"Precisely." She rubbed her neck. "Well, I can throw hot coffee like it's no big deal. And being a medical professional, I do know about ten good ways to kill a person and not leave a trace."
His head whipped around. "Really?"
"No. Just kidding." She flicked a nail with her teeth. "About the coffee, that is."
A real, live smile cracked his stone face and made her mouth turn upward in response. "Good one," he said.
"So why do you hate the rest of the Brand family?"
The smile fled. "The Brand family has been after our land for years. They likely burned down our barn and stole cattle. Probably drove Dad to his stroke."
"You don't know that's all true."
"We have enough proof," he snapped.
"Okaaay."
He opened his mouth and closed it.
"Is there more?" she asked.
His knuckles turned white around the wheel. "Garrison had an ex-wife, Tiffani. She betrayed Garrison with Hank Brand, drained the account, and left."
"No way." She studied his hard profile. He held his breath. "Wait. There's more to that story."
"What are you? Psychic?"
"Nope. Good reader of people."
"Damn." He sighed. "Before she left Garrison and fell in with Hank, she went for me."
Her jaw dropped. "You two had an affair?"
His long pause did not reassure her. He rested a fist on the wheel. "Depends on how you look at it."
"Seems like a straightforward question with one of two answers."
He didn't answer.
"So that's why you left?"
"Hell, yeah, I wasn't going to torment my brother."
"You sacrificed your life on the ranch, with your family, to save Garrison's marriage?" Why did she get the feeling he was leaving out important information?
"It's not as altruistic as it sounds." He signaled to make the turn onto a chip-sealed county road. "And it didn't work. Sounded like she was unhappy regardless of who she was with. Hank swept her off her feet, she did as he suggested and destroyed Garrison, and the rest is history." Another pause. "Only that's not all of it. She died a while after hooking up with Hank."
"What happened?"
"No one knows. Hank disappeared after kidnapping Sara and Zach, so by the time I got here, he was long gone. No Hank to question."
"Wow." She looked out at the gray, snow-swept landscape. This tormented and tough-as-nails guy had a real soft spot for his family—to the detriment of his own future. She studied his hard profile. "What about the rest of the Brands?"
"At best, they have been unhelpful."
"At worst?"
"We think they're dangerous and willing to do whatever it takes to get our land."
