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СКАЧАТЬ as poor Nora Hoffman from the crazy family. College was a chance to just be me, without all that baggage.”

      “I guess it makes sense, in a twisted kind of way.” He gave her that dismayed look again. “And you broke up because...”

      “After college he wanted to work in the Amazon rain forest. To stop the deforestation.”

      “Why didn’t you go with him? It sounds like something that would’ve been right up your alley.”

      She remembered how much she’d wanted to. How her sorrow over losing Todd had been mixed with jealousy and regret and resentment. “I didn’t go because of money. Those jobs pay nothing. The only reason Todd could go was because his family is rich and he didn’t need to work. He could afford a job like that. I couldn’t. I needed to be practical.”

      “And support me.” He looked grim. “Your baggage.”

      “No!” She smacked him then, lightly, on the shoulder. Like she used to when they were kids. “You weren’t the reason I didn’t go, Wade. I couldn’t have survived on the tiny stipend they were offering. No one could. Plus, I had that great fellowship at the University of Nevada for my graduate work. It made sense to accept it, and I was happy to take you with me. You needed to get out of Benson.”

      “You saved me, you know. If you hadn’t done that, I’d probably be hiding out in Mexico with our brothers right now, doing God knows what.”

      It would have broken her heart if he’d become like them. “You were always a good kid, Wade. You would have found your way even if I hadn’t stepped in.”

      “But I wasn’t finding my way. I was stealing cars. The one I got caught with? It wasn’t the first.”

      Tension crept up Nora’s neck, and all the aches from her fall last night started to throb. “I didn’t know. But I’m glad it was your last.”

      “Me, too. Like I said, you saved me.”

      She’d never heard her brother speak so emotionally. And it gave her the chance to say what she’d wanted to ever since he’d come home from war just weeks ago. “I’m proud of you, you know. So proud of what you did in Afghanistan. And of what you’re trying to do here, with the ranch.”

      “It’s nothing.” His expression changed, snapped shut almost as clearly as if he’d slammed a door in her face. It happened every time she brought up the war.

      “It’s not nothing! It takes guts to come back to Benson. I wouldn’t have—”

      “Except I asked you to,” he finished. He looked straight at her then. “You know I really appreciate this, right? You’ve always been there for me, and here you are again.”

      “I want to be here. I missed you while you were away. And, coincidentally, I’d just got the contract to do this plant study, so I was planning to be in the area anyway.” It was a lie—but just a small one. She’d found the job after Wade had asked her to come home. He didn’t need to know that.

      He also didn’t need to know how worried she’d been—and still was. She’d read the news articles about combat veterans feeling lost once they got home. Ex-soldiers turning to drugs, becoming homeless or even committing suicide. And all her old protective instincts had kicked in. No way would she let any of that happen to Wade.

      So here she was. And if this ranch was his dream, then she’d do anything she could to help it be a success. She’d even face Todd Williams tonight in a bar. Hopefully it would give her some closure—enough peace of mind that when she saw him around town it would simply be like seeing any other person she used to know.

      Wade reached for the door handle. “And I think that’s enough heartfelt discussion for today. If my buddies in my platoon were here right now, they’d never let me live this conversation down.”

      Nora laughed. “Well, just to make them really cringe... I love you.”

      He didn’t actually cringe, but he winced a little. Then he smiled at her. “Back atcha, sis.”

      “Come to the bar with me tonight?”

      It was Wade’s turn to laugh. “You mean front row for the awkward show as you reunite with your ex? No thanks.”

      Nora’s smile thinned. “Trust me, there will be no reuniting.”

      “Good.” Wade elbowed her gently in the upper arm. “If he tries anything, kick his ass for me?”

      She was tempted to tell Wade what Todd had done. That he’d stolen horses and almost killed her in the process. But it wasn’t Wade’s job to fight her battles. Resolve had her sitting up straighter. Yes. She would kick his ass. Maybe not with her fists, but certainly with her words. With her attitude. With all the fear and outrage that had kept her awake last night, haunted by the sounds of the horses’ hooves above her head. “Will do.”

      “Excellent. Just don’t drink too much. And if you do, call me and I’ll come get you.”

      “Thanks.” Nora didn’t mention that she no longer owned a cell phone, courtesy of Todd, the masked man. Anxiety had her breath catching. She’d witnessed a crime but hadn’t reported it. Didn’t that make her guilty, too?

      But she hadn’t been able to bring herself to report it. She’d walked by the mustangs every workday for the past couple weeks and seen them listless under the hot sun. She’d been disturbed by their misery, but she’d done nothing. She might hate Todd’s methods, but she couldn’t fault his reasons.

      The problem was, during all the years she’d raised Wade, she’d preached honesty. She’d made sure he understood how important it was to obey laws and rules and not participate in their family’s criminal lifestyle. How could she explain to him that she was choosing to overlook something illegal?

      Frustration fueled her anger further. Todd Williams was pure trouble. It was telling that the moment he reentered her life, he put her in this kind of dilemma.

      She shoved open her door and jumped out of the truck. Reaching into the back, she grabbed the rope they’d used to tie down the broken tools. “I’ll bring this back to the barn.”

      “I’ll take it,” Wade offered. “Go get ready for your date.”

      “It’s not a date!”

      He took the rope from her hand, laughter making him look younger than he had in a while. “It’s my duty, as your brother, to tease you. Now go shower.”

      She must really look bad if he was shooing her off to get cleaned up. “Thanks.” She turned and headed for the house.

      Inside, she went straight to the bathroom. Caught in the mirror, her grim expression made her face look different. It belonged to someone older. Someone angrier. And dirtier. Grease coated her hands, and black finger marks were smeared across her forehead. Her jeans were more brown than blue and her T-shirt had a cobweb down one side. Not the look she’d envisioned for herself when she’d imagined seeing Todd again.

      Staring at her reflection, she traced the vertical crease between her brows and the frown lines around her mouth, leaving trails of black grease behind. It looked like war paint. Which was fitting. Todd, the masked СКАЧАТЬ