LITMIR.BIZ

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and all of us, forever. Until then, here you stay, until you walk away.”

      His grandfather’s ominous words were chosen carefully, a warning. Falcon had only one choice, and that was to stand and fight. “I’m staying. Rancho Diablo’s good as anyplace else to live, and besides, I really like Aunt Fiona and Burke.” For that matter, he liked the town of Diablo. He felt his soul take flight on the rare occasion when the Diablos were spotted in the dusty canyons that were the ancient, stunning backdrop to the ranch. “Family’s first with me. I’m a soldier, and then I’m a family man. Can’t walk away from a good fight, especially since it involves family.” He tossed a handful of dirt into the fire, where it briefly dimmed the flames.

      “I’m staying,” Ash said. “I’m hard core.” She flung dirt into the fire and walked to kiss her grandfather on the cheek, then mounted her horse. “I’ve got land to win,” she told her brothers. “The only way to win is to hang tough.”

      “And lure Xav Phillips to fall for you,” Dante said.

      “Good luck with that,” Tighe said.

      “Just because you two got dumped on your heads by the nanny bodyguards is no reason to doubt Ash,” Falcon said. “She’s smarter than all of us. Good luck with the rodeo. Let us know where you’re riding sometime. We might come around.”

      He left the stone circle, following his sister off on horseback. He knew who would stay and who would go; there was no need to linger.

      Every man had to do what he had to do.

      Falcon was called to serve.

      * * *

      F ALCON KEPT FOLLOWING Ash the second he realized his sister wasn’t heading toward the Tudor-style Rancho Diablo mansion with the seven chimneys, but toward the canyons. He knew Xav practically lived in the canyons, rarely returning to the ranch for supplies, but Ash wasn’t heading in the right direction. It looked as if she was skirting the deep crevasses of the mesas, heading to the opposite side of where Xav kept his camp.

      Falcon tried to envision what life would be like if he didn’t have a headstrong sister, and realized it would be dull as dirt. Probably one reason he was attracted to Taylor was that she was a spitfire, cut from a mold similar to Ash and Aunt Fiona, and his own mother, Julia. No wallflowers among the women he knew.

      Taylor was more right for him than she knew.

      Suddenly, Ash halted her big horse, wheeling around to glare at him. “What do you think you’re doing?”

      “What do you think you’re doing?” Falcon asked. “Have you heard that there are mercs in the canyons who are known to kidnap Callahan women for sport?”

      “I can take care of myself.”

      This was true. “Let me go with you. I’m feeling a need to ride and clear my head.”

      “And babysit me,” Ash said disapprovingly.

      “It’s my sense of adventure. If I don’t hang out with you, I’ll probably end up following in Tighe and Dante’s footsteps.”

      “Traitors. Both of them.”

      “No.” Falcon shook his head. “All of us have a destiny to follow.”

      “Whatever. Destiny is just a pansy word for shiftless. Lazy. Spineless. Maybe it was my destiny to get up this morning and eat chocolate chip cookies and drink beer for breakfast, but I didn’t. I told Destiny to get the heck away from me.”

      “And ate rocks instead,” Falcon said. “You have to forgive people who aren’t as strong as you.”

      “Whatever,” Ash said. “Tighe and Dante are strong. They just want to chase buckle bunnies. Their pride’s a bit stung because they got smacked down by River and Ana. And right they were to turn my brothers down, since they’re spineless weenies.” She turned her horse and took off like the wind, riding across the flat land as if demons were after her.

      Falcon checked his gun, made sure it was locked, and tucked it into his jeans. Then he followed his sister at a leisurely pace, his mind turning to Taylor again. Seemed as if he thought about her a thousand times a day. Maybe more.

      It felt great.

      * * *

      T WENTY MINUTES LATER, Ash finally stopped her horse, slid off and tied it to a wizened tree where it could get a bit of shade and cool off in the late evening air. Falcon stopped next to his sister, knowing exactly what she was up to now.

      “Looking at this land isn’t going to do anything but make you hungrier for it,” he said, dismounting.

      “I like being hungry.” Ash stared at the wide expanse of empty land. In the distance a small traditional adobe stood, marking the emptiness. “You’re hungry, too, or you wouldn’t have proposed to that town girl. You barely know her.”

      “I don’t have to know Taylor. I like the way she looks.” He watched as his sister pulled out small binocs and peered toward the farmhouse.

      “It’s going to be mine,” Ash said. “You can propose to fifty girls, but this is going to be Sister Wind Ranch.”

      “Nice. But I have a different name in mind. Thanks.”

      She glared at him. “You don’t have a name for it.”

      “I do.”

      “What is it?”

      Okay, so he didn’t have a name. He hadn’t thought about it much. He just knew he hadn’t wanted to get beat by his siblings in the race for the ranch. “It’s on the tip of my tongue.”

      “And there it will stay. Fibber.” Ash put away the binocs. “Come on. Let’s walk to the farmhouse.”

      “Why?” He followed behind her. “This is private property.”

      “Yeah, it’s private. Fiona owns it.”

      “Do we know that for sure?”

      “She said the Callahan estate bought it.”

      He wasn’t sure this was a good idea, but Ash had a determined tilt to her posture, so he went along for the adventure.

      A man came out from the house and walked to meet them. “What brings you out here, folks?”

      Ash glanced around. “I didn’t know anybody still lived here.”

      “Of course I live here. This is my ranch.” The white-haired farmer shrugged. “Been in my family for years.”

      “Oh.” Ash looked concerned. “You didn’t sell this property?”

      “Thought about it. Had a couple offers. One from a little old woman who lives across the canyons, and a bigger one from an older gentleman who rode in here one day and told me whatever the old lady paid, he’d pay more.”

      “Was his name Wolf?” Falcon demanded.

      “It was.” The farmer nodded. “In the end, I decided I didn’t want to leave my place. It’s been in my family for years,” he reminded them.

      “I see,” Ash said. “We’re sorry to have bothered you.”

      “No bother at all.” The rancher went off, his stooped body heading back toward the coolness of the adobe.

      “Fiona told a whopper,” Ash stated. “It’s just like she did to our cousins. Got them married off, made sure there were lots of babies, then pow! So happily married they never battled for Rancho Diablo.”

      He laughed. “Let’s not tell our brothers.”

      “Why not?” Ash looked at him as they walked back to their horses.

      “It’ll be fun to watch them work hard for something they’re not going to get.”

      Ash mounted, waited for him. “I

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