Free Winning Texas by Nancy Stancill Page A

gigantic travel mart, was also his lover. But he wouldn ’ t see her until tomorrow night, so his mind flicked past her and on to nagging worries.
    He mostly kept out of Juliana ’ s secret business, though he ’ d given her the go-ahead to base her operations at the ranch they ’ d bought three years ago. She was devoted to the clandestine enterprise but he wasn ’ t enthusiastic about it. He ’ d rather focus his energies on expanding his topless empire and avoiding unnecessary risks. Juliana had argued that her family had made big money from a similar business in Brazil, so as usual, she got her way.
    Like many self-made Texans, he ’ d wanted a ranch to prove to himself and the business world that he ’ d arrived. But once he ’ d acquired the Hill Country property, he wasn ’ t sure what to do with it. So using it for her business made sense, at least for a while. The massive ranch, fenced in and located in a fairly remote area, would increase in value and could be used for a number of purposes. If he and Juliana didn ’ t fancy it as a weekend getaway, they could turn it into a dude ranch, or raise emus, ostriches or even something as prosaic as cattle.
    His thoughts drifted to other Hill Country interests. He ’ d recently invested in the fledgling campaign to create a German Texas after his childhood friend, Sam Wurzbach, had sold him on the plan. Sam had kept up with him after he left the Hill Country for Houston ’ s more lucrative business climate. Krause appreciated that Sam retained old friends, even one who ’ d excelled in the strip club business. Krause guessed that Sam knew he ’ d be interested in his concept of German Texas because he knew the truth about Krause ’ s origins.
    Krause ’ s grandfather, a low-level leader in Hitler ’ s Nazi regime, had been smart enough to flee to Brazil at the frenzied end of World War II. Juliana ’ s wealthy grandparents, along with several other right-wing Brazilian families, had helped Rudolf Krause conceal his identity. Rudolf ’ s son, Frederic, was ashamed of the family roots, wanting a fresh start in the United States. Frederic started a produce farm in the Hill Country, but soon ran it into the ground. He killed himself, leaving his wife and two young sons nearly destitute. Kyle Krause ’ s success had helped to preserve the small farm for his mother and brother.
    Krause liked Sam ’ s German-Texas quest partly because he wanted to reclaim the German heritage his father had tried to escape. He had no love for Nazis or any use for the Old Country, but he ’ d always felt at home with the German-Texas flavor of the Hill Country. And he ’ d quite liked his pirate of a grandfather, who ’ d died a decade ago. Krause couldn ’ t find it in his heart to condemn the old man for something he ’ d gotten caught up with in his youth. Besides, the concept of German Texas made a lot of entrepreneurial sense. Krause could see himself expanding his strip club empire there, especially if he helped set up more lenient rules.
    He shifted mental gears, relaxing in the freedom of the road, even this pallid stretch of interstate with its predictable scenery. On a clear, bright day, the heat shimmered in ribbons on the asphalt as he flew past low-lying brush. He turned up the air-conditioning, though he ’ d dressed for the weather in cargo shorts, a threadbare T-shirt and a Texas Girls cap pushing back the hair he hadn ’ t bothered to style. He played his favorite country music CDs, Brad Paisley and other crooning pseudo-cowboys as loud as he wanted, since Juliana wasn ’ t around to criticize his taste. She never could get into country music, preferring Brazilian and American pop, which he hated.
    He consulted scribbled directions from Spud Jarvis and turned off the interstate to a farm-to-market road. He drove for a few miles and turned again, this time to a dirt road. A faux-rustic wooden sign identified the property ahead as the Jarvis Ranch. The