“Destiny is a small town with real people living normal lives.

“They worry about keeping their jobs, paying their bills and finding a way to put their kids through college. But you know all that, Bobby, because you once lived in this town. Back when you made a promise not to set foot in it again until you could return a big success with all the money in the world.”

An icy wave coursed through him, despite the warmth of the sun hitting his back. Yes, he’d said all that—and more—the day she’d chosen a shot at the glamorous life of high-fashion modeling over being his teenage bride.

“What can I say?” His reply came out clipped, sharp as a shard of glass. “Mission accomplished.”

Dear Reader,

In this age of technology that allows people to connect across the miles and across the years, there probably isn’t much mystery left to that old question, “I wonder whatever happened to …?” When it comes to first loves, the answer is usually a click away, but for some avoidance is the only answer.

When Leeann and Bobby’s future plans took their teenage love in a direction neither of them planned, the last thing they expected was to one day end up right back where it all began. But sometimes love, and life, surprises a person in a way they never imagined.

So is an unexpected reunion an opportunity to set the record straight, right old wrongs, offer explanations with the insight only available after time has passed? Or is it another chance to find that part of yourself that’s been missing all along?

Leeann and Bobby are about to find out.

Happy reading!

Christyne Butler

About the Author

CHRISTYNE BUTLER fell in love with romance novels while serving in the United States Navy and started writing her own stories six years ago. She considers selling to Mills & Boon® a dream come true and enjoys writing contemporary romances full of life, love, a hint of laughter and perhaps a dash of danger, too. And there has to be a happily-ever-after or she’s just not satisfied. She lives with her family in central Massachusetts and loves to hear from her readers at chris@christynebutler.com. Or visit her website at www.christynebutler.com.

Welcome Home,

Bobby Winslow

Christyne Butler

www.millsandboon.co.uk

For Tammy Gerard Hastings

Thirty-one years of friendship that’s seen everything from first loves to new beginnings.

Here’s to always believing it’s never too late to live happily ever after.

And

Extra special thanks to Charles for being such an amazing editor.

Chapter One

Bobby Winslow was back in town.

According to the front page of the local paper there had yet to be an official sighting of the man who’d been voted “Best Hands (When it comes to working on cars)” in high school. But that didn’t matter. The reporter was certain the town’s bad boy, who’d spent the past six years rising to the number one spot in America’s Cup Pro Racing stock car circuit, was on his way home.

Deputy Leeann Harris gave an indelicate snort and tossed the newspaper into the backseat of her cruiser.

She had to.

Otherwise she’d be tempted to take her eyes off the curvy mountain road to look again at the photos beneath the bold headline, including one taken just a few days ago when Bobby had been wheeled out of an injury rehabilitation center; it was the first time he’d been seen in five months. He’d struggled to his feet and spoken briefly, thanking those who took care of him after his accident and stating he was looking forward to continuing his recovery at home.

Home.

Everyone around town assumed that meant Destiny, Wyoming.

Never mind that Bobby had left at the age of eighteen with a vow to never step foot back inside the county limits. A vow made during a fervent outburst filled with the hurt and anger of a broken teenage heart.

A vow directed straight at her.

Of course, she’d made her own vow that spring day fourteen years ago.

This time it took the physical shaking of her head to force Leeann’s mind back to the road ahead, both figuratively and literally.

She refused to get mired down in the past. Not today.

Using a technique she’d learned long ago to center herself in the here and now, Leeann mentally cataloged her surroundings starting with the beautiful late September day outside her windshield.

The sky was a dazzling shade of blue, sharp and piercing, perfect for squinting eyes and almost impossible to look away from. Birch, ash and maple trees stood tall and majestic on either side of the road. Their green leaves were giving way to the blazing yellows, oranges and fiery reds of autumn, while the smattering of pines and blue spruces stubbornly refused to let go of their glorious emerald needles.

The winding road wore a fresh coat of blacktop, like it’d pulled on a warm woolen jacket in preparation for another Wyoming winter of snow and ice. But when she rolled down the window and pulled in a deep breath, the air still held the lingering warmth of summer.

“What a beautiful day to be unemployed,” she said to herself. Technically she wasn’t out of work until her shift ended in—she glanced at her watch—two more hours. After that, her three years with the Destiny, Wyoming, sheriff department would come to an end.

Budget cuts. Last hired, first fired. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. Deputy Ben Dwyer had started a full month after her, but with a wife and two kids, Ben needed to keep his job. When word leaked out about the need to cut the department’s staff by one, Leeann had gone straight into her boss’s office.

It was time.

Moving on was something she’d been thinking about for a while now. After witnessing her two best friends finding true love with the men of their dreams and settling down in the past year, she was willing to admit, at least to herself, she was feeling a bit restless. Not for love, home or marriage like Maggie and Racy had found, but she did want something.

Something more.

Like those many “forks in the road” her Aunt Ursula often spoke about, Leeann was ready to take the path less traveled with no idea where she was headed or what lay ahead.

The story of her life.

Pulling off the road to her favorite waiting spot that gave her a clear view down the mountain road, she slowed to a stop.

She hoped the remaining hours of her shift would be quiet, but the high school had let out almost a half hour ago. This stretch of windy road was a teenager paradise for cruising, especially on a beautiful day like today, just like it’d been years ago when she’d rode shotgun, a smile on her face and a white-knuckle grip on the seat while—

A loud whoosh filled her ears. An oversize vehicle raced by so fast the draft caused the chassis beneath her to rock back and forth.

What the—

Was that a Winnebago?

Leeann flipped on her lights and siren and tore out after the jumbo motor home as it disappeared around the first turn. She lost sight of it, but there was nowhere for a vehicle that size to turn off for a least a mile. She pressed on the accelerator and roared over the next small hill, spotting the RV ahead as it pulled to the side of the road.

With no room to move in behind, she was forced to park in front, angling her cruiser nose in. Keeping an eye on her rearview mirror, she finished her call to dispatch that included the North Carolina license plate number and stepped out of the car.

Pushing her short hair back from her face, Leeann settled the Destiny Sheriff Department ball cap on her head.

Tourists. Probably a senior citizen with a lead foot.

She paused at the rear of her car, one hand inches from her weapon, and assessed the situation. Nice and quiet. So far, so good, except that thanks to the angle of the sun she couldn’t make out the people inside the camper other than the fact there were two of them. At least.

She moved a few steps closer, motioning with one hand.

The driver understood and slid his window open. “Is there a problem, Officer?”

Okay, that was no grandpa.

The man leaning out the window had cropped salt-and-pepper hair and dark sunglasses obscuring his eyes. His arm was bigger than her thigh. The sleeve of his black T-shirt hugged the well-developed biceps, revealing a tattoo she couldn’t quite make out.

“Please step out of the vehicle.” There was no way she was dealing with this guy from where he sat three feet above her. “And bring your license and registration with you.”

“I’m going to have to use the rear door.” He patted the smooth surface beneath his hand. “We’re having trouble with this one.”

“Fine.”

He offered a quick grin and ducked back inside.

Leeann watched as he talked to his passenger, gesturing with his hands before he moved out of his seat and disappeared from view. She walked back along the side of her cruiser, keeping it between her and the camper.

Eyeing the motor home, she noticed it looked brand-new and custom-made with its fancy paint job and tinted windows, but she was still surprised at how it’d zoomed by her.

The shade from tall trees to her left made it easier to see, and she paused on the other side of her car, her gaze on the person still sitting in the front of the camper.

A man, also wearing sunglasses, his with mirrored lenses, and a weathered ball cap on his head turned backward. He’d glanced her way through the window.

Seconds later, he did the classic double take.

Leeann held her ground and his gaze. Thanks to his sunglasses she couldn’t be sure, but instinct and years of experience told her he was checking her out from the top of her ball cap to the tips of her steel-toed boots.

His scrutiny caused a heated flush to steal over her skin. It’d been many years since she’d had a physical reaction to a man’s gaze. A tinge of annoyance mixed with the surprise coursing through her.

