A Ranch For The Runaway Bride

Weeks before her wedding, Emily Weber walks away from her planned society shindig and her cheating fiancé—straight to her cousin’s New Mexico ranch. Everyone’s advice: Emily’s got to work it out of her system, and her childhood acquaintance—all six feet of dark good looks—is just the guy to help.

Colin Talbot recognizes someone on the run from their life. Hell, the rootless photojournalist hasn’t been on his ranch in years, till now. But he’s not about to indulge in a promise of pleasure, not with a potential for disaster. Emily still wants marriage and babies; he can’t wait to bolt. So he’ll keep his distance before she has him wanting what he can’t have: a family and a forever love.

“I’m your man.”

She laughed. “Actually, I’m your woman. I’m here if you need someone to talk to. In the past few weeks you’ve let me be me more than anyone else ever has. Only fair to return the favor.” She leaned back on the picnic table, stretching the fabric across her breasts. “And the best part? Once we go back to our lives, we’ll probably never see each other again. But even a momentary connection is better than nothing.”

He had a feeling there was an underlying meaning to that last part. “Are we still talking about... talking?”

Emily turned to him, giving him a glimpse of gorgeous leg.

“This is me going with the flow.” She drew in a deep breath. “Seizing the moment.”

“Being reckless.”

“That, too. But the great thing about knowing what the possibilities are—or aren’t—from the get-go is that there are no expectations. So you can relax and enjoy the moment.”

His blood pumped so hard he could hardly hear her. He didn’t need to; he knew what she meant. Still... “Emily, I can’t take advantage of you.”

“I’m not asking you to. But hey, if you don’t want to—”

“Want has nothing to do with it.”

She leaned in close to him. “Actually, it has everything to do with it.”

* * *

Wed in the West: New Mexico’s the perfect place to finally find true love!

Falling for the Rebound Bride

Karen Templeton

www.millsandboon.co.uk

KAREN TEMPLETON is an inductee into the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame. A three-time RITA® Award–winning author, she has written more than thirty novels for Mills & Boon. She lives in New Mexico with two hideously spoiled cats. She has raised five sons and lived to tell the tale, and she could not live without dark chocolate, mascara and Netflix.

To my five guys

Who made our home more than we could have ever imagined.

Love you.

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

Epilogue

Extract

Copyright

Chapter One

The young woman had been eyeing him from the other side of the luggage carousel for several minutes, her pale forehead slightly crimped. Far too wiped out to be paranoid—or return her interest, if that’s what it was—Colin instead focused on his phone as he reflexively massaged an unyielding knot in the back of his neck. Although truthfully his entire body was one giant screaming ache after nearly two days either on a plane or waiting for one—

“Um... Colin? Colin Talbot?”

Instinctively clutching his camera bag, he frowned into a pair of sweet, wary blue eyes he was pretty sure he’d never seen in his life. Clearly he was even more tired than he’d realized, letting her sneak up on him like that.

With a squeaky groan, the carousel lurched into action, the contents of the plane’s belly tumbling down the chute, bags and boxes jostling each other like a bunch of sleepy drunks. The other passengers closed in, ready to pounce, many sporting the standard assortment of cowboy hats and beat-up boots you’d expect to see in New Mexico. Colin squinted toward the business end, keeping one grit-scraped eye out for his beat-up duffel, then faced the young woman again. Crap, his backpack felt like it weighed a hundred pounds. Not to mention his head.

“Have we met? Because I don’t—”

“I was a kid, the last time I saw you,” she said, a smile flicking across a mouth as glossy as her long, wavy hair, some undefined color between blond and brown. “When I visited the ranch.” She tucked some of that shiny hair behind one ear, the move revealing a simple gold hoop, as well as lifting the hem of her creamy blouse just enough to hint at the shapely hips her fitted jeans weren’t really hiding. Hell. Next to this perfect specimen of refinement, Colin felt like week-old roadkill. Probably smelled like it, too, judging from the way the dude next to him on that last leg from Dallas kept leaning away.

The smile flickered again, although he now saw it didn’t quite connect with her eyes. She pressed a slender, perfectly manicured hand to her chest. “Emily Weber? Deanna’s cousin?”

Deanna. His younger brother Josh’s new wife. And their dad’s old boss’s daughter. Now, vaguely, Colin remembered the gangly little middle schooler who’d spent a few weeks on the Vista Encantada that summer more than ten years ago. Vaguely, because not only had he already been in college, but she was right, they hadn’t talked much. If at all. Mostly because of the age difference thing. That she even recognized him now...

“Oh. Right.” Colin dredged up a smile of sorts, before his forehead cramped again. “You don’t look much like I remember.”

Humor briefly flickered in her eyes. “Neither do you.”

He shifted, easing the weight of the backpack. “Then how’d you know it was me?”

A faint blush swept over her cheeks. “I didn’t, at first. Especially with the beard. But it’s hard to ignore the tallest man in the room. Then I noticed the camera bag, and I remembered the photo I spotted at your folks’ house, when I was there a few months ago for the wedding. Josh’s wedding, I mean.” She grinned. “There’s been a few of those in your family of late.”

Seriously, his brothers had been getting hitched like there’d been a “buy one, get two free” sale on marriage licenses. First Levi, then Josh—his twin younger brothers—and soon Zach, the oldest, would be marrying for the second time—

“In any case,” she said, “enough pieces started fitting together that I decided to take a chance, see if it was you. Although you probably wondered who the creeper chick trying to pick you up was.”

Colin glanced back toward the carousel. “Thought never crossed my mind.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught her gaze lower to her glittery flat shoes. “Crazy, huh?” she said, looking up again. But not at him. “After all this time, both of us being on the same plane to Albuquerque.”

“Yeah.”

This time the sound that pushed from her chest held a definite note of exasperation. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude on your privacy or whatever. I just thought, since I did recognize you, it’d be weird not to say anything. Especially since we’re probably both headed up to the ranch. Unless...” Another flush streaked across her cheeks. “You’re not?”

Colin shut his eyes, as if that’d stop her words’ pummeling. True, he was exhausted and starving and not at all in the mood for conversation, especially with some classy, chatty chick he barely remembered. A chatty chick who clearly didn’t know from awkward. Or didn’t care. But she was right, he was being an ass. For no other reason than he could. Cripes, his father would knock him clear into next week for that. Not to mention his mother.

“No. I am,” he said, daring to meet her gaze. And the you’ve-gone-too-far-buster set to her mouth under it. A mouth that under other circumstances—although what those might be, God alone knew—might have even provoked a glimmer of sexual interest. Okay, more than a glimmer. But those days were long gone, stuffed in some bottom drawer of his brain where they couldn’t get him in trouble anymore. “And I apologize. It was a rough flight. Part of it, anyway.”

Although not nearly as rough as the weeks, months, preceding it.

Emily’s gaze softened. Along with that damn mouth. Yeah, sympathy was the last thing he needed right now.

“From?”

Since his name was plastered all over the magazine spread along with the photos, it wasn’t exactly a secret. “Serbia.”

A moment of silence preceded, “And why do I get the feeling I should leave it there?”

His mouth tugged up on one side. “Because you’re good at reading minds?”

She almost snorted, even as something like pain flashed across her features. “As if. Then again...” Her gaze slid to his, so impossible to read he wondered if he’d imagined the pain in it. “Perhaps some minds are easier to read than others?”

Nope, not taking the bait. Even if he’d had a clue what the bait was. His arms folded across a layer of denim more disreputable than his yet-to-appear duffel, he said, “You get on in DC? Or Dallas?”

“DC.”

“And nobody’s picking you up?”

Her mouth twisted. “It was kind of last-minute. So I told Dee I’d rent a car, save her or Josh the five-hour round trip. They’ve got their hands full enough with the kids and the ranch stuff this time of year, and I can find my own way.” Her eyes swung to his again. “What about you?”

“They don’t know I’m here.”

That got a speculative look before she snapped to attention like a bird dog. “Oh, there’s one of my bags—”

“Which one?”

“The charcoal metallic with the rose trim. And there’s the two others. But you don’t have to—”

“No problem,” Colin said, lugging the three hard-sided bags off the belt. Gray with pink stripes. Fancy. And no doubt expensive. His gaze once more flicked over her outfit, her hair and nails, even as his nostrils flared at her light, floral perfume.

