Texas Tall (The Tylers of Texas 3)

In the last years of his life, after the riding accident that paralyzed his legs, Bull had ruled the ranch family from his wheelchair. But there was no trace of any weakness in this photograph. This was the way Will had chosen to remember his father—powerful, dynamic, and always in charge.

That memory would haunt every decision Will had ever made.

What would you do in my place, Dad? Will gazed up at the blunt, chiseled features as if waiting for an answer. But why ask when he knew what the answer would be? Bull Tyler would have told everybody to go to hell, turned his back, and then walked away.

Maybe for Bull, that would’ve worked, but not these days. The law had too much power. Will would fight the possible charges with every resource he had. But he’d be a fool not to see the cold reality that was staring him in the face. He’d killed a man—the wrong man. If things went badly, he could find himself spending time behind bars.

Starting now, he needed to get his priorities in order—beginning with his family and the ranch.

Abner had told Beau that scheduling and carrying out the inquest would take several weeks. After that, there’d be a trial—or not, depending on the outcome. Either way, Will would have some free time before any decision was made—time to tie up loose ends and put some things right.

One task nagged him every time he looked at his father’s proud face. It was the land—the precious canyon parcel with the spring and the rumored Spanish gold—that Bull had sold to his hated neighbor, Ferg Prescott, for the sum of $1.

Except for that small piece of land, less than an acre, no part of the Rimrock had ever been sold. For the sake of family pride, if nothing else, Will knew he had to get it back.

Last spring he’d made Garn Prescott, Ferg’s son, a generous offer for it. The congressman had refused to sell, blaming some deathbed promise to his father. But things had changed since then. Garn was dead.

Now the land belonged to Lauren.

CHAPTER 4

Will stepped out of the office and walked down the hall to the living room. He’d hoped Lauren and Sky would still be here; but except for the hum of the dishwasher in the kitchen and the steady ticktock of the grandfather clock in the entry, the house was quiet. Nobody appeared to be around, not even Erin.

Mildly puzzled, he walked out onto the porch. He discovered Jasper in his customary chair, a Corona in his hand and the dog sprawled at his feet.

“Awfully quiet in there,” Will said. “Where is everybody?”

Jasper took a swig of his beer, flecks of foam clinging to his upper lip. “Bernice is napping. Beau and Natalie went home. The others piled into Sky’s pickup, and he drove ’em over to see the new house.”

“Did they say when they’d be back?” Will glanced off the porch and saw Lauren’s vintage black Corvette parked on the gravel. At least she hadn’t left for town.

“Don’t reckon they’ll be long. Not that much to see.” His wise, pale eyes studied Will. “So you’re thinking about getting that canyon parcel back, are you?”

“Am I that easy to read?”

The old man chuckled. “I’ve known you since you were in diapers, Will Tyler. You come out here looking all wrought up, you ask where everybody is, and then you check for the Prescott girl’s car. Doesn’t take much to figure that one out.”

“It’s been on my mind since Garn died,” Will said. “But with Lauren still mourning her father, it didn’t seem fitting to ask her about it. Now . . .” Will gazed into the blue distance, where two vultures circled on the updrafts. Some people believed that the ugly black birds were a portent of evil. Will had never held with that old superstition, and he wasn’t about to start believing it now. “I’m trying to get some things done before the inquest wraps up. Hopefully, it’ll come to nothing, but you never know. If I have to go away for a while . . .”

“Don’t even talk like that,” Jasper said. “When the girl marries Sky, the land will at least be back in the family.”

“But not the way it should be. I want a signed, recorded deed giving that land back to the Rimrock. And I won’t settle for less.”

“It might not be that easy. For all you know, that land could’ve gone with the rest of the Prescott Ranch when Garn sold out to the syndicate.”

“No, I checked with the county recorder,” Will said. “The old deed’s still valid, made out to Ferguson Prescott and his heirs in perpetuity. The property’s Lauren’s to sell.”

“If she’s willing to sell it. She’s a Prescott, after all. Stubborn devils, Ferg and his boy. Garn’s daughter won’t be no different.” Jasper took another swig of his Corona. Something in the old man’s look told Will he knew more than he was telling. But Jasper was full of secrets, most of which he would probably take to his grave.

For now, there was no time to pry any more out of him. Sky’s steel-blue pickup had come over the last rise, trailing a plume of dust as it bounced across the burned-over flatland toward the house. Will waited as the truck pulled up to the porch; he was pondering what he could say to influence Lauren. How much does she know about the land? he wondered. How much had her father told her—and Sky?

Tori and Erin climbed out of the rear seat. Instead of coming up onto the porch, Erin was tugging her mother toward the paddock, where the colts were romping in the afternoon sunlight. Even from a distance Tesoro’s hide gleamed like gold, making it easy to spot him among his darker-coated playmates. In a way it was too bad Erin was so smitten with her young colt. The sale of such an animal would give the ranch a much-needed influx of cash. But no amount of money was worth breaking his daughter’s heart.

Lauren waited for Sky to come around the truck and open the passenger door before she climbed to the ground. Sky’s fiancée was a stunner, with a model’s rangy figure, coppery eyes, and an unruly mane of auburn hair. Reared with wealth, she was accustomed to the best. For Sky, a man of secure but modest means, keeping her happy would be a challenge. But the two of them did seem deeply in love. Will envied them that.

Will came down the steps to meet her and invite her inside for a talk. He meant to offer her a fair price for the land, but there was always the chance she wouldn’t agree to sell. If she dug in her heels and refused, he might have a fight on his hands, with Sky siding against him. But there was no way he was backing down. One way or another, he would make the stolen land—and there was no other way to think of it—part of the Rimrock once more.

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