Unbroken: Country Fever, Book 3 (31 page)

“Because you promised to raise this alpaca for me, and Claire is upholding your end of the bargain.”

“No.” His tone was hard. He swung his gaze between Leon and Darcy. “I don’t know what you did to change events, but it’s stopping with me. Claire is showing this animal.”

Leon stared at Tucker until he got his meaning. In that direct gaze he saw that negotiations had taken place that would keep Leon off his back in exchange for a blue ribbon for his cousin.

He shook his head hard and opened his mouth to speak.

Claire wrapped her fingers around his forearm. Her hand was chilled. She slipped the other around his neck and tugged his head down until her mouth was at his ear. “Let me do this, Tucker. It’s just a fair.”

Her whispered words created a knot of emotion in his throat. She’d done this for him. How and when weren’t important. A tight feeling stole over his body, and pain ricocheted around the walls of his heart. Fuck it all, he’d dragged the people he loved into this mess, and Claire had done something selfless to get him out of it.

Except he knew by Leon’s backstabbing past that the deal only held true until the blue ribbon passed into Darcy’s hand.

He sent Christian a pointed look and released Claire. Christian took over her protection by wrapping an arm around her narrow waist.

Tucker jerked his head at his uncle to indicate they were talking. Leon stalked before him, his lanky legs eating up the muddy ground. When they stood about twenty yards away, Tucker unloaded, and not more livestock.

Fury lay on his tongue. “What the fuck are you trying to pull?”

Leon shook his head, feigning innocence. “Your little gal attacked Darcy in the drugstore—”

“
What?
” He tried to picture Claire—his Claire—sucker-punching Darcy. She was the sweetest woman on earth. How…?

Images of his pocked truck flitted through his head.
Yeah, she’s capable.

But why? She wouldn’t have attacked Darcy without provocation. While he’d never personally had a problem with Darcy, it was possible that Leon’s and Dale’s ways had worn off on her. A shame, really.

Tucker jabbed a finger at his uncle’s chest. “Call it off.”

Surprise flitted across his face. On the heels of that was a cunning glint in his eyes. “If an alpaca and a woman are more important, then I’m sure we can come to an arrangement.”

From his inner pocket of his coat, Leon withdrew the papers.

“Give ‘em to me.” Tucker snatched them from Leon’s hand, turned and flattened them against the wooden side of a concession stand. “Pen?”

Leon dangled one in front of Tucker’s face.

“No!” The harsh cry made him start. He looked up just in time to see Claire sprinting toward him. Mud splashed around her and her expression was fierce—with love.

She ripped the papers from his hands and tore the thick wad in two. Then she proceeded to mutilate the contract until it was confetti lying in the muddy water at their feet.

He gaped at her, aware that Christian was at his side and doing the same.

A fevered light burned in her dark eyes. “You aren’t signing that.”

The corner of his lip tugged upward. “Guess not now.”

She whirled to face Darcy, who had led Boom Boom into the rain. Snagging the leash from her hand, Claire took off with the blinged-out animal, making straight for the stage where she’d parade Boom Boom.

“Guess she’s changed her mind about allowing you to show Boom Boom,” Christian drawled in true cowboy style.

Darcy burst into a keening wail. Leon’s eyes shot bullets. And Tucker couldn’t be happier.

He ground his boot into the mess of paper and shouldered his way past his family. The alpacas were about to be shown, and only one had been that well-cared for as far as he was concerned—the one with the pink ankle cuffs and tiara.

When he and Christian took their seats in the soggy area in front of the stage, he could only see the joy radiating from the woman he loved.

“Hey, little gal.” The whisper from behind caused Claire to whirl.

The man from the bar who’d wanted to talk to her about Leon stood there, his plaid shirt wet from rain and sweat after the wood-chopping competition.

Claire put a bit of distance between them. “What did you need to tell me? Make it fast before my men see us talking.” She cast a nervous glance left and right, but luckily Tucker and Christian were off with Letty, watching the tractor pull.

“I’m with Bradley Coal.” The man shifted from boot to boot. She glanced down to see he wore simple, utilitarian cowboy boots. So he wasn’t like Leon, at least as far as fashion sense went.

A long pause ensued. Finally, she met the man’s gaze.

He swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat. “Look, I don’t know why I’m compelled to tell you this—”

It always started this way. She steeled herself to hear a dark confession about this man’s love affair with Leon or the fact that Leon had stolen his wife from him and plunged him into despair.

He continued, “There’s something been bothering me for a while about that mining operation up on the Langley land.”

She held her breath then released it in a slow trickle. “What’s that?”

“I oversee several branches of Bradley Coal, and I see quite a bit of paperwork. See…” He searched her face as if waiting for her to pull out a badge and bust him for giving up confidential information.

She waited patiently. No better way to get a person talking.

In a rush, he spoke. “That land, some of it isn’t minable. But Leon—he rigged the maps to make it look as if it is.”

“What?” Confusion slanted her brows into a V.

“Seems that part of that land Leon owns—not Tucker, mind you—has a hold on it by the state.”

“I don’t understand.” A deep quake began in her belly. She wished she hadn’t given into Christian’s wishes and taken a bite of his corndog.

“The state claims there are ruins on that upper portion of the land. They plan to have an archeological dig. Indian ruins or dinosaur bones—I’m not sure what’s in that ground. But Leon isn’t supposed to disturb it with mining.”

And he has.
A flutter took up residence in her chest. Fear or excitement? She wasn’t sure.

“So he falsified the surveyor’s maps to make it look as if the land the state wants him to keep untouched is really some distance away. In the north corner.”

