Free Texas Hustle by Cynthia D’Alba

needed to communicate with her, they should go through the lawyer but to never contact her directly again.”
    “Yikes.”
    “Exactly,” Darren said. “Dad said he and Uncle Lane went to Montana, but she wouldn’t see them or speak to them. They did meet with the lawyer, who they said was actually a pretty nice guy. He suggested they give her some time and she would cool off and things would get back to normal.”
    “And?” she prompted.
    “I guess too much time passed,” Reno said. “Years passed. Christmas cards were returned unopened. The lawyer died and Aunt Cora just seemed to fade into the past.”
    “I remember the year the Christmas card came back saying she’d moved and there was no forwarding address. Remember that, Reno?”
    “Yeah. It’s one of the few times I remember Dad crying.”
    “That’s awful,” she said. “Have you ever tried to find her? I mean, gosh, with the internet and the programs that will search for people, I’m sure you could locate her.”
    “I haven’t. Have you, Darren?”
    Darren shook his head. “Nope. She really hurt Dad and Uncle Lane, and I always felt like I’d be doing something behind Dad’s back if I looked for her. Besides, if she wanted to contact them, Dad and Uncle Lane aren’t hard to find. I don’t even know if she still has the Montgomery last name.”
    The story hit Porchia hard. She’d never given much thought to how her physical and emotional distance from her parents might be affecting them. She believed herself to be the injured party.
    Her entire life, she’d felt like they’d shunted her out of town to protect themselves and not her. But she’d only been fifteen. Young, scared and embarrassed, her view of life had been completely self-centered. Was it possible that her family felt like the Montgomerys toward this lost sibling? Even though she saw and spoke with her parents, were they waiting for her to bridge the gap in their relationship?
    “Hey,” Darren said. Putting two fingers under her chin, he turned her face toward his. “You got awfully quiet. You okay?”
    “Sure. Sure. I was just thinking about your aunt and all she’s missed.”
    Darren gave her shoulders a squeeze. “Sorry. We didn’t mean to upset you. We’ve lived with the story our whole lives. I guess we didn’t realize how it might affect others.”
    She gave him her best smile. “I’m not upset. Really.”
    “Good.” He pressed a soft kiss on her lips. A million fireflies lit up inside her.
    “Well,” she said, pulling out from under his arm. That simple touch of his lips had scrambled her brains. Having carnal desire as her driver always seemed to land her in the ditch. She needed to put some space between them to give her brain time to recollect and take control. “I should probably head to the lodge and see what I can do to help with dinner.”
    Before she reached the lodge steps, Travis and Cash Montgomery came out carrying a huge metal cooler between them.
    “Need some help?” she asked, hurrying forward.
    “Nope,” Cash grunted out. “Too heavy.”
    Darren and Reno met their cousins and the four men maneuvered the enormous ice chest into the fire-pit area. She heard the wham as the chest dropped heavily on the stones.
    Starting back up the lodge steps, she glanced over her shoulder. The top had been opened on the chest, which she could now see was loaded down with ice and an assortment of drinks. It had to weigh a ton. She was glad they’d turned down her offer since she’d have been no help at all.
    Female voices echoed from the rear of the lodge. Following them, Porchia found herself in a cavernous, stainless-steel kitchen. Envy oozed from every pore. It rivaled any professional kitchen she’d ever seen.
    The stove was a ten-gas burner, two-oven monster that covered a good five feet of wall space. Her mouth salivated at the thought of owning one like that.
    The stainless-steel refrigerator of her dreams dominated the far wall. With one wide