“It’s going to be all right,” Lucas murmured against her ear.

Nicolette raised her head to gaze up at him, and all he knew was that she looked as if she needed to be kissed … badly.

Following instincts alone, he lowered his lips to hers, stunned when she tightened her grip around his neck and pressed closer against him.

She opened her mouth to allow him to deepen what he’d intended simply to be a kiss of compassion, of support. The kiss became so much more complicated than that. It stole his breath away. You’ve got to stop, a little voice whispered inside his head. Finally he broke the kiss.

It was as if she heard the little voice. She suddenly stepped back from him, her green eyes glowing and her breathing labored.

Before he could mutter an apology or say anything, she grabbed his hand, hers feeling hot and fevered. “Come to my room, Lucas. Come and make love to me.”

It never entered his mind to deny her. After all, a real cowboy never turned down a lady’s request.

A Real Cowboy

Carla Cassidy

www.millsandboon.co.uk

CARLA CASSIDY is a New York Times bestselling and award-winning author who has written more than one hundred books for Mills & Boon. In 1995 she won an RT Book Reviews award for Anything for Danny. In 1998 she won a Career Achievement Award for Best Innovative Series, also from RT Book Reviews.

Carla believes the only thing better than curling up with a good book to read is sitting down at the computer with a good story to write. She’s looking forward to writing many more books and bringing hours of pleasure to readers.

Contents

Cover

Excerpt

Title Page

About the Author

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Epilogue

Extract

Copyright

Chapter 1

Even two weeks after the tornado that had ripped through the area of Bitterroot, Oklahoma—and in particular Cass Holiday’s large ranch—the damage was still evident in the topless shed, the broken trees and in the very heart and souls of the twelve men who had worked as Cass’s ranch hands.

The tornado had not only damaged outbuildings and felled trees, it had also taken the life of Cass Holiday, the tough, sixty-eight-year-old owner who had been like a mother to the cowboys she’d raised.

As dusk swept the area, Lucas Taylor leaned against the two-story house’s porch railing. It was Saturday night and the rest of the cowboys had gone into town to drink away their sorrow and to commiserate with other people in town who had lost property or loved ones to the massive spring storm.

Lucas had never been much of a drinker and had volunteered to stay behind, knowing from the lawyer that Cass’s niece and beneficiary was due to arrive sometime during the evening hours.

Lucas wanted to get a look, a feel for the woman who would now be their boss. From what he’d heard about her, he wasn’t inclined to be overly impressed.

According to what they’d all been told, Cassandra Peterson was a struggling artist who co-owned a clothing boutique in the Soho area of New York City. She’d probably never seen a cow in her life, and Lucas had a feeling that she wouldn’t stick around long.

No doubt, she’d have the cowboys work to put the place back to right and then she’d sell it. She’d make enough money to never struggle again and could go back to her life in the big city. Unfortunately, that meant Cass’s dream and all of her hard work here would die.

The cowboys would eventually find jobs on other ranches, in other places, but the sense of community, the special bond of family they had shared here for so long, would be lost forever.

Pain shot through him. He remembered all too well what it was like to be alone, to be lost. He’d found a home here with eleven “brothers” and Cass years ago. Now at thirty-one years old, he didn’t want to have to start all over again.

Hopefully he was wrong. Maybe Cassandra would be thrilled with the inheritance of the ranch and want to work it as her aunt had and continue to build on Cass’s dreams.

It would be great if that happened, if she wanted to keep the ranch, live here and work it with the men who had helped to build it into the success it was now.

He straightened as he saw the faint dust rising up on the long dirt lane that led to the ranch. A dark sedan slowly approached, and Lucas’s gut tightened when he realized it probably held the new boss.

The car turned into the ornate black gates with the overhead sign that read The Holiday Ranch. As the car got closer, Lucas could see that there was more than one person in it.

The vehicle, a rental car, pulled up in front of the house and came to a halt. He could see the blonde behind the wheel and realized there wasn’t just another person in the passenger seat, but what looked like a kid in the backseat.

Maybe she wouldn’t be in such a hurry to sell the place after all. Maybe she intended to stay and raise her kid here in the wide-open space of the ranch and the nearby small town of Bitterroot.

The driver door opened, and the minute he caught sight of the bright red high heel that hit the ground, he knew there was no way she would stay. A woman who wore those kinds of la-di-da shoes would never be happy on a big ranch in the middle of nowhere.

The high heel belonged to a short, slender woman who had the same blond hair and bright blue eyes as Cass, but that was the only characteristic she shared with her aunt. She was a pretty thing, but looked fragile and nervous.

Lucas made no move to greet her until the passenger stepped out of the car, along with a little dark-haired boy about six years old. The taller dark-haired woman with eyes the color of new spring grass smiled at him, and an instant wave of heat suffused him.

Cassandra Peterson might be pretty, but the woman she’d brought with her was the stuff of Lucas’s dreams. Long dark hair waved and curled loosely down her shoulders and framed a heart-shaped face with delicate features and those amazing green eyes.

“Mr. Benson?” Cassandra asked.

“No, Adam went into town this evening,” Lucas replied.

“Oh, I understood that he was the foreman here,” she said.

“He is, but all the men went into town and I volunteered to stay behind and get you settled in. I’m Lucas Taylor.” He didn’t bother to attempt to shake her hand, but he did tip his hat. “And you must be Cassandra Peterson.”

“I am.” She turned to the woman and little boy who had joined her. “And this is my friend Nicolette Kendall and her son, Sammy.”

“Nice to meet you all,” Lucas said. He might find Nicolette hot as hell, but she had the slick of the big city on her, too.

The little boy, Sammy, left his mother’s side and stepped up in front of Lucas with a suspicious stare. “Are you a real cowboy?” he asked.

Lucas smiled down at him. “I’m a real cowboy,” he replied.

Sammy looked him over from his head to his toe, and then met Lucas’s gaze with a faint disdain. “My mommy says real cowboys spit and smell like cow poop and never take baths.”

“Is that a fact?” Lucas shot a quick glance at Nicolette, whose cheeks flamed with color. If he had any question about how the two women would fare on the ranch, Sammy’s words confirmed that they were clueless about real cowboys and working ranches.

“The only time I spit is if I get a bug in my mouth, and as far as I know I’ve never smelled like cow poop. But cowboys do only have to take a bath once a week.” Lucas felt a sense of satisfaction wing through him as he watched Sammy slowly process what he’d said.

“Mom, did you hear that?” He ran back to his mother’s side. “Cowboys only take baths once a week. I think I want to be a cowboy.”

“Maybe we should get unloaded and settled in before it gets too dark,” Cassandra suggested. She leaned into the driver door and popped the trunk open.

Although Lucas would have liked to see the two women struggle inside by carrying the mounds of suitcases and tote bags without his help, he knew that would only confirm their misconceptions. Besides, Cass would turn over in her grave if he didn’t do the gentlemanly thing.

He moved to the trunk and grabbed two massive suitcases. “If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you around the house.” They each grabbed a duffle bag and Sammy carried a smaller overnight case and together the four of them walked up the porch stairs and into a small formal living room.

“This room is where Cass would talk to one of us if we did something she didn’t like,” he said. “She didn’t use it for much of anything else.” He dropped the suitcases at the foot of the staircase that led up to the bedrooms and then guided them on through and into the huge great room with the attached large and airy kitchen.

“It’s much nicer than I thought it would be,” Cassandra said.

“Yeah, we’ve even got running water,” he replied drily. He returned to the foot of the stairs and once again picked up the two suitcases. Without waiting to see if they followed, he headed up the stairs.

He heard their footsteps behind him and when he reached the first of the four bedrooms, he turned and immediately found himself face-to-face with Nicolette.

Up close she was even prettier than he’d initially thought, and she smelled like a flowery orchard of apples and pears and a touch of spice that made him want to taste her.

Instead he took two steps backward and motioned toward the bedroom. “This is the smallest and has the two twins. There are two more bedrooms with queen-size beds and the master that has a king. Two baths up here and two downstairs.”

He dropped the suitcases, figuring they could decide bed assignments without his help. “The house was cleaned yesterday and all the bedding is fresh. The kitchen is fully stocked, and now I guess I’ll leave you all to get settled.”

“Mr. Taylor? The other cowboys? When would be a good chance for me to meet with all of them?” Cassandra asked.

“If you step out the back door and look in the distance, you’ll see a building that looks something like a small motel. That’s our bunks and at the back of the building is a dining-room area. That’s usually where Cass talked to us if she had something specific to say. We eat breakfast around six each morning.”

Cassandra blinked, as if she’d had no idea that there were two six o’clocks in a day. “Even on Sundays?”

“Even on Sundays,” he replied.

“Then would you let them know that I intend to meet with them in the morning?”

Lucas nodded. “I’ll let them all know. And now I’ll just tell you all good-night.”

The scent of Nicolette seemed to chase him down the stairs and finally dissipated from his senses as he stepped out into the now darkening night.

As he headed to the bunkhouses in the distance, he tried to shove all thoughts of Nicolette Kendall out of his head. The last thing he needed was to entertain any thoughts about a woman who held such low opinions of cowboys.

In any case, Lucas had no desire for any lasting relationship in his life. There were a couple of women in town he saw occasionally, women who knew he was not in it for the long term and were just fine with that.

Knowing it would be some time before the men started straggling in from town, Lucas headed for his own unit. When Cass had built the bunkhouse, she’d made it work like a motel. Each cowboy had his own room with a bed, a dresser and a bath.

It was their private space to decorate as they pleased and to entertain whomever they wanted. For Lucas it was just a place to be alone.

The dining area behind the private rooms held not only tables and benches for eating, but also a stone fireplace, two sofas, a couple of easy chairs and a television that was rarely turned on. The meals were prepared by an old cowhand nicknamed Cookie who had worked as the ranch cook for all of the nearly fifteen years that Lucas had been at Cass’s place.

Lucas unlocked the door to his unit and stepped inside. He sat on the edge of the double-sized bed. Other than the clothes that hung on a small rod and the toiletries beneath the small sink, the room held nothing else personal.

He stretched out on his back and stared up at the ceiling and wondered what Cassandra would have to say to the men the next morning. Was this the beginning of a new era or was she the beginning of their end?

He’d had a faint sick feeling in his stomach since the moment he’d seen that red high heel step out of the car. He’d already lost the woman who had transformed his life. Now he feared that they were all about to lose their jobs and the place that had been, for some, their only real home.

It would be the end of family, the end of life as they all knew it. Cass’s death had already been a devastating blow to them all, and he had a feeling the bad times weren’t over yet.

* * *

Nicolette sat across from her best friend and business partner at the round wooden table in the kitchen. Sammy was upstairs, unpacking his things in the small room with the twin beds.

