The Cowboy’s Second Chance

Being a devoted dad is former bull rider Adrian De La Cruz’s top priority. So when Mia suffers a rodeo injury and winds up recovering alongside Adrian’s first crush, Nikki Bergmann, he becomes even more protective of his daughter—and his heart. Nikki is back in Clear Water solely to recover, and he knows she has no intention of staying. But as the bond between Mia and Nikki grows, Adrian can’t help falling for her once again. Until Nikki’s long-buried secret comes to light, and Adrian must decide if he can forgive the past, or face a future without the woman he’s never been able to forget.

“I thought we made a good team tonight.”

It had been a long time since she felt like she belonged anywhere, let alone on a team. Adrian was one of the true good guys. With his profile to her, she could study his features. He was still good-looking, and the years added maturity and depth. She didn’t really understand why he was still single.

He put his hands into the front pockets of his worn-just-right jeans. With a quick turn of his head, he glanced at her before looking back to the sky. “Anyway, I was wondering if you liked live music.” He looked down. “Mia is going to her first sleepover since the accident.” He took a deep breath. “So I was wondering if you would want to go to Kerrville with me. A friend from the bull-riding days is playing at a restaurant, and I thought going there would be better than sitting alone and worrying about Mia. Would you want to go with me?”

“Are you asking me on a date?”

Dear Reader,

Thank you for taking a trip to Clear Water, Texas, with me. This small town has become my go-to place to visit and Adrian is one of my favorite guys in town. He has been there to help out since the first book and I wanted to see his happy ending. Each story I got to know him a little better and knew I would love spending time with him.

Nikki was new to me. I knew Adrian needed someone who would shake up his world and that’s what she did. It was important for me to get her story right for her ultimate gift of love. A story of redemption and forgiveness. We’ve all made mistakes or trusted the wrong people, but God’s love is bigger than anything that can harm us in this world. He uses it all for good. Family, healing and love are all wrapped tightly around this story. Coming from a family of three girls, I loved writing the sister scene. I hope you enjoy Adrian and Nikki’s adventure to everlasting love. Find me on Facebook at Jolene Navarro, Author.

Warm regards and blessings,

Jolene Navarro

A seventh-generation Texan, JOLENE NAVARRO fills her life with family, faith and life’s beautiful messiness. She knows that as much as the world changes, people stay the same. Vow-keepers and heartbreakers. Jolene married a vow-keeper who shows her holding hands never gets old. When not writing, Jolene teaches art to inner-city teens and hangs out with her own four almost-grown kids. Find Jolene on Facebook or her blog, jolenenavarrowriter.com.

Texas Daddy

Jolene Navarro

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Rejoice always, pray continually,

give thanks in all circumstances;

for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

—1 Thessalonians 5:16–18

To My Sisters

Tracye Ward and Amanda Warren

Through times of joy, tribulations, grief and

happiness you have been there. As different

as we are, we are also the same. Love you.

Acknowledgments

First, foremost and always with all my heart,

thank you to my hero, my husband, Fred Navarro.

He gave me the time I needed to pull this story

together and has been known to do the dishes

without even being asked.

Thank you to Alexandra Sokoloff, Linda Trout,

Carol Green Kiar, Laura Stephens, Gail Hart,

Jenna Neal, Vaun Murphrey, Melody Robinette,

Linda Fry, Deann Alford Landers and the

West Texas Writer’s Academy class of 2015

for brainstorming this story.

Plotting is always more fun with a group.

To my writer friends of San Antonio Romance

Authors. You are an endless source of inspiration.

Teri Wilson, Patricia Walters-Fischer,

Lupe Gonzalez, Mary Brand, Manie Culver,

Suanne Schefer, Willa Blair, Ani Stubs,

Curtis Copley, Troy Bernhardt, Joni Hahn

and Pamla Morsi. Just to name a few.

To Storm Navarro and Sasha Summers

for everything.

And to Emily Rodmell, my editor, and Pam Hopkins,

my agent. Thank you for taking the stories

I have in my dyslexic brain and helping me

polish them to be the best they can be.

Thank you for this dream

of being a Harlequin author.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

Dear Reader

About the Author

Title Page

Bible Verse

Dedication

Acknowledgments

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

Epilogue

Extract

Copyright

Chapter One

The rain dripped off the edge of his Stetson as Adrian De La Cruz surveyed the overgrown terrain for stray cattle. The mare moved forward with sure steady steps, her ears twisting back and forth letting him know she was on the lookout also. He enjoyed riding in a light drizzle. An angry bolt of lightning struck at the hills.

Well, the weather report had got it wrong. The problem? He was too far in the old Cortez place to make it back to the Childress’s barns.

Thunder rolled through the valley. Lying low over Zeta’s neck, he pushed her into a full run on the weed-covered road. His eyes stung as the wind bit into exposed skin. A series of lightning strikes hopped across the clouds, joined by a chorus of rumbles.

Adrenaline flooded his body. Over ten years ago he would have sat up and laughed at the sky, consumed by a need to test his limits.

He couldn’t afford such recklessness. His daughter needed him to come home in one piece, especially now. He closed his eyes just long enough to clear the image of her boot trapped in the stirrup. He hadn’t been fast enough to stop the damage to her leg.

Mud flew as the powerful strides of his mare ate the earth. Moments like this, he missed the rush of excitement as he sat on two thousand pounds of unpredictable bull and waited for the gate to be pulled.

Thunder rattled the Texas Hill Country and a flash of blinding light revealed the old cabin on the left side of the abandoned country path. In one motion, Zeta slid to a stop and he dismounted. The shed attached to the rustic cabin looked leak-free, the dirt floor dry. The discarded crates and boxes were old but in good shape.

Loosening Zeta’s girth, he laughed as she shook like a dog. She tossed her head in a way to let him know she wasn’t happy and scowled at him for being irresponsible.

“I know.” He patted her neck. “We’ll hang here until the storm passes. Shouldn’t be long.” He pulled his phone out, only to find it had died. He’d forgotten to charge it again.

School would be out soon. He removed his hat and shook off the rain. Ugh. It didn’t look like he would get back in time to pick Mia up. At least his brother, George, would get his daughter if he was a no-show. The rain hit the old metal roof hard.

Maybe there was a landline inside the cabin. Dashing to the covered porch, he caught sight of an odd figure coming toward the cabin from the opposite side of the ravine.

He stepped closer to the edge of the steps. Someone in a fluorescent green jacket was trying to walk across the field. They carried a bike, each step lumbering and uneven. His eyes narrowed trying to make out if the mud-covered body belonged to a man or woman.

Probably some crazy adventure-seeking city slicker lost. They seemed to think fences were for jumping. They had to be trespassing.

It wasn’t an easy ranch to get to, and Bergmann had locked it down after his wife had been killed in an accident on this very road.

Pulling his hat low, he charged into the rain to help. Halfway out, he knew without a doubt it was a woman. One mystery solved. When he got closer, the problem became clear. The chains of the bike were tangled with a large metal knee brace she wore on her right leg. The brace covered less of her leg than his daughter’s, but it had the same knee hinge. One of her hands held the mangled bike while the other wrapped around her middle in an awkward way. Each step looked like a struggle.

Thunder warned of the next flash of light. He went to her left side to help her move faster. At first she shoved him back with her shoulder, or tried to at least.

“Let me help you. I work on the neighboring ranch. I’m—”

“Adrian De La Cruz. I remember you. Thanks, but I’ve got this.” She blew at the hair that hung in her eyes, but the effort didn’t move the muddy mess. “You’re working for Childress now?” she managed between gritted teeth.

He moved forward, trying to put the puzzle pieces together. He had to know her. Most people outside of family and close friends couldn’t tell him and his twin apart. With a growl, she yanked at the twisted bike again.

“I hate to admit it, but I think I do need help.” She looked at him, her light blue eyes as endless as a clear summer sky.

Then it hit him.

“Nikki Bergmann?” He hadn’t seen the oldest Bergmann sister in over twelve years. Back when he went to all the girls’ basketball games just to watch her play. He pretended to be there for his sisters, but his attention was all on her. “I didn’t know you were back in town.” Shocking, considering around here people told everyone’s business before they even knew what was happening themselves, and half the time it was wrong.

Just yesterday he had been at her family hardware store, and her sisters hadn’t said a thing.

With a scowl, she pulled at her brace. Rain started coming down so hard the hills around them vanished from sight. The bump around her middle moved. Under closer inspection, he could see she had some kind of small animal tucked in her jacket.