Why now? Why him?

Did she somehow know this guy?

No, that was crazy.

The stranger finally turned away and she blamed her body’s response on the warmth of the Indian summer afternoon.

Still, it’d been a long time since she’d gotten that kind of response from someone. When she’d first started working as a deputy sheriff, it had happened often when she pulled someone over, be it a local or an out-of-town tourist who recognized her. But other than one of those celebrity magazines doing a “where are they now” profile on her a couple of years ago, Leeann was far removed from the bright lights and big city of her former life.

Did he know who she was? Or, more precisely, who she used to be?

Maybe he just didn’t like the law. Except the tiny hitch that pulled at one corner of his mouth had her thinking he’d been about to smile. To flirt his way out of a ticket?

Just then the rear door of the camper opened and out stepped a giant of a man.

He was easily over six feet tall, the rest of him as powerfully put together as that one arm he’d displayed out the window. The black T-shirt stretched tautly over his wide chest, matching black jeans fit him like a second skin and the scuffed work boots gave him a couple of extra unnecessary inches in height.

He walked toward her, his gaze locked with hers. Other than her usual watchfulness that was part of the job, she felt none of the physical effects from a moment ago during that silent exchange with his passenger.

With no time to figure out why, Leeann pushed the thought aside when the driver stopped a few feet from her. He offered another grin that appeared too good-hearted to be artificial and held out his hand.

She took the paperwork, looked at his driver’s license first then glanced back at him. “Dean Zippenella?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

The picture on the New Jersey license matched the man in front of her, but his full name? “Dean Martin Zippenella?”

His grin widened as he shrugged. “I come from a large Italian family and my Nonni was a big fan. Most people call me Zip or Zippy.”

“You should meet his brothers Frank and Joey.”

Leeann glanced up as the guy still in the camper spoke. That voice. Barely above a whisper, and still the measured tone easily carried across the distance to where she stood. She hated to say it sounded familiar, because it didn’t, but still a nugget of awareness tugged inside her.

She then noticed the dog in his lap, its two front paws on the window frame. Bland canine features spoke of a mongrel heritage and its coat was a mix of browns and tans, except for the solid patch of black over one eye.

“As in Frank Sinatra and Joey Bishop?” she said, looking between the two men.

Both nodded.

“Which one are you?” she asked the guy in the camper.

“Huh?” The hand scratching at the dog’s ears stilled.

“Are you two related?” she pushed.

“No.”

“Yes.”

Their overlapping answers had her moving her gaze back and forth in suspicion. “Is my question too confusing?”

The driver crossed his arms over the impressive width of his chest. “We’re not blood, but we’re close as family can be.”

Leeann tilted her head to one side, hoping Jersey got her unspoken message. If he was going for intimidation, it wasn’t going to help his cause. He dropped his arms.

“What does it matter?” The man in the camper spoke again, his voice still low but now with a harder edge to it. “And why pull us over? We weren’t over the posted speed limit.”

Much.

The unspoken end of his sentence hung in the air.

“Look, I’m getting a bit tired of going back and forth between you two. Why don’t you join your friend out here? And leave Fido inside.”

He stared at her again until Leeann broke from his gaze to look back to his friend, ignoring the persistent internal whisper that she somehow knew this stranger.

“Is that really necessary, Officer Harris?” he asked.

The use of her name caused Leeann’s head to snap back toward him.

The tone of his voice sounded different now. Softer. Almost recognizable.

Why had he called her by name? Could he make out the letters on the small tag attached to the front of her uniform?

She swallowed hard against the lump in her throat. “Yes, it’s necessary.”

He looked away and this time his gaze held with his traveling companion’s. Leeann glanced over in time to see the Rat Pack namesake give his head a slight shake.

“On my way,” the Smart Mouth finally replied, pulling the dog back inside and swinging his oversize bucket seat away from the window.

The driver sighed.

Leeann focused her attention on him again, wondering why he didn’t want his friend out here.

“Her name is Daisy,” the muscleman said, his grin back. “The dog? She’s mine and her name is Daisy. After Daisy Duke. The hottie from The Dukes of Hazzard?”

Leeann fought back a grin and the urge to roll her eyes. “Yes, I know the show. Is anyone else inside the camper?”

“Nope, just the three of us.”

She nodded, feeling at ease with the big guy. Still, she continued her silent count, which had started when she’d asked his buddy to come outside.

She soon reached one-eighty, approximately three minutes. The driver kept looking at the camper’s side door and shifting his weight, as if he wanted to go and see what was taking his friend so long. Another few minutes passed before the door finally opened.

The man gingerly stepped down, starting toward them in slow, measured steps. She immediately wondered if he was under the influence as he fought to keep his balance.

Unlike his buddy, this guy’s clothes seemed to hang off him, despite his tall frame and the width of his shoulders. His white cotton shirt was wrinkled and hung loosely over baggy jeans. His sneakered feet shuffled through the dirt as if he had to work hard to put one foot in front of the other.

He’d turned his ball cap around, the brim now low on his forehead, allowing her to only see the flat press of his lips. In anger? No, this guy was in pain.

When he finally reached them, a fine sheen of sweat glistened on his face and throat.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

His head jerked in a quick nod as he ran a hand across his chest, pulling the soft material taut.

“Can I see your driver’s license, please?”

This time he offered a halfhearted laugh and her heart flinched. Then he removed his ball cap and slid off his glasses, his mouth relaxing in a halfhearted smile.

“It hasn’t been that long, has it, Leeann?”

The air vanished from her lungs as her heart froze.

Bobby Winslow.

Alive and well and standing right in front of her.

Gone was the belligerent stranger and in his place stood the man she had once promised to marry.

The newspaper hadn’t lied.

Bobby really was back in town and looking pretty much the same as he had at eighteen. His hair was still dark and wavy with a cowlick that fell across his forehead. Straight white teeth flashed when he spoke, and the twin dimples she remembered threatened to appear during his lethargic attempt at a smile.

For a quick moment, a sparkle lit his familiar blue eyes, equal parts pirate rogue and boyish charm, before he blinked and the emotion disappeared.

The black-and-white pictures in the newspaper had masked the true effect of his charisma, but Leeann knew firsthand how overwhelming Bobby’s eyes, though dim and shuttered now, could be.

At fifteen, she’d been powerless against them.

At thirty-two, they still turned her knees to mush. Knees she locked to keep upright.

He was waiting for a response.

Leeann said the first thing that popped into her head. “You look a bit worse for wear.”

“Well, that gets right to the heart of things.” Bobby shoved his hands into his back pockets, the cap and glasses dangling from his fingers. “Same ol’ Lee.”

He’d been the only one who’d gotten away with shortening her name. Something she’d always hated until the time he’d said it, right before he kissed her in the oversize backseat of his ‘71 Duster at the drive-in.

“I didn’t—I didn’t mean it like that.” Leeann’s words rushed past her lips. “You look good … well, considering you’ve only been—”

“Sprung from rehab less than a week.” Bobby cut her off with a wave of a hand, the action causing him to sway. He cocked one hip and steadied himself. “Yeah, I’m not doing too badly for a guy who nearly died five months ago.”

This time the tugging at her heart caused it to flip over completely. “Wh-what are you doing here?”

“I live here.”

No, he didn’t, not anymore.

Never mind the fact that Bobby’s mother still lived in town, just a few houses away from Leeann in a cute cottage complete with a beautiful garden and a white picket fence that Bobby had bought for her with his winnings from his first major race.

Valzora Winslow had shared that little tidbit with pride when she’d surprised Leeann with a plate of freshly baked cookies as a housewarming gift the day Leeann had moved out of her aunt’s place and into a home of her own.

They’d struck up a sociable wave-as-you-go-by friendship, often stopping to chat over the fence about simple things like the weather or the activities going on in Destiny.

But never about Leeann and Bobby’s past.

So where was Val now that Bobby was back in town?

Instead of asking, Leeann stated the obvious, “You haven’t lived here for over a decade.”

“Neither have you,” he countered.

