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  Not only would it be a pointless tragedy, it would destroy Pam and Clint’s newfound happiness. Audra wanted their joy to last forever.

  She could always lock Rick up in a barn and keep the key. There was a tantalizing thought. But aside from hog-tying him, she was powerless to prevent something ghastly from happening.

  Fastening her attention on Bobby once more, she said, “If you traced the Hawkins family’s experiences testing out ski equipment, I have no doubts you’d tap into exactly what your teacher had in mind when she gave you the assignment.”

  Formula One race-car driving would have provided another fascinating topic for a technology report. It was a business so far removed from their insular world of horses and ranching, the boys would fall out of their chairs if they knew what Rick did for a living.

  But now was not the time to enlighten them. This was Clint Hawkins’s moment.

  “Would you be willing to help me, Clint?” Bobby asked.

  Pam’s husband nodded. “There’s nothing I’d like more. We can go in the living room after dinner and I’ll give you some ideas to work on.”

  “There won’t be time,” Tom muttered.

  But their uncle said, “Make the time!”

  To Audra’s delight, Clint went right on talking as if Tom hadn’t said anything. “Do you have access to the Internet, Bobby?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Then I’ll supply you with some names of several ski manufacturers that explain their engineering innovations with graphics you can print out.”

  “Thanks!”

  “I want to read that report when you’re finished, young man.”

  “Sure, Uncle David.”

  “Don’t clear the dishes yet,” he warned Pam, who’d started to push herself away from the table. “I have something to say and want everyone to hear it.”

  Stillness spread throughout the room.

  Those ominous words had the effect of a giant hand squeezing Audra’s heart. If her instincts were right, the moment she’d been dreading for months had come. For her uncle to bring up private matters in front of Clint and his son proved how completely he’d accepted Pam’s husband into the family.

  No longer interested in her meal, Audra put down her fork.

  “I’m not going to sugarcoat this. Our ranch has been losing money steadily ever since the tornado destroyed lives and livelihoods twenty-three years ago. It’s left me with no option but to sell the property and the plane.”

  The muscles in Audra’s stomach clenched.

  “You all knew it was coming. That’s why years ago I insisted all of you get college educations and make livings for yourselves while you helped me on the side with the ranching.”

  “You’ve already signed papers?” Tom asked.

  “Let me finish.” He glanced at each of them. “You don’t have to wait for me to die to know what’s coming to you. Everything’s been sold except the hundred and twenty acres of fenced land with the bungalow I’ve left to Audra and you boys.”

  “A hundred and twenty acres,” Tom blurted in anger.

  Audra swallowed hard. She’d thought her uncle had already given Pam the bungalow.

  Had he left her out of the will because she’d married Clint? Her cousin had entertained so many plans how she’d use her property. Audra couldn’t bear it. That didn’t sound like her fair-minded uncle. It had to mean he had less money than she’d thought.

  Jim’s face had gone as dark red as his hair. “You can’t do anything with that small amount of land!”

  Greg looked equally outraged.

  “How much land did you want, Tom?” their uncle asked in his unflappable manner. “Did you have the money to buy it in order to help pay off our debts? Did any of you have the funds to save us?”

  Tom ground his teeth. “You know damn well we didn’t!”

  Audra flinched.

  “Then be thankful you’re being given anything at all, and I won’t have you swearing in front of me or this family or our guest.”

  Things were falling apart fast.

  “My advice to you boys and Audra is to use the land and the bungalow for a place to come when you want a change from Austin. With fifty-two weeks in a year, that gives each of your families thirteen weeks to enjoy vacations, provided you can work out the arrangements without rancor.”

  Rancor was the operative word all right. Audra took a shuddering breath.

  “My Realtor has found me a condo at a retirement center in Austin. I plan to be moved out of here by the end of next week. Audra can live there with me until she decides what she wants to do.”

  “Who’s the new owner?” Tom demanded. His surly tone wounded her.

  “A wealthy businessman from Cleveland, Ohio, named Edwin Torney. It won’t be long before he starts building a showplace out on the south thirty.

  “You’ll see workmen coming and going. They’ll be using the road at the side of the bungalow for access. Another mailbox will be put up out by the road.”

  Tom was livid. “Why would he build anything when he’s already stolen this house from us?”

  “Nobody stole anything, Tom. That was going to be my next announcement.” Their uncle looked around at each of them. “I’ve sold the house to Clint. He and Pam are going to live here.”

  One look at Pam, and Audra thought her cousin was going to collapse from shock. Apparently she hadn’t known anything about the transaction. Clint put a loving arm around his wife.

  Thank God, Audra’s heart cried. Bless you, Clint. Bless you, Uncle David.

  “Pam was always your favorite,” Greg muttered. “Why don’t you just admit you gave it to her!”

  Their uncle rose to his feet. “Clint Hawkins sold his business back in Colorado. He was able to pay my asking price. With that money I’ve been able to pay off the loans stacking up at the bank.

  “If any one of you could have done the same, the house would be yours. I gave you the opportunity long before he came into Pam’s life. Let’s all be thankful it’ll continue to stay in the Jarrett family.

