* * *
AS JACE DROVE, Sawyer sat quietly, regretting that she’d mentioned the fabled silver treasure supposedly buried somewhere at Rancho Diablo. She’d asked only because the rumor was local lore, but the moment the words were out of her mouth, she’d known she had made a mistake. It was said curiosity killed the cat. In her case, it certainly killed trust. Jace’s eyes had darkened and he’d looked away, his mouth tight when she’d asked about the legend—and he hadn’t said much since.
She was keeping a secret of her own, a secret that nearly guaranteed an end to their marriage if Jace ever found out. Especially if he was so sensitive about her mentioning a well-known legend in the town of Diablo.
Her uncle Storm had told her to apply at Rancho Diablo, and when she’d gotten the job, he’d asked her to keep an eye out, let him know exactly what was going on with the Callahans. She’d been a sort of double agent, she supposed, working for the Callahans but reporting to Storm, in the beginning.
It wasn’t merely idle nosiness, either, not that Jace would understand if she ever admitted her past role. Storm had been approached by Wolf and given a sad story about how his land and mineral rights had been stolen by the Callahans. Storm hadn’t known what to think. He’d figured it was none of his business, until he’d caught several scouts trespassing on his ranch, men who worked for Wolf. Wolf had claimed that his “scouts” were doing their job by keeping an eye on land that was rightfully his, which would be borne out by the courts soon enough.
Uncle Storm had done some horse-trading many years back with Jace’s aunt Fiona, said matters had gone well enough. He trusted the Chacon Callahans, he’d claimed—except that they didn’t trust him, and didn’t seem to like him.
Which had made him wonder what they might be hiding. The Chacon Callahans had lived at Rancho Diablo for only the past four years or so. They’d taken over from their cousins, six Callahan boys who’d grown up at Rancho Diablo. Those Callahans had all married, and left in order to keep their families safe—as had their parents.
Her husband’s parents, Carlos and Julia Chacon, had gone into hiding, and Running Bear had raised their seven children in the tribe. Jace’s Callahan cousins’ parents, Jeremiah and Molly, who’d built Rancho Diablo, had also gone into hiding when they’d turned in information about the cartel to federal agents. It had killed Jeremiah and Molly to leave their six boys, their friends, the wonderful Tudor-style home they’d built, Diablo itself. Molly’s sister, Fiona, had come from Ireland to raise the six Callahans—as she now tried to take care of the seven Chacon Callahans.
Rancho Diablo was a tempting prize for Wolf, the one son who hadn’t fit in, as Jeremiah and Carlos had. Running Bear called Wolf his bad seed, and said sometimes there was no fixing such a black-hearted individual.
There was an awful lot of money at the Callahan place, and the wealth just seemed to grow. Everything the Callahans touched turned to gold—or silver. Times were tough economically for lots of people in the country. How could one family seem to endlessly reap financial rewards, unless maybe they had cut Wolf Chacon out of his portion?
Sawyer’s uncle hadn’t wanted to get involved, but he’d found himself caught between a rock and a hard place. Between the Chacon Callahans and their uncle Wolf, who’d told Storm his small ranch would be safe if he turned a blind eye to the scouts who roamed his land.
He’d thought to warn the Callahans, had gone over there a few times with wedding or baby gifts, or just to chat, but they’d always seemed to flat out distrust him. He’d been a bit hurt by this, as he’d considered Fiona an honest trading partner. Obviously, times had changed with this new crop of leaner, tougher Callahans.
Yet Uncle Storm didn’t trust Wolf, either, and it didn’t matter that the man tried to be nice to him. He’d grown uncomfortable, and disliking the neighborly tension, had asked Sawyer to apply for work at Rancho Diablo when her last bodyguard position ended. She had, and to her surprise, was hired.
To her greater surprise, she’d found herself devotedly pursued by Jace. It was said that once you were a Callahan’s woman, you were pretty much ruined for all other men, and she believed it. Jace Callahan had completely dashed her desire to even talk to another man, let alone kiss one.
When they were apart, she thought about him constantly.
When they were together, she didn’t think at all. She just lived in the moment, in his arms, despite knowing very well that at the end of that silken, sexy road lay unhappiness. No way would a Callahan marry a Cash.
“I think Galen named that land across the canyons Loco Diablo,” Jace said, startling her.
She blinked. “Crazy Devil? That’s going to be the ranch name?”
“He figured the Callahan cousins own Rancho Diablo, and Dark Diablo in Tempest. So to keep with the naming history, he went with Loco Diablo.”
“That’s very organized of him.”
“Yeah. Ash is roasting him about it. In her mind, she was going to win the ranch.”
“Sister Wind Ranch,” Sawyer said softly.
He nodded. “But Loco Diablo it is.”
“Which is somehow fitting, given that the name was chosen by a Chacon Callahan.”
Jace glanced over and caught the smile she hadn’t hidden quickly enough.
“You laugh, but you’re part of Loco Diablo now. It’s where our children will grow up.”
She shook her head. “Pretty sure that’s not going to happen, Callahan.”
“No?” He sneaked a palm over to her tummy, which felt like a pumpkin sitting in her lap. She removed his hand at once. “Where do you figure the children will live, once we get past our Uncle Wolf problem?”
Sawyer wasn’t going to let herself consider a future together. “Jace, you know—and everyone knows—that Loco Diablo will never be safe. Even if they blew up the tunnels that are underneath the ranch, even if you somehow managed to run the cartel and your uncle Wolf out of your lives, it still wouldn’t be secure. And don’t even try to tell me that you’ve got Wolf on the run. He’s never going to give up.”
“No argument from me,” Jace said cheerfully. “That’s why you and I are staying on the road for now. I’m determined to keep you safe.”
“I’m the bodyguard,” Sawyer said with a touch of heat. “You’re the cowboy. I’d be protecting you.”
He laughed. “And I’ll let you.”
Great. He couldn’t be serious about anything, least of all how important her independence was, how determined she was to keep maximum separation between them. “This isn’t going to work.”
“It’s going to work, because there are two children counting on us to make it work. We need to choose names for them. That can be our road game until we get to Texas.”
“Texas!” She glared at him. “You said you were taking me to Rancho Diablo!”
“Yeah. That was about a hundred miles ago. Now we’re driving to Texas, and then on to Virginia. There are some military bases in the Tidewater. But we won’t be hanging out in
