To protect the love he lost, this rugged Texas rancher will risk everything

When FBI agent Maria Belasco is mysteriously attacked, her soon-to-be ex-husband, Austin O’Brien, is instantly on the scene. Problem is, she can’t remember what happened or the case she was working on. Or how, months before, tragedy had driven her and the reserved rancher irrevocably apart...

Now Austin must pretend that nothing has changed between them to help Maria get her memory back—and discover who wants her dead. But protecting her 24/7 is reigniting desires even more explosive than before. Austin will do whatever it takes to expose the enemy on their trail. But putting his heart on the line a second time could prove the most lethal risk of all...

Cattlemen Crime Club

“What was it, Austin? Is that the reason we don’t talk about anything?”

“Look. I don’t mean to be. . .It’s just. . .complicated.”

“So I gathered,” Maria said under her breath. She slipped into her running shoes. Movement still hurt but it felt good to be going outside.

Her hand was on the door handle, ready to go, when Austin placed his hand on the door. His gaze was intense. He looked tormented and. . .hungry. Before Maria knew what had hit her, her back was against the door and Austin pressed his lips to hers. Her body ached to be touched by her husband. Her hands splayed out on his chest and she could feel his rapid breathing through her fingertips. Her fingers flexed along the smooth lines of his muscled chest.

Austin pulled back way too fast. “That was a mistake.”

“Really, Austin? Was it? You kissed your wife. I don’t think anyone’s going to arrest you for doing what every married couple across the nation does,” she whispered.

“I don’t want to take advantage of the fact that you can’t remember and the doctor says that I can’t bring you up-to-date. It would be so much easier if I could,” he said. “But you’d feel different about me, about this.” He kissed Maria again and her knees almost buckled. . .

Texas Showdown

Barb Han

www.millsandboon.co.uk

USA TODAY bestselling author BARB HAN lives in north Texas with her very own hero-worthy husband, three beautiful children, a spunky golden retriever/standard poodle mix and too many books in her to-read pile. In her downtime, she plays video games and spends much of her time on or around a basketball court. She loves interacting with readers and is grateful for their support. You can reach her at www.barbhan.com.

Many thanks to Allison Lyons, who is a dream editor! Also, my thanks to Jill Marsal, who is the best agent! It’s my great fortune to work with both of you.

Brandon, Jacob and Tori, the three of you inspire me in so many ways every day. I love each of you so much and appreciate all of the adventures we share!

Babe, how lucky are we to get to spend every day with so much love and laughter! You’re the best person I could hope to be on this adventure with and I love you with all my heart.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

Title Page

About the Author

Dedication

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

Extract

Copyright

Chapter One

“You didn’t have to take a bullet to get me to stop by and see you,” Austin O’Brien teased Sheriff Tommy Johnson as he entered room 119 at Bluff General Hospital. Tommy was more like family and had grown up on the ranch alongside all six O’Brien sons. At six feet tall with light brown hair and eyes that matched, he looked like he could be an O’Brien.

“If I’d known that’s all it would take, I’d have done it years ago,” Tommy retorted. He’d been shot in the line of duty a few days ago. A two-hour surgery later to remove a bullet fragment from a rib and he’d been recovering nicely. At least his sense of humor was returning. That was a good sign. The first day he’d been too full of morphine to crack a smile and no one had felt like joking.

Between Austin and his five brothers, one of the O’Briens had been at Tommy’s bedside since the incident. They’d been taking turns stopping by, making sure he had everything he could ever want.

“I figured you’d be tired of trying to choke down hospital food by now.” Austin opened the container of homemade spaghetti, set it on the tray table next to the bed, and positioned the stand where Tommy could access it. “Just don’t rat me out to the nurses.”

“Janis made this?” Tommy asked with a smile. She’d been employed at the ranch for more years than Austin cared to count. So much so, she was more family than employee and the boys had voted to give her shares of the family ranch and Cattlemen’s Crime Club now that they’d inherited the place.

“You know it,” Austin said, taking a step back and crossing his arms as Tommy picked up the fork and dug in.

“I forgot how good a cook she is,” he said after swallowing the first bite.

“Stop by for Sunday supper anytime. Or any other night of the week, for that matter.” Austin took off his white Stetson and set his hat on the foot of the bed. Tommy already knew about Sunday meals being a big deal and they’d become even more important recently. Each of Austin’s brothers could’ve died at different points in the past nine months. As a result, Austin found he had a new appreciation for life and family. It was most likely the baby boom at the ranch that had him feeling soft, or the fact that he couldn’t put to rest his feelings for Maria O’Brien, soon to be Belasco again, that made him resolve to talk to her and see if they could give their marriage another chance. He missed her and he was still scratching his head over what had happened to make her walk out. Sure, they’d been through a rough patch, but wasn’t that true of every relationship? He and Maria had never really had a big fight, a final blow to know they were both throwing in the towel. And then, divorce papers had arrived a couple of weeks ago. With everything going on at the ranch, he’d been too busy to look them over.

“How are you really feeling?” Austin asked Tommy.

“About as good as you look, so like a cow that just spent twenty hours in labor,” Tommy teased.

“That good, huh? Well, some people just take a vacation when they want to lay in bed and watch TV for a few days instead of taking a bullet and rolling in via ambulance here at the Bluff Resort and Spa.” Austin waved his arm in the air. “What time does the massage therapist come?”

“She’ll be here any minute, so don’t get too comfortable. And, by the way, she has the hands of a goddess,” Tommy fired back with a chuckle in between bites, keeping the joke alive.

It was good to see him awake and alert rather than overmedicated and with tubes sticking out of him. None of the brothers, Austin included, could shake a similar image of their parents from nine months ago in this very hospital where they’d died. A later autopsy revealed they’d been poisoned and Tommy didn’t seem any closer to an arrest.

“Found this last night and thought of you.” Austin fished in the pocket of his shirt for the plastic badge he’d worn when they were kids. He pulled it out and tossed it onto the tray table.

“Wow. How old is this?” Tommy picked up the child’s toy and spun it through his fingers.

Austin shrugged. “What age were we when we decided to become sheriffs?”

“Couldn’t have been more than nine years old, right?”

“It was long before either one of us had hair on our chest, that’s for sure,” Austin said with a laugh. He couldn’t imagine being anything other than a cattle rancher, although his childhood had been filled with the usual cop, fireman and Batman fantasies.

“Where on earth did you find this?” Tommy held the badge flat on his palm.

“Been in the top drawer of my desk,” Austin said with a shrug.

“You never could throw anything away.” Tommy examined the toy. “Good thing you went up north to that fancy school instead of law enforcement. I’m pretty sure your accounting skills are needed at the ranch more than your rifle acumen.”

Going to a school in the Northeast had netted Austin the nickname Ivy League.

“Between you and Joshua, I figured the family was well represented in the badge-toting department,” Austin said, referring to his brother who had left the ranch and moved to Denver to pursue a career in law enforcement. He returned over Christmas to take his rightful place alongside his brothers and had the toughest time adjusting.

Austin’s cell buzzed. He fished it out of his jeans pocket and checked the screen. The text from his oldest brother, Dallas, read, Another calf is sick. Putting her in the pen.

“Everything okay?” Tommy asked, his gaze fixed on Austin’s phone cover.

“Fine. Got some kind of sickness moving through the new stock. Half a dozen calves are isolated and under quarantine. Vet can’t figure out what’s going on and we’re taking a wait-and-see approach for now. Hoping it doesn’t get any worse,” Austin stated.

Tommy didn’t look away from the honeymoon picture of Austin and his wife that she’d had made into a phone cover. Soon to be ex-wife, an annoying little voice in the back of his mind corrected.

