by Elle James
“Their homes are here.” Rider stared at the group of Hispanic men, ready to jump into the fight but hanging back because Rider was there. “How many of you were born in the United States?”
Every one of the men raised a hand.
Shane spat blood on the ground. “Then they need to learn to speak English.”
“They have just as much of a right to speak Spanish as you have to wear blue jeans.” Rider squared his shoulders. “You need to get over yourself, Shane. You grew up with Raul and Andres and Juan. They’re residents of this country, this state and Hellfire. They’re here to stay, and we should all be damned proud of such a rich and diverse heritage.”
Selena’s heart swelled with pride at Rider’s defense of her people.
Shane snorted. “You’re one to be talking.” He jerked his head toward Selena. “You’ve employed wetbacks out at the ranch for decades. You rich ranchers are part of the problem. You like ’em so much, why haven’t any of you married one?” The man sneered. “That’s right. Because you’re too good to marry beneath you.”
Rider’s fists bunched, and he plowed into Shane, knocking him onto his ass.
Shane sat on the ground, chuckling. “What’s wrong, Grayson? Does the truth hurt?”
Before he could answer, a siren sounded behind Selena. She spun in time to dart out of the way of a sheriff’s vehicle pulling into the parking lot. She was kind of sad the deputy had arrived before Rider answered the question.
Raul stepped forward and slipped his arm around Selena’s waist. “Grayson hasn’t married Selena, because she’s my woman.”
Rider’s gaze met hers. Was that disappointment in his eyes? Whatever it was lasted a split second before being hooded beneath that enigmatic look all the Graysons were so good at displaying.
Selena shoved Raul’s arm away. “I’m not your girlfriend. We broke up over a year ago.”
“You broke up with me,” Raul reminded her. “I didn’t break up with you.”
“So, that means it’s not official?” Selena crossed her arms over her chest. “You have to be the one to say it? Is that so?”
Raul held up his hands. “I’m just saying, I haven’t given up.”
Selena shook her head. “You might as well move on. I’m not marrying you, or any other man, in this town. I’m going away for two years to school. I won’t have time for anyone during that two years.”
“Yeah, you say that now.” Raul nodded toward Rider. “If Grayson asked you today, you’d change your tune.”
Heat rose up her neck into her cheeks. “You’re wrong. I had a little girl’s crush on him. I’m all grown up now. I don’t need the complication of a man in my life right now. I’m going to PA school.” She pointed to Raul, and then to Rider. “No man is going to get in my way.”
Deputy Nash Grayson stepped out of the sheriff’s SUV. “What’s going on here?”
“Nothing.” Selena smiled at Nash. “The fight is over.”
CHAPTER 2
RIDER GRINNED as Selena marched into the convenience store and back to work. The woman had spunk and didn’t take crap from any man.
“You mind telling me why I received a call about a fight?” Nash addressed the men standing in the parking lot. “Anyone feel like spending the afternoon in jail? I’d be glad to take any volunteers. It’s been a slow day.”
Rider turned his grin on his brother. “You’re a little slow. Had you been a few minutes earlier, I could have used your help.”
Nash nodded toward Shane. “Fetterlein, you been pushing people around again?”
“They got no business in this country,” Shane grumbled from his position on the ground where Rider had sent him.
“You’re not going to win that argument.” Nash crossed his arms over his chest. “You might as well get over it and learn to get along.” He reached out a hand to help the man to his feet.
Shane ignored it and rose on his own volition. He shot a glare at Rider. “Shouldn’t have stuck your nose into something that wasn’t your business.”
“This town is my business,” Rider said. “I live here, too.”
“Yeah, well maybe you should go back to Dallas and your wife.”
“Yeah, and leave our women to us,” Raul added.
Nash stared from Raul to Shane and back to Rider. “Would someone like to let me know what’s going on?”
“I don’t know what Shane’s talking about. I don’t have a wife, and I live here in Hellfire.” He turned to Raul. “And you. What the hell are you talking about?”
“I’m not stupid.” Raul’s lip curled back. “I see what’s going on between you and my girl.”