“I didn’t expect the ranch to be so big,” Cassie said as she wrapped her fingers around a hot mug of coffee. “I mean, I knew on paper how much acreage there was, but I didn’t really grasp it.”

“That’s because the concept of big to us is an apartment with three bedrooms,” Nicolette replied.

Cassie smiled, but only briefly. “I also didn’t expect to see all the damage.”

Nicolette nodded. “You hear about tornadoes and the damage they do on the news, but you don’t really get a clear picture unless you actually see it with your own eyes.”

As they’d driven past the small town of Bitterroot on their way to the ranch, they’d witnessed the devastation in the area that the massive storm cell had left behind.

“I feel so bad that it’s hard for me to mourn a woman I scarcely knew. I mean, I only saw Aunt Cass a couple of times when I was young and then after my parents died we kept up through occasional letters, but we weren’t exactly close,” Cassie said. “We lived in such different worlds. I never dreamed that if anything happened to her I’d inherit her ranch.”

“Have you definitely decided what you’re going to do?” Nicolette asked Cassie. She knew how stunned Cassie had been to learn that her aunt Cass had died and left her as sole beneficiary to a working ranch with over a dozen employees.

Cassie sat back in the kitchen chair and looked around the large kitchen. Her friend was probably thinking of how different this kitchen was from the one they shared in their tiny Manhattan apartment.

“I’m still thinking that the best option is to get the damage cleaned up as quickly as possible and then sell the place. I’d make enough money from the sale that we could move into a bigger apartment and get a larger storefront to sell both my artwork and your clothing line.”

Nicolette grinned ruefully. “Right now my clothing line is just a bunch of sketches in a book.”

“But, if I sell this place we could make it all a reality,” Cassie replied. “We could even afford to actually hire some help so that we aren’t spending all our time at the store.”

“What about the people who work here?” Nicolette’s head instantly filled with a vision of the tall handsome cowboy who had greeted them.

Cassie waved a hand as if to dismiss the hired help. “I imagine the new owner would probably want to keep most of them.” A grin lit her face and a small laugh escaped her lips. “I can’t believe Sammy told that man what you said about cowboys.”

Warmth leaped into Nicolette’s cheeks. “I just wanted the ground to swallow me whole. I’ve never been so embarrassed.”

Cassie laughed again. “At least he appeared to take it all in good humor.”

“I guess, although he seemed pretty brusque after that when he showed us around the house.” She looked at her watch. “It’s getting late. I need to get Sammy into a bath and to bed.”

“Yeah, and I should probably go to bed pretty soon if I’m going to be up by six to meet with all the cowboys. You will come with me, won’t you?” Cassie looked at her hopefully.

“Are you going to tell them tomorrow that you intend to sell the place?” Nicolette asked.

Her friend frowned thoughtfully. “I think I’ll just keep that to myself for right now and if anyone asks you, you don’t know what my plans are.”

“Are you sure you want to play it that way?” Nicolette asked, and got up from the table. “Maybe it would be better if you’d just be up-front with everyone.”

Cassie’s frown deepened. “I’m afraid if they know I’m planning on selling out, they’ll all quit and find other jobs before the work here gets done. They certainly don’t owe me any loyalty. Besides, at this moment I have no idea for sure what I intend to do. Just please tell me you’ll be there with me in the morning when I face them all.” Cassie got up from the table, a look of pleading on her pretty face.

Nicolette released a deep mock sigh. “You know that means that I’ll have to wake up my six-year-old son to come to the bunkhouse with us, but you also know I’ll do it because I owe you so much.”

“Nonsense, you don’t owe me anything.” Together they put their cups in the sink and then headed for the stairs.

Nicolette told Cassie good-night as she veered into the first bedroom, where her son had unpacked his suitcase and was now seated on the bed clad in his pajamas with his handheld game system in play.

“Whoa, what are you doing in your pajamas already?” Nicolette asked. “You know it’s always bath time before bedtime.”

Sammy didn’t look up from his game. “I took a bath last night, Mom. That means I don’t have to take a bath until next Friday night. I told you that I’ve decided I’m going to be a cowboy.”

“Sammy, I’m not going to argue with you about this. Now, get into the bathroom and into the tub.”

He finally looked up at her, his blue eyes filled with innocence. “But, we’re on a ranch and I just told you I’m a cowboy like Cowboy Lucas and he told me cowboys only take a bath once a week.” His chin jutted out in a show of stubbornness.

“Cowboy Lucas was just joking,” Nicolette replied, knowing that it was her own words and Lucas’s response that had prompted this ridiculous problem.

Normally Sammy was a good, obedient child, but on the rare occasion he got that chin-jutting going on he became a monster child who could throw a tantrum as big as the entire state of Oklahoma.

“He wasn’t joking. He didn’t even smile when he told me cowboys took baths once a week,” Sammy replied and folded his arms across his chest.

A rising irritation began to build in Nicolette, not because of the child on the bed, but rather toward the man who had filled his head with such nonsense.

“If Cowboy Lucas tells you he was just joking with you, then will you be a good boy and get into the bath?” Nicolette asked.

Sammy looked at her suspiciously. “I gotta hear it from him. You can’t just pretend that you talked to him and then tell me that he said I had to take a bath. I gotta hear it from the cowboy’s mouth.”

Nicolette stared at her son in dismay. She knew she could do one of two things—she could demand that her son obey her, resulting in tension and tears and a battle she was too weary to endure, or she could go get that handsome cowboy and straighten this out once and for all.

“You wait right here,” she said, and then left his room and walked down the hallway to the master suite. The door was open and Cassie had already changed from her clothes into her nightshirt. “Cassie, could you do me a favor and keep an eye on Sammy while I go chase down a cowboy?”

Cassie raised a blond eyebrow and gave her a teasing grin. “I never took you for the pushy type, but I have to admit he was rather hot.”

“Aren’t you a funny one,” Nicolette said drily. “I need to make Cowboy Lucas talk to Sammy and tell him that cowboys bathe every night, not just once a week.”

“Uh-oh, sounds like our ideas about cowboys have come back to bite our backsides,” Cassie said. She grabbed Nicolette by the arm and they headed back to Sammy’s bedroom.

“I’ll read him a story. You’d better find a flashlight if you have to go all the way to the bunkhouse. You don’t want to step in any cow poop.” Cassie grinned and then gave Nicolette a quick hug. “I can’t thank you enough for taking this journey with me. Now, go find your cowboy.”

“He’s not my cowboy,” Nicolette muttered darkly as she headed down the stairs. She went into the kitchen to look in the cabinet under the sink, which seemed a likely place to store a flashlight.

“Bingo.” She grabbed the big yellow-handled light and headed for the door in the kitchen that would take her outside and in the direction of the bunkhouse.

She just wanted this night to be over. The past week had been frenzied with them closing up the store indefinitely, packing and preparing for their trip here. The day had been particularly long as their plane had been delayed twice in a layover in Chicago. Then there was the task of obtaining a rental car and taking the forty-minute drive from Oklahoma City to Bitterroot and the ranch.

She shone the flashlight beam on the ground before her as she made her way toward the building in the distance. Thank goodness she was also aided by the light of a full moon overhead.

In truth, she’d rather eat dirt than ask Lucas for his help, but he owed it to her considering he was the one who had told Sammy cowboys bathed only once a week.

Well, if she was perfectly truthful with herself, she was the one who had first told Sammy that, but that had been before she’d actually met a cowboy. She’d never dreamed she would be on a ranch with real cowboys, and she marveled now at all the paths she’d walked so far in her relatively short life.

She’d gone from wife to a wealthy man, to near poverty and single parenthood in what felt like the blink of an eye. What little money she’d had when she’d left her husband she’d invested in the store, but that venture was barely making money. New York was a brutal city if you didn’t have money.

She looked ahead to the structure looming close. Lucas had been right; it did look like a twelve-unit motel. It was easy to see which one was Lucas’s, as it was the only unit that had lights shining out the window.

Her stomach tensed as she approached the door. Even though she’d told Sammy first about cowboys not taking baths, Lucas should have told him different. It was his fault that this whole mess had happened with Sammy.

With more than a touch of irritation rising inside her, she knocked briskly. He opened the door and her breath caught just a bit. Without his hat, his dark, slightly shaggy dark hair gleamed in the light. His intense blue eyes widened before he raised a hand in front of his face.

“Turn off that flashlight,” he exclaimed.

Warmth leaped into her cheeks as she realized she’d had the light shining directly on his handsome, chiseled features. She quickly clicked it off. “Sorry about that.”

He stepped outside and looked around. “What are you doing out here all by yourself in the dark?”

“You told my son that cowboys only bathe once a week and now Sammy won’t get into the bathtub.”

By the light of the room spilling out where they stood, she saw his amusement curve his lips upward. “Is that a fact,” he replied. “Sounds like a personal problem to me.”

“It’s all your fault,” she said, at the same time trying not to notice the wonder of his broad shoulders, the slim hips that wore his jeans so well.

He raised a dark eyebrow. “The way I see it, you started it.” He turned his head and spit to one side. “Oh, sorry about that. I’m just doing what cowboys do.”

This time the heat that filled her cheeks was a new wave of pure embarrassment. “Look, I’m sorry. When I told my son those things, I’d never really met a cowboy before. The only cowboy I’ve ever even seen in my entire life is the naked singing cowboy in Times Square.”

This time both his dark brows rose in surprise. “There’s a naked cowboy who sings?”

“Well, he’s not really naked. He wears a pair of briefs.” She shook her head in frustration. “But that’s not the point. I now have a little boy who refuses to take a bath because he’s decided he wants to be a cowboy and you said he only had to take one once a week. Can you please come back to the house with me and tell him differently?”

Lucas leaned back on his boot heels. “Little boys can get pretty sweaty just sitting around and doing nothing,” he mused. “Your son must be pretty headstrong for you to resort to coming all the way down here for my help.”

“He’s usually a good boy, but it’s been a long day and he’s a bit out of sorts and he told me the only way he’d get into the tub was if Cowboy Lucas told him to.”

Amusement once again danced in his eyes as he gave her a smile that made her feel just a little bit breathless. “Basically you’ve come to say you’re sorry about your preconceived notions about cowboys, because I think it would be nice if you apologized before asking for my help about anything.”

“You’re right. I am sorry,” she replied, wondering if he wanted her to get down on her knees before him and grovel, as well.

“Okay then, let’s go.” He pulled the door of his unit closed behind him and fell into step next to her.

“A naked, singing cowboy...and you New Yorkers think we’re strange.” He laughed, a low, deep rumble that she found far too pleasant.

She realized at that moment that she wasn’t afraid of cows or horses, that she wasn’t worried about falling into the mud or getting her hands dirty.