The look on Tommy’s face sent a thousand fire ants crawling up Austin’s spine.

“What is it?” he asked.

Tommy took a minute to speak and when he did, he fixed his gaze on a spot on the wall behind Austin. More reasons to be worried.

“Hey, Ivy League, do you remember Deputy Garretson?” Tommy finally asked.

“Yeah, sure. Why?” Garretson was a year ahead of Austin in school, so Dallas knew him better. Austin was the second-oldest O’Brien. The former deputy had moved to the capital a couple years back craving more day-to-day excitement than Bluff, Texas, had to offer. He should’ve stuck around, Austin thought, because there’d been more than enough activity in the past year to keep him busy.

“He stopped by to see me yesterday,” Tommy said and then paused.

“Everything okay with him?” Austin asked.

“He’s fine,” Tommy said quickly. “He’s a detective now at Austin PD. Hangs out with his FBI liaison after work sometimes. Both are big Cowboys fans so they catch games together, grab a few beers.”

Tommy was normally a straight-to-the-point guy. That he felt the need to dance around a topic didn’t sit well with Austin. There was also a reference to the FBI, which was Maria’s employer.

“What does this have to do with me?” Austin asked outright. Also a straight shooter.

“This guy, Special Agent DeCarlo, who Garretson buddies around with, is planning his wedding.” Tommy’s gaze bounced from the phone to Austin. He hesitated again before he spoke but he didn’t need to say the words. Austin already knew what Tommy was about to say.

“He’s planning to marry Maria.”

* * *

DENALI, THE FAMILY’S Chocolate Lab, had been working alongside Austin for the better part of the night. Now, the hundred pound dog lay next to Austin’s boots, panting and whimpering in his sleep. Austin would give a nickel to find out what went on in that dog’s brain. Never mind, he thought wryly. Denali probably thought about food, treats and getting his ears scratched.

Austin pushed back from his desk and rubbed blurry eyes, thinking a few hours of shut-eye was a good idea considering how punchy he was getting. Between a record number of calves being born this winter and a bout of some kind of sickness causing him to quarantine half a dozen of them now, Austin had been working overtime for months. After learning his parents’ deaths were being investigated as murders, he wasn’t sleeping, either.

The news about Maria he’d received from Tommy earlier had been as unexpected as a sucker punch in broad daylight. His brain refused to process it, like it somehow wouldn’t exist if he kept it at arm’s length. So far, the only emotion he could strongly identify when he allowed it to surface was anger.

Adding to his sour mood was the fact that there was constant wedding/baby/adoption planning going on at the ranch. All five of his brothers had newborns, newly adopted children and/or wedding plans in the works. He didn’t begrudge his brothers their happiness. In fact, he was over the moon for them and each was the happiest he’d ever seen. They’d found true love, fought for it, and had earned the reward of real partners in life and that was great. Personally, he was on the opposite end of the spectrum as divorce papers stared at him from the corner pile of paperwork on his desk and his wife made wedding plans with another man.

The papers had been sitting there for a while now. Austin had lost track of how many days. A dozen? More? The thought of signing them had proved harder than he’d expected, so he kept putting off the task. He should probably be glad to end that chapter of his life and move on, good riddance and all. Maria had made her decision clear and he wasn’t one to stand in her way.

That familiar mix of anger and heartache cut through his chest as he made a move to pick up the legal document. He stopped midreach. He’d been staring at the laptop so long that his eyes were practically crossed and every letter on the screen was a haze. Numbers ran together like highway signs at a hundred miles an hour, a blurry streak. His brain was toast. He wanted to be in the right mind-set before looking over those papers and make sure he had time to read the fine print.

On second thought, a signature could wait. A few more days wouldn’t make a difference in either of their lives. The annoying voice in the back of his mind said that wasn’t exactly true for Maria. Austin shoved the thought aside. The clock read half past eleven. He’d be up again at four thirty sharp, an unholy hour for a natural night owl like him. He needed a hot shower and a firm mattress. The news from Tommy about Maria had knocked Austin off balance and all he needed was a little rest to get his emotions in check. That little piece of him that had said it wasn’t over between them yet—that they still had a chance as long as they were still married—had been shattered all to hell. It wasn’t Tommy’s fault. He was trying to protect Austin from finding out through a different source. O’Briens were news. The story would be out soon enough. Anything to do with his family made headlines.

Austin picked up his cell that had been sitting on top of his desk and looked at the picture on his phone cover. He and Maria had been so happy, or so he’d believed. How could any of it have been real if she was willing to throw it away so easily? And for what? Because the pregnancy didn’t work out? Yes, it had been a difficult time for both of them. He’d retreated into himself and had shut down. He could be honest and admit that now. Maria had started spending longer hours on her caseload at the FBI. Then, a few weeks later when the doctor had cleared them to try again, she’d said that she reconsidered the timing of having children. The timing was right for her to go for the promotion into the Crimes Against Children program, saying it had been a job she’d always wanted. News to him, he’d thought. She’d pointed out that they were still young and had plenty of time to start their family. In hindsight, he should’ve picked up on the oversell.

Austin had figured that she was saying she needed a little more time to get over what had happened. So he gave her what she’d asked for, what he’d believed she needed: time and space.

Neither had worked out so well.

It had become easier to stay apart than to face each other and try to build a bridge to cover the space between them. He’d started spending more time in the barn and on the range. The divide between them became a cavern until she’d rented a loft apartment in the capital to be closer to work and then stopped coming home altogether.

A dull ache pounded Austin’s temples as if a dozen hammers were a marching band in his ears. Sleep. He needed a few hours of shut-eye before the day started over again. He’d been working so much lately that days and nights ran together and he lost track of the calendar. He’d rest come July when he got the healthy calves sold at auction. Right now, the sick calves deserved his attention.

“Let’s go, boy,” he said to Denali, who’d stopped whining and was settled into a pattern of steady breathing.

The Lab didn’t so much as hike an ear at the sound of Austin’s voice. A good cattle dog was worth three men. Denali did his own thing, which generally meant sleeping a lot. But he was good company and he’d been in the family fourteen years.

“Okay, old man,” Austin said, figuring he could keep the door to his office open so Denali could come and go as he pleased when he woke, like usual. The dog liked to roam around, stopping in to visit who he wanted each day.

Austin maintained his workplace in the horse barn to be closer to the men. His father had occupied the big office next door. Austin stopped in front of Dad’s office. The room was dark and empty now.

Since the murders, no one had claimed the big office as theirs, as though everyone realized there’d be no filling the boots of their father.

Austin took in a sharp breath.

“You stay here and rest,” Austin said to the snoring Lab, thinking that he sorely needed to get out and socialize again in the summer since he’d taken to talking to the family dog more than people. Of course, most sane people didn’t wake up before the sun.

Austin hopped onto the bench seat of the golf cart and headed east toward his home. The place had been constructed almost a decade ago. His had been the first built on the ranch because he’d always known he’d come back to work the land he loved after college. Yeah, Tommy was right, Austin had gone to a fancy school. And he needed every bit of his Ivy League education to carry the ranch into the next generation and beyond.

Winding down the path beside the flowing water of Bull Creek, Austin noticed how the water flowed through the land, always moving. He stopped the cart next to the creek, stepped out and listened to the rush of water.

His thoughts drifted back to Maria. Smart, beautiful, focused. She’d been everything he’d ever wanted in a relationship and so much more. That first year they’d stayed up long past a reasonable time every night talking. His mornings might’ve dragged the next day but he’d do it all over again the next because he wanted to be with her that much. Her good looks had attracted him. She was a classic brown-haired, brown-eyed beauty. But it was her intelligence that rocketed his attraction to a whole new dimension. And the sex...he didn’t even want to go there about how mind-blowing that had been. No doubt a product of the intensity of the emotions they felt for each other.

