No Ordinary Cowboy (Mills & Boon American Romance) (Rodeo Rebels - Book 6) Read Online Free

crossing into the United States between the San Luis and Lukeville ports of entry then making their way north through Stagecoach.” Tony paused for a moment to allow the information to sink in. “We have reason to believe the men are using your ranch as a shortcut through the area.”
    “You got any proof of that?” Durango puffed on his cigar.
    “Witness reports spotting young females walking on your property along highway 41.”
    “Reliable witnesses, or illegals you didn’t catch at the border?” Durango asked.
    “Reliable witnesses. I’d like to take a look around your place.”
    “Have your boss call me. I’ll consider giving him access, but not you.”
    “Dad!” Miffed at her father’s rude behavior, Lucy spoke to Tony. “Thank you for bringing Maddie home.”
    Tony flashed a half smile and her pulse fluttered with yearning, just as it had each morning he’d kissed her goodbye after each of their motel rendezvous. They’d kept their affair a secret because Tony’s mother had been old-fashioned and expected her son to marry a Hispanic girl. Of course, Lucy’s father wouldn’t have approved of Tony, because he hadn’t come from a wealthy, prestigious family. They’d also worried that their parents’ objections to their relationship would distract Michael from his quest for a national title.
    Each time she and Tony had seen each other, they’d fallen more and more in love, and the strain of keeping their affair a secret had worn them down. Finally they’d decided to tell their parents during Lucy’s spring break in April, after Tony and Michael returned from the rodeo in Prescott. But Michael had died that night, and Tony had refused to see Lucy or take her calls. He’d broken her heart when she’d needed him most.
    Shoving the memories aside, Lucy blamed her sudden queasiness on the fact that tomorrow was the anniversary of her brother’s death, and although she’d tried to avoid thinking about it, the pain was a constant presence in her heart. If she knew what was good for her, she’d also keep her feelings for Tony locked away and focus on her fundraiser.
    After the taillights of Tony’s truck disappeared, she said, “Dad, don’t make it difficult for the border patrol to do their job.”
    Her father stared unseeingly into space.
    “If illegals are cutting across the ranch, what’s going to stop them from coming up to the house and robbing us, or worse?” Lucy said.
    “Bravo’s making a big deal out of nothing, because he’s looking out for himself.”
    “I don’t understand.”
    “He requested a transfer to the border patrol office in San Diego.”
    “How do you—” Never mind. Her father had eyes and ears all over the state.
    “He needs credit for cracking a big case in order to get his transfer.”
    “You don’t believe Tony deserves the promotion, do you?”
    Her father retreated inside the house, the smack of the screen door answering Lucy’s question.
    When would he stop blaming Tony for Michael’s death?
    When you tell him the truth.
    Lucy’s eyes burned with tears. She’d hoped the Pony Express would make up for her grave blunder the night Michael had died, but maybe she was fooling herself—there were some things in life one couldn’t make amends for.
    “Back to the kennel for you, girl.” Lucy put Maddie in the outdoor cage and secured the lock. On the way to the office in the barn, she silently cursed. She’d forgotten to ask Tony if he still had her brother’s bucking machine. Now that she thought about it, she’d wait to ask him until she heard back from Shannon about the rodeos. No sense stirring up trouble until she knew for sure that she’d be riding a real-life bull.
    * * *
    “H EY , M OM , IT ’ S ME ,” Tony called out as he entered his mother’s trailer.
    “In the kitchen!”
    He found her sliding a cake pan into the oven.
    “You’re late.” She closed the oven door.
    “Sorry.” Tony hugged her. “I should have called.” But