The real danger came from the attraction she felt for the man who walked next to her, a man whose laughter warmed her and who smelled like spring wind and leather.

She didn’t want to get too friendly with anyone on the ranch. She definitely didn’t want to feel attracted to any cowboy who worked here. She knew Cassie’s plan to sell the place and get back to New York City.

All she needed from Lucas was for him to straighten out bath time for Sammy and, before she knew it, she and her son and Cassie would be back on a plane headed back to their real life in New York.

Chapter 2

Nobody was surprised when six o’clock rolled around and there was no new boss in the building. Lucas sat at one of the long picnic tables sipping coffee as most of the other cowboys finished up their breakfasts.

Sunday morning breakfast was usually the quietest of the week, as lack of sleep and hangovers were invisible, unwelcomed guests. This morning the crew was a bit livelier than usual as they anticipated meeting their new boss.

“Think she’ll be here by noon?” Clay Madison asked Lucas drily.

“Big-city folk probably never see a sunrise,” Jerod Steen said from his seat down the table.

“I think maybe we should all cut her a little bit of slack. It’s the first morning and they’re now on central time, not eastern time,” Lucas replied.

He was perfectly content to sip his coffee and wait until Cassandra Peterson showed up for her official coronation as the new leader of the pack. He only hoped his fellow “brothers” wouldn’t tear her to bits on the very first morning.

At that moment Cassandra came through the door, followed by both Nicolette and Sammy. Sammy’s gaze tracked around the room, and when it landed on Lucas he gave him a big smile and an enthusiastic wave before he and Nicolette sat down on the picnic table bench closest to the door.

Cassandra stood just inside the door and cleared her throat, obviously nervous as she faced the dozen cowboys, who had all fallen silent. Cookie, the ranch-hand cook, made a baker’s dozen and now stood in the doorway between the dining area and the kitchen.

By the faint tremor in her voice and her forced smile, it was clear that Cassandra was uneasy. Lucas knew his attention should be focused on the woman who held his future in her trembling hands, but instead he found his gaze shifting to Nicolette.

Both she and Cassandra were clad in skinny jeans that probably cost more than Lucas’s entire wardrobe. Cassandra wore a tailored white blouse, the jeans and a pair of heels, but Nicolette had on a pair of gold sandals and a green form-fitting spring lightweight sweater. And the form it was fitting was slamming hot.

Unlike last night when her hair had hung freely beyond her shoulders, this morning it was neatly tamed and clasped in a green-and-blue little beaded tie at the nape of her neck.

Although he’d liked her hair the way it had been the night before, slightly wild with a touch of curl, this morning with it pulled back it gave him a perfect view of her long neck and delicate jawline.

He was vaguely aware of Cassandra talking to them about repairing the damage from the tornado and getting the ranch back up to normal.

Sammy turned his head and gave him a quick thumbs-up. Lucas nodded to the boy, whom he had found both bright and a bit precocious the night before. He’d had little interaction with Nicolette as he’d told her son that actually real cowboys bathed every night.

He wondered where the kid’s father was and if he was in the boy’s life. Lucas knew all about growing up without a father. Hell, he knew all about growing up without much of a mother, too.

The absence or not of a father in Sammy’s life is not your problem, he told himself and directed his attention back to Cassandra, who had introduced herself as Cassie. As long as she didn’t call herself Cass, he thought.

They were all Cass’s cowboys, and Cassandra Peterson had a lot to prove before any of them would even begin to consider themselves Cassie’s cowboys.

He turned his attention back to Cassie, as she appeared to be winding down. “I know it’s going to take a while for us all to get comfortable with each other. I also know that I’m asking a lot in hoping that you all will continue to do whatever you do as daily chores and get the property repairs finished as soon as possible.”

She turned her gaze to Adam, who worked as foreman. “If you could come up to the house with me, I’d like to have a chat with you about exactly how things run around here.”

Adam rose, looking none too happy, and he, Cassie, Nicolette and Sammy disappeared out the door.

“Guess that’s a wrap,” Dusty Crawford said, and grabbed his hat from the bench next to him.

“They won’t last a week here,” Brady Booth replied. He got up from the table and grasped his hat. “She looked so nervous, like she half expected us to rope and hog-tie her and send her back to New York.”

Dusty flashed dimples in a grin. “I wouldn’t mind roping her, but I might have something else in mind rather than sending her back to the big city. I wouldn’t mind having her as a bunk mate. She’s just my type, blonde and small and sexy.”

Lucas stood and tipped Dusty’s hat so it nearly covered his face. “Big talk from the baby in the group.” At twenty-six Dusty was the youngest of all the men. Truthfully, Lucas was just glad that as they all left the dining room the talk was about Cassandra and not Nicolette.

Not that he cared about the dark-haired beauty. He didn’t know anything about her and in any case didn’t need to know anything. She was just his boss’s friend, nothing more, nothing less.

He followed the rest of the men out into the early May morning and headed for the stables. The daily tasks were rotated, and today was Lucas’s day to ride the fence line and look for any breeches or issues.

Thank God he’d mucked the stalls the day before and wouldn’t have to do that nasty task again for another eleven days. It was one of the jobs that had to be done that nobody particularly liked to do.

This morning it was just his horse, Lucky, and him and the wide-open pasture. He strode toward the stables, breathing deeply of the clean air and enjoying the warmth of the sunshine on his shoulders.

The stables held twenty stalls, ten on each side. All the ranch hand horses were housed here as well as several other horses that Cass had for herself and guests. When Lucas walked in, several of the men were saddling up their mounts for the morning chores.

Some of them would be heading out to the pasture to check on the cattle, to make sure none appeared ill and there were no signs of prey that had bothered the herd overnight.

Dusty had disappeared into the tack room, where he would spend most of the morning cleaning and oiling the saddles and harnesses that weren’t in use.

The ranch worked like a well-oiled engine. Everyone knew what they were supposed to do each day. Cass had believed in structure and routine, and all of the men had thrived beneath her rigid system.

It took only minutes for him to saddle up and head out, the sun warm and the smell of sweet spring grass filling his head. Lucky was a strong, fast mount who danced his feet as if eager to go for a run.

Sawyer Quincy opened the gate that led to the pasture for Lucas, and when Lucas had ridden through Sawyer closed the gate once again. Although it was rare for the cattle to come this close to the stables and other outbuildings, it wasn’t unheard of.

Somebody checked the fence line every day, but since the storm that had ravaged the area, trees and large limbs had fallen and continued to fall, sometimes causing a new break in the fencing.

He rode at a slow pace, keeping an eye on the fence while enjoying the freedom and sense of pride he always felt when on the back of his horse and working.

There had been a time in his past when he was certain his future held only two outcomes, jail or death. Cass had changed all that and now she was gone.

Sorrow squeezed his heart as he thought of the sixty-eight-year-old woman who had saved them all. Cass Holiday had been tough, but loving. She’d been fair and had instilled a sense of pride, of belonging and of self-esteem in all of the cowboys who’d served her. He shoved away thoughts of the woman they had buried in the family plot not far from where he rode.

Instead a vision of Nicolette leaped into his head. He’d never felt the kind of instant attraction that he’d felt for her for any other woman in his life. The moment she’d gotten out of the car the night before, something inside him had sizzled with an unusual heat.

He thought of the little nest egg he’d saved up over the years. He’d always known that this life with Cass wouldn’t last forever, and there was a small ranch on the other side of Bitterroot that had been for sale for the past year.

He’d often thought about buying it and beginning to build what Cass had here, but his loyalty to Cass had stopped him from any action in that direction.

Now with Cass gone and the future of the ranch up in the air, maybe it was time for him to go his own way. Still, the idea of leaving the men he’d thought of as his brothers, of walking away from here before he knew what Cassie intended to do, now made the thought of going elsewhere painful.

In his deepest fantasies, when he made his move he hoped there would be a woman by his side, a woman who wanted to build something lasting and meaningful with him. Although he told himself that was his heart’s hope, his head told him not to believe that fantasy, never to trust any woman again and to never give his heart away.

If and when he decided to build a life away from Cass’s ranch, he would be alone, as he’d been for so many years.

Besides, the only woman who had captured his attention for more than a minute recently was definitely a woman who would prefer champagne to cold beer, chiffon to flannel and city lights to the starry Oklahoma skies.

It was almost noon when he finally finished his survey, finding no issues with the fence line. He got off his horse to open the gate and from there he walked Lucky toward the stables.

He’d almost made it to the building when he saw Sammy running toward him, his dark hair gleaming in the sun and a happy smile on his face.

Lucas had a feeling his mother wouldn’t be wearing a happy smile when she saw the filthy condition of what had once been white sneakers on the boy’s feet.

“What are you doing out here?” Lucas asked. He guided Lucky into the stables with Sammy close on his heels.

“Waiting for you.” Sammy watched as Lucas unsaddled Lucky and hung the saddle over a sawhorse, where several others also hung, waiting to be oiled and polished by Dusty. “I was hoping maybe I could eat lunch at the bunkhouse with all you cowboys.”

“Does your mom know you’re out here?” Lucas asked.

Sammy hesitated a moment, giving Lucas his answer. “She and Cassie were making a big salad for lunch and talking about Cassie’s painting and clothes.” He wrinkled up his nose. “They’re boring. I want to be out here with you and learn everything about being a cowboy.”

His blue eyes shone with an eagerness that Lucas remembered feeling the first day he’d arrived here at the ranch. Still, the last thing Lucas wanted was to be pulled into the life of some kid who would certainly be around for only a short period of time.

“Where’s your dad?” Lucas asked, more gruffly than he intended.

Sammy shrugged. “Probably he’s on his yacht. He’s a very busy man. I haven’t seen him since we divorced him two years ago and I didn’t see him much before then.” Again Lucas’s heartstrings were plucked. “So, can I eat lunch at the bunkhouse with you?” Sammy asked eagerly.

Lucas put Lucky into his stall before replying. He stepped outside the stables with Sammy at his side. He was about to tell the kid that he needed to talk to his mother, but at that moment he saw Nicolette hurrying toward them...and she looked like a mad bull who had just seen red.

* * *

Nicolette’s heart felt as if it might beat right out of her chest. For the past fifteen minutes she’d run through the house, calling her son’s name without hearing any response.

Unsure where her son might have wandered, but knowing how vast the ranch was and how unknowledgeable he was about the dangers, she’d become frantic with worry.

Now that she saw him safe and sound with Lucas, her worry turned to anger. “Samuel Ray Kendall,” she yelled as she drew closer to the two.

“Uh-oh,” Sammy said and winced.

Her boy understood that when she called him by his full name he was in big trouble. As he should be, she thought, fully steamed. “Don’t ever leave the house again without telling me,” she exclaimed when she finally reached him. “I’ve been frantic, searching everywhere in the house for you.”

