Cole threw a leg over the big machine and held out his hand.

“Hop on,” he said with a lopsided grin that made her mind go momentarily blank.

She swallowed hard, reminded herself this was just a ride home—on a motorcycle—and took his hand. Climbing on behind him, she sat stiffly.

“How long are you in town for your visit?” she asked, then wanted to kick herself. She hoped he was leaving the next day. He was not her forever cowboy!

The engine burst to life. He glanced over his shoulder at her and his eyes glinted in the moonlight. “Depends on a few things, but I’m here for a few weeks.”

A few weeks. “That long?” she said, but her words were drowned out by the roar of the motorcycle. Or so she thought until Cole shot her another sly look.

“Yeah,” he said, over the growl of the motorcycle. “I think it’s going to be real interesting. Now hang on.”

Oh, dear…

DEBRA CLOPTON

was a 2004 Golden Heart finalist in the inspirational category, a 2006 Inspirational Readers’ Choice Award winner, a 2007 Golden Quill award winner and a finalist for the 2007 American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year Award. She praises the Lord each time someone votes for one of her books, and takes it as an affirmation that she is exactly where God wants her to be.

Debra is a hopeless romantic and loves to create stories with lively heroines and the strong heroes who fall in love with them. But most importantly she loves showing her characters living their faith, seeking God’s will in their lives one day at a time. Her goal is to give her readers an entertaining story that will make them smile, hopefully laugh and always feel God’s goodness as they read her books. She has found the perfect home for her stories writing for the Love Inspired line and still has to pinch herself just to see if she really is awake and living her dream.

When she isn’t writing, she enjoys taking road trips, reading and spending time with her two sons, Chase and Kris. She loves hearing from readers and can be reached through her Web site, www.debraclopton.com, or by mail at P.O. Box 1125, Madisonville, Texas 77864.

Her Forever Cowboy
Debra Clopton

www.millsandboon.co.uk

When my spirit grows faint within me, it is you,

O Lord, who know my way.

—Psalms 142:3

This book is dedicated with much love and appreciation to my new friends Sharon Howell and Jo Anne Faerber.

Jo Anne, I’m so glad you came to my book signing and brought Sharon to meet me. God blessed me that day—you gals have inspired me to step out of my comfort zone this year and let God lead me forward. Bless you both for listening to His voice!

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Epilogue

Questions for Discussion

Chapter One

Susan Worth rubbed her eyes, fighting the exhaustion threatening to overtake her. She’d spent most of the night saving the life of an unborn calf and mother and her adrenaline had kept her moving. Emergency calls had kept her out three nights in a row and she was dead on her feet—the drone of her truck’s engine and the dark, deserted road were working against her. Tightening her fingers around the steering wheel, she dug deep, sat up straight and concentrated on keeping her eyes open.

She still had an hour’s drive to make it home. Once again she was alone in the middle of the night on a deserted road, halfway along the seventy-mile stretch between the tiny ranching town of Mule Hollow and the larger town of Ranger, where her clinic and apartment were—for the time being.

She loved her job and had worked hard to have her career as a small-town vet. But the exhausting pace was sometimes too much to take. The threat of falling asleep at the wheel was a risk for anyone who covered a full day’s schedule and handled all emergency calls. More so for her, since her large-animal business had grown so big over in the Mule Hollow area—great for the bottom line, but bad on the body.

And bad on her personal life. With her hours growing longer and longer, quality life after work had become almost nonexistent.

She blinked hard and glanced at the clock—2:00 a.m. This was the third night in a row she’d been out this late. Third day in a row she’d not had time to catch up on lost sleep. Daytime emergencies and scheduled small-animal appointments had her hands tied, but she’d been warned it would be this way. The retiring older vet, a male, had told her that since she was a woman she should concentrate on small animals and leave the big stuff to a man. That advice hadn’t sat well with her.

She smiled, tiredly remembering how insulted she’d been. But her dad always said, “Susan, take advice, then do it your way.” And that was what she’d done.

She’d bought her clinic and embraced the loyal, small-animal clientele that came with it. But though she dearly loved and adored dogs and cats, her passion was working with large stock. She’d gone after that clientele with a vengeance and proved to the men who’d give her a chance that she knew what she was doing. She loved horses and cattle and as her reputation grew, so had the business. Now she was burning the candle at both ends and in between, too.

She loved her life. She really did…but something had to give, and she understood this clearly. Either that or she was going to crash and burn. Maybe right now if you don’t snap to!

She rubbed her neck and watched the road. A few weeks ago she’d finally forced herself to come to the conclusion that she wanted a change…a family. She’d lost her mother during childbirth and had been raised by her dad. Since his death she’d felt so alone, and no amount of work could fix that. Her dad had filled his life with work and she’d striven all her life to please him, but she needed more. He’d had her…she had no one now.

As if God was giving her the nod, she’d gotten an offer for her small-animal clinic almost the instant she’d come to the realization that she wanted to make a change. God’s timing—what an amazing thing.

Sighing, she shook her head to wake herself up—this week was proving to her that she’d made the right decision. She hoped relocating her large-animal clinic to Mule Hollow, to the heart of her business, would give the heart of her love life a boost, too. Only time would tell.

Susan shook her head, her chin dipped and she realized she’d closed her eyes momentarily. She still had fifty miles to go.

Focus, Susan. She took a deep breath and pressed the button to roll down her window. She inhaled the fresh air. She thought about hanging her head out the window, but didn’t. Instead she let her thoughts churn. It wasn’t that she couldn’t find a date. She managed short relationships from time to time. Short being the keynote, because either the guys ended up being big losers or the ones who were nice were interested in a woman who wasn’t so focused on her work. As most of them put it, “a woman who isn’t owned by her work.” Who could blame them? Really, a man wanted a woman to be there for him. A woman who worked a hundred or more hours, on a normal week, wasn’t exactly what a man would consider marriage material….

Susan’s eyes closed.

A flash of light had her jerking awake to see a motorcycle in the beam of her headlights just as her truck swerved off the road. And straight for a stand of trees!

“Oh, my goodness!” she exclaimed as the truck bounded over the rough ground and the back end fishtailed and swerved around. Susan fought for control as the truck slid broadside toward the large solid trees—but it was useless. One thought hit her as she held on tight and everything started to spin—she’d made the decision to change up her life, but maybe she’d made the call a little too late.

The driver was a woman.

Her arms were crossed over the top of the steering wheel and her forehead was resting on them. She wasn’t moving.

Cole Turner’s heart thundered against his ribs. Playing chicken on his Harley at two in the morning with an oversize hunk of truck hadn’t been his idea of a great welcome home.

But it was exactly what had just happened.

His motorcycle helmet fell unheeded to the ground as he placed a hand on the open window. “Ma’am. Are you okay?” His gut tightened with tension when she didn’t answer and the hair on the back of his neck stood up. “Ma’am,” he asked again, with more force. His adrenaline kicked into high gear and he spoke louder. “Can you hear me?” When she still didn’t respond, he reached through the open window to check for a pulse. Her skin was warm, but at his touch she lifted her head. Relief washed through him as she eyed him groggily.

Susan Worth.

He recognized her—she was the vet his brother Seth used at their ranch in Mule Hollow. Seth seemed overly impressed by her and often sang her praises when they talked on the phone.

