their ruse, but so far things had gone much better than he had expected. She was excited about the wedding and that he’d be keeping his hands in the Callahan Ranch. She’d always loved Alana, so that was a plus. Still, he hated the guilty feeling that wrapped around his heart and soul. Mam and Matt wanted the same thing—to see their kids settled and happy. Matt would be gone so he’d never know what happened, but Mam’s heart would be broken.
Chapter Nine
Alana went over her mental list as she made her way downstairs that morning. She and Lucas had to rake a field of hay up into windrows. Some of the hired hands would move cattle. Others would repair fence lines. She stopped so fast when she got to the kitchen that she almost fell over her own feet. Her father was not at the table with a newspaper in front of his face, and the coffee wasn’t made.
She whipped around and headed back up to his bedroom but before she’d taken a step, the back door opened and Matt came into the house. “I had breakfast in the bunkhouse with the guys this morning, so don’t make anything for me. I’ll get a pot of coffee going and have a cup with my morning paper”—he held it up—“and we can visit while you eat.”
“Daddy, you scared me,” Alana fussed at him. “I thought…”
“Lucas is right behind me,” he whispered.
“Hey, kiddo. Did you decide to be lazy and sleep in this morning?” Lucas teased as he pushed open the back door.
“It’s only five o’clock,” Alana argued.
“We’ve already had breakfast and have given the hired hands their chores for the day.”
A short, round man who lived in bibbed overalls and a wide-brimmed straw hat, Lucas had been foreman on the Bar C for all of Alana’s life. She could even remember him when he had a head full of dark hair. Now, all he had was rim of gray that circled his bald head above his ears. His brown eyes were set in a bed of wrinkles, but they were always happy.
“Must be that love bug that bit you that’s makin’ you lazy,” he continued to tease her. “I’m glad I didn’t ever settle down with a woman if that’s what happens.”
“No woman would have had you for more than a weekend,” Alana shot back at him.
“Thank God. I’d hate to think that one woman would get all this.” He made a gesture to take in his whole body. “That would deprive so many others of a chance to spend a night with such a fine cowboy.”
“On that note, I’m going to get my newspaper off the porch,” Matt said.
“You, Lucas Nighthawk, are full of bullshit.” Alana put on a pot of coffee and got her favorite cereal from the cabinet.
“And that’s why all the women love me.” He lowered his voice. “Is Matt all right? He’s seemed a little off the past several weeks. He needs to see a doctor.”
“What do you mean?” Alana asked.
“Sometimes he talks about Joy like she’s still alive, especially since y’all announced that you were getting married so quick,” Lucas said. “Folks say that this is a shotgun wedding.”
“That’s only a rumor. Don’t pay any attention to it.” Alana concentrated on pouring cereal into a bowl and avoided looking Lucas in the eye. When she was growing up, she could fool her father some of the time, her mother very rarely, but never Lucas. He’d been the uncle that she’d never had, since both her parents were only children, and he always knew when she was lying.
“Well, dammit!” Lucas slapped his thigh. “I was hopin’ it was true. I’d like to see the next generation before I die.”
“Don’t talk to me about dying.” She shivered at the thought. “You old cowboys are supposed to live forever, don’t you know that?”
“Old cowboys never die. They just kick the dust.” Matt brought his newspaper to the table and sat down to read it.
“I’ve heard that they never die, but they smell like they have after a long day on the ranch.” Alana poured three cups of coffee and set one in front of her father.
Lucas picked up the other two and carried them to the table. “I hate to see you eat nothing but that dried-up crap with sugar on it. A workin’ woman needs something that will stick to her ribs, something like ham and eggs.”
“I’ll take a couple of energy bars with me.” She