms several times and they’d bonded closer. From then on it was Lucky and the Kid. She’d thought nothing would ever come between them. He was more like his father than she’d ever imagined.

KID LIFTED HIS HEAD FROM the steering wheel and saw he was parked in front of the Shilah offices in downtown Houston and it was morning. He wasn’t sure how he’d gotten here. All he remembered were Lucky’s words: Our son died while you were trying to lay every woman in Lubbock County.

They’d had a son. He’d died because of Kid’s selfish, womanizing ways. How could he? He moaned and slipped out of the truck. Unlocking the back door, he took the elevator up to the top floor. For some reason he went to Cadde’s office. Sitting in the dark, he let the pain eat away at him. He deserved it.

Suddenly the light came on. He blinked and tried to focus on his brothers. They glanced at each other and then back to him.

“What happened to you?” Chance asked. “Your face is blue on one side.”

“And you look like hell,” Cadde said, sitting in his chair at the big desk.

He could tell them. They’d understand and support him. Yet his actions were so horrible he couldn’t say the words. There were a lot of ways to excuse his behavior. Then again, none came to mind—none that would ease his conscience.

“I gotta go.” He rose to his feet, but before he could reach the door Chance kicked it shut.

“You’re not going anywhere until you tell us what’s wrong with you. Are you drunk?”

“No, but I wish I were stoned out of my mind. I think I’ll go down the hall to the apartment and accomplish that feat.”

“Sit down, Kid,” Cadde ordered. “Have you been fighting in a bar again?”

“Outside a bar, actually.”

“When the hell are you going to grow up?”

Kid sank into a leather chair and buried his face in his hands. “I grew up last night.”

“What do you mean?” Chance asked.

“I talked to Lucky.”

“And she hit you?” Chance was clearly shocked.

“No. I waited until the bar closed so we could talk, but then three guys accosted her. Let’s just say they didn’t leave easily.”

“You took on three guys?” Chance asked.

“Yeah. I wasn’t going to let them hurt Lucky.”

Cadde shook his head. “Was she grateful enough to sign the lease?”

“Damn it, Cadde. I don’t give a flying pig’s ass about the lease.”

His brother frowned. “Isn’t that why you talked to her?”

Kid jammed his hands through his hair and wanted to pull it out by the roots, pull until there was nothing left but the pain. He drew a calming breath. “It started out that way, but she was angry and I couldn’t figure out why. So I asked and she told me in a colder-than-ice voice I’ll never forget.”

“What did she say?” Chance took the seat next to him.

Kid had to swallow several times. “Soon after I left for Tech she found out she was pregnant.”

“What!” echoed around the room.

“Kid.” Chance spoke up. “Lucky doesn’t have a child. I’m positive of that.”

He had trouble breathing and he gulped a breath. “He…he died.”

Silence followed those two words.

“How?” Cadde was the first to speak.

“Lucky had to drop out of nursing school because of the pregnancy and she had very little money. She had to go to a free clinic. When she went into labor, she went to an indigent hospital and they sent her home. The baby wasn’t due for another month. But the pains wouldn’t go away so she went back. It was too late. The placenta had separated and the baby was deprived of oxygen. Lucky dealt with all that alone.”

“Why didn’t she call her father?” Chance wanted to know.

“She was ashamed.”

“She could have called Aunt Etta and she would have gotten in touch with you.”

Kid jumped to his feet. “Don’t you dare blame Lucky or I’ll knock you out of that chair.”

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