Crazy woman. This was getting ridiculous. His sisters made sure he had been raised to respect women, but he wasn’t going to stand out here waiting to be fried while she battled her ego. And he couldn’t leave her.

“Let me get the bike off you.” Without waiting for her permission, he flipped the chain on its side and snapped the joints. Pulling the ruined bike free of the broken chain, he tossed it aside.

He put one arm under hers and ran for the cabin. She gave a few objections, but she didn’t refuse his help this time. “What kind of critter do you have hidden away?” His daughter had a habit of saving baby animals. What was it with females and babies? Well, not all females. Mia’s mother had left without a single hug or smile for their newborn daughter.

Nikki grunted, interrupting the dark turn of his thoughts. They arrived at the steps of the porch, and the sound became a low frustrated growl. Her muscles bunched with tension. “I can’t get my leg high enough to make the step.”

“I’ll pick you up.” He bent to scoop her up. At first she was stiff. “I’m just going to put you on the porch.” With a nod, he felt her fit muscles soften.

The bundle squirmed again, and she giggled, sounding like a young girl for a moment. He remembered her being the serious older sister. They had lost their mother young, and Nikki had taken on the responsibility of mothering her younger twin sisters. Everyone knew their stepmother had been no help and left them with a half sister to raise.

She pulled away and he almost lost his balance. “Easy, Bergmann. Is it still Bergmann?” He tried to ease her to the boards as she struggled to stand on her own.

She grabbed his arm and nodded. He wasn’t sure if it was to save him from falling or to keep herself upright. He did like the idea that she wasn’t married.

“Here, sit on the bench. So what do you have there?” He tried to peek in, but she was zipped up all the way to her neck. “Give it to me and then we can get you untangled from that brace.”

She had to sit at an odd angle to accommodate her leg trapped in the mangled brace. The hinge was locked. Once settled, she pushed her hood back.

For a moment he forgot to breathe. Her face was so much like the young teen he adored, but deeper, more lived in, more beautiful than he remembered. He had been fascinated with her.

Now, as a woman, she took his breath away. She pulled the black fitted gloves off and uncovered long graceful fingers, no rings. Next she slowly lowered the zipper to expose a spotted fawn. A newborn, by the size of the tiny thing.

He sighed. She should have known better. “Nikki, you never pick up babies. Its mother will be back looking for it.”

She brought her eyes up and shook her head. “I know that. The doe was there, but she was... Well, I’m not... I couldn’t leave a baby there, alone.”

Lifting his hat, he pushed his hair back. “No. Let me take her to the shed. The biggest risk at this point is shock. I’ll put her in the covered area with my horse.”

For a moment her arms tightened. “Will she be safe? She’s too little to be alone.” There was a moment while she gazed at the fawn. He wanted to hug her and reassure her that the baby would be fine. He suspected this tough woman hid a soft heart.

“Actually the moms leave them alone all the time, but hidden. There are some wooden crates she can hide in, and we can keep your jacket on her. She seems to like you.”

Nikki’s summer-blue eyes narrowed as if she was deciding if she could trust him. He waited.

With a nod, she gathered up the sleeping fawn and handed her up to him. The long fragile legs kicked out as they transferred her to Adrian’s arms. Once he had her close to his chest, she looked up at him with huge dark eyes.

Mia was going to flip. His daughter was obsessed with furry babies, and this was about the sweetest one he could imagine. “The ranch has the supplies and facilities to care for her. We’ve raised a few other wild animals along with some calves and goats.”

“Sounds like you’re a regular Noah.”

“No, just a cowboy. I’ll be right back.”

After getting the little one tucked away and checking on Zeta, he headed back to Nikki. Stuffing away the uncomfortable feelings she created, he took the steps in one leap. He didn’t need to start a new relationship, and he doubted Nikki would be interested anyway.

Back in high school, she had been three grades ahead of him and his brother. So far out of his league he doubted she even knew he existed. He paused at the edge of the porch and looked at her. She had known he wasn’t his twin, George. Most people still confused them, but she knew.

She rubbed her face. “Thank you for helping. I’m so embarrassed. I can’t believe I managed to get my bike snarled with this stupid brace.” Her muscles bunched as she pulled at the twisted metal.

He went to his knee and placed his hand over hers. “Easy. I think you’re making it worse.”

She leaned her head back and sighed. “Did she settle in?”

“She went right back to sleep, snuggled in your jacket.”

“Thank you for helping. Being impaired always frustrates me. I’m not patient on a good day, and this is not anywhere close to a good day. Right now I want to rip my leg off I’m so mad at it.”

“You joined the navy, right? Is that where you got your injury?” Silence hung between them as he worked with the tangle of metal. If he had a flathead, maybe he could create a wedge. “Are there tools in the cabin?”

She tried to push herself up.

“No, stay here. I’ll check.” The cabin was a bit bigger than it looked from the outside. After going through a few cabinets, he found the utility closet. Inside was an old red toolbox and a worn well-read Bible. Vanessa Cortez-Bergmann was printed in gold letters at the bottom. He set it on the table. Nikki might want her mother’s Bible.

On the porch, he found her struggling with her brace. “So is it your injury that brought you home after all these years?” He went to work on the chaos of chain and brace.

“You have a lot of questions.”

The rain eased a bit, as the thunder rumbled off in the distance. He glanced up at her and found her eyes closed. She seemed to be counting her breaths. What would she say if he told her she had been his first crush in school? When not going to her games, he’d hang out at her family’s hardware store just to get a chance to see her or hear her voice. George’s teasing had been relentless.

He had more questions, but if she didn’t want to talk, he could handle the silence.

She sighed as he moved his focus back to untangling the chain from her brace. The shredded spandex material and mud that covered her knee proved she’d lost the battle between her bike and the rocky hillside.

“I’m out of the navy. I’m an adventure guide in the Grand Canyon. I’m good at my job, so that’s not how I got injured. I need six more weeks of physical therapy before they will even consider releasing me back to work.” She rubbed the bridge of her nose, as if telling him that much had drained her.

“Home is a good place to recover. Family can take care of you like no other.” He didn’t make eye contact, hoping to keep her talking. “Are you staying?”

“I’ve already missed a couple months of work. I was in the middle of buying my own outfitter company when I had the accident and my roommate decided there were more opportunities elsewhere. If I can get the new doctor to release me sooner, I can be back faster, plus I’m saving money instead of spending. Is that enough information?”

Looking up from his work, he winked at her. “In the last ten years, I haven’t been past San Antonio. Sounds like you’ve had an adventure.” And she wanted to get back to it. She had plans to leave. He didn’t even know her anymore, so he didn’t understand his disappointment.

“I thought bull riders did a lot of traveling. Last I heard, you were on the road for some big purses and the next big thing to hit the PBR.”

“I don’t ride bulls anymore.”

The edge of the brace popped, and she sucked in her breath. Her hands fisted on the edge of the bench.

“Sorry.” He gave her a fast glance.

“It’s okay, just surprised me.”

Fresh blood bubbled from the wound. Pulling a bandanna out of his pocket, he applied pressure. “Here, hold this. I think I almost have it.” He stood and took off his duster. Throwing it over a nearby rocking chair, he went back to work. “So riding your bike off-trail in the rain is part of your therapy?”

“I figured it wouldn’t be much different than the stationary bike they have me on in the office.”

He laughed. He shook his head as he slipped the last chain from under the metal hinge on her brace. “You might have gone backward in your recovery. The chain did a number on your skin, and the knee looks discolored and swollen. You need to elevate and put ice on it.”

Biting hard on her lip, she tilted her head back, eyes squeezed shut. Each breath was deep and hard.

He wanted to cover her free hand and stop it from rubbing her thigh red. He had never seen anyone work so hard not to cry. “Nikki, it’s going to be okay.”

“I can’t take this anymore. I have to get better. I need to get back to work.”

“Rushing it will only make the recovery longer.” A gust of wind pushed rain onto the porch. “Let’s get inside and clean all this mud off. Last thing you want is an infection.”

* * *

Do not cry. Only the weak cried. She was not weak. The last thing she wanted was Adrian seeing her pathetic self-pity, or anyone, for that matter. Weakness gave people the impression they could use you.

Standing, Nikki tried to put weight on her bad leg, but sharp pain shot up her spine, threatening to bring her to her knees. Swallowing down a scream, she instinctively reached out to Adrian for support.

What she really wanted was to be whole again, independent and strong. She’d get her life back.