How did he know that? They certainly hadn’t kept in touch over the years and she doubted he was a fan of high fashion, even when that had been her life. “I’ve been back in town for three years, living on Laurel Lane for the last two.”

Surprise flickered in his eyes as he put the name of her street together with his mother’s. If that surprised him, he’d be shocked to know that Leeann had driven his mom to the airport the night of his accident.

“Destiny is my home,” he replied with a vague thrust of his chin, the surprise now replaced with a hint of smugness. “And I’m here to check out my new digs just up the road.”

The new digs being the monstrous log mansion constructed over the summer. The rumor that the multimillion-dollar house was owned by the town’s favorite son had been confirmed in another newspaper article back in July.

Leeann hadn’t gone anywhere near the construction, dubbed “Castle Winslow” by the locals, especially after she’d learned who owned the company that had purchased her land months earlier.

“Well, at least your appearance explains the speed of your oversize home on wheels.” She waved at the camper, latching on to a familiar topic. “You never could resist tinkering with an engine. How much have you messed with the inner workings of that thing?”

“It’s a 362-horsepower 6.8 liter Super Duty V10 SEFI Triton engine and I haven’t done anything to it,” he said, with another hint of his familiar grin. “Yet.”

“You sure? You two were hauling butt.” Leeann handed the paperwork and license back to his friend, but kept her gaze on Bobby as a thought came to her. “Or maybe it wasn’t your friend here who was behind the wheel. Maybe it was you.”

The grin disappeared. “Believe me, I wasn’t driving.”

Less than seventy-two hours away from a rehabilitation center, probably not. Still, he was standing under his own power.

“I don’t recall too many times when you willingly sat shotgun,” she said.

“No, if memory serves, that spot usually belonged to my girlfriend.”

A low hum of fury at his mocking tone passed through her. She fought to keep her next words light. “So you’ve learned to share now?”

Bobby cocked his head to one side and his grin returned. “Only out of necessity. You know how I hate to give up a position of power.”

Power behind the wheel, power over her.

From the start of their teenage relationship, Leeann had never been able to resist the magnetic pull Bobby had over her. She’d been drawn to his wild, untamed and cocky personality from the moment they met. Maybe because he was so different from the starched and conventional home life she had with her parents.

Being with Bobby gave her a freedom she’d never known before, even after he’d surprised her with an engagement ring in February of their senior year and convinced her that getting married right after graduation was the best way to be together.

“Yes, I remember. It took having a diamond ring flung at your head before you finally took ‘no’ for an answer.”

His smile vanished as soon as the words left her mouth.

Leeann couldn’t believe she’d said that aloud and in front of an innocent bystander.

“I’m sorry, that wasn’t fair—”

“Don’t worry about it.” He cut her off with a wave of his hand. “I think we’ve had enough apologies between us to last a lifetime.”

His sharp tone brought back the memory instantly.

Not far from this very spot, between tears and apologies, she’d tried to explain why she’d decided to leave town.

Alone.

Why she’d accepted a modeling contract in New York City, the prize for winning a contest she hadn’t known her mother had entered Leeann into.

Why she’d changed her mind about marrying him before he was set to leave for the U.S. Army the week after their high school graduation. A ceremony that had only been days away.

Boy, he must’ve waited years to throw her words back in her face.

Leeann swallowed hard against an old ache she’d thought was long buried. Instead, she pasted on a counterfeit smile, honed to perfection from years in front of the camera. “Okay, well, let’s consider this a warning for both of you.”

She looked at Bobby’s friend, who’d remained quiet during this whole exchange. “Please obey the speed limits during your stay, Mr. Zippenella.”

“Yes, ma’am,” the man replied, shoving his license into his wallet before pocketing it. “But you can still call me Dean. Or Zippy. Hell, I’ll answer if you yell out a simple ‘hey you.’“

Leeann’s smile slipped from fake to genuine with ease. Boy, this guy had his namesake’s charm in spades. “I’ll keep that in mind, Dean.”

“So, are we free to go, Officer?”

Stepping back toward her cruiser, Leeann glanced at Bobby again, noticing a slight trembling in his ramrod-straight posture and a growing gleam of sweat dotting his skin.

An urge to ask again if he was okay filled her, but she quickly squashed it as she headed for the driver’s-side door. “Yes, gentleman, you are. Enjoy the rest of this beautiful fall day. And Bobby … welcome home.”

Chapter Two

Bobby dropped his arms, the movement causing him to sway again. Bracing his hands on his hips, he kept his eyes trained on Leeann’s cruiser until it disappeared over the hill.

A familiar shaking of his legs warned him that the searing pain he’d learned to live with over the past few months was fast approaching. He managed six steps toward the camper before his strength gave out and he crumpled into a heap near the front tire.

Zippy raced to his side, crouching next to him. “Dammit, Ace!”

Bobby’s gaze remained on the empty blacktop, his brain still trying to process the fact that the girl who’d walked away from their foolish teenage dreams in order to become a successful model was back in Destiny.

And working as a deputy sheriff.

If not for that low sexy voice of hers, smoky and smooth like the whiskey he’d come to favor over the years, he never would’ve believed his first love was the same person who’d stood in front of him in a khaki uniform, her once-famous waist-length hair now so short it barely brushed her shoulders.

A cop?

Really?

“Hey, bro?” Zip gave him a gentle nudge. “You okay?”

Bobby shook his head, mentally pushing away the long-ago sealed memories before they had a chance to form. Instead he concentrated on the blinding rush that felt like a thousand pricks of hot needles radiating from his hips to his knees.

“Yeah, I’m good.” He pushed the words past gritted teeth. “I’m great.”

“No, what you are is stupid. She obviously knew about your accident. You could’ve had your little reunion through the window.” Zip wrapped one beefy arm around his back, providing a strong and steady presence.

Just like he’d done from the moment Bobby first opened his eyes in the hospital after the accident. Like he’d done the day they’d met in a desert hellhole ten years ago.

“Why didn’t you stay inside the camper?” Zip asked.

No way.

It took a full-on stare at Leeann for Bobby to match the girl to her voice. No, make that woman. Long gone was the girly-girl he’d known in high school who’d entered beauty pageant after beauty pageant and barely had the strength to carry her own books.

When he’d finally realized who’d pulled them over, he’d been determined to meet Leeann Harris again for the first time face-to-face and standing unaided on his own two feet.

“So that was her,” Zip said.

Bobby looked at his friend and blinked. “Huh?”

“You know, beauty queen, first love, heartbreaker, high-rent cover model for Cosmo, Vogue, Brides—”

“Damn you and your steel-trap memory.” Bobby bent his knees and braced his feet in the dirt. “Help me get off my ass.”

Zip managed to shrug while shouldering Bobby’s weight and helping him back to a standing position. “With all the boo-hooing you did that night, how could I forget?”

Thankful the pain was fading already, Bobby leaned against the camper. He wasn’t ready to try walking yet. “We drank a lot that night.”

“We were celebrating finally being back on American soil.” Zip dropped his hold and stepped back, but stayed close. “Drinking for those who never came home.”

Bobby remembered.

Their first night back after a front-row seat in the Middle East during that “quiet” time between the first Gulf War and the second, courtesy of the U.S. Army. The only two guys in their unit who hadn’t had anyone to go home to, he and Zip had ended up shutting down a hole-in-the-wall bar outside the gates of Fort Bragg. Then they’d stumbled to a nearby motel to continue drinking and talking until the sun rose.

“You know, Ace, if you were so dogged to come out of the camper on your own power, you could’ve at least grabbed a—”

“Let it go, Zip. It’s done and over.”

“Famous last words.”

Bobby glared at his friend. “She’s gone.”

“Yeah. For now. But if I remember correctly from all of your stories, Destiny is a pretty small town.”

Meaning he and Leeann would run into each other again.

Maybe.

Probably.

But next time, Bobby would be prepared.

He dropped his head back against the cool metal of the custom motor home he’d had built a year ago. It was supposed to have been his ride during this past season’s race calendar. Now it was a high-priced ambulance bringing him home.

