A lone wolf cowboy comes to the rescue

But can he outwit a deadly stalker?

Sawyer Quincy unexpectedly awakes in a stranger’s bed and is mortified. The rancher wants to get to know Janis Little, but threatening notes, slashed tires and gunshots warn him to stay away. Despite the danger surrounding them both, Sawyer falls hard and means to protect her at all costs. When Janis suddenly disappears, Sawyer puts it all on the line to save her.

CARLA CASSIDY is an award-winning, New York Times bestselling author who has written more than one hundred and twenty novels. Carla believes the only thing better than curling up with a good book to read is sitting down at the computer with a good story to write.

Also available by Carla Cassidy

A Real Cowboy

Cowboy of Interest

Cowboy Under Fire

Cowboy at Arms

Operation Cowboy Daddy

Killer Cowboy

Sheltered by the Cowboy

Colton’s Secret Son

Colton Cowboy Hideout

The Colton Bodyguard

Visit millsandboon.co.uk for more information

Guardian Cowboy

Carla Cassidy

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-07861-0

GUARDIAN COWBOY

© 2018 Carla Bracale

Published in Great Britain 2018

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.

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Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Author Bio

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Epilogue

Extract

Chapter 1

“If one of those cowboys from the Humes’s ranch strokes my butt one more time, I’m going to toss a drink over somebody’s head,” Janis Little exclaimed to fellow Watering Hole waitress, Annie Holbrook, as they both reached the polished bar that stretched almost wall-to-wall along the side of the popular nightspot.

Annie grinned at her. “I double-dog dare you,” she said, her dark eyes snapping with mischief. “Stroking butts is the only way those men can convince themselves they have any kind of a romantic relationship with a woman. I triple-dog dare you.”

Janis laughed as the bartender, Tanner Woodson, approached them. “Ladies, talk to me,” he said.

“Three draft beers,” Annie said.

Janis gave him the orders for her tables and he stepped away to prepare the drinks.

“He is so hot,” Annie whispered to Janis.

Tanner was not only new to the town of Bitterroot, Oklahoma, but tonight was only his third night on the job.

So far, as manager of the bar, Janis was impressed with him. He was friendly with the patrons but not overly so. He was quick and efficient, and when he had a moment to rest, he didn’t. Instead he wiped down the bar, cleaned glasses and restocked the lemons and limes and olives that topped the drinks.

“Janis, did you hear what I said?” Annie poked Janis in the rib with her elbow.

“Yeah, he’s okay,” she replied.

“Okay? He’s got the dreamiest blue eyes and that beautiful dark hair, and enough chest muscles to make a girl feel safe if she was in his arms.”

“You’re practically on the verge of drooling,” Janis said dryly.

“You’d drool, too, if you weren’t already hung up on that sexy Holiday Ranch cowboy who can’t hold his drinks.”

“I’m not hung up on anyone,” Janis replied even as she felt her cheeks warm with a blush.

Thankfully, at that moment, Tanner returned with their drinks. The Watering Hole was the place for singles and dating couples to hang out and this evening it was hopping with the usual Saturday night crowd.

There was definitely one of the Holiday Ranch cowboys who made Janis’s heart lift just a little bit whenever she saw him, but those men had yet to arrive for their ritual Saturday night of drinking and blowing off steam.

Right now she was stuck serving the Humes’s ranch men, who seemed to live for the chance to make everyone else’s life miserable. “Here we are,” she said as she reached their table. She’d never met a group of more odious men.

“About time,” Zeke Osmond said and then offered up a smarmy smile. “But I’ll forgive you for taking so long if you give me a little kiss.”

“Sorry, Zeke, I’m not allowed to kiss the customers.”

It took her only a minute to serve the beers to Shep Harmon and Ace Sanders. Lloyd Green, the oldest of them all, got a Scotch on the rocks. As she bent over to place the drink in front of him, Zeke grabbed her butt.

She whirled around to face him, grabbed his beer from her tray and, with a pretend trip, poured every single drop into his lap.

“What the hell!” he shouted and jumped up out of his chair.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” she replied.

Lloyd guffawed. “Looks like you done peed your pants, Zeke.” The rest of the men at the table hooted with laughter.

“You did that on purpose.” Zeke’s dark eyes glittered with anger.

“It was an accident,” she replied. “I’ll go get you a bar towel so you can clean yourself up. I’ll be right back.”

As she headed to the bar, she shot a quick glance across the room. Annie grinned at her and flashed a quick thumbs-up sign.

It had been a highly unprofessional thing to do, but she wasn’t sorry. She would do it again in a minute. She was tired of the Humes’s men, and Zeke Osmond in particular, acting like it was their right to touch her body intimately.

“Tanner, can I get a clean towel?” she asked the bartender.

He reached down to a shelf under the bar and handed one to her. “Was that an accidentally-on-purpose move?” His blue eyes twinkled knowingly.

“I plead the fifth,” she replied with a laugh.

She returned to the table and handed Zeke the towel. He was still standing, cursing and raving about her spilling the drink on purpose.

“Sit down and shut up already,” Lloyd growled at him. “You’re starting to give me a damned headache.”

Zeke obeyed, settling back into his chair with the towel in his lap and a glare at Janis. She ignored him and moved on to check on her other patrons.

At seven thirty the band began to play and people hit the wooden dance floor. The Croakin’ Frogs, a local band, played every Saturday night. The rest of the nights the jukebox kept peoples’ toes tapping.

It was just before eight when the men from the Holiday Ranch arrived. Although about a dozen worked on the ranch, only six came in the door, and one in particular made Janis’s heart beat just a little bit faster.

Sawyer Quincy. He had ginger-colored hair and copper-hued eyes. His shoulders were broad enough to carry a woman into happily-ever-after and his jeans rode a little low on his slim hips. She’d had a silly crush on him for years.

The men greeted people as they wove their way through the crowded bar and settled in at one of the large booths in her section. As usual, Sawyer took the position in the corner of the booth where, before the night was over, he would slump down in a beer-induced unconsciousness. That man definitely shouldn’t be drinking.

She approached the booth with her usual smile and her order pad ready.

