Rancher Under Fire

by Barb Han

  Then, Liv had cold-shouldered him almost immediately after his engagement and he still didn’t fully understand why. He’d been naïve, an annoying voice in the back of his mind pointed out. He’d believed he could marry Dani and still keep his best friend by his side. Once he realized the person he’d truly fallen for was Liv, she’d gone and married his cousin before he could intervene. And, yes, he did realize he never answered her question from earlier about why he didn’t go through with the marriage to Dani. There was no way he could tell her the real reason and he didn’t have it in him to make up a lame excuse.

  Life became too complicated to untangle once Liv came home from Vegas a married woman. He’d been trying to move on ever since. Except how was he supposed to do that when missing Liv was the equivalent of having his heart ripped from his chest?

  And now? Complicated didn’t begin to describe their situation.

  Corbin didn’t break eye contact while he waited for Kellan’s response. The death stare routine wasn’t working, but this didn’t seem like the right time to point out that fact. Then, there was the fact Liv and Corbin had been best friends long before Kellan had ever asked her out. Plus, the two were getting a divorce. The territorial routine didn’t cut it.

  Kellan ground his back teeth and it looked like it was taking every ounce of strength not to throw a punch. “Why are you doing this?”

  Corbin didn’t respond.

  “Are you jealous about mineral rights? About the money? Is this a sick way of getting back at the ‘other’ side of the family?” Kellan ground out.

  “First of all, are you serious? And second, I’m not discussing personal family business here. There’s no point airing dirty laundry in public,” Corbin said with as calm a voice as he could muster. Besides, he was still weighing all the facts of the inheritance that had drawn sides and further divided their family. “Lastly, Liv and I go back to the third grade. We’ve been friends a long time and I’m not abandoning her right now when she needs me, and you of all people should know why. Are we clear?”

  Kellan issued a sharp sigh, but gave no other reaction. Shouldn’t he be ready to defend his actions with the texts?

  “This isn’t over, Corbin,” Kellan said.

  “Didn’t think it was,” Corbin shot back.

  Liv stood back and he could feel her seething. She seemed to know speaking up would only make Kellan angrier.

  “Why don’t you head on home, Kellan?” Lawler suggested, taking a step forward.

  “Good idea, Timothy.” Kellan was pushing his luck with Lawler. No one called the sheriff by his first name. The two weren’t in the same grade so there was no reason for the familiarity.

  Lawler didn’t bite. He stood his ground until Kellan retreated to his vehicle. The dust cloud he kicked up on the way out had them all moving away from the drive.

  “Jerk,” Liv mumbled at the same time Corbin thought it.

  Turning toward the house, Corbin saw something next to the driver’s side of his truck. He ate up the real estate in quick strides. There was a white cloth like a handkerchief.

  “What are you looking at over there?” Lawler followed when he seemed to realize Corbin might have just found a piece of evidence.

  “Might be nothing,” he said as Liv joined them. He didn’t dare touch the cloth just in case.

  Lawler picked up a stick and lifted up the cloth with it. There was a distinct smell, and it jogged a memory.

  “First of all, I’m a light sleeper so the fact someone was able to throw multiple cans through the kitchen window without waking me has been a real head scratcher,” he said, trying to piece together how it might have happened.

  “There seems to be a chemical compound on the rag. Might be chloroform or some chemical like it,” Lawler surmised as he studied the cloth.

  “I woke with a strangely sweet taste in my mouth and in a brain fog like you wouldn’t believe.” Just thinking about it brought back the taste. “I couldn’t figure out why.”

  Now, he might have an answer.

  “Does that handkerchief look familiar to you?” Liv chimed in, motioning toward the white cloth.

  “It looks a lot like the one Ed keeps wiping his forehead with now that you mention it,” Corbin stated. He was still keyed up from his exchange with Kellan and could use a solid workout to break up some of the tension causing his muscles to pull taut. He rolled his shoulders.

  Liv walked over to the jug of water as Lawler bagged the evidence. The fact someone like Ed could have gotten the drop on Corbin sat like a lead weight in the pit of his stomach. He’d tracked some of the most dangerous poachers in the state and an older man like Ed caught him unaware? How was that even possible? Ed had to be working with someone. His mystery client? A hired hand?

  “Well, this is subtle,” Liv stated on a sigh. She picked something off the face of the jug. “He seems to have forgotten he shoved a business card in my face when he dropped by unannounced yesterday.

  The two of them filled Lawler in on the visit.

  “Did Ed say how he knew there was smoke here?” Lawler asked.

  “At first, he said he heard over the radio. Then, he told you that he followed the smoke,” Liv supplied.

  “If you buy that excuse, I have a bridge over in Gun Barrel City for sale,” Corbin quipped. He couldn’t help it. He had half a mind to pay Ed a visit and shake the man down. He had to have been the one to tell Kellan about Corbin being at Liv’s.

  A thought struck. Was Kellan the mystery buyer? What would he want with the property?

  Or maybe he just wanted rid of Liv. She still hadn’t signed the divorce papers and Kellan could be trying to intimidate her into a fast exit from Lone Star Pass.