“Come on, Zip, let’s get moving. I want to finally see in person what my hard-earned greenbacks have been paying for all summer.”

“Meaning all those photos, live video feeds and the miniature model you had sent to the rehab hospital weren’t enough?”

Since he was a kid, first attending and then working summers at a local wilderness camp, Bobby had always wanted to live in a log cabin. He just never thought it would be here in Destiny. Then fate had allowed him to keep a long-held promise.

He’d approved the plans for his upscale and oversize version back in February, but by the time of his accident in May, only half of the outer shell was complete. He’d watched the rest of the construction from his hospital bed.

“No, they weren’t nearly enough.” He looked at his friend’s grinning face while shoving his hat back on his head and pocketing his sunglasses. “And you knew that before you asked.”

“Yeah, I did.” Zip moved to his side. “You okay to walk?”

Gripping his friend’s oversize forearm, Bobby slowly put one foot in front of the other. The stinging had lessened, but the needling sensation had moved down to his feet. Sort of like when a person sat too long and tingled when he first moved.

Only about twenty times worse.

“With a bit of help,” he grunted around clenched teeth.

“That’s what I’m here for, bud. A promise is a promise.”

“Knock it off with that promise stuff, would ya?” Bobby shot back. “I’ve told you how I feel about that.”

“And when was the last time I ever listened to you?”

“Three years ago. At your family’s place in Jersey.” Bobby gripped the handrail and hefted himself inside, conscious of his buddy behind him, ready to catch him if he fell. Which he didn’t do much anymore despite what had just happened.

“I agreed with your sisters, and Frank and Joey.” He kept talking. It seemed to speed up his recovery from these episodes. Or at least distracted him. “That girl you’d brought home was all wrong for you.”

“And perfect for Frankie,” Zip said with a wry twist of his lips.

Bobby purposely shuffled past the dining set and leather sectional sofa where Daisy lounged, her snout on her paws as she watched them. That dog always knew when to stay out of the way. A skill most likely learned in the war zone where Zip had found her.

Thankful when he reached the cushioned passenger seat, Bobby eased into it with a silent sigh. “Yeah, especially when we caught her and Frankie going at it in the backyard gazebo.”

“That wasn’t my brother’s fault.” Zip moved back behind the steering wheel. “He was young and stupid.”

“He was twenty-three.” Bobby pulled on his seat belt. “And yet you still made a show of knocking him through the screen door.”

“Hey, my pride was at stake.”

“And you made sure the girl got home okay. Even Daisy didn’t want anything to do with her.”

Zip shrugged, buckled his seat belt as well and started the engine. “Daisy doesn’t like any females. Never has, unlike me. What can I say? I was in love and stupid. Runs in the family, right?”

Yeah, Bobby and Zip might not be blood, but they were family just the same.

“Drive, bro.” Bobby kept his gaze on the road and ran his hands along the tops of his thighs, kneading at the tight muscles. “I’m ready to go home.”

By nine the next morning, Bobby felt much better.

If better meant enduring a morning physical therapy session that twisted him inside out and upside down. They’d finished the workout by christening the new indoor pool with a race Zip had won, barely, and twenty minutes in the steam room.

Now fresh from the shower and dressed, Bobby palmed a cup of hot coffee as he sat in his office. He leaned back in his chair and stared out the window at the acres of trees surrounding his new home.

That was a lot of green.

And gold and orange and red and burgundy. Fall in Wyoming. His favorite season.

He’d grown up the child of a single mother, his father gone before Bobby had started kindergarten. They’d lived in a third-floor, two-bedroom apartment located in the center of town next to Mason’s Garage.

Despite Destiny being a small place, it had plenty of parks, fairgrounds and wide-open spaces, but Bobby had always longed for a tree-filled yard of his own.

He finally had it—and it was a yard that once had belonged to Leeann.

A yard where her family’s Georgian-style mansion, the home she’d grown up in, stood, until an electric storm set fire to the empty house.

He’d only been out to the Harris home a few times when he was young, but he’d never been allowed inside. Her parents had forbidden Leeann to invite him in.

Not that he’d stayed away entirely.

A nearby pond, which hadn’t been visible from the Harris house and still couldn’t be seen through the thick forest of trees, was a favorite meeting spot for him and Lee.

Deep in the woods, with only a well-worn path far from the house marking the way, was a place they’d met when they wanted to be together.

To talk, to laugh, to fall in love. It was the place he’d asked Leeann to marry him on a snowy Valentine’s Day with a cheap diamond chip of a ring.

A place that still belonged to his former fiancée.

When he’d heard from his mother that the Harris land was up for sale—one of the rare times she’d mentioned Leeann—he’d put his lawyers on the task of purchasing the property. Originally made up of thirty-five prime Wyoming acres he’d vowed as a teenager to one day own, it was only twenty-seven acres when the purchase went through.

Prophetic, as his race car was also number twenty-seven.

Leeann had held on to the remaining land, eight acres that included the pond. When he’d seen the final offer, he’d had to admit it gave him a warm feeling to know she’d wanted to keep that place for herself.

“There you are.” Zip interrupted his thoughts as he walked into the office. “Jeez, we walked around this castle of yours three times last night and I’m still lost. I think you need to print some maps. I can’t even find my dog.”

“Daisy was sunning herself in the family room the last time I saw her. And you know this place like the back of your hand.” Bobby swung around to face his friend. “You should, you studied the floor plans as much as I did this summer.”

“As long as I can figure out how to find the kitchen, I’m golden.” His buddy took a large bite from the apple in his hand. “So what’s on the agenda today? Maybe bring a little life to this place?”

“What are you talking about?” Bobby put down his mug. “The house is perfect.”

“Yeah, it’s got more flat-screen televisions than a sports bar and the ‘I love me’ wall downstairs is cute, but it still looks like something out of a magazine.”

“Displaying all those awards and honors wasn’t my idea. Blame the decorators.”

“Yeah, they did such a great job this place looks more like a museum than a—wait, what the heck is that?”

A red light recessed into the top of Bobby’s desk flashed. He pressed his thumb over the glass and it went out.

Reaching for the handmade cane his mother had given him in the hospital when he’d first started walking again, Bobby heaved himself up. “Come on, I think you’re going to like this.”

At the far wall, he ran one hand along the edge of the commissioned oil painting of his race car until he found a hidden button.

A door-size portion of log wall slid silently to the left, disappearing into a hollow opening in the wall. Bobby entered the room on the other side, his buddy tight on his heels.

“Okay, that was a little James Bondish.” Zip stopped next to him. “What is all this?”

A double row of monitors lined the far wall, eight in total, which flashed live images of Bobby’s home and land.

“This is my security center. I can see what’s going on 24/7 from the driveway to the ends of my property.”

“Other than that fancy wood-and-iron gate we passed through, I didn’t see any fencing. Jeez, I never even noticed the cameras.”

“That ‘fancy’ gate is actually high-strength aluminum made to look like wood. The fencing is electronic, and the cameras wireless and well hidden. This is a state-of-the-art system Devlin Murphy put together.”

“Is he part of Murphy Mountain Log Homes that built this place?”

Bobby nodded. “Same company. Dev heads the home security side of things.”

“I know you had some troubles with that nutty fangirl last year, but still, isn’t this a bit much?”

“That wasn’t just a fangirl. I went downstairs one morning and found her fixing breakfast … after she broke in.”

“And your overnight companion wasn’t too happy to find another female in the house, if I remember the news reports correctly.” Zip smiled. “Or was the catfight just a nasty rumor?”

It wasn’t. Despite his fame and sometimes overzealous fans, it was Bobby’s first brush with someone who’d broken the law to get close to him. “Let’s just say I’m a bit more cautious nowadays.”

“Even up here in the backwoods?”

Bobby nodded as he moved in to read the monitor on the desk. “Especially with the phase two I have planned.”

“As curious as I am about this ‘phase two’ of yours, why exactly did that red light go off on your desk?” Zip walked to the wall of monitors and peered closely at them. “All I see out there is trees.”