“Ah, if it isn’t our favorite waitress,” Sawyer said. Although his smile made her feel like they shared something special, that was just the warmth he offered everyone with his gorgeous grins.

“And if it isn’t my favorite group of men to wait on,” she replied.

The Watering Hole served the usual bar fare like deep-fried pickles and mozzarella sticks, but the menu also offered up a variety of burgers and sandwiches. Within minutes, Janis had their drink and food orders and was headed to the kitchen to turn in her ticket.

She then served their drinks and returned to the kitchen to pick up their food.

“Busy night,” Charlie Williams, the head cook, said to her.

“Saturday nights are always busy,” she replied. “Maybe it would cut down on traffic if you didn’t serve your famous pulled pork every Saturday.”

“But then I wouldn’t be worshipped as the barbecue king of Bitterroot,” he joked and then sobered. “Still, tonight it seems like everyone in the place wants to eat.” He looked over his shoulder. “Hey, Rusty, don’t burn those fries.” Charlie rolled his eyes at Janis and disappeared from the pass-through window.

As she waited, her gaze went across the room to Sawyer. He was laughing at something somebody had said. Even though right now she was too far away to actually hear him, she knew his laughter sounded like a deep, sexy melody.

She released a sigh. It was a silly crush because it was obvious Sawyer didn’t look at her that way. She was Janis the waitress, just like Larry the mailman or Betty the bank clerk. He didn’t really see her beyond her working role here in the bar.

“Janis, order up,” Charlie called.

She grabbed one of the bigger food trays, loaded it with the cowboys’ orders, and then went back to the booth to serve them.

The rest of the night passed like they all did. She served drinks and food, made lively chatter when necessary and pocketed the tips to add to the stash she hoped would one day be enough for a down payment on a nice little house.

For more years than she could count, she’d been living in the bar’s back room. When Gary Runyon, the owner of the bar, had offered her not only a job but the opportunity to live rent-free in the bar’s back room, she’d been thrilled. Before that, she’d been bunking with friends whenever possible and far too often sleeping in her car.

But she was soon going to be thirty years old and, while she loved what she did, she definitely wanted to make some changes in her life.

It was almost one in the morning when the place began to empty out, although the official closing time was two. As she approached the booth with the men from the Holiday Ranch, she saw that Sawyer was in his usual slumped position and totally out to the world.

She handed Flint McCay the tab for the table and shook her head ruefully. “I don’t know why that man drinks.”

“He’s definitely a lightweight,” Clay Madison said, his blond hair gleaming in the light overhead.

“And if I remember right, it’s your turn to take him home,” Mac McBride said to Clay.

“No way, I took him in my truck last Saturday night,” Clay protested.

“Well, I’m pretty sure it isn’t my turn,” Mac replied with a huff.

As the men argued about who would take the passed-out cowboy home and put him to bed, a plan quickly formulated in Janis’s head.

You can’t do that, a little voice whispered. It would be too wicked. It’s a totally crazy idea.

But maybe it would prove a point with Sawyer. Maybe it would be exactly what he needed.

“Why don’t you all carry him into the back room and put him in my bed?” she said before she could second-guess herself.

“For real?” Clay’s blue eyes stared at her in surprise.

“For real,” she replied. “I’d sure like to make him see that he’s got a problem with his drinking. Maybe if he thinks he flirted with me all night and then wound up in my bed, he’ll think twice about drinking himself into a stupor again.”

“It’s a great idea,” Flint replied.

“A totally awesome idea,” Clay agreed with a laugh.

Minutes later, the men had settled their tab and Sawyer had been carried into the back room Janis called home. The big, tall, cowboy didn’t even blink an eye as they laid him in the middle of her lavender sheets.

Clay tossed Sawyer’s brown hat onto one of the wooden posts of the four-poster bed.

“I’ll see to it that he gets home in the morning,” she said. “And this will be our little secret, at least for a day or two.”

“Absolutely,” Clay replied, his blue eyes sparkling with humor. “We won’t say a word until you tell him the truth.”

As they walked out into the bar area, regret instantly filled the back of her throat. Who did she think she was? Who was she to teach Sawyer Quincy any kind of a lesson?

Still, she hated the way the others made fun of him. From everything she’d heard, and from her own experience, she knew he was a terrific guy.

She suspected he had some kind of allergy to something in beer. There was nothing else to explain the fact that after two or three beers he completely passed out to the world.

Now it was too late to halt what she’d already put in motion. All the men had left and Sawyer was in her bed.

It was just after two when she locked up the bar for the night and returned to her room to discover that he hadn’t moved an inch.

It was a vision out of her wildest fantasies...only, in her fantasies, he was always conscious and gazing at her with adoring eyes.

She grabbed a nightgown out of one of her dresser drawers and headed into the small bathroom for a quick shower.

When she re-entered the bedroom, she knew exactly what she was going to do. It was definitely wicked—it was totally naughty—but she hoped to prove a point and, in doing so, she had to make it all look as real as possible.

She stood next to the bed and stared down at him. He had rugged features. His face was suntanned from the outside work he did and yet the fine lines that feathered outward from the corners of his eyes were definitely laugh lines. His eyelashes were thick and long, and a hint of whiskers darkened his lower, strong jaw.

Her gaze swept across his broad shoulders beneath his brown-plaid, button-up shirt. “In for a penny,” she whispered to herself and then leaned over to unbutton his shirt.

She had it unfastened and had managed to maneuver one of his arms out of the sleeve when he mumbled something unintelligible.

She froze, her heart thumping madly. He immediately quieted again. She waited a minute and then drew in a deep breath and rolled him over to get the other arm out of the shirt.

She eyed the buttons on his jeans. Dare she? She had to. The only way this would really work was if he was out of his jeans.

Carefully, she unfastened them, thankful to see that he was wearing black briefs or boxers beneath. As she started to work the jeans down his body, he raised his hips to aid her.

“Thanks, Clay,” he muttered.

She got the jeans down to his ankles and realized she hadn’t taken off his boots. She tugged them off, along with his socks, and then dropped his jeans to the floor. She took out his wallet and placed it on the nightstand.

