LITMIR.BIZ

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      She narrowed her eyes. “Magic trick?”

      “I’m off to go change bulls into steers. With the help of my lovely assistant, Eli.”

      She snorted. “Yeah, well, enjoy that. I’m going to give thanks that I’m not on ranch duty today.”

      “See you tonight.” And with that, he turned and walked out the alley doors.

      Kate grabbed her brush out of the bucket, then tossed the pick back in. She straightened and ran the bristles quickly over Roo’s hair before taking the end of the lead rope and guiding her into her stall.

      She unhooked the rope and patted Roo on the nose before scratching the white star on her forehead. “See you later,” she said, unable to resist dropping a kiss on the horse’s nose.

      A day that started with a ride and ended with a poker game surrounded by her family could only be a good day.

      And the presence of Jack Monaghan didn’t matter at all.

      * * *

      IT WAS A strange thing knowing that whenever a random expense came up, he had the means to handle it. After spending most of his childhood in poverty, Jack Monaghan was still getting used to having money. Not just in his pocket but in his bank account. In stocks and bonds. He even had a savings account and some set aside for retirement.

      If someone looked at his finances, they might think he was responsible. Stable. Because on paper, he looked good. A person might be tempted to draw the conclusion that Jack was a steady, staid family man.

      Yeah, that motherfucker would be wrong.

      But Jack didn’t care either way. Because today his tractor was broken, and he was headed over to the Farm and Garden to get a replacement part and he didn’t have to beg anyone for a loan.

      He killed the engine on his F-150 and got out of the truck, walked to the front door of the store and pushed it open. The little bell that was strung overhead signaled his arrival and a dark head popped up from behind the counter.

      “Hey there, Katie,” he said making his way across the store.

      The youngest Garrett narrowed her brown eyes, her glare as penetrating as a rifle bullet. “What are you doing here, Monaghan?”

      “I’m a paying customer, twerp.”

      “Did you just call me a twerp? Because I have the right to refuse service to anyone.” She flipped her braid over her shoulder, her expression remaining fierce.

      “Yeah, that would go over real well with your boss. Especially since I’m here to drop decent money on a freaking carburetor.”

      “We’re probably gonna have to order it. You could always go to Tolowa and pick it up at one of the bigger stores.”

      “I’d rather get it here. Keep my business in Copper Ridge.”

      The corner of her lips turned up in a bad approximation of a smile. “That’s appreciated.”

      “It’s okay, Katie. I know you don’t appreciate much about me.”

      “If you called me something other than Katie, I might.”

      “I just called you twerp and you didn’t seem to appreciate that, either.”

      “Maybe if you pulled your head out of your ass and realized I was a grown-up and not a child, we wouldn’t have so many problems.” She crossed her arms beneath her breasts—which he knew she had; he wasn’t blind—and cocked her hip to the side.

      “We don’t have problems. You have problems. I am fine.” He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket that had all of the relevant make and model information for his tractor. “Well, except for a carburetor problem.” He handed her the paper and she took it from him, studying the information before scrunching her nose and turning to the antiquated computer on the counter.

      The monitor was practically the size of a hay bale, big and square, off-white. Like something they had used back in the junior high school computer lab.

      “Doesn’t that thing drive you crazy?” he asked, indicating the machine.

      Kate frowned, entering numbers in slowly before turning to look at him. “Why would it drive me crazy?”

      “Because it’s so outdated I’m surprised you can’t hear gears turning inside when you give it a command.”

      “It works fine.”

      “Isn’t it slow?”

      She blinked. “Compared to what?”

      “Do you have a computer?”

      “Why would I need a computer?”

      He looked at the completely earnest and completely confused expression of the younger sister of his two best friends in the world. Kate was pretty enough even if she didn’t choose to make the most of her assets, not a bit of makeup to enhance her features, her hair rarely in any configuration other than a single braid down her back. Invariably, she wore slightly baggy T-shirts or flannel button-up tops tucked into either a pair of Wrangler or Carhartt jeans.

      Kate dressed for functionality, not decoration.

      He had no issue with that. Kate was... Well, as women went, she was more functional than decorative, so it fit.

      “I think most people would say they couldn’t survive without one,” he said.

      “Well—” Kate flashed him a smile “—look at me. Surviving and shit.”

      “Good job.” He tapped the counter. “Now let’s see if you can order me a carburetor as handily as you can survive.”

      “Watch it, Monaghan,” she said, still typing numbers into the computer. “I am bringing dinner tonight, and I don’t have to bring any for you.”

      “Oh, do we have the option of excluding people from dinner now? I’ll remember that when my turn comes around.”

      Lately, Kate was usually prickly as a porcupine when he was around. He was never sure why. But then, he seemed incapable of leaving her be. He wasn’t sure why that was, either. She brought out the devil in him. Of course, the devil in him seemed to live real close to the surface.

      It hadn’t always been like this. Sure, they’d always hassled each other. But beneath that, he’d known where he stood. Somewhere in the vicinity of her brothers. Both of them had had some pretty shitty home situations. His mother stressed, angry and resentful of his presence. While Kate’s mother had been gone, her father a slobbering drunk.

      Eli and Connor had done their best to take care of her, but when they’d needed help? He’d been all in. Making her smile had been his goal. Because she’d been so short on reasons to smile.

      An only child, he’d had no one around to take care of him. To cheer him up when he’d been smarting from a slap across the face delivered by his mom. He’d had the Garretts. And he’d soon realized that the void he’d felt from having no one to take care of him could be filled by offering Kate what he’d so desperately wished for when he’d been young.

      Somewhere along the way they’d lost some of that. Something to do with her not being a kid anymore, he supposed.

      The bell above the door rang again and Alison Davis walked in, carrying a white pastry box with a stack of brochures on top. “Good morning, Kate.” She offered Jack a cautious smile, tucking her red hair behind her ear and looking down at the ground. “Good morning.”

      “Hi, Alison,” he said, softening his tone a bit.

      Though she’d left her abusive husband a year and a half ago, Alison still seemed skittish as a newborn colt. Maybe that was just him, too.

      “What brings you by?” Kate asked.

      Alison appeared to regroup in time to focus

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