Austin stood over the water, watching it flow. He shook his head, wondering how he could’ve let their relationship slip through his fingers.

Back inside the cart, he let the word he’d been avoiding circulate through his thoughts...divorce.

It sat heavy on his chest as he stood in front of the locked door of his traditional ranch-style home, remembering that he’d left the key back at his office on top of the divorce papers.

Chapter Two

Still half-asleep, Austin groaned at the noise waking him. The music needed to stop. Instead, Johnny Cash’s song “Ring of Fire” belted out louder. Austin was pretty sure his eyelids had been glued shut at some point in the night as he moved in slow motion. He forcibly blinked his eyes open, searching for the culprit. The clock on his nightstand said two forty in the morning. And he realized the annoying sound was his ringtone.

He shot straight up. His first thought was that something had happened to Tommy, so he scrambled to answer before the call rolled into the black abyss of voice mail where he couldn’t ask important questions.

“Is this Austin O’Brien?” an unfamiliar female voice said.

“Yes, ma’am.”

She identified herself as Maureen Velasquez from University Medical Center. “We got your number from Maria O’Brien’s emergency contact in her phone and we need your consent to treat her.”

“What happened? Hold on. Can I give it to you over the phone?” A next-of-kin call from University Medical Center’s trauma unit asking for his permission to treat his wife was the last discussion Austin thought he’d have after being served divorce papers. Technically, she was still Maria O’Brien but that would change to Belasco as soon as he signed the documents on his desk. Apparently, another change was on the horizon for her soon after. That thought sat bitterly in Austin’s gut. It was a lot like rusted metal lodged in there, metallic taste and all.

“I’m afraid it has to be in writing,” Maureen said sympathetically.

“Is she okay?” he asked, trying to process being up after three hours of sleep, and then said, “Never mind. You have my verbal consent and I’ll be right there to sign whatever document you need. My lawyer will call in the meantime.”

“Thank you, sir,” Maureen said. “I’ll meet you at the ER entrance with the paperwork.”

Austin ended the call and tore off the covers. He hopped into his jeans and threw on a shirt. He slipped into his boots and was out the door within minutes.

The drive to the hospital was the longest of his life. He probably should’ve expected this call to come at some point given the nature of her job. Except that Maria was probably the most competent person he’d ever known and he’d never given much thought to the danger in her line of work. Not until right then. And now every possible worst-case scenario was running through his mind. He should’ve asked Maureen more questions when he had her on the line but he didn’t want to take a chance of delaying treatment.

Other thoughts churned in his mind—thoughts that he couldn’t afford now that Maria was divorcing him. Austin needed a strong black cup of coffee to clear his mind and reset those thoughts.

He left his truck next to the ER ambulance bay, having parked on the side so emergency vehicles had plenty of room. A woman in slacks and a button-down shirt stood at the entrance with a clipboard tucked under her arm.

“Ms. Velasquez?” he asked and she nodded as she held out the clipboard.

“Sign here, Mr. O’Brien,” she said, indicating a spot at the bottom of the page.

He scribbled his name as quickly as he could.

“And here,” she flipped up the document to reveal a page underneath as she nodded to a nurse who was standing at the intake desk on the phone. Austin assumed the nurse was relaying the fact that they had consent. The speed at which they handled everything sent a chill down his back. This couldn’t be good.

“Your wife is being taken into surgery to stitch up the back of her head,” Maureen stated, and her voice was calm, even.

“She’s going to be all right, though, isn’t she?” Austin asked, not wanting to let his fears get the best of him.

“We have the best trauma doctors in the country, Mr. O’Brien. Your wife is in good hands,” Maureen said, indicating a third place for his signature.

When he’d signed, he searched her face for any indication that she was placating him. She seemed sincere.

“I’ll take you to a waiting area where you can find a decent cup of coffee,” she said. “Someone will be out to talk to you the minute your wife is out of surgery.”

“What happened?”

“She was alone, believed to be walking to her car when she took a blow to the head from behind,” she supplied.

“How bad is it?” he asked.

“The doctor is with her now and he’ll be able to give you a full report.” She shot him an apologetic look.

“Where was she when this happened?”

“Outside of a place called Midnight Cowboy, on Sixth Street,” she supplied. “An employee came out the back door and the guy supposedly took off before she could get a good look at him.”

Austin thanked her and followed her down the long white hallway.

She opened a door to a lounge, closed the door behind him, and it didn’t take but another minute for him to get started on that first cup.

There were a few people in the waiting area, scattered around, some in pairs. The thought that he might be in the same room with the man who planned to marry his wife was a bitter pill to swallow. Austin scanned each male face to see if he recognized any of the men or if any one of them seemed like someone Maria would date.

There was one contender, a man in his midthirties, fairly stocky for what had to be about a five-foot-ten-inch frame. The guy was sitting off to the side by himself. He wore camo pants and a dark green T-shirt, fairly typical FBI field clothing. His elbows rested on his knees, and his right foot hadn’t stopped fidgeting since Austin had stepped into the room. The man could be worried about Maria or tense about meeting her husband, Austin thought wryly. He leaned against the wall, needing to stand for a few minutes while he sipped his coffee. Besides, the dark blue chairs lining the walls looked about as hard and itchy as sitting on a bale of hay.

The haze in his brain started lifting and he convinced himself that he’d stick around long enough to make sure Maria was in the clear and out of surgery. She may not even want him there. Camo Pants might be the one getting the nod to see her when she woke.

Anger filled his chest as he thought about how easy it seemed for her to be able to replace their relationship. For him, what they’d had was special. Apparently, not so much for her.

News that she was in recovery came two cups of coffee and little more than one hour later. Austin took it as a good sign. Camo Pants didn’t make a move when the doctor stepped into the doorway and asked to speak to Austin O’Brien. Austin double-checked Camo Pants for a reaction when the doctor said Maria’s name, too. He didn’t get one. Good. Austin wasn’t sure how he’d react if his replacement was sitting in the same room.

It struck him as odd that her fiancé wouldn’t be notified. But then, that was just paperwork.

Austin followed the doctor into the hall so they could speak one-on-one. After hearing medical-lingo for Maria was doing better than expected due to her strong physical condition, Austin asked how long she could expect to be in the hospital.

“Not long. Cognitively, she’s doing far better than expected,” the middle-aged doctor, who looked committed to a workout routine himself, said. He’d introduced himself as Dr. Burt and had a tired but competent look to his graying features. “A blow to the head like the one she took can scramble things up. Her mind seems clear. She knew her name and the day of the week. She also knew the current president and vice president.”

Austin didn’t know how to put this delicately, so he came straight out with it. “We’re going through a divorce, so I’m not sure if it’s appropriate for me to stick around much longer. I’d like to know that she’ll recover fully before I leave, though.”

“Leave?” The doctor’s brow shot up. “You were the first person she asked to see when she woke. She asked for her husband.”

Again, the delicate way to approach this seemed to take leave so Austin asked point-blank, “Are you sure she’s talking about me?”

“You’re Austin O’Brien, correct?” Dr. Burt asked.

“I am.”

“Then I’m absolutely talking about you,” he said.

“And she didn’t mention anything about sending me divorce papers or planning to marry someone else?”

“No.” A concerned crease dented the doctor’s forehead. “In fact, she seemed excited about heading back to the ranch with you.”

“The ranch?” Austin’s reaction seemed to catch the doctor off guard.

“She doesn’t live with you on your family ranch?” he asked.

Austin shook his head and worry lines bracketed Dr. Burt’s mouth.

