leisurely pace, his mind turning to Taylor again. Seemed as if he thought about her a thousand times a day. Maybe more.
It felt great.
* * *
T WENTY MINUTES LATER, Ash finally stopped her horse, slid off and tied it to a wizened tree where it could get a bit of shade and cool off in the late evening air. Falcon stopped next to his sister, knowing exactly what she was up to now.
“Looking at this land isn’t going to do anything but make you hungrier for it,” he said, dismounting.
“I like being hungry.” Ash stared at the wide expanse of empty land. In the distance a small traditional adobe stood, marking the emptiness. “You’re hungry, too, or you wouldn’t have proposed to that town girl. You barely know her.”
“I don’t have to know Taylor. I like the way she looks.” He watched as his sister pulled out small binocs and peered toward the farmhouse.
“It’s going to be mine,” Ash said. “You can propose to fifty girls, but this is going to be Sister Wind Ranch.”
“Nice. But I have a different name in mind. Thanks.”
She glared at him. “You don’t have a name for it.”
“I do.”
“What is it?”
Okay, so he didn’t have a name. He hadn’t thought about it much. He just knew he hadn’t wanted to get beat by his siblings in the race for the ranch. “It’s on the tip of my tongue.”
“And there it will stay. Fibber.” Ash put away the binocs. “Come on. Let’s walk to the farmhouse.”
“Why?” He followed behind her. “This is private property.”
“Yeah, it’s private. Fiona owns it.”
“Do we know that for sure?”
“She said the Callahan estate bought it.”
He wasn’t sure this was a good idea, but Ash had a determined tilt to her posture, so he went along for the adventure.
A man came out from the house and walked to meet them. “What brings you out here, folks?”
Ash glanced around. “I didn’t know anybody still lived here.”
“Of course I live here. This is my ranch.” The white-haired farmer shrugged. “Been in my family for years.”
“Oh.” Ash looked concerned. “You didn’t sell this property?”
“Thought about it. Had a couple offers. One from a little old woman who lives across the canyons, and a bigger one from an older gentleman who rode in here one day and told me whatever the old lady paid, he’d pay more.”
“Was his name Wolf?” Falcon demanded.
“It was.” The farmer nodded. “In the end, I decided I didn’t want to leave my place. It’s been in my family for years,” he reminded them.
“I see,” Ash said. “We’re sorry to have bothered you.”
“No bother at all.” The rancher went off, his stooped body heading back toward the coolness of the adobe.
“Fiona told a whopper,” Ash stated. “It’s just like she did to our cousins. Got them married off, made sure there were lots of babies, then pow! So happily married they never battled for Rancho Diablo.”
He laughed. “Let’s not tell our brothers.”
“Why not?” Ash looked at him as they walked back to their horses.
“It’ll be fun to watch them work hard for something they’re not going to get.”
Ash mounted, waited for him. “I like the way you think. And now you can tell Taylor you don’t need her anymore. You’re a free man. There’s no ranch to win. No ranch, no wedding.”
He wasn’t about to do anything of the sort. “So you’re going to quit chasing Xav?”
“I don’t chase him,” Ash said. “And no, I’m not. Pretty sure he needs the exercise. But Taylor might just let you catch her. And you wouldn’t like that, Falcon. You know you aren’t the committing sort.”
They rode along in silence after that. Falcon tucked his hat down low on his brow, letting his horse follow Ash’s. It was true. He wasn’t the committing sort, and there was no prize. Fiona had set them up.
But Ash was wrong about one thing. He was certain he’d like Taylor letting him catch her. “I can keep a secret if you can.”
“I’m not telling a soul. I’m going to watch Tighe and Dante run away from their destiny, and watch our other brothers get hitched and have families. Watching Fiona spin her web is fun, now that I’m onto her.”
Falcon wasn’t sure they weren’t all caught in Fiona’s web already. He was. But he didn’t tell Ash, because Ash didn’t believe in destiny.
He did. He wanted a date with destiny.
Chapter Three
Falcon waited on Taylor as she got off work, his game plan in hand. “Hi, beautiful.”
Taylor stopped, turned to look at him. He leaned against his truck, giving her his best devil-may-care-and-be-damned smile. She studied him for a second, then walked over to him.
“What are you doing, Falcon? You look pleased with yourself, and I’m not sure that’s a good thing.”
He laughed. “Ride with me.”
She raised a brow. “Why? And where?”
“Ride with me because I’m trying to bend Jillian’s rules. Where—that’s a surprise. A guy has to have some secrets. Then he’s in touch with his feminine side, right?”
Taylor shook her head, clearly considering the wisdom of taking off with him. Falcon gave her plenty of time to talk herself out of it. He knew she wouldn’t.
She might be taking Jillian’s advice, but this little lady liked him. He could feel it.
“Didn’t you agree not to date me?”
He smiled. “I said I wouldn’t ask you to marry me. Dating’s optional.”
“I see.” She considered that. “Where are you taking me?”
He reeled her in slowly. Taylor wasn’t the average girl who’d be satisfied with a regular evening of food and awkward chat. “Ghost-busting.”
She blinked. Hesitated.
He had her.
“Okay,” she said. “But I can’t be gone long. Maybe just an hour or two.
