Rancher Under Fire Read online

  “Why leave at all? Stand your ground and keep your family home. People will get over themselves at some point and you won’t have to uproot your entire life.” The part of him that would miss her more than he cared to admit grabbed hold of the wheel for a few seconds there. He needed to rein it in because where she lived and what she did wasn’t his business anymore.

  “Sure sounds easy coming from you,” she said before picking up a pencil and tapping the eraser on the wooden table.

  “What is that supposed to mean?” he shot back.

  “I think we both know being a Firebrand in this town stacks the deck for you as much as burning one pits the whole town against you.” Tap. Tap. Tap.

  He couldn’t stop staring at the pencil.

  Corbin could admit there was a whole lot of truth to what she’d just said. He knew all about the privilege that came with being a Firebrand. He also knew the other side of the coin—the side no one wanted to discuss. Living in Lone Star Pass with his last name came with a lot of expectations. It came with a father and uncle who were constantly feuding. And it came with a grandfather who’d been more than happy to sit back and watch the fireworks while he was alive.

  Liv took a sip of coffee. She studied the rim of her mug like she was studying for finals. “That wasn’t a fair statement and I apologize. You’ve never used your family name to get an advantage.”

  When she came at him with fire, he didn’t feel like a jerk for pushing back. But understanding? Sympathy? Those emotions threatened to chip away at the ice encasing his heart where she was concerned.

  “It’s what everyone thinks anyway,” he said, dismissing her comment like it was nothing.

  “Doesn’t mean it’s right of me to say or think,” she conceded.

  “We’re not here to talk about how easy or difficult my life is.” He needed to guide the conversation back on track and think of a way to get her through the next couple of days. Because the day she’d married his cousin was the worst in Corbin’s life and he had no plans to revisit that pain.

  “I’m putting you in a bad position,” she said, turning an about-face. “Enjoy your coffee, eat a biscuit, and then we’ll call it a day.”

  “Doing that won’t get Kellan to leave you alone if he’s behind this,” he countered. He was serious about helping her figure out a way to make it stop without him stepping in. Him going to Kellan would likely pour gasoline on the blaze. She’d been right about that.

  “While you’re here, can I ask you a personal question?” She absently ran her finger along the rim of the mug.

  “Are you serious about leaving this place and never looking back if you get the job?” Maybe he could risk one last real conversation with Liv, as long as it really was that, the last. His chest squeezed at the thought of her leaving town and never coming back, and he tried his best to chalk it up to muscle memory.

  She nodded.

  “Then, shoot,” he said.

  She cocked her head to one side like she did when she felt vulnerable and damned if the move didn’t strike him square in the chest.

  “Why didn’t you marry her?” she asked.

  The question caught him off guard. He tried to hide his surprise but was afraid she would see right through him. But they had nothing to gain from him answering the question.

  2

  Corbin set his cup of coffee on the table. One look at him, mouth clamped shut and gaze narrowed, told Liv he had no intention of answering her question. And yet, his proposal to Dani had turned Liv’s life upside down.

  The sound of a vehicle coming up the drive caught both of their attention. Corbin stepped outside using the backdoor while muttering something about putting an end to this nonsense. She followed close on his heels, figuring she might need to jump in the middle.

  “What’s Ed Roberts doing here?” Corbin put a hand out to stop her from going around him. Was protective instinct causing him to make sure he stood in between her and Ed?

  “I ran into his wife at the store a few weeks ago when I came home to check on the house. He’s been hounding me ever since. Wants to list my family’s house,” Liv said.

  “So, you’ve been thinking about moving away from Lone Star Pass for a while now?” he asked.

  The question caught her off guard. He must realize her life here was over the minute she walked away from Kellan.

  “Yes. Like I told you. This town is not friendly to anyone who is marked the enemy of a Firebrand.” The past year since leaving town had been the loneliest of her life. Every time she’d come back to check on the house and ran into someone in town, she’d received the cold shoulder. If she didn’t love her family home so much, she would have left a long time ago. After losing her mother, Liv couldn’t bear the thought of letting go of this place.