Lordy, lordy... A fully dressed Sawyer was sexy, but a nearly naked Sawyer wearing only a pair of black boxers and stretched out on her lavender sheets nearly stopped her heart.

She turned out the overhead light, leaving only the illumination from a night-light plugged into an outlet next to the bed. She fully admitted that she’d lost her ever-lovin’ mind. But now she was fully committed to being temporarily insane.

Carefully, she crawled into bed, not touching him in any way. He smelled good, like minty soap, a woodsy cologne and a hint of beer.

Even though she wasn’t touching him, his body heat warmed her in a delicious way and she fought the impulse to lean into him.

As she closed her eyes, she wished this was for real. She wished Sawyer Quincy was in her bed because he wanted to be, because he had chosen to be with her out of all the women in Bitterroot.

* * *

Consciousness came to Sawyer in bits and pieces. The first thing he noticed was that the sheets smelled like flowers. With his eyes still closed, he frowned, wondering how flowers had gotten into his bed.

Of course it wouldn’t be the first time he’d awakened after a Saturday night of drinking to find something strange in his bed. The other men were real jokesters and in the past he’d awakened to discover he was sharing the bed with a salami sandwich, a dead fish, a prickly tumbleweed and his saddle, just to name a few.

He cracked open an eyelid to the early morning sun drifting through a window...not his window. He’d never seen that window before with its frilly white curtains. Where in the hell was he? With both eyes wide open, the next thing he noted was that he was in a four-poster bed with purple sheets. His hat hung on one of the posters, as if it belonged there.

He turned over and nearly jumped out of the bed. A woman...in the bed...with him... Who was she? She faced away from him and all he could see was short, thick, dark hair and creamy bare shoulders beneath hot-pink spaghetti straps.

His shock forced a loud gasp from his throat. He remained frozen in surprise as the woman rolled over, shoved the hair away from her face and gave him a sleepy, sexy smile.

“Good morning, lover,” she said.

Lover... Janis? His brain short-circuited. Hell’s bells, what had he done last night?

“Uh...good morning,” he managed to reply.

He tensed as she snuggled up against him. Of their own volition, his arms went around her. Her silky nightgown was a poor barrier, as he could feel not only the heat of her breasts against him but also the hint of taut nipples.

“Last night was the most wonderful night of my life,” she murmured into the hollow of his neck. “You’re the best, Sawyer. You made my whole body sing with pleasure.”

“Yeah, uh, likewise.” As hard as he tried, he couldn’t remember what had happened between them that had gotten them here in her bed. The last thing he did remember was her serving him a third beer.

His impulse was to grab his boots and britches and run like hell out the door. However, his mother had raised him better than that. But he definitely didn’t want to hang around and chat long enough for her to realize he had no memory of making her sing with pleasure. He’d always liked Janis and the last thing he’d want to do was to hurt her feelings.

Despite his shock at the position he found himself in, his body began to respond to her closeness. Thankfully, at that moment, she rolled away from him and sat up. “How about I fix you a nice, big breakfast? You more than earned it after last night.”

Had her eyes always been that inviting shade of caramel? Had her dark eyelashes always been so long? He’d never noticed before now. He quickly averted his gaze and looked around the room. There wasn’t much to look at and certainly no kitchen anywhere in sight.

“You seem to be missing some important things...like a stove and a refrigerator.” He frantically continued to search his mind for any memory from the night before.

He usually just passed out when he drank, but he had suffered a couple of blackouts in the past. Once he’d found himself sleeping in the pasture next to the pond after the other men had insisted they’d put him in his own bed. Another time he’d planted himself in Mac’s room and had sung all the country-western songs he’d ever known. The next day he’d had no memory of it.

“I have all the equipment I need just outside that door,” she said. He knew she was referring to the bar’s kitchen.

She scooted off the bed and Sawyer averted his gaze once again, but not before he caught a glimpse of long, shapely, bare legs beneath her hot-pink nightie.

“I’ll be right back and we can talk about breakfast.” She disappeared through a door he assumed led to a bathroom.

The minute the door closed behind her, he leaped out of bed. He searched frantically on the floor for his jeans and shirt. When he found them, he dressed as quickly as possible. No matter what had happened between them the night before, he wasn’t comfortable being nearly naked in her bed.

He needed to get out...to get away and process the night he couldn’t remember. How did this change things? What were the consequences? It was obvious she was thrilled with whatever had occurred.

You’re the best, Sawyer. You made my whole body sing with pleasure.

Her words echoed in his brain as he pulled on his boots. At least she’d been pleased with his performance, he thought with a touch of pride.

The pride didn’t last long. In truth, he was ashamed. He grabbed his wallet off the nightstand and opened it, frowning as he saw the condom he carried still in place. Oh, crap, they hadn’t even had protected sex.

His mama would be rolling around in her grave knowing that he’d gotten drunk and taken some random woman to bed.

Only, Janis wasn’t exactly random. He’d always found her pleasant and pretty. He’d just never thought of her that way before. Geez, what had he done?

He grabbed his cell phone out of his jeans’ pocket and dialed the number for Clay. Clay had a reputation as a womanizer. He’d know what to do in this situation.

He released a sigh of relief as Clay answered.

“Come get me,” Sawyer said without preamble.

Clay laughed. “What’s the matter, bro? Having a rough morning after?”

“Just come and pick me up behind the bar.”

Sawyer had just pocketed his cell phone when Janis stepped out of the bathroom. He swallowed hard. He’d thought she was in there getting dressed, but the only thing she had done was pull a short, silky robe over the sexy nightie.

“Oh, you’re already dressed,” she said. “So I guess you don’t want breakfast in bed.”

“Uh, no, but thanks anyway. I just called Clay to come and get me. I need to get back to the ranch.”

“I would have taken you home,” she protested. “I can at least make you a cup of coffee before you go.” She smiled at him and motioned to a small table that held one of those fancy coffeemakers that gave up a cup of coffee in seconds. Next to the machine were a couple of cups, a sugar bowl and several little creamers.

