Rustler's Heart (A Kinnison Legacy Novel) by Amanda McIntyre Read Free Book Online

up, Hank?” The caller, Henry “Hank” Richardson, a close friend and old college classmate, who now lived now in Illinois. When he found out that Hank received his pilot’s license, the Kinnison ranch hired him to fly them regularly to meetings with buyers. Last December the three—Dalton, Rein and Hank—found themselves grounded when an unexpected blizzard swept across the Dakotas and Iowa. The same storm had left Aimee and a small group of her students stranded at the ranch while on a field trip. While Wyatt revealed little in the way of details of that three-day confinement, it was clear that the experience had left him a changed man.
    By New Year’s Eve he’d proposed to Aimee, and they began plans to marry at the ranch come late spring. It was a welcome change that set a renewed interest in just about everything in Wyatt’s once solitary existence, including a major financial push toward building the cabins to fulfill Jed Kinnison’s dream of making Last Hope Ranch a place to heal.
    “Hey, just wanted to give you a buzz and ask if it’d be okay to bring Caroline with me this weekend. She’s back from Europe for a visit and has been asking about you.”
    Caroline . His gut clenched with the sound of her name. Hank’s little sister. He’d met her the first time he’d gone home with Hank for a weekend. He’d been her first, on a rainy day in the privacy of the pool house on the Richardson estate. To his knowledge, no one, not even Hank at the time, had known. When she started the next fall at the same college, they had resumed their intense affair, barely leaving each other’s side for the next three years. Rein was smitten, certain she would be the only woman he could ever love. He’d prepared to propose to her when she received the opportunity to go study abroad in her last semester. Promises made. Passionate declarations and weekly letters followed for a time. But after a month, the letters waned, and the relationship eventually grew cold. It had been a bittersweet split, and Hank had enough sensitivity not to bring up his sister’s name when he and Rein were together. “Caroline?” Her name rolled of his tongue in quiet reverence.
    “Yeah, my little sister?” There was a pause on the line. “She saw the invitation and wanted me to ask if you’d mind her tagging along. She wanted to see how you’re doing. Catch up.”
    Rein blinked from the memory of the statuesque dark-haired beauty that dominated nearly his every waking moment and most of his dreams. Catch up? “Things are a little crazy, Hank. I’m up to my armpits in this cabin rental project.”
    “Yeah, I told her about your furniture-making skills. She mentioned that she’d like to see your work.” Rein hesitated, unsure how he’d feel seeing her again.
    “Hey, I realize that you two kind of had a thing once. If it’s too uncomfortable, I’ll tell her. I’m sure she’ll understand.”
    Rein chewed the corner of his lip. A thing? Yeah, it was damn lucky she hadn’t gotten pregnant—kind of thing . But Hank didn’t know that. Few did. It had been explosive. They were young, taking risks, living for the moment and not caring about anyone else. A thing? Hell, yeah. Would it be setting off a powder keg to see her again? Maybe, maybe not. Had she gotten married? Did she have kids? His curiosity made him want to drill Hank for more information, but at the same time, the memory of his affair with Caroline had taken a long time to shake off. Unsure of what seeing her again might dredge up, he’d just have to ‘cowboy up’ and find out. “Sure, bring her along. It’ll be great to see her.” He played down the remark as he smoothed his thumb along a sheet of bubble wrap packing and then wadded it in his fist, feeling the small pockets burst in succession beneath his grasp.
    “Great, we’ll fly into End of the Line and call you Friday night. Any plans to throw Wyatt a bachelor party?”
    Rein raised his brows. “Uh, nope.