  “Kellan asked for this place in the divorce,” Liv informed them. “It’s the reason I haven’t signed the papers yet and why I need a real lawyer to look them over.”

  Last Corbin checked, Kellan didn’t get to decide who stayed and who left the town. If anything, Corbin was even more resolved to help Liv. He hoped she wasn’t too thrown off by what had happened.

  And it was more than protective instincts or friendship that had him wanting to help. Could he stay and still keep his distance? Because he’d caught himself staring at her full lips more times than he cared to count this morning despite knowing just how off limits they were.

  Liv had a stubborn streak a mile wide. She’d known it since the third grade when one of the Baker boys had stolen her pencil and refused to give it back. She’d bided her time for weeks without retaliating. And then, when he was home with the flu, she’d raided his desk during recess. Not only did she take her pencil back—it was mechanical and had the best grip so there was no way she wasn’t getting it back—but she’d taken his lucky rock too.

  The Baker boy had thrown a fit when he realized his rock was missing. He’d accused her, which didn’t take a rocket scientist, but the teacher had dismissed the idea saying that Liv was a model student. It was true. But the rock wasn’t going back until Liv was ready to forgive the kid.

  Two years later, he miraculously found it at the bottom of his backpack. She’d gotten her apology even though he was twenty-four months late and apologizing for the wrong thing. Even so, she accepted. She was stubborn not mean.

  Ed had no idea what was coming to him.

  “I need to talk to Ed and tell him I want to move forward with the deal,” Liv announced.

  “You might want to drink a cup of coffee and get the smoke smell out of your house before you make any rash decisions.” Corbin’s eyebrow shot up as Lawler put the new evidence in a paper bag and then inside his SUV.

  “I’m not actually going through with it,” she said. “I just want his folder.”

  “That’s one way to find out who could be behind all this.” Corbin caught on quickly.

  “You’re right about the coffee. I need caffeine almost as much as I…never mind.” She almost slipped and said, needed him. Both were true. She couldn’t imagine life with
out her best friend.

  On a sigh, she walked over to the sheriff’s SUV.

  “Do you need anything else from me?” she asked. “I’d like to start airing out my house and I have a window to fix.”

  “The house has been cleared on my end. I’d like to walk around the property if it’s all right with you,” the sheriff said.

  “Do whatever you need to in order to find the creep who did this,” she stated. There didn’t seem to be much in the way of permanent damage. Was this another warning? A way to light a fire under her backside to leave Lone Star Pass forever? Sadly, it was working. She was ready to be done with this town.

  She walked over to Corbin, who was on his cell.

  “I’d appreciate it if you could come out today,” he said into the receiver. He was quiet for a few beats. “No, not at the ranch. I’m at a friend’s place. Here, let me give you the address.” Another few beats passed. “I’m at Liv Holden’s place.” His forehead wrinkled like he was confused. “Why not?”

  She immediately knew where this was going. It was the same response she got when she tried to get grocery delivery and when she tried to get a plumber out to fix her leaky kitchen sink. Thank heaven for the internet. She’d been able to watch a few tutorials and figure it out for herself. The groceries required leaving home and interacting with people.

  Since listening to this conversation would only lead to more frustration on her part, she decided to survey the damage inside. She walked to the backdoor that had been propped open. She guessed one of the firemen had done it to air the place out.

  She coughed the minute she stepped inside the room. Pulling her shirt over her nose, she systematically went through the house opening windows and propping open doors. There was a slight breeze this morning, which should help speed the process along. There were a pair of fans in the hallway closet, so she pulled those out and strategically placed them to move air through the downstairs faster. Later, she could always light a candle if there was still a smell tonight. At least she had the whole day to get rid of the odor.

  By the time she returned to the kitchen, she was able to lose the mouth and nose covering at least. She put on a pot of coffee and opted for a breakfast bar since her stomach was growling. She put one out for Corbin but quickly realized that wouldn’t nearly be enough for him. He was almost twice her size.

  Her mind snapped to the confrontation between Corbin and Kellan. Their grandfather had passed away earlier in the month, giving the land and cattle to Corbin’s father while giving Kellan’s dad the mineral rights. The latter was where the real money was in property ownership. In fact, most folks in Texas bought land minus the mineral rights. Having both was the equivalent of hitting the jackpot. Problem was, Corbin’s dad and uncle had spent a lifetime being at odds with each other. In order for Kellan’s father to drill, he had to have permission from Corbin’s. The will had been set up to force them to compromise.

  If people thought Liv was stubborn, they’d never met a Firebrand. There was some caveat in the will, she’d learned, that gave the land, cattle, and mineral rights to the brothers and cousins equally if they got married before their fathers could find a compromise.

  Hell might truly freeze over before those men could agree on anything, let alone something worth tens of millions of dollars. The only reason Kellan’s side of the family still lived on the property at all was due to a clause that said each owned their own house and the property it sat on, even if they couldn’t demolish those houses to drill.

