Wild Within (Wild at Heart #1) Read Online Free Page A

lawyer. Don’t ask me why. I must have seen a lawyer do something great on TV once. I used to watch a lot of TV. But then I found out you need money to go to law school. My family didn’t exactly ride high on the hog. So I figured I would never go.”
    Grace turned to look at him. “But you’re a lawyer now. What happened?”
    “A dust storm.”
    “Huh?”
    “I’m from El Paso. West Texas. We have a lot of dust storms. Ever seen one?”
    “No.”
    “Well, it’s like a tsunami of dust rising all the way to the sky. Like a flowing wall that goes from the clouds clear down to the ground.” Lone Star’s hands waved across the horizon. “When it sweeps through, you can have outages, property damage, crop damage, a long list of trouble. When I was in eighth grade, we had a fierce one, so fierce it took down all the power lines. Didn’t get power back for a week. That’s what saved me.”
    Grace shook her head. “I don’t get it.”
    “No power. No TV. And the only books in the house were my textbooks. So I picked them up for the first time since the beginning of the school year. Wouldn’t you know, there was a section on law in the first one I read. American Civilization Then and Now the book was called. I’ll never forget that. I read the Declaration of Independence and parts of the Constitution. I was hooked. I didn’t care that we didn’t have the money for school. I thought, where there’s a will, there’s a way.”
    Goose bumps covered Grace’s arms. “That’s quite a story, Lone Star. You turned your life around on a dime.”
    “I have to tell you, I’m happy as a hog in mud I was born in West Texas. If I’d been born in your San Francisco, we’d never have lost power, and I’d probably be cleaning toilets at Whataburger.”
    Grace’s head still sizzled like an egg in a desert frying pan, but she sweated less. Both her step and her heart felt lighter. “I don’t know. I beginning to think you’re the kind of guy who can do practically anything.”
    “My mom’s the one you should admire. Pop too. He’s one of the best ranch hands I’ve ever known. But Mom.” Lone Star whistled in appreciation. “She can do anything she sets her mind to.”
    “Like what?”
    “Like kill a rattlesnake at twenty paces.”
    “You’re kidding me. That’s way too Wild West.”
    “I’m not kidding. Being handy with a gun’s a necessity where I grew up.”
    “Being handy with a gun lands you in prison where I grew up.”
    “How about sewing on a finger?”
    “Your mom did that?”
    “Sewed on Uncle Coke’s finger when his hand got caught in the razor wire fence.” Lone Star held up his hand. “Can’t show you which one without being rude though.”
    “Did it work?”
    “Long enough to get him to the nearest hospital, two hours away.”
    “Two hours? You’d drive past fifty hospitals if you drove for two hours from my house.”
    “Guess it’s better to be sick in San Francisco, then. But I still wouldn’t trade in El Paso.”
    “Why not?”
    “My family’s all there, for one. And it’s the kind of country that gets under your skin. A stranger might think it’s boring, but to me that landscape’s as pretty as a pie supper.”
    Every half hour as they walked on, Lone Star called for her to stop. He handed her the water bottle, and she took a long drink.
    “How about you?”
    “Don’t you worry none about me. In El Paso we like it hot and dry. Anyway, I have another bottle. I drink as we walk along. Saves time.”
    Near dusk, they reached Lake Morena County Park and descended to the campground. At the park sign, Grace’s foot caught on a rock. She stumbled. Lone Star grabbed her waist and propped her up. Grace felt an unexpected jolt of adrenaline at his touch.
    “Almost there. You okay to walk?”
    Grace rubbed her forehead and nodded. “Sorry. I’m okay. I’m just excited to see civilization again.”
    “Understandable. You’ve been through a lot for one day. Let’s get