“We were just about to come and find you,” Lucas said. “I found him just a minute ago by the stables.”

Nicolette gazed at her son. “You can’t just run wild around here. You don’t know how dangerous it might be.”

“I just wanted to find Cowboy Lucas and see if I could eat at the bunkhouse dining room,” Sammy replied, looking down at his feet. “I’d rather eat a cowboy lunch than a girlie lunch.”

“If you don’t mind, he can eat lunch with me,” Lucas said.

Sammy begged her with his eyes. “Please, Mom?”

The last thing Nicolette wanted was for her son to forge any real bonds with the cowboys here. She didn’t want his heart broken when they eventually left...and they would leave as soon as Cassie decided it was time to go. But, surely a lunch wouldn’t hurt and she hated to disappoint her son, who had already had a lifetime of disappointments.

“I suppose it would be okay as long as you come right back to the house when you’re finished eating,” she relented.

Lucas touched Sammy on the shoulder. “Why don’t you run ahead and tell Cookie that I said to set an extra plate.”

“Cool,” Sammy replied and took off running toward the building in the distance.

“I don’t want him to be a bother,” she said to Lucas once Sammy was far enough away not to hear her.

“I’ll let you know if he becomes a bother,” Lucas replied. “I asked him where his father was and he told me he was probably on a yacht, that he is a very busy man.” Lucas’s blue eyes gazed at her not just with curiosity, but also with the heat of an interest in her as a woman.

Nicolette felt her cheeks warm. “I divorced my husband two years ago and he probably is on his yacht, or in his penthouse or someplace that is party conducive, because that’s what he likes to do.”

Lucas tilted his head, the cast of the sun and the brim of his hat momentarily hiding his eyes. “You don’t sound bitter about it.”

She smiled and shook her head. “I’m not bitter. It’s a long story and lunch is waiting. Sammy was the best thing that came out of my marriage and he’s all I wanted when I walked away. Samuel got to keep his yacht, his trust fund and whatever else he owned, and I got Sammy, definitely the best part of the deal.”

Lucas leaned his head forward so that she once again got a look at his beautiful blue eyes, and they appeared to be filled with a longing and an admiration that she wasn’t sure she understood.

It unsettled her and she smiled again and took a step backward. “I’m keeping you from lunch.”

He nodded. “I’ll see to it that Sammy gets safely back to the house after eating.”

“Thanks, I appreciate it.” She turned and hurried away, feeling the heat of his gaze lingering on her. She hadn’t been so attracted to a man since nine years ago when she’d first met Samuel Kendall, and never had two men been more different from each other.

She’d been a naive twenty-one-year-old when she’d met Samuel. He’d been elegant, airbrushed and hair sprayed, but he’d managed to sweep her off her feet with sweet talk and empty promises.

She had a feeling that Lucas Taylor had never made a promise to anyone that he hadn’t kept and that the wind-and-sun scent he carried was just as evocative as the expensive cologne that Samuel had worn.

“I see you found him,” Cassie said as Nicolette stepped up on the porch.

“He wants to eat lunch with Lucas at the bunkhouse.”

“Why is it that every time you say that cowboy’s name your cheeks get pink and your eyes sparkle just a little bit brighter?” Cassie asked.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Nicolette scoffed and pushed open the door to enter the house. She walked through to the kitchen, where she and Cassie had prepared a chicken Caesar salad for lunch.

She sat at the round oak table and Cassie took the seat opposite her. “You know it would be crazy to get attached to any of the men here,” Cassie said.

“I know that.” Nicolette filled her plate with the salad. “I have no intention of getting close to anyone. How did things go this morning with you and Adam?” she asked in an effort to get the conversation off Lucas.

Cassie groaned. “There’s so much to learn. Thankfully Adam pretty much knows everything and can keep things going smoothly. He told me in the last couple of years Aunt Cass had depended on him more and more. I won’t be here long enough to learn all there is to know. I told him I wanted the repair work to be a priority.”

“Do you think he knows you want to sell as soon as possible?”

“I don’t think so. I told him I wanted him to teach me about the bookkeeping and the ordering process and whatever else I should know. Oh, and the big bell that hangs off the front porch? If we ever need help or anything, we ring it and the cowboys will all come running.”

Nicolette raised a brow. “That’s good to know, and it sounds like you and Adam are going to be spending a lot of time together. Adam isn’t too hard to look at, either.”

Cassie took a bite of her salad and washed it down with a sip of iced tea. “You don’t have to worry about me going crazy about any man here. I know where we belong, and this definitely isn’t the place.”

Nicolette stared out the window absently. Her problem was that since her divorce from Samuel, she wasn’t sure where she and Sammy belonged. As much as she loved Cassie, sharing her tiny apartment certainly wasn’t what she wanted for herself and her son forever.

“We need to take the rental car back tomorrow.” Cassie interrupted her thoughts. “I guess we’ll have to have somebody follow us into Bitterroot and bring us back here. Adam told me Aunt Cass has a car here, so we can use it to go back and forth to town once we get rid of the rental.”

“Did you ask Adam if he could follow us tomorrow?” Nicolette asked.

Cassie shook her head, her pale blond hair glistening in the noon sunshine that drifted in through the windows. “I didn’t want to ask him because I think he needs to be here to supervise things. We’ll snag one of the other men in the morning to take care of it.”

Nicolette nodded and focused on her salad. She wondered what Sammy was eating with the cowboys. She hoped none of them took offense to his being there, although she was certain that he was in good hands with Lucas.

Funny how she’d known the tall, handsome cowboy for only fewer than twenty-four hours and yet she trusted him without question with the safety of her son. She hadn’t ever trusted Samuel completely with their son’s safety.

There was just something strong, something solid about Lucas Taylor that invited trust. She didn’t want to think about the other qualities he possessed that had instantly sparked a physical desire.

As they ate, Cassie talked about new plans for the store, trying her hand at painting landscapes instead of cityscapes and the idea of a new apartment where the three of them could comfortably cohabitate when they returned to New York City.

Nicolette didn’t want to live with her best friend for the rest of her life. She knew she had to somehow figure out a plan of action that would gain her enough money to support herself and her son.

She also knew that there would probably never be a clothing line with her name on it. The idea that she could be a fashion designer with her own label had been born when she’d been the bored, neglected wife of a wealthy man.

Cassie had nurtured the idea because it worked with the idea of her store and her identity as a creative artist who surrounded herself with other creative people. The problem was since her divorce Nicolette hadn’t managed to figure out exactly what she wanted to do and where exactly she belonged.

After lunch Cassie disappeared into her bedroom and Nicolette sat on the back porch to watch for Sammy. A faint breeze blew the scent of grass and hay that was both novel and pleasant. In the distance she could see cows in the pasture, and she heard the rustle of leaves in the trees.

For a few minutes she felt completely at peace. Her thoughts didn’t linger on the painful past, or jump ahead to worry about the future. She was just in the moment, enjoying the lack of traffic noise and the press of people at a stoplight, the feeling that you were always one step behind everyone else in the world.

She sat up straighter upon seeing Sammy in the distance, Lucas by his side. She watched as the two of them headed in her direction and she tried not to admire the confidence and easy roll of Lucas’s hips with each step.

She couldn’t help but notice that Sammy appeared taller, more grown up, as he tried to match Lucas stride for stride.

They got halfway to the house and then Lucas stopped and raised a hand to her. Sammy broke into a run and Nicolette felt a faint disappointment as she realized Lucas didn’t intend to escort him all the way home.

And why should he? she chided herself. He probably had afternoon chores to get done and he’d already gone out of his way to allow Sammy to eat with them.

Sammy’s face was lit with a smile that flew happiness through her. “It was great, Mom,” he exclaimed as he plopped down next to her on the stoop. “I met all of the cowboys. There’s Dusty and Mac, and Tony and Brody and Clay...”

“Whoa.” Nicolette laughed. “I won’t be able to remember all those names. What did you have to eat?”

“A big bowl of beef stew and corn bread. It was awesome. And they all said I could be the mascot of the ranch and eat lunch there every day if you let me, and Lucas said he’d start teaching me about being a cowboy. You’ll let me, right, Mom?”

Oh, those blue eyes of his held such wonder and excitement, things she hadn’t seen in him for a very long time. “I think we can work it out that you can have lunch there occasionally as long as the men don’t mind. As far as Lucas teaching you to be a cowboy, we’ll have to make sure he has time for that.”

“He already told me he’d do it in the evenings after all his chores are done for the day,” Sammy replied. “Maybe when we go to town we could get me a cowboy hat.”

“We’ll see,” Nicolette replied.

Sammy jumped to his feet. “I’m going to find Cassie. I got to tell her all about her cowboys.” Before Nicolette could reply, Sammy disappeared through the screen door and into the house.

Hours later Nicolette once again found herself sitting on the porch step, gazing upward at the thousands of stars that glittered like diamonds in the sky.

Sammy was in bed asleep, Cassie had retired to her room, but Nicolette had been too restless to settle in for the night. She was pleased with her decision to sit out here, the starlit sky an unexpected surprise.

In New York their apartment windows looked out on other apartment windows. Even standing outside, the bright lights of the city obscured the glimpse of most of the stars.

“Bored to tears?”

The deep voice so close to her made her jump. She turned to see Lucas standing nearby, his features hidden in night shadows. “You scared me half to death,” she replied.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” He stepped up on the porch and then took his hat off and sat down next to her. Instantly she was surrounded by his slightly wild, wonderful scent. “And no, I’m not bored. I was just enjoying the beauty of the night skies.”

He tilted his head and looked up, then gazed back at her. “It is pretty, isn’t it?”

She nodded. “And as alien to me as the cows in the pasture. We don’t get many stargazing nights in New York City. I hope Sammy wasn’t too big of a pain today.”

He smiled, his teeth flashing white in the semidarkness of the porch. “The men all easily took to him. He seems to be a good kid.”

“He is, but you don’t have to teach him how to be a cowboy. I’m sure you have other, more important things to do in your spare time.” She could feel a faint heat wafting from him, a heat that flowed through her veins and curled into a pool inside her stomach.

“Don’t have a wife, don’t have a girlfriend, I’ve got plenty of time on my hands and I can’t think of any way I’d rather spend it right now than with a kid eager to learn.” He hesitated a moment and then continued, “What about you? You have a boyfriend anxiously awaiting your return to the big city?”

She laughed and shook her head. “In the last two years I’ve only had two priorities in my life, Sammy and the store I co-own with Cassie, and they don’t leave any time for dating. Besides, I’m not looking for a romance right now. Since my divorce two years ago I’m just trying to figure out my life.”