  Ed kicked up a dust storm as he pulled alongside Corbin’s truck. Ed opened the door and strode over, tucking a file folder underneath his left arm. The early fifties Realtor was medium height and build, with a thick middle. He wore ironed jeans, a collared shirt with a bolo tie, and a Stetson. He had a ruddy complexion and a hawk-like nose that was too big for his small gray eyes.

  “Pleasure seeing you, Mr. Firebrand.” Ed stuck out his hand to Corbin, his gaze skipping over Liv.

  “How can we help you, Ed?” Corbin took the offering and returned a vigorous-looking shake. He stared down at their hands when Ed didn’t let go.

  “Oh.” Ed withdrew his hand and pulled a white handkerchief from his back pocket, using it to wipe the beads of sweat that had suddenly formed on his forehead. It was late June, and the temperatures weren’t nearly as hot as they were about to get. From Fourth of July to as late as the end of September, it would be melt-the-bottom-of-your-flipflops hot. This had been a mild day thanks to the threat of rain that never transpired. Still, Ed started sweating.

  Liv wondered whether his sudden bout of nerves had something to do with the fact that Corbin was at her place.

  “I drove over to speak to Miss Holden about possibly listing this here property.” Ed took off his hat as he acknowledged Liv. Good of him to finally do that, considering he was trying to convince her to allow him to represent her in the sale of her family home.

  “This isn’t a good time,” Liv said. She took note of the fact Corbin didn’t step aside.

  “Are you sure you don’t have a few minutes to hear what I have to say?” Ed’s lips compressed, like he was trying to hold something back…anger? He grabbed the folder that he’d tucked underneath one of his arms. “I have all the information and paperwork you need right here and I’m the best man for the job.”

  Liv didn’t even want to get started on the fact that plenty of women Realtors were just as qualified and could do an equally good job. Chauvinism aside, she hadn’t actually asked for his services and resented the thought he was ready to shove papers in her face.

  “No one else will jump at the chance to work with you,” Ed pressed, then waved the folder around. “And I have a surprise in here that another Realtor won’t be able to bring to the table.”

  “An offer?” she asked, not bothering to hide her shock. Although, she shouldn’t be surprised someone out there wanted her to move along quickly with a sale.

  “Sign the papers to let me represent you and I’m authorized to talk about what comes next,” Ed said. With his free hand, he made the gesture of locking his lips and throwing away the key.

  “Like I said, this isn’t the time. Why don’t you give me your folder and I’ll look it over?” Liv sidestepped Corbin as Ed tucked the folder underneath his arm and turned away from her.

  The move struck her as strange, like a little kid holding onto a toy.

  “If I show you my hand, what’s to stop you from taking this to another Realtor?” he asked, like he’d just answered the sixty-four-thousand-dollar question.

  Little did he seem to know his pushiness was only serving to push her away.

  “I’m sure whoever I choose will do a great job,” she stated,
slowly, so he didn’t miss a word. “And if someone wants to buy this place, they’ll be able to go through proper channels.”

  He opened the file folder wide enough to pull out a business card. Who used those anymore? She took the offering and tucked it inside her back pocket, figuring it was the best way to get rid of him.

  “Good to see you, sir.” Ed saluted Corbin before smiling at her. “I’ll hope to call on you again soon.”

  “Not if I can help it,” she muttered as Ed climbed inside his pickup truck. He backed up, causing another dust cloud. She tapped Corbin on the arm, ignoring how much it felt like poking a brick wall. “You weren’t much help.”

  For the first time in a long time, Corbin smirked.

  “Didn’t think you needed the assist. You seemed to be handling Ed Roberts just fine,” he said with pride she couldn’t afford to notice or dwell on. He’d been clear. He wanted no part of her once he got inside his truck and drove away.

