Chapter One

Joe kept whipping down his bar as he waited for his hired help to arrive. He knew very well that the person he was waiting for had a busy life. Right after her father died and she came back from the cost, his long time family friend had been working nonstop. This made him worried about her, not only did he think of her as his own but he felt actually sorry for her.

Sure she was stubborn, but her looks gave her good justice as any man would have given their souls just to date her. Unlike the sweet old men in here that treated her with respect, the younger men wanted something more that Tristan Turner would ever give anyone; her land.

It was the best farming and ranching land within a hundred miles, and she owned a large portion of it. All of the sleazes in her tried everything to get it out of her hands. But like any fighting daughter of a rancher, she rallied back with her fists and army styled training. Most men have been beaten up in here was by Tristan.

He sighed as he talked to an old friend, Tom. He saw Tristan grow up as well. Actually, all of the senior citizens of Regis County grew old watching her grow up. Free spirited as her mother and stubborn as her father gave her quick wits and a large range of holding her temper as she went through the past year.

Thank the lord he had a plan B. He was thinking about it as Tristan walked through the bar door, men whistled and she just kept on her way. She went past several old men and gave them each a hug. Tristan was average looking, sleek mustang brown hair and hazel eyed. She looks liked most girls, except for the fact that she wore a pair of boot cut jeans that were so worn that you wouldn’t even be protected from the cold as well as the tattered maroon T-Shirt she wore. Joe just smiled and she gave him a kiss on the cheek and a hug.

“Sorry I’m late Joe. Some of the cattle got out and I had to round them all up again. Then Toby went missing. I still can’t believe I keep that Shepard around.” Tristan said, explaining herself as she started to pour coffee for the counter people. The old man knew she would not talk about how a few men tried to feel her up again, seduce her into giving them her land. She was too tough for that. Actually, tougher then most of the men in this county.

She made small talk with most of the old men. Asked how their wives were and what was going on in the world. Tristan was defiantly a people person. She could make anyone feel better even though she was not having a good day herself. Suddenly a new breeze caught in as the bar door bell rang again. She looked up from her working ledger and found a handsome young man sitting next to Tom and George.

He looked like he had lived here is entire life. Ratty old jeans covering maybe semi-muscular thighs. He wore a hat that would have made John Wayne and Clint Eastwood jealous off. His hair was a soft sandy brown while his dark golden complexion gave way to working long hours outside. A hard worker lay underneath all of the ranchers clothing. When he looked up, searching for someone, his eyes turned out to be the color of wet slate. They were determined eyes and Tristan though the better of it.

In a nice casual tone she went up to him and asked, “Hello sir is there anything I can help you with? A drink perhaps?”

His gaze suddenly turned towards her and the look in his face seemed like she punched him. Tristan smiled as he liked giving the frightened impression on people. His eyes narrowed in on her as he kept his eyes on her face. “Well actually, now that you mention it, I am looking for someone that lives in this area.”

“Well, I know everyone in this county. So I can probably help you there. Why don’t you take a seat and introduce yourself?” She pointed towards the empty bar seat sitting next to Garth Johnson, an eighty year-old man who had one of the largest dairy farms in the area. He also happened to be the person who taught Tristan to take care of cattle. So he and a few other men started to chuckle; knowing the reason why Tristan choose that seat. It was the hot seat. Not just any hot seat, Tristan’s hot seat.

“Hold on there girl, don’t go patronizing another man in here,” Joe called from the other end, getting a beer for the man that had just walked in. “He does not deserve what he is going to get.” Tristan just yelled back down the bar saying,

“Now Joe, how many people actually don’t come back here when I speak to them?” she faced the new comer, who had a surprised look on his face. Yet the man also had a curious and interested expression within his eyes. She once again gestured towards the empty bar seat and he sat down. In a quiet tone of voice he said in reply to her,

“The name is Parker Willis. I am here to find a man named Tristan Turner. Do you know who he is?” Tristan stopped dead cold as she handed him the bear Joe gave her to give to him. The young men who were chatting up a storm a few minutes ago suddenly stopped. It sent the old men chuckling up a storm. She faced Joe with a look that asked if she could punch him in the face. The old time family friend gave her a grave look that replied to that she could only play mind games.

“What business do you have with him?” a young dark man from the back asked, anger in his voice. Tristan obviously thought this was going to end up bad and yelled out with anger in her ton,

“Shut up Jonas or I will do to you what I did to your brother several days ago. Personally, I would not want to hit you and break your nose. Then again I would rather also not flip you over and punch the wind out of you as well.” The name apparently known as Jonas turned quiet and she turned her attention back to him and asked the same question,

“Why are you looking for him?” she lied right through her teeth. She was Tristan Turner and the old men knew it.

“I heard from a friend around here that he needs help. So I came back west from the large ranch I was working on to help him. And I ask again miss,” Parker said with a grave and impatient tone of voice “Do you know where he is?” He took a swig of beer as she turned and went towards the man named Joe. Parker knew him; his godfather. His was born a couple of cities away and his father wanted his fathers brother to be is godfather. It was actually him who had asked to come here.

After a short brief consultation with the old man, Tristan came back towards him and gave him a grave look. For Parker it made him shiver; no woman had ever given him a look that looked like a man wanted to kill him. She quickly grabbed her coat and said good bye and that she quickly had to go somewhere. Tristan quickly passed a few people she knew and was out the door within a few seconds.

“Man, I hope that you know what you are doing boy.” a man said looking down the bar towards Parker. He grew utterly curious and was about to say something when another man came up from behind him and said,

“Don’t go after the land. Its mine.” the tone behind the voice gave Parker a chilled emotion as he faced everyone and said, “Today is the day we men win and Tristan looses.” the men started the yell out things to him,

“Yeah right John.”

“Like you have a snowballs chance in summer of getting it.” the man apparently known as John made a dash after the women and Parker faced the old men, whom were all shaking their heads in disgust. Joe came walking up to him and said to a few of his friends,

“Gentlemen, I would like you to meet Parker Willis; my godson.” he shook hands with a few of them and dared ask a question to both Garth and his godfather,

“What is all this talk about getting Tristan Turner’s land? Is it worth so much because there might be oil on it or what. Also, why do most of the men in here think that the man trying right now is going get it?”

“Well son,” Garth said slapping his shoulder “Tristan’s land is almost the best grazing land in the entire state. She makes a large sum off her beef cattle she sells to slaughter every year.”

“She?”

“Get out of my face John! You sleazy bastard!” a booming and thunderous as well as mad female voice rang out from outside the diner and bar complex. The old men all leaned off the bar stools and a man at the far end said,

“Who all thinks that Tris brook his nose? Or probably worse?”

“Be quiet George, I want to hear him start shriveling up when he walks through those doors. ‘Cause I think that since she is swearing that me most have put a large move on her.”

“Agreed.” the rest of the old men piped in as suddenly the door rushed open. John was holding as many spots as he could with his hands. Blood ran down his face from his nose, broken most likely, and he seemed to be limping as well. Parker turned his gaze from the men that started to surround him and back to Garth and Joe. Again he asked his question,

“So, let me get this straight here, Tristan Turner is a she?”

“Yeah, and you have already meet her too.” Joe said as he turned around to get a vat of ice he always had prepared. He did not know a time when Tristan did not leave town without having someone ask him for ice because she hurt someone.

“When?”

“The girl whom you asked for. The bar tender. She was Tristan.” Garth answered Parker. He ran his hands sandy hair. This was going to be a hard year for him.

“Shit.” he said aloud as he took a large swig of his beer.

“Yeah, shit is right.”