Lucas by Kelli Ann Morgan Page A

onto her lips.
She raised a hand to touch them.
    Marriage! She bit her bottom
lip, her hands clasped at her chin. Apparently, he’d changed his mind. The only
thing that could ruin this day was if someone other than Lucas won.
     

     
    Several of the men
gathered around the stables. Horses, new to Whisper Ridge, had been brought in from
neighboring ranches to keep the competition fair. Sticks of various lengths had
been put into a cup and each participant was to draw to determine the order they
would select their mounts for the course.
    Lucy pulled the warm
quilted blanket up around Liam’s shoulders. “You’ll catch a chill out here if
you’re not careful.”
    “Aw, Lucy, it’s warmer
right now than it’s been in weeks. The fresh air will do us both some good. Now,
stop your fussin’ and sit down!”
    For as much as Liam
grumbled at her, he wasn’t unreasonable. She understood how hard it was for him
to sit back and watch, but as much as he would hate to admit it, she believed
that he knew he just wasn’t up for the physical challenge. He was tired. Dark
circles fell like shadows beneath his eyes and his cheeks appeared sunken.
Hollow. His normally tanned skin had a greyish tinge and she worried that he’d
already overdone himself.
    “They’ve all mounted,”
Liam said excitedly, pointing to the riders as they headed for the starting
point.
    While it was still
difficult for her to tell some of the breeds apart, Lucy looked up to see Lucas
astride a beautiful, and unmistakable, buckskin mare. Some of the others had
horses much larger in stature than his, but poor Daniel appeared to have chosen
the short stick, as his mount didn’t look any bigger or well-bred than a pack
mule. Not that she really knew enough about horses to tell the difference, to
Liam’s chagrin.
    Daniel didn’t look any too
pleased.
    The racing trail had
been set off with flagged markers staked at intervals extending a good distance
around the property where there were unobstructed views from the front porch.
With nary a breeze, it was hard to believe that such a nasty storm had passed
through the day before yesterday. The snow had started to melt, but Lucy
enjoyed the feel of the sun as it warmed her face.
    “You are a better woman
than I, Lucy Russell.” Hank’s wife, Mara, stepped up onto the porch and sat
down on the arm of Lucy’s chair. “You sure you want to marry one from this
brood?”
    “For the chance to have
you as a mother-in-law? Of course.”
    “Ahh…flattery. There’s
hope for you yet.” Mara looked down at her and winked.
    CRACK!
    Smoke rose from the gun
Alex held in the air, signaling the start of the race. A white spray of snow
spread across the landscape as riders quickly made their way around each marker
as they spanned the course. The horses had all been outfitted with special
shoes built for gaining traction in the snow. Lucy sat forward in her chair,
fixing her eyes on the contestants. After all, she was supposed to have a
life-changing stake in the outcome.
    It didn’t take long for
the leaders to separate themselves from the rest. Hank, Seth, and Sam rode neck
to neck as they rounded the bend near the corral fence line and, to Lucy’s
delight, Lucas joined the foray at Sam’s heels.
    She held her breath. It
wouldn’t be long now before the first crossed the finish line.
    As Hank and Sam leaned
forward in their seats and rode toward the edge of the barn, Lucy’s attention
was caught by a shift in the snow on the roof. She glanced from the clump of
snow threatening to fall, then back to the riders. She stood.
    Just as the brothers
reached the barn, the snow slipped from the top of the roof and dropped on top
of their heads. Seth swerved out of the way, nearly running into Lucas’s horse.
Lucy brought a hand to her mouth. Lucas had disappeared from the saddle.
    “Where’d he go?” Liam
asked, moving to the edge of his seat.
    Mara jumped up from the
chair and rushed to the railing, looking toward the