LITMIR.BIZ

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start to go sour, I say we slap this place on the market.”

      “Jolie and I are in total agreement. We just want a chance to make a go of it.”

      “And I don’t begrudge you that.” Allie opened the back hatch of the Subaru Forester and shoved her box in before turning to reach for the bag.

      “I can take it to the donation box if you want,” Dani offered.

      “No. I want the satisfaction of kissing my old life goodbye.” She hefted the bag and shoved it into the crowded cargo space, jamming it on top of the boxes.

      “Have at it.”

      Allie hugged her with one arm before heading to the driver’s side of the car. “Who knows,” she called over her shoulder, “maybe the ranch will treat you better than it treated me.”

      “Mel did okay here.”

      “She was only here for a short time.”

      “Don’t make me feel guilty about loving the place,” Dani said with a hint of frustration. She hated having this wedge between them.

      Allie raised a hand. “You’re absolved from guilt. I’m off to make a new life in Idaho. But—” her voice became stern as she said “—if you suspect Kyle is doing anything, anything at all—”

      “I’ll call the authorities.”

      “Promise.”

      “Scout’s honor.” Although she was pretty certain that this wasn’t a promise she’d have to keep.

      A few moments later, Dani watched her sister drive away. Maybe after a semester of college, Allie would start to feel more in control of her life and better about the ranch. Maybe Kyle would back off.

      Regardless, Dani would not allow herself to feel guilty about insisting that they keep the Lightning Creek. In a way, she felt as if she was helping Allie dodge a bullet. Cash was good. But land was forever.

      * * *

      THE CALL FROM the garage came sooner than Gabe expected, just after noon, when he was thinking about taking a run to work off some of his nervous energy. The car was fine with the exception of the cracked headlight, now fixed. If he wanted, they could send someone out to pick him up.

      “No. I have a ride.”

      Gabe hung up and proceeded to call his ride, who answered her phone almost instantly. Gabe found himself smiling at her husky hello. Damn, but he was beginning to love this woman’s voice. It resonated, stirring something deep inside of him. Something that made him halfway wish he could get to know her for real—and how long had it been since he’d felt like that?

      Too long, probably.

      “I’ve just gotten a call from the garage.”

      “And?” He could hear instant stress in her voice.

      “No problems.”

      “Not one?” she asked suspiciously.

      “Cracked headlight, but it was cracked before the accident.” A white lie wouldn’t hurt. “They offered me a ride, but I wanted to take you up on your lunch offer. If you’d rather not, I’ll call them back.”

      “No. I owe you lunch.”

      “And I’m taking you up on it.” When she didn’t say anything, he added, “It’s not easy being the new kid on the block.”

      “And not working while on vacation?”

      “Uh...yes. Exactly,” he said, surprised.

      “I’ll be right over.”

      “No hurry.”

      “Now is good,” she said in a tone that made him think she wanted to get this over with as soon as possible. That wasn’t exactly the way he’d hoped she’d approach lunch together, but he’d work with it, see what kind of foundation he could lay.

      He dragged off the comfy long-sleeved T-shirt over his head and pulled an ironed shirt out of the closet before changing into his clean jeans. There’d once been a time when all he’d owned were T-shirts and ratty jeans and he’d been okay with that—until he figured out that people judged you by what you wore and treated you accordingly.

      Dani showed up fifteen minutes later and he was glad to see she was driving the newer truck she’d had hitched to the horse trailer at the sale, rather than the one that threatened dust poisoning.

      “Do you want to eat first, before we pick up my car?” he asked as he got into the passenger seat.

      “That’d probably be easiest,” Dani agreed without looking at him.

      Gabe settled back into his seat, telling himself that all things took time. He couldn’t risk pushing matters.

      “Any ideas where to eat?” he asked.

      “That all depends if you prefer Mexican or burgers.”

      “If I prefer burgers are you taking me to a drive-in?”

      “No. A café with booths,” she said. “Red vinyl.”

      “It doesn’t get any better than that.”

      She smiled politely and started the truck. Ten minutes later she parked in front of a building that had obviously once been a gas station. He held the door for her and a woman in a classic pink waitress’s uniform pointed them to a booth in the corner. The menus were waiting at the table, but Dani made no move to look at hers.

      “There’s only one thing to get here—The Works.”

      “I always make it a point of trusting those that know,” he said, stashing the menu back behind the napkin holder.

      “An excellent practice,” she said, sipping her water. The waitress started toward them but stopped when Dani held up two fingers. “I hope you don’t mind Coke,” she said. “It’s either that or orange soda.”

      “Coke is fine,” he said reaching for his own water. “Quite the ordering system you have here.”

      “Saves time.”

      “Looking to get away fast?” he couldn’t help asking.

      “Oh, no,” Dani replied, looking vaguely guilty. “It’s just that...” She fought with herself for a moment, then one corner of her mouth twisted a little before she said, “To be honest, I was engaged to be married until a little over a month ago. I’m not looking for, well...anything.”

      “Not even friendship?”

      She frowned as she studied him, as if debating whether or not that was possible. “Friendship is fine,” she finally said. “But I make friends slowly.”

      “Warning me off again?”

      “I’m a believer in full disclosure,” she said, her hazel gaze meeting his candidly. “I like to know where I stand and I assume other people are the same.”

      “I agree.”

      Dani leaned back as the waitress set two Cokes on the table, waiting until the woman walked away before saying, “Please understand that I’m not saying we won’t become friends. It’s just—”

      “Full disclosure. I get it.”

      “Thanks.” She pushed the napkin-wrapped flatware aside so that she could rest her elbows on the table. “How is it that you came to vacation at the Staley house?”

      He gave a casual shrug. “I wanted to...disappear, I guess—somewhere in Montana—and I found the place through a private company that specializes in leasing executive homes.”

      “Oh.” She gave a considering nod. “I always thought of the Staley house as more of a big-ass mansion than an executive home.”

      Gabe smiled. “It

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