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Rose’s ser flared “Does that make him any different frorandpa left ive it to et it some other way”
“How? By going to Ferg? Hell, girl, he’d destroy you to get that land Look at what he did today—hiding his cows on the Ri the your friend, McCade All that to black up the creek property That’s the kind of snake you’d be dealing with His old ’s just as bad, if not worse He’s capable of anything”
“Maybe so” Rose’s voice had gone flat and cold “But this isn’t about the Prescotts It’s about ht”
“It’s about what’s sensible, Rose The only way to protect that land and the access to the creek is to keep it as part of the Ri to pay you a fair price for it, or trade you for a parcel of land soo”
“No” Rose jurandfather meant forelse If that’s all you have to offer me, we’re done here”
Fighting tears of frustration, she turned away froiven Bull every chance to right the wrong he’d done her, and he’d refused It was time to make a new plan
It was afterclimbed into the cab of his pickup, which he’d parked down the block from Bonnie Treadwell’s house, just like in the old days He hummed to himself as he settled into the driver’s seat and slipped the key into the ignition Bonnie ht, but when it cairl hadn’t lost her touch
Back in the day, when she aiting tables at the Burger Shack, she and Ferg had been hot and heavy She’d broken off their relationship to have her trucker husband’s baby But now that she was divorced, with her ex sharing custody of the boy, she was hornier than ever Ferg kneasn’t the onlycowpokes But as long as he was at the top of her list, Ferg didn’twhat he wanted in bed without the de a wife
Where Main Street turned onto the two-lane highway, he sto the squeal of rubber on asphalt as the truck picked up speed He’d had a few drinks at Bonnie’s, but what the hell? Traffic was light, and even the cops were asleep at this hour After rolling down the truck s, he turned up the radio and blasted Merle Haggard into the night
Flying bugs splattered a a they were people in his life Splat! There you go, Bull Tyler Splat! You, too, Jasper Platt Splat! And you, Garn, you gutless wonder of a son Sometimes I want to—
The earsplitting blare of a horn blasted Ferg’s ears A huge seht down on hiht—but not far enough or fast enough to pull his pickup out of the onco lane The monster truck was almost on him when the driver swerved hard onto the shoulder of the narrow road Gravel crunched as the shoulder cru, the sele, just short of tipping onto its side
A glance in Ferg’s rearview as pedal and sped aithout another look He was grateful to be alive But the last thing he needed was a confrontation with an angry trucker and hway patrol
Ferg had broken out in a cold sweat Shivering, he closed the truck s and switched off the radio It was still sinking in how close he’d co back there What in hell’s na on the road at this hour, anyway? Only two things would put a big rig on an isolated highway at this hour—a woman or a bunch of stolen cattle
The notion of cattle thieving led him to recall the day’s events His foreman had passed on the news that the so-called stolen cattle were safely back But nobody hadTanner McCade’s body Deke Triplehorn had orders to lie low after the shooting The fact that he hadn’t reported in would suggest that he’d done his job