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“I’ve been looking for you,” he rasped, sporting a wicked smile. He held his arms out and said, “Come here and give your man a hug.”
Luke bristled beside her. A voice in the background said, “He has some heavy balls coming in here and laying claims to Luke McDavid’s woman.”
Lucy’s eyes met Luke’s. He nodded once, apparently expecting her to embrace the sorry son of a bitch.
She took a few steps toward him, planning to hug him as instructed, but the screen door screeched open and slammed again. “Ah, Fred Graves. Just the man I was looking for,” Rex said, slapping him on the back.
“Do I know you?” Fred asked.
Rex stuck out his hand. “I’m Rex McDavid. Lucy’s fiancé.”
The house staff and caterers were thoroughly confused by his announcement. A few of the women rolled their eyes. One shook her head, and a couple placed their palms to their chest.
After Fred shook Rex’s hand, he said, “Would you mind if I’m the first to kiss your bride?”
Rex winked at Lucy. “Actually, I like to keep the kissing to a minimum. I have a germ phobia, and I’m scared to death I might catch something. I tell Lucy all the time, ‘don’t lie with dogs, because fleas are the least of your worries. You might get rabies if you find one without a collar.’”
Fred chuckled, a fake and forced laugh. “Collar, huh?”
“It’s an inside joke,” Rex told him, keeping his voice low. “We’re in the lifestyle.”
Fred froze next to him. “Lifestyle.”
“Alternative living,” Rex explained. “We can talk about that later. Right now, I’m more interested in discussing business. I’m taking over MMHPG this fall and trying to get acquainted with Lucy’s drivers and business partners. Lucy told me all about you, and I’m anxious to discuss some ideas. Maybe you and I can have a drink after dinner. I’ll show you around the property.”
Fred immediately turned to Lucy. “She’s told you all about me?”
“Everything I thought was relevant,” she said, implying she’d only shared what she must.
“That’s wonderful, darling,” Fred crooned, acting as if he’d never heard Rex’s mention of an engagement. “You and I still have some unfinished business as well.”
Rex slapped him squarely between the shoulder blades. “Leave the pretty woman alone, Graves. She has guests to entertain. You and I can get to know one another. Here,” he said, pushing open the door and waving his arm in front of it, “let’s wait outside and see if we can’t find you something cool to choke on.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Just a phrase us countryfolk use out here in the sticks,” Rex taunted him, reaching for the man’s tie. Giving the knot a quick tug, he said, “Loosen up, killer. The party is just beginning. We have a long night ahead.”
* * * *
“What the hell does he think he’s doing?” Lucy asked, rushing Luke the second Rex disappeared.
“He’s introducing Graves to the way we do things here in Tennessee.”
“By acting like he’s initiating him into the good old boys club?”
“Looks like it’s working,” Luke said, rinsing off a spatula and then waving the utensil off to the left.
Lucy peered over his shoulder, trying to see what was going on between the man she loved and the enemy she loathed. “Rex doesn’t know what he’s up against. Fred is cunning. He’s a rattlesnake waiting to strike.”
“Look at it this way,” Luke pointed out. “Rex will watch for him, and he’ll hear him coming. Fred, on the other hand, won’t know what hit him. Relax, Lucy. Rex has this covered. Some of the biggest crooks in the world are in the cattle business. We’ve gone up against the world’s worst. Fred is no match for Rex.”
“I hope you’re right.”
Luke hugged her. “Trust me.”
“Trust me, he says,” she muttered.
Luke stroked her back for a moment before releasing her. Then, he said, “Did your grandfather ever tell you about helping us out of a mess with some Wheeler feedlots right after our parents died?”