She had to. Being in Clear Water was too painful, and it brought secrets too close to the surface.

Twelve years separated her from the past. She had made the mistake thinking she was over it. It was easier to forget when you weren’t surrounded by reminders.

Allowing Adrian to help settle her into one of the ladder-back chairs, she traced the patterns in the wood her grandpa had carved. When she saw her mother’s study Bible, she stopped breathing. “How did that get here?”

“What? Oh, the Bible. I found it tucked away when I was looking for—”

“Put it back.” She closed her eyes. “Please.”

“Sure. Sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

“I just don’t wanna see it.” A burn started at her arm. An angry red scratch showed through her fitted shirt. The sleeve of her favorite workout top had a rip running all the way up to the shoulder.

Adrian pulled another chair up close for her useless leg and gently pulled her favorite running shoe off her foot. The timeworn sofa would have been more comfortable, but no telling what critters had moved in under the old cushions or what they might have left behind. The years of dust alone would smother her if she plopped down on the blue plaid fabric.

Images of her and her twin sisters curled up around their mother as she read from her Bible bubbled to the surface. Nikki used to rush to answer the questions at the end of each story. The twins were one year younger than her, but she had wanted to prove she was smarter and better at everything.

Looking back, she was sure it had to do with all the attention they got. Beautiful twin girls did not go unnoticed, but the plain big sister did.

It wasn’t their fault.

She never felt that competition with their youngest sister, Samantha. She’d been more of a mother to her. Sammi was the only good thing their stepmother had given their family. Sheila’s leaving had been the other good thing, but that happened after she herself had left.

Nikki took in a deep breath. She had no right to judge. Her family needed her, but she’d been too much of a coward to face the consequences of her own mistakes and abandoned everyone that counted on her. She turned away from the living room and closed her eyes.

She couldn’t remember the last time she felt smart or accomplished.

Her gaze went back to the river stone fireplace, to the past. It was cold and empty now, not crackling with a warm blaze like her memory. She could see her father sitting on the recliner, telling her to give her sisters a chance.

Remembering the twins when they were little had a tendency to soften her heart. Soft hearts broke easily.

The image needed to leave her head. She didn’t have time for regrets or grief. They weren’t real anyway. Just pictures she stared at when she was little so she wouldn’t forget the way her mom looked.

Her mom was gone, and the twins were women now. Danica had her own twin daughters. Even little Sammi, who had barely been in school when she left, was now in her twenties and helping run the lumberyard.

Eyes closed, she focused on her body and took deep breaths, pulling in all wayward thoughts. She rotated her foot to evaluate the pain of the injury. Hopefully it wasn’t anything that damaged her recovery. A cold chill climbed up her spine. The last thing she needed was another surgery. Adrian had left. His warm touch no longer working on her knee.

The sputtering of water forcing air through old rusted pipes brought her attention back to the present.

Adrian held a bowl at the sink. “After tending that cut, we’ll get your knee washed up. Then I’ll try and get the mud out of your hair. You must have taken some fall. Was it after or before the rescue?” His shoulders bunched and moved as he rinsed out the bowl and filled it with water. She’d been impressed by the way he snapped the chain and took charge. He might not be riding bulls any longer, but he was still a man of action. He turned. “Do you know if there are any blankets we can trust?”

The rain hit the tin roof. Talking took energy and focus she didn’t have right now. “I haven’t been here since I was eight.”

“That’s a shame. It’s a great place. There’s always someone trying to buy it from your dad or lease it, but rumor has it he won’t even talk about it.”

“The twins and I actually own the ranch. It’s been in my mom’s family for five generations and Dad didn’t want any problems with Sheila, so he made sure to put it in our names.” One of the many things that had made Sheila mad.

He pulled another chair up next to her and carefully wiped at her arm. “That turned out to be a smart idea. This seems like a perfect place for you. One of the highest cliffs in the county is on the far corner of your property. There are rumors of caves, and you have one of the best parts of the river running right through it. It’s too rough and small to really run cattle, but you could have your own private adventure park.”

“One problem. I’m leaving Clear Water as soon as possible.”

“I used to have that goal.” He shrugged and winked. “But God had other plans for me, better plans.”

She tried to stop him by placing her hand over his. Despite the cold, his skin warmed hers. His fingers were long and surprisingly graceful. The calluses kept them from looking pampered. “Working man hands” was what her dad called them. “You don’t have to do that.”

“No, but I’m not going anywhere, and it’s much more efficient for me to take care of it.” He scooted the chair down and removed the brace. “So what did you name your new baby?”

For a second her gut twisted, and she wondered how he knew. The deer. He was talking about the fawn. “I thought men talked less than women.” She certainly didn’t want to talk about babies.

“Now there you go, stereotyping me.” He grinned at her.

She almost laughed. When was the last time a man teased her? He might actually be flirting with her, and it was nice. He pressed on the bottom of her knee.

Her jaw locked, and she took a sharp breath in through her nose. She would not cry out. Gaze on the ceiling, she avoided looking at her injury. If she needed another surgery to repair the damage her run at freedom caused, she might actually cry. She never cried. She was tough. It was just mind over matter.

Adrian used the warm cloth to wipe the mud away. His touch surprisingly gentle. He and his twin brother had been a few grades behind her. Everyone joked that her sisters, identical twins, should date the identical twin boys. She remembered him being charming and a favorite with teachers and students. Known as the wild twin, he was the next big thing in the bull-riding world.

At a young age, he had already won two high school state titles and everyone knew when he turned eighteen he would take the PBR by storm.

“How did you go from superstar bull rider to a cowhand for Childress?”

“I haven’t been on a bull since I was seventeen. God had better things in store for me.”

“What happened? From what I remember, you were a natural. I saw you ride several times. Once, we drove down to San Antonio to watch you.” The blood rushed at the memory of watching him ride, one hand in the air as the massive bundle of muscles, horns and hooves went into a spin. “It was amazing. The bull was huge and mean. Even the way you jumped off stuck in my brain. I think you were sixteen. Why did you stop? Were you hurt?”

He looked at her face. The gold flecks in his dark eyes flashed, making him look younger. “You drove to San Antonio to watch me ride?”

She nodded. “A group of us.”

With a grin, he went back to work on her leg. He gave a half laugh. “Being hurt is part of the game. What stopped me from riding was my daughter.”

“What? You said you stopped at seventeen.” There was no way she had heard him right.

He sighed and finally looked up from working on her knee. “Not my finest moment, but I can’t regret it. I’m surprised you hadn’t heard the gossip. I’m pretty sure the whole Southwest knew about my fall from grace. I was the example worried mamas used to warn their kids that might stray.” He broke eye contact and went back to her injury. “Mia was born the end of my junior year. My mom said if I was serious about raising my daughter she’d help me, but I had to leave the rodeo.”

Maybe if her mom had been alive, things would have been different for her own senior year. She thought back to the girls at their school. “Is her mother a local or did you meet her at a show?”

“Do you remember Charlotte Walker?”

“Yeah. She was new in town, and...anyway. So you gave up your bull riding to get married and raise a family?”

A noise that might be described as a laugh sounded from his throat, but it lacked any humor. “No. Never got married. Being a mother was not in Charlotte’s plans. She wanted to give Mia up for adoption. She left us and went on with her life as if Mia never happened.”

Nikki fought the instinct to defend the teen mother, but she knew it wasn’t Charlotte she was protecting. It was her own ugly past. She never, ever thought about the son she’d walked away from. She couldn’t.

Tommy hadn’t been willing to even acknowledge her in public. She bit the inside of her cheek hard and kept her gaze trained on Adrian’s hands. She couldn’t risk looking at him.

Twisting the cloth, he dunked it back in the water. “But it worked out fine. I don’t have any regrets when it comes to my daughter.”

He went on as if he hadn’t taken her to the darkest places she worked so hard to avoid and keep buried.

“Mom always hated that I rode bulls. I think she was secretly happy to have that leverage over me. I got a job and finished high school.”

Nikki didn’t know what to say. “Wow.” Okay, that was lame. “You went to work for Dub Childress?”

“I only started working horses for him part-time about a couple of years ago. I thought Mia was old enough for me to be back in the arena. Not bulls, but with horses. I really missed that part. I volunteer with the youth rodeo and horse club.” A throaty laugh made her nerve endings tingle. “Can you believe I’m the 4-H dad? Life takes us to strange and wonderful places we never even knew we wanted. I don’t really miss the bulls.”