“You said she took a blow to the head,” Austin said, fearing that she might’ve taken a bigger hit than they realized.

Dr. Burt nodded. “Short-term memory loss can be an issue with a head injury. I’ll set up a meeting with you and the nurse to check the accuracy of the information she provided. If she doesn’t live with you, where does she live?”

“She moved to an apartment in Austin more than a year ago,” Austin said honestly. He didn’t really want to get into the shortcomings of his relationship with his wife but it sounded like information they needed to treat her properly. He could get through a few uncomfortable minutes if it would help.

The doctor’s frown deepened. “Interesting. She didn’t mention anything about it.” He paused. “I’ll contact our trauma specialist for a consult and, if you don’t mind, I’d like for you to be available for an interview, as well.”

“I’ll do what I can to help,” he said, unsure if he was the right person for the task.

Dr. Burt deposited Austin in a small office and then left, saying he’d return soon. The doctor’s words sent all of Austin’s warning flags flying at high altitude.

A few minutes passed before the door opened again and a white-haired doctor stepped inside.

“I’m Dr. Wade.” This doctor was a little shorter than Dr. Burt with a few more wrinkles.

The interview didn’t last as long as Austin’s cup of coffee.

“I’d like to confer with my colleague before making a recommendation,” he said, pausing at the door.

Austin thanked him and waited.

Three hours later, Dr. Burt stepped inside the room. “My shift is almost over but I wanted to speak to you personally before I left.”

“I appreciate it,” Austin said.

“Your wife is in recovery and doing well. After speaking to her, it’s safe to say that she’s suffering memory loss from the trauma her head received,” the doctor began, taking a seat across from Austin. “The blow was severe enough to cause some swelling to the brain.”

“Sounds serious,” Austin said, tamping down his fear that the doctor was about to deliver life-changing news.

“We’ll have to monitor her for the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours but I’m hopeful for a positive outcome given her otherwise strong physical condition,” Dr. Burt said.

“And what about her memory?” Austin asked.

“That’s where it gets complicated. There are two basic types of amnesia, retrograde and anterograde,” Dr. Burt started. He leaned forward and touched the tips of his fingers together. “Amnesia is simple. We all know what that means. We had a memory once and now it’s gone.” He snapped his fingers for emphasis. “The memory is lost.”

Straightforward enough. Austin nodded his understanding.

“Anterograde amnesia erases short-term memories following an accident or trauma and a good part of that is due to injury to the brain itself. Chemicals shift and the balance is disturbed. Once that brain chemistry normalizes, systems work again.” He folded his fingers together. “Had a guy released last week who’d spent four months here but can’t recall anything before the last week of his stay.”

“Will those memories come back for him?” Austin asked after taking a sip of coffee that he’d refilled prior to the doctor entering the room.

“Maybe. Maybe not.” Dr. Burt made a seesaw effect with outstretched arms. “I’ve seen it go both ways.

“With retrograde amnesia, like in your wife’s case—” he paused “—a patient loses memories of events before the injury. For some, the loss will cover a few minutes. Others can lose weeks, months or even years of their lives. I’ve personally witnessed both ends of the spectrum.”

“What about Maria?” Austin asked, absorbing the news. His first thought was that the only reason she’d asked for him was because she didn’t remember that she’d been the one to walk away in the first place. And what did any of that mean for their relationship? Was he supposed to forget the fact that she’d served him with divorce papers and pretend like nothing was wrong?

“It’s difficult to say at this point. Memories have a tendency to return like pieces in a jigsaw puzzle. They’ll get bits here and there with no rhyme or reason,” Dr. Burt said.

“Is it a permanent condition? Can it come and go?” Austin asked. What he knew about amnesia could fill his coffee cup and nothing more. And most of that knowledge came from him or one of his brothers suffering from a concussion in childhood.

“Many people regain much of what they’ve lost, if not all. For some, they never retrieve that information. The brain is complicated and there’s not a one-size-fits-all approach.” Dr. Burt’s shoulders relaxed. He maintained soft eye contact, blinking and looking away as he recalled information. Everything about the man’s posture communicated compassion. “If it’s any consolation, we’ve observed a direct correlation between recovery of the head injury and return of memories. The better the healing, the more long-term memories tend to come back.”

“I’m guessing you can’t tell me when that will happen,” Austin said.

“Not with any degree of confidence,” the doctor admitted. “Generally speaking, the less severe the head injury, the smaller the degree of associated retrograde amnesia. From evaluating her memory versus the trauma to her head, I’d guess that her memories could return fairly soon. She’s in excellent physical condition and that always aids recovery. Her head sustained a fair amount of trauma both from the blunt force instrument and then when she fell after the initial blow. Indications are that she collided hard with the concrete. That being said, she’s young and strong. Both of those factors weigh in. The better she takes care of herself in recovery, the more hopeful I am.”

“Will this affect her ability to do her job?” Austin asked.

“She won’t be able to go back to work without medical clearance,” Dr. Burt said. “We’ll recommend follow-up treatment as part of her rehabilitation plan.”

“What about forcing reality? Can I tell her the truth about our life?” he asked.

“That’s up to you.” He clasped his hands.

“She might not want to see me when she remembers the past,” Austin admitted.

“This has to be a difficult situation for you. If you care about her, my advice is to take it easy. Making memories flood back before the brain can handle them can cause even more distress and delay her progress,” Dr. Burt stated. “I’m sorry. I’m sure that’s not news you wanted to hear.”

Austin needed to ask another question. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer except that experience had taught him that dodging a problem usually made it worse. That was especially true with his marriage. He would have to face the music that she was involved with another man at some point. “She didn’t mention wanting to see anyone else, did she?”

“No.” Dr. Burt looked Austin square in the eye. “It seems like your situation is—” the doctor searched the white floor tile like the answer might be found there “—complicated. No one would blame you for walking away. You signed the paperwork consenting treatment, so you’ve done your part. She’ll likely recover her memory in a few days, possibly weeks, and if there’s someone else in her life, then you might not want to be around for the moment she remembers him and wants him to be the one to help her.”

The man had a point.

“Thanks for the honesty and for everything you’ve done for her,” Austin said, knowing full well that he couldn’t walk away until he knew that Maria would be okay. He hadn’t expected the call to come in the first place. He hadn’t expected to spend the next two nights at a bedside vigil, pretending to be something they were not, a happy couple. And least of all, he hadn’t expected to be the one taking her to her apartment to settle in, a place he’d never set foot in—the place where she’d moved to get away from him.

But there he was, doing it all the same.

Maria was smart, athletic and strong. Seeing her in a hospital bed, helpless, with tubes sticking out of her had been a blow that had knocked Austin back a few steps. Divorce or not, he needed to see her get back on her feet.

There was another kink. Even though she’d been cleared of her head injury, she made no progress on regaining her memories. She didn’t remember the fact that they were separated let alone on the verge of divorce. Austin had expected her fiancé to drop by at some point during the hospital stay. He’d been told on the second day that Dr. Burt had convinced him, whoever he was, to stay away for now.

Maria was quiet on the ride to her loft.

Stepping inside, she seemed as lost as he felt.

“Funny, I don’t remember this place as much as I do our house on the ranch,” Maria said, those big brown eyes of hers staring up at him as he stood in the unfamiliar surroundings of the open-concept loft. “And why do I have an apartment here in Austin away from you anyway?”

The doctor had said that her memories could come back one at a time or as an avalanche. One at a time was the best scenario, he’d said.

“To be closer to work,” Austin said, not feeling a connection to the city where she lived even though he shared its name. Lies were racking up. The doctor had said that Maria was most likely suppressing negative memories and that it was best to let her mind work everything out.

