“Looks like we have a visitor,” Canyon whispered. “At least, she’s your visitor, Derringer.”
Derringer frowned when he saw the sports car driven by Ashira Lattimore pull up in the yard. He couldn’t help wondering what she wanted since he knew she hadn’t been invited. Also, Ashira and his sisters didn’t get along. But that had never stopped Ashira from thinking her lack of an invite was merely an oversight on someone’s part. She was her parents’ only child and was spoiled rotten. In contrast, he thought, Lucia was her parents’ only child, yet she was sweet as wine. The difference in the two women was like night and day.
“Hello, everyone,” she called out, waving, while glancing around as if she had every right to show up at a family function uninvited. Her face lit up in a huge smile when she saw Derringer, and she immediately headed toward him.
“Derringer, sweetheart, I’ve missed you.” She leaned over, wrapped her arms around his neck and placed a kiss on his lips in full view of everyone.
He took her arms from around his neck and stared down at her. “What are you doing here, Ashira?”
She gave him a pouty look. “I came to see you.”
“This is not where I live,” he said in an annoyed voice.
“I know, but you weren’t home and we need to talk.”
“About what?”
She leaned up on tiptoe and whispered close to his ear, “About that horse you’re trying to sell Daddy. Since he’s buying it for me, I think we need to discuss it, don’t you?”
“I’m busy right now, Ashira.”
“But you want to make that sale, don’t you? Daddy is ready. He wants to see you now, at the ranch.”
Derringer knew he needed to put Ashira in her place once and for all, but here was not the place to do it. “Okay, let’s go,” he said, gripping her hand and pulling her with him toward her car. “I’ll be back later,” he called over his shoulder to everyone. “I’ve got some business to take care of.”
He was angry. He didn’t care about the horse sale as much as Ashira assumed that he did. If she thought it was a carrot she could dangle in front of him to make him do what she wanted then she had another thought coming. What ticked him off more than anything was her underhanded behavior. He should have put her in her place regarding him years ago.
He was so intent on taking her off somewhere to give her a piece of his mind, that he didn’t notice the haughty look of victory the woman shot over her shoulder at Lucia.
Chloe drew in a deep breath. “I don’t think you should leave, Lucia.”
Lucia wiped the tears from her eyes. “There’s no reason for me to stay,” she said, gathering up her things. “You saw it for yourself. Ashira shows up and he leaves. She wanted to prove what she told me that day was true and she did.”
Chloe shook her head. “But I don’t think that’s the way it was. According to Zane and Jason, Derringer said it was about business and probably had to talk to her about that horse he’s trying to sell her father.”
“And it couldn’t wait? Please don’t make excuses for what I saw with my own eyes, Chloe. She snaps her finger and he takes off. He was leading her over to the car and not the other way around. And I truly don’t want to be here when they come back.”
She reached out and hugged Chloe and whispered in a broken voice, “I’ll call you later.”
Lucia knew it would be hard telling the others goodbye. They would see the hurt in her eyes and they would pity her. Or it might be one of those you-should-have-known-better-than-to-fall-in-love-with-Derringer looks. In her book, one was just as bad as the other.
Somehow she made it through, but nearly broke when Zane pulled her into his arms and asked her to stay a while longer. She forced a smile up at him and told him she couldn’t, before rushing to her car, getting inside and driving away.