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“He working you too hard?” Gray asked Casey.

  Casey turned towards Gray and smiled. “No, not too hard. He’s a perfectionist though.”

  Gray nodded his approval. “Do it right the first time.”

  Casey looked at Ram. “Do the two of you share a brain?”

  “I’m beginning to wonder,” Ram said around a chuckle. “Did you need to talk to me?” he asked Gray.

  “If you have time,” Gray answered.

  Ram pointed towards the disc sander. “Grab a pair of goggles and sand down those highpoints,” he instructed Casey.

  “Sure thing.”

  Ram walked across the shop to join Gray. “What’s up?”

  “Colson just called. Sir Winsalot won his first race. He said the other owners are going crazy, crying foul.”

  Ram took off the red bandana he’d had wrapped around his head. “They claim he cheated?”

  “Yeah, by buying up the foals sired by He’s a Champion. Andrew wants to cut a deal with us that we won’t sell He’s a Champion’s sperm to any other breeder.”

  “What’s he offering?” Ram asked.

  “Enough. Although I told him I’d need Dream Maker as soon as he retires to clinch the deal.”

  “Did he agree?”

  “Of course he did as long as we sell to him exclusively.” When word first spread around the Thoroughbred community of Gray’s involvement with Ram, they’d had several buyers back out. Luckily for them, Andrew Carlson only cared about the horses. He’d told Gray he didn’t care if Gray dressed in short skirts and high heels as long as Sunset Ridge was able to produce top notch Thoroughbreds.

  “Now all we have to do is make sure He’s a Champion stays healthy and keeps producing.”

  Gray led Ram behind a welding screen. Once they were out of Casey’s line of sight, he pulled Ram into his arms. “This is a good thing. Don’t worry so much.”

  Ram kissed Gray’s forehead. “My life is so perfect right now that I’m always worried the bottom will drop out.”

  “Weren’t you the one who told me you’d work at the grocery store if it meant we could be together?”

  “Yeah, that was me. But I really, really don’t want to bag groceries.”

  Gray kissed Ram. It still amazed him how perfectly suited they were for each other. “Fine. If it comes to that, I’ll bag the groceries and you can run the register.”

  “I love how you take care of me,” Ram said, giving Gray another kiss. “I’d better get back to Casey before she sands the pipe in two.”

  “Don’t forget to work on the schedule for this weekend. We need to be out of here by nine on Friday morning.”

  “I won’t forget. I’m just as excited as you are to watch Raleigh walk across that stage.”

  “Ram? It’s all cleaned up. Should I fix my mistakes now?” Casey asked.

  “Not without supervision. I’ll be there in a second,” Ram returned.

  “I’ll let you go. I just wanted to tell you the good news about Sir Winsalot.” Gray started towards the door.

  “Hey, Gray,” Ram called after him.

  Gray stopped and turned around.

  “I’ll bag the groceries,” Ram told Gray.

  Gray nodded. “I know.”

  * * * *

  Ram wiped the tears of laughter from his eyes as he watched Jesse, Ben, Gray and Raleigh’s boyfriend play football. “You know Gray’s gonna break something, don’t ya?”

  “At least Michael can set the bone,” Raleigh returned.

  Ram elbowed Raleigh playfully in the ribs. “You done good, kid.”

  With love in her eyes, Raleigh leaned against Ram. “Can I tell you a secret?”

  “Sure.”

  “Michael’s going to ask Uncle Gray for my hand tonight after graduation.”

  “I figured it was about time since the two of you’ve been living together for the last year.”

  Raleigh gasped. “How did you know?”

  “Gray told me.”

  “Oh my God.” Raleigh buried her face in her hands. “How did he find out?”

  “Gray watches the bank accounts like a hawk. He knew as soon as you stopped paying rent at that apartment house you were living in.”

  “So why didn’t he say anything? Is he mad?” Raleigh asked.

  “I think it bothered him that you didn’t tell him, but he understands that your life is your own to live. Doesn’t hurt that he genuinely likes your doctor. Of course I think he might like Michael even more if he got on at a hospital in Little Rock.”