“That would be nice,” he agreed and sat on the very edge of the bed. He just hoped she didn’t want to chew over the details about the night before.

As she put the little pod into place, he couldn’t help but notice her sexy long legs. This was a Janis he didn’t know. She was so far removed from the efficient, jeans-clad woman who served him drinks on Saturday nights.

And apparently he’d made love with her last night.

He needed to get out of there and have some time to process everything. It was hard to think with her in the same small room, looking so soft and gorgeous and smelling like fresh flowers.

“Cream or sugar?” she asked once the coffee machine had whooshed the last of the liquid into the cup.

“No, thanks. Black is fine,” he replied as he took the cup from her.

She made herself a cup and sat on the opposite side of the bed. “You know, Sawyer, I’ve had a crush on you for a long time. I’m so glad last night you let me know you felt the same way about me.”

He had? Some of the other guys had teased him about having a crush on Janis, but that was just because he’d mentioned in passing a couple of times that he thought she was pretty.

“Yeah, me, too,” he replied because he didn’t know what else to say.

“So, when will I see you again?”

“Uh, maybe we could have dinner at the café some time,” he replied and then nervously took a sip of coffee.

“The bar is closed tonight, so I’m free.”

Oh, her eyes held almost as much heat as the cup in his hand. “Okay. Then how about I pick you up around six?”

“That would be perfect,” she replied with a smile.

A horn honked from outside and he jumped up so fast from the bed he sloshed some of the coffee onto his fingers. “That will be Clay.”

She took his cup from him and set both his and hers on the little table. Together, they walked over to the door that led outside.

She opened it and then she was in his arms, her face raised for a kiss. He didn’t deny her. He wrapped his arms around her and lowered his mouth to hers. Her lips were invitingly soft and hot. Instantly, a fire of hunger leaped into his veins.

He couldn’t believe that he had no memories of kissing her last night. Before he followed through on his desire to deepen the kiss, he dropped his arms and stepped back. “I’ll see you at six tonight,” he said.

“I’ll be waiting,” she replied.

Sawyer practically ran for Clay’s truck. He got in on the passenger side and turned to the blond-haired driver. “Clay, you’ve got to help me out, man. I guess I did something crazy last night and I don’t remember it and now I’m in way over my head.”

Clay released a dry chuckle. “Welcome to the world of drunk adulting.”

Chapter 2

Janis couldn’t help the bouts of laughter that overtook her throughout the course of the day. Each time she thought of the stunned look on Sawyer’s face when he’d first awakened, she got the giggles.

His copper-colored eyes had radiated a quiet panic as he’d maneuvered the morning conversation in a way for her not to know he had no memory of them having sex.

Of course he had no memory. Absolutely nothing had happened between them. He had slept soundly through the night while sleep had remained elusive for her because she’d been so acutely aware of him next to her in the bed.

His scent had surrounded her and she’d tried to match her breathing to his. She’d wondered what it would really be like to make love with him.

What she’d done to him was wrong on so many levels, but, if given the same opportunity, she would do it again. What if another woman had gotten him to go home with her while he’d been blindly drunk?

It would be easy to lift his wallet or to make him believe he was a baby daddy or to kill him when he was in that kind of condition.

No hint of laughter left her lips as she thought of all the bad things that could happen to him. He was lucky his fellow cowboys babysat him when he passed out. But he was a grown man and shouldn’t have to rely on the kindness of others to see him home safe and sound.

She’d tell him the truth tonight over dinner. She had no idea how he would react. It was possible her little ploy would make him so angry he’d never speak to her again. Hopefully, he’d take it all in good humor and see that the intent behind it was good and she’d meant him no harm.

Still, her heart raced as she dressed for the evening out. Was it beating more frantically because she didn’t know what to expect from him when she told him the truth? Or was the quickened rhythm because she was finally going to spend some quality time with the man she’d had an interest in for so long?

Dinner at the café wasn’t exactly a formal affair, so she pulled on a pair of jeans and topped them with a coral-colored sweater she knew complemented her chin-length brown hair and brown eyes.

At five to six that evening she stood at the window next to the door with her coat in hand. March had definitely roared in like a lion, hanging on to the cold and blustery winds of winter.

She was ready for spring, with warm breezes and the scent of new grass and flowers in the air. A smile touched her lips as a memory of her father jumped into her mind.

Her father had loved spring, too. One day, when she was about ten years old, he’d pulled her out of the house and onto the front lawn. Together they had stretched out on the ground. “Listen,” he’d said.

“What am I listening to?” she’d asked.

“The earth’s heartbeat,” he’d replied. “Sometimes it’s just nice to be quiet and listen.”

A sharp pain of grief pierced through her heart. Her dad had died of a heart attack when Janis was sixteen. That was the day every ounce of love had been taken from Janis’s world.

The pain was vanquished by the sight of Sawyer’s truck pulling into the small parking lot.

Her heart began to beat with the anticipation and excitement of the evening to come in his company.

Before he could get out of the truck, she pulled on her coat and stepped outside the door. She ran to the passenger door and got in.

“Hi,” she greeted cheerfully.

“Hi, yourself,” he replied. “You know, I would have walked up to your door to get you like a proper gentleman if you hadn’t run out so quickly.” He pulled out of the parking area behind the bar and onto Main Street.

“There was no reason for you to get out in the cold,” she replied. The interior of the truck smelled pleasant and masculine, with hints of rich leather and his woodsy cologne.

“Are you hungry?” he asked.

“I’m starving. What about you?”

“I can always eat, but tonight was a good night to head to the café instead of eating at the ranch. Cookie made meatloaf and I’m not particularly partial to it.”

“What’s your favorite meal?”

She noted how his stiff shoulders began to relax as the conversation remained light and easy. The poor man was probably afraid she was going to bring up last night. She didn’t intend to even mention it until the end of this night when she’d tell him the truth.

“As far as I’m concerned, there’s nothing better than a big, juicy cheeseburger. What about you?”

“French fries. I like them plain or smothered with cheese or covered with chili.”

He laughed and flashed her a quick glance. “That’s not a real meal.”

“Bet me,” she replied, making him laugh once again.

