Cowboy's Break Read online

  Table of Contents

  Cowboy’s Break

  Copyright

  Acknowledgments

  Author’s Note

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Epilogue

  Read on for an excerpt from Wedding at Poker Flat (Poker Flat: Book 5)

  Also by Lexi Post

  About Lexi Post

  Cowboy’s Break

  Lexi Post

  Cowboy’s Break

  Poker Flat Book 4

  Copyright © 2016 by Lexi Post

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author.

  For information contact Lexi Post at www.lexipostbooks.com

  Cover design by Bella Media Management

  Cover photo: Cover Me, Becky McGraw

  Cover model: Stephen Pierce

  eBook ISBN: 978-1-949007-11-4

  Excerpt of Wedding at Poker Flat © 2018 by Lexi Post

  Acknowledgments

  For my own cowboy, Bob Fabich, the best cook in our house.

  For Paige Wood, who reads anything I write, even the not so perfect.

  A huge thank you to Marie Patrick, a wonderful friend and a fantastic critique partner.

  Author’s Note

  Cowboy’s Break is part of the Poker Flat series which was inspired by Bret Harte’s short story, The Outcasts of Poker Flat, first published in 1869. In Harte’s story, four members of Poker Flat society—a gambler, a prostitute, a madam, and a drunk--are banned from the western settlement when a sudden urge to be virtuous overtakes the citizens. On their way to the next settlement, the outcasts stop to rest at the base of some high mountains. An innocent couple, a young man and his fiancée (a tavern waitress), comes down from the mountains and rests with them. This cast of characters explores the relationship between the innocent and the tainted in Harte’s story.

  What if things just don’t work out for the innocents? And what if the plans of one who is tainted threatens their second chance at forever?

  Chapter One

  Rachel Henderson sucked in her breath as the door to the diner opened and a tall cowboy strode in. What the hell was Vince Gallagher doing here?

  His chiseled jaw and boyish good looks hid a mature man of strong character and confidence. She knew better than anyone exactly how experienced and loyal he was.

  “Rachel? What are you looking at?” Hunter McKade waved his hand in front of her eyes. He was a family friend that went back as far as her first tricycle and he effectively pulled her attention away from the man scanning the crowd.

  She turned her head in the futile hope Vince wouldn’t see her. “Nothing. Just people coming and going.”

  Her answer wasn’t nearly clever enough for Hunter. The man had been in Afghanistan and a police officer before that. He could tell right away she lied.

  Hunter looked over his shoulder and around the wall behind him. “Vince! Over here.”

  As he waved, Rachel’s stomach turned over and her mouth went dry. She couldn’t do this. “He’s the friend you said could help me?” Her voice rose to a much higher pitch than normal.

  Hunter turned back toward her. “Yes. Vince Gallagher is the best there is when it comes to detective work that involves finances.” He paused. “Are you okay? You’ve lost your tan in three seconds.” He paused again, studying her. “Do you know Vince?”

  She grabbed her purse. “I think it’s the creamer. I’m going to the restroom.” She slid out of the booth they occupied and stood. Vince was barely ten feet away and he stopped as recognition dawned.

  “Rachel?” His baritone voice sent memories kaliedoscoping through her mind.

  She spun around and strode to the ladies room, her heart beating a two-step in her chest as she expected his hand to clamp down on her shoulder at any moment and stop her. Pulling open the bathroom door, she glanced back as it closed.

  Vince stood rock still where she’d left him.

  She locked the door and walked to the sink, her breathing ragged from her surprise. Running the water, she scooped it up and rinsed her face. As the water dripped off, she looked in the mirror.

  “You need to get a hold of yourself, woman.” She snorted. “As if that’s gonna happen.”

  Vince Gallagher was the only man she’d ever loved…still loved. And it hadn’t been that superficial love based on his warm brown eyes, dark brown hair and toned physique. She’d broken both their hearts over seven years ago when he’d worked for the Austin police force.

  He’d gone into a deep and dangerous undercover operation and after almost three months of worrying and wondering if he was alive, she’d known she couldn’t live like that. She’d embarrassed both of them by repeatedly going to his chief and asking if he’d heard anything.

  “You were a weak, pathetic girl, Rachel Henderson.” She grabbed a couple paper towels and wiped her face and hands. While Vince was undercover, her father had died of a heart attack, her mother was diagnosed with stage-four cancer and her sister had become pregnant at the ripe age of seventeen.

  When Vince finally emerged from the operation, it had been a full six months. He’d come to her expecting a happy reunion, but she couldn’t do it. He’d wanted to help, but his job came first. He was good at his job and she hadn’t wanted him to have to choose. “Yup, you made the decision for him, didn’t you? That’s what every man wants, a woman who decides for him. He’s got to hate you by now.”

  Her heart lurched. She thought she’d buried those feelings six feet under, but obviously there wasn’t enough dirt in all of Daisy Creek to keep them repressed.

  She still loved him. He’d accepted her for who she was, a rancher’s daughter, no more, no less.

