LITMIR.BIZ

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the kitchen,” Tamara yelled.

      Clay’s younger sister, Georgie, strode into the kitchen, bringing with her the high energy that was as much a part of her as the waist-length red braid that bobbed down her back. Following at her heels was her husband, Nick Sheffield.

      “Georgie, Nick.” Clay motioned them toward the table. “Have a seat, we’re just enjoying some lemonade and local gossip.”

      “Hi, Jewel. Saw your kids outside in the corral. Got any future champion riders in the bunch?” Georgie asked. Georgie had spent most of her life on the rodeo circuit as a champion barrel racer. Even the birth of Emmie, her daughter, five years ago hadn’t stopped her from competing.

      “I don’t think so.” She laughed. “From what I’ve seen of them, most are just hanging on to the saddle horn for dear life.”

      Georgie’s green eyes seemed to sparkle with more liveliness than usual as she looked back at her brother. “I’ve got a surprise for you.”

      “You know I don’t like surprises,” Clay returned.

      Georgie laughed. “You’ll like this one.” She turned in the direction of the front door. “Come on in,” she yelled.

      Jewel’s eyes widened as Clay’s brother, Ryder, appeared. Next to him was Ana Morales, a Mexican woman who had worked for Jewel before her baby was kidnapped in a black-market ring. Ana held the baby girl in her arms and wore the smile of a woman in love as she gazed up at Ryder.

      Clay stood, his face reflecting myriad emotions. Jewel knew the history between the two men, that Ryder’s bad-boy lifestyle had led to Clay washing his hands of his younger brother. Jewel knew how painful it had been for Clay to shut his brother out, how tormented he’d been by the difficult decision. But Ryder had turned his life around when he’d been sent to a correctional facility and offered a chance to work undercover for the CIA. He’d cracked open a black-market baby-trafficking operation, saving Ana’s little girl and falling in love in the process. During this time, Clay had thought his brother was dead, had grieved for his and the family’s loss. Now they had a second chance.

      “Hi, Clay,” Ryder said, his voice husky with emotion.

      There was a moment of charged hesitation, then Clay took two steps forward and embraced his brother. Tears filled Jewel’s eyes. Tamara’s eyes were suspiciously bright, as well.

      Jewel jumped up and hugged Ana. “I’ve missed you so much,” she said. She and Ana had formed a friendship while Ana had worked for her. Jewel cooed over the baby, then stepped back.

      It seemed that suddenly everyone was talking at once and in the melee Tamara shocked everyone by confessing that she and Clay had eloped and were married.

      As a new round of hugging and backslapping began, Jewel slid out of the room and then out of the house, wanting to leave the family alone for their reunion.

      She had a feeling that the issues that had torn Clay and Ryder apart were behind them and the brothers were on their way to building a new, close relationship. She was thrilled for them, but as she walked toward the stables a new sense of loneliness weighed her down.

      Clay and Tamara were married and it had been obvious by the glow on Ana’s face that she and Ryder were probably not far behind. There seemed to be a marriage epidemic breaking out in Esperanza. But Jewel had not caught the bug, and felt immune to anything even remotely romantic.

      On more than one occasion Deputy Adam Rawlings had made it clear that he was interested in pursuing a romantic relationship with her. They’d seen each other socially several times but, try as she might, she just didn’t feel more than friendship for him. Besides, with the nightmares she’d been suffering on a regular basis, she was probably better off alone. No man would want to spend his nights with her while she was haunted by ghosts from her past.

      She dismissed all thoughts of romance from her mind as she entered the stables. The kids were just finishing up brushing down their horses and Burt approached her with a friendly smile.

      “They’re just about done,” he said.

      “How did Kelsey do?” she asked, hoping the new girl had opened up a bit.

      “Never said a word to anyone, but she’s got a natural seat in the saddle. She grow up around horses?”

      “No, just the opposite. She’s an inner-city kid, probably has never been on a horse in her life,” Jewel replied.

      Burt looked over to where Kelsey was working on the horse, a look of fierce concentration on her face. “She shows all the signs of being a born rider. I hope she sticks around long enough for me to work with her more extensively.”

      “She’s not going anywhere for a while. We’ve got lots of work to do with her,” Jewel replied.

      It took another half an hour to get all the children loaded into the bus and headed back the short distance to the Hopechest Ranch. The noise level was just below that of a jet engine as they all chatted about their horses and the riding experience. The only one who didn’t say a word was Kelsey, who stared out the window as if she were lost in a world of her own.

      Jewel was determined to break into that world. It wasn’t just her job, it was a calling from her very soul.

      “Everybody out and you can have free time play in the garage until dinnertime,” Jewel said as she parked in front of the house. One section of the threecar garage had been turned into a playroom, complete with toys and games and craft items.

      All the kids headed for the garage except Kelsey, who lingered behind. “Is it okay if I just go to my room?” she asked.

      Jewel would have preferred she go with the other children and interact, but she also knew it was going to take some time for Kelsey to feel safe here, to feel as if she were part of the group.

      She placed a hand on the girl’s shoulder. “That’s fine. Dinner is at five-thirty so make sure you’re in the kitchen by then.”

      Kelsey nodded and headed inside. Jewel lingered outside, fighting a wave of exhaustion. The restless nights and bad dreams were getting more frequent, and more difficult to handle.

      She raised her face to the warmth of the sun and once again thought about romance. Maybe she was incapable of loving anyone. Maybe the love she’d had for Andrew had been all she had and once it had been given she’d been left empty.

      Of course, that didn’t explain the odd tingle of excitement she felt whenever she was around Quinn. Female hormones reminding her that she was alive—that’s all it was, she told herself.

      It was impossible for her to fall in love again, especially with her past visiting her every night in the form of nightmares.

      Voices in the night. Visions in the woods. Equally as haunting as the dreams was the fear that somehow she was slowly falling into the mental illness that had consumed her mother.

      “She should be just fine,” Quinn assured Ralph Smith, a local rancher who had called him about a cow who had gotten caught in some barbed wire. “All the wounds are superficial and now that I’ve cleaned her up and applied antibiotic cream, she shouldn’t have any problems.”

      He slapped the rear of the big animal and with a low moo she headed back toward the pasture. “I’d definitely do something about that barbed wire.”

      Ralph frowned toward a stand of trees and brush. “I didn’t even know it was there, just tangled up in all the weeds, but I’ll get it out of here today.”

      Together the two men walked toward the gate in the fence. Initially, coming out here and meeting up with Ralph had been awkward. Ralph had been one of the loudest, most critical ranchers when Quinn had been forced to put down Clay Colton’s prized stud.

      It had been the second-darkest time in Quinn’s life. The darkest had been when he’d lost his wife, Sarah, to cancer.

      Even though Quinn had

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