She was far too conscious of his nearness, of the scent of him, the heat of him and the allure of his beautiful eyes. Once again she looked up at the stars as they both fell silent.

There were so many things she wanted to ask him, such as how he’d come to work for Cass Holiday and where he had come from. Did he have a close family who lived in the area? And yet she knew Cassie was right—she’d be a fool to get close to anyone here.

“I guess you haven’t had a chance to get into Bitterroot yet,” he said, finally breaking the silence that had become more uncomfortable by the second.

“Actually we need to go there tomorrow to return the rental car. We were going to ask one of you to follow us so that we’d have a ride home.”

“I’d be glad to do it,” he replied instantly. “I’ve got a king cab pickup so there would be plenty of room for everyone. Maybe you all would like to go a little early, have some lunch at the Bitterroot Café and take some time to soak up some of the local color.”

“That sounds like a good idea. I’ll talk to Cassie in the morning and see if we can make plans to go around eleven or so. Sammy wants a cowboy hat, so before lunch we could get that. We could arrange for a time for you to come back and pick us up so that you aren’t cooling your heels while we do a little exploring of the town.” She was babbling and she knew it, but seemed unable to help herself.

He stood and held out a hand to help her up from the porch stoop. “Why don’t we plan on eleven.”

She hesitated only a moment and then held out her hand to grasp his. Warm and big and slightly calloused, his hand engulfed hers. She stood, half-breathless by the simple contact.

“Okay, then I guess I’ll see you in the morning around eleven,” she replied.

Only then did he release her hand. With another of his gorgeous smiles, he grabbed his hat, put it on his head and then turned and disappeared into the darkness of the night.

Nicolette released a deep breathless sigh and went inside the house. She locked the door behind her, wondering how on earth she was going to sleep with the smell of him filling her head, with her fingers tingling from the contact with his and the thought of those slightly calloused hands moving all over her body.

Chapter 3

Sammy danced along the back porch with the excitement of new adventures to come. Nicolette stood at the back door, a different kind of excitement stirring in her as she watched for Lucas’s truck in the distance to follow them into town.

It was ridiculous how long she’d tossed and turned the night before with visions of the handsome cowboy dancing in her head. Cassie was at the kitchen table, reading the Monday morning edition of the Bitterroot newspaper that Adam had brought to her earlier that morning.

“There isn’t much here as far as hard news,” Cassie called out. “Although there is a report of a missing woman who worked as a waitress at the café. Her name is Wendy Bailey and she hasn’t been seen or heard from for over a week. Other than that, I can tell you that there’s a big sale at the discount store and Jerry and Wanda Swaggart celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary yesterday with a reception at the Methodist church.”

“That’s nice,” Nicolette replied. She’d once thought she and Samuel would be married for fifty years or more. When she’d married him she’d believed in a happily-ever-after, but her happy had really lasted for only about a year.

She shoved aside thoughts of her broken marriage as she saw a black pickup driving up from the large building that housed the vehicles.

“He’s coming,” she said to Cassie. “Come on, Sammy. We’ll meet him out front by the rental car.”

By the time the three of them got to the front door, Lucas had pulled his truck up next to the car. “Good morning,” he said.

“I really appreciate this,” Cassie said to him. “We were told there was a place in Bitterroot to return the car.”

“Gus’s Gas Station,” Lucas replied. “Gus dabbles in a little bit of everything, including rental cars. His place is right on Main Street. You can’t miss it as it’s the only gas station in town.”

“Can I ride with Lucas?” Sammy asked Nicolette.

“Oh, I don’t think...” she began.

“I wouldn’t mind his company.” Lucas cut to the chase.

Nicolette shrugged helplessly as Sammy raced to the passenger door of the truck and climbed up inside. “We’ll see you in town,” he called to her and gave her a beaming smile.

Minutes later they were on the road, following the big black pickup. “Sammy seems to have taken a real shine to Lucas,” Cassie said.

“I know. He seems to be a nice man and he’s already spent more time with Sammy than Samuel ever did.”

“Doesn’t it worry you a bit? I mean, we aren’t going to be here that long...maybe a couple of months at the most, and that’s it. We’ll want to be back in New York before the school year begins in September.”

Nicolette stared out the side window, where the rural landscape was beautiful in its vastness. Of course, spring in New York held its own special kind of beauty.

She finally turned back to gaze at Cassie. “I want Sammy to enjoy every minute of his life, and that includes his time here. He needs a man’s presence around him even if it’s a cowboy and even if it’s only temporary. He’ll be better for this experience when we get back to the city.”

“I just don’t want to see him hurt,” Cassie said. “You know I love that kid like he is my own.”

Nicolette smiled. “I know and I appreciate it. I don’t know what Sammy and I would have done when I left Samuel if not for you.” She hesitated a moment and then added, “But you know we can’t live with you forever. I’ve got to figure out a path that has me earning enough money so that Sammy and I can make our own way.”

“Just wait. Once I sell the ranch and invest the money into our store, you’ll be making plenty of money.” There was a confidence in Cassie’s voice that Nicolette wished she felt.

Although Cassie painted beautiful paintings, she did so in a city where talent was on every street corner and in hundreds of galleries. She was attempting to sell her work out of a store that also carried clothes, purses and shoes that Nicolette chose to go on the racks and displays.

So far their joint venture could scarcely be called a huge success. While they made enough each month to cover the bills, there was rarely any money left over for anything else.

There had been a time when Nicolette had met Samuel that she’d dreamed of being a teacher. She’d been working as a dress saleswoman in an upscale store and taking night classes when she’d first met the man she would marry.

After their marriage, he’d insisted she stop going to school because being his wife was a 24/7 kind of job and it didn’t look right for a woman who had married as well as she had to be taking classes to become a teacher.

She cast aside all thoughts of the past as they drove by the sign that indicated they’d entered the city limits of Bitterroot, Oklahoma. They had driven past the town on the highway when coming in from Oklahoma City, so this would be her first real glimpse of the town that would be a part of their lives until they left here.

Main Street consisted of three blocks of businesses. Nicolette sat up straighter in her seat as they crawled along behind Lucas’s pickup.

They passed the Bitterroot Café with its bright yellow awnings. The police station, a one-story brick building, was next door. She spied a shop that sold Western wear and knew that was probably where they’d find the hat for Sammy.

There were the usual businesses you would expect to find in any town, a post office, a bank and a hardware store. There was a grocery store, a feed store and even a little boutique and a tearoom that looked interesting.

Gus’s Gas Station was at the end of the business district, a small two-pump station with signs advertising the rental of everything from cars to wedding champagne fountains.

Lucas pulled up in front of the building and Cassie parked next to him. Sammy jumped down from the passenger seat as Lucas leaned out the window.

“You want me to wait for you to get the car checked in and then take you to the café?” he asked.

“No, thanks. We’ll just walk back,” Cassie replied. “If you need to head back to the ranch, then I can call Adam to come and get us later.”

“Actually, I’ve got some shopping to do myself. Cookie gave me a huge list of supplies he needs and so I’ll probably still be in town when you all finish up. I’ll park in front of the post office and we can meet up there later.”

He backed away and Sammy, Cassie and Nicolette headed into Gus’s business to return the rental. Gus was a character, with wiry white hair growing everywhere but on the bald dome of his head. Hairs sprouted out of his ears, his eyebrows were forests and a pure white mustache covered his upper lip and drooped down on the sides to his chin.

He flirted with both women, teased Sammy and took care of the business efficiently. Within minutes they were leisurely walking toward the center of town.

“I suppose the first thing we should do is get this little cowboy a hat,” Nicolette said, and was rewarded by the huge smile from her son.

“A black hat just like Lucas’s,” he said.

“I thought all the good guys wore white hats,” Cassie said.

Sammy looked at her with a touch of indignation. “Now, it would be just plain silly to wear a white hat when you’re working outside and doing all kinds of ranch stuff.”

Cassie exchanged an amused glance with Nicolette. “Well, excuse me for not knowing about such cowboy things.”

Sammy giggled and swaggered just ahead of them, as if he already wore a big hat and had spurs on his heels. If nothing else this break from the city was good for him, Nicolette thought. It was good for him to know that there was something different in the world besides concrete sidewalks and throngs of people.

It was just after noon when they entered the Bitterroot Café. They’d had a fun morning walking down the sidewalks and peeking into different stores. They had all laughed as Sammy had tried on a variety of black hats, some sitting low on the tips of his ears and others perched atop his head like a little black bird. They finally found one that fit him perfectly, and his swagger became even more pronounced.

The Bitterroot Café was what Nicolette had assumed any small-town café would be like—worn yellow vinyl booths against the walls, tables in the center and a long counter with stools.

“I can feel the calories finding my hips right now,” Cassie said.

Nicolette smiled, knowing she was talking about the sinful scents of fried food, homemade pies and yeasty breads. “I’m not even going to think about a diet during this meal,” she replied. “I intend to completely indulge myself.”

They were greeted by a brassy redhead who introduced herself as Daisy, the owner of the café. As she led them to a booth toward the back of the establishment, Nicolette was aware of the curious gazes that shot their way from the other diners.

She was grateful to arrive at the booth, where she and Cassie sat on one side and Sammy and his hat sat across from them. Daisy handed them menus with the promise to return.

“I already know what I want,” Sammy said and shoved his menu aside. “I want grilled cheese, French fries and a glass of chocolate milk.”

“Sounds like a hearty cowboy lunch to me,” Nicolette replied. She tried to ignore those gazes and the whispers of the other people in the café, especially the gazes from several rough-looking men who sat at the counter.

They were obviously ranch hands, although she knew they didn’t work at Cassie’s ranch. The glances they slid in Cassie and her direction were both slightly salacious yet filled with a touch of derision.

When Daisy returned to take their orders, she must have seen Nicolette looking at the men, who were now laughing among themselves. “Don’t pay no mind to them. I’m assuming you all are from Cass’s place.” She looked at Cassie. “You have your aunt’s eyes and coloring. Those men at the counter are just knuckleheads who were never big fans of Cass’s or her cowboys. Now, welcome to Bitterroot, and what can I get you?”

Sammy ordered his meal and then Cassie and Nicolette both went for broke and ordered the daily special of chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, gravy and a roll.

“Be back in a shake with your drink orders,” Daisy said as she once again swished away from their table.

“She seems nice enough,” Cassie said once she’d left.

“Hopefully we’ll meet a lot of nice people while we’re here,” Nicolette replied. “Although I’m not sure how many of them are in the café right now.”

“All I feel right now is animosity radiating from those men,” Cassie said in a half whisper. “I wonder why they didn’t like my aunt Cass.”

“Who knows?” Nicolette replied. “Maybe before we leave here we’ll have it figured out. In the meantime I’m not going to let them ruin my lunch.”