Remembering the instructions Dev had emailed him, Bobby pressed a key to move the update backward until he saw the half-dozen screen captures. He leaned in close, then closer still, his eyes fixed on images taken of the driveway, outside the main gate but definitely on his land.

“I’m going to go out and get some fresh air.” Bobby left the room, closing the door behind his friend who’d followed him.

“I worked you over pretty good this morning. You’re not walking so well, even with that cane,” Zip said. “You plan on sticking to the deck?”

“Actually I’m going for a quick drive.” Leaving his study, Bobby headed for the main hall, the tap of his cane echoing off the stone floor.

“Ace, you can’t—”

“It’s a four by four utility, Zip.” He stopped and turned to his buddy, recognizing the man’s serious professional-therapist face. “Nothing more than a tricked-out golf cart. Standard issue, no modifications done.”

“I’ll come with you. Let me get Daisy. She’d love to ride.”

“I think I can handle this—the cart by myself.”

Zip folded his arms and stared at him, but Bobby just returned his steady gaze. No way was he bringing his friend along. Not this time. This was something he wanted—no, something he needed to face on his own.

“Take your cell and call if you need … anything.”

Bobby nodded and headed for the mudroom that led to the attached four-bay garage. Soon he was mobile, pleased he was able to handle the electric utility vehicle. He’d convinced a nurse at the rehab center to let him get behind the wheel of a cart used by the facility, but the results hadn’t been so good.

Steering the machine to the far end of the barn, he slowed to a stop, his focus on the opening between the two oak trees no one else would notice.

No one but him and Leeann.

Leeann prided herself on not making bad decisions. Not anymore. Goodness knows she’d made more than her share in her lifetime, but for the past six years she’d worked hard not to repeat them.

Then this morning she’d made a doozy.

Maybe because she’d overslept, something she never did. Or it could be because she left the house for her morning run without something in her stomach.

She refused to consider that last night’s decision to crack open her old cedar chest filled with long-forgotten mementos and memories could have anything to do with her heading for the pond.

Her pond.

She ran into the clearing at the water’s edge, which offered some relief considering the rocky terrain she’d just covered. Gasping, she slowed to a walk. Deep breaths pulled in the familiar piney and earth scents as the fresh mountain air invaded her lungs and cooled her heated skin.

Pulling off her ball cap, she shook her hair loose and then peeled off her nylon windbreaker, dropping it to a natural bench formed from a pair of felled trees.

The same bench she’d been coming to since she was a little girl. First alone when she needed a place of her own where she could think, dream or just get away from her mother and her beauty pageant obsession. Then one day she’d noticed a scruffy-looking boy on a secondhand bike staring at her from the other side of her pond. She’d been thirteen and within an hour she’d fallen in love with Bobby Winslow.

Leeann willed away the memory, knowing it was crazy to come here now that Bobby was living just down the road, the road that technically belonged to him, but was her only access to this section of woodland.

Her daily runs didn’t always bring her here, but she’d fallen into her runner zone quickly. Her feet had a mind of their own, easily eating up the miles, drawing her to the peace and comfort she’d always found here.

Until now.

Until Bobby came back to town.

She stopped her pacing, slapped her cap back on and rubbed at the ache in the center of her chest. Lacing her fingers behind her head and planting her feet shoulders-width apart, she pressed her elbows outward and stretched, staring at the thick grove of multicolored trees surrounding the still blue waters.

Despite all the craziness that was her life, this calm oasis was still hers and she’d be damned if anyone was going to keep her away.

Dropping her arms, she stepped her feet together and bent at the waist. Hands curled around her ankles, she touched her forehead to her knees.

Deep breath in, deep breath out.

Eyes closed, she thought again about the events of yesterday afternoon, after she said goodbye to Bobby and his friend.

She’d finished her shift without writing up the verbal warning she’d handed out. It wasn’t a requirement and fielding the inevitable questions was something she wanted to avoid. It wouldn’t take long for the news to spread that the hometown hero really was back in town, but she wasn’t going to be the one to herald Bobby’s arrival.

Instead she offered quick goodbyes and walked out of the sheriff’s office for the last time with the contents of her locker in a box, including the card she’d found wedged into the metal latch of the locker door, signed by everyone in the department. That was a nice surprise considering she’d refused the goodbye potluck dinner they’d wanted to throw for her.

Of course, tonight she had plans to meet up with Maggie and Racy at the Blue Creek Saloon, for her official “turning the page” party. Seeing how the next chapter in her life was nothing but a blank slate, Leeann didn’t really feel like celebrating.

She wasn’t worried about her lack of income despite the devastating loss of her inheritance and model earnings thanks to a Ponzi scheme a couple of years ago.

She still had enough money in the bank thanks to the sale of the land to pay the bills for a while, but her aunt’s last round of cancer treatments had eaten up most of it. Thankfully, Ursula’s latest medical checkup had come back negative and she was already back to work at her hair salon, but that still didn’t explain the restlessness Leeann had been feeling for the past week.

Heck, for the past month. The past few months.

A restlessness that came to fruition this morning when—for the first time in a long time—she’d awakened without a plan.

Leeann always had a plan.

Most times in writing, sometimes only in her head. Knowing how her day was laid out—hour by hour, step by step—helped her to maintain balance and purpose for her life.

The last time she’d been without a plan had been thanks to a police investigation that came to an abrupt end with the decision there hadn’t been enough evidence to go forward.

A decision that had reduced her to being a prisoner in her penthouse apartment in the heart of Manhattan. Rarely bothering to shower or get out of her pajamas, she’d had all her food delivered to her front door, her only contact with the outside world via her computer.

She hadn’t even answered her cell phone, blessedly silent for weeks thanks to the press of a button. Not that she’d let that stop her from smashing it into a million confettilike pieces one night with a hammer—

“Stop!”

She jerked upright, her voice echoing in the quiet morning, bouncing off the water and causing her to blink.

She’d almost done it. She’d almost gotten sucked back into the nightmare that had been her life six years ago. A nightmare she hadn’t thought about for a very long time.

No, that’s not true.

Three months ago she, Racy and Maggie had gone away for a girls’ weekend at a spa in Jackson Hole. After a day filled with massages, facials and body wraps and a couple shared bottles of wine later by the fire, she’d finally disclosed to her best friends in the world her deepest secret.

Telling them hadn’t been as hard as she’d thought it would be. They were very sweet and supportive, and Leeann now realized the restlessness she’d been feeling had started after that trip, despite her believing she’d truly moved on from the past.

Until last night.

Until Bobby had come back to town.

“Don’t blame him. Your thoughts are your own. Your actions are your own.” She spoke aloud her familiar mantra while dropping into a deep lunging stretch. Planting her hands midthigh, she lowered her forehead to her knee. “Your decisions are you own.”

“Words to live by.”

Chapter Three

The male voice caused Leeann to jerk upright; the sudden movement sent her stumbling backward. She lost her balance and ended up on her backside in the damp grass.

“Jeez, me and my big mouth.” Bobby made his way toward her, leaning heavily on a cane. “Here, let me help—”

“Stop.” Leeann scrambled to her feet, holding out one hand. “I’m up. I’m fine. I don’t need your help.”

Bobby slowed but continued walking. “Are you okay? I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“You didn’t.”

Conscious of her bare arms and abs thanks to the cropped tank top she wore that was nothing more than a fancy sports bra, Leeann moved past him to grab her jacket and yank it on. “What are you doing down here?”

He faced her. “I could ask you the same thing.”

She righted her ball cap without removing it, but still met his gaze. “I own this land.”

“And I own the road you used to get to this land.”

Leeann tried not to stare as Bobby leaned slightly to his left, obviously favoring one leg as he gripped the carved head of his cane. Something he hadn’t used yesterday when she’d ordered him out of his camper. “How did you even know I was—wait, you have a security system.”

“Does that surprise you?”

No, it didn’t. Not with the multimillion-dollar home he had built on the land adjacent to hers.