Give her time, he’d said. She’ll come around.

“Why don’t I see any of your things? Don’t you live here, too?” she asked, glancing around as she took a step toward the kitchen island.

“I’m needed on the ranch,” he said, shaking his head.

Talking to Maria like nothing was wrong, like those damn papers weren’t sitting on his desk waiting to be signed, seemed like an even worse betrayal than the day she’d walked out.

Chapter Three

“Can I sit here? I’m not really tired enough to go to bed.” Maria motioned toward the couch. “Besides, I’ve already been lying down for what feels like an eternity.”

Austin put his arm around her waist, ignoring the electricity pinging between them as he helped her to the sofa. She leaned into him and, for a second, he remembered how good her body was at molding to his. How soft her skin was...

Those thoughts were as productive as shoveling mulch with a pitchfork.

She eased down with a groan. Austin didn’t need to think it was sexy. But her voice had always had that effect on him.

Her long brown hair parted on the side now and fell way past her shoulders. She’d grown it out since he’d last seen her. And he was certain a lot of other things had changed about her since then, too.

“I never knew this many places in my body could hurt at the same time,” she said with a quick smile.

Austin forced his gaze away from her rosy lips.

“If you’d take stronger pain medicine like the doctor prescribed, you wouldn’t have to suffer.” Austin didn’t want to notice how toned that body of hers was. Her work as a special agent would ensure she stayed in tip-top physical condition. And the truth was that she loved to exercise.

“Then how will I know when I’m doing damage to something?” she asked with those big brown eyes staring at him. After she made herself comfortable, she beamed up at him and then grabbed his hand and tugged him toward her. “Besides, all those pills do is make me nauseous anyway.”

Austin straightened his back and pulled out of her grip, stuffing his hand inside his jeans pocket instead. His muscles corded with tension. He didn’t need to go there with the being-her-comfort thing. “You want anything to drink? Water?”

“Coffee sounds good.” She looked at him blankly and a little hurt. He’d spent the past two days at her side in the hospital, pretending that everything was fine. No doubt she had questions as he started to pull back. There was a mix of confusion and hurt in her eyes that he wished wasn’t his fault. Austin didn’t like putting it there but he couldn’t risk getting too close this time. He had to protect himself, too. Soon enough she’d remember that she’d gotten tired of their marriage, had classified it as a youthful mistake, and then had walked out.

Were it not for being Texan and a gentleman, he wouldn’t be here in the first place. Call it Cowboy Code or whatever but Austin couldn’t refuse someone who truly needed his help, especially not someone he’d cared about. And that’s as far as he could allow feelings for Maria Belasco to go.

His ringtone sounded, belting Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire” and her face lit up. She no doubt remembered it was the song that had been playing the first time they’d met at the Cash Fest, one of the many charity events his mother had organized that had been centered around the man’s music and benefited rising talent.

Austin fished out his cell, grunted, and then turned to walk away. It was his brother Dallas on the line. Austin would call him back.

“Want to put on some music?” Maria asked, and her voice was loaded with unasked questions.

The two of them had connected on a lot of levels but the first thing that really got him was her love of the blues, rockabilly and country music. He’d play some obscure bluegrass song, and she’d know what it was. And then there was their shared love of the same books. In the back of Austin’s pickup was a dog-eared copy of The Old Man and the Sea, his all-time favorite story. Turns out that it was Maria’s, too. On top of having music and literature in common, she was determined, brilliant...and beautiful.

“I finished reading that book you gave me. Happens to Be Real.” She motioned toward the rectangular coffee table in front of her.

Austin tensed. He didn’t know what to make of the fact that she kept the last book he’d lent her on the coffee table of the apartment she shared with another man. Although, a cursory glance didn’t reveal any men’s items at the loft. He shouldn’t feel relieved but no man wanted his nose rubbed in the fact that his ex was involved in a new relationship.

“Are we not on good terms?” she asked, and there was an innocent quality to her voice that threatened to put a chink in his armor.

Not so fast. She’d always been perceptive and he’d have to be less transparent if this was going to work.

“We’re okay,” he said with a shrug, wondering how much he should tell her. For a second, he thought about throwing out the adage that all married couples go through ups and downs and the two of them had been on a downswing. He reconsidered, not wanting to jar her memory too fast. “Nothing major.”

“Good. I was beginning to worry there for a second,” she said, and he could tell that she was going along with him while she studied the situation. Being astute had helped her rise up the ranks quickly at the Bureau.

Austin needed that coffee. Now.

“Sorry if I’m sending mixed signals. We have sick calves at the ranch and we’re trying to figure out what’s going on and just how many are affected. I haven’t been sleeping much in the last few weeks, longer than that if I’m honest.” It seemed enough information to satisfy her arched brow without causing an avalanche of questions he wasn’t supposed to answer.

Austin moved into the adjacent kitchen. The space was small but had all the essentials, including a microwave and coffee machine. Other than that, the loft was fairly bare.

There was a couch and matching chair in the living area nestled around a wooden coffee table that looked handmade. Barstools pushed up to the island in the kitchen must be where she ate all her meals since there wasn’t a dining table and chairs. A long, narrow table was pushed against the wall near the door with a bowl on it for miscellaneous items like car keys. There was a pair of running shoes at the door, so she still must wake before the cows to get in her morning run before work. Relief he had no right to own washed over Austin that there weren’t a pair of men’s shoes tucked next to hers. For a second, he wondered if Dr. Burt had instructed the new guy to erase his presence from her loft so as not to confuse her.

Adding to his theory was the fact that there were no other signs of a male presence in the place so far. No picture frames. No visible clothing, although he hadn’t been in the bathroom yet because they’d just left the hospital. Other than a lamp and a bowl, there was nothing on the table by the door to indicate she’d settled into the place. A few unpacked boxes had been pushed against one corner. The place was open concept so he could see the bed positioned in the middle of the bedroom space. Thankfully, the only clothes he could see so far were Maria’s.

“Did we move in here recently?” she asked, and she must’ve been watching him take in the space.

“This is your place in the city for those long nights at work,” he said without making eye contact.

She seemed satisfied with the answer or at least she didn’t press for more information.

“Did the doctor say when I can get back to work?” she asked as he made coffee.

Figures her first real worry would be about the job. He’d blame all their problems on her dedication to the FBI if he thought that would make him feel better. It wouldn’t. What rubbed him was the fact that she’d allowed the miscarriage to break up their marriage. No trying again. No talking about it. She’d grown distant, said it would never work between them, and then stopped coming home.

Austin stared at the bottom of an empty coffee cup. He filled it and then a second one with the warm brown liquid.

“You still take two sugars?” he asked, instantly realizing his mistake. He muttered a curse. He was no good at deception. Ranchers had the benefit of living an honest life. Not really a skill that would benefit him in this situation, he thought wryly.

Her brow arched as she nodded.

Austin could’ve kicked himself. This was going to be more difficult than he originally suspected. If playing house could help her avoid serious trauma, he’d do his level best no matter how dishonest he felt. He reminded himself of the tough childhood she’d had. Losing her mother in the way that she had, blaming herself in the way that she did. She carried a tough burden on her shoulders and he could do this if he really put his mind to it.

“Yeah,” she said with a concerned look on her face as she took the mug being offered.

He needed to give her a better explanation about their circumstances or risk stressing her out further.

“You’ve been working a lot,” he said, and that was partially true. “We haven’t spent much time together in the past year.”

“Oh. Okay. I sensed that something was going on,” she said, taking a sip of fresh brew and making a mewling noise. “This is amazing.”

Austin tried not to think about a similar sound that drew from her throat in the moments before she exploded around him when they made love.