Rich girl whispered through his brain, as another memory or two shuffled along for the ride, that his new sister-in-law’s mother had hailed from a socially prominent East Coast family, that there’d been murmurings about how Deanna’s aunt hadn’t been exactly thrilled when her only sister took up with a cowboy and moved to the New Mexico hinterlands. Something about her throwing her life away. A life that had ended far too soon, when Deanna had only been a teenager.

Not that any of this had anything to do with him. Didn’t then, sure as hell didn’t now. Never mind the knee-to-the-groin reaction to the charmed life this young woman had undoubtedly led. The sort of life that tended to leave its participants with high expectations and not a whole lot of understanding for those whose lives weren’t nearly so privileged—

“Hey. You okay?”

Colin gave his head a sharp shake, refusing to believe he saw genuine concern in those blue eyes. Apparently the long trip had chewed up more than a few brain cells.

“I’m fine. Or will be,” he said as he grabbed his bag off the belt, dumping its sorry, chewed-up self on the airport’s floor beside the shiny trio. “Nothing a shower, some food and a real bed won’t fix.” Not to mention some sorely needed alone time. “And the sooner we get—” home, he’d started to say, startling himself “—back to the Vista, the sooner I can make that happen.” Slinging the duffel over his shoulder with the camera bag and commandeering the smaller two of Emily’s bags, he nodded toward the rental car desk across the floor. “So let’s go get our cars and get out of here.”

Jerking up the handle of the larger bag, Emily frowned. “Um...why rent two cars? Wouldn’t it make more sense to share one? Besides, don’t take this the wrong way, but you do not look like someone up for driving through a couple hundred miles of nothing. In the dark, especially. So I’ll drive, how’s that?”

That got a momentary sneer from the old male ego—because Old Skool Dude here, the man was supposed to drive—until weariness slammed into him like a twenty-foot tidal wave. And along with it logic, because the woman had a point. Didn’t make a whole lot of sense to rent two separate vehicles when they were going to the same place.

Not to mention the fact that passing out and careening into a ravine somewhere wasn’t high on his to-do list. However...

“You might not want to be confined with me in a closed space for two-and-a-half hours.” Her brows lifted. “I think I smell.”

She laughed. “Not that I’ve noticed. But it’s warm enough we can leave the windows open.”

“Once we get up past Santa Fe? Doubtful. Spring doesn’t really get going good until May, at least.”

A shrug preceded, “So I’ll put on another layer—”

“But what’ll you do for a car once you’re there?”

“Dee said there’s a truck I can use, if I want. So I was gonna turn in the rental tomorrow in Taos, anyway...”

First off, that shrug? Made her hair shimmer around her shoulders, begging to be touched. So wrong. Second, the image of Emily’s perfectly polished person collided in Colin’s worn-to-nubs brain with whatever undoubtedly mud-caked 4x4 her cousin was referring to. The ranch vehicles weren’t known for being pretty.

Unlike the woman with the shimmery hair who’d be driving one of them.

So wrong.

Then he dragged his head out of his butt long enough to catch the amused smile playing around her mouth. “You really have a problem sharing a ride with me?”

Colin’s cheeks heated. “It’s not you.”

“Actually, I got that. No, really. But I’m beginning to understand what Josh said about you being a loner—”

“I’m not—”

“Even I know you haven’t been home in years,” she said gently. “That you’ve barely been in touch with anyone since you left. And then you don’t even tell your family you’re coming back? Dude. However,” she said, heading toward the rental desk, her hair swishing against her back. Glimmering. Taunting. “My only goal right now is to get to the ranch.” She glanced back over her shoulder at him, and once again he saw a flicker of something decidedly sharp edged. “Expediency, you know? Your issues are none of my business. Nor are mine yours. In fact, we don’t even have to talk, if you don’t want to. I won’t be offended, I promise. So. Deal?”

With the devil, apparently.

“Deal,” Colin grumbled, hauling the rest of the bags to the desk, wondering why her reasonableness was pissing him the hell off.

* * *

An hour later, Emily had to admit Colin had been right about two things: the farther north they went, the colder it got; and he was definitely a little on the gamey side. Meaning she’d had no choice but to keep the windows at least partly down, or risk suffocation.

Also, it was dark. As in, the headlight beams piercing the pitch blackness were creepy as all get-out. To her, night meant when the street lamps came on, not that moment when the sun dived behind the horizon and yanked every last vestige of daylight with it. Her heart punched against her ribs—so much for her oh-I’ll-drive bravado back there in the airport, when for whatever reason it hadn’t occurred to her she’d never actually driven the route before. Somebody had always ferried her to and from Albuquerque. Sure, she would’ve made the trek herself in any case, but being responsible for another human being in the car with her...

“Jeez, get a grip,” she muttered, turning up the Sirius radio in the SUV, hoping the pulsing beat would pound her wayward thoughts into oblivion. Not to mention her regrets, crammed inside her head like the jumbled mess of old sweaters and jeans and tops she’d stuffed willy-nilly inside her pretty new luggage. Clothes that predated Michael, that she’d rarely worn around him because he’d said they made her look dumpy.

Emily’s nostrils flared as her fingers tightened around the leather-padded wheel. Someday, she might even cry.

Someday. When she was over the hurling and cursing stage.

Beside her, a six-feet-and-change Colin snorted and shifted, his arms folded over his chest as he slept. They’d barely made it out of Albuquerque before he’d crashed, his obvious exhaustion rolling off him in waves even more than the funk. If it hadn’t been for that picture Dee had shown Emily—a very serious publicity shot of Colin the photojournalist—she would’ve never recognized him. As it was, between the five days’ beard growth and shaggy hair, the rumpled clothes and saddlebags under his eyes, she still wasn’t sure how she had. It must’ve been the eyes, a weird pale green against his sun-weathered face—

Emily released another breath, aggravation swamping her once more. Although with herself more than Colin, she supposed, for not having the good sense to leave well enough alone. Gah, it was as though she’d been totally incapable of stanching the words spewing from her mouth. Apparently heart-slicing betrayal had that effect on her. But seriously—after a lifetime of making nice, now she couldn’t resist poking the bear? And a grumpy, malodorous one at that?

From her purse, her phone warbled. Her mother’s ringtone. Good thing she was currently driving, because... No.

The man shifted again, muttering in his sleep, the words unintelligible. She imagined a frown—since that seemed to be his face’s default setting, anyway—

“Crap!”

At the laser-like flash of the animal’s eyes, Emily swerved the car to the right, hard, the wheels jittering over rocks and weeds before jerking to a spine-rattling stop. Colin’s palm slammed against the dash as he bellowed awake, a particularly choice swearword hanging in the cold air between them for what felt like an hour.

“What the hell?”

“S-something darted out in front of the c-car,” Emily finally got out, over the sudden—and horrifying—realization of exactly how close she was to losing it.

“You okay?”

How a gruff voice could be so gentle, Emily had no idea. How she was going to keep it together in the face of that gentleness, she had even less of one. But she would. If it killed her.

Her neck hurt a little when she nodded. “I’m fine.”

“You don’t sound fine.”

On a half-assed laugh, she leaned her head back. Or would have if the headrest had let her. “I almost took out Bambi. What do you think?” She dared to cut her eyes to his, only to realize she couldn’t see them anyway. Thank goodness. “Sorry about the sudden stop. Is everything... Are you...?”

“I’m good. Or will be when my heart climbs back down out of my throat.” Which he now cleared. “Good save, by the way.”

“How would you know?” she said, even as pleasure flushed her cheeks. “Since you slept through it.”

“We’re still upright. And alive. So I count that as a win.”

“Funny, you don’t strike me as a look-on-the-bright-side type.”

“You’d be surprised.”

“I already am. Well.” And her heart could stop break-dancing anytime now, she thought as she gripped the wheel. “I guess we should get going—”

“You’re shaking.”

“Only a little... What are you doing?”

This asked as he got out of the car and walked around to her side, motioning for her to open the door. “Taking over the driving, what does it look like?”

“You don’t have to—”

“Actually, I think I do.”

Emily felt her face go grumpy. “I thought you said that was a good save.”

“It was. And I mean that. But I’m awake now—”

“Sorry about that.”

“—and I’m probably a little better at recovering from stress than you are.”

“Heh. You ever driven on the DC beltway?”

“Many times. Although trust me, it doesn’t even begin to compare with Mumbai. Besides, once we hit town, do you have any idea where we’re going?”

There was that. Because, again, she hadn’t driven when she’d been out before. Of course her plan had been to either rely on the car’s GPS or—probably better—on Dee or Josh. Which she could still do. But by now she realized she was beginning to slip across that fine line between independent and mule-headed. And she was whacked, too.

