Lone Star Secrets

Megan wrapped her arms around herself and regarded the car. “I’m okay.”

“You’ve had a major shock tonight. I’d be surprised if you weren’t rattled.”

“Really, I’m fine.” Megan scowled at Will, but he wasn’t fooled.

“You’ve been through a lot.” He followed her to her car.

Her shoulders drooped. “I’m not the only one.”

“That doesn’t diminish your experience tonight.” Once again he had to bite back myriad questions dancing in the back of his mind. Ever since coming home and finding out she’d married “Will,” he’d struggled to contain his tumultuous feelings for her.

“We have a lot to talk about,” she said unexpectedly, keying the remote and popping her door locks.

“Such as?” He wholeheartedly agreed but wondered if they were on the same page.

“For the last few months we’ve been dancing around each other. Being polite and skirting the reality of our situation.”

Will flashed back to the night of Jason’s memorial. Nothing about that encounter had been polite. It had been raw and emotional. Naked. Panting. Clinging to each other in an effort to feel alive amidst the day’s crushing sadness. Taking support and pleasure in each other’s arms. They’d needed connection and oblivion.

The trouble for Will was that he still needed her. In his bed. At his side. Making love with Megan had blown a hole in what Will believed he wanted in his life. Now he recognized that he wanted more. He just wasn’t sure she felt the same. Or that she ever would.

Will held on to her open door, preventing her from getting away. “You’re right. We haven’t talked much about the emotional ramifications of Rich taking over my life.”

He had dozens of questions bubbling in his brain, but with curiosity came caution. How many of her answers would tell a tale he didn’t want to hear?

“How about we drink a few shots and you can ask me anything with no repercussions?” she offered.

“I think that sounds like a great idea. We really should get to know each other better.”

“The feeling is mutual,” she said, her smile creating more confusion than clarity as she pulled her door out of his grasp.

* * *

On a dark patch of Main Street between two streetlights, Richard Lowell sat behind the wheel of a nondescript pickup truck and watched Will Sanders disappear into the sheriff’s office. Inside were dozens of people who had been actively seeking him for months and sitting here in the open like this was a grave risk to his freedom.

He shifted on the seat and pain blazed in his side where Megan had shot him. Before following her to the police station, he’d checked the damage and determined that the bullet had merely nicked him. It didn’t stop the graze from hurting like a son of a bitch, but he used the discomfort to fuel his determination.

Who would’ve guessed that his wife would’ve grown claws in the months since they parted ways? He’d never imagined she’d buy a gun to defend herself against him, much less use it. This turn of events meant he’d have to plan more carefully if he intended to take her with him across the border into Mexico. Or he could say screw it and take Vanessa with him instead.

The stripper was younger, prettier and more to his taste in bed. Not to mention she did whatever he asked. As long as he indulged her craving for designer fashions and fed her opiate habit, she’d be decent enough company. At least until he wearied of her.

So why wasn’t he putting the truck into gear and heading for Vanessa’s dumpy apartment? He was already weeks past when he should’ve collected the gold and gotten the hell out of town. To linger invited capture. In fact, he would’ve been long gone if Sanders hadn’t showed up at his funeral.

Rich hadn’t foreseen that development and would’ve given anything to see the expression on people’s faces that day. Of course, at the time Rich had been too pissed off to find any humor in the situation. And he still couldn’t believe Will hadn’t died in the explosion. Nor could he figure out where Will had been in the year since. He struck the steering wheel with the heel of his hand. It was just like that bastard to survive and make a triumphant return to Royal.

At least a dozen times in the last few months Rich had thought about going to the Ace in the Hole and finishing the job he’d started off the coast of Mexico. But the ranch security was more than a match for him. Instead, he had settled down to wait, knowing Will would eventually make a mistake. Only, he hadn’t. He remained frustratingly vigilant. Which was why Rich had decided to grab Megan, go after the gold and get the hell out of town.

But Megan refused to go and now Rich thought he knew why. Given the speed with which Will had showed up at the police station, no doubt she’d called him. Had Megan transferred her love to the real Will Sanders? The thought twisted in Rich’s gut like a knife. Should he be surprised? She’d confessed to having an unrequited crush on Will in high school. It was what had made it easy for Rich to seduce her.

As for why he’d decided to marry her when so many other women appealed to him more? Rich had noticed Will’s attraction to her, yet he’d never acted on it. He hadn’t been convinced by Will’s denials that there was anything to it and gotten a rush out of moving in on someone Will coveted but had never had. Even better, he liked the idea of destroying every good thing in Sanders’s life from his solid family relationships to his reputation as a businessman and community leader.

But the best part? After he’d finished dismantling Will’s life, he could collect his plundered millions and head somewhere tropical to live like a king for the rest of his days. Or that had been the plan before his dear old friend had turned up alive.

Now, with Will back in Royal, working behind the scenes to fix all the damage Rich had done, it wasn’t good enough that he had stolen millions from Spark Energy Solutions and the Texas Cattleman’s Club. Nope. His hatred ran so much deeper than that. It was about revenge. Payback. Taking what should have been his in the first place. Bottom line? Rich refused to allow Will to be happy. So he had been hanging around, looking for a way to cause the maximum amount of mayhem. Now, seeing his old buddy come to Megan’s rescue, he had an idea how to make Will pay.

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