“Yeah, it’s good,” was all he managed to say.

“It’s strange that I live here and yet I don’t remember this place,” she said. “I wish we could go home to the ranch.”

“It’s too far from the hospital and your doctors, remember?” he said, not wanting to read too much into the fact that the only place she remembered as home was his ranch. The doctor had said that head trauma could do strange things to a person.

One thing was certain, with the baby boom going on at the ranch, he couldn’t take her there. He wouldn’t risk all her memories crashing down around her triggered by the reason for the distance between them in the first place. The doctor had said that her brain would unlock pieces of reality as she renewed her daily routine. Anything else could be too fast, too traumatic. And Austin was certain that seeing their daughter’s nursery would release a flood.

As much as Austin didn’t like the idea of playing house at her loft, he could hang in there for a few more days. The place wasn’t exactly homey but there were enough essentials here to survive. All he really needed was a coffee maker and microwave, and she had both. Maria had never been much of a cook, which had never bothered Austin. They both knew enough to get by and had had more kitchen sex than probably any other room because of it. But great sex wasn’t the only thing he missed about her. He missed her quick wit, her sharp sense of humor, the way she’d seemed to understand him without even needing to talk. How did everything get so messed up between them? How had it come to this?

“I’m still a little unclear as to how I ended up in the hospital,” she said.

“You were jumped from behind,” he said. “And the guy caught you off guard.”

“Was I working?” she asked.

“No. You were off the clock and had stopped off to meet with friends.” Austin didn’t say that she was having a draft beer at the Midnight Cowboy on Sixth Street after meeting up with a group of people, one of which was most likely the guy she planned to marry.

“Now that I think about it, I remember working a lot of late hours,” she said, and then her gaze landed on him. He must’ve given a look without realizing it.

“What is it?” she asked.

“Nothing.” He shrugged. When she wasn’t in Austin she’d brought work home to the ranch with her. Her eyes had been glued to her laptop most of the time. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen her relaxed, like now, and her dedication to her work had only escalated the tension between them. “What else do you remember?”

“Not much. But I have a question. I’m married to you and all I do is work?” She’d forgotten all the tension between them, all the times he’d busted out the back door after her at the ranch, not knowing what to say or do to make his wife happy again.

Austin took in a sharp breath. Lucky her.

“Things are a little more complicated than that but we don’t have to talk about it right now,” he said.

“Why not?” she asked. “I can’t think of anything better to do.”

“It’s not important compared to what you’re going through right now.” It was the first honest thing he’d said since arriving at her place.

“Yeah, okay,” she said, looking frustrated. Her hand came up to her forehead as if trying to recall was giving her a headache.

“You have to take it easy,” he said, trying to soothe her without getting too close.

She looked up at him and half smiled. “You’re right. I’m sure it’ll come back. It’s just hard when it feels like everyone else knows things about my life that I don’t.”

The last doctor he’d spoken with at the university hospital had said that there was no physical reason for her memory loss. It was possible that her brain was suppressing anything it viewed as a difficult issue. If she saw being on the verge of finalizing their divorce as traumatic, her brain might just decide to push that into a shadow. Force it out and the ramifications could be overwhelming to her.

“Whatever’s going on between us that’s causing you stress, I want you to know that I’m sorry,” she said with so much sincerity and sadness.

His hands fisted to stop from reaching out to her, to being her comfort. How many nights had he stayed awake, starting at the ceiling, wishing one of them could open up before she’d left? The memory burned a hole in Austin’s chest. Remembering wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.

“Don’t worry about it.” Focusing on the past wouldn’t get them back on track with her healing. Once she got her memories back she wouldn’t want to have anything to do with him again. “The most important thing for you to focus on is healing.”

“Guess work can’t come between us now,” she said, referring to the fact that she was being forced to take time off until she got medical clearance.

“True,” Austin said. He meant to smile but couldn’t seem to force it.

“What are you really worried about? The ranch? Is it really that bad there?” she asked. “And don’t say it’s me.”

“We’ll figure out what’s going on with the calves. What makes you so sure I’m concerned about something other than your health?” He took a seat on the edge of the armchair and sipped his coffee.

“You always get this line across your forehead. It’s deep because that’s the way you care about things. Your eyes widen just a little and your irises get bigger, the opposite of what happens to most people,” she said. “And you don’t look me straight in the eye when you talk to me. All other times it’s like you’re seeing right through me and I can’t stop wondering what happened to make it go away.”

* * *

MARIA COULDN’T IMAGINE what had transpired between her and the handsome Austin O’Brien to make things seem so awkward at moments. But it had to be something serious. And he was covering up whatever it was. Maybe they were in the middle of a fight and he didn’t want to bring it up or stir up negative memories? It would’ve had to be something bad for him to react to her so stiffly. She feared there was a whole lot more to the story of her moving into the loft. All of that was frustratingly patchy.

Even so, that’s not what she remembered most about their relationship. There’d been a physical attraction, sure. His emerald green eyes, strong squared jaw and black-as-night tight-clipped hair were the first things she’d noticed about him. What had kept her coming back for more was his laid-back laugh, that infuriating sparkle to his eye that had melted her heart every time she looked at him and been so good at seducing her. And then there was the way it was so easy to be around him.

From the moment she’d met Austin, he just felt like home. And that was weird because she couldn’t remember the last time she truly felt at home anywhere or with anyone before him.

And now it was just...off.

They’d shared so many similar interests in music and books. And then there was the way he made her laugh no matter how hard her day had been or how sour her mood when she walked through the door. Within minutes of being around him, her entire disposition changed. The stress of the day would disintegrate and a sense of calm, of being right where she was supposed to be, would settle over her.

Those were the things she remembered about being with him.

Another feeling was present now and it had nothing to do with the handsome, virile cowboy.

This was the sensation of someone or something lurking in the shadows, just out of sight, waiting...

She couldn’t shake the hairs-standing-up-on-the-back-of-her-neck feeling no matter how hard she tried.

And she’d tried.

Chapter Four

Austin was hiding the truth from Maria. Her memories might be patchy but she knew him well enough to know that he’d been tap-dancing around something since the first day they’d come home from the hospital. He’d looked around the loft as though he’d never seen it before, which struck her as odd. Adding to her confusion, he’d insisted on checking out the bathroom before giving her access. He’d seemed so relieved when he turned from the doorjamb and told her it was clear. Clear from what?

Then, there were the sleeping arrangements. He’d said that he slept like a tornado and didn’t want to risk rolling over onto her in the night. So, he’d taken the couch since they’d arrived, which was three nights ago.

Fast-forward to today. Austin was out picking up dinner and Maria was grateful that he’d left. He was probably just worried about her but he kept watch over her like she was a China doll about to tip off the top shelf and shatter. He was just worried about her, she reasoned. That had to be the reason that he hadn’t made an attempt to touch her...right?

Because she remembered that the heat between the two of them could’ve melted a glacier and now all she got was a cold shoulder.

Maria leaned her head against the rolled-up hand towel as she stretched out her sore legs. The bathwater was the perfect temperature and the jets pulsed at just the right speed to untangle her tense muscles. Another twenty minutes of this and she’d be good to go.

Maria glanced at the clock. Austin should be back soon. She’d spent an extra ten minutes soaking and was starting to feel human again thanks to the pair of ibuprofen she’d swallowed before getting in the water. She turned off the jets and then opened the drain.

The tile floor was cold on her bare feet and a chill raced through her. Her clothes were in a pile on the floor in front of the sink. She had to step over them to reach her towel. As she lifted her right foot, she heard a sizzling sound. It was like droplets of water on a hot griddle.