“Emily?”

Again with the gentleness. Jerk.

“Fine,” she said, climbing down from behind the wheel and marching around to the passenger side, huddling deeper into her sweater coat before strapping herself in. Rocks crunched and rattled as Colin pulled back onto the highway, and Emily felt her jangled nerves relax. A little.

Because for some reason this guy seemed a lot bigger awake than he had asleep. And she wasn’t exactly tiny. A fact that had apparently induced no small amount of angst in her petite mother—

“So where are we, exactly?” Colin asked.

“Just past Taos.”

He nodded. “You mind if I turn down the...music?”

“Turn it off, if you want. I don’t care.”

“You sure?”

“I’m sure.”

Except the silence that followed made her brain hurt. Strange how she didn’t mind the quiet when she was actually by herself. But when there was actually someone else in the space—

“So how come you didn’t tell anyone you were coming?”

He hesitated, then said, “Because I didn’t want to.”

“None of my business, in other words.”

His gaze veered to hers, then away.

“And you don’t think they might find it weird when we show up together?”

A single-note chuckle pushed through his nose. “Dog with a bone, aren’t cha?”

Her mouth pulled flat, Emily shoved her hair behind her ear. But after years of being the peacemaker, the One Most Likely to Back Down... “Guess I don’t have a whole lot of patience these days for secrets.”

“Even though this has nothing to do with you.”

“Me, no. My cousin, yes. And her husband. And his family. So...”

“And you’re nothing if not loyal.”

She waited out the stab to her heart before saying, “Out of fashion though that might be.”

That got a look. Probably accompanied by a frown, though she wasn’t about to check.

Another couple miles passed before he said, “And I’m guessing I’ve been the topic of conversation recently.”

“Your name does come up a lot,” she said quietly, then glanced over. “Since, you know, you’re the brother who’s not there. And hasn’t been there for years.”

Seconds passed. “I’ve been...on assignment.”

Exactly what Josh had said, after his and Dee’s wedding, his that’s-life shrug at complete odds with the disappointment in his eyes. And between the leftover shakiness from nearly taking out that deer back there and feeling like hornets had set up shop inside her brain, whatever filters Emily might have once had were blown to hell.

“From everything I can tell, Colin, your family’s great. In fact, most people would be grateful...” Tears biting at her eyes, she gave her head a sharp shake, rattling the hornets. “So what exactly did they do to tick you off so much?”

* * *

And to think, Colin mused, if he hadn’t agreed to this crazy woman’s suggestion to share the car, the worst that might’ve happened would have been his ending up in a ditch somewhere.

Of course, he didn’t owe her, or anyone, an explanation. Although she seemed like a nice enough kid—if pushy—and surprisingly playing the total bastard card wasn’t part of his skill set. Besides, in a half hour they’d be there, and he’d hole up in one of the cabins, and she’d stay with her cousin in the main house, and they probably wouldn’t even see each other again for the duration of her visit. Right?

Except right now she was watching him, waiting for an answer, those great, big, sad eyes pinned to the side of his face. Yeah, there was a story there, no doubt. Not that he was about to get sucked in. Because he’d come home to get his head on straight again, not get all snarled in someone else’s.

“They didn’t do anything, okay?” he finally mumbled. “Like you said, they’re great people. It’s just we don’t see a lot of things through the same lens.”

He sensed more than saw her frown before she leaned into the corner between the seat and the door—at least as much as the seat belt would let her—her arms folded over her stomach. Thinking, no doubt.

“So what’s different now?”

“Do you even consider what’s about to pop out of your mouth before it does?”

“Probably about as much as you’ve considered their reaction when you show up out of the blue. And with your dad’s heart condition—”

“First off, people keeling over from shock only happens in the movies—”

“Not only in the movies.”

“Mostly, then. And second, Dad’s not at death’s door. He never was, as far as I can tell—”

“And how would you know that if you haven’t been there?”

“Because that’s what he said, okay? For crying out loud, I did talk to him, or Mom, or both, every day at the time. I’m not totally out of the loop—”

“Even if you prefer to hover at its edge?”

If it hadn’t been for the gentle humor in her voice—and something more, something he couldn’t quite put his finger on—he would’ve been a lot more pissed than he was. “They told me not to come home, that it wasn’t necessary. And my reasons for returning now...” He briefly faced her, then looked away. “Are mine.”

“As are your reasons for not giving them a heads-up that you are. Got it.”

“You’re really aggravating, you know that?”

Her laugh startled him. “Then my work here is done,” she said, clearly pleased with herself. Because the chick was downright bonkers. Story of his life, apparently.

“Look,” he said, giving in or up or whatever. “If you’ve been around my family for more than thirty seconds you know they can be a mite...overwhelming en masse.”

Another laugh. “I noticed.”

“So if I’d called my brother and told him I was coming, you can bet your life the whole gang would be at the Vista to welcome me home.” His jaw clenched. “Maybe even the whole town. I know what I’m about to face, believe me. But I’d at least prefer to ease back into the bosom of the clan on my own terms. At least as much as possible.”

“I can understand that.”

“Really?”

“Like you’re the only person in the world who has issues with their family?” she said quietly, not looking at him. “Please.”

The sign for Whispering Pines flashed in the headlights, and Colin turned off the highway onto the smaller road leading to the tiny town. Emily shrugged more deeply into her coat; the higher they climbed, the colder the night got. But the air was sweet and clear and clean. And, Colin had to admit, welcoming.

“It’s the space, isn’t it?” she said, shattering his thoughts.

“Excuse me?”

“Why you’ve come home. Same reason I’m here now, I suppose. To stop the—” She waved her hands at her head, then folded her arms again. “The noise. The crowding.”

The impulse to probe nudged more insistently. He’d assumed she was only there to visit, like people did. Normal people, anyway. Or to attend Zach’s wedding, although that wasn’t for weeks yet. Now, though, questions niggled. Maybe there was more...?

And whatever that might be had nothing to do with him.

“Hadn’t really thought about it,” he muttered, ignoring what had to be a doubtful look in response. Shaking her head, Emily dug her phone out of her purse, only to heave a sigh and slug it back inside.

“No signal. Jeez, how do people even survive out here?”

“Same way they have for hundreds of years, I imagine.”

A soft grunt was her only reply. Thank God. Although Colin had to admit, as wearying as her poking and prying had been, the silence was far worse, providing a far-too-fertile breeding ground for his own twisted-up thoughts. Because despite the universe’s insistence that this is where he needed to be right now, he’d be lying to himself if he didn’t admit this felt an awful lot like starting over.

Or worse, failure.

A dog’s barking as they pulled into the Vista’s circular driveway shattered the silence, although Colin barely heard it over his pounding heart, the rush of blood between his ears. Beside him, Emily gathered her giant purse, then gave him what he suspected was a pitying look before grabbing the door’s handle.

“I don’t envy you right now,” she murmured, then shoved open the door and got out. By now her cousin and his brother were out on the oversize veranda. Even in the screwy light he could see confusion shudder across both their faces.

“You’ll never guess who I ran into in the airport,” she said, and Colin realized he had two choices: show himself, or turn right around and pretend this had all been a mistake. Except the flaw with plan B was that, for one thing, Emily’s luggage was still in the SUV. And for another, she’d rat on him.

So, on a weighty sigh, Colin pried himself from behind the wheel and faced his little brother, who immediately spit out a cussword that would’ve gotten a good smack upside the head from their mother. Two seconds later, Josh was pounding the hell out of Colin’s back, then grinning up at him like a damn fool.

“Holy hell, Col,” he said, his eyes wet, and Colin did his best to grin back.

“I know, right?” he said, feeling heat flood his cheeks before he glanced over to see Emily wrapped tightly in his new sister-in-law’s arms, bawling her eyes out.

Chapter Two

“So how come you didn’t say anything?”

Standing at the sink in the ranch’s ginormous, Southwest-kitsch kitchen, Emily set the now-clean Dutch oven in the drainer, pushing out a sigh for Colin’s question. Not that she’d been able to eat much of the amazing pot roast, especially after embarrassing the hell out of herself earlier. But her cousin’s keeping dinner warm for her—well, them, as it happened—had been a very sweet gesture. Because that was Dee.

Wiping her damp hands across her butt, Emily turned, now unable to avoid the scowl she’d ignored—more or less—all through the late dinner. Even from six or so feet away, Colin’s size was impressive. At least he no longer looked—or smelled—as though he’d recently escaped from the jungle. And he’d shaved, which took the edge off the mountain man aura. Somewhat. But with his arms crossed over that impressive chest, not even his slightly curling, still-damp hair detracted from the massive mouth-drying solidity that was Colin Talbot. For sure, none of the brothers were exactly puny, but Colin was next door to intimidating. Toss in the glower, and...

