Free Gambling on a Dream by Sara Walter Ellwood Page B

anything to me.”
    I bet she doesn’t know how you dumped me after I took a bullet for you, costing my baby’s life.
    But she kept the bitterness locked deep inside and stared out at the long, deserted, two-lane county road. “I know it’s different, but when Talon was charged for dealing and possession two years ago, I didn’t know about it until I was served with a subpoena to testify. I’m sure if it hadn’t been for the defense lawyer wanting to show the jury Talon’s cop sister and retired sheriff stepfather, neither one of us would’ve been there. And we wouldn’t have known about Talon’s conviction until he was sent to prison.” She snorted and shook her head. “Hell, we probably wouldn’t have known until after he’d served his fifteen months.”
    “I’m surprised he wasn’t paroled for good behavior.”
    She snapped her gaze to him. “You’ve got to be kidding, right? This is Talon we’re talking about. He could find trouble at a church revival meeting.”
    He shrugged and drummed his hands on his helmet. “Yet, you totally believe in his innocence.”
    She hit the brake a little harder than she’d intended and snapped on the signal to turn into the long drive onto her family’s ranch. “I thought you did too. I know my brother would never kill someone, Wyatt.” The tick-click of the signal punctuated every word. “He has a temper that’s hot as hell, but he’s not a thug.” She slowed on the rutted gravel lane and narrowed her eyes at him.
    Wyatt’s jaw twitched, and his eyes hardened. Was it her faith in her brother that he didn’t believe in, or was it the whole stinking pile of crap he was angry at? Maybe he didn’t believe in her ability to find the killer.
    Well, screw you, Wyatt McPherson.
    Wouldn’t you just love to be the one to do it? Her body heated at the taunt, and she took a deep breath filled with his musky scent.
    “Look, let’s not drop the gavel on Talon’s innocence before we prove he’s guilty.” She slowed to a stop in front of her trailer and looked at him. “Okay?”
    His jaw tightened, but he nodded. “All right.”
    She forced a smile and opened her door. “Let’s get that piece of crap fixed so you can get the hell out of my hair.”
    The graveness of his gaze turned humorous as the corners of his eyes tilted upward and he grinned. “I've never felt more welcome.”

Chapter 5
     
    Wyatt tightened the last bolt on the new carburetor, wiped his hands on an old rag, then climbed onto the Sportster and cranked the engine.
    Like a dream, the rebuilt engine roared to life and rumbled like an approaching storm. He looked over at Dawn, leaning against the doorframe of the garage, where she tapped the toe of her cowboy boot on the spotless concrete floor. As he dragged his gaze over her tight faded jeans and crazy print sweater, she folded her arms over her chest and curled her full lips into a smirk.
    He fought the tightening in his lower belly, but it was useless to fight his attraction to her, especially when she moved away from the doorframe and her hair swayed. The silky black mane hung to the top of her ass. How she managed to get all the stuff tamed into a prim bun for work never failed to amaze him.
    He cut the engine. “Well, I’ll get the mess cleaned up and head home. You sure I don’t owe you anything for the part?”
    She laughed and stopped beside him. “No. I’m just glad it worked. Hunter left it over here last year when he got it in his mind he wanted to rebuild a motorcycle.”
    Raising a brow, he swung his leg over the bike. “Glad to see your little brother has some sense.”
    “Not much.”
    They stood face to face for a few moments staring at each other. He couldn’t miss the heat burning deep in the depths of her rich brown eyes, but he wasn’t fool enough to get caught up in the lust, smoldering between them again. He broke the trance by looking away and wrestled with the urge to pull her to him and taste her lips.
    A soft