Taking Charge (Lone Star Burn #4)(16)

His fierce, almost primal protectiveness of Lucy was too real to deny. He wanted her—in his bed, in his life. She belonged with him. In his mind, it wasn’t a question of if they would be together, but of how soon.

He replayed the scene in her house as it had unfolded. He could see her standing there proudly, declaring how she wasn’t afraid of York, her long brown mane of hair swinging back and forth each time she shook her head. She was thinner than he remembered, and the faint circles beneath her worried eyes had torn at his heartstrings.

He’d fantasized about what it would be like to spend a wild night in her arms, but when he’d seen how hard she was trying to look brave, he’d been filled with an equal desire to simply hold her. Hug her until his strength became hers.

She was a woman in need of protecting, and it was hard for David to understand how trying to do just that had gotten him thrown out of her house.

Wyatt came to stand beside him. They’d exchanged only a few words before they entered Lucy’s house. That brief conversation had ended as soon as David had learned that York was inside, talking to Lucy. Berating his woman. Even though he had just met Wyatt, David had a sense of who he was. Integrity shone in the proud lines of his grizzled face. Wyatt was a man who looked a person right in the eye, spoke with a soft voice, but would likely kick the tar out of someone he felt needed the correction. “I’ll be heading out to Abilene to complete the sale for Miss Lucy. She wanted to come, but I told her to stay here. Someone needs to watch this place and make sure York’s men don’t return.”

David nodded. He wasn’t going anywhere until he knew Lucy was safe.

Wyatt said, “One of the boys looked you up on his smartphone. Seems like you’ve done well for yourself over in Fort Mavis, what with your horse training and all.”

“I do all right.”

“Said you’re in all sorts of commercials. Showed me one or two.”

David shrugged and kicked the dirt. “It’s for charity. They say my face sells tickets. I prefer working with horses. But I must have sucker written on my forehead, because somehow I keep ending up on TV.”

Wyatt looked David over again, as if assessing his character. “Doing good ain’t nothing to be ashamed of no matter how damn-fool ridiculous you look in those commercials.”

David arched an eyebrow at that comment, and Wyatt cackled. “Thank you, I think.”

“You ever think of relocating some of your business out here? This town needs a man like you—someone Ted York can’t buy and sell. Times are tough. Jobs are hard to find in these parts. The six men who came to help today feel good about what they’ve done, but that won’t put food on their tables come Monday.”

True enough. “I’ve considered getting a place of my own, but relocating here would be a bit premature.” He rubbed the cheek Lucy had smacked.

Wyatt nodded at the house. “Anything worthwhile is worth the trouble. She’s in a rough place, and I’m not sure you made things better today. York wants her property, and he thought he had leverage to get it. He ain’t above playing dirty to get what he wants, so paying off the loan won’t stop him. I keep asking myself why. I don’t know, but my gut tells me Miss Lucy ain’t safe yet. Don’t let her run you off.”

Wyatt was preaching to the wrong choir. Lucy was the one who needed convincing. “She told me to leave.”

Wyatt shrugged. “She hired me as her ranch manager, seeing how she needs someone to keep up the outbuildings and such. That’s more work than one man can handle. I considered hiring someone to help me, but Lucy can’t afford to pay anyone yet. It might be a bit of an unconventional setup, but you could stay in the ranch-hand house, ship over some of your horses to train, and possibly hire on a few men to help with those horses.”

David looked at Wyatt to assess the seriousness of his suggestion. “Isn’t that similar to the setup York had? I can’t imagine Lucy going along with that.”

Wyatt rubbed his chin and stared off across the field beside the house. “That’s because you’re not seein’ the most important difference ’tween the situations.”

“And that is?”

Wyatt smiled. “Miss Lucy never cared for York, not romantic-like, but she looks at you the same way my wife used to look at me when I was working up the nerve to ask her out. Women are complex creatures, but just like horses, if you watch ’em close enough, you can read them. I’ve known Lucy most of her life. She likes you. She hates you, too. If a man cared enough, he could work that through.”

David couldn’t believe he was considering Wyatt’s idea, but a better one hadn’t come to him. “So, which one of us gets the pleasure of telling Lucy I work here now?”

Wyatt gave David a pat on the shoulder. “I would, but I’m late already. I have to be in Abilene before four. Good luck to you. Hopefully you’ll be here when I get back.”





Chapter Four


From the window of her father’s office, Lucy watched Wyatt and David talking. Part of her wanted to rush outside and apologize to David before he left. The mess she was in wasn’t his fault. He wasn’t Ted with a sinister agenda.

He had no way of knowing how much I needed to prove something to myself today.

I want to be grateful, to trust, but he handed over $250,000 to Ted. Why? Because he cares about me?