Rustler's Heart

by Amanda McIntyre

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  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Rustler’s Heart

  Copyright © 2014 by Amanda McIntyre

  ISBN: 978-1-61333-636-6

  Cover art by Sahara Kelly at P&N Graphics

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work, in whole or in part, in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

  Published by Decadent Publishing Company, LLC

  Look for us online at:

  www.decadentpublishing.com/

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  Other Decadent Publishing Books By Amanda McIntyre

  Rugged Hearts

  Wild and Unruly

  A Christmas Promise

  By the Light of the Silvery Moon

  Fallen Angel

  Undercover Temptation

  Rustler’s Heart

  The Kinnison Legacy, Book 2

  By

  Amanda McIntyre

  ~Dedication~

  To all the virtuous, wise, and phenomenal women in my life, you know who you are.

  What readers are saying about Rugged Hearts

  The Kinnison Legacy Series – Book One

  “A classic in the making.”

  ~Kimberly, Book Obsessed Chicks Book Club

  “Sexy, full-blown hotness, evenly written characters with the perfect amount of emotion that makes your heart swell with love and want.”

  ~Vampires, Werewolves and Fairies,

  Oh My! Reviews On Rugged Hearts.

  “To put it simply I love this book. These characters speak to your heart. I love their humor and their sexual chemistry.”

  ~Rosemary, Amazon Reviews

  “Ms. McIntyre always produces excellently written books with intriguing characters and heartwarming stories. I highly recommend this book and look forward to more stories in the Kinnison Legacy series.”

  ~Margie, Amazon Book Reviews

  “A sweet love story and a great comfort read!”

  ~Cocktails and Books

  “A beautiful tale of love, loss, forgiveness of self, and hope for the future. Amanda McIntyre creates characters with a depth of emotion that grab you by the heart and keep you on the edge of your seat...A must read!”

  ~C.H. Admirand, Author of

  A Wedding in Apple Grove.

  Chapter One

  Rein wiped the sawdust on his jeans, grabbed his coffee mug and took a long swallow. He’d been up since before dawn, starting in on the details left to make the cabin ready by Friday. Since Aimee’s arrival at the ranch on a semi-permanent basis, he’d spent more time on the cabins for more reasons than simply giving Wyatt and his soon-to-be bride privacy.

  Wyatt had had a sudden change in heart about the project. He’d relinquished hold on his share of the ranch in order to collectively refinance and put more money into permits and materials to build the cabins and ready them for use. They’d given themselves a target date of two years to complete the project. Dalton, Michael Greyfeather, and Tyler Janzen from Janzen Plumbing and Heating, had come on board to help. That gave Rein the freedom to do what he loved, which was to design and build the rustic furniture that would grace the interior of each cabin.

  However, Wyatt’s unexpected news recently of a woman named Liberty who claimed to be their half-sister, had punched up the clock for completion of the sample cabin when she stated she needed a place to stay. The idea of having a half-sister hadn’t settled well with Dalton, and frankly, Rein questioned why she would suddenly make contact after all of this time. Then again, she was only twenty-one, a kid in most respects, still fishing around to find her place in this world.

  He stood for a moment at the screen door to the backyard and assessed whether there would be time to put in the brick patio he’d planned. The crisp spring air invigorated him. He loved to wake early and watch the sun climb high in the sky as it burned off the heavy mist over the mountains. Last night he had laid awake on the cot he’d brought down to the cabin and with the windows open, listened to the sounds of the creek and the forest that had become a part of him. He’d come to the ranch a grieving young man, bitter about the way things had turned out for him. But had found serenity and purpose in the ability to use his hands to create something from nature’s bountiful resources. His Uncle Jed had taught him to give back to the land and to others. For him, it was the force that drove his inspiration to see his uncle’s dream become a reality.

  “I see you couldn’t sleep, either.” Dalton let the screen door slam behind him. He waved at the cot set up in the corner of the living room and made a beeline for the coffeemaker on the kitchen counter. “Looks like all the comforts of home. You may have a roommate soon if those two can’t keep it down.”

  Rein had just finished shaving down the edges of the front door, preparing to place it in the frame when he had more help. “You’re just in time. Grab those hinges, and help me get this in place.”

  He lifted the solid pine door from the sawhorses set up in the middle of the vacant cabin. With the three of them hard at work yesterday, they’d managed to get the bedrooms, bath and kitchen ready. Now, they only needed Tyler to come in and do his thing with the plumbing. Aimee, who’d gone to Billings for a final fit of her wedding dress, had offered to pick up a few necessities to complete a temporary living arrangement.

  Rein slipped the shims into place and had Dalton hold the door steady while he drilled in the hinges. “You do look a bit haggard this morning, Dal.” Rein smiled.

  Dalton narrowed his bloodshot eyes on him. “We’re going to need to get another cabin ready. Those two are like rabbits…fuckin’ loud rabbits.” He blew out a weary sigh.

