Conall's Legacy Read Online Free PDF Page B

shone like a beacon providing some break to the darkness. Insects swarmed to it, and what he assumed were bats dove after them. In the pens, engulfed by the circle of illumination, a handful of cattle lay in huge, quiet lumps. Drake hoped they’d stay that way when he started working on his sculptures.
    He slid a hand into the pocket of his tan Dockers, lifting and dropping the coins there. The clicking rattle provided the only civilized sound. What he wouldn’t give for Hollywood Boulevard. Flashing neon lights, clusters of people--some strange and some not--talking under streetlights, flirting and doing business. He could practically smell the cheap perfume, gas fumes, and cigarette smoke that mingled with hot dogs roasted by street vendors.
    Drake would find a way to get even with Rick for this. He’d pay dearly for exiling him to this godforsaken place. Drake glanced around again. Maybe he deserved a place like this. He knew he had a debt to pay for killing his partner. Perhaps this was it.
    He listened to the eerie silence. Rick had understated the quiet. It pulsed like a living thing. The dreams would come here. Unheralded. Unwanted. No noise, no smoke, no booze existed to stop them. He would relive them again ... and again.
    #
    With the first heavy thud, her eyes popped open. The velvet black of night surrounded her. Her heart jolted violently against her ribs as she tried to orient herself. Rooster jumped from the foot of her bed and careened to the door barking furiously. A second muffled whack echoed across the ranch.
    “What on earth is that?”
    She threw back the covers. The sun had been down for hours leaving only cool, high desert air to filter in through her open window. It should have been quiet enough to hear a snake breathe. It wasn’t. She pulled on a faded flannel robe and raced to the front door as the rhythmic thumping continued. She wondered for a minute if the well pump had gone berserk.
    Rooster barked again, and Luisa hushed him. “I don’t need your noise on top of that.” When the dog quieted, she could tell the sounds were coming from the shed.
    As she crossed the living room, she flipped on lights, spotted the clock, and groaned. “Three a.m.,” she muttered. Had the new tenant lost his mind?
    Luisa stopped on the porch, pulling the robe closed around her throat. The glow of the barn light illuminated the pitch-dark cloaking the yard. The racket continued. Rooster hovered at her feet, vibrating and ready to charge. A low growl rumbled in his throat.
    She started down the steps, then balanced on the lowest one for a moment before retreating to the porch. Thinking about Drake, she wrapped her arms protectively across her body.
    The metallic crashes echoed across the sandy yard. “What should we do, Rooster? We’re never going to get any sleep. He’s going to have to wait for morning.”
    Luisa hurried off the porch and crossed the yard. She hushed Rooster again as they approached the shed. A circle of light spilled out of the open side. Standing in the dark and peering in, she clutched the front of her robe. The sight of him stole her breath. Naked to the waist, sweat glistened on the rippling muscles of Drake’s back. Biceps bulged as he lifted the mallet and brought it down on a chunk of metal with a tremendous whack . A towel was wrapped around the hammer and taped in place.
    Light gray gloves protected his hands. She wondered what the palms of his hands felt like. Were they smooth or rough in spite of their protection? Deep in her body, heat unfurled and spread like sun-warmed aloe vera. She imagined those hands on her body. Could they be strong and gentle instead of destructive? She wanted him to touch her, wanted to touch him in kind. Heat slipped from her throat up and across her cheeks as her thoughts took a lusty turn.
    Thankfully, he was oblivious to everything around him, including her presence. He pounded the metal as though his life depended on it, threw it down, and