But Cole hadn’t been nearly so impressed when Seth had introduced them at his wedding six months ago—the woman hadn’t given Cole the time of day.

“Cole—” she said, her voice wobbling.

The wobble got him, and despite her snub before, he felt for her. “Cole Turner, at your service,” he drawled, tugging open her door and offering her a grin and a hand. Getting her out of the truck would help put some color back into her face. She was as pale as the shimmery moonlight cascading over her. “Are you okay?”

“I fell asleep…” she said, her stunned eyes holding his. “I can’t believe I fell asleep.” Disbelief turned to disgust.

Scowling, she slid from the seat, ignoring his offered hand. He reached to help her anyway. All long-legged and lanky in her jeans and boots, she was almost as tall as he was. He’d forgotten how beautiful she was, even with weariness and anger etching her face.

“Well, you’ve been working hard,” he said, trying to make her feel better. He was assuming her being out this late was work-related, since she was a vet.

“No excuse,” she snapped. “I shouldn’t have fallen asleep.”

So the doc wasn’t going to give herself a break. “You’re right, you shouldn’t have. But you did.” That got him a startled glare. “Fact is, you look like you’re about to drop on your feet. That bein’ the case, what are you doin’ out here in the middle of nowhere at two in the morning when you are so worn out?” And what was he doing sticking his nose where it didn’t belong?

“I am a vet. I was heading home to Ranger after running an emergency call—for your brother, actually. We almost lost a momma and her unborn calf.”

“You were at our place? Seth let you head back to Ranger in this condition?” Cole’s temper shot sky-high. Bone weariness hung over her like a cloak—Seth had to have seen that. “What was my brother thinking? One glance at you and anyone can see you’re in no shape to travel. Look in the mirror—you look like you haven’t slept in days.”

Her shoulders squared. “I beg your pardon. Seth didn’t let me do anything. I did my job, saved that calf, then left—it wasn’t any of Seth’s business what I did after that. And it sure isn’t your business—”

That did it. “Lady, it’s two stinkin’ a.m. When you almost ran me down with your truck it sorta made it my business. So don’t even think about getting defensive. Four seconds farther along the road and you’d have been topping that hill the same time I was. You’d have wiped me out with your big truck while you were taking your little nap.”

He was stepping across boundaries and he knew it. But he’d been involved in far too many rescues and recoveries that had nothing to do with careless acts on the part of the victims…good people died from no fault of their own every day. This was carelessness on the doc’s part and he’d witnessed it—that made it his business. Whether she wanted it to be or not.

He hadn’t asked for it, but he wasn’t the kind to back off from what was right if it would save a life. Even that of a gal who’d taken one look at him six months ago and stuck her pretty nose so high in the air that if it had started to rain she’d have drowned on the spot.

Nope, if there was one thing he had no use for, it was a stuck-up woman. But he couldn’t, in all good conscience, just walk off, either.

Being nearly run down by Susan was the last thing he’d expected when his brother Wyatt had basically blackmailed him into coming home for a visit. It would have suited him fine not to have seen her again while he was in town.

Susan suddenly lifted fingers to her temple and, looking at her, he thought his words might have hit home.

“If you must know I’ve had emergency runs three nights in a row,” she said. “Plus I’ve had packed schedules during the day, so that doesn’t leave much time to sleep.”

Her excuse slid off Cole like water off a duck’s back. “Some things you make time for. A dead vet doesn’t keep appointments—no matter how important they may seem. Do you not realize what a narrow escape you just had?”

She flinched. “It didn’t happen, though—”

“Hardheaded woman!” Cole shook his head, realizing this was going nowhere. “This is a waste of time. Come on, I’ll take you home. We’ll worry about your truck in the morning.”

Susan felt as if she was in a big tunnel full of thick fog as she stared at Cole. She was still trying to process everything that had just happened. Falling asleep at the wheel was horrible; nearly running over a motorcycle rider was horrific; nearly killing herself was terrible. But looking up after all of it to find drop-dead gorgeous, flyby-the-seat-of-his-pants Cole Turner leaning in her window was her payback for all of it. She’d almost run the poor man down!

She could only stare at him as he jumped all over her. His T-shirt-clad chest was bowed out and his eyes were clashing with hers, and like the cold waves of an angry ocean he took her breath away. It had been the same way at his brother’s wedding when she’d first met him.

“Well,” he drawled, lifting a ridiculously attractive eyebrow—oh, for cryin’ out loud! She was so tired she was now noticing how attractive his eyebrows were.

“Look, I’m sorry,” she said, struggling to get her head back on straight. “I’m doing the best I can at the moment.”

“It’s not good enough.”

“Excuse me.” She might feel guilty, but if he thought he was going to stand there making her feel worse with all his high-handed tactics he was wrong—matter of fact, he was starting to irritate her. “I’m not going anywhere with you. My truck is fine—”

“You’re not fine.”

“I am, too,” she argued. “So what are you doing out here at two in the morning? I thought you were rescuing people on the coast.”

“I decided it was time to come home for a visit. Somewhere around Waco, I decided to drive on through the night. Good thing, too, since you were the one in need of being rescued…which sort of puts a spin on you being fine.” He cocked his head to the side, sending a thick lock of hair sliding forward across his forehead.

Susan rubbed her temple and stared at the man Mule Hollow folks called the rolling stone. He’d left town straight out of high school and rarely came home to visit. He was probably wishing he’d stayed away tonight.

She knew she sounded ridiculous every time she denied being worn-out. The look in his eyes told her he knew that if he blew hard enough she’d topple over.

“You’re right,” she said reluctantly. “I did need your help. But now I’m fine. Really. I almost ran you over. The last thing I’m going to do is make you take me the hour back to Ranger.” Especially on a motorcycle…she was terrified of the things. Not that she’d dare tell him that, she thought as she turned back to her truck.

“Whoa, there. Look at it from my point of view.” He placed a hand on her arm to halt her. “I can’t let you get back in that truck. What kind of man would I be to do that?”

His hand was warm and the pads of his fingers were rough against her skin—a tingle of awareness waltzed slowly through her. Whoa—the man was trying to take charge of her business and she was thinking about tingling skin! What was wrong with her? This would not do. “Cole, I don’t need you—I can take care of myself,” she said, locking firm eyes on him. She’d spent her life learning to stand on her own two feet. She didn’t need a virtual stranger telling her what to do. The last thing she expected was for him to reach past her and snag her keys from the ignition.

“Obviously there’s no reasoning with you,” Cole said. “I hate to break it to you, but you’re comin’ with me. End of story.”

“Cole Turner, give me those keys!” she exclaimed. “Right this minute.”

“I like that fire you got goin’ on there, darlin’. But no can do. See, a friend wouldn’t let a friend drink and drive, and I won’t let you sleep and drive.”

Glowering at him in the moonlight, she plopped one hand palm out. “Then I’ll sleep in my truck. Hand over my keys. Now.”

“Not happening.” He proceeded to step around her, blocking her from the inside of the truck as he slipped the key back in the ignition, pressed the automatic button and waited as the window rolled closed.

“Cole Turner,” Susan gritted out from behind him.