By that time they’d arrived at the Bitterroot Café. Sundays, the place was usually packed at lunchtime, after church services let out. But on Sunday evenings there were not too many diners.

Janis was glad. It would make conversation easier. She knew she was intensely physically attracted to Sawyer, but she also recognized that she didn’t know that much about him. By the end of this meal, her attraction to him just might be dead.

Amanda Wright greeted them as they walked in. A month ago, she’d bought the café from Daisy Martin, a fiery redhead who had owned it for as long as anyone could remember.

Janis knew that wasn’t the only change that had occurred in Mandy’s life. A month and a half ago, after a whirlwind romance, she and Brody Booth had run off to Las Vegas and gotten married.

“Lately it seems like weddings are in the air in Bitterroot,” Janis said once they were seated in a booth and had shrugged out of their coats.

Sawyer’s gaze turned wary and she couldn’t help but laugh. “Don’t worry, Sawyer, shotgun weddings went out of style a long time ago. Besides, I don’t have a big brother or a daddy to come after you.”

He visibly relaxed. “But isn’t June Little, who works at the mercantile, your mother?”

It was Janis’s turn to stiffen slightly. “She is, but I don’t have any kind of a relationship with her right now.”

“That’s a shame,” he replied.

Before the conversation could go any further, Carlie Martin appeared to take their orders.

“How’s it going, Carlie?” Janis asked the pretty blond waitress.

“It’s going,” she replied. “We had a hellacious crowd in for lunch but, thankfully, it’s been a fairly slow night, so we’ve all managed to catch our breaths.”

After a little more small talk, Sawyer ordered a burger and fries. Janis opted for a chicken and bacon wrap, a new item on the menu, and a side of fries.

“Tell me why you don’t have a relationship with your mother?” he asked once Carlie had left the booth.

“Oh, it’s a long, boring story. I’d much rather hear about you,” she replied. “Through the years I’ve heard so many rumors about all you men on the Holiday Ranch.”

He grinned. “Probably at least half of them aren’t true.”

She could listen to the sound of his deep laughter forever. “So, you weren’t all found under lily pads in Big Cass’s pond.” She’d wanted him to laugh again and she was successful.

“No,” he replied, a sparkle of humor in his eyes. “And we weren’t all brought in from a reform school when we were kids. But we were all runaways or throwaways who took to the streets when we were young.”

“And which one were you? A runaway or a throwaway?”

“A runaway,” he replied.

“Why?” These were the kinds of things she wanted to know. Who he was as a man, where he’d come from, and what forces might be at play in his life that made him drink himself into a stupor on most Saturday nights when he came into the bar.

He looked so sexy tonight in his jeans and a rust-colored shirt that matched his slightly unruly hair and stretched across his broad shoulders.

“Unlike a lot of the other men who suffered from mental and physical abuse, I ran away when my mom died because I didn’t want to go into foster care.” He gave a dry chuckle. “At fifteen years old, I thought I was old enough and strong enough to survive on my own. But if it hadn’t been for Cass Holiday and Francine Rogers, I probably would have died on the streets or wound up in jail.”

“Who is Francine Rogers?” Everyone in town had known Big Cass Holiday, who had died a year ago in a tornado.

“She was a social worker and a good friend of Cass’s. She worked the streets at night in Oklahoma City. She tried to reunite kids with their parents, if possible. She’s the one responsible for getting us all off the streets and working for Cass. Unfortunately we heard Francine passed away a couple of months ago.”

The conversation was interrupted by the arrival of their orders. “Anything else I can get you?” Carlie asked once she had placed their plates in front of them.

“I think we’re good,” Sawyer replied. When she left, Sawyer looked at Janis, his eyes lit with curiosity. “Now, tell me about you. I know you’ve worked at the bar for a long time, but I don’t know much about your personal life.”

“That’s because I don’t have much of a personal life,” she replied ruefully as she dragged one of her fries through a puddle of ketchup. “I live at the bar. I work at the bar. And that’s about the sum of it.”

“What do you do for fun?”

“I love to read and sometimes I just like to drive out into the country and sit and listen to the soft noise of nature at work.” A blush warmed her cheeks. “I know it probably sounds silly.”

“It doesn’t sound silly at all to me,” he replied. “Living with eleven other rowdy cowboys, sometimes I just need to get away and enjoy the sounds of nature. When that happens, I usually grab my fishing pole and head down to the pond.”

“That sounds like fun,” she replied.

“Maybe on a warm day I’ll take you to the pond with me.”

Her heart swelled at his words. “That would be nice,” she said. But once she told him the truth about the night before, he might be so angry he wouldn’t be speaking to her tomorrow or on the next warm day.

For the next hour they ate and talked and laughed. Sawyer seemed to be the man she’d thought he would be...easygoing, easy to talk to, and with a great sense of humor.

She loved the way his eyes shone when he talked about his work at the ranch and the other ranch hands, who were like brothers to him. She also liked that he was fiercely loyal to Cassie Bowie, who was Big Cass’s niece and had taken over the ranch after Cass had died.

It would be easy to allow her crush on him to blossom into something more, but first Janis had to tell him the truth.

She’d tell him at her doorstep, she thought. That way, if he was really angry with her, at least she’d already be home. Besides, she wasn’t ready for this pleasant time with him to end yet.

“Are you a dessert kind of girl?” he asked when they’d finished the meal.

“I wouldn’t turn up my nose at a piece of chocolate cake,” she replied.

“Then the lady shall eat cake,” he replied and gestured to get Carlie’s attention.

“I hope the lady won’t be eating cake all alone?”

He grinned at her. “I can’t walk out of here without eating a piece of Mandy’s fancy crème brûlée cake.”

“I noticed it was a new item on the menu. I’m assuming it’s good?”

His eyes warmed and a sensual curl of his lips shot heat through her. “It’s good enough to make a grown man weep,” he replied.

Oh, my, but she’d love for him to look that way, to talk that way, about her.

They had just been served their desserts and coffee when Tony Nakni, his wife, Mary, and Mary’s grandmother, Halena, came in.