  “The guy is a jerk and there’s no way he’ll get my business,” she stated matter of fact.

  “I understand your position and agree he doesn’t deserve your time. In business, and that’s what a real estate transaction boils down to, it’s best to focus on making the most money. He hinted at having a buyer’s name in that file folder. If someone wants this property enough to send Ed a bid before it goes on the market, there might be an offer that’s worth investigating,” he pointed out.

  “Stop making so much sense, dang it.” She tapped him on the arm before pulling her hand back like she broke it.

  He captured her wrist and caught her gaze. The air between them charged, like a brewing thunderstorm. Corbin let go almost as fast before turning back to the house to avoid the dust cloud shifting their way.

  Liv sucked in a burst of clean air before following. Touching Corbin was a bad idea. No more touching. No even thinking about touching. It was dangerous, especially when she looked into those blue eyes of his. His hair was so dark it was almost black. He had the whole chiseled jaw, male model look down pat. It was almost funny to think of him as a cattle rancher. Someone as hot as Corbin belonged on a billboard selling cologne or expensive watches or men’s underwear.

  Despite being part of one of the wealthiest families in Texas, Corbin was incredibly down to earth. His outfit of boots, jeans, and t-shirt couldn’t be any simpler or look any better on a human. She decided walking behind him was a bad idea, so she moved up beside him, stopping at the plastic bag. Poor creature.

  “What are you going to do with him?” She motioned toward the bag.

  “Take him way out to the back of your property and bury him,” he said.

  She nodded, wishing there was something they could do to bring the little guy back. “How do you think it happened?”

  “Could be poison. Your guess is as good as mine as to how he got into it,” he said, putting on a fresh pair of gloves and picking up the bag. “It’s possible he was already dead when someone found him. At least, that’s what I hope, or we might have a bigger problem brewing in Lone Star Pass.”

  She’d read an article that said serial killers often started out harming animals as they worked their way up to humans.

  “I’ll wait out here.” A creepy feeling crawled down her spine and she didn’t want to go inside without Corbin. Her traitorous heart skipped a few beats looking at him. She couldn’t deny the ache losing their friendship had created. She’d never been one to have a dozen friends on the surface. Give her one or two people she could go deep with and…

  It didn’t matter now.

  Looking back, they should have wrecked their friendship in high school by giving in and dating rather than taking the safe route. The one that was supposed to lead to lifelong best buddies. This way, they never got to date and they ruined their friendship.

  Missed opportunity? Yes.

  Regret? Yes.

  Would she go back and change the way she’d handled things when he’d asked her out in high school if she had the chance? That wasn’t even a fair question at this point.

  Yes. Yes. Yes.

  Corbin stopped off at Liv’s storage shed on his way to the wooded part of her property. He knew this land well, considering he’d grown up just as much here as at the family ranch. There were so many memories. Good memories. Memories of the two of them spending Saturday nights watching a movie and eating popcorn on the couch. Memories of running through the creek on a hot summer day. Memories of carving their initials just about anywhere they could find a spot. It seemed a shame to sell the place.

  That was selfishness talking.

  Considering their history—never mind her history with his cousin—and couple that with the amount of electricity buzzing between him and Liv, her moving on was probably for the best in the long run.

  The ground near the creek bed would be the softest. He set the bag down and then pushed the shovel into the dirt. A decent burial needed to be two feet deep. He dug three just to be safe. Anger fired through him at the senseless killing. Even more at the fact someone used this poor animal to threaten Liv.

  Make no mistake about it, he viewed this as a threat no matter how much he downplayed the incident with Liv.

  After tossing his gloves in the hole, covering the plastic bag and tamping down the refilled dirt, Corbin reached for his cell. He pulled up Kellan’s name on his contacts. For a long moment, he contemplated making the call and telling Kellan to back off. Would his cousin deny it? Would making the call do more damage than good?