Yeah.

“Your brother let you out of his clutches?”

The corner of Colin’s mouth twitched. “For the moment. The dog was acting like something was going on outside he thought Josh needed to check out.”

And Dee had gone to nurse her infant daughter—after Emily shooed her off, insisting on cleaning up after dinner. No buffers, in other words. And judging from that penetrating gaze, Colin was not-so-patiently waiting for her answer.

She shrugged, a lame attempt at playing it cool. “Maybe because your doing the prodigal son routine seemed like a far bigger deal than—”

“Your wedding getting called off?”

Weirdly, he sounded almost angry. Although whether it was because she hadn’t told him, or on her behalf, she had no idea. Not that either of those made any sense. Then again, maybe he was ticked off because of a dozen other things she wasn’t privy to. Nor was she likely to be. So Big Guy didn’t exactly have a lot of room to talk, did he?

And before those weird, light eyes melted her brain, Emily turned back around to wipe down the sink. “In the interest of journalistic integrity,” she said, scrubbing far harder than the stainless sink needed. “I was the one who called it off.”

“Because your fiancé cheated on you. Josh filled me in.”

The wrung-out sponge shoved behind the faucet, Emily faced him again, her arms tightly crossed over her ribs. “Seriously? You reconnect with your brother for the first time in a million years and you guys talk about me?”

“Hey. You were the one who totally lost it the minute we got here. Not me. Although for what it’s worth, I didn’t ask. Josh volunteered the information. And it was like a five-, six-second part of the conversation. Okay, ten at the most. But I thought you’d probably appreciate knowing that I know.” He paused. “Not that I plan on being in your way much. In fact, I’m heading over to the foreman’s cabin in a few.”

Their gazes tangled for a long moment before Josh and the dog suddenly reappeared, the panting, grinning Aussie shepherd mix trotting over to his bowl to noisily slosh water all over the tiled floor.

“Have no idea what Thor heard,” Josh said, striding to the sink to fill a glass of his own. Colin had a good three or four inches on his little brother, who still wasn’t “little” by anyone’s standards. The Talbots grew ’em solid, for sure. Josh’s mossy eyes darted from her to Colin, a quizzical frown briefly biting into his forehead. But whatever he was thinking he kept to himself, thank goodness. Instead he flicked the empty glass toward the sink, then set it back in the drain board before clapping Josh’s arm. “Well, come on—let’s get you set up. Haven’t been out there in weeks, have no idea what condition it’s in—”

“Considering some of the places I’ve slept?” Colin said with a tight smile. “I’m sure it’s fine. And I’m about to collapse. We can talk more tomorrow,” he said gently at his brother’s slightly let-down expression. “Although don’t be surprised if I sleep until dinnertime. But promise me you won’t tell Mom and Dad I’m here.”

“I won’t.”

“Swear.”

Chuckling, Josh pressed a hand to his heart. “To God. Good enough?”

With a nod, Colin walked to the back door where he’d dumped his stuff; a moment later, he was gone, and Emily turned to her cousin-in-law. Squinting. Josh actually winced.

“Sorry, it kinda slipped out. Then again...” He leaned back against the counter, his palms curled over the edge. “It’s not exactly a secret, is it?”

“No, but...” Emily glanced toward the door, where she could have sworn Colin’s presence still shimmered. Which only proved he hadn’t been the only wiped-out person in the house. “No,” she repeated, giving Josh a little smile, which she transferred to the dog when he came over to nudge her hand with his sopping-wet snout. Then she sniffed, blinking back another round of tears.

“You know you can stay as long as you want,” Josh said, adding, “I mean that,” when Emily lifted watery eyes to his. “You probably have no idea how much Dee talked about you, when she came back after her dad died. About how you saved her sanity after that business with her ex. How you stood by her when your folks...well...”

At that, Emily pushed out a tiny laugh. “Yeah, propriety’s kind of a biggie with them. Mom especially.” Meaning a knocked-up niece hadn’t been part of Margaret Weber’s game plan. Although that was small potatoes compared with her daughter’s society wedding getting the ax weeks before it was supposed to happen. Never mind that it would have been a total sham.

“In any case,” Josh continued, “after everything you did for Dee, anything we can do to return the favor—”

“Thanks. But...”

Her cousin’s husband grinned. “What?”

Emily sighed. In the rush of adrenaline that had followed in the wake of discovering Michael’s secret, her fight-or-flight impulse had kicked in, big-time. And since fighting had felt like an exercise in futility, she’d chosen flight...as far from Michael and her mother and all those gasps and clacking tongues in McLean, Virginia, as she could get. And where else but to the place that had been a balm to her soul the few times she’d been here as a kid? And where the only person who could effortlessly toggle between being a nonjudgmental sounding board and understanding when Emily needed space lived?

However, now that the adrenaline was subsiding, it occurred to her that this was a newly married couple...a newly married couple with two young children between them, who probably cherished their alone time when said children were asleep. So the last thing they probably wanted, or needed, was some emotionally volatile chick invading their space.

“You guys have to promise me,” she said to Josh’s bemused expression, “you’ll let me know the minute you feel I’m cramping your style.”

At that, Josh laughed out loud. “We live with a four-year-old and an infant. Cramped is our style. As it will be for many years to come, I expect. Although at least you can get your own glass of water if you wake up in the middle of the night. You can, right?”

Emily chuckled. “Not only that, I can even make my own breakfast.”

“Then there ya go.” Josh leaned over to give her shoulder a quick squeeze. “In case you missed it, we’re kinda big on family around here. So not another word, you hear?”

Her eyes burning again, Emily nodded. And this time, not because she was worn-out. Not even because of her own foolishness, letting herself get caught up in a fairy tale that now lay shattered in a million pieces at the bottom of her soul. That had been just plain stupid. Even so, she had no doubt she’d eventually recover. And be stronger for the experience, if not a whole lot wiser. So out of the ashes and all that.

But what yanked at her heart now was the sudden and profound realization of what had been missing from her life to this point, or at least not nearly as much in evidence as it should have been:

The good old Golden Rule, treating others the way you’d want to be treated. At least, as far as being on the receiving end of it went. All her life, it now occurred to her, she’d tried so hard to do what was expected of her, to not make waves. A lot in life she’d been fine with, for the most part. So sue her, she liked making people happy. But how often had anyone else ever done that for her? Other than Dee, that was, who’d come to live with Emily and her parents shortly after her mother died, when they were teenagers.

Now Emily looked at the kind, wonderful man her cousin had married, feeling overwhelmingly grateful for Deanna’s happiness...and even more acutely aware of how badly she’d been screwed. And as her cousin joined them in the kitchen, one arm slipping around her husband’s waist, resolve flooded Emily, that the next time—if there even was a next time—either the dude would look at her the way Josh looked at Dee or fuggedaboutit. Because God knew Michael had never looked at her like that, had he? And look how that had turned out.

“She asleep?” Josh asked Dee, who spiked a hand through her short dark hair. Almost chin length now, grown out from the edgier style she’d worn when she worked at that art gallery in DC. Roots were showing, too, a burnished glimmer against the black ends.

“Out like a light,” Dee said, yawning as she leaned into Josh. Again, envy spiked through Emily, at how comfortable they were with each other. How much in love. Which was what came, Emily supposed, from their having been friends first, when they’d been kids and Josh’s father had worked for Dee’s. But between that and the trip and the events leading to the trip and the weirdness with Colin, Emily suddenly felt used up.

“If you guys don’t mind,” she said, “I think I’m going to turn in. It’s been a long day.”

“I’m sure,” Dee said, slipping out of the shelter of her husband’s embrace to wrap her arms around Emily, hold her close for a long moment. “We’ll talk tomorrow. If you want.”

“I’m sure I will,” Emily said, then left the kitchen, letting the silence in the long, clay-tiled hall leading to the bedroom wing enfold her. Even with the updates to the house from when Dee and Josh thought they’d sell it after Uncle Granville’s death, the place hadn’t changed much from what she remembered from childhood. But the century-old hacienda, with its troweled walls and beamed ceilings, seemed good with that, like an old woman who saw no need to adopt the latest fashion craze simply because it was the latest thing.