  “But let me say this—if anyone deserved to have it given to them outright, it would be Pam. As a teenager she single-handedly took on the responsibilities of mother and sister to the rest of us at great cost to her own dreams.

  “No one ever had a better friend, cook, housekeeper or ranching-accounts expert,” his voice trembled. “No one was ever kinder or more loving and unselfish. I don’t know what we would have done without her. Especially sweet little Audra, who was only five at the time and needed a woman’s comfort.”

  Everyone looked in Audra’s direction. Three pairs of eyes glared at her, but it was Rick’s solemn gaze that shook her. At this point she couldn’t stay seated. After a struggle, she got to her feet.

  With tears in her voice, she said, “No one could have been a better father to us than you, Uncle David. If you’re willing to put up with me, I’d consider it a privilege to live with you in Austin.”

  He smiled and nodded to her.

  “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to dish up that chocolate dessert.”

  Afraid she’d break down in front of everyone, Audra tucked her crutches under her arms and moved toward the door. Footsteps followed her into the kitchen.

  When she turned around, she discovered Rick Hawkins in pursuit.

  “Let me help you.”

  Before she could order him back to the table, he’d pulled the pan of rocky road from the fridge. Pam had already put the plates and forks on the counter.

  Audra rummaged in the drawer for a spatula. With one crutch steadying her, she started cutting the dessert into squares. Darn if her hand wasn’t trembling. Rick couldn’t help but see. He stood too close. She felt suffocated by his nearness.

  “Tell me about the tornado,” he urged.

  “You heard Uncle David.”

  “I was filled with dread by all he didn’t say. Is it still too difficult to talk about?”

  “No.” She started putting the s
quares on plates.

  “How many years ago did your uncle say it happened?”

  “Twenty-three.”

  “That puts you at twenty-eight now.”

  Yup. Twenty-eight big ones and still single. No doubt the pit babes who swarm around you aren’t a day over twenty-two.

  “How come the tornado didn’t destroy this house?”

  Afraid he wouldn’t go away until he had answers, she decided to tell him everything and be done with it.

  “An F-5 tornado cut a mile-wide swath through the tiny community of Hillmont ten miles from here. It wiped out the town, whole ranches, trees, cars, trucks, houses, fencing, equipment, barns, horses, cattle and thirty members of our family assembled at a church where they’d gathered for a christening.

  “I was just getting over the measles. Since Pam had already had them, she volunteered to baby-sit me and the boys who, according to Pam, balked at going to boring church.

  “Uncle David had a bad cold that day so he stayed home with us. When the services were over, there was going to be a big party.”

  She sucked in her breath. “Everybody going to church left the ranch house. None of them ever came back.”

  Rick’s expression darkened in horror and incredulity. She looked away, not wanting to see any more of his reaction.

  “My parents and siblings were inside the church. So were Pam’s parents and siblings, the boys’ parents and siblings and Uncle David’s wife, his married children and grandchildren.”

  “Good heavens—”

  “Uncle David is really our great-uncle. He was the oldest member of the family and the last surviving adult of the Jarrett clan. He took us all in and raised us.

  “I know it broke his heart to have to make that announcement today. He’s such a good man, and has bent over backward to be fair to each one of us. I don’t think your father could possibly understand how grateful Uncle David must be that this house is going to stay in the family.”

  A lump had lodged in her throat. “T-there’s an old saying that we suffer three deaths in this life,” she stammered. “First when we die, the second when we are laid to rest and the third when our name is never spoken again.”

  Her gaze lifted to his once more. “Your father has ensured that our ancestral home will stay in the Jarrett family for another generation anyway. I love Clint for loving Pam that much,” she whispered.

  Audra continued in a voice that disguised little of her anger. “What I don’t understand is how ungrateful the boys are. They’re lucky he’s been able to leave them any birthright at all. On top of taking care of us all their lives, he took out loans to pay for our college education—”

  She broke off talking.

  None of this was Rick’s concern.

  Embarrassed to have gone on and on, Audra finished dishing up the dessert. “As long as you’re here, would you mind taking these to the dining room?” She handed him two plates without looking up.

  “I’ll be back to help.”

  That’s what she was afraid of. She didn’t want to spend another second in the company of Rick Hawkins, of all people.

  Hopefully, he’d be gone by tomorrow. Audra had no desire to get to know him any better. When you got to know someone, you learned to care about them.

  Who was she kidding? She already cared about him. Until he’d rescued her from her nightmare, he’d only been an attractive face in a series of wedding photographs.

  But a photograph only showed a face and body. It didn’t reveal the total person. Rick possessed layers of desirable qualities that broke down the defenses guarding her wary heart. When he’d followed her into the kitchen to help her, to listen with compassion to all she had to say, she realized he’d breached the outer walls and was standing at the door of its inner chamber.

  CHAPTER THREE

  THE IMPATIENT BLARE of a car horn coming from the front of the house couldn’t be ignored. Rick’s eyes sought his father’s in a private message.

  “It sounds like you’ve got to go, Bobby.”

  “Yeah. Dad wants to leave, but we’re not finished yet.”

