Texas Forever (The Tylers of Texas 6)

Things were good between them, more than good, especially the nights when she stole into his bed in the duplex and stayed until just before dawn. His tender, passionate loving had ushered her from girlhood into womanhood. But there were rules between them. He refused to come to her room in the house, and, by unspoken agreement, neither of them talked about the future. It was a closed door, to be opened only when the time came.

The ringing landline phone on the desk jerked her attention back to the present. She glanced at the caller ID. Her pulse broke into a gallop. It was the loan officer from the bank.

Her hand shook as she picked up the receiver. She was braced for another disappointment, but that cruel spark of hope refused to die.

“Miss Tyler?”

“Yes?” She willed her voice not to quiver.

“This is Dan Farley over at Texas First National. How are y’all doing today?”

How am I doing? “That depends on what you have to tell me.”

“Well, since you’re not in the mood for chitchat, I’ll get right to the decision. I’m right sorry, but I’m afraid we won’t be able to help you out.”

Her heart sank. Why had she even bothered to apply? “Can you tell me why?” she asked. “The value is there, and I’m only asking half of what the ranch is worth.”

“Oh, the ranch is fine. We all agreed on that. The problem is you, Miss Tyler. You’re a nineteen-year-old girl, barely out of high school, with no credit history. You’ve never even bought a car—for that matter, you don’t even have your own credit card. If you were a man, maybe—”

“This is the twenty-first century. What you just said is called discrimination.”

“Well, sorry, miss, that’s just the way it is. All I can do is wish you better luck somewhere else.”

Erin hung up the phone and slumped over the desk. The four banks she’d tried were the largest and the most likely to make big loans at a fair rate. Now she’d be faced with the second tier of institutions, the smaller banks, loan companies, and credit unions, some of them with tarnished reputations. There was always the chance that they could cheat her out of her property. And then there were private lenders who advertised—a frightening prospect, only for the desperate. She was a little fish in a sea of sharks. But she couldn’t give up. She had to keep trying.

She could call Beau and ask him for advice. But no, Beau, through no bad intent, was the cause of this mess. She could understand now why her father had been so angry with him.

She was getting a headache. Right now, what she needed was fresh air and Luke’s calming presence. He wouldn’t tell her what to do. That wasn’t Luke’s way. But he would listen while she talked through her problems and arrived at her own understanding.

She loved him for that. And she needed him. She needed his strength and his quiet acceptance of her as the person she was. She needed his arms in the night and his wisdom in all the days of her life. But to tell him that might make him feel trapped. If he decided to stay, it would have to be of his own free choice.

She followed the sound of his hammer and found him in the large pen, under the open shed roof. He had taken off his shirt. His muscular torso gleamed with sweat. A paint gelding was tied to the fence. A half dozen other horses drowsed around the water trough as they waited their turn.

Erin stood by the fence, watching him work, waiting for him to look up and notice her.

After a few minut

es he turned and saw her. One look at her face told him what had happened. “They turned you down,” he said.

She nodded. “I’m trying to be a big girl about it, but I feel like I’ve been thrown in a lake and left to drown—and I’m about to go under for the third time.”

“Hang on.” He came out through the gate, closed it behind him, and took her in his arms. She pressed her face against his chest, inhaling his manly aroma and tasting the salt on his skin. He held her—simply held her, without trying to tell her that everything would be all right. Luke always seemed to know what she needed.

“What now?” he asked, after a brief silence. “I can feel you thinking.”

“Just grasping at straws,” she said. “Someone in one of the banks told me about this investment group. It’s a long shot. They do business loans, not real estate loans. But the ranch is a business.”

“So, do you think it’s worth talking to them?”

“What have I got to lose? The worst they can do is say no. And there are other lenders, just not as good or as safe as the banks. I can’t quit and let the ranch go, Luke. I’ve got to keep trying.”

“I know.” He kissed the spot where her hairline peaked at the midline of her forehead. “So when are you going back to Lubbock? You’ve been running back and forth almost every day. Maybe you need a break.”

“No break. There’s no point in wasting time. I might as well go tomorrow. Everything’s under control here, isn’t it?”

“As far as I know. Sky runs a tight ship. The men know their jobs, and so do I.”

“Then I guess that’s the plan,” Erin said. “Want to come to supper tonight? Carmen’s going home early, and Rose is gone, so it’ll be just you and me.”