Tony and Mary waved as they took a booth on the opposite side of the café, while Halena wove her way through the tables in the center to approach Janis and Sawyer.

“Hi, Halena,” Janis said.

Halena Redwing was one of the more colorful characters in Bitterroot. She had the proud, beautiful, facial features of her Choctaw blood and a mischievous twinkle in her dark eyes. Rumor had it she loved dancing naked in rainstorms. She also had a penchant for funky hats and evening dresses.

Tonight she was clad in a red gown with glittery matching shoes. A little hat of black-and-red feathers sat atop her shiny silver hair.

“Evening, ma’am,” Sawyer said.

“Sawyer, it’s nice to see you out with a good woman,” Halena said. “It’s past time for you to get married and have a bunch of babies.”

“Halena.” Janis laughed. “We’re just having dinner,” she protested.

“Dinner is a good start and you could do a lot worse.” Halena leaned into Janis. “He’s got the sexiest, most pinchable butt in all of Bitterroot,” she said in a loud, mock whisper.

“Geez, Halena.” Sawyer’s cheeks flushed red.

“Just saying,” she said and then turned on her sparkly red shoes and headed back to the booth where Tony and Mary awaited her.

“Halena is definitely a pip,” Janis said.

“I swear that woman likes to torment me whenever she sees me,” Sawyer said, but his voice held a wealth of affection. “She steals my hat whenever she can and goes out of her way to embarrass me whenever possible.”

“At least she gave me some valuable information.” Janis grinned at him teasingly.

Once again Sawyer’s cheeks dusted with color. “And now would be a great time to change the subject.”

They lingered over coffee and their conversation remained light and easy.

“Favorite music?” he asked her.

“Anything country,” she replied.

“Favorite flower?”

“Pink roses. When I went to my first school dance, my date didn’t know he was supposed to get me a corsage. My dad ran to the florist and got me a beautiful corsage of pink roses. They remind me of love.”

“Favorite place to hang out in Bitterroot?”

She frowned thoughtfully. “The courtyard in the center of town is a nice place to sit and relax.”

Then it was her turn to fire questions at him. She learned that spring was his favorite season and he loved the sound of a redbird’s song. His favorite time of day was evening and he’d broken his arm when the other guys had dared him to ride a bull named Cowboy Crusher.

They spent a half hour firing all kinds of questions to each other. She was disappointed when their cups were empty and it was time to leave. But she knew work time came early for him at the ranch.

As she got into his truck, nervous butterflies took flight in the pit of her stomach. Now was the time of reckoning. She had to tell him that nothing had happened between them last night.

“This has been nice,” he said when they were a block away from the bar. “I feel like we sort of jumped the gun last night and now we need to work backward and get to know each other better.”

She gazed at him in the illumination of the dashboard. “Sawyer...about last night,” she began. She turned her gaze out the front window, unable to look at him while she made her confession. As his headlights splashed across the back of the bar, she gasped in horror.

* * *

Sawyer stared at the white paint sprayed across the dark wood of the building. The letters were huge—Janis Little is a Whore.

What the hell? Was this because of what had happened last night? Who else had known that he’d spent the night in her bed besides a couple of his friends?

Janis began to cry. “Oh, my God...wh-who would do this?” she said between her gulping sobs. “I... I’m not a whore. I’m not.”

She turned to look at him and in her eyes he saw not only shock and hurt, but also a fierce denial of the characterization the words gave her.

“Janis, of course you’re not...” he began in an attempt to calm her down. He turned off his headlights so the words were no longer visible in the darkness of the night.

“I’ve only had one lover in my whole life. Only one, and I’m thirty years old. You’re the one and only man who has ever stayed in my room overnight. I wasn’t a whore when I was growing up and I’m not a whore now.” Anything else she might have had to say was made impossible as she buried her face in her hands and wept in earnest.

“Janis, nobody believes you’re a whore,” he said. “I mean, nobody I know believes that.” It was true. He had never heard any hint or whisper of a rumor about Janis being loose and wild. “This is the work of some no-count creep. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure it’s cleaned up before morning, but first we need to call Dillon.”

Dillon Bowie was the chief of police for the small town. More recently he had become the husband of Cassie, who owned the ranch Sawyer called home.

“And I should call Gary,” she said as she drew in several deep breaths in an obvious effort to push back her tears.

Gary Runyon owned the bar and Sawyer agreed that he should be called, as well.

The minute the calls had been made, Janis got out of the truck. Sawyer quickly followed her. She stood with her back to him and stared at the building where the letters were faintly visible in the illumination from a nearby streetlight.

He could hear that she was still softly crying and could see that her entire body visibly trembled. “Janis,” he said softly as he grabbed her by one arm and turned her around to face him.

She instantly came into his arms and buried her face in the crook of his neck. He wrapped his arms around her in an effort to somehow comfort her.

“Nobody will see this except us and Dillon and Gary,” he said. “I’ll make sure it’s painted over by morning. I promise.”

“But why would somebody do this to me?” Her breath was a warm caress against his neck. She released a small laugh that had nothing to do with her being amused. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think my mother was behind this.”

“Your mother?” Shock swept through him.

She shook her head. “Never mind. Like I said earlier, it’s a long story for another time.”

What kind of story could make a woman believe her mother was capable of doing something like this? Sawyer couldn’t imagine. “Come on, let’s get back in the truck to wait. It’s cold out here.”

They got back in the truck, where he started the engine to get some heat blowing from the vents.

“I’m sorry, Janis,” he said.

She turned and looked at him in surprise. “Why are you sorry?”

“I feel partially responsible for this. It probably wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t spent the night with you last night.”

“I’m a grown woman and I have a right to a personal life without somebody judging me for it. This is just so embarrassing...and...and it’s vile. I hope Dillon finds the person responsible,” she replied.

Sawyer didn’t want to tell her that he seriously doubted Dillon would be able to catch the culprit. In any case, at that moment Dillon arrived, his lights whirling blue and red across the building.

Sawyer and Janis got out of the truck as Dillon departed his police car. “Nasty piece of work,” he said in greeting. He looked at Janis. “Any idea who might be responsible?”

