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  And she was damned proud of the fact that she could take care of herself. If she’d grown up in a different household…if she’d had two supportive parents instead of one slightly unstable one…perhaps she wouldn’t have been so independent and versatile.

  That didn’t mean she had no desire to meet her only living family members, the sons her mother had deserted years ago. She needed to tell them the truth before they found out from a lawyer who had no personal interest in the Crawford family.

  The café smelled like comfort food. Hot biscuits, gravy, pot roast and mashed potatoes. A blast of cool air surrounded her as she inhaled deeply. Mmm. The smell was almost as good as a coffeehouse. With any luck, she’d get some more information and a good meal.

  Most of the vinyl booths were taken, as well as some of the round counter stools. Amanda made her way past the please-be-seated sign to an empty table where she could people-watch.

  Several couples and families were at the café, but none of them looked as if they might be her brother with his wife and children. Of course, she was basing that assessment on an old photograph she’d found in her mother’s dresser after she’d passed away.

  Cal Jr., her older brother, appeared very stern, almost as if he resented sitting for the portrait. The younger brother, Troy, barely a teenager, looked somewhat more friendly, with an easy smile. Once their mother had mentioned that she’d always been closer to Troy because Cal was so much like their father. Amanda sure hoped he’d changed over the years. Luanna had missed her sons, but Amanda never did sense that her mother had missed being a wife to Calvin Crawford.

  “What can I get you to drink?” the waitress asked.

  “Iced tea, please.”

  “Sure. The special tonight is pot roast, and the regular menu is on the table.”

  “Pot roast sounds good,” Amanda said. “Does that come with biscuits?”

  “Hot rolls.”

  “Okay. Sounds great.”

  The waitress smiled and walked away. Amanda finished looking at the people in the café. Some of them looked back at her. They were identifying her as a stranger, someone new in town. Why was she here? Where was she from? She knew they wanted to ask, but they probably wouldn’t come right out and grill her. They’d be more polite.

  Would her brothers be polite? Or would they deny her existence? They might still be bitter about their mother’s leaving, since according to Luanna, she’d never explained why she’d deserted them. They might say that even if Amanda was Luanna’s daughter, she wasn’t a full sister. She couldn’t possibly have the same father. Things could get ugly, and she really didn’t want to open herself up to that kind of suspicion and rejection.

  Not that she had a lot of choices. Some events didn’t wait for convenient times. She could only control what she did, how she reacted. She had one opportunity to find out everything she could about her family.

  “Here’s your tea,” the waitress said. “Dinner will be out in a few minutes.”

  “Thanks. Looks like a nice crowd tonight.”

  “Business is pretty good, especially with the refurbished motel and the other new businesses in the old train hotel.”

  “I was at the coffee shop earlier, and I’m staying at the motel.” At least for two nights, which was about all she could afford.

  “Oh, yeah? So, are you visiting someone in town?”

  Amanda shook her head. “Doing some genealogy research for a client.”

  “Really? I’ve never known anyone who did that for a living.”

  “It’s a hobby that’s turned into a profession.”

  “That’s neat, to do something you love.”

  More of a necessity than a labor of love, but she didn’t want to burst the waitress’s bubble about following a dream. “You probably wouldn’t know anything about the person I’m researching because they left here around twenty years ago.”

  “Really? You might want to come by at noon tomorrow. There’s a group of older ladies, and sometimes younger ones, too, who have lunch here most days. They might be able to help you. You can’t miss them.”

  “I’ll do that. Thank you.”

  “Well, I’ll check on your dinner.”

  Noon tomorrow. That gave her the rest of the night to do some planning, get out her maps and reread the letter her mother had left her.

  And a whole morning to do some sightseeing at the Rocking C.

  LEO LOOKED FOR A CERTAIN cute newcomer inside the Coffee Crossing the next morning, but saw only the usual patrons. He felt disappointed that Amanda Allen wasn’t there as he greeting his friends and acquaintances. While he waited for his to-go cup, he discovered from Riley that their interesting visitor had indeed checked into the Sweet Dreams Motel, as he’d assumed she would.

  It was the only motel in Brody’s Crossing, after all.

  Amanda intrigued him more than anyone he’d met in months, and that was saying a lot because he found most people pretty fascinating.

  One of the downsides of living in his small hometown was the lack of strangers. New people. Lately, there had been some interesting goings-on in town. Newcomers moving here, businesses opening. Trouble was, all of them were hooked up already. Cal and Christie, James and Sandy, Wyatt and Toni. Cassie McMann had moved to town when Wyatt returned from California, but she seemed more like a little sister than a possible love interest. That was the problem with several eligible young women he knew. They were friends, not lovers. They were so much like family that he couldn’t get past that “kissing cousins” idea to pursue a relationship.

  He’d gone to college, left college, been a professional gambler, left that career way before he’d wanted to and now owned his own business. He was only thirty-two, but he’d had a full and definitely unconventional life.

