The Reluctant Texas Rancher. Cathy Gillen Thacker

truck out there within minutes, he helped transfer the calves and then stayed with our truck until the tow service arrived. Had he not been there, had he not known just who in that particular area to call for help, we might have had a very different outcome.” Liz paused to let her words sink in. “J.T. is a good guy. He’s just going through a rough patch.”

      Travis studied her, a combination of respect and admiration on his handsome face. “He’s lucky to have you in his corner.”

      Liz warmed at the compliment. “Let’s just hope I can do something for him.”

      “NO WAY,” RIO VASQUEZ SAID. “He’s spending the night in a holding cell. He can go in front of the judge in the morning.”

      Liz squared off with the arresting officers. “Guys, come on….”

      Kyle McCabe stood firm, too. “It’s for his own good. Besides, you saw him, Liz. J.T. was practically pleading with us to bring him in.”

      Maybe, Liz thought, so he wouldn’t have to spend another night alone in the house he had shared with his beloved Cyndi.

      Travis put a hand on her shoulder. “They’re right.”

      Liz knew it. She just didn’t want to admit that everything she had said to J.T. about his behavior so far had been ineffective. She lifted a hand. “Fine. I’ll be back first thing tomorrow.” The hours in between would give her time to think about what she wanted to say to the judge.

      Travis and Liz walked out of the sheriff’s station. “So what now?” he asked, suddenly looking almost as restless as she felt.

      She consulted her watch. It was only nine-thirty.

      “It’s Friday evening,” Travis continued. “Do you have somewhere you need to be? Someone you need to see?”

      His lack of subtlety was not lost on her.

      He was trying to figure her out, the same way she’d been trying to get a handle on him. And his current legal problem.

      Figuring it might help convince him to confide in her if they lightened up a little, she allowed herself to tease him back. “Why, Counselor, are you asking me if I have a date?”

      He grinned at her exaggerated Texas accent. “I didn’t see any photos of a boyfriend at your office.” He paused, his eyes opaque. “Or the homestead, for that matter.”

      Liz let out a long, careful breath. She slowed her steps, delaying the moment they would get back into her SUV. Suddenly, the space felt a tad too intimate.

      She lifted her chin. “That’s because I don’t have one.”

      “Which means what?” His eyes narrowed, he stepped close enough that she could smell the leather-and-soap scent of his hair and skin. “You’re not dating?” He reached up to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear. “You’re opposed to dating?”

      When she didn’t answer, he met her gaze. “It’s nothing I couldn’t easily find out from someone else. I just thought …” His voice dropped another notch, in a way that sent heat slashing through her. “If the story is that we’re resuming our friendship, we ought to know the basic facts about each other.”

      The woman in her wanted to keep up all the barriers. The attorney in her knew he was right. Plus, she was curious about him, too.

      She resumed walking toward the parking lot behind the sheriff’s station while gazing up at the stars shimmering in the black velvet sky above. “I had a serious relationship a few years ago, when I was working in Dallas.” She shook off the unhappy memories. “We broke off our engagement by mutual agreement.”

      Travis cocked his head and ran his gaze over her like a caress. “Are you still friends?”

      “Not really.” She rummaged in her pocket for her keys, then hit the electronic keypad. The locks clicked; the interior lights went on. “It’s kind of hard to come back from something like that.”

      He opened the driver’s door for her, stood waiting for her to get in. “And since …?”

      The intensity of his regard had her whole body tensing. Liz adapted the casual attitude that perfectly summed up her nonexistent love life, the one that had the women in the family so worried she would never fall in love, never marry, never have a baby to carry on the Cartwright bloodline. “I’ve had the occasional date here and there.” She forced herself to meet his probing gaze. “What about you?”

      He shrugged. It was, Liz thought, his turn to skillfully evade.

      “I’d like to date. In theory. I just never seem to have the time.”

      A lament voiced by many an associate at big law firms. “Not part of your one-, five- and ten-year plans?”

      “Actually, marriage and family is. If I could ever figure out where I would work it in.”

      That was a surprise, Liz thought. Travis had been so focused on his career, she hadn’t expected this was something he would want. She sized him up, wondering which allure would turn out to be stronger, his desire to live a more authentic, not so big-city life, or his desire to redeem his name and regain his former glory. “So when this is over, you plan to go back to working eighty-hour weeks….”

      He shrugged, not about to commit yet, either way. “It is the norm for an associate in any big or midsize law firm,” he offered casually. “No matter where it is located.”

      Liz knew that.

      Lawyers in Lubbock who wanted fame and fortune—and the bank accounts that went with them—worked as hard as attorneys in Houston.

      Fortunately, she had learned there were other, more important things in life.

      Like feeling you made a difference.

      She bit her lip, admitting, “Too many long hours are exactly why I quit my job at that firm in Dallas. I wanted more of a life outside the office.”

      “And yet,” he murmured, playfully tapping the end of her nose, “here you are at 9:45 on a Friday night … lamenting your lack of a love life, same as me.”

      Liz stiffened. Honestly, the man was taking far too much for granted. “I didn’t say I missed it,” she returned archly. Even if I have been wondering all evening long just how it would feel to kiss you….

      “Really.” He lifted his eyebrows and waited for her gaze to meet his.

      Indignation flushing her cheeks, Liz asserted, “I can live without sex.” Could he?

      Travis grinned, as if he would like nothing more than to wear her down. “How about this?” he asked her softly. Grasping her waist, he tugged her against him. Threaded one hand through her hair, tilting her face to his. His mouth lowered seductively. “Can you live without a kiss?”