Her gaze flew to the spot where an accompanying hissing sound vibrated. Her T-shirt moved and that couldn’t be a good sign. Something was underneath there. The bathroom walls seemed to shrink as the sizzling sound grew louder. She withdrew her foot and hopped back into the tub immediately. She slipped, almost bit it, and had to regain her balance by grabbing hold of the sides of the tub.

She froze as a diamond-shaped head with a pair of beady eyes and a forked tongue peeked out from underneath her T-shirt. The second it made eye contact her pulse raced and the sizzling noise vibrated. One strike could cover the distance between them, and she’d be dead before Austin could bring her fish tacos back from her favorite restaurant, Pescado.

Maria had never been terrified of anyone, not even the boogeyman when she was a little girl. But she was deathly afraid of snakes.

Her body ached from crouching low. It was the same defensive maneuver she would use in any threatening scenario, put as much mass between her and the enemy as possible. If that double-eyed monster made a move, at least the bathtub was between them save for half of her head.

Her tired legs might give out and she didn’t dare move an inch or risk agitating the creature. This was the perfect time to remember that her gun was in the other room, she thought as she rolled her eyes. Even if she had her weapon she couldn’t just randomly shoot in the middle of her building. A stray bullet could kill an innocent person and she wouldn’t want to risk it.

Unfortunately, her cell was in the other room, too. She hadn’t thought to bring it with her into the bathroom. Then again, she hadn’t expected to need it.

Maria cursed under her breath, praying that Austin would make it home before the deadly snake launched toward her. As it was she could hear her own heartbeat pounding inside her ears.

At least for now the sizzling noises had quieted. No way did she plan to take her eyes off that thing or relax. She remembered reading somewhere that most snakes could strike at least two-thirds of their body length, depending on the type and size. Most of this one’s body was hidden, so she had no idea how long it was. She had no plans to find out or test the theory, either.

Noise came from the other room...and the T-shirt moved.

* * *

AUSTIN SET THE BAG of take-out fish tacos on the kitchen island when he heard a noise, a strangled cry, from the bathroom.

His pulse kicked up and he ate up the real estate between him and the sound in a couple of strides. As he placed his hand on the knob, Maria said, “Don’t come in.”

He started to tap on the door with a knuckled fist instead.

“Don’t make a sound, Austin,” Maria pleaded.

Didn’t that get all his warning bells flaring. He pressed an ear to the door to see if he could figure out what the hell was going on. At first, he didn’t pick up anything.

And then he heard something...a sizzling noise.

Austin dropped to the floor effortlessly, without making a sound. His white Stetson landed with a soft thud on the floor next to him and he bit back a curse. All he could see clearly was a pile of clothes in front of the sink. The tub was to the left and out of range at this vantage point.

And then he saw something—a snake. From the back, he could see that the head was small but marked with a prominent dark brown arrow-shape. Austin knew exactly what kind of snake he was dealing with, a saw-scaled viper. Dangerous. Aggressive. Deadly. Known for its lightning-fast strike and powerful venom. The viper was moving backward, away from the threat, and his brown body was partially covered underneath Maria’s T-shirt.

The sizzling noise made sense. This kind of viper rubbed its scales together to create a warning sound. Austin needed to distract attention away from Maria without getting himself bit. Thinking about how snakes had been her only hesitation at moving to the ranch when they’d first married, he didn’t need her panicking. Not much could rattle Maria. Snakes were her wake-up-in-the-middle-of-the-night-in-a-cold-sweat fear.

If he spoke, the snake would immediately redirect toward him, but aggravating it could prove deadly for Maria since she was trapped in the bathroom with it. He pushed up, moved away from the door and sat. What could he use to trap it?

Austin moved around the loft, searching for something—anything, making as little noise as humanly possible. He muttered a curse under his breath when he didn’t see a thing he could use. He was losing precious time. One wrong move and Maria could end up fighting for her life. Anger roared through him.

In the corner of the bedroom area, he spotted something that might work. He picked up the wicker weave laundry basket with burlap lining and then tested its strength. This should hold.

Heart in this throat, he moved to the bathroom door. Dropping onto all fours, he pressed his head to the floor. The snake was almost up against the adjacent wall. He gripped the rim of the basket tighter, turning it upside down.

Here went nothing...

In one motion, he opened the door as the snake launched. It struck the door and recoiled. Austin held steady for a three-count, stepped inside, and then closed the door.

The viper struck again and hit the inside rim of the basket.

Austin trapped the angry reptile inside the walls of the woven basket by pressing the rim against the floor. He held it down, his heart thumping in his ears, as the two-foot-long snake repeatedly struck.

“Get me something I can put on top, something heavy,” Austin said as a relieved sound tore from Maria’s throat. There was no way he was going to chance this thing slipping out of its trap.

Maria was next to him in a heartbeat, handing him full bottles of shampoo and conditioner. He piled them on top of the basket, along with a soap dispenser and lotion bottle.

“That should do the trick while I get ahold of animal control.” He turned around and his pulse pounded for a different reason. She was standing there, essentially naked, her delicately bronzed skin slick with water from the tub. The fingers on her right hand were white, clutching a towel against her chest, but the thin material fell in a straight line and water dripped from her soft curves.

Austin did his level best to force his gaze away and refocus on the basket, and failed.

She picked up on his actions. Stepping back and wrapping the towel around her, she secured the top edge. He didn’t want to notice that her pulse pounded at her throat. Or see the exposed parts that had given them both so much pleasure.

He fished his smartphone out of his front pocket and looked up animal control in Austin. He couldn’t help it that his back teeth were clenched so tight he almost couldn’t open his mouth to speak. Pretty much all of his muscles corded and his shoulders were so tense he thought his muscles might snap. A large part of that had to do with the snake. And then there was Maria. He missed her from a place he’d shut down when she walked out and for reasons so much more than just her body. Although, having her standing there naked was a sore reminder of...

Austin planted his free hand against the wall.

“I’ll just get dressed,” Maria said.

“Fine,” he bit out a little harsher than he’d expected. Dammit. Dammit. Dammit.

Maria returned a few minutes later with her hair pulled up in a ponytail, standing on the other side of the door. She wore pale pink jogging shorts and a similar-colored tank top. He tried not to notice how much the light colors contrasted against her bronzed skin. The necklace he’d given her for their first anniversary was clasped around her neck. She must’ve forgotten that she’d stopped wearing it last year.

“Someone’s on the way from animal control,” he said, his voice a little huskier than he’d intended.

“Good.” She ran her hands on the outside of her arms with a shiver, keeping her gaze on the basket. “I can’t wait for that thing to get out of here.”

“We need to call building maintenance and let them know what’s going on,” he said, forcing his eyes away from her heart-shaped rosy lips. Sexual thoughts were out of line under the circumstances.

“Right,” she said, looking like she was trying to mentally shake off the experience. A full-body shiver rocked her as she stood in the doorjamb. “Dave will want to be informed about this, but I’m not leaving until I know that thing is gone.”

Austin knew that she wouldn’t sleep again until she had searched every inch of the place to make sure there were no others.

“How’d that thing get in here?” Maria was still shaking but tried to cover by rubbing her arms, her nervous tell.

“That’s a good question because they aren’t from anywhere around here,” he stated. Austin knew a lot about snakes thanks to his upbringing on the ranch.

“As in out of Texas or the Southwest?” Maria’s voice hitched.

“More like out of this country. I’ve never seen anything like it in Texas,” he said flatly. He pulled up the internet on his phone and input a description. “This one’s found in parts of Africa, places in the Middle East, and India.”

“Oh.” Her mind seemed to be racing, clicking through possibilities. She latched on to the question he’d been asking himself for the past ten minutes. “Why would an exotic snake be in my apartment?”

