“I didn’t pick a fight, Bliss.” He popped the clutch and the truck took off. “In fact, if you want to know the truth, I came out here to sell the place back to Brynnie for what she paid for it.”

“What?”

“That’s right,” he said, slipping his aviator sunglasses onto his nose. “I’m out of this mess with your father. As far as I’m concerned he can do whatever he wants with his ranch. I don’t want it.”

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven

“Wait a minute. You don’t want the ranch? After all this legal maneuvering and arguing and angst?” Bliss couldn’t believe her ears. “Come on, Mason, what happened? You came out here to sell back Brynnie’s share to her and what—my dad collapsed? Give me a break.”

“Believe what you want to believe.” His lips barely moved as he spoke.

The interior of the pickup was hot. Stuffy. Too close. Bliss cranked down the window and looked away from Mason’s sharp-honed profile. She couldn’t think about him and the last time they’d been together; not now, not when her father’s life was in question. In the distance, the horrifying shriek of the ambulance’s siren sliced across the arid fields.

Mason slid her a glance. His mouth was tight, his jaw hard, his knuckles white as he gripped the steering wheel.

She took a deep, calming breath. “Okay, okay, no more accusations,” she said. Nervously Bliss stared through the dusty windshield. Her throat clogged and she couldn’t help but wonder if at this very moment her father was fighting for his life or if, like her mother, he’d slipped away. She bit her lip and crossed her fingers. Surely she wouldn’t lose him. Not now, she thought, echoing Brynnie’s words. “Just tell me what happened.”

“I thought we—you and I—needed to talk, so I stopped by, looking for you,” he said. “I wanted to speak to you first before I offered John and Brynnie the place back. But you weren’t around and Brynnie invited me in for a glass of iced tea. So I decided to wait.

“I was in the kitchen talking to her when John came in from working outside.” He slid a glance in Bliss’s direction. “I don’t mean to scare you, but he didn’t look all that great. He was red in the face and sweating like nobody’s business. He took two steps into the house, saw me and stumbled. I caught hold of his arm and we both ended up on the floor.” The corners of Mason’s mouth turned down. “Your father lost consciousness. Brynnie dialed 911 and I tried and failed to revive him.”

“Oh, God,” she said, feeling tears burn behind her eyelids. As angry as she’d been with her dad, she loved him, didn’t want to lose him. “I—I should have been there.”