LITMIR.BIZ

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back in his seat. “No problem.”

      She relaxed a little, the frustrated frown gone from her face now. “To answer your question, I went to Boston College. I earned my degree in psychology and I worked for some time for the Department of Social Services. It was dry, boring work, not what I really wanted to do. But then something happened to me. I got … mugged.”

      Tagg blinked. That was a word foreign to small towns and big ranches. “You got mugged?” he repeated.

      “Yeah, I did,” she said, and then her expression turned soft. Almost dreamlike. “It was sort of strange. I couldn’t believe it was happening.”

      “Did he hurt you?” Tagg asked. He didn’t understand her wistful expression.

      “Oh, no, nothing like that. And it wasn’t a he. It was a she. And she was all of eleven years old.”

      “A little girl mugged you?”

      “Yes. I could hardly believe it. One minute I’m walking down a crowded street in an upscale part of town, and the next, I feel my purse being yanked off my shoulder. She caught me so off guard that even as I watched her run away, I didn’t understand what had just happened. She was so young and obviously neglected. I could tell from her clothes and the way her hair spiked in ten different directions, like she hadn’t seen a bath in weeks.”

      “Did you call the police?”

      “No. I ran after her.”

      Tagg narrowed his eyes. “You?”

      “Of course me. Hey, I was raised chasing dogs and riding horses. I climbed fences with the best of them. And there was something so … I don’t know … so vulnerable and almost apologetic in that girl’s expression that I knew I had to find out more. I had to catch up to her and, well, I had to get my purse back.”

      “And did you?”

      Callie smiled quickly. “Yes. She led me on a wild goose chase for blocks and blocks. I ended up in a bad part of town. Rundown buildings and all. Finally, she stopped and turned to me and we stared at each other. Both of us were completely out of breath. She flung my handbag at me and told me to take my dumb stupid purse.

      “When I thought she’d run away, she started sobbing big, uncontrollable tears.”

      Callie shifted in her seat and faced him. “Her name was Amber. And she had a little brother named Georgie. Her mother had been ill for a long time and they had very little money. Amber told me she’d never stolen before and I believed her.”

      Callie went on to explain how she’d gotten Amber’s mother the medical help she needed. And how she’d begun working at a foundation for underprivileged children in her spare time. Amber and Georgie were the first of many children she’d counseled at the foundation. “From then on, I knew I wanted to work with children.”

      “But, if you loved it so much, why did you come back?”

      Callie smiled. “I never intended on living back East. I’m really a country girl and when my father had a scare with his heart, I knew it was time to come home.”

      Her lips pulled down and she spoke with frustration, “But nothing I do seems to matter. He’s like a tornado. I can’t stop him or slow him down. And he thinks he knows what’s best for me. Even now.”

      From her tone Tagg could tell it was a sore subject. He didn’t want to get into a conversation about Callie’s old man, so he let the subject drop.

      The plane landed right on time and the taxi drive to the hotel took less than fifteen minutes.

      Callie turned to him when the taxi pulled into a long driveway on the Las Vegas Strip. “The Bellagio? I assumed we’d stay with your friend at his ranch.”

      Tagg shrugged. “We own a suite here. On the top floor. I like to stretch out when I’m in town.”

      “Okay.” Her eyes flickered over the length of him but he couldn’t tell what she was thinking.

      Stretching out was the very least he wanted to do tonight. And he’d finally admitted that to himself when he saw Jed drooling all over Callie today. He’d declined John’s invitation to stay at his house in North Las Vegas. He wanted Callie. Alone. If she was willing. He was through denying it.

      “Do you come here often?”

      “A few times a year. On business and for the rodeo finals.”

      Tagg helped Callie out of the taxi and with a hand to her lower back he escorted her through the lobby. As they strode toward the elevator, Tagg gestured to the ceiling adorned by a chandelier sculpture made up of thousands of multicolored glass flower blossoms catching and reflecting light. “I always get a kick out of those petals up there. Feels like a scene out of a fairy tale,” he said.

      Callie stopped and lifted her gaze. “They are sort of surreal. I’ve heard about them. Seeing them is something else.”

      “So, you’ve never stayed here?”

      She shook her head. “No, never. I’ve only been in Las Vegas for the rodeos, but not for years.”

      They rode the elevator to the top floor and Tagg walked her to the Worth suite. It was an indulgence, something his brothers had wanted, and now he was glad they’d insisted upon it. He opened the wide door and let her enter first. She walked in slowly, glancing about. The square footage of the suite was bigger than some people’s homes. Roomy and elegant with richly appointed furniture. The view from the expansive window looked down onto the Strip.

      “This is nice, Tagg. I see what you mean about stretching out.”

      “The Worth men like space.”

      Tagg showed the bellboy where to deposit the luggage, directing Callie’s bag to the master suite and his to the bedroom beside it. Then he glanced at his watch. “We have just enough time to get settled before dinner.”

      Thirty minutes later, they arrived at a small hole-in-the-wall Italian restaurant that only the locals knew about off the Las Vegas Strip. The second Tagg walked in, the rich scent of olive oil and garlic and freshly baked bread perked up his appetite. John had raved about the food and Tagg was grateful to get away from the crowd of tourists in hotel row.

      He found the Cosgroves sitting in a corner booth lit with candles and decorated with a flower arrangement. Tagg made the introductions and helped Callie to her seat before taking his. John Cosgrove and his wife, Sadie, were in their early sixties but could keep up with anyone half their age. Tagg had always considered John not only a friend, but also a mentor back in his rodeo days.

      They talked horses and rodeo and Penny’s Song. Callie and Sadie had both grown up on a cattle ranch, so they had a good deal in common.

      “Not only is John a horse rancher, but he owns his own rodeo,” Tagg said to Callie.

      “That’s how I met Tagg here,” John said. “He busted a few of my prize stallions in his day. He knows horses. And what about you? How did you get involved with this guy over here?”

      Callie’s face colored. “Oh, uh …”

      Sadie sent her husband a warning look. “John.”

      “Callie is a neighbor. She’s Hawk Sullivan’s daughter,” Tagg announced.

      John grinned. “Is that so?” He darted a glance at both of them.

      Callie nodded. “Yes, that’s right,” she said, then turned to glare at Tagg.

      He returned her look with a simple smile. He liked honesty. He wasn’t into pussyfooting around an issue.

      Callie cleared her throat. “I’ve just returned home from going to school and working in Boston. I found out about Penny’s Song and knew I wanted to be a part of it. Tagg and I, we are … are working together on the project.”

      “I’ve had some dealings with your father,”

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