A giant gray cat, curled on the folded-up quilt on the foot of the guest room’s double bed, blinked sleepily at her when she turned on the nightstand’s lamp. No one seemed to know how old Smoky was, or how he’d even come to live here—like a ghost whose presence was simply accepted.

“Hey, guy,” she said, plopping her smaller bag onto the mattress, chuckling at his glower because she’d disturbed his nap. Not to mention his space, since he’d clearly staked a claim on the room in her absence. “We gonna be roomies for the next little while?”

The cat yawned, then meowed before hauling himself to his feet and plodding across the bed to bump her hand as she tugged a pair of pajamas from the case and zipped it back up. Unpacking would come later, a thought that hurt her chest. Not because she was here, but because of why she was here—

Dee’s quiet knock on her open bedroom door made Emily start. Her cousin had changed into a loose camisole top, a pair of don’t-give-a-damn drawstring bottoms and a baggy plaid robe that definitely gave off a masculine vibe.

“Need anything?”

“A new life?”

With a snort, her cousin came over to sit on the edge of the bed, which the cat took as an invitation to commandeer her lap. “I know I said tomorrow,” she said as Emily unceremoniously disrobed, tugged on the pajamas. Unlike her relationships with nearly everybody else in her life, she and Dee had no secrets between them. “But... I’m so sorry, Em.”

Emily crawled up onto the bed, sitting cross-legged to face Dee like she used to when they were kids. The cat immediately changed loyalties, flicking his poofy tail across Emily’s chin before settling in, rumbling like a dishwasher. Smiling, she stroked his staticky fur.

“Better now than later, right?”

Her cousin blew a half laugh through her nose. “At least you’re not pregnant,” she muttered, then frowned. “You’re not, are you?”

It was everything Emily could do not to laugh herself at the absurdity of her cousin’s perfectly reasonable question. Especially since the sweet baby girl down the hall wasn’t Josh’s, but the result of Dee’s affair—well before she moved back to New Mexico and reconnected with Josh, whom she hadn’t seen since she was a teenager—with a man who’d neglected to mention he already had three children. And a wife. A thought that immediately displaced Emily’s inappropriate spike of amusement with anger, at how both she and her cousin had been played for fools by a pair of scumbags who mistook agreeableness for weakness.

Or stupidity.

“What do you think?” she said, and her cousin’s mouth twisted.

“Oh. Right. Although sometimes—”

“Not in this case. Although I suppose I should see about having the IUD removed now. Since...” She shrugged, and Dee’s eyes went soft.

“Since it’s completely over between you and Michael?”

“Yeah,” Emily said on a sigh.

“Well...” Dee grinned. “Before you do, who’s to say you couldn’t have some good old-fashioned revenge sex?”

Now Emily did laugh. Ridiculous though the suggestion was. Towns this small weren’t exactly rife with prospects. Which right now was a major selling point, actually, what with her recent self-diagnosis of acute testosterone intolerance. “With...?”

Her cousin’s eyes twinkled. “I’m sure we can scrounge up someone who isn’t toothless and/or on Social Security.”

“Meaning Colin,” Emily deadpanned, and Dee’s eyebrows nearly flew off her head.

“The thought never even entered my head.”

“Right.”

“You’ve gotta admit, he does clean up nice.” Emily glared. For many reasons. Then her cousin leaned forward to wrap her hand around hers. “You do know I’m kidding, right?”

“I’m never sure with you.”

“Good point,” Dee said, the twinkle once again flashing. “But while I do find it serendipitous—”

“Ooh, big word.”

“—that the two of you showed up together, and he is a hunk—because clearly the Talbots don’t know how to make ’em any other way—it’s also pretty obvious he’s no more in the market for fun and games than you are.”

“Yeah, I kind of got that impression, too. But what did he say? To Josh?”

“It’s more what he didn’t say, I think. Obviously the man is all about keeping to himself. Even more than most men are,” she said, and Emily thought, Tell me about it. “But he indicated to Josh he just needed a break. And that it’d been too long since he’d been home. Especially since so much has happened since then. Weddings and whatnot.”

“You think he’ll stick around for Zach and Mallory’s?”

“Who knows? I get the feeling Colin’s not big on plans. Or commitments.” Dee cocked her head. “And what’s with that look?”

Emily punched out a sound that was equal parts laugh and sigh. “That would be me overthinking things I have no business thinking about at all. Especially since I clearly have no talent whatsoever when it comes to guessing what’s going on inside someone’s head. I mean, really—I knew Michael for how many years? And still...” She shook her head. “So presuming anything about some man I’ve known for a few hours—and half of that he’s either been comatose or not around...”

“Em.” Dee looked almost exasperated. “First off, there’s a huge difference between some dirtwad who’s deliberately trying to keep you in the dark and a guy who’s simply not big on sharing. With anybody, apparently. Even his brothers barely know him, for reasons known only to Colin. So if you think Colin’s got some serious issues—believe me, you’re not alone. In fact, Josh said the same thing. Only I think—” she squeezed Emily’s hand “—that you’ve got enough junk of your own to work through right now without worrying about someone you don’t even know. Because secondly, you’re too damn kindhearted. Always have been. Which is probably...” She bit her lip, and Emily rolled her eyes.

“Go on, spit it out. Which is why I’m in this mess, right?”

“Seeing the best in people is what you do,” Dee said gently. “Who you are. And I wouldn’t change that, or you, for the world. So don’t even go there, you hear me? But it does have its downside.”

“In other words I need to toughen up.”

“Says the woman who teaches kindergartners,” Dee said on a short laugh. “You’re plenty tough, babycakes. But I think...” Her cousin paused, her eyes narrowed slightly. “What’s the longest you’ve ever gone without a boyfriend? A month? Two?”

Emily started. “I...I don’t know. I never really thought about it—”

“Because you’ve never been alone long enough to think about it. And then you reconnected with Michael at that thing at the club, and everyone—his parents, your parents—were all ooh, perfect, and...”

“And I fell right into everyone’s expectations.”

Her cousin’s smile was kind. “Especially Aunt Margaret’s.”

Considering her mother’s apoplectic fit when the wedding was called off? Truth. But...

“You never really liked Michael, did you?”

Dee reached over to stroke the cat. “I never really trusted him. Gut reaction, sorry. But at first I figured it would probably peter out, so why say anything? Especially since nobody made me God. Then you guys got engaged, and... I don’t know. Something felt off. Except then I got involved with Phillippe, and, well. Considering how that turned out, I didn’t exactly have room to talk, did I? And by then you were deep into wedding-planning fever...” She shrugged, then gave her cousin a little smile.

“You could’ve still said something.”

Her cousin snorted. “And would you have listened? Or taken my ‘feelings’ as sour grapes because my own relationship had ended so badly? In fact,” she said before Emily could answer, “I wasn’t all that sure myself I could be objective. Because at that point I pretty much hated anything with a penis.”

Clapping a hand to her mouth, Emily unsuccessfully smothered her guffaw. Then she lowered it, still chuckling, only to release another breath. “I can relate, believe me.”

“Seriously.”

Emily’s eyes burned. “You know what’s really sad? At this point I don’t even know if I was really happy—before the truth came out—or just thought I was.”

“Sing it, honey,” Dee sighed. “But the good news is, at least we grow. Our hearts get shattered and then we get mad and then we get to work. Which doesn’t in the least absolve the creeps of their creepiness. But we gain so much more from the experience than we lose.”

“How...adult of you.”

“I know, right?” Grinning, Dee levered herself off the bed, tugging her robe closed in the desert chill. “You’re gonna be fine, Em. You are fine. And you know what else?”

“What?”

Her cousin’s gaze softened again. “You’re free,” she said, bending over to kiss Emily’s hair before padding out of the room.

For several seconds after, Emily sat on the bed, stroking the cat who’d returned to smash himself up beside her, his purr comforting and warm.

You’re free...

Her eyes watered as the words played over and over in her head. Because for the first time that she could remember...she was, wasn’t she? Free from anyone else’s expectations, like Dee said. Or judgment, or censure. Free to finally figure out who she was, what she wanted.

More to the point, what she didn’t.

True, she’d come for the space. Absolutely. But not to escape. Instead, for the space to claim for herself everything that was rightfully hers.

Including, she realized, the luxury of being herself.

Of being able to do exactly as she pleased without worrying, or even caring, about what anybody else thought.

The headiness almost made her dizzy.

* * *

The next morning, Colin sat outside his parents’ little house in town, trying to get his bearings before facing them. It didn’t help that, despite his exhaustion—or maybe because of it—he hadn’t slept worth spit the night before. Didn’t help that Emily kept popping into his head, although he assumed that was because she reminded him a touch of Sarah. A touch. The long hair, maybe. Her...freshness. That guileless, direct gaze that revealed more than she probably realized.