Rider shook his head. “Selena’s not your girl. She said so herself. So, back off.”
“Yeah, but you got eyes for her, and she’s got ’em for you.” Raul held up his hand. “Don’t bother denying it. I can see it for myself.” He walked up to Nash. “I got no trouble with your brother. We’re just here to get gas for the truck and go back to work.”
Nash nodded, his brow furrowing. “You let me know if you need help.”
Raul glanced over his shoulder at Shane. “Yeah. I’ll help myself. Your kind sticks up for each other. So does ours.” He gave Shane a hard look then walked away.
Shane jerked his head toward his gang of rednecks. “Let’s go.”
The parking lot cleared of the first truckload of angry men. Raul put fuel in his tank and left shortly afterward, leaving Nash and Rider standing there alone.
Nash clapped his hands together once and grinned. “Well, I’m glad I got to clear up that little fight. Sure broke the boredom of a day in the life of a deputy sheriff in Hellfire, Texas.” Then his face sobered. “Perhaps you can tell me what the hell just happened here, and who gave you that shiner?”
Rider raised a hand to his eye. When he touched the skin across his cheekbone, he winced. “Not sure which one clocked me.” He grinned. “But I got a few good ones in before it was all over.”
Nash shook his head. “Please, tell me you didn’t start the fight.”
Rider looked at his brother as if he’d grown horns. “Seriously? You know me better than that. I went in to break it up.”
“You look like you had too much fun for just trying to break up a fight.”
Rider rubbed the backs of his knuckles. “I have to admit. I needed to let out a little aggression.” He filled in his brother on how Shane had picked the fight with Raul, and how Selena had gotten in between them. “I would have let them work it out on their own, but when Little Selena took a hit, I couldn’t let it go.”
Nash chuckled. “Little Selena. You might not have noticed, but our little sidekick has grown up.”
Rider nodded, his gaze going to the woman standing at the counter, holding a cup against her temple. “Yeah. When did that happen?”
Nash’s gaze followed Rider’s. “While you were up in Dallas, living the lifestyle of the rich and famous. Did you know she’s about to graduate with her undergraduate degree in pre-med biology?”
“Already?” Rider dragged his gaze from Selena back to his brother. “When did that happen?”
“Over the past five years. She’s been going to night school and driving into the city to take classes, while working a couple of jobs. I bet you also didn’t know that she’s been accepted in Physician Assistant school, starting next January.” Nash raised his brows and met Rider’s stare.
Rider shoved a hand through his hair and turned to look again at Selena. He had known she’d been applying, but he hadn’t heard she’d been accepted. “Where have I been?”
“Gone for four years and checked out for another.” Nash backhanded him in the gut. “You need to come all the way back to Hellfire, if you’re going to make it your home.”
His appreciation for the Hispanic spitfire grew. “All that, and she worked full time.”
“Oh, and Mom and Dad want you at the dinner table tonight. Be there. Beckett’s bringing Kinsey, and Phoebe’s coming.”
The thought of sitting at the family dinner table where his two brothers would be with their women, happily in love, made Rider want to throw something. “I’ve got work to do.”
“You’ll be there. Otherwise, Mom will be over with soup and her special stomach remedy to cure what ails ya.” Nash chuckled at Rider’s grimace. “Next time call sooner. I need something to kill the boredom. Everything’s been pretty dead in town, lately.”
“Sounds like the town is running smoothly.”
“Which is a good thing, but I was looking forward to busting up a good-natured fight.” Nash grinned. “Maybe there’ll be one at the Ugly Stick Saloon tomorrow night. It’s the Annual Cowboy Bachelor Auction. You gonna put yourself up for bid?”
“Hell, no,” Rider said. “I’m barely single again.”
“You’re right. You might not be up to all that female adoration so soon.” Nash frowned. “Actually, it might be just what the doctor ordered, after marriage to the ice queen.” He pounded Rider on the back. “Give it some consideration. It’s for a good cause.”
“I know. For the children.” Rider held up his hand. “Yeah. Yeah.”