She imagined he missed it more than he would ever admit. Did he say it to remind himself the way she had to remind herself she was tough and better off alone? After a few minutes of silence, he looked back up at her and grinned.

“George and I have a construction company. We started doing odd jobs, but found we’re really good at restoring old homes. Next week we might actually start a job for your dad. Your sisters wanted to remodel the upstairs of the hardware store for some time now.” He stood. “But you probably knew that already. Everyone has different ideas, and your dad always said no to the project. He asked us to come by Monday and give him an estimate. He has a firm budget, so we aren’t sure what we’ll be able to do.” Taking the bowl to the sink, he dumped the dirty water and refilled it.

“No, I didn’t.”

He turned and leaned against the counter with his hands braced on the edge. He reminded her of one of her grandmother’s odd sayings. That man is a tall drink of water. She’d never understood what it meant until now.

He turned back to the sink and rinsed the cloth. Finished, he started walking to her, an easygoing smile marking long dimples on his cheeks. Her pulse kicked up a notch. “I’m fine. Everything’s clean. You can go.”

Thunder and lightning gave her sentence an exclamation mark.

“Are you kicking me out into the storm?”

She didn’t want to feel better because of his smile or that he was nice to her. If he knew the truth, it would all change. “The rain should let up soon. Why were you on the ranch anyway? My father gets nasty about people trespassing. At least he used to.”

“Still does. Riding the fence, I found a section down. The storm hit while I was checking to see if any of our cattle had wandered over to your land.”

He walked toward her and she narrowed her eyes. What was he going to do now? Whenever anyone was this nice to her, they wanted something. “You could wait on the porch or check on your horse. What about the fawn? Should we make sure she’s all right?”

“You have twigs and mud tangled in your hair. Let me help you at least get the pieces of tree out of your scalp. What happened out there anyway?”

“What do you know about hair?” She knew she sounded snarky, but the thought of him coming closer set her nerves on edge.

He didn’t slow down. “I’m a single dad of a ten-year-old girl. You’d be amazed how much I know about hair.”

Standing behind her, Adrian started pulling out random debris that she had collected on her downhill slide. Soft tugs on her scalp actually soothed her. So he was going to ignore her hints to leave. She closed her eyes. “You’re really good at this.”

“A perk of having an active ten-year-old daughter. I know how to untangle the biggest mess without pulling out any hair.” He moved to the other side and his fingers started at the base of her neck. “Mia has long curly hair that’s incredibly thick. I try to keep it braided or at least in a rubber band. One time while we were shearing my dad’s angoras, I found her in the middle of a pen full of mama goats and their kids. They had nibbled her hair all the way up to her shoulders.”

Even the steady rhythm of his voice lured her to relax and trust him. “Was she upset?”

“No. She’s a great kid. She laughed and said she needed a haircut anyway.” His fingers ran through her strands one more time. “Sorry, I tend to talk about her too much.” Rich sounds of laughter danced across the forgotten family retreat. “She gets a little put out with me, but that’s my job, right? So how are we going to get you home? I don’t think you’re in any shape to ride a horse. Do you have a phone? Mine’s dead, and I don’t see a landline here. I’m sure your dad’s worried.”

“I think my dad stopped worrying about me a long time ago.”

“Dads never stop worrying. My dad still tells me what I should be doing, how to do it and what I’m doing wrong. Can’t imagine giving up that card for Mia either.”

Giving him a light shrug, she leaned her head back and closed her eyes. So Adrian was the perfect father. Great, just what she needed—another reminder of all the ways she had messed up her life. Let me count the ways. “I’ll just wait until the storm passes. Then I’ll walk back to town.”

“That’s about ten miles from here. I can’t believe you biked this far on that knee. Not gonna happen, and I’m not leaving you here alone. So do you have a phone on you?”

“You have to push through the pain if you’re going to make any gains.” She crossed her arms.

He mirrored her and leaned to the side, shifting his weight to his left leg. He didn’t say another word, just stared at her, waiting for an answer.

“You’re not giving up, are you?” She had to respect his quiet tenacity.

“Nope.”

“Fine. I didn’t bring one because I didn’t want anyone to find me, but there should be an old landline in the office behind the stairs. And yes, I might have overdone it on the knee.” With the same swagger he had as a bull rider, Adrian cut across the room. Back in school, even the older girls would sigh when he walked past in his Wranglers.

Palms pressed against her face, she blocked the sight. She had no business noticing his swagger. Eye candy was not her thing. It just got a girl in trouble.

Back in high school, Tommy had been all smiles and charm wrapped up in a good-looking package. She wanted to be loved so bad she believed his lies. Then in Arizona, sweet eye-candy Mike captivated her and convinced her he was ready to take on an adventure as long as she was there. Look where that got her. Both men almost destroyed her.

She had one goal. Get healthy and get back to the Grand Canyon. Well, that was two, but the one thing she knew for sure: Adrian De La Cruz needed to stay out of her head. She didn’t worry about her heart. It was already gone.

Chapter Two

Adrian tossed the trashed bike into the back of Mr. Bergmann’s truck. The rain had moved east and now humidity sat heavy on his shoulders as he stood at the driver’s door. “Mr. Bergmann, I’ll get the fence repaired before the weekend is out.”

“Appreciate it, Adrian. And thanks for helping Nicole.” He cut a glance to his daughter. “She shouldn’t have even been out here. It’s too hazardous, and with her bashed-up knee she could have gotten herself killed. This place is dangerous.” With the sigh of a frustrated father, he looked back at Adrian. “I thank God you were out here.”

Arms crossed over her chest, she rolled her eyes. “I can take care of myself. No one had to save me, Daddy.” She sighed and leaned forward. “Adrian, thank you. I’m grateful you were here. I’m just... Let me know if there is anything I need to do for the fawn.”

He understood her frustration. Needing help was never a fun place to be in when you were used to taking care of yourself. “No worries—we’ve got her. You can visit anytime you like. Consider it an open adoption.” He chuckled. “Glad I was here. Hope there’s not too much damage to your knee.”

The diesel engine roared to life. Bergmann tipped his Montana Brand tools baseball cap. “I’ll see you at the store Monday if not before.”

Adrian gave a slap to the door and stepped back. He waited for them to disappear around the curve before heading to the shed. With a hind leg cocked, Zeta looked to be sound asleep. “Hey, wake up, lazy. We’ve got a fence to fix.” After calling Nikki’s dad, he had called George to let him know he’d be late to dinner.

Ears forward, she raised her head. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. You were just waiting on me.” After checking the gear, he picked up the fawn and tucked her inside his duster, close to him. “We have a guest, so mind your manners.” He let the horse smell the baby deer then patted her withers before swinging up into the saddle. With a nudge of his knees, they started down the dirt road at a more leisurely pace than a few hours ago.

At the downed fence, he saw a Childress work truck with the cutting-horse logo on the side. His brother, George, pulled fencing from the back. Mia started jumping and waving.

She was trying to jump, anyway. She looked a bit awkward with the new brace. He’d be so happy when he didn’t have to see a brace again. Mia’s gear looked twice as long as Nikki’s. She never did tell him what kind of injury she suffered.

“Mia, careful. We just got your cast off. Where’re your crutches?” Dismounting, he dropped the reins to the ground. “You shouldn’t have brought her out here. She’s going to end up back in the wheelchair.”

“Hey, you were the one who left her at school without calling, so don’t lecture me, little brother. Anyway, I remember someone with a busted ankle refusing to use his crutches.” George and Mia moved to the fence. She carried the fence ties as she limped next to his twin. “Then you cut the thing off so you wouldn’t miss another ride. She’ll be fine, Papa Bear.”

Adrian popped his jaw. He was not in the mood for his brother’s ribbing. He moved to the back seat of the Silverado 2500 and used a blanket to wrap the sleeping fawn. He’d surprise Mia with it on the way back to the ranch. “My injury was different. She’s a ten-year-old girl and could get hurt again.”

“You need to relax. What has you so uptight? What are you doing in the truck?”

“Nothing. And you’re not a father, so you don’t get it.”

George stopped what he was doing and straightened. “I can’t believe you said that to me. Are you looking for a fight? Because I can give you one right here and leave you in the mud, little brother.”

Mia rolled her eyes. “Tío George, it’s okay. He just freaks out easily since I fell off the horse. It all worked out. And, Daddy, if I sit at home any longer I’ll scream. Please don’t get mad at Tío.”

“You didn’t just fall off your horse. You were dragged across an arena.”