His back burned from the heat of her wrath. Ignoring it, he slipped the key safely into his pocket, locked the truck door then slammed it firmly shut. When he turned around she had her hands on her hips shooting daggers at him with those amazing electric-blue eyes. He did like her eyes.

“You are not funny, Cole. I want my keys.”

She was tenacious. “You might as well give it up, Doc. I’m more stubborn than you, and you’re going for a ride with me and that’s it.” Snagging his helmet from the ground, he strode up the embankment toward his ride. “Come on, Doc,” he called over his shoulder. “We’re burning up precious darkness standing here arguing. There is nothing more you can do.”

A loud huff said what she thought of him.

No surprise there…he wasn’t exactly impressed with her, either. Still, her footsteps, make that stomps, behind him brought a smile to his lips.

Chapter Two

Maybe sleep would help.

Everything was sort of mingled and mixed in a confusing way in her fuddled brain. It was hard to separate them. She was definitely going to need a few hours of sleep to ensure she didn’t make some crazy mistake—like making goo-goo eyes at the man. So not happening.

Of course him acting all me-man-you-woman on her was helping toss some cold ice on the situation. Taking her keys like he did—out of concern or whatever—didn’t sit well. She was embarrassed beyond belief that she’d nearly run him down. She was reacting badly—in part because of the fact that she found the man unnervingly attractive. Cole was tall at about six-three, which for a gal of five foot ten inches, like her, made for a nice combination. He was lanky lean, with an athletic grace about him. She had a feeling he was a jogger…but she wasn’t about to ask him.

“Put this on,” Cole demanded, swinging around so quickly she practically ran him over. He steadied her with his hand then held his helmet out to her.

“What about you?” she asked, holding the slick red helmet away from her.

He took it back and settled it on her head. “You wear the helmet.” He stared hard at her as he pushed her hair out of her face and, oddly, his actions touched her.

Totally out of her comfort zone, she stood like a deer in headlights as he tugged the strap snug. She fought to seem calm.

“It’s a bit large, but better than nothing,” he continued, thankfully not picking up on the battle that was waging in her head. “Not that I plan on letting anything happen to you.”

His gentle words caused a rush of butterflies to settle in her stomach. Not good at all. Cole Turner was a restless spirit. A wandering man.

She backed away from his touch, feeling foolish, especially when his own expression said nothing at all about returning her infatuation.

Oh, no, instead he threw a leg over the big machine, glanced over his shoulder and gave her a lopsided grin. “Hop on.”

She swallowed hard, reminded herself this was her only option for getting home then climbed on behind him. She sat stiffly, really not wanting to stretch her arms around his waist.

“How, um, long are you in town for your visit?” she asked, needing something to fill the moment. She hoped he was leaving the next day.

Instead of answering, he cranked up the bike and the engine burst to life. He glanced her way and his eyes glinted in the moonlight. “Depends on a few things, but I might be here for a few weeks.”

A few weeks! “That long?” she squeaked the words out. Thankfully they were drowned out by the roar of the motorcycle.

Or so she thought.

“Yeah,” Cole said with a grin. “That long. Now hang on. It’s time to get you home so you can get some rest.”

Like that’s going to happen. She was wide-awake; her arms were wrapped around Cole Turner—the handsome nomad.

The rolling stone. From what she knew of him he would never be happy unless he was roaming the country. She’d never be satisfied until she was settled and had a family, so this infatuation was ridiculous. Sleep. She needed it! If she wasn’t so tired she wouldn’t be engaging in this weird assortment of thoughts.

A very long time ago she hadn’t thought she wanted a family, either, but…things changed. She sighed and tried again to quiet her mind.

“You okay back there?” Cole called over his shoulder a few miles down the road. His words were almost lost in the night as the air rushed over them. She gave up and settled closer to him, nodding her helmeted head against his shoulder. Weariness sank over her as they rode and thankfully overcame most of her wayward thoughts.

He didn’t try to talk to her over the drone of the engine, blessedly. He made sure she hadn’t fallen asleep every once in a while but other than that he left her alone. She had to admit that he might have been right about her not having any business driving herself.

“That’s it,” she said almost an hour later when her clinic’s small lighted sign came into view on the outskirts of Ranger. “My apartment is out back.” She pointed out the drive around the far side of the metal building and then past the holding pens.

“You live back here by yourself?”

The censure in his voice was unmistakable and it sent her an immediate reality check. “It’s small, but it worked for me,” she said when the little apartment that had been built onto the back of the barn area came into view. She didn’t tell him that soon it would no longer be her home.

“No one has ever tried to bother you back here?” He turned the engine off.

Susan wasted no time getting off the machine and removing the helmet—she didn’t plan on giving him the chance to do it for her. “No, they haven’t,” she said, holding out her hand. “Thanks for everything. Now may I have my keys.”

He got off the bike and dug her keys out of his pocket. But instead of handing the keys to her he began taking her truck key from the ring. “What are you doing?”

“I’m taking this. As soon as it’s daylight—in about three hours—I’ll crawl up under it and make sure you didn’t tear anything up while you were plowing up turf. If everything checks out, I’ll have your truck here by seven or eight. You won’t be doing calls before then I hope.”

She didn’t like him taking control like this. But since she could tell there was no sense arguing, she didn’t. She was too tired. She took the rest of the keys from him. “Eight will be fine. Thank you,” she managed, though her jaw ached from clenching it.

He smiled and she could practically hear him thinking “checkmate.”

Maybe not, though, she thought a few minutes later as she closed the door to her apartment and listened to the motorcycle purr its way back toward the pavement. The man was used to sweeping into emergency situations and taking charge. That was what he did for a living—helped in rescues, then remodeled and rebuilt after hurricanes and other disasters. So maybe there wasn’t anything personal about how he was treating her.

Maybe. But as she took a quick shower and then fell into her bed—basically passing out from exhaustion—she knew she wasn’t buying that notion by a long shot. Cole had pretty much made it clear that he thought she was an irresponsible fool for letting herself get so tired. He’d been doing his civic duty by keeping “the fool woman” off the streets—that was pretty personal. Of course, nearly running him down was, too.

“I’m just sayin’ it’s a fine thang you came along when ya did last night,” Applegate Thornton said, his voice booming in the early morning quiet.

Cole had just crawled out from under the truck when the older man and his buddy, Stanley Orr, pulled up in their trucks, one behind the other. They’d wasted no time trotting down the incline to see what was going on with the lame truck. It shouldn’t have been a surprise to see the two old friends out and about so early, since they always met at Sam’s diner for coffee at sunup then played checkers all morning. Today they’d be late; Susan’s mishap was of more interest to them than today’s checkers game.

The seventysomething older men had been great friends of his grandfather and Cole always enjoyed seeing them on his quick trips through town. Now, he wiped his hands on his work rag and nodded. “Yes, sir,” he said. “I’m not disagreeing with you. I’m glad I was out here when I was or else Susan would still have been sitting here when you fellas drove up this morning.

“What I’m wondering is what in the world everyone is thinking when they call that woman out on the road at all hours of the night? There are other vets to call, you know.” He planned to let everyone know he was unhappy about that situation and there was no better place to start than with these two. Talk about a grapevine. It didn’t get any quicker than them when it came to spreading information.

