Page 33 of Deadly Evidence
Her voice caught, and she swallowed hard. “I just wanted to see what my family was like. There’s so much I don’t know. My mom never...”
Her voice trailed off at the sound of air brakes, then the rumble of a large vehicle coming down Main.
Guilt lanced through Dante over what he’d said to her. Vicente’s accident had been his fault, too. If he’d held that colt better—protected the old guy—maybe nothing would have happened beyond a couple of bruises.
A second later, the bus pulled to a stop at the side of the road in a billowing cloud of dust. The door whooshed opened, and the driver descended the stairs. Motioning to them, he opened the side luggage compartment.
Dante grabbed her two suitcases and stalked over to the driver, who tossed the luggage inside. He touched the brim of his hat in farewell and stepped back, waiting for her to climb aboard.
“Thanks. That awful cowboy...” She gave a delicate shudder as she handed her ticket to the driver, then looked over her shoulder at Dante.. “Tell Vicente I’m sorry.”
She followed the driver up into the bus and Dante turned toward the Triple R pickup parked a few yards away. He’d already gotten in and started the motor when he realized the bus hadn’t taken off.
Seconds later, Mia emerged and gave him a determined wave. “Wait!”
He glanced at the floor of the cab and the truck bed. “Forget something?”
The bus driver appeared, too, and hurried to the luggage compartment, where he flung open the door and pulled out her two cases. “You’re sure, ma’am?”
She nodded decisively. “I have to stay, just a while longer.”
The driver shifted his gaze toward Dante, then grinned down at her. “Guess I can see why.”
Dante stared at her as she marched toward the pickup with one suitcase in each hand.
She was snobby. Arrogant. She’d embarrassed him, made him angry, and during the last few minutes she’d made him feel guilty.
And now she was apparently delaying her plans to help at the ranch—something surprisingly thoughtful—which made him feel small.
If only he’d kept his mouth shut, maybe she would have gone away and left everyone in peace.
CHAPTER SIX
Brady returned from El Paso after supper and knocked on the back door. “Do you have a minute?”
After dealing with both Jonah and Vicente—who were both even grumpier than they’d been this morning—just the sight of someone young and healthy filled her with relief.
But then Brady’s warm gaze traveled over her. Given his six feet of solid, sculpted muscle, glossy black hair, and rugged features, it was almost impossible to rein in her errant thoughts.
He tipped his head toward the kitchen and grinned. “I’ll even help you with the dishes.”
It took a second for his words to register. “Um...Lacey is doing them, I hope.”
He followed her into the kitchen, where Lacey was loading the last of the dishes into the dishwasher.
Anna gave her a quick hug. “Thanks, honey. Do you want to come out to the barn with me in a few minutes?”
“I can’t. I’ve got a test on Monday and a paper due.” Lacey hesitated. “Um...maybe I should make supper tomorrow.”
Anna chuckled. “What, you didn’t like my hamburgers?”
Charred on the outside, red on the inside, they’d been a far cry from the fare Vicente usually served, but she’d tried to hurry them along in a skillet on the stove. “If I can get in earlier tomorrow, I’ll do a little better. Otherwise, I may just take you up on your offer.”
“’Kay.” Lacey shut the dishwasher door. Without so much as a glance in Brady’s direction, she bounded out of the room.
Leaning one hip against the kitchen counter, Brady waited until she was gone, then turned back to Anna. “You look exhausted.”
“Long day. Vicente was restless last night. Even his pain pills didn’t help much, and he had them at midnight and four. A mare needed help foaling, and a few head of cattle got out.”