  Raleigh squeezed Ram’s hand. “Maybe someday once I start popping out babies.”

  Ram tried to picture Gray with a baby. “Gray’ll spoil the kids rotten.”

  “Yeah, but you’ll be there to set them straight again.” Raleigh kissed Ram’s cheek. “I’ll always love you for that.”

  “And I love being proved right.”

  “Hey, are you guys gonna cheer for us or not?” Gray yelled.

  “Nope. Never did enjoy wearing a skirt,” Ram hollered back.

  * * * *

  Gray couldn’t have been prouder as he watched Raleigh cross the stage to accept her diploma. She stood in a long line with the others but Gray only had eyes for his girl. “She’s going to be a great social worker.”

  “Yep,” Ram agreed.

  Gray took his eyes away from Raleigh long enough to glance at Ram. “That’s it? Yep?”

  Ram’s attention was drawn to someone in the crowd. Gray tried to figure out who had captured Ram’s interest so intensely.

  “Oh, shit,” Gray said, spotting Rebecca. He didn’t say it, but the sight of his sister caused him nothing but pain. Was it wrong to feel betrayed by his niece? Gray was so caught up in his thoughts he missed the end of the graduation ceremony.

  “Come on. Let’s go congratulate your girl,” Ram said, pulling Gray to his feet.

  “She’s not mine. She’s Rebecca’s. Seeing her here has served to remind me of that.”

  “Bullshit.” Ram led Gray to an area away from the departing crowd. “You can’t lay this on Raleigh. Sure she invited her mother, but that doesn’t mean she’s forgiven her. If I know anything about Raleigh it’s that her big grey eyes are wide open where Rebecca is concerned. What the hell do you think prompted her to pursue a degree in social work? She knows not every kid has an uncle like the one she has.”

  Although Gray and Ram had a mutual rule of no public displays of affection, he couldn’t help leaning against the man he loved. “What would I do without you?”

  “I don’t know, but I sure as hell hope you never try to find out.” Ram gave Gray a quick kiss. “Come on. Raleigh will be looking for us.”

  Gray followed Ram to the spot where they’d all agreed to meet up.

  “That was so boring,” Jesse complained. “Ben elbowed me a good one for falling asleep.”

  “It wasn’t the sleep I was opposed to, it was you drooling on my shoulder,” Ben clarified.

  Jesse stood on his toes and kissed Ben. Without a shred of worry about his surroundings, Ben returned Jesse’s kiss with interest.

  “Will we ever be like that?” Gray asked Ram.

  “God I hope not. Those two are over the top,” Ram replied.

  “Who’s Raleigh talking to?” Jesse asked.

  It said a lot about Gray’s relationship with his sister that Rebecca didn’t even bother to come over and say hi. “That’s Rebecca, Raleigh’s mother.”

  “No shit?” Jesse asked.

  “No shit.” Gray watched as Raleigh gave Rebecca a hug before pulling away. They spoke for another minute before Raleigh turned and ran towards them. The smile on Raleigh’s face lifted Gray’s spirits. He spread his arms wide just as Raleigh launched herself at him.

  “I’m so proud of you, pumpkin.” Gray closed his eyes as he twirled Raleigh in circles.

  “Put me down before I puke,” Raleigh complained.

  Gray set her back on her feet and held her hands until she was once again steady
.

  “Did you see Mom?”

  “Yeah, I saw her. Where’d she come in from?” Gray knew it was a shame that he didn’t even know where his only sister lived.

  “Nevada.”

  “Did you want to go have dinner with her?” Gray offered. He knew it would kill him if Raleigh walked away, but he had to give his niece the chance to make up her own mind.

  “No. I told her when I invited her that I’d be spending most of the weekend with my family, so she knew what to expect before she came.”

  “Good, so let’s go eat,” Ram chimed in, picking Raleigh up and giving her a hug.

  After Ram set her down, Raleigh was passed from Jesse to Ben and finally into Michael’s arms.

  “See, you worried for nothing,” Ram said in Gray’s ear.

  Gray glanced at Rebecca’s retreating back. “Hey, pumpkin, you wanna go ask your mom to join us?”