Instead of answering him they looked at each other and raised their bushy brows. “Am I missing something here?” Cole asked. “You can bet I’m having a talk with my brother when I get back to the house.” Oh, yeah, Seth was about to get a royal chewing out for letting Susan leave the ranch when clearly she was ready to drop. He’d told Cole once that she needed help, so why didn’t she have it?

Stanley, affable, slightly plump and balding looked perplexed. “You ain’t been around Susan much, have ya?”

Applegate, taller and thin as a fence post, wore his signature frown as he grunted. “Obviously.”

Both men wore hearing aids and still their words cracked like thunder, even App’s grunt stirred up the cattle milling in the pastures behind the barbed wire.

“So what does that mean?” Cole asked.

Applegate grunted again. “It means that Susan does what she wants. That gal is all-fired determined to be accepted on a man’s terms. If any of us was ta tell her she ought’n ta be out that late—or worse, if we had livestock that needed tending and we didn’t call her—” He whistled long and slow, while wagging his head.

“That’s right,” Stanley continued. “She’d let us have it with both barrels.”

“After what I saw last night, I can believe that.”

“Yup, I’m shor you did. That little gal kin be real hard-nosed when it comes to her job,” Applegate said. “She don’t take kindly ta bein’ treated like a lady. And she’s real good at what she does.”

“Ain’t that the truth,” Stanley said.

She’d made it clear last night that she hadn’t liked him taking charge. “Maybe so,” he said, at last. “But I don’t like it. It doesn’t feel right. And it sure doesn’t feel safe.”

App tugged on his hat brim as the sun shifted a bit higher over the horizon. “It’ll be a little easier when she gets her office relocated here in town.”

That got Cole’s attention. “What do you mean?”

Stanley and Applegate grinned at each other then gave him the we-know-something-you-don’t-know look. Cole knew they were also speculating at his interest in Susan. But he couldn’t help that. He leaned against the truck and crossed his arms waiting for them to elaborate. He was going to have to get on the road in a few minutes but he wanted the lowdown on this.

“So…” Applegate took his time, rubbed his narrow jaw. “She didn’t tell you she’s bought a place on the west side of town about four miles out.”

“It was two in the morning when I came across her. We weren’t engaging in conversation beyond me telling her I was taking her home—” No sense elaborating on the tone of that conversation.

“Guess that went over like a basket of mad cats.” Stanley chuckled. “You don’t ‘tell’ our Susan anythang where her business is concerned. That’s what we been tryin’ ta tell ya.”

He shouldn’t have let it slip that he’d “told” her he was taking her home. No one needed to know he’d had to hijack her keys to get her to cooperate. Hardheaded woman.

“So where is this place?” he asked.

“It’s a small property—little house and a large metal building.” Applegate was more than happy to fill him in. “It used to be that oil supply company. You remember the place? Back b’fore the oil boom busted in the eighties. B’fore ever’body moved off.”

Cole nodded. “I remember.” It was the beginning of the town’s slow death.

“She’s got some contractor comin’ outta Ranger in a couple of days ta start turnin’ it into her new office.”

“You don’t say.” She was moving to Mule Hollow and hadn’t mentioned it. “Is she going to live here?” he asked to clarify his assumption.

“Yup,” Stanley said. “In the house on the property. I even thank she done put some stuff in thar.”

When he’d made that comment about where she lived now, she’d had the opportunity to tell him and hadn’t. She kept her business close to the cuff. Or she knew he’d soon find out and this was her way of telling him to mind his own business. He smiled at that. She had spunk. He pushed away from the truck.

“Well, thanks for the info, fellas. Now I better get this to her so she’ll have wheels when she needs them. Wouldn’t want to make her mad.” That got him some slaps on the back and hoots of agreement.

Earlier, after taking her home, he’d driven the hour and a half back to the ranch and hadn’t been able to stop thinking about their encounter.

He didn’t stay at the ranch house when home, but down at the old stagecoach house that was the original homestead on their ranch. He always enjoyed the old house and had felt that same ole tug of nostalgia as he’d driven down the dirt road toward it. The moon had highlighted the rocky road as it wound across the pastures and as it always had, he couldn’t help thinking about the others who’d traveled this same road over a hundred years ago. Men such as Doc Holliday and outlaw Sam Bass had passed by either on horseback or by stage. As a kid he’d thought it was cool and that hadn’t changed as he’d aged. His great-great-great-great-grandpa Oakley had won the place in a poker game more than a century ago.

Now Applegate looked from him to his truck. “We kin follow you ta Susan’s and brang you back if ya need us to.”

Cole shook his head and packed up his last few things. “Thanks, but no need. I’ve got it covered.” He figured if Susan wasn’t making any calls out this direction, he’d have Seth drive to Ranger and pick him up.

After only a bit of cajoling, the tires found grip and he drove out of the ditch. App and Stanley waved him on as he headed toward Ranger—looking in his rearview, he saw them hop in their trucks and head toward town. They were driving at a fast clip; no doubt about it, everyone was about to know about last night….

Susan didn’t like to show weakness, it was obvious. Was that what was driving her crazy attitude last night?

Not that he thought some determination in a woman wasn’t a good thing. Before he could pull back, his thoughts went to Lori. She’d been full of determination, too; if it hadn’t been for that grit she wouldn’t have made it as long as she had…Six years and he still couldn’t think about that sweet girl without his gut twisting up like a bull had stomped him. And just like he always did, he shoved the thoughts of her back into the dark shadows and forced all the trapped emotions down with them.

He focused instead on Susan Worth.

The woman had been careless last night and almost killed herself. It bothered him that she was so obsessed with her job that she’d take her life for granted…when others fought so hard for one more breath.

Stop it. It usually took at least a couple of weeks in one spot before restless memories drove him to move on. He’d been home less than five hours and already he was fighting with the past. Home was always the worst. It was easier to pretend things like home and hearth didn’t matter when you didn’t have them staring you in the face.

Wyatt better show up soon or Cole was out of here. His brothers knew he’d fallen in love with a terminally ill barrel racer.

But they’d never met Lori. She’d been more ill than he’d realized when he first met her and that had prevented any travel. She had tried hard not to fall for him—to prevent the hurt something like that could cause. She’d tried hard to ignore what he’d known from the moment he’d laid eyes on her sweet face…love didn’t have a perfect timetable. It happened even while a person was dying…love was brutal that way. And special.

As long as he was on the road, working to help folks, he did all right and actually enjoyed his life. When the restless memories threatened, he finished up what he was doing and headed out to find a new job—a new project.

And the recent turn of bad luck on the Gulf of Mexico had given him plenty of choices. Helping rebuild something a hurricane or a tornado had taken away from a family gave him a good feeling. It also helped the anger at God that plagued him…he tried not to dwell on it, and he wasn’t going to now. Only, coming back to Mule Hollow was coming home…the place he’d longed to bring Lori. Home reminded him too much of how bad God’s timing was and how He seemed to pick and choose who He deemed good enough to get a miracle. Or who didn’t.

Who got their prayers answered…and who didn’t.

Home was where you brought the one you loved…unless you weren’t one of the special ones who God shined His light on and listened to.

Chapter Three

Susan was standing out front with a tiny, blue-haired woman and a large dog that resembled a chocolate Lab but was shaped more like a big, brown, chocolate kiss…or a gigantic tick.

