Nadine walked away before he could reply. He watched her climb into the big RV then maneuver it over the rutted yard. Once she had the nose of the vehicle pointed in the right direction, she tooted the horn and waved at him as she headed off.
His phone vibrated on his hip. Tempted to ignore it, he checked the caller ID anyway. His brother Cash.
“What?”
“Did I catch you in the middle of something?”
“What do you want, Cash?”
“If I’d known you were going to be at the Morgan place this morning, I could have saved money on the process server.”
“You’re the one who sent him out here?”
“Well...yeah. The old man said you were busy. Since you hadn’t done it yet, he had the papers filed yesterday and wanted them served first thing.”
“Yeah, I just bet he did.”
“Whoa, Chance. You sound pissed.”
“I am.”
“Hey, I was just following the old man’s orders. You want to tell me what’s going on?”
“No. But fair warning, Cash. You ever again go behind my back to serve papers without my go-ahead, you’ll regret it.” He stabbed the end button on his phone and tossed it onto the center console of the truck. Within seconds, it danced across the leather. He ignored it. Gazing around, he realized his family might have more money than many small countries, but Cass Morgan was far richer.
* * *
After three days on the trail, Cass would give just about anything she owned for a hot shower lasting longer than five minutes. It was hard to do much more than sluice off the surface dust in the tepid water and confined space of the tiny shower in Nadine’s RV. Her hair hung dull and limp when she removed the ponytail holder.
A new set of volunteers had arrived each day to help as drovers and outriders. The nightly camps had a holiday air as folks visited and relaxed once the herd was settled for the night. She wished she could unwind and enjoy their camaraderie. But she couldn’t. Not until the herd was delivered, sold, and she had the check in her hand.
The RV was parked on the expansive lot of a suburban acreage. A catering truck from a local BBQ restaurant was on site with a smoker. The scent of roasting beef wafted in the open window. With a grimace at how nasty her hair felt as she combed it with her fingers, she smoothed it back and refastened it into a ponytail. Navigating down the narrow aisle, Cassie smiled at the cowboy chic decor and squeezed past the older woman puttering at the stove. The motorhome was pure Nadine.
Cass pushed the screen door open, stepped out and ran smack dab into a very masculine body.
Chance’s hands steadied her until she regained her balance. She scowled at him. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“We need to talk, Cass.”
“No, we don’t.”
“Yes, we do. I had to take care of some things or I would have been here sooner.”
She wanted to thump his chest with her fist. Or slap him. “Go away, Chance. I don’t need or want you.”
“Look, you have every reason to be upset—”