More than he could possibly handle. Especially after Sarah.

Especially now.

Releasing a breath, Colin got out of the rental and headed toward the house, shrugging into a denim jacket older than God as he sidestepped the same dinged pickup his mom had been driving for years. The impossibly blue sky framed the small brown house, squat and unassuming behind the huge lilac bushes beginning to leaf out beside the front door, the half dozen whiskey barrels choked with mounds of shivering pansies.

Despite the chill, Colin stopped for a moment, taking in the view. The house sat on the apex of a shallow cul-de-sac in a chorus line of a dozen others similar in size, if not in shape or color. There’d been no plan to Whispering Pines, it’d just sort of happened, lot by lot, house by house. But scraping the outskirts of town the way it was, this lot at least had a decent view of the mountains, which probably made Dad happy. It’d been damn good of Granville to give them the house, after the doctors strongly suggested Dad retire. There’d been other provisions, as well. His parents would never starve or be homeless. Still, three generations of Talbots had grown up in the ranch foreman’s house, and it’d felt strange sleeping there—or trying to—last night by himself.

It felt strange, period, being here. Even though—

He jolted when the front door opened, although not nearly as much as his mother when she realized who was standing in her driveway. Her hair was more silver than he remembered, the ends of her long ponytail teasing her sweatered upper arms poking out from a puffy, bright purple vest. But her unlined face still glowed, her jeans still hugged a figure as toned as ever and the joy in those deep brown eyes both warmed him and made him feel like a giant turd. It wasn’t that he didn’t love his family, but—

“Holy crap,” she breathed, appropriately enough, and Colin felt a sheepish grin steal across his cheeks.

“Hey, Mom,” he said, and a moment later she’d thrown her arms around him—as much as she could, anyway, he had a good eight or nine inches on her—and was hugging and rocking him like he was three or something, the whole time keening in his ear. Then Billie Talbot held him apart and bellowed, “Sam! Get your butt out here, now!” and a minute later his father appeared, his smile even bigger than his wife’s. Then Dad practically shoved Mom aside to yank Colin into a hug that almost hurt.

“Don’t know why you’re here,” Dad mumbled, “don’t care. Just glad you are.”

Feeling his chest ease—because honestly, he’d had no idea how this was going to go down—Colin pulled away, shoving his hands in his back pockets. He’d always thought of his father as this giant of a man, towering over most everybody. Especially his sons. Now Colin realized he was actually a little taller than Sam, which somehow didn’t feel right.

“Me, too.” He paused. “It’s been too long.”

“Won’t argue with you there,” Dad said. Although despite that whole it-doesn’t-matter spiel, Dad was no one’s fool. Especially when it came to his sons, all of whom had pulled their fair share of crap growing up. And now it was obvious from the slight tilt of his father’s heavy gray brows that he knew damn well there was more to Colin’s return than a simple “it was time.”

“So, where are you staying?” Mom asked. Colin faced her, now noticing she had her equipment bag with her, meaning she was headed out either to a birth or at least an appointment.

“In your old digs,” he said with a slight smile.

“So you’ve seen Josh and them?”

He nodded. “But they didn’t know I was coming, either. Neither did anyone else. Zach or Levi, I mean. I’m...easing back into things.”

His mother got a better grip on the bag, then dug her car keys out of her vest’s pocket. “And unfortunately it’s my day at the clinic, so I can’t hang around. But dinner later, yes?”

Colin smiled. “You bet.”

Mom squeezed his arm, then said, “Oh, to hell with it,” before pulling him in for another hug. This time, when she let go, he saw tears. “You have just made my day, honey. Shoot, year. I can’t wait until tonight.”

“Me, too,” Colin said, then watched as she strode out to her truck with the same purposeful gait as always. Nothing scared that woman, he thought. Nothing that he was aware of, anyway.

“She’s busier than ever,” Dad said behind him, making him turn. “Happier, too.”

His twin brothers had been in middle school when Mom announced it was time she lived her own life, that she’d decided to become a midwife. And if for a while they’d all been like a pile of puppies whose mama had decided they needed weaning, right then and there, they’d all gotten over it, hadn’t they?

“Um...want something to drink?” Dad said, scrubbing his palm over the backside of his baggy jeans—an uncharacteristically nervous gesture, Colin thought. Mom’d said his father had lost weight after that scare with his heart, even if only because the doctors had put the fear of God in him. Apparently, however, it hadn’t yet occurred to him to buy clothes to fit his new body. “It’s probably too early for a beer, and I only have that ‘lite’ crap, anyway...”

Colin chuckled, even as he realized his own heart was stuttering a bit, too. True, he’d never butted heads with his father like his brother Levi had, but neither was there any denying that the day he’d left Whispering Pines for college he’d felt like a caged bird finally being set free. Nor had he ever expected any desire to come home to roost.

“That’s okay, I’m good.”

Nodding, his dad tugged open the door, standing aside so Colin could enter. The place was tiny, but as colorful and warm as the old cabin had been. Plants crowded windowsills with wild exuberance, while hand-quilted pillows and throws in a riot of colors fought for space on otherwise drab, utilitarian furniture. Interior design had never been part of Mom’s skill set—and certainly not Dad’s, whose only criteria for furnishings had been a chair big enough to hold him and a table to eat at—but there was love in every item in the room, from the lushness of her plants to how deliberately she displayed every item ever gifted to her from grateful clients.

Love that now embraced him, welcoming him home...even as it chastised him for staying away so long. But...

Colin frowned. “I would’ve thought if Granville was going to leave the ranch to a Talbot, it would’ve been to you.”

His father snorted. “First off, I wouldn’t’ve wanted it. Not at this point in my life. Which Gran knew. Second...” Dad’s mouth twitched. “He also knew exactly what he was doing, leaving it to your brother and his daughter equally.”

“Ah.”

“Exactly. Because sometimes fate needs a little kick in the butt.” Dad squinted. “So. What’s going on, son?”

Underneath his father’s obvious—and understandable—concern, Colin could still hear hints of the my-way-or-the-highway gruffness that’d raised his hackles a million times ever since he was old enough to realize there was a whole world outside of this tiny speck of it wedged beside a northern New Mexican mountain range. A world that needed him maybe, even if it’d be years before Colin figured out how, exactly. That hadn’t changed, even if...

And the problem with voluntarily reinserting yourself into the circle of the people who—for good or ill—loved you most was that there would be questions.

How truthfully Colin could answer those questions was something else again.

Chapter Three

Sucking in a slow, steady breath, Colin managed a smile. “Why am I back, you mean?”

Dad crossed his arms over what was left of his belly. But the fire in those fierce gray eyes hadn’t diminished one bit. “Seems as good a place as any to start. Especially since your mother and me, we’d pretty much given up on that ever happening, to be truthful.”

“I stayed in touch,” Colin said, realizing how pitiful that sounded even before the words were out of his mouth.

“When it suited you, sure.”

Even after all this time he still couldn’t put into words what exactly had driven him away. Which was nuts. But all he’d known was that if he’d stayed he would’ve gone mad.

“I had things to do I couldn’t do here,” he said simply.

After a moment, his father started toward the nondescript but reasonably updated kitchen to pour himself a cup of coffee from the old-school Mr. Coffee on the counter. “Decaf,” Dad groused, holding up the cup before taking a swallow and making a face. Then, leaning one roughened hand against the counter, he sighed. “Not gonna lie, for a long time it hurt like hell, after you left. That, on top of the crap Levi pulled...”

This said with an indulgent smile. Most likely because from everything Josh had said last night, his twin, Levi—who after a stint in the army was now back and married to the local girl he’d been secretly sweet on in school—and Dad had worked out their differences.

His father’s gaze met his again. “Although I honestly don’t know why I ever thought the four of you would stick around. That you’d naturally be as tied to the place as I was, and my daddy and granddaddy before me. No, let me finish, I’ve been waiting a long time to say this.” Frowning, he glanced toward the window over the sink, then back at Colin. “Then this happened—” he gestured with the cup toward his chest “—and I guess when they put that stent in my artery more blood went to my brain and opened that up, too. And I realized if you expect your kids to be clones of you, you’re not raising ’em right. You all have to follow your own paths, not mine. And I’m good with that.” One side of his mouth lifted. “Mostly, anyway. But you can’t blame me for being curious about what’s prompted the surprise visit.”