Nash laughed. “I see you’ve already been asked. Be ready for it, tonight. I think Mom’s got your number.”
All the more reason not to go to dinner that night.
“Forget it.” Nash pointed at him. “You’re coming.” He spun on the heel of a uniform boot and headed for his SUV.
Damn Nash. If he hadn’t seen him, he might not have gotten the invite and wouldn’t have had to show up and sit with one big happy family. He didn’t feel like being happy. He’d thought throwing a few punches would help make him cheerier, but that hadn’t happened.
His gaze went to the woman in the store, the desire to enter and talk to this different person from the Little Selena he’d grown up with on the ranch nearly irresistible.
No. He couldn’t go there. Besides, Selena had made it quite clear. She wasn’t getting involved with any man. The woman was headed off to PA school in January.
Instead, Rider strode toward his motorcycle, mounted and drove back to his shop. Thoughts of his ex-wife were shoved completely to the back of his mind, replaced by a vision of a pair of rich brown eyes and long, dark, hairspray-free hair a man could sink his hands into.
SELENA SIGHED as Rider sped off on his Harley. Though she’d told Raul she didn’t have time for a man in her life, she’d lied about her crush on Rider Grayson being strictly in the past. Her heart couldn’t deny the attraction still existed and was stronger than ever. Something about Rider Grayson had captured a young girl’s heart when she’d been too young to know better. She’d been heartbroken when he’d married the Dallas debutante. The fact he’d married the privileged woman only drove the wedge between them deeper, reminding her they didn’t operate in the same circles.
She was the foreman’s daughter. Her father was a first-generation Mexican immigrant, who’d paid his dues, earned his citizenship and established himself in this country. But he knew his place. He was the foreman, not family. The Graysons were the owners of a large ranch. The two classes of people did not mix. Her father had drilled into her head she was not to mingle with the boss’s kids. She was not one of them. Her little girl’s mind hadn’t been able wrap itself around that fact, and she’d tagged along on many adventures with the Grayson boys and their sister, Lily.
When Rider had married Lydia Farnsworth of the Farnsworth Dynasty of Dallas, the elaborate wedding had been all over the news, like America’s version of royalty. The wedding venue itself had cost over one hundred thousand dollars. The gown had been a whopping fifty thousand.
All Selena could think was that amount of money could have paid for her to attend Physician Assistant school several times over. Okay, and the wedding had also brought her childhood dream of marrying Rider Grayson to a sad end.
Now that he was back from Dallas, and freshly divorced, a spark of hope dared to fill her chest and swell. That spark had no business building. She had a job to do. Her job was to get her education and become the PA she was determined to be. Rider Grayson was still the man he was born to be, a member of the Grayson clan of ranch owners, who were in a different class from her and her family. She would not be distracted by him or the fact he was now an available bachelor.
But that didn’t mean she shouldn’t thank him for saving her from a busted lip or broken nose. Why she thought she could break up a fight between two hot-headed opponents was beyond her. Next time, she’d let the arrogant bastards beat each other senseless.
When her shift ended at noon, she spent the next few hours at the library, studying. Then she went home to the apartment she rented over Lola Engel’s garage. Lola had given her a great deal on the place, allowing her to live there for practically nothing while she was still attending school.
In her little kitchen, she pulled out the ingredients for Mexican sugar cookies. She knew them to be among Rider’s favorites when he was growing up. Her mother, the ranch’s cook, had made them for him for every special occasion. He’d often been caught sneaking more when he’d thought no one was looking.
Selena smiled. Back then, she’d always hid a couple extra to give to him after he’d completed his chores in the barn. He’d always been happy to see her and the cookies.
The sound of footsteps on the stairs outside her door made Selena’s ears perk and her heartbeat kick up a notch. Had her musings conjured the man himself?
“Selena, are you in there?” Lola Engel’s voice sounded through the doorway. A moment later, a soft knock followed.
Selena set down her spatula and hurried to open the door.
