Lucas Read Online Free PDF Page B

then.”
    “Sit!” he said firmly.
“Please.” His voice softened. “I want you to get to know your betrothed.”
    “Her what?” Lucas
demanded, echoing her surprise. He pushed back the chair and was on his feet in
an instant. He looked at Lucy, then back at Liam. “Whoa. Wait a minute. I never
agreed to get married. Not to anyone.”
    “Liam,” Lucy looked up
at him with a smile she hoped would convince him to listen to her, “I thought
we’d agreed. No more matchmaking.” She should be surprised at what her
benefactor had clearly written in his letters, but she wasn’t. He had felt
responsible for her situation from the beginning and had made it his mission to
find her the right husband.
    Lucas had told her that
he hadn’t received any of his grandfather’s letters, but still, the
disappointment at his obvious aversion to even the idea of marrying her stung.
    “That’s why you’re
here, isn’t it? You got my letters and you came to fulfill an old man’s wish?”
    “Sorry, Granddad. Miss
Lucy said you sent us a letter right after she got here, but if that’s so, we
never received it. At least not that I know of. And I sure as h—” he swallowed
the last word and looked over at her. “I didn’t see it,” he amended.
    Liam glanced between
her and his grandson, then he motioned for her to join them at the table.
    She stayed put for as
long as she dared, but Liam Deardon had been good to her and she didn’t have
the heart to deny him. She complied with his wishes and took the seat across
the table from Lucas. Liam reached out and squeezed her hand with a wink, then
turned his focus back to his grandson.
    “Then, what is it that brought
you to Whisper Ridge if it wasn’t for my letters? For I thought surely Fate was
smiling on me today.” He winked.
    Lucas cleared his
throat and glanced at Lucy whose heart fluttered airily in her chest. She had
to force herself to breathe.
    Didn’t you hear him,
Lucy Russell? He’s not looking to get married. To anyone.
    After a moment’s
hesitation, Lucas reclaimed his seat at the table, keeping his head low, and staring
at some invisible spot on the wood. His fingers fidgeted and he bit at his lip.
It wasn’t long before he finally spoke. “The Pony Express was our biggest contract
buyer and with the telegraph now extending from one side of the country to the
other, there’s not much of a need for our horses. They are closing up shop.” He
scratched at the invisible spot.
    Liam sat quietly and
listened, waiting for him to continue.
    “An opportunity came up,”
Lucas told them, “that will help us to save our ranch, but it requires a change
in livestock. We won’t be breeding and selling horses anymore, but cattle. We’ve
always been horse ranchers and don’t know anything about raising cattle, but
Noah has hired on at our neighbors ranch to learn as much as he can.”
    Liam leaned back in his
chair, still listening intently.
    Lucas was quiet.
    “Out with it, son. I sense
a question in there somewhere. What is it?”
    DING! CLANG! DING!
CLANG! DING!
    The hollow clang of the
dinner triangle rang loudly and for longer than normal, but it wasn’t
suppertime. The kitchen door burst open and Denver stuck his head inside.
    “We’ve got a problem.”

Chapter Five

     
    “Stampede in the
pasture just beyond the gate!” Denver sucked in a breath and swallowed hard,
slapping his gloves against his thigh. “Water tower’s coming down if we don’t
hurry.”
    Liam, Lucas, and Lucy
all shot to their feet at once.
    “The mustang got out
and scared the cows. Several of the men are trying to round them up now.
Haven’t seen the stallion.”
    “Anyone told Hank and
Sam?”
    Denver shook his head.
“Not unless they heard the triangle ring.”
    “What can I do?” Lucas
asked his grandfather, grabbing his hat from the back of the chair.
    “You’ll ride with me,”
Granddad directed him. “Lucy, honey, I need you to get Tillie and help her put
a large pot