  “You’re an idiot.” She scowled at herself in the mirror. “The most noble, good-hearted cowboy in all of central Texas and you kicked him out of your life. Good job.” And now, that man was here because her childhood friend had called him to help her. Her!

  “Nice, this should go well. Hi, Vince. Sorry about breaking your heart. Now could you help me save my ranch?”

  She looked at her purse sitting on the sink counter, the insufficient funds notice folded up inside. She’d called Hunter’s mom to find out where he was and had been surprised to discover his wife had died and he was living with a woman and working at Poker Flat, a nudist resort in Arizona. She hadn’t seen that coming. But if anyone could help her, she’d known he could.

  Hunter arrived and looked over what she had. When he said he had a friend nearby from his police academy days who had specialized in financial investigations, she breathed a lot easier. She couldn’t lose her ranch. It and her sister were all she had left of her family.

  Now she could barely get air past her lungs. She didn’t want to face Vince again. Already the feelings she had for him were floating toward the top, cresting over the walls she’d built around her heart.

  She had a decision to make. Face him and save her ranch or ditch his help and try to manage on her own. The problem was, if Hunter couldn’t figure it out after looking over everything for the last three days then how could she?

  She had to save the ranch. That was her mantra since s
he called Hunter. It was the only stability she had and she worked hard through everything to hold on to it. Her sister, though not at the ranch every day, called it home. Crystal had helped to keep it from bankruptcy once before because she loved it.

  “You told Hunter you’d do anything to keep it.” She frowned at herself. “So are you still the weak pathetic girl from seven years ago?” She nodded at herself. “No, you’re not. Now go out there and face your issues head on.”

  Right. She stared hard at herself before noticing she’d plastered tiny strands of her blonde hair across her forehead and she had a piece of hay stuck on her sleeve. Impatiently, she pushed her hair back into place and threw the hay in the trash.

  Other than that, she looked pretty much the same as the last time she saw Vince.

  She shrugged. “What’s it matter. You’re not going on a date. He already knows you have no waist, too-long legs and an ass that’s bigger than it should be. Stop stalling.”

  Giving herself a final scowl in the mirror, she picked up her purse and moved to the door. You can do this. She could accept Vince’s help if he was willing to give it. He would be working with Hunter, after all, and not her.

  She opened the door and halted. What if he hated her? She gripped the handle as her stomach roiled. Please don’t hate me.

  Maybe he would refuse to help. Or maybe Vince had much better things to do than help an old girlfriend who had dumped him. A man’s ego could only take so much.

  She swallowed the lump in her throat. She could play “what if” all day, but all she had to do is walk a hundred feet and get her questions answered. Slowly, she released the door and moved toward the table.

  Vince walked into the diner and his heart lurched at the sight of Rachel Henderson. For a split second he gazed into her blue eyes, her face unchanged over the years except for a darker tan, her skin still satiny, and her chin still stubborn.

  Then she walked away from him…again. Her hips swaying and her pale blonde braid swishing right and left with her gait.

  His gut twisted. Was she married now? Did she have a husband and children who helped her with Sunnyview Ranch? Was the man of her heart easier to “handle” than he was? Anger rushed over him and he gritted his teeth.

  Finally, he turned to look at Hunter, who stood studying him. Damn, he hoped the investigation wasn’t about Rachel’s husband cheating on her. His hands fisted of their own accord.

  “So are you going to give an old friend a welcome or just stand there like a statute all day?” Hunter’s lips quirked up at the corner.

  Vince relaxed his hands and gave his friend a one-armed hug. When they parted, he shook his head. “Wow, you are just full of surprises.”

  “I hadn’t planned on that. So you know Rachel?” Hunter motioned to the empty seat across from him and sat.

  “Yes.” Vince slid into the booth.

  Hunter raised his brow. “That’s it?”

  “Tell you what, you tell me why you’re dressed like Johnny Cash and I’ll tell you about Rachel.”

  Hunter grimaced. “It could just be that I like black.”

  “I don’t think so.” He waved at a waitress who gave him the “be right there sign.” “So why the black? Did you lose someone overseas?” Though he and Hunter had taken different paths after the police department, they heard about each other on occasion.

  His old friend remained silent a moment before taking a breath. “Julie was killed.”

  “What?” Shit, Julie and Hunter had been made for each other. He’d been a groomsman at their wedding. Hunter had found himself the perfect woman. “What happened?”

  “Drunk driver.”

  “Fuck.” He could feel Hunter’s anger even from across the table, and he didn’t blame him. He was furious himself.

  Hunter took a deep breath, and with it his body relaxed. “I’ve been lucky though. Found another woman just right for me. The complete opposite of Julie, but she’s what I need now.”

  Vince studied Hunter. The man really had found someone else. “What do you mean, what you need now?” The waitress came over and he ordered a coffee. When she left, he tilted his head. “So?”

  “It’s hard to explain. War changes a person. Adriana is a good fit for me now, but if I’d met her when I was on the force, well, I wouldn’t have been interested.”