Susan was far more attention-worthy than the dog, with the morning sun glinting off her corn-silk hair. But even her beautiful hair didn’t compare to the smile on her face—that smile startled him so bad he ran over a curb while pulling into the parking lot.

Yup, he was the one who needed rest now. It would help him get his head back on straight—a few hours of shut-eye had sure helped the prickly vet. No doubt about that…no doubt at all.

It wasn’t just the softening of the dark circles, but she was smiling—he hadn’t even got a hint of one of those last night. Though he didn’t figure that was totally due to lack of sleep.

“Good morning.” He got out of the truck and moved toward the women, who had been staring at him ever since he’d jumped the curb.

Susan crossed her arms and nodded—the smile gone in a flash.

But the little old lady had one big enough for the both of them. “Well, one thing’s the truth, my mornin’ just got better thanks to you, young man.” She gave him the once-over. “My goodness, but you are a handsome fellow. Just in the nick of time, too. Bein’ timely is important. Don’t you think?”

“Yes, ma’am, real important—”

“Good. Good.” She broke him off with a wave of her cane. “I like you—I like this one, Susan.” She shot Susan a sharp eye then gave him a soft smile. “Would you mind terribly, helping Catherine Elizabeth into her car seat? Arthur, the scamp, is acting up today—been giving me and my Catherine Elizabeth both a run for our money. But you—” she smiled up at him, her cloudy blue eyes shining as she grabbed hold of his bicep and squeezed like she might check the ripeness of a grapefruit “—you look like you’re in plenty good shape, so the old bully won’t bother you. No sirree, he won’t.”

Cole looked around for Arthur with every intention of setting the so-called bully straight. He wouldn’t stand by and let a man mistreat the little lady. But there wasn’t anyone else around. He glanced at Susan for some kind of hint and saw that she was biting back a smile. And amazing enough her eyes were twinkling—he lost his train of thought.

“Mrs. Abernathy, may I introduce Cole Turner,” she said rather loudly. “He’s the one who came to my rescue last night. Cole, this is Mrs. Abernathy and this is the one and only Catherine Elizabeth.”

Mrs. Abernathy was still holding on to his bicep with her tiny hand and gazing up at him sweetly. Catherine Elizabeth had managed to lift to her feet and lumbered over to him. She sank onto his boot like a melting blob of ice cream.

“Glad to make your acquaintance, ma’am,” Cole said. “And Catherine Elizabeth, too.” He glanced around again for Arthur but no man had come out of the building. They all were looking at him expectantly—waiting. “Oh, sorry, you want me to load the dog into the car?”

“Thank you. She’s just too much for me. But not you.” She rubbed his arm. “You remind me of my Herman—God rest his soul. He was tall and strong, too. I’m glad Susan’s found a young man like you.”

“Mrs. Abernathy,” Susan interjected, “he’s not my, um, young man.”

Mrs. Abernathy patted his arm. “Well, he should be, dear. You need a strong man, since you’re such a darling, strong woman yourself. I, too, was a strong woman.”

It was Cole’s turn to bite back a smile. The woman wasn’t even five foot and probably had never weighed a hundred pounds soaking wet in her entire life.

She gave him a knowing look. “There’s more to being strong than size, young man. Arthur’s just beat me down a bit through the years and I have to admit it weighs on me…makes even my strong spirit weak at times.”

Cole shot Susan an inquiring glance. “Who is that?” he mouthed over the little lady’s head.

“Ohh,” Susan gasped. “Sorry. Mrs. A., as we affectionately call her, and Catherine Elizabeth both suffer from Arthur-itis.”

Mrs. A. shook her head. “He’s a mean one, that Arthur. But the good Lord puts such nice men in my path to help out in times such as these.” She let go of his arm and, leaning on her cane, she walked carefully to her car.

Watching her slow progress, Cole agreed that Arthur was a real bummer. “Will it hurt when I pick her up?” he asked Susan, staring down at the dog.

“Just be careful and she’ll be okay. But don’t throw your back out or anything.” The last part was soft so that Mrs. Abernathy couldn’t hear.

He almost laughed as he leaned down for the dog. Who did she think he was? Some kind of wimp?

“I mean it—lift from the knees,” Susan said, bending over to whisper the words close to his ear.

The warmth of her breath tickled his skin and sent a shiver of awareness rippling over him. He chuckled, both from the humor in the warning and the shock of her warm breath on his skin, then he lifted—whhoa! The dog was deadweight.

Susan slapped him on the back. “Told you lift with the knees.”

“No kiddin’.” Sending her a good-natured scowl, he then gave it a fortified effort. It felt as if he was hauling a bag of lard into his arms. “What does she feed this horse?” he muttered for Susan’s ears only. She chuckled and Catherine Elizabeth promptly gave him a big ole lick across the jaw, as if telling him not to worry.

“Oh, look, my baby likes you,” Mrs. Abernathy called as she swung the door open wide.

“Seems that way,” he grunted. Reaching the car, he leaned in and placed the dog gently into the backseat. She immediately settled into a spot worn into the imprint of her body.

“Can I help you?” He held out one hand to Mrs. Abernathy after gently closing the door on that…dog.

Mrs. Abernathy batted her eyes at him and blushed. “You are such a catch, young man.” She slipped her hand into his. She looked at Susan. “If you were smart you’d snatch this one up before someone else puts a ring on that blank finger of his.”

Susan surprised him by not looking insulted at the notion. Instead she smiled patiently at her client. “You take care now. And call me if Catherine Elizabeth gets uncomfortable. That extra dose of meds should help her.”

“Thank you, dear,” the tiny lady said and eased behind the steering wheel. “You,” she said, squeezing his hand before releasing it, “have made my old heart’s day!”

“And you have made mine,” he said. “You be careful.”

She gave him a mischievous smirk. “What fun would that be? Bye now.”

He laughed and moved out of her way to stand beside Susan. They watched as the big Crown Victoria eased out of the drive. Mrs. Aberathy’s little blue head could barely be seen over the dash and was totally hidden from behind.

“How does she drive a car that big?”

Susan laughed. “Carefully.”

“Thank goodness. I half expected her to blast out of here on two wheels.”

Susan beamed. “There was probably a day when she did exactly that. Arthur’s put a damper on that, I’m afraid.”

“Not on her spirit, though, I can see,” he said, suddenly feeling rascally himself. “So, you gonna take her advice and marry me before someone else does?”

He was kidding. Susan knew he was, but the question took her completely by surprise. “Of course,” she said, turning to face him. “I’ve been waiting on you my whole life,” she teased back, momentarily letting her guard down.

A slow, dangerous smile spread across his no-way-should-he-be-so-handsome face and his eyes lit with mischief. “You did a joke. Sleep agrees with you, Miss Worth.”

She laughed. “I guess it does. But don’t go rubbing it in or I’ll have to hurt you,” she said, before she thought about what a bad idea it was. And it was. She glanced away, toward her truck, taking a breath to settle the strumming of her heart. “Thanks for bringing my truck back.” She headed inside the clinic before she got herself into trouble. The scrape of his boots on the wooden porch said he was following her. “I’m assuming you aren’t still holding it hostage and you’re actually going to hand the keys over to me.”

