Lone Star Nights

His eyes met hers, and she halfway expected him to ask if he was part of the reason she didn’t want to be there.

He was.

Lucky had a way of stirring things inside her that shouldn’t be stirred. Along with heating parts of her that should remain at room temperature. She had enough bears chasing her without adding Lucky McCord to the furry mix. But adding him was something she was apparently going to have to do.

At least for this guardianship facet of her life anyway. No heating or stirring allowed.

“With the Bluebonnet Inn booked, I don’t have a place to stay,” Cassie added. “And I need some office space. I have a client I have to see. It can’t wait, and she’ll be flying in to San Antonio in the morning. I can have her come to the house, or I can leave you with the girls while I go to San Antonio and meet—”

“You’re not leaving me with the girls. Especially when one might be suicidal. You can have your meeting at the house. There are two offices. My brother Riley’s been using one, but the other one should be free.”

“Thanks.” Of course, office space was really only a minor part of this. “You’ll need to keep the girls away from this particular client.”

That put some concern on his face. “What kind of client is this?”

“The worst kind. A person who’s a celebrity only because she’s a celebrity.”

Lucky really didn’t show any interest in this client anyway, but he probably would when she arrived tomorrow.

“Other than being with this client, you’re not to let Mackenzie out of your sight. Agreed?” Lucky pressed.

“Agreed. Well, except that I’d like to go back over to the funeral home and say a proper goodbye to my grandmother.”

Certainly, he couldn’t deny her that. Even though he looked as if he would do anything to avoid being alone with the girls.

“All right,” he finally said.

“I also left my rental car there,” she added. “My suitcase is in it.”

“I can have one of the ranch hands pick it up if you need it before you can make it back over to the funeral home.”

So, they had worked out the immediate details, but maybe this pact wouldn’t have to last long. And there were some things she could do to make sure it didn’t. Like hiring some private detectives to speed up the hunt for the girls’ next of kin.

“I’ll call ahead to the housekeepers and tell them to get a couple of guest rooms ready. I’ll also need to get another vehicle since my truck won’t hold all four of us. And I need to cancel out of the rodeo I’m supposed to be leaving for in the morning.” He reached for his phone but stopped when they heard the voice.

“Uh, we got a problem,” Bernie called out.

“What now?” Lucky grumbled, and he hurried toward the reception area with Cassie right behind him.

Bernie wasn’t in the hall where they’d left him. He was at the front door of his office, and he had a thunderstruck look on his face.

“The girls are gone,” he said.

* * *

“HURRY UP,” Mackenzie told her sister.

But Mia didn’t listen. She was poking along, looking back over her shoulder at the lawyer’s office. “Lucky was nice,” Mia insisted.

Sometimes, her sister could be so dumb. “It’s an act,” Mackenzie said. “He’s only being nice because he has to be, because he wants to get money or something.”

“How’d he get money or something?” Mia asked instead of hurrying.

Mackenzie ignored her. It wouldn’t be long now before the lawyer looked out and spotted them. Well, it wouldn’t be long if he ever managed to finish that text he’d been pecking out on his phone. Sheez. Old people and their fat, slow fingers!

“How’d Lucky get money or something?” Mia repeated, and since she probably wouldn’t shut up—or hurry—until she got an answer, Mackenzie ducked into an alley with her so they’d be off the sidewalk.

“Dixie Mae had money, stupid. Lucky and the lady doctor will probably get it if they have us. People leave that sort of stuff in wills.”

She nearly said shit instead of stuff, but Dixie Mae had said it wasn’t a good idea to cuss in front of little kids, that it could make them get into trouble. Dixie Mae had said that it happened to her. Since Mia was a little kid, Mackenzie had tried to cut back just in case Dixie Mae was right.

“I’m not stupid,” Mia protested.

Great. Now she was about to bawl again. “I didn’t mean it. Just quit asking so many questions and keep walking. Your feet don’t move fast when you keep saying things.”

“Where we going?” Mia asked less than two seconds later.

“Away from here. We’re not staying where we’re not wanted.”

Of course, they hadn’t been wanted in a long time, not since their grandmother had gone to heaven—and Mackenzie was sure that’s where she’d gone. Maybe Dixie Mae had, too, but maybe it was a different part of heaven from where Granny Maggie had gone because Dixie Mae probably wouldn’t like living with angels, nice people and shit. Plus, she wouldn’t be able to smoke up there and cuss.

Mackenzie led Mia to the other end of the alley and was about to cross the street when she spotted the Spring Hill Police Department. She definitely didn’t want to go in that direction, and if the lawyer had finally finished that text, he might have noticed they were missing. He could have already called the cops.

Or maybe he wouldn’t call anybody at all.

Those three beep-heads—that wasn’t the name Mackenzie really wanted to call them, but she was trying to think with less cussing, too—anyway, maybe the three would be glad Mia and she were gone so they wouldn’t have to upset their pretty little lives.

Mackenzie waited a sec to make sure the police weren’t going to come storming out of the building. No storming so far, though. But just in case that happened, she took Mia up the street and to the right, away from the police department.

She’d paid attention when Scooter had driven them in from San Antonio to Spring Hill, and there was a bus station just on the edge of town. If they could get there, she had enough money for two bus tickets to San Antonio. From there they could get to Dixie Mae’s house. As big as the place was, they could hide out there until Mackenzie could come up with something better. With the cash she had stuffed in her shoe, they could get by for maybe a whole week as long as they ate just French fries.

They passed in front of the grocery store, and Mackenzie tried to keep her head down, tried not to get noticed. But people noticed all right. Probably because of her clothes. Nobody dressed like her in this hick town. Too bad she hadn’t had anything else to put on. All her clothes were black.

Just ahead, Mackenzie spotted something that balled up her stomach. A cop wearing a blue uniform. And he had a gun. Jail might be better than going with Lucky and the doctor, but being locked up would probably just make Mia cry. A lot of things made her cry.

Mackenzie turned around, took a side street and tried to remember how to get to the bus station. She didn’t dare stop and ask, but maybe there was a map or sign or something.

“Looking for somebody?” a man asked from behind them.

“Just walking,” Mackenzie answered without even looking back at him. But he was walking now, too, and it didn’t take him long to catch up with them.

Her heart jumped so high she felt it in her throat.

Because it was Lucky.

Except he’d changed clothes real fast because he was wearing a suit jacket, and he didn’t have on that big rodeo buckle that had caught Mia’s eye. And he was standing in front of a big building. Probably once it’d been somebody’s house because it sort of looked like Dixie Mae’s place, but this one had a sign on the front of it.

McCord Cattle Brokers.