The Maverick of Copper Creek by R.C. Ryan Page A

Nonie.”
    â€œI think I’ll stay here at the bar.” Whit slapped the back of a young cowboy and leaned in to give Wylie his order.
    â€œMe, too.” Brady paused to speak to a couple of local ranchers.
    â€œSuit yourself.” Ash motioned for Griff to follow him and Nonie.
    The waitress leaned close to touch a hand to Ash’s cheek. “I’m so glad you’re back, honey. You’ve been missed.”
    â€œBy you, Nonie?” He placed an arm around her shoulders.
    â€œOf course. But there were…others, too.” She nodded toward a table, and Ash caught sight of Brenna and her fiancé talking in low tones.
    As he and Griff threaded their way through the crowd toward the back booth, he was forced to pass directly by Brenna’s table.
    He braced himself as he paused and forced a big smile. “Hey, Bren. Chris.”
    Brenna’s cheeks were flushed, a sure sign that she was feeling conflicted. “Hi, Ash.”
    Chris frowned, making no attempt at friendliness. “MacKenzie.”
    â€œGood seeing you, Bren.” Ash turned to include the man with her. “Good seeing you both.”
    As he moved on he could hear Chris saying, “…why I hate small towns. Everywhere we go, we’ll be running into him.”
    So. Apparently Chris had heard about the history he and Brenna shared. For some strange reason that had Ash grinning as he took a seat in the booth.
    From here he had a perfect view of Brenna and her guy.
    Another reason why he loved being back in a small town.
    His attention was suddenly drawn to the bar, and one voice in particular. “Griff Warren?” Luther Culken downed his beer in one long, noisy swallow before turning to share a grin with the cowboy beside him at the bar. “He sure looks like someone we all knew.” He winked at Brady, standing behind the others at the bar. “I thought for a minute or two I was seeing Bear.”
    Ash watched as the foreman fixed Luther with a challenging look that would have frozen most men’s blood. But Luther was apparently too drunk to care.
    To break the tension, Wylie shouted, “The house is buying a drink for everyone.”
    Nonie Claxton loaded her tray and started parceling out drinks to every table.
    When everyone was served, Wylie shouted, “Lift your glasses to Bear MacKenzie.”
    A roar went up from the crowd. “To Bear.”
    At the bar, Whit and Brady joined the others in the toast before tilting their bottles and drinking.
    Luther nudged the cowboy beside him as a signal that he was about to have some fun at the expense of the MacKenzie family. “So, this Griff fellow? He a long-lost relative, Whit?”
    â€œThat’s none of your business, Luther.” Whit walked to a seat at the far end of the bar, while Brady remained standing with a cluster of wranglers from a nearby ranch.
    â€œMaybe I’m making it my business.” Seeing that he’d pushed Whit’s hot button, Luther’s voice lifted a notch so he could be heard above the din. “I figured I was seeing your daddy’s twin or—” he looked around, to make certain he had everyone’s attention before adding “—or maybe his long lost kid.”
    â€œShut up, Luther. Or—”
    Luther cut him off. “Or what?” Whit’s scowl was exactly the reaction he’d been hoping for. “You calling me a liar?”
    â€œI said shut up.”
    â€œUh-huh.” Now Luther could barely contain his excitement. “Know what I think, boys?” He looked around, enjoying the sizzle of anticipation he could feel rippling through the crowd. “I think when nobody was looking, old Bear was making whoopee behind the barn.”
    At the rumble of laughter Whit was out of his seat and had his hands at Luther’s throat before anyone could react.
    â€œI told you to shut your filthy mouth.”
    Ash and Griff, hearing the commotion,