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Chapter Four

“ N ow, are you sure you don’t want to sell that other three acres, Mr. Lyons?” Rory asked. “I’ll let you use it indefinitely as long as you utilize it for pasture, and that way I’m paying the taxes on it.”

Poor old guy couldn’t afford the taxes on his hundred-acre spread, and Rory would be damned if Harris would get this parcel, as close as it was to the state highway. The three acres the house and barns sat on Lyons wanted to keep, and that would be enough for his two horses and dozen chickens.

This game of checkers he was playing with Harris was an expensive one, but it would be worth it. Harris wanted to sell to developers, but this was ranch land. There were condos everywhere—the world didn’t need more.

It didn’t hurt that Harris had outed Rory five years ago and tried to ruin his reputation. Well, tried was more like managed, and reputation was a strong word because, damn, folks discovered that a rich queer cowboy was just fine to do business with.

The rich part had taken some work and a lot of fast talking. The occasional blow job. Good thing Rory was exceptional on his knees.

He grinned as Lyons agreed to the deal. “I’ll come out to the house with the paperwork tomorrow, then. Sound good?”

“It does.” If the old feller had a tear in his eye, Rory wasn’t gonna mention it. “Thank you, boy. I couldn’t stay if you didn’t do this for me, and that damned Harris is pushing.”

“I want you to stay. If your son changes his mind and decides to come back, I’ll offer it to him before I do anything else, okay?” He clapped Mr. Lyons on the shoulder.

“You’re a good ’un. One of our own.”

“That I am.” The McConnells had been landowners here since before Texas had bowed to statehood.

Rory intended to keep that going for generations, even if he had to adopt or something.

Hopefully, his sisters would produce heirs at some point.

They really needed to graduate from college and high school first.

Teenage girls were evil incarnate.

He waved at Mr. Lyons, then hopped into his truck. He had three messages. Mom. His cousin Dooley. One from Lori. Hers just said, “Check in.”

“Mmm. Czech Inn. I should go to West soon.” He dialed the office. Maybe he’d run down to Austin this weekend and get laid. “ Hola, Chiquita banana, what’s up?”

“Hey, boss. Two things. Your mom called and says to stop avoiding her, and Harris just tried to put a lien on Lilly McAllen. Did you get the contract signed yesterday?”

“Yep. Her check should fund today and she can pay off his loan.” Ha! Score . Looked like Lilly’s Café would be staying right where it was.

“Excellent.” Lori was having almost as much fun as he was. “How did it go with Mr. Lyons?”

“We’re in like Flynn. ”

“Harris is going to shoot you in the face with a bazooka.”

“He’s gonna try.” Rory wasn’t stupid. He knew he’d lose some in this game, but it was a numbers thing and he intended to show Harris how a McConnell played hardball.

He would never forget the man slapping him in the face with his dick, calling him a whore. He’d taken Fred Miller down, Chris Baker, too. There was only the big dog left now.

“He sure does hate you,” Lori said, sounding fiendishly pleased. “Don’t forget you have that charity dinner tonight.”

“Right. Suit or formal cowboy attire?”

“Cowboy. This is rodeo relief fund stuff.”

“Got it.” He made a mental note. Not that Lori wouldn’t put a reminder on his electronic calendar. “Tell me we got my white shirts to the cleaners.”

He counted on her to remember for him.

“Starched and pressed. Here at the office. Call your mother.” She hung up without letting him growl.

He rolled his eyes. Just what he wanted, another session of the ‘I’m going to kill your sisters’ club meeting. Still, he supposed he could fake a dead spot when she got going.

The idea left him with a smile on his face when he dialed and when Mom answered. “You rang?” Rory said.

“Actually, that was you. Did Lori finally bully you into calling?”

“Yup!” he answered, just as cheery as could be. “I saw you texted, too. How’s your very own personal episode of Cruel Little Girl Liars or whatever it is?”

“I’m fairly sure she’s a vampire. Possibly an extra from Salem.”

“That’s witches, or is it teen smoking?” He chuckled. “I can take her to the mall Sunday.”

“Oh, would you? Your dad is on the ‘Rowenna’s never leaving the house again without supervision’ thing and I have to run to Austin to help Aislin buy her spring formal dress. ”

“Yeah.” So much for his own trip to Austin. “As long as you bring back kolaches and pecan rolls.”

“I can do that. How are you? Keeping busy?”

“You have no idea.” He grinned, thinking how Harris really might try to shoot him over this Lyons deal. No more strip mall plans, thank you. “I have some charity thing tonight. Pray for me.”

“Oh, poor baby. You have my sympathies.”

“Thanks. You know how much I adore some of the folks who come to these events.” Only not.

“You live for this shit and you know it.”

“Listen to you!” Sometimes she could still shock him.

“It’s true. No fighting.” She chuckled. “I have enough of that with your sister and your daddy.”

“Teenagers suck.”

“Yep. You should remember that well, you little hellion.”

“Hey!” He cracked up. “I was an angel.” Rory had been trying, and he knew it. Oh, not because he’d been a bad kid. No, he’d been a geek and something of a prodigy, and his folks were left scratching their heads most of the time.

“Yeah. You were mine, that’s for sure. Aislin is just like your daddy. Rowenna is… Christ, I don’t know. A changeling.”

Yeah, sixteen was just hard, especially when you were a dark little gothy thing and your big sister had been the homecoming queen and class president.

“Like I said, I’ll pick her up Sunday. After church, or is she still protesting that?”

“Pick her up at eleven. The stores won’t be open before then, anyway.”

“Will do. Love you.” That had gone well. Mom did like to hear he was doing shit for charity.

Hell, she liked to hear that she was going to get time away from Ro. Those two were like fire and matches.

“Love you, too. Bye.”

He shook his head and headed back to his office, leaving himself a voice memo to get the paperwork ready for this deal and to pick his baby sister up on Sunday.