George narrowed his eyes and scrutinized his twin. Adrian glared back for a moment, but quickly turned away, studying the blue sky that had been heavy and threatening an hour ago. If anyone could see his discomfort over seeing Nikki again, it would be his twin. “Weather changes fast around here.”

“Sure.” George started unrolling the wire. “Hold this, mija. Changing the subject won’t work. When you called you said the oldest Bergmann sister was hurt. Didn’t know she was back in town. Still as stunning as when she was in school?”

Adrian scowled at his brother then back to his daughter. Was his brother that dense to talk about women in front of Mia? He followed the glare with a shrug. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. She was hurt, and I helped her. She’s in a brace too, and was doing stuff she shouldn’t have been doing.” He took the coiled wire fencing from Mia. “Go put the tailgate down and sit with the dogs. The ground is too wet and uneven for your injured leg.”

“Daddy! Tío said I could help.”

“Go or I’ll have your tío take you home.”

With a heavy sigh, she limped back to the truck. Beast and Belle, George’s blue heelers, got excited and sat next to her. Those were the kind of names you got when a six-year-old girl named your dogs. She hugged the pair and let them lick her. He sighed.

Now she’d probably name any new dogs after some boy-band crush. She was growing up too fast, and there was nothing he could do to stop the changes.

He checked his watch. Sitting still was hard for Mia. Who was he kidding? He’d go crazy not being able to work. He knew she thought he was too stern, so did his brother, but he couldn’t deal with her being hurt again. “How about I take you to the store when we finish? You can get a couple of new coloring books and markers. I need to pick up some groceries anyways.”

Her face lit up. “Thank you, Daddy!”

When she smiled, he automatically felt guilty for being upset with her. Seeing Nikki all grown up, but hurt and refusing help, had put him in a bad mood.

Tuesday, they had the first physical-therapy session with the new brace. The therapist only came to Clear Water twice a week. Nikki would probably be there.

He sighed and pulled the wire tight. The high school girl he obsessed over no longer existed. Life had taken them in different directions. She took on the world, and he was happy living within the borders of Clear Water, raising his daughter.

* * *

“Nikki, don’t be stubborn. I can cancel my appointment and go to The Mercantile for you.” Her father kept looking straight ahead. He hated conflict and would avoid it at all cost.

She pushed the door open. “I just need a few things. I can walk over to the hardware store when I’m finished. I need to work out the kinks.”

The muscle in his jaw popped. “It’s the walking part I’m worried about.” The wrinkles at the edges of his eyes and the gray in his hair marked the time she had been away. If she allowed herself to put a number to the years, she might start crying...and never stop. So many regrets that couldn’t be undone.

“I’ve got this, Daddy. I’m used to being on my own.”

“You are not alone. You’ve never been alone. We’ve been here the whole time, waiting. I never asked you to leave. I...” He took a deep breath. “I understood why you left, but once your stepmother was gone, why didn’t you come back? The door was always opened for you.”

“Sheila was never any kind of mother, step or otherwise.” This was exactly the reason she never came home. Adjusting her ponytail, Nikki pulled it tight. “I know I would be welcomed home. I just needed to move on from Clear Water.” She jerked the handle harder than necessary and stepped out onto the golf-ball-sized gravel. “If you don’t leave now you’ll be late, and a Bergmann is never late. Love you.”

As she tried to walk away with a straight spine, the uneven concrete steps slowed her down. She paused on the top one. She had never been good at being truthful with herself.

It was not the four lopsided steps that stopped her, but the thought of going in the store and seeing people she hadn’t seen in years. Maybe she should have let her dad go for her so she could keep hiding in the house.

A couple more steps and she forced herself to open the glass door. The tiny bell rang and the few people in the store turned and looked at her before going back to their business, everyone except Victoria Lawson. Well, Miller since she married Tommy. Barbed wire tightened around her spine.

Vickie was one of the people she didn’t want to see. The one person she never dreamed would be working in a small-town grocery store. The one person she owed the biggest apology to. She didn’t think Vickie even knew. Maybe she had been wrong keeping silent. At the time, she thought telling everyone would just cause more hurt all around.

The former head cheerleader and class president came around the counter and hugged her. “Nikki Bergmann, it’s great seeing you. Danica told me you were in town. Welcome back.” In high school, she’d been the perfect girl dating the perfect quarterback. There was a petty, dark part of Nikki that was disappointed her secret high school rival was still as beautiful, maybe even more so. Last she heard, Vickie and Tommy were at Baylor University together and had a son a year after she had her... Stop it, Nikki!

Shifting from one foot to the other, she tried to come up with something polite to say. People made small talk. It was normal. Be normal.

She hated chitchat. Forcing a smile, she returned Vickie’s hug then stepped back. “Thank you. So you and Tommy moved back to Clear Water?”

“Where have you been? I can’t believe your sisters didn’t tell you. I moved back to Clear Water without Tommy. We’re divorced and he’s, well... He’s not around.”

For a moment, her brain shut down. Not a single neuron fired. “Oh, I...I’m sorry.”

Vickie laughed. “Don’t be. Jake Torres and I are married now. Coming back was the best thing that ever happened to me. Maybe God has something great in store for you too.” She smiled, a real smile, not the smirk she used back in high school. “I finally got smart. So what brought you in today?” She glanced down at Nikki’s leg. “Anything I can get for you?”

“I just need a cart.” She tried smiling again, but it felt tight. Between the pain traveling from her leg to her spine, and the emotions of guilt, her lungs burned from the lack of air. Vickie was married to Jake, not Tommy. All the horrible feelings when she was a teenager started crowding out the person she worked hard to become while she was away from Texas. Another reason she didn’t want to ever step foot in Clear Water again.

The wood floors under her feet had to be over a hundred years old. How many people had walked through here, taking care of their families? People that didn’t run away. She needed painkillers. She needed them over an hour ago.

Vickie brought a small wobbly wheeled shopping cart over to her. Leaning into it, Nikki almost cried from the relief of taking pressure off her leg.

Stomping off from her dad had been a bad choice. Her whole leg throbbed, and it was her own fault. Yeah, that’s her, a living, breathing, limping example of pride cometh before the fall.

The shopping cart pulled to the left again. She growled and yanked it back. Great, she had a lame basket too.

“Nikki?”

She dropped her head before plastering a smile on her face and turning to Adrian. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were stalking me.”

“Maybe you do know better, and you’re onto me.” His heart-melting smile was highlighted by a wink.

She glared at him. Did she look like the kind that invited flirting? Most of the men in her life didn’t even try.

He dared to lean in closer and grinned. “Do you need help? What are you getting?”

“I’m just getting some painkillers, almond milk and orange juice. But I’ve got it.”

“Daddy! Look, they have a new horse book. Can I get it too?” A beautiful girl of about ten hobbled over on crutches, her long dark hair trying to crawl out of a French braid.

Nikki froze. Her gut twisted. Adrian’s daughter.

“Mia, this is Nikki Bergmann. She’s the long-lost oldest Bergmann sister. We went to school together. Nikki, my daughter, Mia.”

“Oh, you saved Swift. She’s so sweet. Thank you for giving her to my dad. I promise to take good care of her and you can come see her anytime. So you went to school with my dad. Did you know my mom?”

Adrian cut his daughter a glare. “Mia.”

“Sorry. Daddy says you have a brace too.” The girl looked at her leg in confusion. “Did they let you take it off?”

She watched Adrian walk the short distance to the cooler at the end of the aisle. He was a man now with a man’s filled-out frame, but he still had the I-own-the-world swagger that seemed to be in all bull riders. It was hard to believe he gave it up for his daughter. She glanced at Mia. Did he have regrets? Obviously Charlotte, Mia’s mother, was a banned subject.

The silence didn’t deter the young girl. “I just got my cast off, and Tuesday I have my first day in full therapy. I have a rod and screws holding my leg together. Are you in physical therapy?”

She was as talkative as her dad. Nikki blinked a few times to clear her thoughts. “I’ll be there at sixteen hundred hours.”

Adrian tossed a bottle of orange juice and a carton of unsweetened almond milk in her cart as he laughed. “For us civilians, we need to translate.” He rolled his eyes up as he counted on his fingers. He looked back at them with a grin. “Four o’clock, right?”

The girl’s face lit up. “Yay! We can be workout buddies. Daddy said you’re an adventure guide in the Grand Canyon and you were in the navy. That sounds really cool. I broke my leg in three places being drug by a horse in the arena. I hit my head, so I don’t remember any of it, but Daddy saw everything.” The same gold flecks her father had now flashed in her young eyes.

