LITMIR.BIZ

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said with a sniff. “Haven’t you heard? We’re very prim.”

      “I think that’s a story put out by the librarian council to distract people from the truth,” Charlie muttered. “You’re all a little wilder than you want people to know.”

      Heidi chuckled. This was exactly what she needed. Time with her friends. People who cared about her and made her laugh. The perfect combination.

      Nevada Janack joined them. “Am I late? Tucker’s in China, and we were talking and I lost track of time.”

      “Spare me the annoyance of those who are in love,” Charlie said.

      Heidi shifted to make room and Nevada slid in next to her.

      “I won’t apologize for having the perfect husband,” she said, her eyes dancing with humor. “But I am sympathetic toward you for not having Tucker.”

      “Too bad there’s only one of him,” Annabelle said with a sigh. “Or Rafe.”

      Nevada turned to Heidi. “I’ve been hearing rumors.”

      Jo returned to the table. “Margaritas all around? I’ll warn you, Heidi wants hers with an extra shot.”

      Heidi held up both hands. “In a few minutes you’ll all know what’s been going on, and then you’ll be sympathetic.”

      “Okay,” Charlie said. “I can’t wait for details. Margarita for me, no extra shot.”

      The others agreed. They ordered their usual food—chips, salsa and guacamole, and a couple of plates of nachos. Not exactly nutritious, Heidi thought, her stomach growling, but still extra-right for the occasion.

      She and Glen had only been in town a few months when she’d become friends with the other women at the table. Nevada, one of the Hendrix triplets, had married the previous New Year’s Eve, in a ceremony she’d shared with her two sisters. Although Nevada was as friendly as ever, there was a difference now. She had Tucker and they were madly in love. Heidi didn’t begrudge her any happiness, but sometimes it was hard to be around happy newlyweds. Every touch, every stolen glance, was a reminder of her own desperately single state. Not that she was looking for someone in the judicial system to order her to sleep with Rafe Stryker as a remedy.

      Thank goodness for Charlie and Annabelle. They were all in the same position, and that reality had only enhanced their friendship.

      Conversation flowed around her. For a second, Heidi let herself remember another friendship—one that had been nearly as good as the camaraderie she shared with these women today. Melinda, her best friend for years, would have been turning twenty-eight now. But Melinda had died six years ago. A senseless and tragic loss.

      “You okay?” Annabelle asked.

      Heidi nodded and pushed the memories away. She would mourn later—when she was alone. For now, she would appreciate the time with her friends.

      Jo returned with their drinks and promised the food would be delivered shortly. When she’d walked back to the bar, Annabelle leaned toward Heidi.

      “Start at the beginning and tell us everything. What did the judge really say?”

      Heidi sipped her margarita. “Basically that we have to share and play nice until she decides what to do about the problem.” She went over the details of the temporary plan, including the fact that “improvements,” as May called them, were allowed.

      “I don’t get it,” Charlie said. “Why would May Stryker want to pay for stuff at a ranch she might not own?”

      “I think she’s pretty confident in the outcome,” Heidi admitted, trying not to wince as she thought about losing her home. “I tell myself the good news is May is a sweetie, and at least Glen isn’t in jail.”

      “Why is she so hot for the ranch?” Annabelle asked. “Why not buy something somewhere else?”

      “They used to live here,” Nevada told them. “It was a long time ago. I was a kid, and I don’t think any of the Stryker boys were in my class. I think the youngest boy, Clay, was a year older.” She wrinkled her forehead in thought. “There’s a baby sister, too. I don’t remember much about her. What I do remember is that the family was dirt poor. I mean going-without-food poor. My mom wanted to send over clothes my brothers had worn, but by the time they’d worked their way through all three of them, there wasn’t much left in them. She did take over food, though. And toys. The town kind of adopted the family.”

      Heidi couldn’t imagine the very proud Rafe accepting charity from anyone. “That must have been difficult for all of them. In court, they said that the old man who owned the ranch promised it to May when he died. But he left it to distant relatives instead. Now she’s been cheated out of the place twice.”

      Nevada gave Heidi a quick hug. “You didn’t do anything wrong. Glen did. I know he was trying to help a friend, but now you’ve put yourself on the line for him. You’ll get through this and we’ll be right here with you. Tell us how we can help.”

      Heidi appreciated the assumption that they would simply do what had to be done and the problem would be fixed. It was one of the many reasons she loved Fool’s Gold and why she would fight for her home. The fact that Rafe and his mother had more resources wasn’t going to matter. She had heart on her side.

      “My attorney wants me to sleep with him,” she admitted, then downed her extra shot. The tequila burned a pleasant path to her stomach. When she swallowed, she saw all three women staring at her.

      “Did she say why?” Charlie asked.

      “She thought it would soften him up toward me.”

      Charlie raised her eyebrows. “If you’re softening him up, you’re doing it wrong.”

      The four women looked at each other and then burst into laughter.

      When she’d caught her breath, Annabelle sagged back in her seat. “You must be really good. I can’t see anyone paying two hundred fifty thousand dollars to have sex with me.”

      “Do you have a price you’re comfortable with?” Charlie asked Annabelle.

      “I don’t know. Maybe a couple of thousand. Of course, if you started an affair, and added up the number of times you did it…” She stopped talking. “What?”

      Nevada cleared her throat. “I think Heidi’s attorney was speaking in more metaphorical terms. That if Heidi slept with Rafe, he might forgive the debt. I doubt she was suggesting a sexual installment plan.”

      “Oh.” Annabelle flushed. “Sorry.”

      “No, it’s fine,” Heidi said, grinning. “But Charlie’s right. You have it bad. You need to find a man.”

      “Show me a good one who’s interested and I’m so there. Or not. It probably wouldn’t go well. But back to the issue at hand. Maybe we should find Rafe a woman. Distract him. He would be so busy falling in love that he would forget to be mean to Heidi.”

      “It’s not a bad idea,” Charlie murmured.

      Jo returned with plates of food. Heidi was already feeling a pleasant buzz. But she knew the danger of drinking on an empty stomach, so she picked up a chip and dug it into the guacamole.

      “Who are you thinking of sacrificing?” Nevada asked, reaching for the nachos.

      “You make the most sense,” Charlie said.

      Heidi paused in the act of dipping a second chip into salsa, then realized Charlie was looking at her. In fact, they all were.

      “What? No. Not me.”

      “You’re there,” Nevada pointed out. “The two of you will be spending time together on the ranch.”

      “He hates me. He looks at me with contempt. He’s some big-city rich guy. I loathe that type. He thinks he’s better than everyone else.”

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