Gone
An Alex Delaware Novel
Chapter One
She nearly killed an innocent man.
Creighton "Charley" Bondurant drove carefully because his life
depended on it. Latigo Canyon was mile after mile of neck-wrenching,
hairpin twists. Charley had no use for government meddlers but the
15 mph signs posted along the road were smart.
He lived ten miles up from Kanan Dume Road, on a four-acre remnant
of the ranch his grandfather had owned during Coolidge's time. All
those Arabians and Tennessee walkers and the mules Grandpa kept
around because he liked the creatures' spirit. Charley had grown up
with families like his. No-nonsense ranchers, a few rich folk who
were still okay when they came up to ride on weekends. Now all you
had were rich pretenders.
Diabetic and rheumatoid and depressed, Charley lived in a two-room
cabin with a view of oak-covered crests and the ocean beyond.
Sixty-eight, never married. Poor excuse for a man, he'd scold
himself on nights when the medicines mixed with the beer and his
mood sank low.
On happier days, he pretended to be an old cowboy.
This morning, he was somewhere between those extremes. His bunions
hurt like hell. Two horses had died last winter and he was down to
thre ... read full excerpt from: Gone ebook
