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speed until she reached Dripping Springs and turned left toward Wimberley. Paul waved and continued straight on Highway 290. She honked and returned his wave.
    “Are you going to start speeding again now?” Griff asked.
    “I’ve always been a maverick,” she said with a devilish smile.
     
    G RIFF SAT BACK AND enjoyed the ride and the view—of both the countryside and the driver. Cass Outlaw was indeed a maverick. Not only was she extremely attractive, she also had a sharp mind, a charming wit and an unpretentious warmth. She was like no woman he’d ever met, and she intrigued the hell out of him.
    He couldn’t imagine any young lawyer tossing a fast track career with such a prestigious law firm in New York and returning to Texas to serve chili. It didn’t compute. The firm had been very pleased with her work—he’d talked with one of the partners at Baylor Croft & Wiggins—and they had offered herincentives to stay. He wondered if there had been another reason for her leaving besides simply wanting to get back to Austin. What had caused her to now hotly disdain her chosen profession?
    “A dollar for your thoughts,” Cass said.
    “I was wondering how you could have avoided a speeding ticket all these years.”
    She laughed but didn’t ease off the accelerator. “I fibbed a tiny bit. But I haven’t had many. In Texas we can take a defensive driving course, and any moving traffic violation won’t go on your record.”
    “How many times have you taken the course?”
    “A few.” She slowed a bit. “Wimberley is just ahead. It’s a charming little town with lots of artistic types. In fact Gabe and Skye’s mother is a painter and owns a gallery downtown. Skye’s father was a well-known potter.”
    “Gabe and Skye had different fathers?”
    “Yes. Gabe’s father was originally from Wimberley, and he inherited property from his grandparents. As I recall, his father died in an accident when he was very young and his mother, Flora, married Skye’s father, the potter, and they moved to Wimberley. It took me a while to get it all sorted out as well.”
    “What does Gabe do?” Griff asked.
    “I believe he’s in real estate and insurance,” she said. She turned off the highway and, after a bit, turned in to a gated area with a guard.
    “Hi, Pete. We’re expected.”
    “Yes, ma’am.” The big man smiled and touched the brim of his ball cap. “Your sister and her party came through a little while ago. Just drive on up to the helicopter pad, and Gabe will be back to pick you up in a little bit.”
    “Thanks, Pete.” Cass roared off along a winding road.
    “We’re going by helicopter?” Griff asked.
    “Looks like it.”
    They drove past a pasture with horses, a large house and various outbuildings, until they reached an area where several cars were parked. Obviously, Gabe Burrell was quite successful. Cass’s sister, Sunny, sat on the fender of an SUV. A man nearby was giving a small boy a boost up a tree. All three waved as they pulled up and parked.
    “We’re going to ride in a helicopter!” the boy shouted, pointing to the pad.
    “I know,” Cass said. “Won’t that be fun?” She introduced Griff to Sam McKee, Sunny’s fiancé, and Jay, his son.
    “Jimmy and Janey are already here,” Jay said. “And another one of their cousins. The little kids didn’t come.”
    “Who did come?” Cass asked Sunny.
    “As I understand,” she said, “Frank and Carrie stayed in Naconiche to babysit the younger children so that everybody else could make it.”
    “Look,” Jay shouted, pointing at the sky.
    A sleek blue chopper hovered over their area, then set down on the pad. The boy jumped up and down with excitement, and his father could hardly restrain him until the door opened.
    The pilot, a smiling blond man about Griff’s age, motioned them aboard. Everybody ducked under the blades and loaded onto the craft. Griff brought up the rear, admiring Cass’s lovely long legs and shapely butt as