Wild Borders by Cheyenne McCray Read Free Book Online Page B

trapped by the brilliant azure of his eyes.
    No. No way could she allow herself to become vulnerable to any man again.
    Lani pulled away. “Rick…that kiss last night was a mistake. I’m going to do this feature, and then I’m going to leave. There is no room for any kind of relationship with you in this equation.”
    “All right.” His lips quirked. “If you say so.”
    Rick practiced keeping his hands off Lani as his stepfather maneuvered her into the front passenger seat of the SUV. Before she had a chance to argue, Chuck took the back seat. While Rick drove the hundred miles to the ranch, Lani turned and spoke with the rancher most of the way.
    How the hell was he supposed keep his hands off her when she’d be sleeping down the hall every night?
    Every night.
    Well, hell . That thought certainly held promise.
    Although being around her seemed to be short-circuiting his brain. He managed to keep forgetting the reasons he was still single. And his intent to stay that way.
    Maybe he’d just been waiting for the right woman…and his gut told him Lani might be that woman.
    The interstate cut through rolling hills dotted with prickly pear and cholla cactus, palo verde trees and mesquite bushes. Rick had traveled the route so often he usually took it for granted, but Lani’s fascination for the desert was like a drink of water to a parched man. He enjoyed the way her eyes lit up, the way she absorbed everything Chuck told her.
    An hour and a half later, they reached the Border Patrol checkpoint just north of Tombstone, and Rick rolled down the window to say howdy to a couple of agents he’d known for years.
    “‘Mornin’ Sal. Don,” Rick said.
    Don Mitchell nodded, but stayed at his post to speak to the next vehicle coming up from Tombstone way.
    “What the hell you been up to, Rick?” Sal sauntered over and clapped a hand on his shoulder. “‘Bout time you get your lazy ass back to work.” His gaze flicked to Lani. His black brows rose and his mustache twitched. “Excuse me, ma’am. Didn’t see you.”
    “Sal, this is Lani Stanton, a reporter from San Francisco. Lani, this is Salvador Valenzuela, one of the most ornery agents there is. “
    “Nice to meet you, Sal.” She reached across Rick to shake Sal’s hand. Rick’s gut tightened as she leaned close, the soft curve of her breast brushing his shoulder.
    Sal tipped his hat, and Rick scowled. He didn’t particularly like the way Sal’s dark eyes roamed over Lani.
    After Sal and Chuck exchanged greetings, Rick asked, “What’re you and Don doing at this CP today? Get transferred while I was gone?”
    Sal shook his head. “No. Short-staffed. Talk about one hell of a mind-numbing day.”
    “Any new leads on El Torero while I’ve been gone?” Rick asked.
    With a shrug, Sal said, “The man’s a ghost. I’m beginning to think he doesn’t exist.”
    Rick checked the side view mirror. “Car coming. We’d better head on out.”
    The agent tipped his hat and ambled back to the checkpoint.
    “Do they use that huge trailer to detain illegal immigrants?” Lani asked, finally addressing a question to Rick.
    “No. The UDAs sit on the ground until we can ship ‘em back to the border to process.”
    “What does UDA mean?”
    “Our politically correct term for undocumented aliens, sometimes referred to as illegal aliens, or just illegals.”
    Lani’s look went scholarly, and Rick felt pretty sure she was making notes in her head. The shift was almost imperceptible, from wide-eyed girl in a new place to sharp-as-nails reporter, doing her job. She’d probably be a bear in an interview, if she had a mind to eat her subject instead of stroke their egos.
    Tombstone eased into view, rising off the desert floor like a mirage. Lani smiled and looked out the window, still giving off that combination business-pleasure attitude. “How did Tombstone get its name?”
    “Well now, Missy, that there is an interesting story,” Chuck piped up as they drove