Free Tall, Dark and Cowboy by Joanne Kennedy

the Quick Lube, but Jeb wasn’t rich enough for her, so she ditched him and went to work for Chase.”
    “Chase is rich?” Lacey couldn’t hide her skepticism.
    “He owns a ranch.” Pam snorted. “’Course, that pretty much keeps him poor, since he spends every dime he makes on livestock and improvements.” She slid into the opposite side of the booth, sticking her feet under the table and propping them up beside Lacey. They were a working woman’s feet, clad in old-fashioned white nursing shoes and slightly swollen around the ankles. “Krystal’ll put a stop to that if she can, though. She thinks he should tear down that trailer and build one of those glass-front showrooms. She’ll get him to do it, too. Just give her time. That girl gets ’em roped and hog-tied in a heartbeat.”
    “Really?”
    “You seen her?” The woman made a gesture indicating big breasts, then gave Lacey a slow smile. “Although you could give her a run for her money.”
    Lacey looked down at her own fairly modest endowment. She knew she had a good body, but she was hardly as top-heavy as the bodacious Krystal. “What do you mean?”
    “You’re every bit as pretty as she is, and you’ve got a lot more class. And he’s already in love with you.” She shoved the pencil behind her ear. “I’d say you’ve got this game won before you even start.”
    “Well, thanks. I’m not looking to date him, though. I didn’t realize he—we were friends, that’s all, and I thought…” She flushed again.
    Pam tilted her head like a curious bird. “You telling me nothing ever happened between you two?”
    “No. Honest.” Lacey had wondered if Chase’s rudeness stemmed from something she’d done in high school. Now that she knew he’d had a crush on her and then wound up on the losing end of her husband’s high-stakes real estate game, she realized his resentment didn’t come from some minor teenaged snub.
    No, he flat-out hated her, and he had a good reason. Pam’s scheme was doomed before it even started.
    Maybe changing the subject would steer the woman’s sisterly determination in some other direction.
    “So when did your brother turn into a cowboy?” she asked.
    “Oh, he’s always been into that.”
    “I thought he was into goats.”
    Pam waved a dismissive hand. “Goats are a lot cheaper to raise than horses, and frankly, that farm of Dad’s wasn’t big enough to do what Chase wanted. Land back East is too expensive.” She looked thoughtful. “My hardheaded brother never would have sold the damn place and moved out here on his own. What happened gave him a boot in the butt—and he needed that. He’s living his dream, but all he can think about is what happened to Dad.”
    “Losing the farm?”
    “That, and Dad—he, um, died right after.” She looked down at her lap, momentarily sobered. “Chase blames your husband for that too.” She raised a hand to halt Lacey’s response. “He shouldn’t, I know, but he does. It’s easier than blaming himself for not stepping up and stopping the sale. He was in Iraq when it happened. It happened so fast, he probably couldn’t have done a thing about it—but Chase sees himself as being responsible for everything, and the guilt’s eating him up inside.”
    “He was in Iraq?” Lacey had no idea Chase had ever deviated from his single-minded ambition to raise quality goats.
    “Yeah. You know my brother. Gotta save the world.”
    “No wonder he seems so different. Did something happen over there?”
    “Something happened over here. I think his heart’s broken. And I think you’re the one person who can help him.”
    Lacey shook her head and slumped her shoulders. “Yeah, right. I’ve never helped anybody in my life. I wouldn’t even know how to start. I’m a trophy wife. The Southern version of Paris Hilton.” She sighed and waved one hand in a languid Blanche DuBois gesture. “I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.”
    “Maybe you just