The gravity of the information hit her full force. Bearing down on her until she felt as if her wooden heels would splinter. With this information, she could stop Leon once and for all. If she told on him, he’d be in for the lawsuit of his life, racking up millions in fees and fines.

For the first time ever, Claire reached out and placed her hand on the arm of the man who had told her something she didn’t want to hear. Because in the end, she needed this information to keep Tucker, Christian and her all safe and living happily on the ranch forever.

“Thank you.” She squeezed the man’s arm, a smile eating up every square inch of her face. It felt as if her forehead was even smiling.

He grinned in return, infected by her excitement though he couldn’t know why. “My pleasure. Just…” A worried look passed over his features.

She ran her finger and thumb along her lip in a zipping motion. Then backing off, she gave a final wave before making her hurried way to the tractor pull.

Chapter Thirteen

Claire held her breath while the judge passed by Letty’s canned wares two times…three times. Christian squeezed her hand in support.

A tremble ran through her, and he knew she was more excited that Letty might win than she had been at receiving that blue ribbon for Boom Boom.

Well, he hoped that both of his favorite women won today.

The judge licked his lips and used the small spoon to sample Letty’s sauce once more. Then he swished some water around his mouth and walked five paces to another woman’s sauce. He repeated his ritual.

“Jesus, just pick her already. It’s the best up there,” Tucker muttered, kicking at the only bit of dry earth within the fairgrounds.

Claire shot him a grin then returned her attention to the judge. The man was just abusing his power, as far as Christian was concerned. He wasn’t singlehandedly choosing the next American President.

“C’mon, judge. It’s obvious who the winner is!” The holler left Christian’s lips before he realized he was about to do it.
Guess Claire’s impulsiveness has rubbed off.

Claire snapped around to stare at him and Tucker broke into hysterical laughter. Seated at the long table, her hat primly seated atop her tiny skull, Letty grinned. She and Christian’s gazes met. In that instant, he knew he had her on his side and might never have to resort to eating brains again.

Well, maybe once in a while, just to keep her happy.

“And the winner is…” A long, drawn-out pause ensued. Letty squirmed. Claire was an electrical current coursing through a fence wire.

“On with it,” Tucker called.

The judge gave him a steely eye. “The winner is number fourteen, Letty Bishop.”

Claire squealed and surged out of Christian’s hold to reach the table. Letty stood and they embraced, rocking and bouncing together.

Tucker’s gaze was riveted to the women, just as Christian’s was. “Two ribbons won. I say we take our horses and head on home.”

Shock flitted through Christian. “What? Not show your horses?”

Tucker waved a hand. “I don’t need ribbons. I can sell them for top dollar without. I know two rodeo guys who want them right now.”

An hour later, the horses and Boom Boom were tucked in the trailer, and Letty’s prize-winning tomato sauce wrapped in quilts and in the trunk of her car. Her applesauce had taken second place, which had been fine enough for her.

During the drive home, Christian’s mind whirled with the events of the day. Learning that Claire had tried to keep Leon off Tucker’s back—the same way Christian had coerced Dale—didn’t set well with him.

He didn’t want Claire involved. Keeping her in her safe world was a necessity. And Tucker was right—they had to convince her to quit working at the diner and take on the ranch full time as her job.

For long minutes, Christian thought about how he could earn more from his side business but it wasn’t as if people were knocking down his door, demanding he trim their trees.

By the time he registered what he was seeing out the window, they were home.

He peered through the rain-spattered windshield, straining to understand the sight before him.

Claire slapped a hand against his thigh, leaning forward too. “Is that…?”

“Horses,” Tucker growled. He floored the truck and spun up gravel. It clinked off the bottom of the metal horse trailer. In seconds, they were in front of the barn. Tucker leaped from the truck and took off running.

Horses scattered. Alpacas skittered all over the yard and one was up in the pasture, running full tilt for the tree line.

“Leon—it’s gotta be.” That volcanic look that had once scared Christian crossed his lover’s face again. He exchanged a knowing nod with Tucker and they each grabbed one of Claire’s arms.

“Hey!” She dug her heels in as they dragged her toward the house.

“Just listen to us this once, sweetheart.” Christian eased his command by rubbing his thumb over the leaping vein in her wrist.

“No. I’m part of this ranch.” Her voice faltered and she swung her gaze toward Tucker.

He stopped in his tracks. Water ran off the brim of his hat but his eyes beneath were nothing but fire. Fire and love.

He leaned in and planted a hard kiss on Claire’s lips. “You know you are. We’re a team. But you’ve gotta stay inside in case there’s trouble.”

“What kind of trouble?”

Tucker started towing her toward the house again. He fished in his pocket for his keys and unlocked the door, which had never been locked before his relatives started their crap.

Christian opened the door and they bundled their fighting woman inside. “We don’t know what kind of trouble yet. But you’re not going to be part of it.”

Tucker closed the door in her face, but not before Christian got a good look at the determined wrath on her pixie features.

“She ain’t gonna stay put. She’ll run out the back,” Christian said.

“Probably, but hopefully her anger will keep her from thinking straight for a few minutes. Let’s go.” Tucker jumped off the porch steps in one bound.

Christian followed and they stormed toward the barn. One sweep of the inside told them that the horses here hadn’t been tampered with. Only those in the corral and the alpacas.

“Come out, you lowlife bastard,” Tucker bellowed.

“This might be a good time to tell you that I caught Dale here the other day.”

“What?” Tucker spun, fists clenched and jaw locked. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Well, I…roughed him up a little and sent him on his way.”
And tried to blackmail him as Claire did with Darcy.

Tucker seemed to sense there was more. He opened his mouth to speak, but a cracking noise from the back of the barn distracted him. Smoke and the acrid scent of gasoline drifted to Christian.