  Leo went across the interior hallway and looked at the new arrivals in the bookstore window. He enjoyed a good thriller, especially those set in exotic places. Nothing looked promising this week. He walked a little farther up the hall, put his quarters in the newspaper rack and got the Fort Worth Star Telegram. He glanced at the headlines, then sauntered outside—since Amanda hadn’t shown up yet—and breathed in the crisp, cool air. If she didn’t come into the store this morning, he’d have to find an excuse to go look for her.

  “Hey, Leo.”

  The sound of Cal Crawford’s voice jarred Leo out of his musing. “Hey, Cal. What are you doing in town this morning?” The rancher was dressed in a denim jacket and hat, his leather gloves tucked into his pocket. He stopped next to Leo on the steps, holding two large steaming cups.

  “We’re heading to Fort Worth for the day to do a little shopping. According to Christie, there are some things that just can’t be purchased online or through a catalog. You know how she’s got a thing for quality.”

  “You’ve got that right.” Cal’s wife, Christie, worked with Leo and his sister, Toni. They’d done the hotel renovation last year and this year they were converting several empty storefronts in nearby Graham into office suites. Christie could be exacting and particular, but she did know quality. And Toni had the expertise from her renovation company.

  Leo wasn’t sure what he brought into the partnership other than comic relief and a clean reputation. People knew they could trust him to give them an honest deal. Plus, he usually made the two seriously professional women laugh. He could always balance the company checkbook. And he found good bargains on materials.

  “Where are Christie and the kids?”

  “There,” Cal said, nodding at his truck. “We planned to get some coffee for the road, but just as we pulled in, Callie spit up all over her Onesie. Christie is changing her while I get the coffee. Lucky me.”

  “Her one—what?”

  “The one piece jumpsuit thing that babies wear. Christie says they’re the best for babies, but I swear, getting her into and out of those things is like wrestling a greased pig.”

  Leo laughed and clapped Cal on the shoulder. The marriage epidemic that had hit B
rody’s Crossing lately had resulted in an increase in the next generation. Toni and Christie liked to consider the Onesie crowd as future customers. Leo tried to buy into the idea of looking forward, but that meant he might see himself still running the hardware store and renovating buildings in twenty or thirty years. Probably still single and looking for the next pretty face. Or would he have become so bored by his life that he’d do something crazy again?

  Something like running off to the closest blackjack game. Hoping the guys who told him to take himself off the gambling circuit had forgotten him and what he was accused of doing to that Saudi sheik in Dubai.

  Naw, that probably wasn’t going to happen. He’d have to find a way to keep life interesting right here in Brody’s Crossing. Learning more about Amanda Allen and why she was in town would be a real good start.

  He had a feeling that young woman had secrets, too.

  “Hey, did you zone out?” Cal asked.

  “Just thinking about all the changes around here.” Leo heard a car coming toward them and looked around Cal. Well, well. A Subaru wagon with Oregon plates. The morning had just improved.

  “Have a good drive,” Leo said quickly, watching Amanda’s car as she searched for a parking spot. “I suddenly have the urge for another cup of coffee.”

  Cal noticed the Subaru. “Yeah? Someone new, I see.”

  “Amanda. She’s just passing through, which means I need to hurry and make my move.”

  “Yeah, I’ve got to move it, too. See you around.” Cal set off toward his truck.

  Leo watched Amanda motion for Cal to cross in front of her car as she slowed. He nodded and walked quickly to where his family waited.

  Leaving Leo alone in the parking lot to give Amanda a big Texas good morning greeting. Sweet.

  Chapter Two

  Amanda spotted Leo Casale as she let the cowboy with the two cups of coffee pass in front of her. Leo slowly smiled, the morning sunlight glittering off his golden hair and flashing on the unusual ring she’d noticed yesterday. She’d seen him twice now, and both times he’d taken her breath away. She stopped the car and stared.

  Guys didn’t usually have that effect on her, even the men she dated. She had a variety of male friends from all walks of life. Some drank a little too much on the weekends and liked to watch sports. Others stayed up all night drinking coffee and discussing literary fiction or politics. Her world wasn’t all that narrow.

  Of course, she wasn’t in her world anymore. She was in his. Which was also the world of the Crawfords, and all the other people who had known her mother and father and brothers. These were the people she would have grown up knowing if her mother had brought her to Texas rather than running off to Oregon.

  She sighed, took her foot off the brake and pulled into a parking spot just a few spaces down. She had five or six days at the most to scope out her brother at the Rocking C, decide how she would approach him and then actually tell him what had happened after their mother had left this town. She also wanted to talk to as many people as possible who might have known Luanna. Worst case scenario, once the Crawfords found out about her, they wouldn’t want their friends and neighbors speaking to her. She had to find out everything she wanted to know first, before dropping the bomb.

  But for now, there was Leo.

  He stood between her and coffee. “Good morning. How was your room at the motel?” he asked as she opened the door.

  She pulled her jacket around her and locked her car. “Very nice. Kind of funky. I love the vintage cowboy look.”

  “Christie really enjoyed shopping for things to decorate the rooms.”

  Christie? He spoke her name rather fondly. Amanda experienced a small tug of jealousy, which was kind of surprising since she barely knew Leo Casale. She also suddenly realized she’d been frowning at him.

  “Hmm. I guess I didn’t mention her before.”

