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“Good morning, Mr. Glynn.” Julia held out Luke’s file. “I wanted to ask you why you’ve declined Mr. Warner’s account.”
Mr. Glynn drummed his short, stubby fingertips on the desk. “You know why, you’ve lived here all your life. His family is scum.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Well, not all of them, I suppose his Aunt Josie is a respectable enough citizen, but Luke Warner’s father and mother were drunks and layabouts.”
Julia struggled to keep her temper. “Whatever your opinion of Mr. Warner’s parents, they’re dead now. You can’t judge him by their actions.”
“Yeah, I can.” He gestured at the file and she handed it to him. “This guy turns up with five thousand bucks in cash, and you believe he came by it honestly?” He tossed the file down on the desk. “I can’t prove anything, but I can at least keep him out of my bank, make him travel down to the next town to get his filthy money out.”
“Sir, I’m certain that’s against the bank’s policies.”
Mr. Glynn’s cheeks flushed dark red. “And what are you going to do about it, missy? File a complaint?”
Julia held his gaze. “Yes, if I have to.” So much for being promoted, so much for her dreams. Sometimes a gal just had to take a stand for her friends.
Mr. Glynn’s smile disappeared. “I think you’ve been getting a bit above yourself lately, Miss Lowell, acting as if you run the bank and not me.”
“For all intents and purposes, I do run the bank, sir.” Julia manufactured a smile and reclaimed the file. “I’ll have the monthly summaries on your desk in an hour.” She turned smartly on her heel and walked out before she overcame her desire to leap over the desk and throttle the little shit.
She sat down at her desk and contemplated her next move. Luke had as much right as anyone to open an account at the fucking bank. She knew what it was like to grow up in a small town where the sins of your parents were regularly brought out and attributed to you. There was no way in hell that she would allow Mr. Glynn to do that to anyone, let alone Luke. So what that Luke only had five thousand bucks to his name? That was nobody’s business but his.
Julia sighed. If she stood up for Luke, there would be consequences and because of Mr. Glynn’s contacts, she might be the one who ended up without a job. She typed in a secure bank e-mail address, filled out the form, clicked SEND, and sat back. Whatever happened, she had done what she needed to do and to hell with her career. There were always other banks in other towns.
* * *
Luke waved at Ramon,who was heading for the ranch offices and walked down to the barn. He’d borrowed Julia’s car to drop Ramon off at home. It also gave him a great excuse to drop in and see what Paul was up to. As he hesitated in the shadows of the barn, he heard Paul’s voice out back in the corrals and changed direction.
It took him only a moment to locate his best friend. Paul was riding a young horse around the circular arena. From the look of it, the horse had just been broken in. Luke leaned up against the railings to appreciate the sight of Paul talking to the horse, the gentleness of his commands, the subtle way he used his voice and his body to soothe the frightened animal into accepting a man on his back. He rode like he’d been born on horseback, something Luke had never managed despite all Paul’s early coaching. Paul’s body swayed with the motion of the horse, his hips perfectly aligned with every skittering jump the horse took.
Luke didn’t say anything. He knew that Paul would come over to him when he was done with the horse. He would never leave a job unfinished, just as he would never leave a friend.
Eventually, Paul patted the horse’s neck and slowly dismounted. Luke opened the gate and Paul and the horse moved by.
“Thanks.” Paul nodded, his blue eyes hidden beneath the low brim of his Stetson.
“You’re welcome.” Luke followed him into the barn, waited while Paul took his time removing the tack from the horse and brushing him down. “I’d forgotten how awesome you are at breaking a horse.”
Paul looked at him for the first time, his gaze guarded. “I don’t break them. I just try and convince them that having a human on their backs isn’t so bad after all.”
Luke shrugged as Paul shut the stable door and walked down toward the feed and tack rooms. “Whatever you want to call it, it’s awesome.”
“Why are you here, Luke?” Paul leaned against one of the neatly stacked hay bales, his arms crossed over his chest.
“I brought Ramon back. He finished up the wiring early so I offered to bring him home. It was the least I could do.”
“Thanks,” Paul said. “Do you want to walk over to the ranch office and get some coffee before you leave?”
“I’m not leaving yet.” Luke shut the door into the feed room behind him and locked it, blocking the only exit. “Not until we’ve straightened out a few things.”
Paul sighed. “Hell, I knew you wouldn’t let this go.”
“Let what go?”
Paul swallowed hard and then locked gazes with Luke. “The fact that I’m attracted to you.”
“To me?” For a second Luke could only blink at him. He’d been expecting Paul to say many things, but not that.