  Rein chuckled. Of course, he’d had a good night’s sleep after he chose to come down to the cabin. He couldn’t have been happier to see Wyatt rescued from the self-imposed prison he had been in. Aimee had changed him and for the better, but at the same time it sent a ripple of change through all their lives. Dalton as a rule, was less receptive to change. He liked continuity, liked for things to be certain way—in particular, his way. Though Rein knew that Dalton wished nothing but happiness for his brother.

  “I was so damn tired this morning from listening to those two last night, I nearly forgot the new rule of not walking naked through the house.” He scrunched his face and rubbed a hand over his unshaven cheek. “Aimee just about caught me in my birthday suit if it hadn’t been for those throw things on the cou
ch.”

  Rein shook his head and laughed. “Okay, let’s see if this works.” Dalton stepped back and Rein opened and shut the door several times to check for fit. He’d get around to adding a lock later. They’d never had any trouble with prowlers of the two-legged variety at the ranch—raccoons, snakes, and the occasional curious skunk were the worst offenders.

  Dalton trudged across the room to refill his cup.

  “That about does it. Tyler said he’d be out later today.” Rein flipped a switch and set to motion on an overhead light and fan combination in the middle of the living room ceiling. He studied it, pleased that it worked correctly. He shut the light off and looked at Dalton. “I think we’re ready to haul the furniture up from the workshop.”

  Dalton eyed him. “You really like this, don’t you?” he asked.

  Rein picked up the broom, swept up the mess of sawdust he’d created, and dumped it into a box of debris ready to burn. “Getting to watch you work your ass off? Nothing makes me happier.” He tossed Dalton a grin and received the finger in return.

  “I mean this whole thing—this project.” Dalton waved his hand over the room.

  Rein shrugged. After he graduated with his business/marketing degree, he returned to the ranch to help by using his expertise. But when he discovered his uncle’s private journal, outlining in specific detail his plans for the ranch, Rein found his purpose. He began to be inspired as he read his uncle’s words and realized where Jed’s ideas had taken root.

  A civic-minded man, and a one of the community’s leading businessmen, Jed taken on the task of raising three teen-age boys with no idea of where they were headed. He’d shown them through hard work what they were capable of. For Rein, that was designing and building with his hands. And he was damn good at what he did.

  Rein leaned against the counter and gestured to Dalton with his cup. To his way of thinking there’s no better smell in the world than fresh coffee and wood shavings. “I just love to build shit. You know that.” He brushed off his comment and blew across his coffee.

  “Yeah, but it’s more than that, isn’t it?” Dalton prodded.

  Rein sighed and shrugged his shoulder. “I don’t know, maybe. I’m twenty-nine. I have no kids, no wife…not even a prospect of one. I’ve spent most of my life on this ranch. Maybe this is what I can create to leave as my legacy. Besides, from a business standpoint, if we can get this off the ground and rent out these cabins, we could put the ranch on the map, as well as improve things for End of the Line. More tourists equals more money, equals more business, equals….”

  “Yeah, I got it.” Dalton sipped his coffee and studied him. “And you think that’s what Jed wanted?”

  Rein shrugged. “His journal talks a lot about it, yeah. He was part of the chamber as you remember. He always looked for new ideas to help, improve the community. You know that as well as me.”

  Dalton nodded. A short silence stretched between them.

  Rein narrowed his gaze and studied the man he considered a blood brother. “You aren’t normally this chatty so early in the morning. What’s up? I have a feeling you’re leading up to whatever is really bugging you. So, let’s have it. I haven’t got all day to wrestle it out of you.” He knew Dalton’s moods like the back of his hand. Of the two brothers, he’d spent more time with Dalton, especially on business trips.

  Rein had the book knowledge for running the ranch, while Dalton with his good old boy charm had a flair for schmoosing the socks off the stingiest buyer. If he had a downfall, it came in form of a bottle. More than once, Rein and Wyatt had to recue Dalton from a late night bar episode, and he also realized that his troubled brother was still running from the demons in his past. Rein couldn’t imagine what being abandoned by his mom would do to a kid, but he’d observed the results of in both men he considered older brothers.

  Wyatt had spent years living as a recluse, earning the name of the town Grinch until last Christmas when persistent Aimee Worth and her second grade class got stranded at the ranch over the holiday. Like the beloved Christmas tale, people said Wyatt’s heart grew three times its size during those sequestered days.

  By the new year he and Aimee had announced their engagement. Their wedding became the talk of the town. He’d never seen Wyatt so happy. But the announcement seemed to do something to Dalton. He’d gotten more quiet and combined with his drinking Rein kept a closer eye on him. Watching Dalton made Rein realize how lucky he was. Unlike Wyatt and Dalton, abandoned by their mother, not even knowing who fathered them—at least Rein knew that his parents had loved him when they were alive. They’d cared about him, just as Jed had. Maybe that’s why he felt such a vested interest in seeing this project through. Rein took a wild stab at what he thought might be Dalton’s problem. “This is about Liberty, right?”