“There isn’t an access road from the main highway to the pond,” she explained. “I used your driveway, but I turned off just before the gate.”

“Yeah, I saw the images.”

This had to have been less than fifteen minutes ago.

Then he’d come here, using the path only the two of them had known about, the path she’d used all those years ago when she’d lived in a big house up on that same hill.

Memories of the times the two of them spent here together rushed back to her. Times they shrieked with laughter while splashing around in the icy water on a hot summer day, when she’d helped him understand the complexity of calculus, or the many times he’d held her close as she cried over yet another fight with her mother.

The time they’d fumbled through the unknown yet passion-filled moments of making love for the first time in a sleeping bag beneath a star-filled sky.

Leeann forced herself back to the present. She and Bobby were strangers to each other now.

“What are you thinking about?” He leaned forward, his gaze roaming from her head to her toes.

Just like he’d done yesterday. And like yesterday, her body responded with a heated flush she quickly blamed on her run.

“What—nothing.” She took another step backward, an automatic reaction she had drilled into her head whenever anyone invaded her physical space.

“You do realize your face still gives away your thoughts?”

Only with him.

She’d learned over the years, first with her parents and then in New York, how to put on a false face, to pretend an emotion that didn’t exist. Then later, she’d used that same skill at the police academy to prove to her instructors and fellow cadets she was more than just her looks.

Even here in Destiny among her former coworkers and friends, she worked hard to earn a reputation for having unflappable composure.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She pulled the brim of her cap lower over her eyes and turned away, her gaze on the still waters of her pond.

“Why’d you cut your hair?”

His simple question had her spinning back to look at him. The sun on his face made it hard for her to see his eyes. Was he laughing at her?

“I think that’s why it took me so long to recognize you yesterday, that and the uniform.” Bobby switched his cane from one hand to the other. “You always vowed you’d never cut your hair. Was it because of your job?”

“Huh?”

“Were you required to cut it when you became a cop?”

Dull kitchen scissors. Piles of knotted and tangled unwashed hair littering her lap and the gleaming hardwood floor beneath her. Frantic pounding on the door. Loud clicks of the locks releasing. The shock on her aunt’s face when she found her sitting there—

Years of practice allowed her to shut down the memory.

“A deputy sheriff—” she corrected him, her voice barely a whisper. Pulling in a deep breath, she cleared her throat and answered his question. “And no, I cut my hair long before I went to the police academy.”

“After you up and disappeared from your glamorous life in New York?”

He knew about that? Not that her career in high fashion was a secret, nor was her sudden retirement.

At one time she’d been one of the highest-paid models on the circuit with either her face or body gracing a different magazine every month. She’d split her time between New York, Paris and Milan, walking more than a million miles on the runway and posing for a hundred different shots in the quest for the perfect angle, the perfect composition, until that one day when she’d been too perfect and paid a horrible price.

Bobby tilted his head to one side and Leeann realized he was waiting for an answer. “What was your question?”

“Did you cut your hair after you left New York?”

Technically, no, but thanks to her aunt she’d left the city the same night she’d hacked off the horrific reminder of what that maniac had done—

“Yes.”

“So …” He dragged out the word, and tilted his head in the other direction. “How long have you been deputy sheriff?”

“Three years.”

Bobby sighed. “You know, this would go a lot better if you gave me more than one- or two-word answers.”

Crossing her arms over her chest was a purely defensive move, but she did it anyway. “What would?”

“Catching up. Getting to know each other again. It has been a few years since we’ve talked.”

Fourteen years to be exact, but between the memories and his cutting remark from yesterday, she was quickly turning into a swirling mass of hurt and confusion, and she hated that. “Funny, I was under the impression you’re not interested in anything I have to say.”

That shut him up.

“What? No quick comeback?” She dropped her arms, suddenly very tired. “You didn’t seem to have a problem putting me in my place yesterday. You must be losing your touch.”

“I’m sorry, Lee.” Bobby ran his fingers through his hair, pushing the dark strands off his face. He swayed for a moment, but adjusted his stance and kept talking. “I was a jerk and I can’t even give you a good reason why. Zip and I had been on the road for over a week. I was in pain from sitting for twelve hours, pushing us to get here. Then of all the people to run into, barely over the county line … hell, maybe I am trying to give you a reason.”

His quiet words surprised her, causing Leeann to look at him, really look at him, seeing for the first time the tension in the lines around his mouth, the stiffness in his upper body.

It was evident he’d lost weight since his accident, but dressed in dark jeans and a black, short-sleeved collared shirt with his racing logo over his heart, he looked every inch the rich and famous stock car driver/celebrity/commercial spokesman he was.

Only at this moment he wasn’t any of those things.

He was Bobby Winslow.

A boy who’d been her friend, her first love. And at one time, the most important person in her entire world.

“I’m sorry, too.” The words fell from her lips, and the pain in her chest she’d blamed on her run eased. “I didn’t expect—even with the house and all the rumors—I think I was as surprised to see you yesterday as you were to see me.”

His mouth rose into his familiar grin that always brought a devilish glint to his eyes. “So, is this a truce?”

“How about we just start over?”

“Sounds good to me.” He stuck out one hand. “Hi. I’m Bobby Winslow.”

Leeann stared at his tanned skin and long fingers. She’d bet his palm would still hold the same familiar calloused feel that spoke of years of hard work and manual labor.

It wasn’t as if she avoided all human contact since—well, it wasn’t, but over the years she’d cultivated a natural evasion to being touched.

Her fingers tingled at the prospect, but she shoved her hands into her jacket pockets. “Ah, I don’t think we need to go back that far.”

“Okay.” Bobby dropped his hand and turned to look out over the pond. “You know, I thought about this place a lot over the years. Nice to know it’s still as beautiful as ever.”

“That’s why I couldn’t part with it.”

He glanced at her, but then focused again on the water. “I’m sorry about your folks.”

“Thanks, but that was a long—” She paused, the carefully segregated memories of her parents’ death in a car accident and the horrific events of six months later tried to unite, but she mentally severed the connection and continued, “A long time ago.”

“Your Aunt Ursula’s still in town, right? Got her fingers in everyone’s business as well as their hair?”

Leeann smiled. “Yes, she still has her beauty shop.”

“I always liked her. It must’ve been nice to have her around after the fire,” Bobby said. “You know, I was surprised when I found out you’d finally put the house and land up for sale. It stood empty for so long.”

“I guess that makes us even,” she said. “I was surprised when I found out the company buying it, B.W.I., stood for Bobby Winslow Incorporated.”

“And yet you went through with the sale.”

She’d had to no matter who the new owner was, but it wasn’t her place to share the reason. “The final papers had been signed by the time I found out.”

“Meaning you wouldn’t have gone through with it if you’d known I was the buyer?”

Would she have backed out? Leeann honestly didn’t know the answer to that question.

“Do you plan to build your own place here?” he asked, filling the silence.

Making them neighbors? The words hung unspoken in the air.

Leeann shook her head. “No, I never thought about that. As you know, there isn’t even an access road to this place. Besides, I like my house in town.”

“Yeah, I never knew you and Mom lived on the same street.”

Bobby moved beside her and even through her windbreaker, she could feel the natural warmth radiating off his body. Trapped between him and the water’s edge, Leeann inched closer to the water, her sneakers sinking into the mud as she put more space between them. “I guess we keep on surprising each other. Like the fact Val wasn’t with you yesterday.”

“She was so supportive after my accident, never leaving my side, always encouraging me.” He paused, then smiled. “Or kicking my butt, whichever tactic I needed at any given moment. Once I knew I was being released from rehab, I sent her and Paula, the head nurse who’d been assigned to my care for the last few months, on a three-week European cruise.”

“I’m surprised she agreed to go. Val was so worried about you. I found her in her driveway, close to tears and unable to even lift her suitcase into the truck of her car.” Leeann kicked at a rock, watching it plop into the water. “Once I calmed her down, I took her to the airport. I even promised I’d keep an eye on her garden while she was gone. Of course, neither of us knew she would be gone this long …”

Leeann realized Bobby had stopped walking. She turned to look at him and saw an emotion on his face she couldn’t read.