She shook her head. “None. I can’t imagine who would do something like this.”

“I, uh... I spent the night with Janis last night,” Sawyer said. “Maybe that has something to do with it?”

“Janis’s business should be nobody else’s business,” Dillon replied. “You’re both consenting adults.”

“Wait...maybe I do know somebody who would do something like this. Last night at work I poured a beer in Zeke Osmond’s lap,” Janis said.

“Was it an accident or on-purpose spill?” Dillon asked.

“On purpose,” she replied. “He kept grabbing my backside and I’d finally had enough.” Her gaze went back to the building. “He was definitely angry enough at me to do something like this.”

“Or maybe you have a secret admirer who didn’t like the idea of you being with Sawyer,” Dillon said in speculation. “I’m going to look around to see if I can find a paint can that might have been discarded. But, honestly, there isn’t much I can do about this.”

Gary Runyon’s van pulled into the parking lot. Gary was a big man, with broad shoulders and a barrel chest. He and his wife, Abigail, had recently celebrated their twenty-seventh wedding anniversary. They had two daughters.

“Gary, I’m so sorry,” Janis said. “Please don’t let me go.”

“Let you go? You mean fire you?” He shook his head. “Janis, honey, did you paint the back of my building?” he asked.

“Of course not,” she replied.

“Then why on earth would I let you go? You’re the best damned bar manager anyone could have.” The big man nodded at Sawyer and then walked over to Dillon, who had begun his paint can hunt.

Sawyer flung an arm over Janis’s shoulder. “You okay?” he asked.

“As okay as I can be,” she replied as she moved even closer to his side. She looked over to where Dillon was walking around and Gary was on his cell phone. “Dillon isn’t going to be able to find out who did this, is he?”

Sawyer hesitated a moment and then replied, “Probably not. But somebody who has the mentality to do something like this will possibly brag to a friend, or get drunk and say something incriminating. Zeke Osmond isn’t the brightest star in the sky.”

Gary walked over to where the two of them stood. “I’ve called in Miguel and James to repaint the building. They should be arriving within the next half hour or so.” He smiled at Janis. “Don’t you worry, honey. This will all be gone well before morning.”

Sawyer knew both men in passing and they had always been friendly. Miguel Gomez was one of the cooks and James Warner worked as the bar’s janitor.

“Dock my pay,” Janis said. “I know those two will expect to be paid for working on something like this in the middle of the night.”

“Don’t you worry about it. I’ve got this,” Gary replied. “Why don’t you get out of the cold and get inside where you belong?”

She took Gary’s advice.

Minutes later she sat on the bed inside her room with Sawyer seated next to her. They had taken off their coats and hung them on hooks on the wall next to the door. “You sure know how to make a date exciting,” Sawyer said in an effort to lift the darkness from her eyes.

She gave him a small smile. “I like a little excitement on my dates, but not quite this much.” The smile lasted only a minute and then fell away. “Sawyer, you don’t have to stay any longer. I’m fine.”

“I just thought I’d hang around until Miguel and James show up to get things cleaned up and then I’ll head home.” He wanted to ask her about her mother. He also wanted to know if she always smelled so good and if he’d really been a good lover the night before. But now wasn’t the time or the place for those kinds of conversations.

“At least I can thank you for a wonderful evening before you brought me home,” she said. She wiped at her cheeks. “And I suppose I look like a raccoon now from all my blubbering.”

“A very pretty raccoon,” he replied. It was true that some of her mascara now rested beneath her eyes where it didn’t belong, but even that didn’t detract from her natural prettiness.

Unexpected desire surged inside him and he got up from the bed. “Do you want me to make you a cup of coffee before I leave?” He gestured to the machine she’d used that morning to make him a cup of brew. “Although I imagine you could probably use something stronger.”

“I don’t drink alcohol.”

He looked at her in surprise. “You work here and you don’t drink?”

“Maybe it’s because I do work here that I don’t,” she replied. “I’ve seen a lot of people act the fool because of too much alcohol and it’s just really never interested me.”

A wave of uncomfortable guilt swept through him. He was one of those fools. He’d been so foolish last night he’d made love to a beautiful woman and had been so addled by alcohol he didn’t even remember it.

Before they could say another word, a knock sounded on her door. It was Gary letting her know the men had arrived and were already at work on painting over the ugly words.

“Are you sure you’ll be okay?” Sawyer asked as he grabbed his coat from the hook.

“I’ll be just fine. Go on and get out of here. I know you have early mornings on the ranch.” She got up and joined him at the door.

“Janis, don’t let this get to you.” Anger on her behalf suddenly rose up to course through his veins. “If I find out who did this, I’ll beat their hide clear out of town.”

“My hero,” she replied with a smile.

It was a smile that stirred a hunger for her inside him and told him it was time to leave. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” He was about to open the door to exit when she said his name and stopped him.

She gazed at him for a long moment and then shook her head. “Never mind. Good night.”

He walked outside to see the two men painting over the spray-painted words. They nodded to him and kept working. He got into his truck and pulled away, his thoughts in chaos.

Who all had known he’d gone into the back room last night with Janis and had spent the night there? The cowboys from the Holiday Ranch would have known because they hadn’t had to get him home and into his bunkroom. There was no way any of them would have done something like this.

But you thought you knew Adam and he turned out to be a serial killer, a little voice reminded him.

He clenched his hands a little tighter around the steering wheel as he thought about Adam Benson.

Adam had been one of the lost boys who had wound up at the ranch with the others. Sawyer had grown up with the man, worked side-by-side with him and had never seen a hint of the monster hiding inside the man.

It wasn’t until Adam had decided in his sick mind that Cassie had to die that all his crimes were uncovered. Thankfully, Dillon had shot Adam just before he’d killed Cassie with an ax. Adam had not only tried to kill Cassie, he’d also killed a new hire at the ranch.

But most horrifying of all was the discovery that, years ago, he’d killed seven teenagers because he hadn’t thought they were good enough to work for Big Cass Holiday.

So, was one of his “brothers” hiding a dark side? Did one of them have a secret crush on Janis and had spray-painted the building because she’d hooked up with Sawyer? He just had trouble believing that of any one of them.

