Page 15 of Silent Deception
Leland’s jaw dropped. “She’s back? Does your father know?”
“That Nate’s daughter is in town? Yes. That she’s a neighbor? I have no idea. I suppose there’s been some sort of notice in the local papers about the homestead awards, but he spends a lot of time in San Antonio.”
Leland whistled. “Well, this will be interesting.”
“I don’t think she was any happier about seeing me than I was to see her.”
A muscle ticked in his jaw as Leland drummed his fingers on his thigh. “I know you two were close once. She was a sweet little thing, but Clint said she was bad news.”
How much had Dad told him all those years ago?
“I’m old enough to take care of myself this time around,” Ryan shot back.
Once burned, twice shy,his mother had said more than once over the years, and she was right.
He wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.
CHAPTER FIVE
“Mom, look! Horses!”Cody struggled to lean forward despite the shoulder strap of his seat belt.
“I...see.” Kristin parked in front of their house and stepped out of her old red Tacoma pickup. She shielded her eyes from the sun as she stared at the grizzled old ranchhand unloading a buckskin from a battered old horse trailer.
On the other side of the trailer, she could see just the hindquarters of a sorrel standing slant-hipped, its tail flicking lazily.
A wizened figure in dusty boots and an old gray Stetson soon rounded the back of the trailer. Nora’s sun-cured skin had baked to a leathery brown after a lifetime outside in the blazing heat of Texas, and she looked far older than her age for the past twenty years.
“Howdy,” she barked as she slammed the trailer gate shut with a resounding clang. “I was fixin’ to leave you a note if you didn’t show up in time.”
“Show up?” Kristin said faintly. “Intime?”
Cody took off running and skidded to a stop just a few yards from the horses. “Wow! Are these for us? You really did get me ahorse?”
“Don’t ever run up to a horse like that!” Kristin hurried to catch up and grabbed his shoulder before he got any closer. “Wait, Aunt Nora—”
With a dismissive wave, Nora retrieved the horse tied to the other side of the trailer. She motioned to Luis, and with Kristin and Cody tagging along behind, put the horses in the corral by the barn.