His low rumble of laughter had her moving faster to get inside and behind the counter. She needed a barrier between them—she’d enjoyed watching him with Mrs. Abernathy and Catherine Elizabeth a little too much. The man was a charmer.

And bossy, she reminded herself.

And a rover with no concept of responsibility…not a man for her.

“Truck’s all yours,” he said, leaning a hip against the counter. “It checked out good. No undercarriage damage at all. Just a whole herd of dirt clods. The only bad working part it had last night was a worn-out driver who needs to take better care of herself.”

And here we go again! “I was tired,” she snapped, letting the pencil she’d picked up fall to the desk. “It happens. Can we drop that?” Of course her anger was welcome because it helped put that much-needed barrier back up.

He cocked a brow and his gaze dropped to the pencil she’d just dropped. He picked it up, then as he studied her, balanced it on his upper lip as a schoolboy might do. Sigh. The man looked entirely too cute…and was probably well aware of it. She tapped her boot.

“Well,” she snapped again, “are you going to drop it?”

“Nope,” he said, causing the pencil to fall. He caught it without looking. “Not unless you admit that you should have taken your safety into consideration. That sleep you got last night did you a world of good, didn’t it?”

She’d slept like a rock for four hours, but boy, she hated admitting it to him. “If you must know,” she huffed, “Mrs. A. had to knock on my door and wake me up this morning.”

“All right! Hit me with five,” he whooped and held up his palm. “That’s good.”

She ignored the invitation. “I don’t like oversleeping.”

He wiggled his fingers. “C’mon. Hit me with some love.”

Huh? “No! Would you stop?”

He shook his head, reached across the counter and wrapped his fingers around her wrist. His touch was gentle and as the slightly rough pads of his fingers slid across her skin she shivered. Startled by his actions and her reaction she started to pull away, but he held firm and laid her palm against his.

“There, that wasn’t so hard,” he said. “You need to loosen up, Susan Worth.”

Tugging free of his grasp, she hoped she wasn’t pink and that she didn’t look as shaken as she felt. “You need to mind your own business,” she ordered.

He slapped his hand to his chest. “Wow, what a blow. And after all I’ve done for you.”

“Look,” she offered, needing to get him gone. The sooner he was out of her hair the better off she’d be. “I’ve got a couple more patients to see this morning and then I’m heading out to Clint Matlock’s ranch for the rest of the afternoon. I could give you a ride back, but not before then. Unless, of course, you’ve already arranged a ride.” Something told her she wouldn’t be so lucky.

“Thanks. I’ll wait for you. Unless you need me to hoist more obese dogs into cars—I hope all your clients aren’t that large.”

Despite herself, a smile tugged at her lips. “I’ve given up trying to get Catherine Elizabeth on a diet. Mrs. A. has no one else to cook for, and from what I understand, Herman loved to eat. So she can’t help but spoil poor Catherine Elizabeth.”

Cole did a biceps curl, flexing his muscle for her. “She liked my guns. How about you? I mean, since you have agreed to marry me, what do you think?”

She grunted. “I think you need to go sit down and read a magazine.”

“Yup. Just as I thought. You are sidestepping the question because you agree with Mrs. A.”

Oh, she agreed—the man had some muscles. Probably from all that construction work he did. But she wasn’t about to tell him.

She was relieved when the sound of a motor drew her to glance out the window at the truck pulling up outside. She sent up a silent word of thanks that she could get to work and hopefully get her head straightened out…because it was playing in dangerous waters at the moment. She was moving to Mule Hollow for more reasons than her work. She was moving there with the intention of making room in her life for a husband. That meant flirting with inappropriate men, like Cole, was out of the question.

Now, she thought as she met Cole’s watchful stare, if only God would suddenly zap the handsome rover back to wherever it was he’d been before he’d ridden into town last night, she’d be one happy gal.

A man like Cole was not hard to read. He had no plans to settle down; it was all about his job—a job he loved. The ranch he owned with his two brothers had started out as a stagecoach stop—Cole’s roots ran six generations deep and yet of the Turner men, including a first cousin who had also been a groomsman in Seth’s wedding, Seth was the only one who’d actually stayed true to those roots by keeping the ranch going.

Susan wanted a family. Her mind was focused on that, and yet she still had to keep her business running. Her dad had cared so much about her having a career, wanting his little girl to be able to take care of herself. She’d done that, but now she had to find a way of balancing family with her work. She knew that meant she had to find a man who would complement her life. So even looking at a rover like Cole was out of the question.

She walked around the edge of the counter and forced herself not to make a wide arc around him. Instead she stopped beside him and glanced at his “guns.” “Actually, Mrs. A. has a great point. But in reality it’ll take a bunch more than that to interest me.”

The door opened and she hurried to usher the prancing pack of toy poodles into the exam room. The owner was so flustered trying to hang on to four leashes at once that she didn’t even give Cole a glance. Susan, however, paused to note Cole had taken the first seat in the small waiting area.

“Whatever you say, but I’m here,” he said, flexing his muscle for her. “If you need me, you just call.”

She shook her head and closed the door with a resounding thud. She needed Cole Turner the way she needed a hole in the head!

Chapter Four

“So what’s up, brother?”

Cole opened his eyes and found his brother Seth leaning against the door, grinning.

“Thought I’d swing by and welcome you home, since I heard through the grapevine you’d arrived.”

After Susan had dropped him off at his truck, Cole drove back to the stagecoach house, walked inside and crashed on the couch. It had been a long time since he’d slept. “Sorry I didn’t come by. What time is it?” he asked, rubbing his jaw as he swung his legs around and plopped his feet to the ground. He felt like he’d been run over by a truck. This was most likely how Susan had been feeling last night when she’d run off the road.

“It’s five. And from App and Stanley’s account it sounds like you’ve been busy since arriving last night.”

Cole gave him a groggy nod. Good ole Applegate and Stanley. “Yeah, you could say so. Susan’s going to love knowing everyone in town knows she fell asleep at the wheel.”

“That’s the honest truth,” Seth grunted. “You look like the dickens, bro.” Seth strode into the kitchen, separated from the living room by only an ancient dining table.

“Feel like it, too.”

“You could have given me a call. I would have come and helped out.” He grabbed the coffeepot and began filling it with water.

“Yeah, with the cell-phone coverage Mule Hollow has I’d have been wasting my time.”

“True, but the phone here works and I could have at least picked you up after you drove Susan’s truck to the clinic.”

“Believe me, as hot as I was at you this morning—you wanted me to get some shut-eye before you saw me.” That drew Seth’s attention. “What were you thinking letting that woman leave your barn in the shape she was in last night?” Cole stood up and felt his blood pressure rise thinking about Susan barreling toward those trees as he’d topped the hill. “She was so tired she very nearly got herself killed falling asleep at the wheel.”

“For starters, one doesn’t tell a man how to run his business. Same goes for Susan. She’s worked hard to get where she is with her business and she doesn’t take kindly to being separated out. She assured me she was fine—”

It was the same thing App and Stanley said. Still, Cole pointed out, “She looked like death warmed over—”

“Hey, I took her at her word. Like I would have a man in that situation. Didn’t say I liked it, but that’s the way she wants it.”