“Have you?” he asked.

“Have I what?”

“Taken care of her garden?”

Leeann smiled. “Of course. I weeded and watered, cut the flowers and harvested the veggies. Pretty soon I’ll be getting it all tucked in for winter, but maybe your mom will be back before then.”

“She said she had someone—a friend—taking care of her precious flowers, I never thought—”

“It could be me? I guess you didn’t know we had become friends after I moved back to Destiny.”

Bobby shook his head.

“Your mom was nice to me from the very start. It took a couple of weeks, but I finally worked up the courage to remind her who I was, which of course, she already knew. I never had a problem with your mom back when we—well, not that we spent a lot of time with her back then. It was my parents who hated the idea of us … spending time together.”

“Believe me, my mom wasn’t happy about you and me either. She just wasn’t as vocal about it.”

“She was afraid the town’s princess was going to hurt you.”

Bobby shrugged, but Leeann could see the truth in his eyes.

“And I did just as she feared.”

“It was a long time ago.” Bobby used his cane to point toward the old path. “So, what do you think of my house?”

“I’ve never seen it.”

“Really? The Murphys told me the construction site was a regular tourist attraction until the security system went live.”

“Yes, the local paper ran a weekly report of what was happening up here.”

“And you weren’t curious at all?”

She had been. Often when she spent time here at the pond, she could hear the low rumble of construction equipment and men talking to each other as they worked, but something always kept her from going to check the building out.

A surprise considering Leeann had never liked her former home here.

Her mother, a transplanted Southern belle, had designed the two-story Georgian mansion, complete with tall white columns that looked out of place in this majestic wooded setting.

Plus a complicated pregnancy had resulted in Leeann being an only child, making her a constant reminder of why only two of the home’s six bedrooms had been filled.

Her life had changed so much since she’d broken free of the gilded cage, it’d almost been a relief when a fire had made the house uninhabitable, then the quick sale—

“Do you want to come take a look?”

His softly spoken question caused Leeann to focus on the ground to keep Bobby from seeing her face beneath the brim of her cap. “Oh, no, I should be heading back to town.”

“Are you working today?”

“No, I’m—” A rumbling from Leeann’s stomach stopped her words. She slapped her hands over her midsection.

Bobby offered a light chuckle, then said, “Come on, I’ll even feed you.”

Leeann looked at him and saw his familiar smile again, more relaxed now. A throwback to his rogue rebel days. Before she knew it, they were at the path she hadn’t used since selling the land.

“Ladies first.”

The ground was smoother here and more defined, but it still must’ve been hard for Bobby to get down to the pond, especially on a cane. “Why don’t you go first?”

“I can handle the climb, Lee. I don’t need you to play rescuer if I take a tumble.”

“You’ve only been out of rehab a few days.”

He raised one eyebrow in a quizzical glance.

“Yesterday’s headlines were about you.” She quickly filled him in on the front-page article. “They even had a picture of you in a wheelchair.”

A shadow passed over his eyes, then it was gone. He swung the cane easily in front of him. “No worries. I’ve been walking on my own since the middle of July. I only use this on occasion.”

Leeann didn’t want to argue so she started up the dirt path, conscious of his gaze on her backside the entire way. When they reached the clearing, she paused, amazed at the scattering of log buildings, including a huge log barn with a red metal roof.

“Wow, that barn is amazing.”

“I replaced the original structure, which was in terrible condition, and matched the style of the other buildings,” Bobby said, joining her.

“Well, you’ve built more than just a house it seems. You’ve got your own compound.” She kept her gaze forward, but her peripheral vision allowed her to see the exertion on Bobby’s face. His slow, deep breaths told her the climb had been harder on him than he’d let on. “What are you going to do with all those buildings?”

“Some are for storage,” Bobby pointed out as he kept walking. “The remaining are empty, but they can be used as staff—ah, guest quarters.”

She followed his lead and they crossed the clearing. Leeann climbed into the passenger side of what looked like a souped-up golf cart with all-terrain tires and a cargo box on the back.

Bobby slid behind the wheel and soon he was maneuvering the vehicle along the freshly paved road, its twists and turns so familiar to her, laid out so because her mother hadn’t wanted to see the old barn from her front porch.

“The new barn will hold eight horses total. I’ve got three coming up from a farm in North Carolina in the next month or so, before winter sets in,” Bobby said. “I recently bought two more from a ranch in Texas called Still Waters, but they won’t be here until next spring.”

The name of the ranch caught her by surprise. “That’s Landon’s ranch.”

“Landon Cartwright, right?”

“How did you know that?”

“I dealt with a Chase Cartwright down in Texas,” Bobby said. “When I told him where I needed the horses sent, he mentioned his brother lived up here.”

“Landon is married to Maggie Stevens—do you remember Maggie?” Bobby nodded, so she continued, “Anyway, they married a year ago and run The Crescent Moon ranch here in Destiny, together, but he’s still involved with his family’s ranch in Texas, too.”

“Talk about a small world. I plan to talk to Maggie about getting even more horses from her place.”

Leeann had read enough about Bobby’s career over the past few years to know his entire racing operation was based in North Carolina. Having horses seemed to suggest his stay would be permanent, unless of course, he planned to have a staff to take care of them, and in turn, take care of his house.

Last night she’d finally nodded off convinced Bobby was only back in town temporarily as he continued recovering from his accident. She knew they were bound to run into each other again while he was here, she just hadn’t expected it to be as soon as today.

But after clearing the air back at the pond, they were talking and acting like adults who allowed their shared history to stay where it belonged.

In the past.

Would that change if he—

“Are you planning on sticking around?” The words fell from her mouth before she could stop them. “I’m so sorry,” she hastily added, “that was rude. It’s really none of my business.”

Was it none of her business?

Up until an hour ago, Bobby would’ve agreed with her. He would’ve made it clear that despite building his dream home, he hadn’t planned to reside in Destiny full-time, even though the thought of moving back home had crossed his mind a few times during his rehabilitation. He knew his mom wanted him here. No matter how many times he’d tried to convince her to move south to live closer to him, she’d refused.

If pressed, he’d have to admit he’d purchased the land and built the house just because all this once belonged to Leeann’s parents.

Then he’d come up with the idea of creating new headquarters for his racing organization. A place complete with a regulation-size test track, now that he had all the room he needed right here on his land.

Of course, all of that had been before he’d found out Leeann was back in town.

Did that changed everything?

He had no idea.

Silence stretched between them as Bobby eased the cart around the circular drive, passing the garage to the left, two bays on either side of a covered pull through that led to the main road.

He slowed to a stop, shut off the engine and stared straight ahead, his hands gripping the steering wheel. “Would that be so bad? Me sticking around?”

When she didn’t answer him, he turned to her. She had slid out of the passenger side of the utility cart and was standing there, staring up at his home.

He joined her, a shot of pure pleasure racing through his veins at the stunned expression on her face. Unable to see her eyes from beneath that ball cap she wore, he found his gaze locked on her mouth and the way her plump, pink lips parted.

He wanted to kiss her.

Right here. Right now.

Forget the fourteen years that separated them, forget the way she’d destroyed his dreams, forget all he’d accomplished in order to prove to everyone, to her, that there was more to Bobby Winslow than they’d ever known.

He pulled in a deep breath, bringing with it the clean, biting scent of the forest of trees surrounding them, the warm sun and the woman standing next to him.

A powerful need filled him, a need to hold her in his arms, to feel the tightly toned body he’d gotten a glimpse of earlier before she’d hid it beneath her jacket.

“Oh, Bobby.”

Her words came out in a reverent whisper and he had to grip the cane with two hands to stop himself from acting on an impulse he was sure was only one-sided.

“I can’t even put it into words … I can’t describe …”

She turned to him, having to tip her head back as he stood so close. Now he could see her eyes. They widened, the hazel coloring that always looked more golden than green flashing at him as their gazes locked and held.

