“You want company?”
“Yeah, I’d like that.”
Edgard smiled. “See? That wasn’t so hard.”
Rather than step in another nest of snakes, Trevor snagged his coat and headed outside.
Once they were in the truck, Edgard asked, “Who’re the other neighbors who could meet the asking price?”
Trevor threw it in reverse and gunned the engine. “That’s what sucks. Gus’s neighbors on his south end are the McKays.”
“Colby?”
“McKay is McKay around here. Their massive ranch crosses the borders of several counties and employs the sons and cousins and a half dozen or so ranch hands. Buyin’
that acreage is a fart in a windstorm for them. But for Chass and me, it’d be a way to guarantee we can make a go of it.”
Silence.
He could feel Edgard’s gaze burning into him. “What?”
“How soon does Gus need a guarantee you have the funds?”
“That’s what I’m aimin’ to find out today.”
Edgard nodded and went silent again.
101
Rough, Raw, and Ready
Gus Dutton’s place had gone to seed in the years since his wife passed on and his offspring decided they were too good to ranch in Wyoming. Still, Trevor couldn’t imagine why Gus’d move to the desert to be with those ingrates.
Gus ambled onto the sagging porch and hobbled down the steps. “Mornin’, Trevor.
Where’s the missus?”
“Weddin’ shower in Wheatland.”
“Pity. She’s a mite easier on the eyes than you are.” He jerked a thumb to Edgard.
“Who’s that?”
“This is my old ropin’ partner, Ed Mancuso. Ed, this is the orneriest coot in the county. Which was why he and Harland West were such good buds.”
Edgard thrust out his hand. “Nice to meetcha, Gus.”
“A roper, eh? You any good?”
“Used to be. I ain’t competing any more. But them rope skills do come in handy on the range.”
“I hear ya,” Gus said. “So what brings ya by, Trevor?” He rubbed his gnarled hands together in exaggerated glee. “Got earnest money for me?”
Trevor grinned even when his face felt encased in plastic. “Come on, Gus. You were married for a helluva lot longer than me. Chassie’s the one with the checkbook.”
Gus grinned at him. “Always knew that pretty little gal was the smartest of the West lot.” Gus focused his rheumy eyes on Edgard. “You a rancher around these parts too, now that you ain’t travelin’ the circuit no more?”
“Not exactly.”
Gus squinted suspiciously at Edgard. “Where’d you say you was from again?”
“He didn’t say, but Ed’s been livin’ on his ranch in Brazil.”
“Brazil, as in South America?”
Edgard scowled. “Well, more specifically—”
“—specifically he was born right here in Wyoming,” Trevor interjected and relayed the sad tale of Edgard’s mother and father and his family connection.
102
Lorelei James
Gus was appropriately wide-eyed. “Hell, boy, why didn’t you say you was related to the Bordens out by Cloud Peak? I knew your grandpa and your grandma. Good people.
Your last name ain’t Borden?”
“No, sir. My stepfather adopted me when he and my mother had their first child, so I’d have the same name as my siblings. My middle name is Borden.”
“Good enough. Now you fellas wanna take a look around?”
“If it wouldn’t be too much trouble.”
“No trouble a’tall. We’ll take your rig, Trevor, that way I can point out the interestin’
stuff to Ed.”
The tension mounted in Trevor’s truck when Edgard slid into the middle of the cab, right next to him, with Gus on the outside. To make matters worse, the stick shift was centered on the floor so Edgard had to straddle it, putting one foot on Trevor’s side and one on the passenger’s side.
Edgard scooted in, leaving about a foot between them.
“Move in,” Gus instructed. “I need a little extra room to stretch my bum leg out.”
The truck bounced as Gus hoisted himself in and Edgard’s left thigh pressed Trevor’s right leg.
“Ah. Much better, huh?”
Trevor turned his head the same time Edgard did. His eyes locked on those full lips.
Dammit. Edgard’s mouth was so close he could smell his sweet-coffee breath. His gaze traveled up the line of Edgard’s nose and connected with yellow-brown eyes.
There it was. That jolt of something deeper than lust.
“We goin’ or what?” Gus demanded.
“Yeah, we’re goin’,” Trevor said, breaking the moment. Putting the stick shift in gear, right between Edgard’s legs, Trevor’s fingers brushed close enough to feel the heat drifting from the crotch of Edgard’s jeans.