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complaining?”
    “Never mind.” Glory kept driving straight ahead, passing a freeway sign. Flagstaff. Huh . She’d never been.
    Luke leaned back in his seat, letting out a long gust of air. In the car’s quiet interior, his presence seemed to expand. They weren’t touching, weren’t looking at each other, and certainly weren’t talking, but that didn’t mean that she wasn’t aware of every breath he took.
    If only she were someone else. Better, if only he were someone else.
    The man was too big for the little car, too grand for Beaux.
    If only they had more time.
    The smart thing to do would be to stop the car and let him out. Instead, she kept moving forward. Always forward. That was her motto, the lesson she’d tried to teach her sisters. Always move forward. Never look back.
    Maybe she should have taught them something else.
    Knitting was a productive hobby.
    The cell phone on the dashboard went off. “Seventy-six Trombones.” Benji again. The music was overpowering. The noise grated on her nerves. It was getting harder and harder to ignore, but that didn’t mean she was going to answer. No, sir. No way. Not a chance in—
    “Hello?” Luke’s voice was clipped, clear. There was a short pause, the voice on the other end of the line sharp and tinny. “Gloria Allen? Yes, I do believe she’s here. One moment, please—”
    “Give me that.” Glory grabbed the phone, not caring if her elbow connected with Luke’s side in the process. The man shouldn’t even be there. “Benji, this better be good news. If you say one word about fire damage at my house, I will make you regret the day that your mama pushed you squealing into this world. You got that?”
    A short pause. Then a female voice. “Hello, Glory.”
    “Ack!” The phone flew out of her hands. Ashley. She’d just yelled at Ashley . Her older sister. She was going to hell, and she deserved it. Ashley was her best friend. And when it came to town business, she couldn’t be more serious. A shining star of civic responsibility. And the one who’d sent Glory all the way to Las Vegas to win the $860,000 to save their hometown.
    A quick fumble, and Glory picked the phone back up. “Hey, big sister. I didn’t know it was you calling. Figured it was Benji.”
    “You made that clear. I borrowed his phone.” A sigh. “I thought you were okay with Benji staying at your place until you got home.”
    “Why would I mind an arsonist setting up shop in my house?” Glory’s cheeks grew hot. Heck, she couldn’t even tell a fib to Ashley without getting all bent out of shape. Irritation took over. “I’m fine with Benji staying there until I get back. As long as there’s someplace for me to get back to.”
    In the seat next to her, Luke sat there, frowning. He probably thought she was some sort of hillbilly trash. Maybe she was, but her daddy had been the town’s only preacher and her mama had been a DuSang. That meant something. It had to. It meant that she could rise above.
    “Do you have the money?” Ashley asked.
    “I have—” The money was in the bag at Luke’s feet. It wasn’t quite $860,000, but it might be enough to bargain with. More than half a million. Cash. But it wasn’t exactly hers. The car kind of was, but the car wasn’t eight hundred grand in cash. “It was a dumb plan, Ashley. You need to start thinking of a backup.”
    “You lost?” Ashley’s displeasure was clear. “Glory, you know what the money means to us.” There was banging of pots and pans together on the end of the line. “Did you try cheating?”
    “Daddy always said cheating was bad for the soul.”
    Luke’s eyes twinkled. His lips twitched up in a wry smile, as though he was trying to keep from laughing. That didn’t have anything to do with her. Nope. Not at all. Not a damn thing. A deep breath.
    “Go back. Play some more. Win,” Ashley ordered.
    “I can’t.” The money would save her town, save her sister, but for Glory it was nothing but trouble.