Page 5 of Her Cadillac Cowboy
“Let’s see if I remember right. Your home is that dusty ranch near an Arizona canyon named Valentine, and the only thing weirder than the canyon’s name is the corporate structure of your family business. I thought you hated that business.”
“I love parts of it. The horses are probably the only thing I love as much as the SEALs.”
“And you’re dragging your heels here in Luville because . . .?”
“It’s the rest of Firesong Inc. that drives me crazy. I want to be certain I have places to go if I need to escape the corporate nonsense for a bit.”
“You’re always welcome at my place.”
“Knew that.” Dan sipped his beer.
“So, checking out your escape route is just an excuse. Why are you really here?”
Dan just stared at Josh.
“No, no. Not in a million years. You’re gonna tell me that one of your crazy sisters has had a vision or something and she’s worried about me.”
“Guess I don’t have to tell you.”
“You’re not getting off that easy. What kind of trouble does your sister imagine is coming my way?”
“She said something about fire and ice and the ice melting the fire. Oh, and she blamed it all on some big old black car with green eyes. She didn’t recognize the make and model.”
Josh swallowed and felt a little sick to his stomach.
“What’s the matter, buddy? You look kinda green. Do you own a big old black car with green eyes?”
Josh nodded. “Not the eyes. It’s a Cadillac Orleans. A classic car, one of only two that exist. I inherited it from my uncle Sampson, so I didn’t have it when I first met you at that rodeo in San Diego.”
“Imagine that. Where do the green eyes come in?”
“Sara. Sara Anne Carson.” He’d come here to purge her, or more accurately, prove that she didn’t occupy his every other thought. It wasn’t fair. He couldn’t escape her if even his long-distance friends brought her willy-nilly into his head.
“The one whose father owns the car dealership and thinks your uncle stole from him. The uncle who’s a lawyer?”
“Yeah, that’s the one. Uncle Sampson was the only lawyer I knew of who never met a fee he couldn’t turn down. He died two years ago.”
“That’s harsh, Josh. I’m sorry to hear it. Even sorrier I never met him. From what you told me, he was one of the good guys.”
“In every way. He saved my life when he brought me to Texas.” And if Josh said much more, he’d be crying in his beer. He’d missed Sampson McKinley every day of the past two years. “You staying long in Luville, Dan?”
“Sorry, friend. I’d like to linger, but that same sister said I needed to hightail it back to the ranch to be able to help our other sister out of some trouble coming her way.”
“Then we better make the best of the time we’ve got. Wanna take a joy ride in a classic Cadillac?”
“Sure. Just let me make certain Lurlene is gonna get home okay.”
“Do that. I’ll take care of the bill.” Josh fished in his pocket for his wallet, laid a number of bills on the table, and headed for the parking lot.
Dan was like that. A gentleman no matter who he was with. Firesong had protector written all over him. Josh was proud to call him friend. Once Josh and Sara had been friends, too. Almost more than friends. But time, misunderstanding, and family had killed any possibility of something deeper. Heck, their friendship had been a major casualty in the war Carl Carson waged against Sampson McKinley.
Josh would be a fool to let his heart get anywhere near her.
