Free Every Breath She Takes by Norah Wilson Page A

flashed those preternaturally white teeth in a fierce grin. “Just passing through to visit my new property.” He gestured vaguely to the northeast. “Hope you don’t mind.”
    Cal glanced in the direction Harvey indicated. Shit. “MaKenny’s spread?”
    “Yep.” Harvey nodded. “Hinchey place too.”
    MaKenny and Hinchey both. Poor bastards. Both men—each easily fifteen years his senior and with a lot more ranching experience—had been clinging to their ranches by the skin of their teeth, just as Cal was. A chill went up his spine as he realized he was now sandwiched between McLeod’s holdings and the mountains. Not that it made any difference to his operations. But it still gave him a bad feeling.
    “Well, don’t let me keep you. It’s a long ride.”
    McLeod bared his teeth again. “Just thought I’d let you know my offer’s still open. Your land and your herd.”
    Anger leapt, but Cal was careful to keep his expression flat. “The answer’s still no.”
    “Times are tough. If you change your mind, let me know. I’ll give you a fair price.”
    That much was true. He had made a decent offer. If he’d offered as much to Tom and Dan, they probably counted themselves lucky. They could have lost it all to the bank and gone away empty-handed. Still, Cal couldn’t feel terribly well disposed toward a man who made no secret that he wanted his land. “Appreciate your concern, McLeod. That’s right neighborly of you.”
    His sarcasm appeared to be wasted on the older man, whose attention had shifted to Marlena and Lauren. With a gallantry that grated on Cal’s nerves, Harvey swept his hat off. “Ladies.”
    Gritting his teeth, Cal realized he wasn’t going to get away without introductions.
    “This is Lauren Townsend, a guest here. Lauren, my neighbor, Harvey McLeod.” When they’d exchanged greetings, he nodded toward Marlena. “And you’ll remember Marlena. She’s here for a short spell of R & R.”
    “Marlena Taggart? The Marlena?” McLeod’s perfect smile widened. “I’m afraid I never had the pleasure. You left just after I bought the Hoyt place, but I’ve heard a lot about you.”
    Hadn’t had the pleasure? He was one of a select few, then. And Cal could well imagine what he’d heard.
    With effort, he clamped down on the thoughts. It was done and over.
    Marlena took her own hat off and shook her hair free, running a hand through it. “I certainly would have remembered a cowboy who sits a horse as nicely as you do, Mr. McLeod.”
    “Call me Harvey, please.”
    “Harvey. Now that’s a fine, a masculine name.”
    Cripes, Marlena was turning it on. Beside her, Brady was going red in the face. Just like old times. Life wasn’t interesting enough for Marlena unless she had at least two men in a lather.
    Unfortunately, things could get uglier than usual between these two men, seeing as Harvey was Brady’s father.
    Well, not really. But Harvey had raised Brady as his own until a couple of years ago, when he’d abruptly cast out both his wife and son. Evidently a paternity test had revealed that Brady was not his progeny after all. Not content merely to jettison them, McLeod had stripped them both of his name by making that a condition of a quick, easy divorce settlement. It was either accede to that demand or live hand to mouth for years while the lawyers duked it out in the divorce courts. So Brady Harvey had become Brady Hirsch. Cal knew he had his own daddy issues—Zane Taggart had deliberately destroyed the one thing Cal had loved above all else—but all of that paled in comparison to Brady’s issues, he suspected.
    “Nice seeing you, Harvey. I expect you’ll want to be moving along. You got a fair piece to cover before you reach McLeod ground again, and daylight’s burnin’.”
    Harvey’s smile was a slash of white in his tanned, handsome face. “So it is, Taggart, so it is. Ladies.” With a nod to the ladies, he jammed his white Stetson back on and galloped