Page 19 of One in a Million

He had not one shred of evidence that she’d killed Frank, Roper reminded himself. She was innocent until proven guilty. And she was giving him what he wanted most—the right to compete on the Culhane horses. Until something changed, he was Lila’s hired man. He had signed away his loyalty, and he would walk any line that might get him into that million-dollar arena.

“Cooperate with him. Show him the operation and anything else he might want to see. But watch what you say to that FBI man,” she said, turning away to leave. “Something tells me he’s more than he appears to be.”

“Got it, Boss.”

“Good. We’ll talk later.”

He watched her stride back to the house before he called for the next horse.

* * *

Jasmine had turned the Jeep’s steering wheel over to Sam. But she’d insisted on coming with him to navigate.

“You know I don’t need a babysitter, Miss Culhane,” he said. “I have the address of your brother’s house with his home office.”

“You’re a city boy. You don’t know your way around these parts. Besides, I offered to babysit you—for nothing.” She’d changed from jeans to denim shorts. Her flawless model’s legs were a golden display on the passenger seat next to him. Sam forced himself to avert his eyes. He was not immune to the charms of beautiful women. But he was on duty now. And the last beautiful woman in his life had done a number on him that had left him emotionally bloodied.

It’s your work you’re married to, not me, Sam. I need a man who cares enough to give me his time—and now, I’ve found one. I plan to keep him. Thank God you and I didn’t have children. At least we can make a clean break.

Those words, and the tone of Cynthia’s voice, would never leave him. But he’d learned to stuff them into a figurative black box in his mind, close the lid, and lock it. That was what he did now.

“So you’ve already given me the third degree, Agent Rafferty.” Jasmine twirled a lock of auburn hair around her finger. “I think I deserve to know a little about you.”

Self-revelation wasn’t a great idea in Sam’s line of work, let alone part of his job description. But shutting this woman down wouldn’t be in the best interest of the case.

“Not much to tell,” he said. “I spent eleven years with the Bureau in Chicago. An old friend told me about a position here. I was due for a change, so I agreed to an interview. They rushed me here because of an emergency in Abilene—two agents are in the hospital, and they needed somebody fast on this case.”

“So how are you liking Texas so far?”

“I feel like I just landed on an alien planet. As long as you’re here, Ms. Culhane, maybe you can help me get my bearings—tell me a little about the life here.”

“Sure. But only as long as you call me Jasmine. We don’t hold much with formality around here.”

“Fine. Jasmine it is.”

“And you?” Her wide, green eyes regarded him expectantly.

“Agent.”

“Whatever.” She turned away and gazed at the road ahead like a rejected teenager. There was a quality about her that reminded Sam of a younger girl, open and seeking, hungry for approval and acceptance. Frank, for all his indulgence of his daughter, might not have been much of a father. Most likely gifts instead of support. He would keep that in mind.

They were approaching the spot where Sam’s rented car had broken down. The little Subaru was gone. “It’s been hauled back to the vehicle shed at the ranch,” Jasmine said, breaking the silence. “It’s the rental agency’s problem now. Since we don’t have a tire that will fit, they can pick it up.”

“It’s an old car. They might not want to bother with it.” Sam took a moment to steer around a road-killed jackrabbit. A feeding raven flapped off the carcass and settled back as they passed. “So tell me about Roper McKenna,” he said. “How well do you know him?”

A thoughtful pause passed. “He’s been here for a year or more—not sure, I was gone when he hired on. He worked as Dad’s head trainer until . . . Dad’s death. Now Roper belongs to Lila. Bought and paid for . . . the arrogant bastard.”

Sam took a mental note. “How did he get along with Frank?” he asked her.

“Fine, as far as I know. They might not’ve been friends, but I sensed that they respected each other. Right after Dad was killed, my brother announced that he was in charge of the horse operation, and Roper would answer to him. Roper resigned and walked out.”

“Then what?”

“Darrin realized that for now the horse operation was more than he could handle. He stepped back and didn’t fight it when Lila rehired Roper on her own terms. We need Roper for the horses—even Darrin knows that. But those two men despise each other. That’s never going to change, no matter who wins this war.”

“And it is a war?”

Jasmine sighed. “You can’t imagine! And just wait until Mamá gets here. That’s when the big guns will come out. If it weren’t for Dad’s service, I’d pack up and go back to California today.”