By the time Daisy delivered their drinks and their meals, Nicolette and Cassie were deep in a discussion about what little Cassie had learned so far about the ranch.

“We have a big herd of black Angus cattle,” Cassie explained. “Adam said they are one hundred percent naturally grown with just grazing and no growth hormones or anything added to their diet. Each fall we sell half the herd to a beef company who then cuts and packages the meat and advertises it as all-natural. It’s a big contract and Adam said the company wants to continue to work with me.”

Nicolette took a bite of her yummy chicken fried steak, wondering how long it would take before her friend would confess to Adam or any of the others that she had no intention of staying.

Would a new owner ensure all the hands a job? If not, then what would happen to Adam...to Lucas? She was disturbed by the fact that just thinking about Lucas created a tension in the pit of her stomach, a tension that wasn’t exactly unpleasant.

Of course, she was set up to think kindly of anyone who took any time at all with Sammy. She knew her son was hungry for a male in his life. Samuel had certainly been a nonpresence from the moment Sammy had been born.

Surely all she felt toward Lucas was gratitude for the way he had taken Sammy under his wing. It couldn’t be anything more than that. She scarcely knew the man.

She knew so little about him, just that his eyes were a deep blue that could easily pull her in and that the touch of his hand on hers had sparked an instant electricity she’d never felt before.

“This is the best grilled cheese sandwich I’ve ever had,” Sammy said.

“Hey!” Nicolette gave him a mock look of hurt. “After all the grilled cheese sandwiches I’ve made for you in your life?”

Sammy giggled and shrugged. “What can I tell you, Mom? A cowboy only speaks the truth.”

“Did you get that out of a fortune cookie?” Cassie asked teasingly.

Sammy frowned thoughtfully. “I don’t think they have fortune cookies in the Wild West.”

They had just about finished up their meal when one of the cowboys at the counter began to walk past their table, apparently headed to the restrooms in the back.

As he reached the side of their booth, Sammy accidentally knocked his glass of chocolate milk with an elbow. The glass flew off the table and landed at the cowboy’s feet. Some of the chocolate milk splattered the bottom of his jeans.

“Oh, we’re so sorry,” Nicolette said as she quickly jumped up to right Sammy’s glass.

“Stupid city-boy brat,” the man spat.

Nicolette reacted impulsively and tossed the last of her iced tea at the man. “And I’m the stupid city-boy brat’s mother,” she said angrily. “His spill was an accident, but mine was on purpose because you’re a jerk.”

For a brief heartbeat she feared the man was going to punch her, and then Daisy was between them. “Let’s all just calm down,” she said. “Lloyd, go on and take care of your business and leave the kid and the ladies alone.”

The man she called Lloyd gave Nicolette a glare that chilled her to her very bones and then headed on to the back. “Don’t pay him no mind,” Daisy said and patted Sammy’s shoulder as he began to cry, his face buried in his hands. “He’s just a cranky old man.”

“It...it was an accident,” he said between sobs. “I didn’t mean to do it.”

“We know it was an accident. How about I bring you one of my special chocolate chip cookies with some ice cream for dessert?” Daisy asked with a wink at Nicolette. “I’ve never known a little cowboy who didn’t love my cookies.”

Sammy swiped his tears and looked up at the red-headed owner. “That would be really nice. Thank you.”

As Daisy left to get the dessert, Nicolette reached across the table for her son’s hand. “It’s really okay, Sammy. Accidents happen and he was not nice at all.” She squeezed his hand and then released it, knowing Sammy would be embarrassed if anyone saw him holding his mother’s hand.

By the time Daisy delivered the goodies to Sammy, Lloyd and his buddies had left the café and Nicolette breathed a sigh of relief.

They finished their meals without further incident and left the café to find Lucas’s truck. The minute Nicolette spied the black pickup with Lucas seated on the tailgate, his hat low over his face, her heart began that crazy beat that was definitely not normal.

He sat up as he saw their approach and bumped his hat back, a frown crossing his forehead. He must have noticed the soberness of the group.

“How was lunch?” he asked as he stood.

“An experience,” Nicolette replied, hoping he could read her eyes to know she didn’t want to discuss it at the moment. The last thing she wanted was for Sammy to get upset all over again.

He turned to the back of the pickup, which held a variety of grocery bags, and grabbed a big shoe box. He bent down so that he was eye to eye with Sammy. “I see you got your hat, but I have a feeling you’ll be needing these, too.”

Sammy took the lid off and his entire face lit up at the sight of the black polished cowboy boots. “Really? For me?” he asked.

Lucas laughed. “They sure aren’t my size. Why don’t you pull them on and take a little stroll down the sidewalk to make sure they fit.”

Sammy sat on the tailgate and quickly shucked his tennis shoes and then pulled on each boot. When he took off walking down the sidewalk, Nicolette turned to Lucas. “Just tell me how much they were and I’ll pay you.”

“Don’t offend me,” he replied. “This is a gift from me to Sammy and has nothing to do with you.” He smiled at her, tiny lines radiating out from the corners of his eyes. “Besides, if he’s going to be one of the ranch hands, he needs a good pair of boots. Those white tennis shoes won’t last a week in the pasture.”

“Then I guess I’ll just say thank you,” she replied.

Sammy ran back to them. “They fit perfect. I love them. Thank you, Cowboy Lucas.”

“You’re welcome, partner. Now, let’s get in the truck and head back to the ranch.”

Nicolette and Sammy rode in the small seats behind Lucas and Cassie as they headed back home. The conversation was neutral, focused on the weather and the passing landscape. Lucas pointed out other ranches they passed and mentioned who owned them, but Nicolette paid little attention.

The gift of the boots had obviously erased the trauma of the spilled milk for Sammy, and Nicolette was grateful to see her son dancing his feet against the floorboard and adjusting and readjusting his hat on his head.

Despite her desire to the contrary, Lucas Taylor was definitely getting under her skin. If the way to a man’s heart was through his stomach, the way to Nicolette’s heart was through Sammy.

When they got to the house, Lucas dropped them off and then drove on toward the bunkhouse in the distance. Nicolette knew he had supplies to drop off and then probably afternoon chores to take care of.

Sammy went up to his room, Cassie disappeared into her bedroom and Nicolette wandered the downstairs restlessly. She tried to keep her mind off the lunch debacle and the way Lloyd’s glare had made her feel.

He’d frightened her more than just a little bit. For just a moment she’d thought he was going to pick up Sammy by the scruff of his neck and slam him against a wall. There had been that kind of wild meanness in his eyes. She’d believed he was going to punch her in the face. She didn’t want to think about what might have happened if Daisy hadn’t intervened.

It was almost nine that night when she tucked a happy and exhausted Sammy into bed. She kissed him on the cheek, but before she could leave he grabbed her hand and indicated he wanted her to sit next to him.

She sat on the edge of the mattress, wondering if he wanted to talk about what had happened at lunch. “I want to stay here forever,” he said. “I don’t ever want to go back to New York. I like it here.”

She looked at him in surprise. “Honey, you know we can’t stay here forever. This is Cassie’s home, not ours, and she isn’t planning on staying long. We have our home in New York.”

He sat up. “We don’t have our own home in New York. We have Cassie’s apartment. Why couldn’t you and me get a home someplace around here where we could visit with Cowboy Lucas all the time and I could always be a cowboy?”

“Sammy, honey. My work is in New York. I have the shop to work in. I can’t just pick up and move here. This isn’t where we belong.”

Sammy flopped back down on his back. “I think we could belong here if we wanted to.”

She leaned over and kissed him on the forehead and then stood. “Just enjoy being here now, Sammy. Besides, Cassie hasn’t made up her mind yet about what the future holds. Who knows what might happen. Good night, my sweet cowboy.”

“Good night, my sweet mom,” he replied, and she left the room to the music of his soft laughter.

“Got the little bug tucked in?” Cassie asked from the sofa when Nicolette entered the great room.

Nicolette collapsed into the comfort of a big easy chair. “He wants to stay here forever.”

“It didn’t take long to get the city out of him. I wonder how long it will take to get the country out of him when we go back home,” Cassie said.

“I have a feeling he’ll have to outgrow those boots before he willingly stops wearing them,” Nicolette said.

“How did Lucas know what size to buy?” Cassie mused. “He got it right on the money.”

“No idea how he did that. I imagine he and the salesman just made a lucky guess.”

“I sure didn’t feel any welcome from anyone around town today,” Cassie said. “We’re definitely the outsiders.”

“Daisy was nice,” Nicolette said.

“Daisy is probably a smart business owner. She has to be nice to everyone who comes into the café.”

Nicolette gazed at her friend thoughtfully. “You should be glad that nobody was particularly friendly. You’re the one who said we shouldn’t get friendly with people since we aren’t sticking around.”

“I know. I’m just feeling perverse. It would have been nice if somebody acted like they wanted to meet the new owner of the ranch.” She curled her slender legs up beneath her. “Adam told me Cass was something of a legend around here. I have a feeling that even if I decided to stay on, I’d never be able to live up to her in the eyes of everyone here.”

“You don’t have to live up to anyone, Cassie, and you’re stronger than you think you are. But thank goodness you don’t have to make any decisions at the moment. There’s still plenty of work to do around here before you make a final decision about selling or staying.”

Cassie nodded. “Adam told me that tomorrow most of the men are going to work on cutting up the trees the tornado blew down. He said the wood would be stacked both here at the house and at the bunkhouse for the fireplaces in the winter.”

She yawned and then continued. “You know that missing woman I mentioned that was in the paper? I guess one of the ranch hands here, Nick Coleman, was seeing her before she disappeared.”

“What have the police said about it?” Nicolette asked.

“They think it’s possible she just left town. Apparently she’d only been in town a couple of months. Adam said there’s no way he believes that Nick had anything to do with her disappearance.”

“Sounds like you and Adam are getting quite cozy,” Nicolette said.

“Strictly business,” Cassie replied. “Tomorrow he’s going to take me on a tour of the entire ranch so I can make notes on what I think needs to be done, and to explain more about the everyday operations.” She yawned again. “And on that note, I think it’s time for me to head to bed. I’m exhausted.”

“It’s all this fresh air and sunshine.” Nicolette grinned. Cassie got up from the sofa, and with good-nights exchanged, she went upstairs.

Nicolette thought about going out on the porch and sitting for a little while, but when she realized that part of her reason for doing so was in hopes that Lucas might show up and share part of the night with her, she dismissed the idea.

They’d been here for only two days and one evening and already she was spending far too much of her time thinking about Lucas Taylor. She should be focusing on what her future would look like when they returned to New York.

Although she hadn’t mentioned it to Cassie, Nicolette was considering having Cassie buy out her half of the business, and that would give Nicolette enough money for her and Sammy to get their own place. Nicolette could finish her schooling and get a teaching job.