  “That’s all right. Call the ranch house anytime and ask for me. I can help you over the phone.”

  “Thanks, Clint.” Bobby took the paper he’d been writing on and handed Clint back his pen.

  “You’re welcome.”

  “You, too, Rick. See ya.”

  The young teen disappeared from the living room, leaving the two of them alone for the first time all day. Rick checked his watch. It was almost five o’clock.

  He stared at his father. “You know the old saying, a picture is worth a thousand words?”

  “You mean, after sitting through one meal with the Jarrett clan, you feel as if you’ve received a Ph.D. in family dysfunction?”

  Rick folded his arms and sat back in the chair with his ankles crossed. “When I followed Audra into the kitchen to get the dessert, she told me about the tornado.” His mind still reeled from everything he’d learned. “It’s impossible to comprehend that kind of loss.”

  “I didn’t know the details until Pam broke down on our honeymoon and told me. She keeps her pain well hidden. You have to bide your time with her.”

  Rick couldn’t stay seated any longer. “The morning Nate and I drove you and Pam to the airport, I sensed a vulnerability about her. Only now am I beginning to understand why.” He paused. “I’m glad you found each other.”

  His dad looked taken aback. “I’d hoped one day you might come to feel that way. I just didn’t expect it to happen this soon.”

  “Being here has opened my eyes to a lot of things. It’s too bad you’ve got enemies.”

  “Audra meant well, but I’m afraid her suggestion to Bobby fanned the flames.”

  “Dad, the mere fact that you exist, let alone married Pam and bought this house, has caused a major conflagration. I’ve never met such fractious personalities.”

  “It’s time her cousins dealt with reality.”

  The edge in his tone prompted Rick to study his dad for a minute. “To think I used to wonder why Nate and I were attracted to careers with an element of danger…”

  “Danger comes in many packages, son. Your kind kills instantly.”

  “I’ll take my kind any day over three spiteful men who wished you on the other side of the universe today.”

  “I can handle it. Right now I want to spend some private time with you.” He got to his feet. “Pam won’t be expecting us until dark.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “For a horseback ride.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding. I haven’t been on a horse in years.”

  “It’s like skiing. You never forget. Come on. We’ll slip out the front door and walk around back to the barn.”

  Except for the absence of one car, it appeared everyone else was still inside the house, yet Rick couldn’t hear voices. Its unique design of multiple rooms and an asymmetrical floor plan swallowed sounds.

  Though the house was built in a wide-open space, there were some pecan and oak trees growing close to the barn to provide shade. Nearby he noticed a spring-fed pond.

  They entered the barn and walked over to the first two stalls. “You take Pam’s mare, Marshmallow. I’ll ride the bay. His name is Prince.”

  “Is he David’s horse?”

  “No. Prince is Audra’s pride and joy. He’s been missing her and will welcome the exercise.”

  The mention of Audra prompted him to ask, “Was she engaged to the man who died?”

  “No. From what Pam told me, Audra finally accepted a date with Pete when she didn’t really want to.”

  “Why would she do that?”

  “Perhaps to forget someone else.”

  There was no perhaps about it, or his father wouldn’t have said it. For some strange reason, Rick wished he hadn’t asked the question.

  “Since the accident, she blames herself for relenting. Audra’s convinced he wouldn’t be dead if she’d just said
no to him.”

  “Maybe that’s why she’s still having nightmares.” Without preamble, Rick told his father about the encounter with Audra at the bungalow. “Her screams were bloodcurdling. They left me shaken.”

  His father nodded. “Both David and Pam are worried about her. She’s pretty fragile.”

  “I’ve had buddies at the track who’ve been through the same trauma. It takes a long time to get over. Don’t tell Pam or she’ll tell Audra. I don’t want to make an enemy out of her.”

  “I won’t, but I am going to have a talk with Audra about moving back to the main ranch house tonight. She shouldn’t be living out at the bungalow alone no matter how much she craves her independence.”

  “Agreed.” When Rick thought about how easy it had been to climb in that back-bedroom window…

  “I’ll think of a good excuse to approach her. In the meantime, let’s go in the tack room and get what we need.”

  Rick smiled as he helped his father bridle and saddle the animals like a pro. He could tell Clint was loving this new lifestyle. Wait until Rick got his brother on the phone and told him what was going on.

  There had been so much that neither he nor Nate had understood when their father had first announced his engagement to Pam. That felt like a hundred years ago.

  Once the stirrups were adjusted, Rick swung himself up and followed his father’s lead along a well-worn path. They rode beyond the paddock to a field where the occasional line of trees appearing and disappearing among gently rolling hills denoted a winding creek.

  His dad waited for Rick to join him. “It’s the perfect time of evening to show you something I know you’ll appreciate. Have you got your sea legs yet?”

  Rick grinned. “I think so.”

  “Then let’s go.”

  They set off through the wild grass, beneath bits of darkening blue sky and clouds. Though the temperature bordered on hot, Rick felt comfortable because the air was surprisingly arid.

  “When I called you yesterday morning to touch base, it concerned me to learn you hadn’t decided to sign those new racing contracts yet.”

  That makes two of us.