  “Really?” Raleigh’s face lit up.

  “Yeah.” Gray swallowed around the lump of emotion caught in his throat. He may not trust his sister, but Raleigh was all grown up, and she deserved to make her own decisions.

  Raleigh stepped up to Gray and tugged on his tie that Ram had made him wear. Staring into Gray’s eyes, she shook her head. “Nah. I’d rather spend the day with my real family.”

  As the group started to make their way to the parking lot, Ram wrapped his arm around Gray’s neck. “That was a nice gesture,” Ram whispered.

  “Being nice had nothing to do with it. She’s all grown up. She doesn’t need me to protect her anymore.”

  “You’re wrong about that. She’ll always need you.”

  “As long as it’s not to bag her groceries.”

  “You got that right,” Ram agreed.

  Coming Soon from Total-E-Bound Publishing:

  Cattle Valley: Confessions

  Carol Lynne

  Released 21st November 2011

  Excerpt

  Chapter One

  Luke Hatcher’s hands shook as he tightened the laces on his running shoes. When he tied the bow, his gaze went to the bloody uniform shirt wadded into a ball beside the front door. He’d worked hundreds of car accidents but none of them had been as horrific as the one hours earlier.

  He rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands in the hope that he could erase the images. When that didn’t work, Luke did what he’d always done when thoughts of spilled blood filled his mind.

  Throwing open the front door, Luke took off at a brisk pace. Despite the predawn hour and having gone without sleep after a long shift, he yearned for the mental release only running provided. His normal stretching routine didn’t seem as important as the heart pounding adrenaline he’d learned to use to replace the memories.

  Clad only in a thin pair of jogging shorts, the cold October night felt good against Luke’s bare skin as his feet hit the pavement. As he started his usual circuit around the streets of Cattle Valley, the mutilated body of the teenage girl resurfaced in the forefront of his mind.

  It didn’t take a psychiatrist to tell him why the girl’s death had affected him more than all the others he’d witnessed in his line of work. Suddenly the girl’s face morphed into the image of his mother. Luke shook his head, trying to rid himself of the disturbing memory before he lost what little food he’d eaten in the last twenty-four hours.

  Although the temperature was below freezing, sweat poured from Luke’s head and chest as he continued his five-point-six mile circuit around the older part of Cattle Valley. He preferred to bypass the new subdivisions that had begun to pop-up on the outskirts. Although the homes were each unique and well-constructed, they just didn’t hold the appeal the matured-treed neighbourhoods of the older section of town did.

  There was one house in particular that always welcomed him. As he neared the home at the end of the dark lane, Luke slowed to a stop like he did most days. He bent over and rested his hands on his knees as he tried to control his laboured breathing.

  Luke stared at the disrepair of the structure in front of him. The pillars on the front corners of the porch made the sagging roof appear to frown. If it was possible for a house to have a soul, he had no doubt the home at 226 Cherry Street would have been crying.

  Luke had gone to City Hall to enquire as to who now owned the house, but received little information in return. The abandoned home belonged to no one Luke had ever heard of. The only information he got out of Carol was that the original owner was in a nursing home in Tulsa, Oklahoma and the taxes were paid yearly in cash by her estate. It was a pity the home had been allowed to fall into such disrepair.

  It was hard for Luke to imagine he was looking at the same house that his mom had kept spotless with a profusion of colourful flowers decorating the front porch and walk. Of course he could have an idealised version of what it had once been since he’d been barely six when he’d been forced to move out of it after the death of his mother.

  When the porch light next door turned on, Luke knew it was time to go. He stretched his arms over his head before heading back down the street the way he’d come. The daily period of rest in front of the abandoned house always served to settle Luke’s demons.

  “Better than therapy,” Luke said as he continued down the street at a brisk pace.

  By the time he reached the alley behind the shops downtown, the fall sky was starting to brighten. Luke tilted his head back to smell the aromatic cinnamon rolls that always permeated the morning air.