What did she see when she looked at him?

The rebellious punk he’d been as a kid, always breaking the rules, with a white-hot temper his mother said came from his wayward father?

Or did she see the successful businessman he’d become?

A man who’d left the army after serving honorably for four years and then worked his way up through the ranks to become one of the best drivers in the America’s Cup Pro Racing circuit. A spokesperson that promoted more products than Jeff Gordon and Shaquille O’Neal and appeared in more print ads and commercials than all the Kardashian sisters combined.

A man who accomplished all he’d vowed to do.

“Yes, it is beautiful … and mine. Finally, I’m allowed inside. And unlike the way your parents treated me, you’re welcome in my home anytime.”

Chapter Four

Bobby expected his declaration to bring a flash of anger to Leeann’s eyes. Instead sadness and regret reflected in those green-golden depths, a testament to how she knew the way her parents had treated him was unjust.

Warm breath rushed from between her lips and brushed over his. His gaze lowered to her mouth and he dipped his head.

Leeann blinked and scurried backward until she bumped into the front tire of the cart.

She grabbed on to the vehicle’s metal framework to steady herself, looking around at his house, the surrounding trees, the driveway with its stone sculpture surrounded by flowers in the center.

Anywhere but on him.

And wasn’t that a kick in the gut.

But a well-needed one.

Getting caught up in the past—their past—was the last thing he needed right now. Just because they’d managed to be civil to each other for the past thirty minutes didn’t mean either of them wanted—

Ah, hell, he wanted and she obviously didn’t.

Bobby straightened and moved toward his house. Legs stiff from standing too long in one spot, he stumbled, but caught himself with the cane, hoping he kept it from being noticeable.

Thankfully, he felt no tremors as he stepped onto the covered porch bracketed by two columns of stacked river rocks on either end. He pushed open one side of the heavy double entrance doors before facing her. “After you.”

She stared at him for a moment, and he wondered if she was going to turn and run, literally. Then she dropped her shoulders and angled her head just a touch off center, a move so familiar from their childhood whenever anyone challenged her, he had to bite back a grin.

Walking—gliding—onto the porch, she moved past him with the grace that spoke of her years on pageant stages and modeling runways.

“This is the foyer, obviously,” Bobby said, closing the door behind him. “And straight ahead is the great room.”

Leeann paused in front of the two-sided wood-burning fireplace on a raised hearth that served as a divider between the two areas. He wished he’d thought to hit the auto ignition switch for the fireplace when he’d first opened the door so she could get the full effect.

He stood next to her, but she scooted away and walked into the room. Following her, he watched as she took in the custom-designed leather furniture, rustic wrought-iron tables and priceless artwork scattered around the room before she looked upward.

“The vaulted ceilings are over twenty feet high and those are hammered beam trusses,” he said. “They start back at the entry and run the entire length of the room and out onto the deck.”

“Well, when you said impressive, you meant it. Looks like it came right out of Luxury Homes of the Rich and Famous.”

Zip had pretty much said the same thing this morning. So why did it bother him more coming from Leeann? “I wasn’t about to move into an empty space. Having my home ready when I got here was important—”

He was interrupted by barking that started in the distance but quickly grew in volume. The sounds of doggy nails on the hardwood floors announced Daisy’s arrival. She skidded to a stop at Bobby’s feet, catching him at mid-calf with her forehead.

Ah, damn! Bobby gripped the cane with two hands and locked his knees. “Thanks a lot, Daiz.”

“Come back here, you crazy mutt,” Zip called out, rounding the corner that led from the kitchen and adjoining family room. “It’s just Ace, and it’s about time. I was getting worried. Hey! If it isn’t my favorite cop.”

Leeann offered an easy grin. “And just how many cops do you know, Mr. Zippenella?”

Zip offered one of his lady-killer smiles. Bobby wanted to cross the room and give the guy a quick cuff to the back of his head.

“Not counting two of my sisters, three uncles and my pop?” Zip spoke over the dog’s continued barking. “And what’s with this mister stuff? Call me Dean—okay, Daisy, knock it off!”

She left Bobby’s side, making a beeline for her master, but continued with a vocal assault directed at Leeann so strong it had the dog’s hind legs kicking up off the ground.

“Oh, I’m not going to hurt you,” Leeann cooed, dropping to a crouch and holding out her hand toward Daisy. “Come here, come say hi.”

“Whoa, you shouldn’t—”

“Lee, don’t.” Bobby’s command overrode Zip’s as he hurried across the room.

She slowly withdrew her fingers and looked up at him, then to Zip and back to him. “What—why?”

“Daisy doesn’t like females.” Zip snapped his fingers to get his dog’s attention. She finally obeyed and sat at his side, low growls vibrating deep in her throat, her shaggy coat standing on end in a straight line down her back.

“Really?” Leeann rose. “How come?”

“We don’t know.” Bobby stepped closer, moving in front of his best friend. “She’s been that way ever since Zip found her.”

“Let me get her out of here or she’ll never stop.” With one hand scooped under her belly, Zip easily picked up the dog and headed for one of the matching glass doors that led to the covered deck. “Daisy’s still got lots of moxie for an old broad.”

“Oh, no, please don’t tie her up because of me.”

“He’s just going to put her outside,” Bobby said.

“But she might run off.”

“Naw, she’s only gone out as far as the closest tree to pee behind.” Zip plopped the dog down on the wooden surface and quickly closed the door.

Daisy whined, but stopped when Zip leveled a pointed finger in her direction. Instead, she started to pace back and forth, pausing at times to place one paw on the glass.

“I don’t think my baby is a forest kind of girl,” Zip continued. “She prefers the open beaches of the Jersey Shore. I guess sand’s in her blood.”

“So is mistrusting females,” Leeann said. “Poor thing, she must’ve been hurt pretty bad by someone in her past.”

“Yeah, well, a female will do that to ya.” Zip joined them again. “At least that’s what I know from my limited experience.”

Bobby rolled his eyes, wishing his buddy had gone outside along with Daisy. “Limited experience, my ass.”

“Come on, now, bro. Don’t be dissing me in front of our guest.” Zip grinned. “So where did you two run into each other. Oh, wait, I get it now. The law is a trespasser.”

“I wasn’t trespassing,” Leeann protested. “Well, not much.”

“And as a reward the master of the house offered a tour of his humble abode.”

Leeann looked around the room again, her gaze lingering on the signed Ansel Adams photograph hanging over the fireplace. As hard as he tried, Bobby couldn’t get a read on what she really thought of his home.

“Humble, indeed,” she said. “Plenty big enough for the two—ah, three of you, I guess.”

“You haven’t seen anything yet.” Zip beckoned with a wave of one hand, backing through the archway behind him. “Come check out this killer kitchen.”

Leeann walk into the adjoining room and Bobby was pleased to hear a catch in her breath as she came to a stop.

The furniture in there was more casual in design. Built-in cabinets lined the far wall; a flat-screen television, state-of-the-art stereo and video gaming system lay hidden behind the doors. Books and artwork, mainly his collection of Frederic Remington bronze sculptures, filled the open shelving. The other wall held an original, one-of-a-kind oil painting by contemporary cowboy artist Michael Swearingin that dominated the space with its sheer size.

“Oh, how wonderful!”

Bobby followed her, eager to see which piece had caught her eye, but Leeann had gone straight to the floor- to-ceiling glass windows that allowed a breathtaking view of the forest and Laramie Mountains outside.

She spun around, a wide smile on her face. “This is so beautiful. What a view! Our kitchen used to be on this side of the house, but the windows never let in a sight like this!”

Leeann turned back to the scene and Bobby walked over to the bar that separated the open kitchen from the family room. He grabbed one of the water bottles Zip had taken from the refrigerator, ignoring his friend’s pointed stare.

“Museum-quality fingerpaints and enough bronze to sink a battleship, and that’s what impresses the lady?” Zip’s voice was low as he twisted the cap off a bottle, replacing it with the still-closed one in Bobby’s grip. “I like her.”

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