  “Girlfriend?” Amanda couldn’t help asking.

  Leo chuckled. “No way. She’s the owner of the motel and one of my partners on the hotel project. And she’s married.” He took a sip of his coffee. “Hey, what are you doing later? Would you like to see the area?”

  “Don’t you need to work?”

  “I’m the boss. I can take a long lunch break.”

  “Sorry.” As tempting as spending time with Leo was, she had to stick to her schedule. “I’ve got to be at the café around noon. I’m hoping to talk to some of the ladies who lunch there about people who used to live in Brody’s Crossing.”

  Leo rotated his wrist and looked at his watch. “How about around ten o’clock then? Come by the hardware store. I’ll have you back before noon.”

  “Well…” A good-looking tour guide was tempting. And it would probably be better for her to visit the ranch with someone who knew the Crawfords rather than show up as a stranger. “I’ve heard so much about the Rocking C. I would like to see it.”

  “Sure, we can run by there, although the owners won’t be home today.”

  “How do you know?”

  Leo looked back over his shoulder. “That was Cal Crawford, the owner of the Rocking C, going to his truck just as you were pulling in. He and the family are on their way to Fort Worth for the day.”

  Amanda’s heart pounded as she remembered the tall cowboy she’d motioned to pass in front of her car. Her older brother. The one most like their father. “You don’t say,” she said in a small voice. “I, um, need some coffee. I’ll see you at ten o’clock at the hardware store.” She felt distracted, disoriented and disturbed as she walked away from Leo.

  She’d just come within a few feet of her brother and neither one of them had realized it. Soon, though, Cal would know the truth.

  AT A FEW MINUTES PAST ten, Leo rested his elbow on the center console of his truck and thought about Amanda as he drove out of town. She sat in the other bucket seat, staring out the window, looking apprehensive. Despite driving all the way from Oregon, she didn’t seem to be enjoying her visit to Texas. He knew there was something she wasn’t telling him, but for the life of him he couldn’t figure out what it might be.

  She wasn’t asking questions about the bank vault or the jewelry store, so he assumed she wasn’t a master thief. She wanted to know about how old certain buildings were, who had lived here the longest and what traditions or holidays the town celebrated.

  She was politely curious without ever revealing a thing about herself. She’d answered all of his questions neutrally, as if she were in a play and had memorized her lines. Their conversation had played out like a bad script.

  “So, you’re from Oregon?”

  “I grew up there.”

  “You must like to drive.”

  “Yes, I do.”

  “Leave anyone special back in Oregon?”

  “No, not really.”

  “So, how did you get in the genealogy-slash-treasure hunting business?”

  “Just seemed like a good fit.”

  He drove the curving road he knew so very well while she continued to look at the countryside. Her short answers made him insatiably curious about why she was really here. He would have to elevate his game if he was going to discover Amanda’s secrets.

  He pulled to the side of the road, across from a black painted arch over a wide gravel drive. “Here we are. The Rocking C.”

  He watched Amanda lean closer to the window. She placed her fingertips against the glass and seemed to absorb every inch of the ranch sign and logo. She scanned the horizon next, looking at the fences and cattle and bison grazing on the green grass. The wind blew waves across the pastures.

  “They have organic dairy cows and free range chickens, too,” he said.

  She straightened, as if his voice had snapped her out of her trancelike observation. “Can we go in there?” she asked, pointing down the drive.

  “I don’t see why not. Have you always been fascinated with farm animals?”

  “No, I’m not… I mean, I read about this ranch on the internet. I’m int
erested in how they turned a traditional cattle ranch into this.”

  “It’s a long story.” He looked both ways, then turned the wheel and steered his F-250 down the drive.

  “I’m not going to be in Brody’s Crossing all that long. What’s the condensed version?”

  “Basically, while Cal was serving active duty in Afghanistan, his younger brother, Troy, and a vegetarian from New Hampshire changed the ranch to keep it from going under. Cal was pretty peeved when he got home and found chickens and bison and dairy cows roaming the family land, where they’d raised Herefords for four generations. But eventually he came around. I guess Christie helped him see the light.”

  Amanda turned to him. “The same Christie you mentioned earlier?”

  “Yes, the motel owner and my partner. Didn’t I mention that she’s Cal’s wife?” He slowed the truck.

  Amanda’s eyes widened just a bit and she swallowed. “No, you didn’t mention that,” she answered in a very neutral tone. “Is everyone related around here?”

  “Not everyone,” he answered. “For example, I’m not related to Christie or Cal.”

  “Thank goodness for that,” Amanda murmured as he pulled near the house. Now that was an odd thing to say!

  THERE WERE TWO HOUSES on the Rocking C. Amanda wasn’t sure why, but she assumed the older one was the house where her mother used to live with the boys and her husband, and the newly built one was probably where her brother Cal and his family lived now.

  Someone had money. The oversize two-story house was a combination native limestone, brick and wood. It was large, with a turret, big windows and heavy double front doors. While the older house had very little landscaping, this one had shrubs and flowers defined by a limestone border, and a real yard covering the slight hill. A woman’s touch, Amanda assumed.