With that, it occurred to Colin his father hadn’t seemed all that surprised, really. So much for swearing to God. “Josh told you I was here.”

“He felt a heads-up wouldn’t be a bad idea. I didn’t tell your mother, though.” His father chuckled. “After all these years—and raising you boys—it takes a lot to pull one over on her. Couldn’t resist the opportunity to see the look on her face when you showed up. Although she will kill me if she ever found out I knew before she did.”

Somehow, Colin doubted that. Sure, his folks bickered from time to time, same as any couple who’d been married a million years. They were human, after all. But there’d never been any doubt that Sam Talbot still, after those million years, knew he’d struck gold with Billie, who’d known a good thing—or so the story went—the instant she’d clapped eyes on the tall, lanky cowboy when she’d been barely out of school herself, and wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize what they had. Even if she didn’t let him get away with bubkes. It was all about balance with his mother, for sure.

Something Colin would do well to figure out for himself. And by himself.

Leaning against a pantry cupboard, he crossed his arms. “I got offered a book contract from a big publisher, for a collection of my photo-essays over the past several years.”

His father’s brows shot up. “Really?”

Colin nodded. “But I want to add some new material, too. So I need...” His mouth set, he glanced away, then back at his father. “I need someplace quiet to work. To sift through my thoughts about the subject matter.”

“Which is?”

He felt his chest knot. “The plight of kids around the world.”

Something flashed in his father’s eyes. Colin couldn’t tell—and didn’t want to know, frankly—what. “Refugees, you mean?”

“Among others. Children living in poverty, in war-torn countries, whatever. I want...” He swallowed. “The whole reason I take pictures is so other people can see what I’ve seen.”

“Sounds like quite an honor. That offer, I mean.”

“I don’t... That’s not how it feels to me. It’s more that—”

“It’s your calling.”

“I guess. A calling that came to me, though. I didn’t go looking for it.”

A smile barely curved his father’s mouth. “That’s how callings work, boy. They tend to clobber a person over the head. But your own place wouldn’t work?”

“College kids in the next unit,” Colin said, hoping his face didn’t give him away. Although he wasn’t lying. Exactly. “One thing they’re not, is quiet.”

His father’s eyes narrowed, as though not quite buying the story. Hardly a surprise, considering he’d survived four teenage boys. Then his lips tilted again.

“And you know what? I’m not about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Or question its motives. I’m just glad you’re here. For however long that turns out to be. And I cannot tell you how proud I am of you.”

Holy hell—he couldn’t remember his father ever saying that to him. About anything. Oh, Dad would occasionally nod appreciatively over something one or the other of them had done when they were kids, but actually giving voice to whatever he’d been thinking? Nope.

Old man hadn’t been kidding about the blood flow thing.

“Thank you,” Colin said.

And there was the nod. Because clearly Sam Talbot was as surprised as his son. Then he took another sip of his coffee, his brows drawn. “Josh also said Deanna’s cousin Emily showed up with you.”

Colin smiled. “I think it’s more that I showed up with her. We were on the same flight coming in from Dallas.”

“Pretty little thing.”

“She is.” Although not so little, actually. And of course now that Dad had brought her up, those mad, sad, conflicted eyes flashed in his mind’s eye. No wonder, now that he knew the reason behind the ambivalence. In some ways it was probably worse for her, since she was younger. Fewer life experiences and all that—

“Well. Just wanted to touch base,” Colin said, pushing away from the counter. For a moment disappointment flickered in his father’s eyes—a previously unseen glimpse of a soft spot that rattled Colin more than he’d expected. Or was about to let on. “I need to get in some supplies before I can start work,” he said gently. “But I’ll be back for dinner, remember? Or we can go out, if you’d rather. My treat.”

The right thing to say, apparently, judging from the way Dad perked right up. “That’d be real nice, either way. Depends on what your mother wants to do, of course.”

“Of course. I’ll call around five, see what’s up.”

They were back outside by now, where that chilly spring breeze grabbed at Colin’s hair, slapped at his clean-shaven face. Patches of old snow littered the parts of the yard that didn’t get direct sunlight, reminders that up this far, winter wasn’t over until it said so...images that at one time would’ve been nothing more than benign reminders of his childhood. Now, not even the bright sunlight could mitigate other reminders, other images, of how cruel—for too many people—winter could be when home had been ripped out from under you.

“Sounds good,” Dad said, palming the spot between Colin’s shoulder blades. “When you planning on seeing your other brothers? Zach, especially—you two were so close as kids.”

Colin supposed they had been, although age and isolation—and being roommates—had probably had more to do with that than temperament. Zach had been the quiet one, the steady one...the obedient one. The one Colin could count on to not judge when he’d go off about not being able to wait to get out of Whispering Pines.

“Maybe tomorrow,” he said. “After I get settled.” Although he supposed the sooner he got the reunion stuff out of the way, the sooner he could retreat into his work.

In theory, anyway.

Back in the rental car, Colin waved to his father as he pulled out of the driveway, then headed toward the only decent grocery store in town. He wished he could say he was looking forward to dinner that night. Except the problem with being around people who knew you—or thought they did, anyway—was the way things you didn’t want leaked tended to leak out. He’d put his parents though enough as it was, even if he honestly couldn’t say what he could’ve done differently while still being true to who he was. But for sure he wasn’t about to dump on them now, or give them any reason to doubt he’d made the right choices. If nothing else, he owed them at least a little peace of mind, assurances that he was okay.

And if he wasn’t...well, he’d figure it out. You know, like a grown man.

The store—all three aisles of it, more like some dinky Manhattan bodega than one of those mega suburban monstrosities—was mercifully empty on this weekday morning. And surprisingly well stocked with a bunch of chichi crap Colin had little use for. He could cook, after a fashion—at least, he’d moved beyond opening cans of soup and microwaving frozen burritos—but he was definitely about whatever took twenty minutes or less from package to stomach. Give him a cast-iron pan, a couple of pots, he was good.

He was about to toss a couple of decent-looking steaks into his cart when he heard, from the next aisle over, the women’s laughter...the same laughter he’d heard at the dinner table the night before. Same as then, it wasn’t so much the pitch of the laughs that set Deanna and her cousin apart as it was...the genuineness of them, he supposed. As in, one was actually happy, and the other was pretty much faking it. Although whether for her own sake or her cousin’s, Colin had no idea.

Nor was it any of his concern.

They were talking about nothing of any real importance that he could tell. Not that he should be listening, but if they’d wanted privacy, yakking in a small store wasn’t the best way to go about that. He plunked the steaks in the cart, worked his way over to the pork chops. Yep, he could still hear the two of them. Because again, small store. What he found interesting, though—from a purely analytic standpoint—was how different the cousins’ voices were. Deanna’s voice was lighter, sparklier, whereas Emily’s was...

With a package of chicken legs suspended in his hand over the case, Colin paused, frowning as he caught another whiff of Emily’s voice, and every nerve cell, from the top of his head to places that really needed to shut the hell up already, whispered, Oh, yeah...

Then he blinked, the fog dispersed and there she was.

“Oh. Hi.”

One thing about grocery store lights, they weren’t known for being flattering. Meaning he probably looked like a neglected cadaver right now. And yet even without makeup—none that he could see, anyway—in a plain old black sweater and pair of jeans, her hair pulled back in a don’t-give-a-damn ponytail, Emily was...okay, not beautiful. But definitely appealing.

Especially to a guy who hadn’t had any in a while. And who, up to this very moment, had been perfectly fine with that. Or at least reconciled to it. Not liking at all where his thoughts—let alone his blood—were headed, Colin looked back at the chicken in his hand. “Hey,” he said, realizing he looked about as dumb as a person could look. He finally tossed the chicken in the cart, then looked back at Emily. Because what else was he supposed to do? Unfortunately, she still looked good. Especially with that amused smile.

“I’m, uh...” He waved at the half-filled cart. “Stocking up.”

“Us, too. I promised I’d cook while I was here. In exchange for...” She flushed slightly. “It just seemed fair, that’s all. Especially since Josh has his hands full with ranch stuff this time of year, and Dee’s getting her gallery set up in town.”

“Her gallery?”

“That’s what she did, before she moved back. Worked at a gallery. Doing acquisitions and such. But this one will be all hers, showcasing local artists, she said. I figured I could at least help out while I was here. Instead of playing the guest.”

Colin nodded. “You know how long you’re gonna be here?”

“I’m...playing it by ear.”

“You don’t have a job or something to get back to?”