Cole padded angrily into the kitchen, not willing to take that as an excuse. “She wasn’t fine. She was dead on her feet. She’d been up three nights in a row. Did you know that?”

“Yeah, I did,” Seth snapped, jabbing the on button to the coffeepot before swinging to face him.

“Then what were you thinking? You would have been responsible if—”

“Now just hold on, Cole. I hate that she had to work that much, but it couldn’t be helped. None of us call her out like that unless absolutely necessary. I’d have had a dead cow and calf this morning if not for her efforts last night. If I’d let them die so she could get some sleep, Susan would have taken it as a slap in the face. You know good and well she’s my friend, but we tread a fine line where Susan is concerned.”

Cole rubbed his aching neck and told himself to back down. He didn’t like it, but he also knew his brother. Seth was levelheaded and kind, and Susan really was his friend. “Sorry, I get your drift,” he grumbled, still frustrated. “But it’d sure be a shame if something happened to her.”

Seth nodded and his serious expression said he was sincere. “We’ll all rest easier when Susan gets moved into town. Did she tell you about all that?”

“Yeah, she told me. Only after I asked her. Applegate told me she was moving into town this morning—or Stanley. One of the fellas did—their conversation ran together in my brain.”

Seth looked amused. “App and Stanley’s conversations tend to run together even on a good night’s sleep.”

“You have a point.” They both chuckled, easing the tension.

“So how long are you here for? I’m here to wake you up and haul your sorry hide back over to the house so Melody can interrogate you. But it should be a fair trade since she’s hard at work cookin’ up a meal fit for a king.”

Cole took the cup of coffee Seth handed him and held it aloft. “Then let me drink this, and then I’ll hop in the shower so I’m presentable to my new sister-in-law. I already have one hometown gal irritated with me, I wouldn’t want to make that sweet bride of yours unhappy with me, too. How’d you get so lucky anyway?”

“Not lucky, but blessed, thanks to the good Lord and Wyatt.”

Cole took a swig of coffee. “Our big bro the matchmaker. Never in a thousand years would I have expected that six-foot-four-inch hunk of hot air to be a little Cupid!”

That got a big laugh from Seth. “Boy, does that paint some kind of picture!”

Cole grimaced. “True. Still, it is amazing that he met Melody one day and knew she was the match for you.” He cocked a brow at Seth, who reciprocated. It had been a weird thing when Wyatt met Melody and decided instantly to have her do some research on the family history. History that Seth hadn’t wanted researched. It had thrown the two of them into a battle of wills and then into a hunt for long-lost treasure.

“Wyatt wouldn’t be such a great lawyer unless he was good at reading people,” Seth mused. “Maybe that was it.”

Cole didn’t know what it was, but serious, levelheaded Seth was happier and more relaxed than Cole had thought possible. He deserved it. “You look good, Seth,” he said, drawing his own thoughts away from Lori. Thoughts of how happy they could have been if things hadn’t been…the way they’d been.

“I am happy. Melody—”

“Completes you,” Cole teased with the famous movie line, forcing the door to his past shut.

“You laugh, but it’s so true.”

“I’m not laughing. I like it. Wyatt might have missed his calling.”

“Maybe he’ll do the same for you.”

“Oh, no,” Cole said. “I’ve got places to be and things to see. I’m not settling down—but it sure looks good on you.”

“So, any clues why Wyatt wanted you home or what he had to do to get you here? What’s up with that?”

“He said he’d tell me when he showed up tomorrow.” Cole set his coffee down and headed toward the hall, tugging his shirt up over his head as he went. “But I came because I decided it was time to come see how married life was treatin’ you.”

“Well, in that case it should be clear that I’m doin’ well.”

Cole halted at the doorway to the hall. “I can see that, but I want to get a gander at Melody and make sure she’s got the same goofy grin on her face. I’ll be out in a minute.”

“Cole, hold up a minute. About Susan.”

“What about her?”

“I’m guessing you’re in town for a short visit and, well, you should know Susan is looking for a real relationship. One that includes a future and a family. I hope you keep that in mind while you’re here.”

Cole shot Seth a warning look. “I didn’t come back here to break any hearts, if that’s what you’re worried about. I’m here and then I’m back on the road. I’ve got places to be.”

“Look, Cole, I didn’t mean it like that. It’s been six years. I’m actually hoping you’re ready to settle down and think—”

“Don’t go there, Seth,” Cole warned, an edge to his voice that had Seth setting his coffee down and frowning at him in disappointment. He pushed away from the counter and stood staring at Cole. The tension between them was born of love and concern. Still, Cole hadn’t come home for more lectures on the life he’d chosen.

He turned and headed to the bathroom. Truth was, he didn’t really have a clue why he’d come home. Sure Wyatt had forced him in a way Seth would never know about…but even with that, Cole hadn’t had to come. So why had he?

Okay, just calm down! “What do you mean you’re going on an extended hunt in Alaska?”

Susan was behind the counter at Sam’s diner talking on the diner phone. The cell reception in Mule Hollow was extremely scarce so she often had to use client landlines to keep in touch with Betty, her part-time receptionist, back at the office. Today she’d expected to meet her contractor out at the new property so they could go over plans before he started working. He hadn’t shown. After waiting an hour she’d driven into town to use Sam’s phone.

Betty had given her the distressing news that her contractor had quit. Quit! He couldn’t quit. She’d immediately dialed him up.

“Just what I said,” the louse drawled. “I’m goin’ to Alaska.”

Susan turned her back to the diner, lowering her voice so as not to shout to the small crowd in the diner. She didn’t want everyone to know she had trouble. “You said I was next in line,” she said, using great restraint. Her daddy always told her to keep a lid on her temper, that a ranting woman didn’t get any respect from a man, but…she was so mad she could spit nails! “We had a deal.”

“Look, lady, I got a better deal. An offer I couldn’t refuse, so to speak. I’m outta here on the fishing trip of a lifetime.”

An offer he couldn’t refuse. Where did he get such an offer? “So, let me get this straight. Your word means nothing.”

His next words were not nice. And being told in no uncertain terms that she was “up a creek without a paddle” did not help her mood.

If the guy quit for a better job she might not be so furious. But, no, the man was going fishing. Fishing!

Fighting down the urge to kick something, Susan carefully hung the wall phone in its cradle. It took all she had not to slam it down.

Now what?

She bit her lip and stared hard at the phone. What was she going to do? The interior of her new office space needed walls torn out and new ones built. Counters and shelves, not to mention the electric wiring and plumbing required updates, too. And it all had to be done by the end of the month. She could hear her dad’s calm voice reminding her to keep her cool, buckle down, and get the job done. “Getting the job done was what mattered,” he’d say, in that Texas twang that still made her smile to think of it. Still made her miss him like crazy. Still made her want to please him. And she would. She’d had setbacks before and his words always drove her to get it done.

Right now she had to get her appointments finished for the day and get home. If she was lucky tonight, she’d get a full night’s sleep and be ready to tackle finding a new contractor tomorrow. She was still working on fumes from exhaustion. If tonight went without an emergency call she’d get the much-needed sleep and wipe out the fog of exhaustion clouding her head. But lately it seemed like emergency calls were non-stop.

“Here’s your burger, Doc,” Sam said, coming out of the back with a paper bag in his hand. His sharp old eyes seemed to look through her. “Every thang okay? You look kinda pink.”