“Mia.” Adrian looked as if he had lost some color to his dark skin and his eyebrows had a deep crease between them. He did not share Mia’s excitement over the story of her accident.

Leaning closer to her, Mia whispered, “Daddy’s having a harder time dealing with my injury than I am.”

“Sorry, she thinks everyone wants to hear her life story.”

“Wonder who she got that from?” She winked at Adrian. He actually blushed. Without thought, laughter—good honest laughter—bubbled forth. It surprised her at first. She didn’t laugh often—not much to laugh about.

Mia didn’t seem to notice her dad’s discomfort. “Did you fall while climbing cliffs, or smash against a rock in the white-water rapids? I’ve seen shows about it.”

“No, just a boring car wreck.” She smiled at Mia. “I busted my ACL and damaged my meniscus.”

“Oh no. Is everyone okay?” Her small hand went to her chest.

“Yeah. I got the worst of it. A guy on his cell phone T-boned us. As the passenger, I took the main hit.” That wasn’t the only hit she took that day. She shifted her weight, trying to take the pressure off her hurt knee.

“Why aren’t you wearing a brace?” The concerned look on Mia’s face mirrored Adrian’s. The child undeniably had more of her dad in her than her mom. All she remembered of Charlotte was the girl liked wearing black and never smiled—not at her, anyway. She couldn’t picture Adrian being with a girl like that.

Since he apparently didn’t have a cart, Adrian just threw some fresh carrots, corn on the cob and spinach in hers. He also had a giant supply of painkillers and a bottle of water. “She was doing stuff she shouldn’t be doing and now she’s in pain and might have hurt her knee all over again. We had to cut her brace off so she could walk.” He opened the painkillers and held three gel tablets out to her. “Why don’t you take a few of these now. You look as if you won’t be standing much longer.”

“I’m fine.” She wanted to refuse the meds he offered her, but she knew he was right. She had waited too long and now the pain was overwhelming. Without the cart she wouldn’t be standing. She took them from his hand and slammed them back without the water he offered. “Thanks.”

With a gentle nudge, he turned her cart to the front of the old store. “Let’s get you checked out and drive you home. You need to elevate and ice that knee. No more walking.”

Mia sighed. “Sorry he’s so bossy. He says that all the time to me. Daddy thinks ice cures everything. Tío says it’s from his bull-riding days. Ice it, wrap it and get back in the saddle.” The little girl dropped her voice to mimic her father.

“Except you will not be getting back in the saddle—not on a barrel racer, anyway.”

The smaller version of Adrian crossed her arms and tightened her mouth, but she didn’t say anything. There was trouble in paradise.

“Hey, Nikki.” George came from the back, carrying something wrapped in white butcher paper.

The brothers still looked a great deal alike, but she never understood how people got them confused. Adrian was leaner and better looking. She always thought so, anyway.

George smiled. “Good to see you. How’s the knee?” They did have the same smile, but George’s didn’t make her feel weak.

“She’s in pain and needs to get off her feet. We’re checking out then taking her home.” Adrian moved her cart slowly to the checkout. Another difference: George wasn’t as bossy as his twin.

“Great, you’re joining us for dinner. Good thing I decided to pick up a couple of extra steaks.”

Adrian placed the items on the worn laminate counter and smiled at Vickie as she started ringing them up. “Not our house. We’re taking her to her home.”

“Nikki, you should come over and let us pamper you. My grilled steaks and corn on the cob is famous, and Adrian tosses a mean spinach salad.”

Vickie chuckled as she put the unhusked corn in a bag. “It’s true. No one passes up an opportunity for George’s grilling.” She picked up the pills and started putting them in the bag too.

“No, those are mine.” Reaching for them, Nikki winced as the pain shot through her body. “I’m paying for those.”

Adrian’s hand balanced her. “Careful. Just put it on my tab.” He looked at George. “Get the bags. I’m taking her to the truck.”

“Your daughter’s right. You’re bossy.” Biting down on the inside of her cheeks, she let Adrian lead her out the door. As they approached the steps, she wanted to cry. There was no way she was going to make it.

Without warning, her feet left the ground and Adrian had her cradled in his arms like a big giant baby. “I can walk.”

“Right. I knew you were going to say that, which is why I didn’t bother to ask. I’ve never seen someone so stubborn about being in pain, and I used to hang out with bull riders. You’re much easier to carry without a bike attached to you.”

A group of boys walked by, and all the girls giggled.

“Adrian, you finally catch a girlfriend?” one of the boys yelled out.

Another followed up. “He found one that wasn’t fast enough.” The boys laughed at their own stupid jokes.

Adrian shook his head and gave her a half grin before turning back to the boys. “Seth, make yourself useful and open my back door.”

“Yes, sir.” The lanky kid ran past them and stood next to the door.

He looked familiar, but she couldn’t place him. Adrian eased her into the back seat and turned her so her legs stretched out.

“Seth!” The kid was already back on the sidewalk when Adrian yelled at him. “I forgot to tell your mom that Dr. Rankin had to reschedule. Next month the horse-club meeting needs to be moved to the seventeenth. Go ask your mom to send an email out to all the members. She’s just inside.”

“Yes, sir.” The kid smiled.

Her throat went dry as a face from her past flashed across her mind. “Was that Tommy and Vickie’s son?”

He pulled the seat belt around so she could buckle it. “Yep. He’s about twelve. It’s been a bit rough on him, but he’s a good kid.”

“Rough? Because of the divorce? Seth looks like his father.”

“Yeah, he does. The divorce was bad enough, but then... Tommy’s in jail.”

“Tommy Miller?” She blinked. The world turned upside down. He had been the golden boy. Everyone loved him. She had loved him, until he used her and... “Why?”

“Domestic violence. The worst part was Seth was the one to call 911 and had to step between his father and Vickie. Tommy threatened her with a gun.” He closed the door.

Numb. Her brain was numb.

Mia opened the other passenger door and crawled up into the bench seat. “Are you going to eat with us?”

“No, Mia. She needs to go home.”

Nikki looked up at Adrian. Their eyes met in the mirror. “Please.” She wanted to say more, but if she uttered another word she would start to cry.

One quick nod, and he turned the key. George got in the front and handed her a small bag. “Sure you don’t want to join us? We have plenty.”

Adrian backed the truck out. “She needs to go home and get some rest. I think her day’s been long enough.”

Sometimes being bossy was a good thing. Nikki closed her eyes, thankful that Adrian understood on some level that she needed to hide. At this rate, she shouldn’t venture out of her father’s house ever again. Not until it was time to leave Clear Water, anyway.

Chapter Three

Hiding in the corner—well, actually a closet—Nikki sat on an odd chair that had been left behind. Her father wanted her to meet with Adrian and George as they did an appraisal of the remodel. She knew he was trying to get her out of the house and involved in the family business. She would have said no, but she was starting to get a little stir-crazy.

Now she regretted the decision to come to the lumberyard. At least George would be here. She just didn’t want to spend any more time alone with Adrian.

From the dark cubby, she could see through several open doors to the front area. Built in 1884, parts of the store had seen better days. Some of the interior walls had been torn down sometime in the twenties or thirties to make the front half one big room. Rumor had it they used it for dancing, but she couldn’t imagine anyone in her father’s family hosting community dances. Eight columns supported the stamped tin ceiling, and a raised platform gave credence to the live music gatherings. The back part of the space had been living quarters.

The ornate door that she remembered always being locked now leaned against the wall. A heavy carved chair with a strange back elevated above the others in a sea of forgotten chairs. The different styles stood as evidence of each decade that marched through the rooms. It looked as if generations of Bergmanns never threw anything away.

Over the years, her father stood firm that the cost to repair the upstairs of the historic building had been out of financial reach. Money needed to be spent wisely on the areas where customers traveled. Which meant the above and below were left untouched. The basement was used as storage for the business, but the upper floor looked like a graveyard of the forgotten.

Footsteps on the narrow staircase to her left stopped her thoughts. One pair of boots slowly moved closer to her. Only one?

Please, let it be George. He didn’t ask her questions or make her uncomfortable.

The man on the stairs came into view. He had his back to her. Her stomach dropped with a heavy thud. It was Adrian.

Worn fitted Levi’s jeans, boots and a blue button-up shirt tucked neatly had him looking all business with a pair of work gloves in his back pocket. The silver Stetson was not the same one he’d worn when he hauled her out of the rain.

