Page 39 of Wrangled Up (Menage a Trouble #2)

Claire’s head snapped up and a flush mottled her beautiful face. Tucker followed her gaze to see Darcy and Leon headed their way.

His stomach knotted as he prepared for the worst. He didn’t feel like having a word match here in front of everyone. As far as he knew, only Claire and Christian knew of his money. Leon, on the other hand, flaunted it to all.

Today he wore a long drover coat against the rain, and Darcy had on a pink fringed leather jacket with rhinestones that matched.

“There’s my blue ribbon winner!” Darcy grabbed the leash out of Tucker’s hand and started to lead Boom Boom away.

“Hold up. What the hell do you think you’re doing? ”

“This is my alpaca. I’m showing her in ten minutes. We made a deal.” She shot Claire a look.

Oh fuck. His gut hollowed out.

His family had gotten to Claire. What had been said or done to her? In one step, he was beside Claire and had her tucked against his side. Christian looked as befuddled as he felt. Apparently Claire had held this information close.

Tucker looked straight at Leon. “Tell me what is going on.”

A snide smile spread over the man’s face. If Tucker hadn’t long ago learned to hate him, he would now. It was one thing to fuck with him, but with Claire?

He glared at him.

“This is between me and Darcy,” Claire spoke up. The rain was soaking her hair to black. Water ran down her cheek.

“Get under this pavilion,” he growled, towing her across the parking area to a small stand under roof.

Typically the entire event was held under the great big Wyoming sky, but today someone had actually believed the weatherman when rain was forecasted.

Whether or not the weatherman had been threatened with a shotgun was questionable.

But in the end, some smart person had erected tents sporadically about the grounds.

Everyone followed, including Boom Boom, led by Darcy, damn her.

He looked down at Claire expectantly. Tears stood in the corners of her almond eyes. Fuck, he hadn’t meant to ever see those again after he’d committed himself to her and Christian.

“I’ve entered Darcy in the event. She’s showing Boom Boom.”

“Why?”

Claire flinched, and his heart tugged.

“Because you promised to raise this alpaca for me, and Claire is upholding your end of the bargain.”

“No.” His tone was hard. He swung his gaze between Leon and Darcy. “I don’t know what you did to change events, but it’s stopping with me. Claire is showing this animal.”

Leon stared at Tucker until he got his meaning. In that direct gaze he saw that negotiations had taken place that would keep Leon off his back in exchange for a blue ribbon for his cousin.

He shook his head hard and opened his mouth to speak.

Claire wrapped her fingers around his forearm. Her hand was chilled. She slipped the other around his neck and tugged his head down until her mouth was at his ear. “Let me do this, Tucker. It’s just a fair.”

Her whispered words created a knot of emotion in his throat.

She’d done this for him. How and when weren’t important.

A tight feeling stole over his body, and pain ricocheted around the walls of his heart.

Fuck it all, he’d dragged the people he loved into this mess, and Claire had done something selfless to get him out of it.

Except he knew by Leon’s backstabbing past that the deal only held true until the blue ribbon passed into Darcy’s hand.

He sent Christian a pointed look and released Claire. Christian took over her protection by wrapping an arm around her narrow waist.

Tucker jerked his head at his uncle to indicate they were talking. Leon stalked before him, his lanky legs eating up the muddy ground. When they stood about twenty yards away, Tucker unloaded, and not more livestock.

Fury lay on his tongue. “What the fuck are you trying to pull?”

Leon shook his head, feigning innocence. “Your little gal attacked Darcy in the drugstore—”

“ What? ” He tried to picture Claire—his Claire—sucker-punching Darcy. She was the sweetest woman on earth. How…?

Images of his pocked truck flitted through his head. Yeah, she’s capable.

But why? She wouldn’t have attacked Darcy without provocation. While he’d never personally had a problem with Darcy, it was possible that Leon’s and Dale’s ways had worn off on her. A shame, really.

Tucker jabbed a finger at his uncle’s chest. “Call it off.”

Surprise flitted across his face. On the heels of that was a cunning glint in his eyes. “If an alpaca and a woman are more important, then I’m sure we can come to an arrangement.”

From his inner pocket of his coat, Leon withdrew the papers .

