pushed back his chair and tossed his napkin down beside his half-finished plate. “Who knows? We get in the car and we drive. We see someplace interesting, we stop. We keep our options open. It’s more fun that way.”
Since Bravo Ridge was on the southwestern edge of the Hill Country, they went north first, and found a dance hall in Bandera. They had a couple of beers and danced the two-step with a pair of secretaries down from Austin for the weekend. Luke wasn’t exactly enjoying himself. The girl he danced with was a pretty little blonde wearing too much perfume. The point was to get his mind off Mercy, but instead, he found himself making comparisons. The blonde did not come out ahead.
Around nine-thirty, Caleb tapped him on the shoulder. “Let’s move on.”
Luke tipped his hat to the blonde and followed his brother out. They got back into Caleb’s brand-new black pearl Audi R8 and rolled the windows down as they raced along a couple of twisty ranch roads, finally meeting up with I-10, and heading south toward San Antonio. By the time they got to Southtown, Luke had figured out where his brother was taking him.
Caleb swung into the packed parking lot.
“There.” Luke pointed at a pickup that was just pulling out. Caleb eased into the free space and killed the powerful engine. They could hear the music from the rambling tin-sided building. A big neon armadillo with a red rose tucked behind its ear graced the place of honor over the wide main doors.
Caleb winked at him. “I’m in a mood to kiss Corrine and watch a pretty woman dancin’ on the bar.”
Elena laughed as she slid back into the chair across from Mercy. Her cheeks were flushed and her brown eyes shone. She’d danced just about every dance since they claimed their table an hour before.
Mercy had danced, too, though not as often as her baby sister. And she’d had a Corona and a shot of Cuervo Gold. She had a slight buzz on and she should have been happy. She was out with Elena and the music was good. And there was very little chance Luke Bravo would come strolling through the big double doors.
“You look sad.” Elena flipped a shining coil of hair back over her shoulder and put on an exaggerated frown.
“I’m not,” Mercy lied. “I’m having a great time.” She raised her Corona and took a sip.
Elena’s expression brightened. “Well, cheer up, mi hermana. All your dreams just came true.” Mercy followed the direction of Elena’s gaze.
Luke.
He’d just come in with one of his brothers. Incredible. She’d been so sure she was safe, that he would never show up while she and Elena were there.
She turned back to her sister. Fast. “I don’t believe this is happening.”
“Believe it.” Elena beamed. “And smile. They’re coming this way.”
Caleb nudged Luke in the ribs and leaned close to be heard above the music. “Over there. That’s the Cabrera sisters, I’m sure of it.”
Luke turned his head slowly. Mercy had her back to him. But he could see Elena. And he would have known Mercy, anyway. Anytime. Anywhere. Already, he’d memorized the shape of her shoulders, the exact color and texture of her crow-black hair, which was loose and softly curling down her back.
He should turn around and leave. Now. Just march the hell out of there.
Caleb had other ideas. “We ought to be friendly, don’t you think? I mean, what’s the point of all that old animosity? Let’s go say hi to them.”
“What the hell for?” Luke growled. But Caleb already had hold of his arm and was dragging him across the scuffed wood plank floor. Luke dug in his heels. “What we ought to do is leave them alone.”
Caleb hesitated. “I just want to say hello.”
“Forget it. Let’s get a drink, say hi to Corrine.”
“You can relax.” Elena’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “They went over to the bar, after all.”
Relax? Impossible. Mercy’s heart beat so hard, she felt faintly sick. She wanted to leave. And she also wanted to get up and go to him, to pull his mouth down on hers and stick her tongue down his throat. It was embarrassing to feel like this. Like she had no control of herself, like she was an animal driven by the most basic urges. Mercy loved animals. She’d dedicated her working life to them. But she didn’t want to behave like one.
“Care to dance?” A nice-looking guy in cargoes and a crew-neck shirt stood by the table, smiling down at her.
“Sure.” Mercy put her hand in his and let him pull her to her feet. As he led her toward the wide cleared space, she glanced back to see that another guy was leading Elena onto the floor.
It was a line dance. Mercy knew the steps well enough to keep up. More than once, she and Elena passed each other as the lines separated and reformed. Elena would brush her shoulder or nudge her with an elbow and then toss her head in the direction of the long bar, where Luke sat facing out, nursing a beer.
Watching.
Mercy was careful never to let her eyes meet his. She focused on the steps of the dance and smiled at her partner and told herself to forget Luke Bravo, to enjoy the music and have a good time.
As the song ended and her partner thanked her for the dance, she couldn’t resist a glance toward the bar. Luke wasn’t there. A girl in a purple camisole and a black miniskirt sat on his stool sipping a frozen pink drink.
Mercy felt ridiculously bereft. Had he left, then? Or was he asking some other girl to dance?
She shouldn’t care. She didn’t care. Another guy caught her hand. “Hey. Dance?”
She forced a smile and the band started up again. A two-step. Her partner held her lightly. They exchanged names. He said he was in the air force, stationed at Lackland. She told him, half-shouting to be heard over the music, that she was a large animal vet. He said he had a German shepherd named Duke. He had a feeling Duke would be getting sick real soon…
She laughed and explained that she mostly cared for livestock.
“Well, then, I guess I need to buy me a cow.”
When that dance ended, he asked for another. He seemed nice enough, but she had a hunch he would be asking her out next. Maybe that would have been good—to go out with a nice guy, maybe get something going.
But it didn’t seem right somehow. She wasn’t really interested. She’d only be using him in an attempt to forget about Luke.
So she shook her head and went back to the table where Elena waited with a couple of fresh beers. She slid into her seat.
Elena glanced past her shoulder. “Don’t look now, but he’s on his way over here.”
Mercy frowned. “The guy I was just dancing with?”
“No. Luke.”
Mercy’s heart leapt, but she spoke calmly. “You said that before. Didn’t happen.” She picked up
