LITMIR.BIZ

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watched Reid running toward Lucas, his swearing firing in time to his footsteps. Reid was already out of control, but Lucas looked calm, driven, deadly. Something was wrong.

      “You’ve got to stop this.” She tried to pull Tim along. With no one else at the station, Tim was her only hope.

      “Stop it? Hell, I plan on watching the fight, then swear I didn’t see a thing. It’s about time someone straightened out a lie Reid’s been telling for twelve years. Maybe Lucas just got tired of him building on more lies. We all know he wasn’t the hero that night, L, but Reid keeps bragging like he saved us all. He even did an interview with Texas Monthly about it a few months ago.”

      Lauren pulled Tim along. “No. This isn’t about the lie he told at the Gypsy House. This is something more.” Just from his stance she knew Lucas Reyes hadn’t come to talk.

      Before her words died in the air, Reid stormed toward Lucas and ordered him again to get his boots off the Mercedes.

      When Lucas didn’t move, Reid yelled names at him as if they were in high school and not in their late twenties.

      Lucas, dressed in Western clothes and not the suit he wore into court, slowly stood and widened his stance as Reid reached him.

      Reid pointed his finger at Lucas as cusswords flew in rapid fire.

      Lucas raised a fist and swung.

      Lauren and Tim froze, watching. The lawyer’s fist connected with the part-time rancher’s face. The sound echoed off the cloudy night as sharp as gunfire, then silence as Reid crumbled.

      “Did you see that?” she whispered.

      “Yep. He flattened the guy with one blow. I’m tempted to go over there and kick Reid for not putting up more of a fight.”

      They were still ten feet away when Lucas pulled out, leaving one of the richest men in Crossroads—a city councilman, a playboy, a liar—spread out on the oil-spotted concrete.

      Tim reached him first and shook Reid’s shoulder. “You all right, slugger?” Tim teased.

      Reid groaned and rolled onto his side in the blood and dirt of the parking lot.

      Tim finally offered his hand and pulled Reid to his feet.

      “You two saw what that bastard just did?” Reid spit blood. “Damn it, I knocked my tooth loose when I hit the ground. I swear I’m filing charges. He may be a big-city lawyer, but he can’t assault me just because I fired his old man.”

      Tim let go of him and Reid fell against his car, bloodying his nose again. Tim didn’t seem to care. “Reyes has been foreman at your ranch for years. The place would have never been a working ranch if he hadn’t been there while you and your dad were traveling all over the country.” Tim made a fist. “You fired him? That’s the dumbest thing you’ve ever done, Reid.”

      Lauren gripped Tim’s arm, fearing Reid was about to get hit again.

      Reid didn’t notice. He was still spitting blood. “That’s why we’re so far behind the times. I had to get rid of all the deadwood around the place. I’ve got plans.”

      He wiped his nose on his suit jacket. “Lucas is going to be so sorry he did this to me. I’ll file charges. He’ll lose his license to practice law. I’ve got you two as witnesses.”

      Tim shook his head. “Sorry, Reid, I didn’t see a thing. I was trying to kiss Lauren. I think I might have heard a popping sound but I’m not sure.”

      “What?” Reid swore. “I should have known I couldn’t depend on you.” He looked at Lauren. “At least Lauren is honest.”

      Lauren straightened and did something she never did. She lied. “I was fighting off Tim. He’s been trying to kiss me since we were six. I’m sorry, I didn’t see anything but you lying by your car. I figured you were drunk again. I could swear to that if you want me to. I’ve seen you drunk enough times to know.”

      Reid opened his car door, ignoring the blood dripping all over his white upholstery. “You two will be sorry. I can’t believe I ever thought of you as friends. The sooner I get out of this town, the better.”

      They watched him drive away, and then Tim whispered, “You sorry, L?”

      “Nope. How about you?”

      “I’m sorry I didn’t see a thing. I would have really liked to help Reid out,” Tim said in mock-seriousness. “He’s been such a good friend of mine.” Lies dripped out of Tim’s mouth faster than blood dripped out of Reid’s.

      “Yeah, me too.” She laughed as she tugged him toward her car. “How about we go check on Lucas.”

      “You have any idea where he is?”

      “I have an idea.”

      * * *

      LAUREN APPROACHED THE grassland of the Double K Ranch by the watery light of the midnight sky. She was on Kirkland land now. This was the first ranch established in this part of the country and still the biggest spread for a hundred miles around.

      Staten Kirkland knew that years ago she and Lucas used to come out here to watch the stars. He probably wouldn’t be surprised that they still did. The Collins ranch, where Lucas’s dad had been foreman, bordered Kirkland’s. Lucas had grown up near here and he’d spent his college years cowboying for the Double K on weekends. He’d ridden both spreads when he’d been growing up and knew them well.

      Lauren knew that if she had a chance of finding Lucas anywhere, it would be at this lonely spot where no lights from any town or ranch house could reach.

      Parking her car on the county road, she pulled on her raincoat and climbed through the fence. As she neared the windmill, she didn’t see his car but she saw the outline of the old pickup he’d been driving in town.

      She smiled. He might have been dumb enough to hit Reid Collins, but Lucas had enough sense not to drive his low BMW over dirt trails that didn’t even qualify to be called roads.

      Slowly she walked toward the silhouette. She knew the moment he spotted her. He straightened and faced her. Lucas Reyes might be a lawyer now, but he fit here. He was a man who came from the land. He was as much a part of it as it was of him.

      “Where’s that new BMW your mother told me you bought last month?”

      “I traded it for the pickup. Told my dad to take it out for a spin.” Lucas’s voice was clear but his face was lost in the night. “Mom suggested a vacation might be nice. My father hasn’t taken more than a long weekend off in years.

      “Where’s Tim?” the shadow asked when she was ten feet away.

      “He didn’t believe you’d be out here. Tim said he’d bet you were at one of the bars. There’s only two but he said it would take until closing time for him to make a complete sweep of the places.”

      Lucas huffed but didn’t comment.

      She moved closer, not knowing what to say to a man she hadn’t seen in over a year but had been in her thoughts almost every day. They’d been close once, but now she felt she barely knew him. Maybe she never had. His dark good looks were still there, but the favoring of his Hispanic heritage was almost gone from his voice.

      “Reid will probably sue me for hitting him, but I’m not sorry.”

      “He might, if he had a witness.”

      Lucas raised his head. “You two were standing right there. You must have seen it.”

      “I wasn’t looking,” she answered. “Tim didn’t see anything, either.”

      Lucas relaxed. “If I’m asked in court, I won’t lie. I did hit him.”

      There it was, she thought, that bone-deep kind of honesty that she loved about Lucas. Since she’d known him, Lucas had always done the right thing for his family, his

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