Hot Summer in Texas

by Delores Fossen

  “Uh, I think I’ve got something else to do,” Cait insisted, already heading out as she added the rest from over her shoulder. “When you’re finally ready to leave the cell, just stop by my desk so we can do some paperwork. No hurry. It appears you’ve got some talking to do.”

  Yeah, he did, and Marco figured Cait was wise to bow out of....well, whatever the hell this was.

  “You’re going to need to explain just what the hell you’re talking about,” Marco advised Benji.

  Benji nodded and gathered his breath in a way that made Marco think he was steeling himself up for the flak he was about to get. “My ranch has been in the Watley family for eight generations, and as it’s passed down, each heir has had to promise two things. That the ranch wouldn’t be sold to outsiders and that only a male heir could inherit it.”

  Marco took a moment to process that and then tried to pick through his memory to see if Benji had ever mentioned this. He hadn’t. Apparently, he hadn’t said anything about it to Lana either because the sound she made was a gasp of surprise. She followed it with an almost frantic shake of her head.

  “A male heir,” she repeated in a hoarse whisper. “This is a provision in a will?”

  “There’s no will,” Benji assured her. “Just the promises. In my case, I made them to my daddy when he was on his death bed two years before you were even born. Of course, I’d known all along that I’d be taking the ranch since by then I was already running it. And at the time, I thought your father would be in line to inherit it after me.”

  That had gone to hell in a handbasket when Lana’s father, Benji’s only child, had been killed when Lana was just a kid. Added to that, Lana didn’t have any siblings.

  “A male heir,” Lana said again, but this time it wasn’t a whisper, and it had a smidge of anger to it. “What kind of crock is that?”

  “An outdated crock,” Benji readily admitted, “but the conditions were set over a hundred and fifty years ago. Guess my ancestors weren’t big on gender equality way back then.”

  Obviously not, and it was ironic since there were many women ranchers in the area. Heck, Cait was one of them. She operated a small horse ranch along with helping her brothers run the much larger family one.

  “So, a deathbed promise,” Lana said, and Marco knew she was trying to wrap her head around this shocking turn of events. “But no actual paperwork.”

  “A promise is more binding than paperwork,” Benji muttered.

  That caused Lana to make a frustrated sigh before she paused. “Why didn’t you tell me any of this sooner?”

  “Because I kept thinking you’d get married and I’d have that male heir.”

  Everything inside Marco went still, and he glanced at Lana to see how she was handling that comment. She didn’t appear to be handling it well. She’d gone a little pale and clammy looking which confirmed that the subject of heirs and babies was still an open wound.

  It was for Marco, too.

  Marco cursed under his breath. “What made you think Lana and I’d be getting married? We broke up years ago.”

  “And you still have feelings for each other,” Benji pointed out just as quickly.

  Lana rolled her eyes, but Marco didn’t hear any denial coming out of her mouth. Then again, it wasn’t coming out of his, either. That’s because there were indeed feelings.

  Lust.

  Even though neither Lana nor he had gotten out of their relationship unscathed, the lust just kept lingering. Like now, for instance. Certain parts of his body seemed to get all kinds of stupid notions whenever he was around Lana. So did his mind. It made sure to give him very clear images of the memories he’d made with Lana. Specifically, the memories of her being stark naked and in his bed.

  In his truck, too.

  Oh, and in his barn.

  That was the trouble with a fierce physical attraction. There hadn’t been many places off-limits when the urge hit them. And that urge had hit pretty damn often before things had gone to hell in a handbasket and Lana had walked out on him. Marco made sure he remembered the walking out part, too, because she’d done a number on his heart. Like the lust, the hurt was also still there.

  Lana glanced around before her attention settled on Marco. Maybe she was looking at him to see if he had a solution. He didn’t. However, he did have some more questions.

  “Does all of this have anything to do with the doctor’s appointment you had this morning?” Marco asked.