He wasn’t much taller than she remembered. But he had filled out. In a very nice way. Too nice for her comfort.

Hands on his hips, he arched back and studied the ceiling. He moved through the doors to the front of the room and stopped at one of the large ten-foot windows.

She had a perfect view as he gently ran his fingers along the wood trim then dropped to the floor and thoughtfully traced the baseboards.

He muttered some words she couldn’t hear then turned his attention to the broken laminate tiles in the floor. Slowly, he pried one of the squares up and touched the flooring he found underneath. He caressed the building as if comforting and reassuring hurt feelings.

Standing, he turned her way. His eyes went wide for a second, and then he smiled at her. “Well, Ms. Bergmann, what a pleasure to find you hiding up here.” In a few steps, he stood in front of her. The morning sun flooded through the windows behind him. The light made it hard to see the details of his face.

Why did she feel guilty for watching him? “I’m not hiding. Daddy asked me to meet you and George here.” Standing over her, he seemed taller than six foot. Using the arm of the chair, she got herself to her feet. “He wanted to make sure you didn’t get any crazy ideas of making a grand statement with the remodel. He’s still not sure he wants to waste the money on this part of the building.” She looked to the back stairway. Maybe George got stopped downstairs by one of her sisters. “Where’s your partner?”

“My partner needed to finish up another job and sent me. My specialty is uncovering the beauty in old buildings. I can keep it as simple or as complicated as you want it.”

“Simple. I... We... I mean, he, my father, wants to keep it simple.”

“What about your sisters? They gave me a long list of ideas, and every time they saw me they added more.” He crossed his arms over his chest, and his shirt stretched across lean hard muscles. She looked toward the door, not wanting to remember how comforting it felt to be held by those arms. He had just been helping someone in trouble. He hadn’t meant anything by it.

“My sisters are great with ideas, but Daddy’s the money man.”

He nodded as his eyes scanned the room. “What about you? What part are you playing?”

“Not any. I’m just a temporary guest who plans to move on as soon as I can.”

His attention came back to her and he paused until they made eye contact. “That’s a shame.”

Now, why did her insides have to get all gooey? Ugh, she had the worst taste in men. He was a bull rider. Maybe a retired one, but still, they were all adrenaline junkies and thought they were some kind of gift to the women of the planet. It must have to do with the arrogance of thinking they could ride a two-thousand-pound animal made of muscle. She had enough issues without dating a risk taker, and he had a kid. That made him off-limits.

Stay on topic, Nikki girl. You’re here to talk about the building. “So what do you think? Can it be made into usable space at a reasonable price?”

He ran his fingertips along the decorative cuts on the unhinged door. “My guess from the designs cut into the wood is that this door was brought over from Europe, maybe Germany. This is one solid piece of wood, not small pieces glued on. It’s beautiful.” His gaze cut across the room. “I had no clue there was such a big pulley up here. The wheel is at least eight feet wide. It’s amazing.”

She could see the appreciation in his eyes.

He waved her to follow him. “Come here.”

Without waiting, he moved to a moldy part of the wall that had started to crumble. He took the work gloves from his back pocket. With them on, he carefully lifted a corner of the drywall and pulled. It gave way under the pressure, and he moved back.

With a gleam he looked at her, waiting for her reaction. He acted as if he was sharing a found treasure.

Looking at the exposed stone wall then back at him, she waited.

“This is incredible and a pretty easy fix.” He stepped over the new debris and laid his palm on the stone-and-plaster wall. “Come here.”

Carefully she stepped around the rubble and touched the wall.

“Do you feel that? That’s a building that has provided shelter and a living for over one hundred and thirty years. It’s been covered and hidden away.” He gazed at the wall, his hand pressing against it as if listening for a heartbeat. He looked at her and smiled. “Do you feel it?”

The cool stone seemed to have a life all its own. “So you want to take the Sheetrock down and expose the stone.”

He nodded. “It was probably added in the sixties trying to make the room look more modern. The fifties and sixties did a great deal of damage to these old places.”

Their hands were close. Would he tear down her walls and expose the truth she had hidden? He wouldn’t be as excited at what he found there. She feared the damage went too deep.

His rich, warm eyes searched her face. Oh no, he looked as if he might kiss her. His breath was warm and had a faint smell of citrus, like he just ate an orange. They now stood less than an inch apart.

She blinked. She didn’t move away from him, and that scared her most. She actually leaned in.

“Hello!”

“Hello!” The greeting’s echo came from the back stairs as her twin sisters emerged. Each holding a cup of coffee.

In the same motion, Adrian and she turned away from the wall, away from each other, and faced her sisters. She glared at them. “I thought y’all were running the store while Daddy went to Uvalde.”

“Oh, Sammi has it under control—”

“She’s been asking for more responsibility—”

“And we are so excited about what Adrian is going to do up here—”

“Adrian, can you see this as a quaint teahouse with mix-matched chairs and sofas? Lots of books and—”

“There are less than four hundred people in Clear Water, and only three like hot tea. Daddy will not go for a tearoom.” Rolling her eyes, Danica turned to Adrian. “I think it should be more practical, maybe a dual purpose. A nice place where people can meet, maybe even have small receptions and parties.”

Jackie gave an identical eye roll. “That is soooo practical, Dani.”

Nikki rubbed her leg. Her head started to throb. Not much changed with her sisters. She should have never agreed to leave the house, to meet with Adrian. The almost kiss was too close for comfort. She took a deep breath and tried to figure out a way to leave.

* * *

Adrian lowered his head to hide his grin. He hoped he and his twin didn’t sound like this. Maybe it was a sister thing. But he didn’t think they would appreciate his humor at their expense.

All three sisters were tall, almost his height, so they had to be at least five-nine. Nikki was the tallest. The twins had long strawberry blond hair, Danica’s in a fancy braid down her back with a few strands curled around her face. When she had first dropped out of college and came home to have her twins, everyone tried setting them up, but all he could think about when he was around her was her older sister Nikki.

It wasn’t right to think about one sister when having dinner with the other. So they became good friends.

Danica pointed to Nikki. “She gave me another idea. We could expand the business to camping, hunting and outdoor adventure stuff like the business she wanted to buy at the Grand Canyon.”

“What? How did I get drawn into this? I’m not staying.” Nikki gave her sister a heated glare as she rubbed her leg. They weren’t listening to her. “Why would you think that? I still plan on going through with that once I’m completely healed.”

“I think it’s a perfect plan. With that jerk of a boyfriend causing your injury, and then taking half of your money, you need family around you. It’d take less funding to start your business in Clear Water. Your dreams can happen here and we can help.”

Nikki froze. He watched for any movement, but it looked as if she had stopped breathing.

Adrian went to her side and touched her shoulder. He made sure not to stand too close. The smell of ivory soap had never been so dangerous to his sanity. “Where are your crutches? You need to get off your leg.”

He knew she had to be hurting when she allowed him to guide her to one of the antique chairs. It didn’t take a genius to figure out she hated showing any weakness, and her sister just put her business out there like it was nothing. They probably saw her troubles as a blessing that brought her home.

Family was like that, manipulating a situation to get you to do what they thought was best. All from love, but it still burned for someone as independent as Nikki. All he could do for her was change the topic.

“This chair looks like another antique from Europe. My best guess without research is it’s a prayer chair from France. Has it always been here?”

The twins both shrugged.

“There is so much history in this building. Your family history.” Adrian stepped past Nikki and went deeper into the space. The morning sun cast the colors of a high stained-glass window across the room. Purples, blues and greens danced on the old plaster-and-stone wall, creating a feeling of peace, like they were surrounded by water. It had not been touched by so-called modern improvements.

Nikki turned her face to the light and closed her eyes. The reflection from the antique stained glass touched her features with color. He stopped breathing. An irresistible mix of strength and femininity made up the curves of her face. He needed to pull himself together. That kiss had been too close. What had he been thinking?

The twins crowded the door. “What do you think it is?”

Adrian took his eyes off Nikki, and blinked at her sisters a couple of times before realizing they had not been reading his thoughts. “I think it might’ve been a prayer room.”

“A prayer room?” A hushed whisper couldn’t hide their curiosity and awe.

“I’ve never heard such a thing. Why wouldn’t Dad—”

“Why is Samantha alone with a line of customers?” Mr. Bergmann’s voice caused them all to jump like kids caught stealing cookies.

Jackie had her hand on her chest. “Really, Daddy? Did you have to scare us?”