“No, actually. Not at the moment. I mean, I did, until...” Looking away, she rubbed her nose, then poked through the packages of ribs. “These are really good done in the Crock-Pot.”

“That so?”

“You should look online, there are tons of recipes.” By now not even the sucky florescent lighting could wipe out her blush, which started at her neckline and spread to her eyes, making him think of other kinds of flushes, which in turn made him seriously consider sticking his head in the nearest freezer case. “Well. I’ll leave you to it. See you around?”

“Sure.” Oh, hell, no.

Clutching her package of ribs, she walked away, her very pretty butt twitching underneath a layer of clingy denim, her hair all shiny and bouncy underneath the lights. Colin would’ve groaned, but that would’ve been pathetic and juvenile.

But far worse than the kick to the groin was the tug at something a bit farther north, where empathy had staked a claim all those years ago. Because he could—and would—ignore the butt and the hair and, okay, the breasts pushing against the sweater. But those eyes...

Damn it. A blessing and a curse, both, being able to sense another’s pain.

Especially when combined with the helplessness of knowing there wasn’t a single damn thing you could do to alleviate it.

So. New goal, he thought as he pushed the cart up to the cashier, relieved to see the two women had apparently already checked out. Stay out of Emily Weber’s way as much as possible while she was still here.

Which, with any luck, wouldn’t be very long.

* * *

Limbo.

That was the only way to describe her current state of mind. Or current state, period, Emily thought as, breathing hard, she completed the loop around the ranch she’d been running every day for the past week. Oh, she’d been keeping busy for sure, cooking and cleaning and playing with little Austin and baby Katie, who was teething and drooly and fussy and absolutely adorable when she wasn’t screaming her head off. And at least—she rounded the training corral between the main house and the old foreman’s cabin—the stress and heartache were easing up...some. Although why she’d thought a week or two away would heal her, let alone really fix anything, she had no idea. At some point she’d have to return to real life, face her parents and her friends and everything she couldn’t face before. As it was, she was ignoring her mother’s calls, which had become more frequent because Emily was ignoring them. Although unfortunately she hadn’t yet found the cojones to delete Mom’s messages without listening to them.

Then again, maybe listening to them was proof she had more balls than she was giving herself credit for—

“Oh!”

Her cry wasn’t enough to scare off the coyote, although the thing did glance her way, as if to ascertain whether Emily was worth its consideration. The critters weren’t really much of a threat to the horses, apparently—at least, Josh only shrugged when she’d told him she’d also spotted one on her last run—but City Girl Emily still felt it wise to steer clear.

Until she noticed something fuzzy and small in the dirt about ten feet from the coyote. A possum? Squirrel? She couldn’t tell. But the gray varmint, who’d clearly decided to ignore Emily, was closing in, and—

“Get out of here!” she yelled, flapping her arms like a madwoman and running toward the whatever-it-was, startling a bunch of birds from the top of the nearest piñon and spooking a trio of horses in the nearby pasture. “Go on! Get!”

The coyote hesitated, giving her a what-the-hell? look.

“I said—” Emily snatched a fair-sized stone off the ground and hurled it with all her might at the animal, where it pinged harmlessly in the dirt three feet in front of it, raising a cloud of dust. “Get!”

And damned if a spurt of pride didn’t zing through her when the thing actually took off, loping up the road without looking back. Her heart hammering in her chest, Emily approached the small, now whimpering animal, her chest fisting when she realized it was a puppy. What kind and how old, she had no idea. And what to do next, she had even less. But she had to do something. Unfortunately, Dee and Josh were running errands separately with the kids, and while she knew Josh’s brother Zach had his veterinary practice in town, she had no idea whether he was there or not. Besides which, her cousin and her husband had taken both trucks—

The puppy released the most heart-wrenching, plaintive cry ever, and Emily sank cross-legged onto the dirt to pull him into her lap, which was when she noticed dried blood on one of his paws. She carefully touched the spot and the poor little thing cried out in obvious pain. Damn. Hauling in a breath, Emily glanced over at the foreman’s cabin a hundred or so yards away. The rental car was there, meaning Colin was probably home, but...

She gingerly hugged the mewling baby dog to her chest, stroking his soft fur and making soothing, if probably unhelpful noises. Despite Colin’s living within spitting distance of the main house, they hadn’t seen each other since that silly encounter in the grocery store. Dude had serious hermit tendencies, apparently. Although truth be told, given her reaction to him back there in the meat department Emily had been just as glad. Not because of the silly, awkward part, but definitely because of the dry-mouthed, wanting-to-plaster-herself-against-him part. Which flew in the face of everything she was. Or thought she was, anyway. As in, logical. Levelheaded. Not given to fits of insanity.

Never mind that simply sitting here thinking about Colin’s mouth and jaw and eyes, ohmigod, and that little hollow at the base of his neck was making her feel as though molten ore was flowing through her veins.

“Jeez, girl,” she muttered. “Get over it.”

As if it was that easy. Because despite keeping busy, and running her butt off every day, and her determination to not think about her shattered heart and the bozo who’d shattered it, her heart had other ideas. In fact, the longer she was away, the more hurt and angry she got that she’d been played for a fool. That she’d let herself be played for a fool, taking the path of least resistance because...why? Because everyone else had been happy?

Clearly, she needed to majorly overhaul her definition of that word. Not to mention her expectations, she thought as her mouth twisted. Meaning she knew full well all this fizzing and bubbling was nothing more than a knee-jerk reaction to Michael’s betrayal, a primitive—and completely ludicrous—urge to get even.

The pup whimpered again, nuzzling her collarbone...

Telling her wayward loins to shut the hell up, Emily heaved herself to her feet, the puppy cradled against her chest, and marched toward the cabin.

She thought maybe this was called taking back the reins.

* * *

Colin nearly jumped out of his skin when he caught Emily standing outside the front window with something furry clutched in one hand, waving like crazy at him with the other. And apparently yelling. Ripping out his earbuds, he set aside his laptop and reluctantly pushed himself off the leather couch, not even bothering to adjust his expression before opening the door. It’d taken two days before the right words had finally started to settle in his brain to accompany this particular photo. And now they were gone. So, yeah. Pissed.

Emily’s flinch—and blush—should’ve given him more satisfaction than it did. Instead he felt like a jackass. For about two seconds, anyway, before all the reasons he’d gone out of his way to avoid her this past week came sailing back into his befogged brain. Because of that blush, for one thing. That her running togs left little to the imagination, for another. Toss in exercise glow and whatever the hell that scent was that she wore, the one that marched right in and rendered him an insentient blob of randy hormones, and—

His eyes dipped to the puppy, looking about as blissful as Colin imagined he would be cuddled against those breasts.

“Some coyote was trying to get him, or at least that’s what it looked like, and I think he might be hurt but I don’t have any way of getting him to the vet. If your brother’s even at the clinic.”

Colin dragged his gaze away from the pup—and her breasts—and to her eyes, a move which jarred loose his libido’s stranglehold long enough for Oh, hell, to play through his brain.

“Let me see,” he said, his knuckles grazing those breasts—damn—before he took the dog from her and carried him into the house. Emily followed, shutting the door behind her and sitting across from Colin when he sat back on the couch.

“Heaven knows how he got here—”

“Dumped, probably. It happens,” he said to her stunned expression, then tenderly examined the bloodied paw. The pup whimpered again.

“Don’t think it’s broken, but I’m not the vet.” He paused, gaze fixed on the dog and not on those worried blue eyes. Clearly his afternoon was shot. Not to mention his resolve. “I had dinner with Zach and them the other night, he said he’s in the office every afternoon, all day on Saturdays, so...” Still holding the pup, he got to his feet. “So let’s go get this little guy fixed up.”

“Oh! Um...” Emily stood as well, rubbing her hands across her dusty bottom. Colin looked away. “If you’d lend me the car, I could take him, you don’t have to come. I mean—” There went the pink cheeks again. “It’s pretty obvious I interrupted you. I’m sure you want to get back to work.”

She had. And he did. However...

“You know where the clinic is?”

“In...town?”

Pushing out a sound that was half laugh, half resigned sigh, Colin walked over to the door, snagging the keys off the hook that’d been there probably from long before he was born. “Somebody needs to hold the dog. And it’ll be quicker since I actually know where the clinic is. So come on. Unless...” Against his better judgment he gave her outfit a cursory glance. Okay, maybe not so cursory. “You want to change?”

She pff’d. “I think as long as I’m not naked, I’m good.” And, yep, she blushed again. “What I mean is...”