  Benji suddenly looked about as comfortable as a bare ass on an especially thorny cactus.

  “What doctor’s appointment?” Lana snapped when her grandfather didn’t say anything. And by not saying anything, Benji said it all. Yeah, this sudden need for them to get married was indeed connected to the doctor’s visit.

  Hell.

  Was Benji sick? Or maybe it was something worse. Why else would he be trying to get his affairs in order?

  “Why don’t I get that paperwork done for Cait and we can go back to the ranch and discuss this?” Benji offered.

  Lana checked the time, no doubt calculating if she could have this chat with Benji and get back to San Antonio to take care of that errand for her ex-boyfriend’s kid. Or maybe the guy wasn’t her ex. According to Benji, they’d broken up, but it was obvious Lana had stayed connected to the boy. After all, she’d told the kid she loved him.

  Which didn’t surprise Marco.

  Lana had always loved children. Had always wanted them. So did he. And that had been the reason she’d walked out on him over a decade ago. Well, maybe it was the reason. He’d never gotten a clear picture of what had gone on between them nearly eleven years ago.

  Marco pushed all of that aside. Old water, old bridge, and he didn’t need to be making mental treks like that. Right now, he needed to focus on Benji, on getting him home so he could figure out what the heck was happening.

  As Cait had instructed, Benji closed the cell door before they made their way into the squad room where Cait was waiting for them. “If one of you could give me a lift home, I’d appreciate it,” Benji told Marco and Lana, and he sat in the chair next to Cait’s desk. “I’ll just get these papers signed and meet you outside.”

  Marco didn’t especially want to go outside and wait, but he needed to talk to Lana, and it was best if that didn’t happen in the police station. Cait wasn’t a blabbermouth, but Marco couldn’t say the same for today’s dispatcher/receptionist, Myrtle Crenshaw. Anything said around the woman’s ears would become information for any and all. Lana must have realized that as well because she stepped outside with him without putting up so much as a groan of protest.

  Marco did some groaning though. It was June in Texas which meant it was hot. Too damn hot to be lollygagging around and waiting for news about Benji’s health. News that could possibly take a big painful bite out of him.

  Benji was as close to family as he had since his own folks hadn’t shown much interest in him or his life. The month after Marco had turned eighteen, they’d given him the ranch and taken off in an RV. Their leaving hadn’t been a surprise though. His mom and dad hadn’t kept it a secret that they’d never planned on having kids and that they didn’t especially enjoy parenthood.

  Or the ranch for that matter.

  The ranch had been an inheritance, too, from his maternal grandfather to his mother, but his mom had shown even less interest in raising Angus cattle than she had in raising Marco.

  It’d been three years since he’d last seen his folks and he had no desire to now. Or ever, for that matter. But Benji was different. Benji had been there for him. Had taken much more than a mere interest and had made Marco feel...well, wanted. That was powerful stuff. It’d be a powerful loss when it was gone, too. While Marco knew Benji wouldn’t live forever, he hadn’t considered that losing him might be coming so soon.

  “You didn’t know anything about this?�
�� Lana immediately asked him. They walked to a shade tree just a few yards from the door.

  “No. And you don’t know what happened in his doctor’s appointment?” Marco countered.

  Lana shook her head. “No. But it must be bad for him to pull a stunt like punching you.”

  “It wasn’t much of a punch,” Marco admitted. Not much of a stunt, either. If Benji had just told Lana that he had health problems, she would have put her work aside and come home.

  “FYI, I’m not marrying you to save the ranch,” Lana continued while she glanced around.

  Marco didn’t hesitate answering her on that. “Same here.”

  He did some glancing around as well. Not because there was anything new to see. Things stayed pretty much the same in Lone Star Ridge, and you could take in the entire town in one long sweep.

  Main Street was flanked with the mom and pop shops and stores and had just one traffic light. Hardly a beehive of activity, but Marco did notice that Lana and he had caught some prying eyes. A handful of folks stopped to mill around, perhaps hoping to catch a tidbit about what was going on.