  It was his own stupidity that he wasn’t paying attention to the ground under his feet. When his right foot landed in an unexpected hole in the gravel path, Luke’s knee hyper-extended, pitching him forward. He fell to the ground with a howl of pain as the sharp rocks dug into his hands and forearms. “Fuck!”

  Luke rolled to his back for a few moments before sitting up. One look at his knee had Luke shaking his head. The swelling had already begun. He supported the underside of his knee and slowly attempted to straighten his leg. It was painful, but he doubted he’d done serious damage.

  After a quick scan of the surrounding area, Luke realised he was going to have to stand on his own power unless he wanted to half crawl half drag himself across the gravel to the back of one of the buildings.

  A noise from the shadowed dumpsters caught his attention. “Hello?” he called, hoping for help.

  When no one answered and the alley was quiet once again, he decided it must’ve been a cat or some other vermin he didn’t want to dwell on. Clenching his teeth, Luke slowly got to his feet without having to use every dirty word in his repertoire although he did utter quite a few.

  With the majority of his weight shifted to his left leg, Luke began the slow process of walking down the alley. Although there wasn’t anything open that time of morning, he knew Kyle was already hard at work in the bakery. If he could make it to the end of the alley and across the street without either collapsing or crying it would be a miracle.

  Overhead, a light turned on in one of the apartments that lined the upper floors of the downtown shopping area. Luke stared up at the welcoming light. “Hello?” he shouted towards the apartment window.

  Several moments later, Deacon McConnell parted the white cafe curtains and stared down into the alley. Luke waved his arms over his head while trying to maintain his balance. He pointed towards his injured knee.

  Deacon nodded before letting the curtains fall closed. It took close to five minutes, but eventually the back door of Falling Limbs Creations opened. “Something wrong?” he asked.

  “A hole in the road got the better of my knee. Mind if I use your phone to call someone to come get me?” Luke asked.

  With the aid of an intricately carved cane, Deacon made his way into the alley. As far as Luke knew, no one in town had dared ask Deacon how he’d damaged his leg. It wasn’t that they were afraid of Deacon, but the man definitely didn’t put out the kind of vibe that welcomed conversation.

  Deacon gestured towards an older model Jeep. “Stay there and I�
�ll pick you up.”

  With the sweat drying on his skin, Luke began to shiver in the cold morning air. He glanced towards the dumpster again. Why did he feel like someone was watching him? He narrowed his eyes and tried to see through the darkness to what was hidden in the shadows.

  The Jeep pulling up beside him drew his attention away from the eerie feeling. He opened the door and carefully hoisted himself into the passenger seat. “You have a cat?”

  “Yeah,” Deacon answered. “Why?”

  Luke nodded towards the dumpster. “I heard some noises. Just wondered what it could be.”

  “Tabby’s inside sound asleep in my bed. Must’ve been someone else’s cat.”

  “Yeah, you’re probably right.”

  * * * *

  With his knee in a brace, Luke reported for work early Monday morning. He’d spent the remainder of Sunday in bed and stretched out on the couch, but despite the hours of rest, he was exhausted. For the first time since becoming an Emergency Medical Technician, Luke couldn’t escape an accident scene.

  His first stop was Leo Burkowski’s office. With the assistant chief on the phone, Luke waited patiently just outside the open door.

  “Yes, Ma’am, I completely agree,” Leo replied into the phone. “I’ll send a few of my men over around lunch-time so they can get a better feel for what you need.”

  Luke’s spine stiffened. With his knee functioning at less than one hundred per cent, he had a bad feeling he’d be one of the guys sent to the school. The car accident that had resulted in the death of seventeen-year-old Kati Hargrove and the life-threatening injuries of her eighteen-year-old best friend, Clint Stowers had cast a dark cloud over the entire town.

  Leo hung up the phone before motioning Luke into his office. His gaze went to the heavy black Velcro brace around Luke’s knee. “Something you need to tell me?”

  Luke took a seat, stretching his right leg out in front of him. “Hyperextension, but I’m okay to work.”

  Leo rubbed his jaw. It was only seven in the morning and already Leo seemed to have a five o’clock shadow. “You really think you can lift a backboard with a patient’s dead weight on it in your condition?”