Swept Away by Mary Connealy

downs than the bluffs surrounding the Stone ranch. It was maddening and a waste of time since he couldn’t change what he’d done, but that didn’t stop his mind from circling and circling around his regrets.
    “Let’s get a few details straight.” Vince spoke and it shut down the fretting going on in Luke’s head. “Jonas already knows what we’re planning. I’ve got the papers all in order that deny Greer’s ownership of the ranch. I’ve already filed them with a judge.”
    “Here in town?” Rosie asked.
    Luke thought it was nice of her to care enough to pay attention. The woman had to be worn clean out.
    Dare stopped pacing. “One of the Regulators is a circuit judge for this area, Leonard Bird. Another, Big John Conroy, is a Texas Ranger and he’s heading this way. We’ve got the law on our side.” Dare went back to pacing.
    “The Rangers will help, but they’re not the law in BrokenWheel,” Vince said. “Greer’s got the local sheriff on his side. We’ll get no help from there. Greer owns the land in a circle all around Broken Wheel so there aren’t other ranchers left to stand up to him. And most of the townsfolk are afraid of him. He’s driven away those that won’t knuckle under to his way of doing things.”
    “I’ve got the documents proving ownership and I’ll deliver them to Greer.” Luke was tempted to do some pacing himself. “The man has a mighty big ranch. I listened while I rode for home and heard his name. He’s added thousands of acres since he stole my place. I want my land back, but that ain’t enough. I want Greer to pay for killing my pa.”
    There went the twist in Luke’s gut again. “I can’t prove he pulled the trigger. But I can prove he forged the bill of sale of the S Bar S, because Pa didn’t own it. He’d signed it over to me all right and legal and mailed me the deed. So Greer lied about Pa selling out, and my pa was dead and couldn’t challenge Greer about it. I think a judge will put Greer behind bars for theft if a good lawyer”—Luke nodded at Vince—“like Vince here, makes the case.”
    Vince smiled. “At your service.”
    “But you don’t think Greer will stand by quietly while you let the law get involved?” Rosie sank deeper into the chair as if trying to escape the coming storm.
    “No.” Luke was as sure as could be of that. “Judging by the three attempts on my life since I’ve headed home, it’s safe to say Greer is going to fight me with everything he’s got.”
    “Besides that,” Dare said, “Greer’s a hothead. Word around town is he’s got a temper that blows once in a while. He’s not quite sane when it happens.”
    “And throwing him off his land oughta set him off good.”Luke shook his head and took a quick look at Rosie. “So what are we going to do with you while I start a range war?”
    Rosie sat up straighter. “Can I g-get a job maybe? Here in town?”
    “Nope.” Dare didn’t elaborate.
    “She should be able to find work sewing or working at the diner,” Luke said.
    “This is a mighty small town, and a stranger gets noticed.” Vince crossed his arms, settling himself more solidly in the doorway. “A man might’ve come riding in with no need of explanations. But a woman—there aren’t any of them little critters here.”
    “None?” Luke surged to his feet in surprise. “There aren’t women? There were several families when I was a kid. Not a lot. Never enough to start a school. You said Greer had made it a bad town to live in but none ?”
    “Nope.”
    “What about Harvey Foster and his family?” Harvey’s son Gil had been Luke’s best friend as a child. The two of them had made friends with a few Kiowa children and even a Comanche boy once. They’d run wild in the rugged canyon. Gil had been a big part of why Luke had fought for the North. Harvey was an emancipated black man who owned a small ranch near the Stone ranch. When the war had come along, Luke couldn’t see fighting for