Roping Ray McCullen Read Online Free Page B

rumbled, the sound of wood popping in the fireplace, and he strode back to the living room and studied the family picture on the mantel.
    The smiling faces mocked him. They looked like the perfect family.
    But the picture was a lie.
    Joe had another side to him. He’d slept with this woman Barbara and had a son with her.
    And Scarlet...she was the wild card. The stranger he’d given a home to make amends for the mess he’d made.
    Ray rolled his hands into fists. He had to find out the truth before the reading of the will.
    Dammit, Dad, I’m still covering for you, aren’t I?
    Yeah, he was. But he hated to destroy his brothers’ worlds if he could protect them. After all, Maddox and Brett had both just married.
    Brett had been the womanizer, but he’d sowed his oats, and he wouldn’t be a cheater like his old man.
    One reason Ray had never gotten serious with a woman. If his old man hadn’t been able to handle commitment, how could he?
    He pulled his phone from his jacket, punched in Bush’s number and left a voice mail.
    â€œThis is Ray McCullen. A woman named Scarlet Lovett paid me a visit and claims my father left her some money and land. She also claims my father had another son who is a beneficiary. My brothers don’t know anything about this yet, and I want to be prepared, so I need to talk you to before the reading of the will. Call me as soon as you get this message.”
    An image of abandoned children living in a group home taunted him and made his gut squeeze with guilt. If Scarlet’s story was true, he’d be a bastard to contest his father’s wishes.
    He grabbed his Stetson and headed outside. He’d drop by that group home and find out for himself.
    * * *
    S CARLET HELD HERSELF together until she reached the edge of the McCullen ranch, but she was trembling so hard by then she had to pull over. She parked beside a sawtooth oak and studied the sign for Horseshoe Creek, then gazed at the beautiful rolling pastures and the rocky terrain in the distance.
    Joe had regaled her with stories about raising cattle and working with his sons on the ranch, and about cattle drives and branding in the spring. He’d had big dreams of expanding the horse side of the operation, but when Ray and Brett left Pistol Whip, he and Maddox couldn’t handle expansion without them.
    The sun was setting, painting the ridges of the mountains beyond a golden hue and the sky a radiant red and orange. Cattle grazed in the pasture to the east, and horses galloped near a stable to the west.
    She understood why Joe had loved this land.
    And why his sons would want to hold on to it.
    Tears trickled down her cheeks. Ray and his brothers were still mourning their father.
    So was she. But just like the rest of her life, she had to do it alone. She’d kept her distance at the funeral for fear someone would ask about her relationship with Joe. Plus, she’d respected him too much to intrude on his sons’ day.
    Maybe she should just disappear from the McCullens’ lives now. Forget the will reading. Not ask for anything.
    She had her memories of Joe. That was all she needed.
    She started her engine and headed back toward her rental house.
    She had survived being abandoned as a child, and now she’d earned her degree in social work and was helping other children like herself. She had a fulfilling job and she was giving back.
    Even if she was alone at night, it didn’t matter. There were children who depended on her. She wouldn’t let them down just like Joe hadn’t let her down.
    Her stomach twisted. Which meant she couldn’t run from the McCullens.
    She needed the money Joe had left her to help The Family Farm.
    * * *
    R AY STUDIED THE sign for the children’s home—The Family Farm. The house was set back on several acres with room for livestock and stables, but he didn’t see any cattle or horses.
    He maneuvered the drive and parked in front