“Everything’s fine, Sam—” She bit her lip. “Actually that’s not true. You wouldn’t happen to know a good contractor, would you?”

Sam was a tiny man in his mid- to late-sixties with the boundless energy of a man much younger. He was a hard worker like her dad had been and she respected him greatly. He also knew everyone within a hundred-mile radius of town.

He scrubbed his chin. “Contractors. “You got trouble?”

“Looks that way. I need to get moved in before my contract deadline gets here in three weeks. But,” she practically growled the word, “my guy just hung me out to dry. He said he got offered a fishing trip. A fishing trip. And is going fishing in Alaska.”

Sam grimaced, his weathered face wrinkling. “Tank Clawson always was one ta put play b’fore work. It’s a wonder the man kin afford ta finance all his vacations.”

Susan knew what it was. Supply and demand paid well. The man did good work when he did it and people were willing to pay him top dollar. She’d hired him because he’d said he could fit her in between two big jobs that were scheduled. “I didn’t get the impression that he was paying for this trip.”

Sam tugged on his ear. “That’s purdy odd.”

“Yes, sir, it is. Thanks for the lunch, Sam. What would I do without you?”

His brows dipped. “You’d dry up and wither away. You need ta slow down, sit in one of them thar booths and eat that burger on the sit-down rather than on the blamed run. If you did that, one of them cowboys might sit down with you and who knows where that would lead.”

She glanced toward the tables and the three different tables full of cowboys. She was going to do that soon as she got settled. “No time today. I’ve wasted more time than I had to give. I still have a load of cattle to see at Clint’s place and that’s going to take all afternoon.” She grabbed the bag and waggled it at him. “Thanks again.”

He scowled. “It ain’t no wonder Cole Turner had to rescue ya out of that ditch. It’s a wonder you didn’t fall asleep sooner and get yorself killed.”

“Sam, I’m trying to slow down. If I can get a contractor out there working, the sooner I’ll get to sleep more.”

“I’m on it.”

“Thanks. I’m sure if there is a contractor out there to be found, you’ll find him—or you’ll help me find someone who knows one.”

“Yup. I might jest have a good ’un in mind already.”

“Really?” Susan’s hopes shot up. “Who?”

“Can’t say just yet. You comin’ to the barbecue tomorrow night at Clint and Lacy’s ranch, aren’t you?”

“Yes,” Susan said, wondering who he had in mind. “Are you?”

“Yup. Got my relief cook lined up fer this place. Me and Adela will see you thar.” He nodded. “Probably gonna be an interesting night since Cole will be thar, too.”

Just what she’d been afraid of—the man was going to start turning up all over the place. There would be nowhere to hide until he got bored and left. “He won’t be around long from what I’ve heard about him,” she said, and then wished she’d just taken her burger and hit the road as planned.

“Maybe.” Sam slapped his ever-present dish towel over his shoulder with a grin. “And maybe not.”

Chapter Five

Cole’s gaze swept over the gathering as he trailed behind Seth and Melody toward the backyard barbecue. Clint and Lacy Matlock had a beautiful ranch. The main house sat on a hill and overlooked a stunning valley.

It wasn’t the view that had Cole’s attention, however, it was the tall beauty leaning against the deck banister watching him.

He’d wondered if she was going to be here. As much as they had a weird kind of thing going on, he realized the minute he saw her that he’d been hoping to see her.

As he passed a tub of iced-down sodas he grabbed two and headed her way. Maybe he should have stayed back, but that wasn’t part of his makeup. Even if she didn’t look happy to see him.

He mounted the steps. “Don’t look so hostile, Doc. I come with soda.” He popped the top of a can and handed it to her; she didn’t take it. “Come on now, it would be rude to snub your handsome rescuer.”

She reluctantly accepted the drink. “You are going to milk that accident for all it’s worth, aren’t you?”

“Maybe.” He opened his drink and took a swig. “I have to say, I’m pretty good at reading people, but you are a puzzle.”

“How so?”

“Despite my being your knight in shining armor, I continually get the feeling that you’d as soon see me run over by wild horses.”

Susan almost choked on her soda. “I do not.”

She had added a touch of shimmer to her lips and now she clamped those pretty lips together. It was a warm day for April but the temperature edged up a few more degrees as they stared at each other. “Oh, you know it’s true.”

“For your information, I know you aren’t going to be in town long. So, I—”

“How do you know?”

“Well, um…you never come home much.”

The good doctor was flustered. “Have you been checking up on me, Doc?”

“No. Of course not.”

Call him crazy for flirting—and he was, but he was enjoying himself. He was about to press further when Norma Sue Jenkins rounded the corner of the house and spotted him.

“Cole Turner,” she bellowed and engulfed him in a bear hug. The short, stout woman practically lifted him from the deck in her enthusiasm.

“You are a sight for sore eyes!” Norma Sue declared. She was married to Clint Matlock’s foreman, Roy Don. She and Roy Don had been friends of his grandparents and his parents. As a boy he and his brothers had spent almost as many evenings at Roy Don and Norma Sue’s house as their own. Norma was pure robust Texas cattlewoman from the tip of her boots to the top of her white Stetson. She’d always worn jeans and pearl-button, Western shirts or blue bibbed overalls—except on Sunday when she was partial to striped dresses. Tonight she’d chosen jeans and a pale blue, pearl-button shirt. Her kinky gray hair poked out from beneath the Stetson and tickled his jaw when she yanked his head to her shoulder and smothered him as if she hadn’t seen him in years.

Norma Sue had always been a big hugger and he’d hated it as a kid. But as a man who often missed his parents and grandparents, he enjoyed the comfort her hugs always gave him. “I missed you, boy,” she said, finally releasing him.

“Norma Sue, I saw you at the wedding, so if you keep this up folks are gonna start talking.”

She slapped him on the arm and frowned. “I’m gearing up for when you leave town and don’t come back again for years. Like before Seth’s wedding,” she said accusingly. “I can’t believe you came home twice in the same year.”

Roy Don had come over and now reached in for a quick fatherly hug of his own. “Welcome home, son. She gets plumb mad when she thinks about you off running the roads and not having enough time to come home. I didn’t hardly have any peace after you rode off into the sunset only hours after the reception.”

“Sorry about that.” Cole had planned on staying around longer after the wedding, but as happy as he’d been for Seth and Melody, emotions he hadn’t expected had slammed into him during the evening. He’d had no choice but to leave. He’d been in a blue mood for weeks afterward.

He’d been furious with God after Lori, and it had taken him a long time to regain some kind of relationship with his God. Just like the relationship between father and son can be strained, so had his become with his heavenly Father. But as a father and son reconciled so he had been trying. Unexpectedly Seth’s wedding had almost taken him back to square one.

There was no way he’d ever want Seth or Melody to know that…Wyatt, on the other hand had figured it out—not that he’d figured it out completely, but still…that was Cole’s reason for being here now. His big brother had decided it was time for Cole to come home for an extended visit and had threatened to tell Seth all if he didn’t cooperate and return. Wyatt reasoned that if Cole came home and spent time with the newlyweds it would help him get over his past. Cole didn’t want to get over his past…and that, Wyatt had argued, was the problem.

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.