The Price of Passion (Texas Cattleman's Club: Rags to Riches 1)

Beth had built herself a good life here and he admired that. He’d done well, too, so in that regard, they were on equal footing. Not like back in the day when she’d been a Wingate princess and he was a working cowboy.

Today she was so much more. Hell, he hadn’t been able to think about anything but her for days. Her smile. Her scent. The taste of her. The way her eyes snapped with indignation when her temper was up. He’d missed her. In spite of his marriage to Julie, he’d never forgotten Beth.

The guilt of that had nibbled on him for years. And now thinking about Beth the way he was had that same guilt growing and snapping at him with razor-sharp teeth.

He’d known coming home to Royal wouldn’t be a walk in the park, but damned if he’d figured that Beth would once again tangle him up in knots.

* * *

Naturally, the Royal Diner was crowded, and that was fine with Cam. He noticed people watching him, heard the whispers as he passed, and he paid them all no attention. Cam could put up with the staring and whispering. For a while.

Tony Alvarez was sitting at a booth overlooking Main Street, and Cam slid onto the bench seat opposite him. Tony’s black hair was cut short, his brown eyes were sharp and his quick grin was the best welcome home Cam had had so far.

Sticking his right hand out, Tony said, “Damn, it’s good to see you.”

“You, too.” Cam shook hands with his old friend, then eased back into the booth. “Been too long.”

“Well, that’s what happens when you move to California and get rich and famous.”

“Look who’s talking,” Cam said, laughing. His old friend had played Major League Baseball and had made a hell of a name for himself before retiring.

Tony waved that off. “I played a game and got paid for it. You got on TV for knowing how to build things.”

“I wasn’t really famous,” he said. His and Julie’s show had done well for two years, but it was one of a dozen remodel shows. Then Julie had gotten sick, and everything ended.

“Rich though.” Tony grinned again.

Cam laughed because Tony had always been the guy who said exactly what he was thinking. Even back in high school, you always knew just where you stood with him. It was a trait Cam admired and he was glad his old friend hadn’t changed.

And, yes, he’d gotten richer than he’d ever thought possible. When he was a kid, he’d figured that making his own fortune would solve all of his problems. Yet now that he had more money than he could spend in two lifetimes, he knew money didn’t solve anything. Made things easier, for damn sure, but the problems you had, you would still have. You’d just drive a better car and live in a bigger house.

Amanda Battles stepped up to the booth just then. “Hi, Tony.” Her gaze shifted. “Cam. It’s good to see you home.”

“Thanks.” He smiled and meant it. “I appreciate it.”

“Nate tells me you’re doing a lot of work on the old Circle K.”

“I am,” Cam said, sliding a glance at his friend.

“Good.” She nodded. “That tells me you’re here to stay.” Pulling an old-fashioned order pad out of her pocket, she poised her pen over it and asked, “What can we get you two?”

Once they’d both ordered, Amanda left them alone and Tony asked, “So what did you want to talk about?”

Cam sat back and laid his right arm along the top of the red vinyl booth bench. In high school, Tony and Cam had been best friends. They’d played on the championship baseball team and both had dreamed of making the bigs. The only difference between them was that Tony had actually made it. He’d played eight seasons for Houston before blowing out a knee, which had ended his career.

But Tony being Tony, that hadn’t stopped him from finding success somewhere else.

“Are you still running that baseball camp of yours?”

“Oh, hell yes,” Tony said with a smile. “Thanks, Pam,” he murmured when Amanda’s sister brought them both cups of coffee. Then back to Cam, he said, “It’s bigger than ever. We’ve got forty kids lined up for this coming winter. Twenty in the first camp and twenty more in the second. I’m still renting the land we operate on. Soon though, I’m going to have to look for more land. Build a permanent site. Maybe hold camps all winter and up to spring training.”

He held the coffee mug cupped in his palms. “I’m thinking about doing a dream team thing for adults, too. Get the older guys who used to fantasize about playing big-league ball out to meet some players and have some fun.”

Cam nodded, thinking. Tony’s baseball camp had started out small about five years ago. Cam might not have been living in Royal, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t kept up with what his friends were doing. And in the last five years, Tony’s business had really grown. Not only did he have the reputation on his own, but every year his old teammates showed up to impress the kids and to help them work on their games.

“That sounds great,” Cam said. “Maybe I’ll sign up, too.”

Tony looked surprised. “Shoulder good enough?”