  Dalton shrugged. “I don’t know. It just doesn’t feel right. I mean, what if this broad has some crazy vendetta, you know? I have no idea what kind of picture Eloise painted of me and Wyatt.”

  “Broad? You do realize you’re talking about your half-sister, right? What are you saying…like she’s going after you with a chainsaw in the middle of the night or something?” Rein laughed.

  Dalton raised a brow.

  “You’ve watched too many of those damn crime shows.” He put his cup down and stretched out the kink in his back from sleeping on the cot. “I guess we’ll find out a few days.”

  Dalton didn’t respond.

  “From what Wyatt told us,, it doesn’t appear she’s the serial killer type.”

  “That’s just it. All he knows is what she told him. How do we know if any of it is true? How can we be certain of anyone’s background that chooses to come here? That’s my chief concern.”

  He considered Dalton’s comments. “You make a valid point, and like Wyatt said, that is something we’re going to have to address when we begin drawing up the rental agreements. But really, there is a multitude of ways to do a background check on someone if a person wanted to.”

  Dalton shrugged. “Yeah, you’re right. I should do one on this Liberty chick. Good idea, bro.” He reached over and slapped Rein on the shoulder.

  He hated to feed into Dalton’s obvious displeasure with Wyatt’s decision to allow Liberty to come in and live off them until who knows when. But if little Miss Liberty thought for one minute she could stay here, eat their food, and use their services for free, she was in for a serious wakeup call.

  Curious now, Rein rinsed out his cup and pulled on his work gloves. “Let me know what you find out. Meantime, let’s head over and pick up that furniture before that storm blows in.”

  Dalton finished his cup and frowned as he followed him out the door. “In case you hadn’t noticed, the sun is brilliant, and there isn’t a cloud in the sky.”

  Rein fished the keys to his truck out of his pocket and eyed the sky. “Yeah, but I heard an owl outside the cabin last night.”

  Dalton rolled his eyes to the heavens. “Jeez, you and Wyatt and that damn American Indian mumbo-jumbo.”

  Rein just tossed him a smile.

  ***

  She checked her watch. Ticket in hand, Liberty waited on the scarred wood bench at the seedy bus station in the worst possible area of town. The clerk, safe behind her bulletproof glass and steel barred office, gazed out with a sullen face at the handful of passengers who waited for the nine-thirty bus. She looked again at the schedule. With a couple of transfers in Utah and Montana, she should arrive in Billings by midnight Friday. She’d packed in haste and brought only what she could carry in her oversized duffle. The rest she carried in a book bag and a small purse that she wore across the front of her body. The remainder of her last two paychecks she stashed in her boot.

  She glanced at the couple beside her, newlyweds, she guessed from the lip-lock and their Vegas standard issue matching gold bands. Her gaze darted to the man across the aisle. He sat quietly watching the couple, as he clutched his briefcase close to his side. His expression was dour, as though he d
isapproved of their public affection. He caught Liberty’s curious look and pulled his attaché closer to his side. Her choices for seating being severely limited, she shifted in her seat to look at the black retro wall clock and double-check the time. The soft whispers between the lovers reminded her of the mistake she’d almost made less than a year ago, just after her mother died.

  ***

  “I suppose you’ll be expecting to move back home now that your mother’s gone.” She’d ridden in the funeral home’s limousine, not by choice, but by request from her father. Funerals were as much a public appearance for her father, as any other he showed up for in Vegas. Nothing was left to chance. Appearances meant everything to him, they always had. Today he extended his benevolent hand to her…in his own, controlling way. Just as she’d seen him manipulate her mother the last years of her life. Liberty knew his game. She’d observed it all her life and only as she’d gotten older, had she come to resent and rebel against it.

  “Did your housemaid quit again?” she tossed at him, watching row after row of headstones pass by as they left the burial plot. The dank, gray day mirrored her mood.

  “Now, see there. That’s what I’m talking about. I try to extend the olive branch, Liberty Belle, and you slap it out of my hand. The problem with you is that you never learned to appreciate everything I gave you.”

  She responded with a snorting laugh. “You mean, I didn’t bow down and kiss your ass every time you decided to remember you had a family?”

  His hand shot up, stopping short of smacking her across the face. She held his hard gaze with one of her own and saw the hate glittering in his black, soulless eyes. She’d discovered only recently the guilt her mother had carried inside her. Yet, for reasons unknown to Liberty, she wouldn’t leave him. Liberty had heard her mother’s pathetic attempts to appease his accusations from behind closed doors. She cringed at the anger in his voice, hated that her mother continued to take his abuse. So, she ran, as far away as possible. She’d never spoken to anyone about what she knew, fearing for her mother’s safety. That was weeks ago. Her mother had found a way out and Liberty no longer needed to be afraid. “You touch me and I swear you’ll be on the headlines of every paper in town.” She kept her voice calm.