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Shocked speechless, Jasmine stared at her mother. The gaze Madeleine returned was calm, almost cold.

“Gather your things, sweetheart,” she said. “We’ve got to get you out of here.”

Jasmine struggled for words. “But you just . . . What about the police? What about him ?” She gestured helplessly toward the body of Louis Divino lying at her feet, his blood soaking into the white Flokati rug.

“It’s all right, dear,” Madeleine said. “I know people who’ll come and clean up this mess. I’ll call them. But you will need to be gone when they get here.” She stripped off her blood-spattered negligee and laid it over the body. Underneath, her mauve silk nightgown was undamaged. “This isn’t quite the way I planned it, but it’s as good as anything, I suppose.”

“What did you plan? Mother? You just killed a man!”

“A man who would have shot you. I believe that’s justifiable homicide.”

“But you said you planned something,” Jasmine sputtered. “What’s going on here? I don’t understand!”

“Louis was getting soft,” Madeleine said. “He’d been making some bad decisions—bad for the organization. I’d been planning a way to take over, with plenty of support from his former friends. But I never expected I’d have to take him out myself.”

“But—”

“That’s enough, dear. The less you know, the safer you’ll be. Now get your suitcase and start packing.”

“But how can I leave you alone, Mother? You’re sick! You’re—”

“Dying?” Madeleine chuckled. “Honey, I’m not dying. I’m not even sick. It was all an act. As long as Louis believed I wouldn’t be around much longer, he trusted me. He never imagined that I was working against him. Being terminal bought me some wiggle room with the law as well. And even with my children.”

She stepped back from the doorway, leaving her stunned daughter to process what she’d just heard. “If you’ll excuse me, dear, I’ve got some phone calls to make,” she said, turning to go. “Now, be a good girl, pack your suitcase, go home, and marry that adorable FBI man. I can’t wait to see photos of my blue-eyed grandbabies!”

Tucumcari, New Mexico, two days later

With the AC cranked high and the radio blasting an oldies country music station, Crystal sang along with Kenny Rogers as she drove west along Interstate 40. She wasn’t sure where she was headed, but for now, that didn’t matter. She was free.

Tucked into various parts of her underwear was the $30,000 in cash that Darrin Culhane had given her. In return for the money, she had sworn never to contact Lila and never to show her face in Willow Bend again. Crystal would have no trouble keeping her promise. She’d meant every word of it.

With a satisfied chuckle, she patted the wad of bills tucked into the left cup of her bra. The money was far less than the $100,000 she’d demanded from Darrin. But in her haste to get away before her lie was blown, she’d been willing to take what she could get. Until she found another source of income, she would watch every penny.

The diamond ring, which she’d found in her purse, was back on her finger. It could be pawned in an emergency. But she loved the look of it. She loved the way it made her feel. It was her good luck charm.

Behind her sunglasses, the black eye Judd had given her was fading. Her headaches were improving, too. A slight concussion, the doctor had called it. She would be fine. She still worried about Judd coming to find her. But every mile she drove widened the distance between them. She was beginning to feel safe.

Once her eye was healed, Crystal planned to get a beauty salon makeover, maybe change her hair, and buy some sexy new clothes. In the meantime, she would change her name—legally, if she could manage it. At the very least, she was going to need a fake driver’s license. That shouldn’t be a problem. She knew where to look, who to ask, and how much to pay. She’d done it before.

With her new identity in place, she would choose a location that possessed two vital elements—money and men. Crystal knew how to spot quality—an expensive haircut; a Rolex on the wrist; a tailored jacket; custom boots, exquisitely made but well worn; the right car in the parking lot.

She knew how to get attention. And she knew how to flatter a man, how to touch him, how to breathe in his ear and how to brush her hips subtly against his, just enough to tantalize.

It had worked with Frank Culhane. It would work again. All she needed was the right place, the right time, and the right, vulnerable man.

The Culhane Ranch, nightfall of the same day

Roper gave a final check of the horses that would be loaded at dawn for the drive to Las Vegas. The three-horse trailer, cleaned and prepared with hay and water, was already hitched to the heavy-duty Ram 1500 truck. At first light, he would load Fire Dance, Milly, and One in a Million into the trailer. Then, with Cheyenne and Stetson helping, he would be off to Vegas and the Run for a Million.

The two stallions had given him some concern. But Roper had stabled them next to each other, and they appeared to be getting along. One in a Million’s aggression was down to an occasional snort. Fire Dance seemed no more high strung than was his usual nature. And Roper had made sure that Milly’s progesterone shot, to keep her from coming into estrus, was up-to-date.

He was shortcutting through the arena, headed for his own truck in the parking lot, when he spotted a pale figure perched on the railing. His throat tightened. It was Lila, dressed in a gray sweatsuit with a bandage wrapping her left arm.

At the clinic, Roper hadn’t left her side. He had held her hand while the antivenin was dripped into her veins, and he’d sat by her bed through the night. By the next morning, she was feeling better. The doctor had sent her home with pain medication and strict orders to rest over the next few weeks. Roper hadn’t seen her since he’d delivered her to her front door. He’d turned her over to Mariah, who’d shot him a glare before helping Lila up the stairs to her room. Roper had hoped Lila would stay in bed. Yet, tonight, here she was.

Roper strode across the arena. Mindful of her arm, he lifted her off the rail and gathered her close. Warm and trembling, she nestled against him. She was so fragile, so precious, and he had come so close to losing her.

“Damn it, Boss,” he muttered, “you’re not supposed to be here.”

“Then we won’t tell anybody, will we?” she teased, stretching on tiptoe to offer him her lips. Their kiss was long and deep and tender, an affirmation of what they’d become to each other.

“I’m sorry you can’t be in Las Vegas,” he said. “You can watch the event on TV, but it won’t be the same.”

“I know.” Roper sensed the mystery in her voice. What wasn’t she telling him?

“If I win, it will be for both of us,” he said. “It will be for our future, for everything we want to make of our lives together.”

“Will we have a future, Roper?” she asked. “With so much hanging in the balance, I’m afraid to hope.”

“Don’t be afraid, Lila.” His arms tightened around her. “Believe that everything will work out. We’ll make it work out.” He raised her chin and gazed into her face. “You’re holding something back. What is it?”

“I was going to surprise you,” she said. “But that’s already spoiled, isn’t it? Gemma is coming tomorrow to take care of me. If I’m strong enough we’ll be taking a flight to Vegas in time for the big event. When you ride that beautiful red horse into the arena, I’ll be in the stands, cheering you on.”

Roper’s pulse skipped. Until now, he hadn’t realized how much he’d wanted her there. “That’s crazy,” he said. “You need to rest.”

“I will rest—on the plane and in the hotel. Gemma will make sure of that. And if there’s a problem, she’ll know what to do. What can be safer than traveling with an almost-registered nurse who happens to be my daughter?”

“Give me your word that you won’t go unless you’re feeling up to it.”

“I could give you my word,” she said, “but you know that nothing is going to stop me.”

“Yes, I know.” He kissed her with tender restraint. “I love you. And when we get through this mess, I intend to give you everything that life has to offer. Trust me.”

He looked into her eyes, saw the hope there, the fear and the love. She had her dreams. So did he. But making those dreams come true would take faith, hard work, and all the luck in the world.