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Beth.
    “Great… We enjoyed the performance,” said Sylvia.
    “…Thanks.” She looked down at the violinist. “And this is William Lee, my good friend.”
    Good friend? Not boyfriend?
    “Nice to meet you, William.” Bryce leaned over to shake his hand.
    “…Pleasure.”
    He smiled again into her open face. Bryce could draw every inch of her lovely face from memory.
    “How long are you in town?”
    “We’re on tour and in Las Vegas for a few weeks. It’s all been very gratifying and we’re experiencing a great run.”
    “…Super,” beamed Bryce. “Maybe we can catch up sometime.”
    “I’d like that,” said Beth.
    “Hey, everyone,” announced the viola player. “Let’s get a move on. We need to get back to the hotel and then on to dinner.”
    “Where are you staying?” asked Bryce.
    “…The Mirage,” she answered.
    “I’ll call…”
    Beth nodded at Bryce and then smiled at Sylvia. She was under no illusion whatsoever that Bryce would make good on his promise to call. As they left, he looked back once more to grin at her. She smiled back thinking of the last time she saw that breathtaking smile of his. It had to be when he left her, some ten years ago, never to return. He was supposed to be going out for pizza – He went to California instead.
    No… Bryce Barron and reliable weren’t three words she would use together in a sentence. But she smiled again thinking of how much she’d loved him. He had certainly wound his way into her heart, that’s for sure. And if she wasn’t mistaken, he had felt the same way about her. She shook her head at him now. With his flash, polished appearance and high maintenance girlfriend, he was as far from himself as a hawk from the moon.
    Beth joined her fellow musicians as they made their way from the symphony hall to their dinner reservations at the Mirage. And she thought no more about Bryce Barron…
     
     
    * * *

 
     
     
    CHAPTER TWO

    Bryce was working away at his downtown office a few days later when he received a very unexpected phone call. He was finishing the last details of the Mesquite Lumber and Supply buyout with no reservations or hesitations. Done deal. With flair, he signed the last few documents, set them aside and smiled. Fragmented thoughts of the company’s owner fleeted briefly in his mind, but were banished by the phone ringing.
    “Yes?”
    “Mr. Barron. A Mr. Dan Ibarra on the line for you,” said his secretary.
    Bryce blinked and froze.
    “Mr. Barron?” He cleared his throat.
    “…Um… Thank you, Sue. Put him through.”
    Bryce moved the phone to his other ear. He gripped the phone a little tighter… Exhaling audibly, he ran a hand through his dark hair, now as untidy as his frame of mind . Dan Ibarra…Talk about a voice from the past…
    “Hello?”
    “Hello. Bryce, is that you?”
    “Sheriff Ibarra. I’m stunned to hear from you.”
    “Dan, please. I’ve been retired for a few years now.” He laughed. “… And nope, I don’t have any outstanding warrants on you, son.”
    Bryce laughed too and relaxed a bit. “ Whew … Glad to hear that. I was getting a bit nervous…”
    “You were a bit of a hell-raiser, Bryce, but I’m sure those days are past you.”
    “Yes sir.” Bryce swallowed hard. “What can I do for you?”
    Slight pause.
    “I was going through some boxes from my office last week and I came across something interesting… Something that should belong to you.”
    Bryce gripped the phone so hard that his knuckles were now white.
    “What is it?”
    “Some old thing of your father’s. I thought you should have it.”
    He didn’t know what to make of that and said nothing.
    “…Um…”
    “Still there?”
    “Yes, sir.”
    “Let’s meet for lunch today. I’m in town for a retired sheriffs’ get-together and would like to see you.”
    “Today? Not sure I can make it. The paperwork on my desk is sky high.”
    “…Understandable, but maybe we can make it quick. This is important,