“Give ‘em to me.” Tucker snatched them from Leon’s hand, turned and flattened them against the wooden side of a concession stand. “Pen?”

Leon dangled one in front of Tucker’s face.

“No!” The harsh cry made him start. He looked up just in time to see Claire sprinting toward him. Mud splashed around her and her expression was fierce—with love.

She ripped the papers from his hands and tore the thick wad in two. Then she proceeded to mutilate the contract until it was confetti lying in the muddy water at their feet.

He gaped at her, aware that Christian was at his side and doing the same.

A fevered light burned in her dark eyes. “You aren’t signing that.”

The corner of his lip tugged upward. “Guess not now.”

She whirled to face Darcy, who had led Boom Boom into the rain. Snagging the leash from her hand, Claire took off with the blinged-out animal, making straight for the stage where she’d parade Boom Boom .

“Guess she’s changed her mind about allowing you to show Boom Boom,” Christian drawled in true cowboy style.

Darcy burst into a keening wail. Leon’s eyes shot bullets. And Tucker couldn’t be happier.

He ground his boot into the mess of paper and shouldered his way past his family. The alpacas were about to be shown, and only one had been that well-cared for as far as he was concerned—the one with the pink ankle cuffs and tiara.

When he and Christian took their seats in the soggy area in front of the stage, he could only see the joy radiating from the woman he loved.

* * * * *

“Hey, little gal.” The whisper from behind caused Claire to whirl.

The man from the bar who’d wanted to talk to her about Leon stood there, his plaid shirt wet from rain and sweat after the wood-chopping competition .

Claire put a bit of distance between them. “What did you need to tell me? Make it fast before my men see us talking.” She cast a nervous glance left and right, but luckily Tucker and Christian were off with Letty, watching the tractor pull.

“I’m with Bradley Coal.” The man shifted from boot to boot. She glanced down to see he wore simple, utilitarian cowboy boots. So he wasn’t like Leon, at least as far as fashion sense went.

A long pause ensued. Finally, she met the man’s gaze.

He swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat. “Look, I don’t know why I’m compelled to tell you this—”

It always started this way. She steeled herself to hear a dark confession about this man’s love affair with Leon or the fact that Leon had stolen his wife from him and plunged him into despair.

He continued, “There’s something been bothering me for a while about that mining operation up on the Langley land.”

She held her breath then released it in a slow trickle. “What’s that? ”

“I oversee several branches of Bradley Coal, and I see quite a bit of paperwork. See…” He searched her face as if waiting for her to pull out a badge and bust him for giving up confidential information.

She waited patiently. No better way to get a person talking.

In a rush, he spoke. “That land, some of it isn’t minable. But Leon—he rigged the maps to make it look as if it is.”

“What?” Confusion slanted her brows into a V.

“Seems that part of that land Leon owns—not Tucker, mind you—has a hold on it by the state.”

“I don’t understand.” A deep quake began in her belly. She wished she hadn’t given into Christian’s wishes and taken a bite of his corndog.

“The state claims there are ruins on that upper portion of the land. They plan to have an archeological dig. Indian ruins or dinosaur bones—I’m not sure what’s in that ground. But Leon isn’t supposed to disturb it with mining.”

And he has. A flutter took up residence in her chest. Fear or excitement? She wasn’t sure .

“So he falsified the surveyor’s maps to make it look as if the land the state wants him to keep untouched is really some distance away. In the north corner.”

The gravity of the information hit her full force. Bearing down on her until she felt as if her wooden heels would splinter. With this information, she could stop Leon once and for all. If she told on him, he’d be in for the lawsuit of his life, racking up millions in fees and fines.

For the first time ever, Claire reached out and placed her hand on the arm of the man who had told her something she didn’t want to hear. Because in the end, she needed this information to keep Tucker, Christian and her all safe and living happily on the ranch forever.

“Thank you.” She squeezed the man’s arm, a smile eating up every square inch of her face. It felt as if her forehead was even smiling.

He grinned in return, infected by her excitement though he couldn’t know why. “My pleasure. Just…” A worried look passed over his features.

She ran her finger and thumb along her lip in a zipping motion. Then backing off, she gave a final wave before making her hurried way to the tractor pull.