“It’s your guilty conscience, not me. I told y’all to stay away while Adrian was doing the appraisal. I don’t want your fancy ideas to interfere with his bid.”

“Daddy, there is so much cool family stuff up here. I’m excited about what we’ll find.” Jackie stepped closer to her father. At six-five, he towered over his daughter. None of them appeared the slightest bit intimidated. He glanced back at Nikki. Boredom stamped her face, but his gut told him it was an act.

“We are not here to dig up old history. Danica, what are you doing here? Mondays you’re at the animal sanctuary. You.” Mr. Bergmann looked at Jackie. “You should be downstairs helping your little sister. Someone wants more information about those new chalk paints of yours.”

“Daddy, this isn’t just family history, but even more important information about what was going on in the area and state.” Jackie served on every committee in the area that had anything to do with local and Texas history.

“No. If we remodel that’s fine, but that’s the end of it. It’s not becoming a museum for people to stomp around.”

Jackie started to say something else, but Danica took her sister’s hand. “It’s okay. We’re here about the room.” With her arm around her sister, she smiled at their father. “We’ve waited so long for this, Daddy, and Nikki doesn’t even really care about the room one way or another.” She squeezed Jackie around the waist.

“She’s right. We’re excited about the possibilities of this room. It was our idea to call Adrian. We should be here.” Jackie stated her case one more time, but it didn’t help.

Mr. Bergmann crossed his arms and glared. “Which is why I’m putting her in charge. She will make sure the job gets done without wasting money on extravagant ideas. Go or I’ll send Adrian away and it’ll just stay the way it is right now without even hearing a bid.”

With matching sighs, the two women headed down the stairs. He turned back to Nikki and Adrian. He was a tall man with thick dark hair that was sprinkled with silver. He didn’t look old enough to have four grown daughters, but there was a sadness in the lines of his face that proved his life had not been an easy one. “Nikki, you look like you’re in pain. Do you need to go home? Adrian can come back later. We don’t have to do this now.”

She stood and smiled at him. “No, I’m good. I just forgot how overwhelming the twins can be when they’re together.”

He snorted. “Welcome to my life. I think it’s about time someone got married around here and added a male point of view.”

Adrian knew neither of the twins was dating anyone. Danica had mentioned Nikki’s boyfriend, but it didn’t sound like they were still together or that he was a good guy. He really wanted to know, but couldn’t figure out a way to ask without it getting awkward. The silence after that statement made the air heavy.

“Mr. Bergmann, let me show you the walls.” Heading back to the exposed stone, he knew the lumberyard owner wouldn’t be as moved by sentiment as his daughter.

Nikki followed. “Adrian said this would be one of the easiest parts, and it’d get rid of possible mold.”

The tall man nodded. “Yeah, I’ve been worried about the mold after that last big storm.”

“Truthfully, the biggest areas of expense will be the floor and the windows. They’ll have to be custom-made, and to restore the trim I would want to use as much of the original wood as possible. To match it can take time. The wood floor might be tricky too. We really won’t know how much damage we’re dealing with until we remove the tiles. I’ll have to get an asbestos report.”

Bergmann toed a corner of a floor tile. “Can’t we just put some of that laminate wood flooring over the tile?”

Adrian tried to suppress a shudder, at least enough that Mr. Bergmann wouldn’t be offended. That was the problem working on someone else’s building. To hide the magnificence of the aged beauty was a true injustice to the original craftsmanship. Putting fake wood on the floor and burying the truth even deeper was so wrong.

“Daddy, if we’re gonna do this I think we need to do it right. You know the wood under this flooring is irreplaceable. They can’t cut that type of wood planks anymore.” Her gaze darted to Adrian, and she took a deep breath before turning back to her dad. “I remember you and Mom talking about this. She’d want to see the floors restored. Do you remember that?”

“Yes, but I didn’t think you did.”

She nodded. “I do. I think we let Adrian strip the old tiles away and at least see what we have underneath. If there is too much damage to the old wood, then we can talk other options.” She glanced back at Adrian. “What do you think?”

“I think it’s a good place to start. If it’s possible, I would love the opportunity to save the original wood.”

“Okay, get an estimate to me, and we’ll go from there. I’m putting Nikki in charge.”

“Me? Why? I’m not staying.” She crossed her arms.

“You’ll stay until you’re healed and this room is repaired. I trust you. Of all my girls, you’re the most practical. I’ve always been able to count on you to get the job done right. The only reason I’m finally going ahead with this is because you’re here. You leave, and I call it off.” He turned to Adrian. “You have a problem answering to a woman?”

“No, sir.”

“Good. Then whenever you’re here, she’ll be here. She knows construction.”

Adrian lifted his hat and ran his fingers through his hair. He had no problem working with women. He’d done it several times before. What he feared was working with Nikki, and not being able to keep it all business.

Chapter Four

Nikki pushed the stationary bike into double time. She had convinced the new coach to let her in early. By the time the therapist arrived, Nikki had already broken a sweat. When she introduced herself as Teresa Ortega, Nikki hoped she concealed her shock. The Teresa Ortega she remembered couldn’t be old enough to have this kind of responsibility. She was one of the younger Ortegas of the huge Ortega clan. One thing she did know: all of them were good people.

After a quick assessment and a short lecture about the percentage of reinjuries if she didn’t follow protocol, Teresa left her alone to work out.

Wanting to avoid everyone, Nikki had stayed away from town. Adrian said it would take him a week or two to get the quote together, but he needed to take measurements and check out the condition of the existing structure. He would not actually be working, so she convinced her dad she could use the time to rest at home. If she spoke the truth, she would call it by its right name: hiding.

Unfortunately, there were two things she couldn’t avoid. The first being her sisters. They thought their mission was to cheer her up and keep her company.

The concept that she wanted to be in a bad mood and did not want to talk to anyone went over their heads. They came anyway, including her sister’s six-year-old twin daughters.

Second, she had to come to physical therapy. If she wanted the doctor to sign off on her recovery and get back to her real life, she’d have to focus and get it done.

She made plans to show up early, and if she kept her head down, maybe she could get out before Adrian and his daughter saw her.

Her father might have been the third, but he seemed to be doing a great job of avoiding her. The hurt in his eyes whenever they happened to be in the same room was too heavy for either one of them to handle.

Like the good Bergmanns they were, they didn’t talk about something that might turn into a fight. They kept it to themselves. But the burn in her gut told her that strategy was not working.

“Ms. Bergmann!” Mia rushed to her with strong swings of her crutches.

“Mia, careful.” Adrian followed at a more leisurely pace, his hand in the front pocket of his jeans. The whites of his eyes had more red than white in them. He looked as if he’d had a rough night. He glanced down at her new shiny knee brace. “How’s the knee? Any permanent damage?”

She pulled her ponytail tighter. Her stupid heart jumped when she saw him. Even tired and haggard, he was the best-looking man she knew. “No, but I got a lecture on how fortunate I am to escape another surgery.” She stared straight ahead at the large window that covered the wall. It was easier to pretend to focus on the view of the football field as she pumped along on the stationary bike than to look at Adrian. “Party too hard?” She was so lame.

“He was up all night with me. My leg was hurting really bad, and then he had a bunch of two-year-old horses with attitudes, and then he had to take me to the doctor, but not until he—”

“Mia, that’s enough.” He pulled his daughter close. “We’re interrupting her workout.”

“No. I’m fine.” If she could, she would have hit herself on the head. Adrian gave her an excuse to ignore them, but she had to be all agreeable.

Mia moved closer. “They say I might need another surgery.” For a moment, concern flashed in the eyes of both father and daughter. “Hope I get to ride the bike today. It looks fun.” And just like that, the sunshine smile was back on the adorable face.

The trainer walked in and saved Nikki from thinking of something appropriate to say. She watched in the mirrors that sat at an angle above the windows as Adrian shook hands with the petite brunette.

“Hi, Teresa.”

“So, is Mia ready for the next step?” She gave the girl an encouraging look. “It won’t be easy.”

“I’m ready to do whatever it takes to get back on my horse. I want to ride in the July Jubilee.”

Adrian’s jaw muscles flexed and a glare sat hard in his eyes. “We’ve talked about this. You will not be riding in the rodeo. It doesn’t matter what the doctor says. I’m your father, and I own that horse.”

The sweet face of the ten-year-old suddenly held the same determined glare as her father’s. Nikki couldn’t help but smile. Adrian might not know it yet, but he was about to have his hands full with a preteen girl who wanted her horse back.

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