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when he’d talked about his son to Mama and me. I didn’t know enough about their relationship to reassure Trey that his father had loved him. But I did know what I’d seen at the ranch house. I took the plunge.
    “Was the trouble between you and Lawton over Wynonna?’’
    A look of pure surprise flitted across his face. “Wynonna? Hell, no. Things had gone sour between Daddy and me way before she came on the scene. But it didn’t help I despised her. He wanted me and Belle to like her. But neither of us trusted her as far as we could toss her.’’
    I watched a tiger beetle crawl over the rough bark of our downed tree. Finally, I said what I had to say.
    “That’s not how it looked to me tonight at the ranch house.’’
    Trey raised his eyebrows. “How what looked?’’
    “You and Wynonna. I came in from making a phone call in the kitchen, and she was massaging your chest, real sexy-like. She didn’t look like somebody you despised.’’
    He touched the front of his shirt, as if feeling for evidence of Wynonna’s caress. “I don’t have any idea what you’re talking about, Mace. I was pretty drunk tonight. Passed out. I don’t even remember seeing Wynonna until out there at the campfire, after my sister Belle woke me up and broke the news about Daddy.’’
    I stared into his eyes. “So, there’s nothing between you two?’’
    “Good God, no. Well, nothing but a lot of hard feelings. I wouldn’t put it past Wynonna, though, to set her sights on me now that Daddy’s gone. That way she might guarantee there’d be no fight over his money. The woman is a conniver, plain and simple.’’
    I looked down at the beetle again. It had stopped at my right leg to confront what must look like a mountain range of denim. I gently brushed the bug to the ground.
    “You believe me, don’t you?’’ Trey took my chin in his hand and lifted my face to his. His blue eyes were pleading. “Mace?’’
    I leaned forward, just a couple of inches. But it was enough. Trey met me more than halfway. I felt the rough edge of his beard against my face. He must have showered, because he smelled like soap. But he hadn’t taken the time to shave. His lips brushed mine, softly at first and then more insistently. His hand moved to cup the back of my head. He entwined his fingers into my hair. He’d just pulled us even closer, when a woman’s angry voice broke the spell.
    “Well, that’s a fine how-do-you-do. I drive all the way here to comfort you about your daddy, and you’ve already found some trashy little tramp to take my place.’’
    I pushed away like Trey was radioactive. But the trashy tramp part of me wished we’d kissed a little longer before I did.
    “Who’s she?’’ The other woman shouted, as she stormed toward where we sat on the log. “I can tell you right now, whoever she is, you and her both are gonna be sorry, Trey.’’
    She thrust a lantern into my face. I about tumbled backwards off the log, until Trey caught me.
    “This is Mace Bauer,’’ he said, seeming not the least bit embarrassed. “She’s a good friend of mine from high school.’’
    She lifted the light in her hand up and down, getting a good look at me. Her other hand was fastened at her tiny waist, just above the swell of her hip. Her jeans were painted on. Sun-tanned cleavage spilled from her tight, checkered Western blouse.
    I wasn’t sure of the greeting etiquette after someone has called you a tramp. A handshake? A head nod? I settled on saying, “Hey.’’
    “Charmed, I’m sure.’’ She tossed her perfect auburn curls in my direction. “And I’m Austin Close. Trey’s fiancée.’’

“She was Trey’s fiancée, Val. Can you imagine?’’
    Val seemed less interested in my plight than in the pad of hay I was dividing to drop on the ground.
    “You should have seen it, girl. It was pure humiliation.’’ I leaned my face against her muscular neck and whispered into her mane. “Oh, Trey tried to explain. Not that