His first thought was most likely the same as hers based on her knowing expression. He rubbed the scruff on his chin. “I locked the door when I left and opened it with the key when I returned.”

“Were there any signs that it had been tampered with?” she asked.

“Nothing that was obvious to me. At least, I thought it was locked. I’m not certain.”

Her brow shot up.

Yeah. I know. He was giving away the fact that he wasn’t familiar with the loft. All this pretending was for the birds. The only thing he didn’t have to fake was his very real attraction and need to protect her. Even after all this time and heartache, that magnetic force still made the earth shift under his boots when she was close.

“There’s a chance the door could’ve already been unlocked and I didn’t catch it,” he admitted. Austin held his hand up in defense of her reaction. The place was new to him and he’d been carrying a bag of takeout, so he hadn’t listened for a click. He’d stuck the key in the lock, turned it a couple of times and walked inside. He hadn’t been sure of the direction he needed to twist in order to unlock the door and now he was cursing himself for his carelessness.

“Let’s assume it was locked for a minute,” she said. “Who else would have a key?”

“Building maintenance, for one, which is obvious.” Austin sidestepped the other apparent answer...her fiancé. Surely, the guy wouldn’t want to hurt the woman he planned to marry.

He started to make a move for the long table near the door to see if there was a list of neighbors or friends inside a drawer but Maria’s reaction stopped him from leaving the bathroom.

“Please stay right there until someone comes to pick that thing up.” She motioned toward the basket with a shiver.

He nodded.

“I find it hard to believe that Dave would sneak inside our house and slip a snake inside the bathroom while I was taking a bath.”

Austin tensed at the reminder of her being in this room a few minutes ago naked and in the bath.

“What’s wrong?” Maria’s forehead crinkled in the cutest way when she was concerned.

“It’s nothing worth saying out loud.” His focus needed to stay on the deadly snake and not drift where it didn’t belong, like thoughts of Maria with nothing on.

She shot him a look but he had no intention of explaining.

“We’ll canvass the neighbors. See if anyone saw anything,” she said.

“What about security cameras? Are there any in the building?” He hadn’t thought to check earlier, but then he hadn’t needed to know before now.

“Yeah, but I’ve never had luck with the images from security footage, so I wouldn’t be too hopeful. Based on the age of the cameras in the hallway I can already tell it’ll be too grainy.” Maria had regained her composure as she seemed to switch gears into investigative mode. Her ability to close off her emotions had made her great at doing her job. And now he could see that it had contributed to the undoing of their relationship, too.

Austin was beginning to have doubts that any event in the past week had been random. And that meant talking to her fiancé given that a woman’s biggest threat was the people closest to her. He would have access to her apartment. Could he want to harm Maria? Maybe he just wanted to scare her into remembering him.

Austin’s mind was going places he didn’t like. The list of people who had access to Maria’s apartment had two names on it... Dave from maintenance and the fiancé he wasn’t supposed to talk about.

A knock at the door came two minutes after the call to Dave ended. Maria checked the peephole before letting him in, confirming it was building maintenance. Austin was keeping an eye on the basket in the next room or he would’ve been the first one to the door.

“What happened?” Dave asked, sounding concerned as his voice trailed behind Maria. He was in his late thirties and stood at the same five feet seven inches in height as her. He had sandy-blond hair and light eyes. His distress seemed genuine based on the worry lines creasing his forehead.

It could be an act, though, so Austin planned to keep a close watch.

* * *

“ANIMAL CONTROL IS on its way.” Maria involuntarily shivered just thinking about what had just happened after filling Dave in. The investigator in her had asked him to rush over without giving him a heads-up about what was going on. She’d wanted to gauge his reaction to the news in person. She glanced at the top drawer of her dresser where she kept her service revolver.

“What kind of snake is it?” he asked.

“Viper,” she responded.

“What on earth?” he asked, stopping before the bathroom door. He sounded as freaked as she felt. “It’s in there?”

“Yes,” Maria said.

She appreciated the vigilant watch Austin kept on the basket as he introduced himself to Dave. But why the need for introductions? Austin had said that he spent most of his time on the ranch but wouldn’t he and Dave already know each other? She’d lived here for a year. Wouldn’t they have crossed paths at some point?

Maria made a mental note to ask Austin what that was about later. Right now, she had a deadly snake to get rid of...

“Are you sure it’s still in the basket?” Dave asked, dropping down to one knee in the doorway to get eye level with the basket.

Austin nodded and Maria could tell that her husband was sizing up the maintenance man. Austin was huge by comparison. His features darker and his expression far more serious.

“You have any idea why a saw-scaled viper would be in the building?” Austin asked.

A knock at the door sounded before Dave could respond.

“Hold that thought. I’ll be right back,” Maria said, excusing herself to answer the door. A quick peek through the peephole revealed a man wearing a City of Austin shirt. She let him in.

“Good evening, ma’am.” The guy was barely out of his twenties. His hair was already thinning on top and he was a little shorter than Maria. “Name’s Mark Tailor and I’m from animal services. We got a call about a snake at your residence.”

“Yes,” Maria said, opening the door wider. “It’s in the bathroom.”

She motioned toward the door as another round of heebie-jeebies rocked her. The sooner he got that thing out of her home, the better.

Mark put on a thick set of gloves and made a beeline toward the bathroom. He wore a hunter green shirt with a lighter shade pant. She didn’t want to be anywhere near that room when the snake was disturbed. She had no idea if it could run out of venom and had no plans to be anywhere near it to find out.

Austin stood guard at the bathroom door. Dave joined her in the adjacent room.

Mark walked out less than three minutes later with a captured viper making a lot of noise from the bottom of a very thick bag. “This should take care of it.”

“Thank you,” Maria said as she showed him to the door. She’d breathe easier now that thing was out of her house.

Dave’s hands were on his hips when she returned and Austin was moving around, checking behind pillows and pieces of furniture.

“I think I know who that snake belongs to,” Dave said.

Maria looked at him expectantly.

“Your downstairs neighbor,” he said. “Tyson Greer.”

“There’s one way to find out if it’s his,” Austin said, already tracking toward the exit, Dave at his heels.

“If that’s the case then I need to have a little chat with this Tyson.” Maria wasn’t far behind. “And file a complaint. I didn’t know tenants were allowed to keep dangerous pets in the building.”

Maria knocked on the door a little harder than she’d planned. Her nerves were still heightened so she took a few deep breaths to calm herself. Focusing on treating this incident like an investigation calmed her a few notches. She could easily slip into her role at the FBI and shelve her emotions.

There was no answer.

“I’m calling him right now.” Dave’s phone was to his ear. “If that was his pet, he’ll want to know right away.”

Maria knocked again.

Nothing.

The neighbor didn’t answer his phone, either. Didn’t that get the hairs on the back of her neck to stand up.

“Guess he’s not around,” Dave said after leaving an urgent message and then ending the call.

“I want to talk to him the minute he responds,” Maria said.

“And I have a few of my own questions,” Austin stated.

Dave nodded. “I’m sorry this happened. That could’ve turned out pretty bad.”

“It’s a good thing I came home when I did.” Austin rubbed the scruff on his chin. “Have you checked your key ring?” he asked Dave.

Dave unclipped the set of masters from his belt loop and fanned the couple dozen keys, stopping to account for each one. “They’re all here.”

Maria’s gaze traveled from the keys to his belt loop. She trusted Dave, especially given that the manager had asked her for help with his background check. He’d been clean. She liked Dave and didn’t want to look at him as a possible suspect. Experience had taught her not to take anything for granted. People could have a solid background and then end up tempted by the right offer.

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