Of course, it all depended on what Cassie decided to do, and while she knew Cassie’s initial decision had been to sell the ranch, who knew how her friend would feel in two or three months from now? By then the cowboys wouldn’t be just names on paper, they’d be real people, and that might make it more difficult for Cassie to just walk away.

Realizing she was more tired than she’d thought, she decided to head upstairs. She turned off all the lights and climbed the staircase, trying not to worry about the future or think about Lucas.

As always as she passed Sammy’s bedroom, she paused to peek in at her sleeping son...and saw a person with a ski mask on at his window.

For the space of a heartbeat she froze, her brain not understanding how a man could be at the second-floor window. His glittering gaze caught hers, and it was at that moment she screamed.

Chapter 4

Lucas jumped off his bed at the sound of the big dinner bell ringing through the night, adrenaline instantly exploding inside him. He pulled on his jeans and grabbed his holster and quickly buckled it, the weight of his gun familiar on his hip as he opened his bunk door.

Other men were coming outside, as well. “What’s going on?” Dusty asked.

“Maybe one of them wants one of us to make a cappuccino run,” somebody else replied.

Lucas didn’t pay attention to anyone. He ran, his heart racing, vaguely aware of the sound of running feet behind him. He knew something was wrong...somebody was in trouble. Otherwise that bell would have never been rung.

All he could think about was that the house held two defenseless women and one young boy and something bad had happened or was happening.

The distance between the bunkhouse and the main house had never seemed so far. When he was halfway there the bell stopped ringing, the sudden silence creating even more anxiety in his chest.

He didn’t bother with the back door, but rather ran around the house to the front where the big bell hung. His gun was in his hand as he reached the front door.

Cassie opened it for him. “Thank God,” she exclaimed. He released a deep sigh of relief when he saw Sammy in his mother’s arms on the sofa.

Adam came in just behind him, along with most of the other dozen cowboys, all of them armed and ready to protect their own.

“There was a man,” Nicolette said, her voice trembling with fear and her eyes simmering a deep green. “He...he was at Sammy’s window.”

A couple of the cowboys left the house, and Lucas knew they’d be checking it out and scouting around the area for anyone who didn’t belong.

“The police are on their way, but I rang the bell after Nicolette screamed and grabbed Sammy out of bed. We knew you could get here quicker than law enforcement,” Cassie explained.

Nicolette’s eyes were huge, as were Sammy’s, and a swift sense of protectiveness rose up inside him. What in the hell had somebody been doing looking into a second-floor window? There was nothing he wanted more than to find the person who had put such fear in Nicolette’s and Sammy’s eyes.

Instead he holstered his gun and walked over to where they were cuddled together. “You both okay?”

Nick Coleman came back in from outside. “There’s a ladder against the house. We didn’t touch anything, but it’s definitely not one of ours.”

“Spread out all the men and see if you can find who was on that ladder,” Adam said. “He can’t have gotten too far. Lucas and I will stay in here to wait for Chief Bowie and his men to arrive.”

As if to punctuate his sentence, a siren became audible in the distance. Lucas remained next to the sofa, and despite the circumstances he couldn’t help but notice the evocative scent of Nicolette mingling with the minty soap scent of a freshly bathed little cowboy.

Who would have been at the window? Was somebody trying to harm Sammy, or had his window just been an accidental choice for a break-in? And if it was a break-in attempt, why not come through the front or back door instead of trying to gain entry on the second level, where the culprit had to have known they would all be sleeping.

Maybe the perp had seen lights on downstairs and had just assumed nobody would be in bed already. It still seemed a stretch to believe that somebody wanting to rob the place had decided to come and go from a ladder at a second-floor window. What did he intend to carry out?

These thoughts created a tighter, more powerful knot in Lucas’s chest as he wondered what the real motive of the person might have been.

He was glad to see Chief of Police Dillon Bowie walk through the door. Lucas and Dillon had become friends throughout the years, and there were few people Lucas trusted as much as he did the tall, broad-shouldered, dark-haired keeper of the law in Bitterroot.

Adam made the introductions and Dillon took Cassie’s hand in his. “I’ve been meaning to stop by to meet Cass’s niece before now. I’m sorry we have to meet under such circumstances. Now, tell me exactly what happened.”

Lucas listened intently as Nicolette talked about going up to bed and peeking in on her son, only to see a person with a ski mask at the window.

Two of Dillon’s men entered the room. Officer Juan Ramirez nodded to everyone and then looked at his boss. “There is a ladder against the house going up to the bedroom window. All the ranch hands say it isn’t one of their ladders.”

“Print the whole thing, although I imagine since whoever it was had on a ski mask, he probably had on gloves, as well,” Dillon replied.

He motioned Cassie into the nearest chair and then he pulled a pad and pen from his pocket. “It’s possible that whoever tried to get into the house knew that you all were city folks and it might be easy pickings for a robbery. Or it could be some local kids out for a little mischief who didn’t realize you all had arrived in town yet. I can’t imagine that you’ve been in town long enough to make any enemies.”

“Actually, we did have a little incident today at the café,” Nicolette said.

Lucas looked at her in surprise. “What kind of an incident?” he asked before Dillon got a chance.

She tightened her arms around Sammy. “Sammy accidentally spilled his milk and it splashed on a man’s jeans. He went off, calling Sammy a spoiled city brat and then...” She paused and then continued. “And then I threw my iced tea at him.”

“He was sitting at the counter with a bunch of other men and they all gave us the evil eye when we came in,” Cassie added.

Lucas’s stomach tightened at the thought of any man accosting Nicolette and Sammy. And he was oddly pleased that she had enough mama bear in her that she’d added to the milk insult by tossing her tea at whoever it was.

“Did you get a name?” Dillon asked.

“Lloyd. Daisy called him Lloyd,” Nicolette replied, the tremor back in her voice.

“That has to be Lloyd Green. He’s the only Lloyd around,” Lucas said and then looked at Nicolette. “Why didn’t you tell me about all this when we met in town after lunch?”

She pointedly glanced down at the boy who, despite all the excitement, had the droopy eyelids of exhaustion. “I didn’t think it was the time or the place.”

Dillon frowned. “Lloyd is definitely a hothead, but I can’t imagine him taking any grudge to this kind of a level. Still, I’ll check him out, see what he has been up to tonight.” He gazed at Nicolette and then back at Cassie. “Anyone else giving you any problems?”

“No, like you said before, we’ve scarcely been in town long enough to meet anyone.” She looked at Adam. “And I don’t think we’ve made anyone angry here at the ranch.”

“It wasn’t one of our men,” Adam replied firmly. “Nobody here would want to bring harm to Cassie or Nicolette or Sammy. We’re all trying to rebuild things since Cass’s death, not destroy them.”

“I just want to know that my son is safe,” Nicolette said softly. In the past few minutes Sammy had drifted off to sleep, and she gently stroked his dark hair from his forehead.

Lucas found himself wondering what her touch would feel like across his forehead, what it would be like if she were his woman, if Sammy was his child. He focused back on Dillon, knowing his thoughts were about to take him into dangerous territory and there had already been enough of that on this night.

“I’ll have my men check the window upstairs,” Dillon said. “And if it’s any consolation, I wouldn’t assume that whoever was at the window intended harm for your boy. It’s more likely it was just a matter of chance that that particular window was used.”

“I hope you’re right about that,” Nicolette replied.

“I’m going upstairs to check out the window, and I know your men and mine are combing the area, but I think the excitement is probably over for the rest of the night.”

As Dillon went upstairs, Nicolette shifted the sleeping boy in her arms and Lucas sat on the sofa next to her. Adam stood at the side of the chair where Cassie sat clad in a blue lightweight robe, her eyes still filled with fear.

“You don’t have to worry,” Adam said to her. “I’ll have a man patrol the perimeters of the house for the rest of the night.”

“And you also won’t have to worry because I intend to move in,” Lucas added. “I can bunk in with Sammy during the nights until Dillon gets this figured out, and that way nobody will be able to get past me to hurt anyone.”

Nicolette stared at him in obvious surprise, but he also saw a hint of relief in the green depths of her eyes. “You don’t need to do that,” she said, but it was only half a protest.

“Maybe I don’t need to, but I want to,” he replied. He looked to Cassie, who he knew would have the final say in the matter.

“You could at least stay in the extra bedroom in a queen bed rather than bunking in with Sammy on a twin,” Cassie replied.

He looked at the kid, his handsome little face a picture of innocence in slumber. He’d been sleeping when his mother had screamed. He’d heard about a man at his window. He’d probably be afraid to sleep alone in that room ever again.

“I’d rather sleep in the small room with Sammy. He might need a roommate for a few nights after all the trauma,” he replied.

He would have slept on a cow patty on a wintry night to receive the soft, grateful gaze that Nicolette gave him. What was wrong with him? He had never felt this protective surge for anyone except Cass, who had saved his life, his very soul by having him come to this ranch.

He would have died for Cass, and it shocked him that in the brief time he’d known Sammy and Nicolette he was starting to feel the same way about them. It didn’t make sense, was completely irrational considering how little he knew about Nicolette, but it was there, nevertheless.

“While Adam and Dillon and his men are here, I’ll just go get some things from my bunk,” he said, suddenly feeling as if he needed some distance from the very scent of her, from the emotions she evoked in him.

As he stepped out the front door and headed around the house where the ladder still stood leading up to Sammy’s bedroom, a new fiercely burning knot formed in the pit of his stomach.

He dismissed his crazy thoughts about Nicolette and instead his mind filled with all kinds of questions. Had the incident in the café with Lloyd Green prompted some sort of crazy attempt at retribution?

Everyone knew Lloyd was a mean soul, but a little milk on his jeans didn’t warrant this kind of reaction. Still, with Lloyd and his group of buddies there was no telling for sure. He might have just thought it would be fun to terrorize Sammy and Nicolette.

Lloyd worked for Raymond Humes on the ranch next to Cass’s. Throughout the years there had been plenty of bad blood both between Raymond and Cass and the cowboys who worked for each of them.

Lucas’s feelings toward Nicolette and Sammy were definitely confusing, but the ladder against the house felt ominous, and as he reached the bunkhouse, he smelled more than a hint of danger in the air.

* * *

Dillon and his men finally left. By the time they did Nicolette had laid Sammy on the sofa and she was pacing the floor, trying to wrap her mind around that unexpected and frightening face in the window.

Cassie and Adam were in the kitchen seated at the table and talking about rotating men outside the house each night for the next couple of nights or until Dillon came up with a guilty party and a reason for the ladder.

Nicolette heard only the murmur of their voices as she was mentally focused on the vision of that ski mask and those eyes that had appeared to hold such glittering malevolence.