  “Same here,” Lana repeated, muttering it under her breath, and her tone had Marco looking at her again. He didn’t think he was mistaken that there was some bitterness in those two words.

  Yep, bitterness he confirmed when he studied her expression. And that riled him. In fact, it riled him so much that he didn’t keep his mouth shut when he darn well should have.

  “I wasn’t the one who left,” he pointed out.

  “And you know why I left,” she pointed out equally fast. Lana muttered some profanity and lifted her long blond hair off her neck—which was probably sweaty.

  Since Marco was sweating, too, he hitched his thumb to his truck. “Let’s sit in the A/C while we wait for Benji. Best not to end up in the ER with heatstroke.”

  Lana didn’t argue with him. She started in that direction ahead of him, giving Marco a nice but unwanted view of her great butt and equally great legs. The plain blue dress skimmed along some curves that he also knew fell into the equally great category.

  “Are you looking at my butt?” she grumbled.

  Marco was sure he looked as if he’d just got caught stealing some cookies. “Well, it’s right there. Hard not to look.”

  He expected her to scowl at him or snap that he should keep his eyes on something else. She didn’t. Lana smiled. It wasn’t exactly a beaming grin. More like a weary resignation. Then, she stopped, waiting for him to go ahead of her.

  “I’m just returning the favor,” she admitted, and he glanced back to see that she was indeed ogling his backside.

  Now, it was Marco who smiled. Yeah, there was still something between them whether they wanted it there or not. It was a nice moment. One that ended as soon as they were in his truck.

  “I never told my grandfather about the baby,” she blurted out.

  For just a handful of words, they sure packed a wallop along with giving Marco another of those blasts from the past. Not lust this time. But what their lust, and love, had created. A baby.

  Their baby.

  One they’d lost when Lana miscarried at six weeks. For those six weeks, he and Lana had gone back and forth on what to do. They’d been young. Damn young. Barely twenty-one, and Marco had been struggling to run his ranch on his own. Lana had been in college, studying pre-law. She’d had hopes and dreams of being a lawyer and helping people, and even though they’d wanted the baby, the timing had sucked.

  During those six weeks, she had poured out her fears and her worries to him, but she’d finally started to see how it could work out. How they could have a baby and start their lives together. Then she’d miscarried and broken things off when Marco had still been reeling from the loss of their child.

  Yeah, that was an old wound all right, and he totally got why she hadn’t told her grandfather about it. Too painful. And she might have worried that Benji would have thought less of her.

  As he’d pushed aside the lust, Marco gave all of that a mental shove as well, and he turned on the truck’s A/C full blast.

  “I won’t say anything to Benji about the baby,” Marco assured her.

  “Good,” she murmured and leaned in to get closer to the vent. “That was all a long time ago anyway. No need to bring it into the mix.” She paused, groaned. “Sweet heaven, do you believe something’s seriously wrong with him?”

  The answer was yes, he did believe that. But he kept it to himself because that wouldn’t help ease the worry he saw on Lana’s face. For reasons he didn’t want to explore, he wanted to do something to ease that worry. Which was probably why he did something stupid.

  Marco reached out and pulled her into his arms.

  The moment her body landed against his, he realized the mistake. Realized, too, that it gave him a lot more comfort than it should have. But the real shocker was that Lana didn’t back away. Just the opposite. She sort of melted, dropping her head on his shoulder.

  “I should have come sooner,” she muttered. “He kept asking me to come, and I put it off. I shouldn’t have put it off.”

  Marco let her go through that self-bashing for a couple of seconds before he eased her back so he could look her straight in the eyes. “Benji could have asked me to take him to see you. He didn’t. I think he had to come to terms first with whatever’s happening with his health.”

  He hoped that would comfort her. Hoped, too, that it was true. But Marco had no idea why Benji had decided to play things out this way.