  The joyous smell of coffee filled Liv’s nostrils, breaking into her heavy thoughts. Based on Kellan and Corbin’s earlier exchange, the family divide had grown. It was a shame, considering how close they could be. The Marshall’s damage might outlive everyone, especially since the cousins were more divided than ever. They’d all been close once with the exception of a few personalities that clashed. Overall, they got along and definitely had each other’s backs in a crisis. It was sad to think their grandfather had eroded all that. And for what? His own amusement? She couldn’t begin to understand a man like the Marshall.

  “Hey,” Corbin said as he walked inside the room. “Mind if I get a cup?”

  “I’m one step ahead of you, mister.” She handed over the second one she’d poured along with a power bar. “It isn’t much but should tide you over until I can get enough of the funk out of here to cook. I’m afraid eggs would come out tasting like smoke.”

  He nodded before taking a sip.

  “At least the coffee isn’t tainted,” he said. “And it’s damn good.”

  His gaze fixated on her bottom lip.

  “You have a little right here in the corner,” he said.

  She slicked her tongue across her lip. Her stomach free fell when she caught the hungry look in his eyes. She’d see it once before when he’d dropped the friends routine and kissed her. Wow, she’d forced herself not to think about the kiss they’d shared after high school graduation, burying the memory down deep.

  They’d been in Hank’s field sitting around the campfire, nursing beers. Neither had been drinkers in high school but it seemed like the cool thing to do. She’d taken of sip of hers just to give the impression she was part of the crowd.

  Later in the evening as the party started winding down and folks piled into pickup trucks, Corbin had offered to give her a ride home. She climbed in the passenger seat like she’d done dozens of times. Her phone had gone flying when she reached for the seatbelt. They’d both gone for it in the floorboard and…

  The rest, as they say, was history.

  The moment their lips had touched, she’d known they were in dangerous territory. The connection between them had hummed inside her as he deepened the kiss.

  And then in the same moment, as though they’d had the exact same thought, they opened their eyes. Reality set in and they pulled back, but the hunger she’d seen in his eyes that night had left her wondering what might have happened. No one since Corbin had made her feel all electric impulses and sensual shivers.

  Had she resigned to the fact?

  The short answer…yes. Not one person since Corbin had kissed her in a way that made her bones melt and her toes curl. Not one person stirred up the kind of desire that made her feel like she’d burn up from the inside out if she didn’t get more, or made her want in the same way he did. And not one person since had come close to making her fall as hard as she did that night. And now? She would most likely spend the rest of her life trying to find someone who came in a close second.

  7

  “Do you still think Kellan has nothing to do with what happened this morning?” Liv’s question caught Corbin off guard.

  “Based on his reaction to seeing me here, I have my doubts. There was a look in his eyes earlier that said he was hurting and trying to cover the fact with anger. Wish I could rule him out, though, but I can’t,” Corbin stated matter of fact.

  “Doesn’t it seem like too much of a coincidence that he showed up not long after Ed?” she asked.

  “It might be my pride speaking, but I can’t accept the fact Ed got the drop on me.” Corbin wasn’t so tired he wouldn’t hear someone approaching.

  “Someone might have snuck up on you and covered your face with chloroform.” She involuntarily shivered at the thought.

  “I’m a light sleeper. I would have heard a guy like Ed,” he insisted. “Plus, how did he get up the lane without my knowledge?”

  “You think the mystery client is the one?” she asked.

  “I’d like to size the person up and see what they’re made of.” He’d been on alert last night. Granted, he’d underestimated the situation. Sleeping outside was meant to keep him away from Liv. Safe. Only a trained tracker or skilled poacher could have pulled off a sneak attack.

  “Is it possible you just let your guard down and fell asleep?” She put a hand up to stop him when he started to argue. “You’ve been through a lot this month with losing your grandfather.”

  “Even so…Ed?�
�� He must’ve shot a look because she smiled, and it broke up some of the tension.

  “I guess you’re right. He’s not exactly a killer,” she said. “He could bore someone to death, but that’s about all.”

  The fact one of his cousins could be involved on Kellan’s behalf crossed Corbin’s mind. He didn’t want to believe one of his own could pull something like this.

  “For my money, I’m guessing Kellan is somehow pulling the strings,” she said.

  “He could be the mystery buyer for all we know, since you didn’t sign the papers right away. He could be coming at you from every angle because he knows how important this place is to you,” he admitted, and then he looked at her. Really looked at her. Dark circles cradled her eyes. Tension lines scored her forehead. He closed the gap between them in a couple of steps and brought his hand up to her cheek, brushing the backs of his fingers against her creamy skin. “I’m sorry you’re having to go through this.”

  “It’s not your fault,” she said. “I made my bed. Now, I have to lie in it.”

  “You didn’t ask to be treated like an outcast in the town where you grew up,” he argued. “And if I know you, you tried to make the marriage work.”

  “I jumped into it too soon.” She exhaled and it was like a balloon deflating. “I should have known better, but I got caught up in…” She seemed to catch herself before she admitted to something she didn’t want him to know.

  “People make mistakes,” he countered, wishing he could ease some of her pain. Heaven knew he’d made his fair share.

  “Not you,” she said quickly.

  “I mess up pretty much every day.” He was still kicking himself for a few doozies, not the least of which was how he’d handled his friendship with Liv. “Ever notice how easy it is to take something for granted?”