Her Texas Ranger Hero (Lone Star Lawmen 4)

With those words he was reminded of the reason they were there. What she said made perfect sense, but his mind had been on her instead of the case. “Why don’t we eat first, then I’ll let you read from the file while I record you. It will probably be more horrifying on a second reading.”

Quiet reigned as they both drank their coffee. When she lifted her head, he saw the pained expression that had snuffed the light from her eyes.

He put down his mug. “Will it be too horrifying, second time through?”

“Horrifying and heartbreaking, Ranger Davis.”

“Call me Luckey. With an e.”

Ally cocked her head. “I thought your name was James.”

She remembered. That was something. “Luckey is my nickname.”

“Because you’re such a successful Ranger?”

He shook his head. “That’s a nice lie, but no, I inherited it when my parents named me for our ancestor. Luckey Davis was one of the original forty Rangers serving under Jack Hayes at the Battle of Bandera Pass. That name determined

my destiny by osmosis.”

“Osmosis instead of genetics? I don’t think so. You’re the real deal.” She chuckled as the waitress came to the table with their food. “Shall we eat?”

They both tucked into their chocolate-chip pancakes. He darted her a glance. “I bet you didn’t eat these in China.”

“You’re right. We had several native cooks who taught me how to prepare local meals from scratch.”

“So if there’s a revolution—”

“Yikes!” she interjected, causing him to chuckle.

“—and you’re not needed as a professor,” he continued, “you could open a Chinese restaurant.”

“A mediocre one to be sure.”

“Ally Duncan? I can say in all honesty that there’s nothing mediocre about you.”

If he wasn’t mistaken, he detected a slight flush on her high cheekbones. But she drawled, “Well, Luckey Davis, it seems we’re quite an amazing pair.”

He broke into laughter, but doubted anyone noticed, because the room was filled with noise. Though they’d met on a serious matter, she didn’t take herself seriously. He liked that about her.

“How would you feel if we went out to your car so you can translate for me?” They’d finished eating. “We’re going to need the quiet.”

“That’s a good idea,” she said. He helped her up from the chair and, after he paid the tab, let her walk ahead of him as they made their way to her vehicle. He had to admit she looked terrific in her designer jeans.

Concentrate on the job, Davis. What he’d have given to have met Ally under other circumstances. He wanted to know if she was involved with another man. And after that he wanted to make plans to see her again that had nothing to do with business. But there were rules a Ranger had to follow. Luckey wanted and needed her trust while he worked on this case. Rules had to come first.

Once they were inside her car, he passed her the papers from the file and pulled out his handheld digital recorder.

Her gaze met his. “Luckey? Before we start, I want to thank you for breakfast. I enjoyed it very much.”

“So did I. Don’t forget you’re doing me a great favor. It was my pleasure.” I want to do it again and again. “When you’re ready, I’ll turn this on.”

* * *

WAS THIS A one-time happening with Luckey? Would she ever see him again? Ally wished it didn’t matter, but she was so attracted to him she could hardly think about anything else.

Taking a deep breath, she looked down at the writing. She ought to be used to this after working alongside her mother in China on human trafficking cases. They’d assembled statistics about lost girls disappearing from Hunan Province for several years. But each case was heart wrenching in its own right.

Ally knew she could never be indifferent to the suffering of these young women. Thank heaven there were people invested in fighting this brand of evil, people like the bone-achingly attractive man sitting beside her. If Ally’s mother were to find out about this, she’d be overjoyed to hear that the Texas Rangers had been called in to work on this case. But Ally had promised Luckey complete secrecy and she meant to uphold that promise.