LITMIR.BIZ

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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

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