  “Ah, now that I do understand.” His days of undercover work had changed him as well and probably not for the better.

  A man could only see so much violence, killing…blood before it affected him. The scream of a woman resounded in his ears as his mind recalled her fall from a nineteenth story balcony. Her dealer had pushed her. He could still hear the sound of her body hitting a car below. He tried to tell himself that he’d made a difference, but he didn’t believe it.

  He hated the unwanted memories and shook his head to clear it. “So you wear black in Julie’s memory?”

  Hunter smirked. “No, I just got used to it.”

  Vince chuckled before looking over his shoulder toward the restrooms where Rachel had disappeared.

  Hunter pushed his half-eaten churro away and picked up his coffee. “How do you know Rachel?”

  Know her? I loved her. He shrugged. “We dated for a while, but undercover work isn’t conducive to a relationship.”

  It was obvious Hunter wasn’t buying his offhand story, but he didn’t push the issue. “Still doing that?”

  “No. Quit that a few years ago to set up shop with a friend.” He still felt like his current partner, Roscoe Donati, had saved his ass by offering him the chance to start an investigation agency. “Who knew there would be so much need for investigative skills in the ranch land of Texas? Our main client is the Oteros, but we take on a few other clients here and there. Believe me, the Oteros keep us hopping.”

  “The Oteros? I remember them. They have a big spread near Bandera, right? I went to school with Esteban. Seemed like a decent guy. I was in a couple rodeos with Miguel. He lived life on the edge. Is he still alive?”

  Vince nodded. “Yes, he is. He’s settled down some. A good woman will do that to you.”

  Hunter’s mouth quirked up again as if in silent amusement.

  He gestured with his thumb over his shoulder. “Is Rachel the person you mentioned on the phone who needed my help?”

  Hunter looked past him and frowned. “Yes. She’s a very old friend.” He returned his attention to the conversation. “I’ve known her my whole life and she’s in trouble. I flew in to see what I could do, but I could use your help.”

  “If Rachel needs help, I’m in.” No matter his feelings toward her now, he couldn’t just walk away.

  Hunter raised a brow but didn’t comment on his willingness.

  She could have called him. He certainly called her plenty of times, but she never answered after she broke it off. She even changed her phone number.

  “Good.” Hunter looked up. “Then I’ll let her explain the situation.”

  He smelled the scent of leather and lavender before he turned around.

  She avoided his gaze and slipped into the booth next to Hunter. She was more beautiful than he remembered, high cheekbones, a strong straight nose and pale pink lips, which at the moment, were pursed together.

  Her shoulders were back, her posture always straight, and the short sleeved tan top she wore paled against her skin. She was still riding and getting her hands dirty. Not one of those ranch owners who let “the boys” do all the work. That didn’t surprise him. As he gazed at her, every feeling he’d ever had rose up to choke him.

  Come on. Look at me.

  The silence became awkward, Hunter clearly not willing to get involved in what was between them.

  He took the bull by the horns. “It’s good to see you, Rachel.” Her gaze snapped to his when he spoke her name. “I told Hunter I’d be willing to help in any way I can. Tell me what’s going on.”

  She appeared on the verge of tears and it took everything he had to keep himself on the o
ther side of the table. He wanted to hold her and tell her everything would be all right. She was a strong woman, so if she was this low, it had to be big.

  “It’s the Sunnyview.” She looked down at her hands which were clasped on the table. “I’m going to lose it if I can’t discover where all the money’s gone.”

  Hell, that ranch meant everything to her and he knew it. It had been the main reason she’d dumped him. She’d said it was all she could handle. “What happened?”

  She reached into her purse, pulled out a bank notice and handed it to him. His breath went out between his teeth. There were five insufficient funds notices on very large payments and one was to the state for quarterly taxes.

  This was no laughing matter. “I have to ask, were you aware that you didn’t have enough funds or miscalculated the date income was coming in?” With his partner, he was the one who usually asked the questions no one wanted to voice.

  “If I’d known I didn’t have enough funds, I wouldn’t be here.” She glared at him. “I know how to manage a ranch and a business. I’ve reviewed my books and they are accurate to the cent. There should have been over forty thousand dollars in that particular account.”

  She pulled the paper from his hand and refolded it. “I immediately went to our other accounts and there are similar discrepancies. I think I’m being hacked and it must have started this month because all the past bank statements balance out.”

  Hunter leaned forward. “The only people besides Rachel who can access those accounts are her sister, her accountant, and her foreman.”

  He looked at her, the investigative side of his brain fully engaged now. “You say you think it’s a hacker. Why? Why not your sister, the accountant or your foreman?”

  “First of all, my sister depends on the money the ranch makes to supplement her income, so she certainly isn’t going to sabotage that.” Rachel’s brows drew together. “Besides, she is my sister. Second, my accountant has been with me for over ten years now and is the accountant for a couple other much bigger ranches. We’ve had no problems up to this point with her. Lastly, Sam has been with me for more than seven years and has been my right-hand man. If Sunnyview goes under, he’s out of a job and he has a family.”