Her landlady entered. “What’s this I hear about a fight at the convenience store today?” Lola didn’t wait for an introduction; she jumped right in.
Selena sighed. “Raul and Shane were having it out again in front of the store.”
Lola shook her head. “I don’t know what’s wrong with those two boys, but they need to get a grip.”
Selena nodded, placed a tray of cookies on a hot plate and moved them, one by one, from the tray to a plastic container. “I don’t know why Shane can’t get it through his thick skull that we all live here. We aren’t going anywhere. It doesn’t matter what race we are, we’re all born and raised in Hellfire, Texas. We all need to learn to get along.”
Lola picked up one of the cookies, sniffed it and smiled. “These are like the ones your mother makes, aren’t they?”
Selena smiled. “To me, Mexican sugar cookies are comfort food. I make them when things get crazy. It helps to calm me down.”
“I also heard you tried to break up the fight,” Lola said, and then took a bite of a cookie.
Selena grimaced. “I don’t know why I thought I could break up a fight between two big guys like that. But, I had to try. They’re like two big bullies pushing each other around on the playground.”
Lola laughed. “It’s just like you to jump in the middle of it all. You have that fighting spirit in you, Selena. You always have a smile for everyone. And you don’t like to see people get hurt.”
Selena nodded. “I guess that’s one of my faults.”
Lola shook her head. “It’s not one of your faults—it’s one of your superpowers.”
“I don’t think I would call it a superpower.” Selena shrugged. “But, whatever.”
“Are you going to eat all of these cookies?” Lola raised her eyebrows at the two dozen cookies scattered across Selena’s small kitchenette counter.
Selena gave her a crooked smile. “No, I thought I’d take them to Rider and thank him for pulling me out of the middle of the fight.”
Lola’s smile spread wider into a deep grin. “Do I detect a little attraction to the handsome Grayson brother?”
Selena shook her head. “No, I just want to thank him for helping me.” Color rose in her cheeks, belying her words.
Lola’s eyes narrowed. “Okay. Whatever you say.” But her smile remained as
she munched on the cookie.
Selena frowned. “It’s not like we have anything in common.”
Lola’s smile turned into a frown. “What do you mean you don’t have anything in common?”
Selena turned away to take another batch of cookies out of the oven. “Well, you know, he is one of the Grayson Ranch owners. My father’s the foreman. You know.”
Lola touched her shoulder. “So? You grew up around the Grayson brothers. You’re like family to them.”
“Careful. These are hot.” Selena turned with the tray of cookies and set them on a hot plate on the counter. “Just because I grew up on the Grayson Ranch doesn’t mean I’m one of the family.” Although she had felt like one when she was growing up. She’d run alongside the brothers, as well as Lily. She’d played in the creek, ridden horses and played in the barn just like one of them.
Lola’s frown deepened. “Horse feathers!” Her landlady grabbed a spatula and helped her take the cookies off the tray. “You are no better and no worse than one of the Graysons. We do not live in a caste system here. Just because you’re Hispanic and he’s white doesn’t mean that you can’t fall in love with a Grayson brother.”
Selena’s eyebrows rose into the hair drooping over her forehead. “What do you mean fall in love with a Grayson brother? I’m not in love with one of them. I’m not in love with Rider.”
Lola’s smile returned. “Right. I can see that. Go, take the cookies to Rider Grayson. I’m sure he will appreciate them. Most men do appreciate a woman who will take them cookies.”
Heat rose in Selena’s cheeks. She felt like the child with her hand caught in the cookie jar. Lola Engel could see right through her to things she didn’t want anyone to know about herself.
Lola nodded took another cookie and headed for the door. “No worries, I’ll leave you to your cooking. Say hello to Rider for me and, if his brother Chance is anywhere around, be sure to give him a wink and a kiss from Lola.” The woman exited the apartment and ran down the stairs, laughing all the way.
Selena finished baking the cookies. When they were cool, she set some in a tin, pressed a top onto it and headed for the door. No matter what Lola said, she was just taking cookies as a thank you gift to Rider for pulling her out of the middle of a fistfight. Nothing more.