Who could it have been and what had he wanted? Was it just an accident that he’d been about to enter the room where her vulnerable son was soundly sleeping? Dillon had told her the window was still closed, but that didn’t mean if Nicolette had been three minutes longer climbing up the stairs the man wouldn’t have been through the window and into the bedroom.

And then what? She couldn’t imagine, for everything she thought of was too terrifying to contemplate.

She stopped pacing as Lucas came in the front door, carrying an oversize duffle bag and a sense of security she welcomed. The only thing better than the sight of him would have been if he’d cradled her in his arms to steal away the cold wind that had blown through her since the instant she had seen the man at the window.

As if reading her mind, he dropped his duffle bag to the floor and stepped forward, his arms open to welcome her. She didn’t hesitate. She ran into his embrace, a sob escaping her the instant he enfolded her tight.

His body was hard against hers, yet seemed to meld around her. He stroked her hair with one hand while his other slowly rose up and down her back in an obvious effort to comfort her.

“I was so scared,” she whispered.

“There’s no reason to be scared anymore,” he replied.

She buried her face in his chest, breathing in the scent of night and the faint fragrance of a spicy cologne. She told herself it wouldn’t matter whose arms she was in, as long as they were big and strong, but she knew that wasn’t true. She needed his arms, Lucas’s arms around her.

She’d known him for only three short days, but it didn’t matter. Already he’d become safety and security for her and her son.

She didn’t know how long they stood together, locked in an embrace, before she realized the cold that had been inside her was gone and she wasn’t just warmed, but a new fire had begun to burn in the pit of her stomach. It was a fire that had nothing to do with comfort or a feeling of security, and when she recognized it for what it was, she finally stepped away from him.

“Sorry about that,” she said, her gaze not meeting his. “Just chalk it up to a moment of weakness.”

He stepped toward her and took her chin in his fingers, forcing her gaze to meet his. “It’s going to be all right,” he said. “Dillon is a good man. He’ll figure it out, and in the meantime I’m here to make sure nobody gets inside this house.” He dropped his hand back to his side, and at that moment Adam and Cassie came into the room.

“Sawyer is going to keep an eye on the house through the rest of the night,” Adam said.

“That really isn’t necessary since I’m going to be in the house,” Lucas replied.

“We’ll have him on duty tonight and then tomorrow figure things out.” Adam raked a hand through his hair, his gaze lingering on Cassie. “I don’t want you to worry. We aren’t going to let anyone harm you. I’ll talk to you in the morning.” He looked at his watch. “It’s already after midnight. Why don’t we plan to meet here around ten.”

“That’s fine with me,” Cassie replied. “And now that the excitement is over, I’m going to bed.” She looked at Nicolette. “Are you coming up?”

Nicolette shook her head. “I’m too wired to sleep. I’ll be up a little bit later.”

Adam left, Cassie disappeared up the stairs and Lucas looked at Nicolette. “Do you want me to carry Sammy upstairs?”

“Only if you’re going up now.”

“I’m a little wired myself,” he replied. “Why don’t we go into the living room, where we won’t bother Sammy,” he suggested.

She nodded and followed him from the great room into the smaller, more formal living room. She sat on one side of the sofa and he sat on the other.

“You should have told me what happened in the café when we were in town this afternoon,” he said.

“I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it in front of Sammy. He was so upset when it happened and the only thing that made his world okay again was a cookie and ice cream from Daisy and the cowboy boots from you.”

“Still, I could have settled it with Lloyd right then and there.” His jaw clenched tightly, making him even more handsome and slightly dangerous looking.

She smiled. “Then I probably would have had to figure out how to get the money to pay bail for you.”

His jaw softened and he returned her smile. “You got that right. Lloyd and his fellow cowboys are nothing but a bunch of bullies and thieves. Cass couldn’t abide Raymond Humes or any of the men who worked on his ranch. The bad blood goes both ways, which is unfortunate since his ranch is next to this one.”

“Why the bad blood?” she asked curiously.

Lucas shrugged. “I don’t know where it all began. Things were already bad when I first came here, and that was fifteen years ago.”

“Fifteen years—you must have been a baby.”

“I was just shy of seventeen years old and I hadn’t been anybody’s baby for a very long time.” He paused and took off his holster and set it with his gun on the coffee table before them. “What’s your story? How did you come to be here with Cassie?”

She leaned back against the sofa. “In order to tell you that I have to start at the beginning when I got married, and it’s a long story.”

“We’ve got all night,” he replied easily.

“I can sleep in tomorrow, but you have chores to do.”

“Tomorrow is my day off, so there’s no problem,” he replied.

Nicolette had a feeling his questions were less about wanting to really know about her past and more about wanting to take her mind off the horrible events of the night.

“I met Samuel when I was working as a salesperson in an upscale dress shop during the day and going to night school in the evenings. It was obvious to me that he probably didn’t have to look at price tags and it was equally obvious that he was flirting with me. But, he told me he was looking for a dress for a woman about my size and wanted shoes to match.”

She paused a moment, remembering the first time she’d seen her future husband. He’d had sandy brown hair, earnest brown eyes. He possessed boyish good looks and was exceedingly charming.

“Anyway, he bought a ridiculously expensive dress and shoes and after I rang up the purchases he told me to wear the clothes and meet him that night at a fancy French restaurant. Before I could protest, he left the store.”

“And so you went to the restaurant to meet him?”

“I did, but I wasn’t wearing the dress or shoes he’d bought. Before I left the store that day I put them back on the rack and credited his account and then I met him for dinner and told him he couldn’t buy me with a fancy dress and sparkly shoes. He was both surprised and intrigued. I guess nobody had ever turned down a gift from him before.”

“That was the beginning of your relationship,” Lucas said.

“It was the beginning of a whirlwind romance. Samuel is a trust-fund baby who spent the first months of our dating telling me about all the wonderful things he intended to do, to be in his future. He talked about charity work and altruistic causes and I believed him, I believed in him. I thought that he had just been waiting for the right woman to be at his side, so when he proposed I accepted and we got married in Las Vegas and honeymooned there for a week in luxury.”

“Then what went wrong?” Lucas asked and leaned a bit closer to her.

“When I married him he spent most of his time throwing away his money frivolously and partying until he passed out. I kept waiting for him to grow up, to start to be a productive member of society, to do something worthwhile, and then I got pregnant with Sammy. I thought that would be the catalyst for him to change. But Samuel wasn’t interested in being a father and he wasn’t interested in being a husband. By the time Sammy was two, I knew that nothing was ever going to change. He had his monthly money from his trust fund and didn’t have to do anything constructive, so I divorced him.”

“I’m sorry he didn’t turn out to be the man you wanted him to be.”

Nicolette shrugged. “I guess I should be grateful that all Samuel ever cared about was money and partying. When it came time for the divorce Samuel only wanted to hang on to his money and he didn’t care about any custody of Sammy. So, I walked away with full custody of my son and a little bit of money that I’d had before I met Samuel.”

“And Cassie?”

“She and I had met when I was going to college classes to become a teacher. We’d become best of friends and continued that friendship even during my marriage. When she heard about the divorce she insisted that Sammy and I move in with her temporarily until I got on my feet. Then I threw my money in on the store, and to be honest, I’m still waiting to get on my feet. But I’d rather live in a cardboard box with Sammy than live in luxury and have him endure a lifetime of his father’s indifference.”

“What about your parents? Couldn’t they help you out?”

“My mother died a year after I married Samuel and my father passed away almost a year to the day after her. I think he just missed her so much he let go of life to be with her again.”

She looked at him with a touch of humor. “Have I put you to sleep yet?”

He smiled, that crazy beautiful smile that always lit up a place deep inside her. “Not at all. I wanted to get to know you better, and part of the way to understand people is to learn where they’ve been.”

“And where have you been?” she asked.

“Now, that is a story for another night,” he said. She noticed how his eyes darkened slightly. He stood and buckled his holster back around his waist. “It’s late. I think maybe it’s time we both call it a night.”

She also stood, slightly disappointed that she’d just shared so much with him about herself and he obviously wasn’t in a state of mind to share anything with her. He owes you nothing, she reminded herself.

They walked back into the great room, where Sammy still slept soundly on the sofa. “I’ll carry him upstairs,” Lucas said. He picked up Sammy, who immediately wrapped his legs around Lucas’s waist and nestled his face into the crook of Lucas’s neck.

The sight of her son wrapped like a baby monkey around the strong, handsome cowboy pierced Nicolette’s heart. How many times had she wished that Samuel would hug Sammy, give the little boy any kind of attention and love?

“I’ll carry your bag,” she replied. She picked up the duffle, turned off the lights downstairs and then followed Lucas up the stairs, trying not to notice how his worn jeans fit so nicely across his backside.

She dropped the duffle bag just inside the room that held the two twin beds and watched as Lucas placed Sammy in the bed he’d been pulled from by her scream.

Lucas tucked the sheet around the boy and then walked back to Nicolette just outside the doorway. “You can sleep peacefully knowing that he’s safe with me,” he said.

“You have no idea how much I appreciate what you’re doing for us.”

He took another step closer to her, so close she could feel his body heat, and her head once again filled with his heady scent. Her mouth was unaccountably dry as she saw a flash of desire light the depths of his eyes.

She knew he intended to kiss her. She also knew she should step back from him, but her feet refused to move her to safety. Cassie’s advice about not getting close to anyone here was forgotten as she fell into the midnight blue yearning in Lucas’s eyes.

She didn’t see him move but found herself once again in his embrace, her breasts tight against his hard chest as his soft, warm lips claimed hers.

The kiss was like nothing she’d ever experienced before. Initially his lips were soft as butterfly wings against hers, and then the pressure increased and she couldn’t help but open her mouth to him, allowing him to deepen the kiss.

Shivers raced up her spine along with his slow caresses up and down her back. His tongue swirled with hers, dizzying her senses, and she leaned closer into him.

He kissed her with mastery, stealing away her will for anything else but to acquiesce to whatever he desired from her.

She felt as if she were on fire when his mouth left hers and trailed a blaze of nips and kisses down her jaw and in the hollow of her throat.

More. She wanted more, and the idea snapped her back into reality. And the reality was that she had no business kissing Lucas Taylor. She had no business allowing him to kiss her until her knees were weak and she wanted more from him, of him.

She stumbled backward and raised a hand to her lips. She stared at him with both a sense of wonder and a bit of fear...the fear of her own desire for him.

“Sorry,” he said as he took a step back from her. “I shouldn’t have done that.”

“We shouldn’t have done that,” she replied, dropping her hand to her side. His eyes still held a fire that tempted her closer, and it took every ounce of her willpower to stand her ground.

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