Wild Borders by Cheyenne McCray Read Free Book Online

on.”
    He paused wondering if she’d had a change of heart.
    Her cheeks had gone a dark shade of pink as she leaned over and picked up his Stetson from a chair beside the bed. “You forgot this last night,” she said as she handed him his hat.
    He put it on and tipped the brim at her. “I hope you’ll call,” he said and then turned and headed out the door. She followed him and he stood and looked at her as she held the door open a moment.
    Her eyes softened and she said, “Thank you for dinner. I had a nice time.” And then she let the door close quietly behind her.
    Well, hell .
    Maybe she’d call him after all.
     

Chapter Three
    Rick realized that right now what he needed was to get his mind back on his job and start thinking about what he had to do to track down those damn coyotes . He knew he was getting closer to catching the bastards. He could feel it. Almost taste it.
    He headed down to the hotel’s restaurant and waited for Chuck to arrive. The sun shone brilliant through the beveled glass of the Grand and spilled onto the carpeted floor. Groundskeepers worked at cleaning torn palm fronds and other debris left from the previous night’s storm, and housekeepers polished rain splatters from the windows and vacuumed dirt from carpets.
    After he made his way into the restaurant, Rick was escorted to a table and let the hostess know he was waiting for another person to join him. He took a seat and tried to get his head back on the intelligence work waiting for him when he returned, but his thoughts kept turning to Lani.
    “Howdy, Son.” Chuck’s voice brought Rick out of his thoughts about a certain blonde who’d given him the brush-off.
    Rick smiled at his stepfather. “Mornin’, old man.”
    “Old man, my ass.” Chuck removed his gray Stetson, plunked it on top of Rick’s, and took the seat across the table. After swiping his head with a meaty hand, Chuck eyed him with his penetrating stare, the same one that always could tell when Rick was up to no good as a kid. “You haven’t been sleeping.”
    Rick leaned back and folded his arms. “Dad, I’m fine. Just had a restless night.”
    Chuck tugged at his turquoise bolo tie. “How’re your sister and my grandkids?”
    “Callie’s doing great and the twins are ornery as all get-out.” Rick laughed and shook his head at the thought of his niece and nephew. “Stevie takes more and more after his grandpa everyday. The spittin’ image of you, and full of the devil.”
    “Humph.” Chuck pulled his pocket watch out of his jeans. “Reporter should be here by now.”
    Raising an eyebrow, Rick asked, “What’s this about?”
    “Supposedly one of those in-depth feature type reports.” Chuck took a drink of his ice water and settled back. “Didn’t your mother tell you? This reporter fella will be staying with us awhile, talking with ranchers, showing our side of the story and not just those damn militants that make us all look like a bunch of uneducated red-neck yeehaws. He’ll probably want to interview you and others from the department. He’s supposed to be one of the best.”
    Rick’s attention wandered from his step-dad as Lani entered the room, brushing her hair behind her ear as she spoke with the hostess. Fire burned in his gut as he thought of last night. Those lips. The taste of her.
    Bright as a summer day, her honey-blonde hair tumbled loose to her shoulders, the soft pink blouse and faded jeans hugging her body, showing off her curves. He could almost smell her honeysuckle scent.
    “What’s the matter with you, boy?” Chuck turned and followed Rick’s gaze. “Ah. A looker, that one.”
    The hostess grabbed a menu and led Lani straight to Rick’s table. Her jaw dropped as she reached him, and her eyes locked with his.
    “These handsome gentlemen are your party, Ms. Stanton.” The hostess winked at Chuck. She set the menu in front of the empty chair between the men and left.
    Chuck stood and took Lani’s hand. “I’m