  Acting out in the heat of the moment was probably not the right play for Corbin. Kellan was a hothead. Corbin had tamed his own temper years ago when he realized it only served to make matters worse. He couldn’t think of one time when losing his cool had actually improved a situation. Give him five minutes with a punching bag and that was a different story. Hell, give him an hour to put in a good workout and he could work off a heckuva lot of his frustration. Sports had saved him from a whole lot of trouble in high school. Now, he was a grown man. And ever since he’d developed hair on his chest, he’d gained control of his outbursts.

  On a sharp sigh, he tucked his phone in his back pocket and headed back toward Liv’s house. The thought of her being alone after a dead raccoon was dropped on her doorstep caused the hairs on the back of his neck to prick. Had Kellan gone from threatening texts to killing animals? It seemed a stretch, even for a jerk like him. Liv had mentioned others in the community shunning her. How far would they go?

  The thought of leaving her vulnerable didn’t sit well. Didn’t she mention something about an interview in two days? He could get her through forty-eight hours and then be done with her for the rest of his life. Even if he wanted the situation to be different, that was reality. He and Kellan might not be the best of buds, but Corbin wouldn’t go behind his cousin’s back with his soon-to-be ex-wife, even if she had been his friend first. In fact, if Corbin was being honest, he had no idea what Liv saw in Kellan. She was intelligent, fiery, and beautiful. Her mind was sharp. She was the total package.

  But Kellan?

  Other than pure brute force and family name, Corbin couldn’t figure out what Liv had seen in his cousin. All she’d had to do was ask, and Corbin would have told her straight out that she and Kellan wouldn’t get along.

  Based on comments and not because Corbin cared one way or the other, Kellan was seen as good looking by most. He wasn’t stupid either. He lacked a whole lot in the sense of humor department. And the guy was about as intense as they come. He took the whole eldest male in the family a bit too seriously. Hell, he was only six months older than Adam. The two were born in the same year and in the same grade. Lucky teachers, Corbin thought wryly, considering Kellan and Adam seemed to go out of their way to frustrate each other.

  As Corbin broke free from the tree line, his heart stopped at the image of Liv standing on the porch, waiting for him. She waved the second he came into view. Based on the way she fiddled with the string on her joggers, he could tell just
how high her stress levels were.

  She’d made a good point. It couldn’t be easy to divorce a Firebrand and stay in Lone Star Pass. He wanted her to be safe. She deserved some peace of mind. Besides, it might be hard to nail an interview if she couldn’t sleep for fear the prankster would return with an even bigger threat this time. There was only one way he could think of to ensure someone had her back.

  Well, damn. Had he just made the decision to stick around for the next forty-eight hours to make sure she got to her interview okay?

  She was making quick work of the casing on the string and she kept shifting her weight from one foot to the other. She was too proud to let him see how vulnerable she was feeling. Corbin bit back a few more of those choice words.

  “I’ll stay,” he said to her with a warning look. “But only because the raccoon didn’t deserve his fate and neither did you.”

  “What does that mean exactly?” Her eyebrows shot up and her forehead wrinkled.

  “I want to make sure you get rest between now and your interview. You won’t be able to do that if you’re checking behind you every two seconds or concerned something else might show up on your porch.” There. He’d said it. There was no taking it back now even if he wanted to, which he didn’t. He might regret the offer and his family might never let him forget it. Could he take care of Liv and keep it a secret?

  “Wow. What can I say? This is…incredible.” The fact she was so caught off guard by his kindness showed how unfairly she was used to being treated in Lone Star Pass. More of that anger surfaced because no one deserved to be treated like that. “Thank you, Corbin.”

  When she caught his gaze, he saw the mix of fear and gratitude and something that looked a whole lot like past regret in her eyes. She crossed the back porch and then held the door open.

  Heaven help him, he thought as he walked inside.

  “When and where is this interview?” Corbin asked as he reclaimed his coffee mug. He held it up, indicating he needed a refill. Too bad more caffeine couldn’t fix stupid—stupid for thinking he could slip under the radar while she was a target.