Page 65 of The Cowboy Comes Home

Once they were out on the road, she made a right and picked up speed. They went through one of the flood warning dips in the road, then started on a stretch that looked straight for a while. She made another turn onto what he knew now was the Hickory Creek Spur. Soon they were out of Last Stand proper, and into wider open spaces. And it wasn’t too long before she turned onto what looked like a long driveway that wound through thick trees. They passed a carved wooden sign that said “Hickory Creek Inn, Bed and Breakfast.”

Then up ahead, in the middle of a swath of well-tended lawn now covered with a temporary stage, rows of folding chairs, and blankets for sitting on the grass, he saw a big, white house. It was two-stories high with wide, wraparound porches, shaded by the trees along the creek he could see on the far side. But the most distinctive thing about it was the tower that went up at least another story, and looked as if it would give you a view for hundreds of miles.

“There’s a big room inside,” Emily said, “where they serve breakfast to the guests. It overlooks the creek, and opens out onto the deck for bigger functions. That’s where Kane did his first ever show, after his wife, Lark, did a lot of convincing. I’m sure she’ll be here. She used to work for Child Protective Services, and now she and Kane foster kids.”

That startled him. “Kane Highwater is a foster dad?”

“He is, and a darned good one, too. I’ve steered a couple of kids his way since they started. You should hear his story.” She give him a sideways look. “Maybe you especially.”

He didn’t have time to wonder what she meant by that for long, because once they were parked and out of the car, things started to happen fast. If you were judging by the number of people delighted to see her, it’d be clear Emily was liked and respected in Last Stand. She took him inside and introduced him to their hosts, Frank and Karina Buckley.

“And this is Lobo,” she added, and the older man smiled.

“One of Chance Rafferty’s dogs, right?”

She nodded. “Yes, sir. He’s working out beautifully for us.”

“Figures,” Buckley said with a grin. He turned to look at Tucker assessingly, then smiled. “Buddy of mine worked with your dad. He was a good, good man.”

“I…” Stunned, he had to stop and swallow to loosen up his throat. He got a lot of people who wanted to talk about his accident in the arena, but rarely anyone who mentioned his dad. And to have even a one-step-removed connection never happened. “Thank you,” he finally managed to get out.

The man nodded as if he understood what he was feeling.

“He was a Texas Ranger, and forced to retire after an injury to his gun hand,” Emily said quietly as the man turned to greet another arrival.

He’d noticed the twisted and seemingly stiff fingers and could see where that would make being a Ranger impossible.

“He could have taken a desk job, but turning this place, the old Buckley ranch, into a bed-and-breakfast had been his wife’s dream for years. He figured she’d earned it after being married to him—and his job—for nearly a quarter century.”

Someone came up behind them and snuck an arm around Emily. She laughed, so he guessed she’d heard or sensed him coming, which was more than he could say; it was all he could do not to jump, startled.

“And there’s the man of the hour,” she said, hugging the guy back. “Kane Highwater, meet Tucker Culhane.”

He was startled, mainly because this guy didn’t look like any of the other Highwaters he’d met. He was lean, wiry, and quick-moving, and instead of the blue of the rest of the clan he’d met, his eyes were a striking combination of gold and green. And even Tucker, who didn’t pay much attention to what other guys looked like, had to admit the guy probably had every female around swooning.

Including Emily?

No, he answered himself silently. That had been a sisterly kind of hug, nothing more.

They shook hands, Kane saying, “My brother’s mentioned you. Y’know, her boss,” he said with a quick grin at Emily. “He thinks we oughta talk.”

Tucker blinked. “He does?”

“Yeah. And nobody in Last Stand crosses Shane if they can help it.”

“Amen,” Emily said. “Why don’t you two go have that talk. I need to go find Karina and see if there’s anything I can do. You’re bringing in bigger crowds every year, my friend. We’re going to need to build an arena just for your local shows.”

The other man laughed. Tucker felt a little strange, thinking there were a whole lot of people who’d give anything for a few minutes to talk with this guy. He could think of at least a half-dozen back in L.A.

“Look,” Kane said when they were in a small office behind the registration counter of the inn, “this is probably coming out of left field, but…thank my brother and Emily. And don’t blame her, because my brother can worm anything out of anyone.”

Uh-oh.He instinctively took a step back.

“I’m not going to pry,” Kane assured him. “Just let me…tell you something.” He took a deep enough breath that Tucker could see this wasn’t easy for him, either. It was enough that he didn’t turn and walk away.

“Okay,” he said slowly, still hesitant.

“I don’t know if you know this, but I spent twelve years on the run, from the time I was sixteen. With the cops after me, hunting me down.”

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