  “I’m not ready to lose him,” Lana whispered.

  On this they could agree. “No, and things might not be as bad as they seem. Just hold off on the worrying until Benji tells us what’s wrong.”

  Marco knew that was advice he wouldn’t be keeping. He was worried, and it was going to stay that way until he had answers. Answers that he must have thought he’d find in Lana’s eyes because his gaze stayed locked with hers. While they were hip to hip and with plenty of her touching plenty of him.

  That touching was something his body definitely noticed.

  Lana was right there. Her face only inches from his. Her scent brushing over him as her breath landed against his mouth.

  He felt the stirring in his blood. Heck, he felt it below the belt, too. And another wave of stupidity washed over him. Before Marco could talk himself out of it, he leaned in and kissed her.

  The moment his mouth met hers, the jolt came. Of course, it did. Lust only kicked up when there was kissing involved. That alone should have been a good enough reason for him to pull back.

  He didn’t.

  Marco stayed the course, his mouth moving over Lana’s as if he had a right to do just that. Even worse, her mouth was moving as well. Until a stupid mistake became a full-fledged kiss. A kiss that probably would have gotten a whole lot hotter if the passenger’s side door of his truck hadn’t opened.

  Lana made a strangled sound. Part gasp, part groan. And she practically shoved away from him, turning to meet her grandfather’s puzzled gaze. Well, maybe it was puzzlement, but Marco thought Benji might be having to work hard not to smile. If he did, it was only going to make this whole situation a lot worse. Neither Lana nor he needed Benji rubbing in this mistake.

  Or making them believe it wasn’t a mistake at all.

  “Uh, sorry,” Benji muttered, and he got in the truck, forcing Lana right up against Marco again. Thankfully, not breasts to chest this time though. Instead, it was arm to arm, and Marco could feel Lana’s tight muscles. Mentally, she was no doubt kicking herself because he was doing the same damn thing.

  “Since Lana’s got to get back to work,” Benji continued, “I’ll make this quick. The appointment I had this morning didn’t go so well. The doctor thinks it’s time I retire. And this is why.” He tapped his heart. “The ticker’s gone bad. I need bypass surgery for starters, bu
t there’s damage. Can’t undo that.”

  The sound Lana made this time wasn’t of surprise. But rather sadness and shock. Marco was right on that same page with her.

  Benji opened the door and stepped out. He motioned for Lana to get out, too. “Why don’t you go ahead back to San Antonio? I’ll have Marco take me home so I can get some rest.”

  Both his voice and his expression were weary, and Marco saw something he’d never before seen on Benji’s face. Genuine worry. It seemed to go bone deep.

  Benji took a deep breath before he looked at Lana and continued. “Tonight, after your work and errands are done, could you come back here?”

  She nodded. “Of course.” Lana brushed a kiss on his cheek, gave his arm a gentle squeeze. “I’ll be back. And then we can figure out how to fix this.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  LANA PULLED UP in front of her grandfather’s house, but she didn’t get out of her SUV. She needed a moment to gather her thoughts. Doing that might help her come up with a better solution to this problem with the ranch.

  Might.

  But she wasn’t holding out much hope she could actually manage it, considering she hadn’t been able to gather her thoughts all afternoon or on the drive to and from San Antonio.

  She glanced at Marco’s truck that was parked on the side of the two-story white house. There was no sign of him which was good. She needed to do some thinking about Marco, too. Of course, after that kiss, it was impossible to get him off her mind. She just hadn’t been able to steady herself long enough to put that kiss and this situation in perspective.

  Damn him and that incredible mouth. He’d stirred up not only the old heat but the old memories as well, and she already had enough to handle without adding to the mix.

  Her grandfather was probably counting on that heat though. That’s why he’d suggested marriage as a fix to his deathbed promise to his own father. But while the attraction between Marco and her might still be there in spades, the love wasn’t.