Page 44 of His Texas Claim

"She know what she's signin' up for? Bein' with a Holt bastard, out on that land with a man who's got my blood in him?"

"She knows." My voice came out steadier than I felt. "Knows better than most, since she's the one who told me it doesn't matter."

Something flickered across his face—not quite surprise, not quite anger. Gone before I could name it.

"Big talk," he said. "For a man who used to flinch every time I raised my voice."

"Wasn't flinchin'. Was learnin'." I held his eyes, didn't let myself look away first the way I would've years ago. "Difference is I learned what not to become. Don't think you ever learned anything at all."

He didn't have an answer for that. Just stood there, jaw working, blood drying at the corner of his mouth, looking older than I'd ever let myself notice before.

"This ain't over," he said finally. "The water rights. My case."

"Your case is dead," Bryn said. "You just haven't gotten the paperwork yet."

He stared like he was trying to figure out what to say…then he just grunted and strode past us, toward the office. Cooper hung back, amused.

“She’s funny,” he said.

“She is,” Bryn replied for me.

He huffed a laugh, then shoved his hands into his pockets and followed our dad inside. Didn’t know why he kept at it…didn’t know what was in it for him.

Wondered if maybe he was playing Arlo while Arlo thought he was playing him.

Bryn watched them go, some of the fire finally draining out of her shoulders now that there was nobody left standing in front of us to aim it at.

"He's going in there to file something else," she said. "I can feel it."

"Let him try. Timestamp's already on your side."

"I know. Doesn't mean I like it.”

I put a hand at the small of her back, steering her toward the truck before she could talk herself into following them inside to watch.

"C'mon," I said. "You did what you came here to do. Rest is paperwork and lawyers now. Not you."

"I hit your father."

"You did."

"Do you think that was too much?"

“Nope.”

I opened the door for her and she climbed in. I joined her on the other side.

“I just don’t want you to feel…emasculated or something like that—” she was saying.

I leaned across the center console to grip her by the jaw and kiss her hard.

She melted into it, surprised as she was, and soon our tongues were tangling in the damn parking lot. I didn’t care who was watching. She was mine. I was never letting her go.

She stared when we pulled back, her eyes searching mine.

“So…you don’t feel⁠—”

“I feel like you’re a damn good woman and I fuckin’ love you, you goddamn spitfire,” I said with a smile.