So, who else had been in the bar at closing time to know?

It was definitely possible Zeke Osmond had done it as a childish attempt to get revenge on Janis for dumping a beer on him. That would be in keeping with the nasty personality of the man.

Zeke worked on the Humes’s ranch next to the Holiday property. All the men who worked for Raymond Humes shared the common trait of being nasty troublemakers. The bad blood between the Humes and the Holiday Ranch cowboys was the stuff of legend.

If Zeke was responsible for this, Sawyer would have no problem taking him to the woodshed, so to speak. No man should do something like this to a woman...ever.

He could only imagine the gossip that would have fired through the small town if morning had come and the spray-painted words had been seen by everyone. Bitterroot was a place that loved its gossip.

He didn’t know who was responsible and he was confused about his feelings toward Janis.

Normally, Sawyer was a man who took his time when it came to romancing a woman. Sometimes he took so long the woman lost interest. But he intended to only be married once, so it was important that he got it right.

Lately he’d been thinking a lot about love and marriage. Maybe it was because so many of his friends had gotten hitched in the past year. And he wanted children. He wanted to be the kind of father he used to dream about having as a little boy.

Was Janis his forever woman? He had no idea. Everything had happened so fast with her. He’d invited her out to dinner because he’d felt obligated after the night before.

But he’d enjoyed her company throughout the evening. He’d noticed that she was pretty before, but having her all to himself instead of seeing her in the bar had been surprisingly exciting.

Something about the sparkle in her caramel-brown eyes drew him in. Her smile and her easy laughter were more than a little bit sexy. There was no question he was attracted to her in a way he hadn’t been before.

And he’d already slept with her and didn’t remember it.

When he reached the Holiday Ranch, he pulled his truck into the oversize shed that held all the cowboys’ personal vehicles. In the distance was the big, two-story house where Cassie and Dillon lived. In the opposite direction was the bunkhouse.

The bunkhouse was set up like a motel with twelve small units that housed each of the men. At the back of the building was the dining and rec room. Cord Cully, aka Cookie, provided three meals a day for the ranch hands.

It had been in the dining room that Cassie and Dillon had gotten married on Valentine’s Day. All the cowboys and their wives and girlfriends had been invited. Sawyer had attended the event alone.

Janis was right. Love and marriage had definitely been in the air in Bitterroot over the past several months. Maybe that’s what had Sawyer thinking more and more about marriage.

He entered his bunk and tossed his hat on the bed. The room was small, with a single bed against one wall and a chest of drawers on the other. There was a closet and an adjoining bathroom. The only things decorating the walls were pictures of Sawyer with his mother that he’d taken with him on the night he’d run away.

He sank down onto the edge of the bed and dragged a hand through his hair. Janis Little is a whore. Yes, it was very possible Zeke had done it, a bit of childish revenge for a dropped drink. Hopefully this would be the end of it.

But if it wasn’t Zeke, then who in the hell would do such a terrible thing?

Chapter 3

It was almost noon before Janis pulled herself up and out of bed the next day. She’d been up late listening to Miguel and James work outside.

There was no way to describe the shock and horror of the night before. Of all the things that could have been painted on the building, the word “whore” had taken her back to some very painful teenage years. Years that she preferred to not think about ever again for the rest of her life.

She now made herself a cup of coffee and then sat on the chair on one side of the bed to drink it. Aside from the horrifying discovery at the end of the night, she’d thoroughly enjoyed her time with Sawyer.

Physically, she was very drawn to him. The copper of his eyes was both warm and a bit unusual. His cinnamon-colored hair was a bit too long and with more than a hint of curl. It begged for fingers to dance through the thick strands. His face was all interesting lines and angles weathered to a beautiful bronze and he had a smile that warmed everyone in proximity.

She had also thoroughly enjoyed their conversation. She’d found him both intelligent and fun. Smart and with a good sense of humor, it was a heady combination in a man.

Oh, yes, she was definitely drawn to him. But she doubted she would hear from him again unless it was on a Saturday night when he came into the bar with his buddies for drinks.

Who would want to be with a woman somebody had called a whore? Why on earth would he want to get involved in this kind of drama? And, as if being called a whore wasn’t bad enough, he thought she’d fallen into bed with him without having any kind of a real relationship with him at all.

She’d wanted to tell him the truth last night, but everything had ended on such a bad note, she hadn’t gotten it done. And she needed to tell him. If nothing else, so that he knew she wasn’t the kind of woman to just fall in bed with a random guy.

She shoved away thoughts of Sawyer, finished her coffee and went into the bathroom for a long shower. Her work schedule today was from three to closing time at midnight. The bar was open until midnight Mondays through Thursdays, and then stayed open until two on Fridays and Saturday nights. The place opened at eleven thirty every day.

Sundays, the bar was closed and Janis usually had the day off on Thursdays. However, she intended to talk to Gary about working without pay for the next couple of Thursdays to pay back whatever he’d had to give the men who had painted the building the night before.

She dressed in the T-shirt that advertised the bar across the chest and jeans that were her usual uniform. She then turned on the small television on the dresser in an effort to find something to take her mind off Sawyer and the horrible spray-painted message.

At least the weather report was for a nice spring warm-up over the next few days. Everyone would welcome nicer temperatures without the blustery wind.

By three o’clock she was more than ready to go to work. She was sick of her own brooding and ready to visit with the patrons who came in.

The minute she entered the bar proper, Annie rushed over to her. “Guess what I heard?” she asked.

Every one of Janis’s stomach muscles instantly tightened. Oh, God, had somebody seen the spray paint before it was covered? Was she now the topic of all kinds of rumors and speculation around town?

“What did you hear?” she asked, holding her breath to wait for the answer.

“I heard that a certain woman was seen having dinner with a hot cowboy last night. I want all the details.”

Janis laughed with more than a little bit of relief. “First, I want to know how you heard about it.”

“You know my grandmother is good friends with Halena, who told her this morning while they had coffee together, and then my grandmother told me. Now...details please.”

“I had the chicken wrap with french fries and Sawyer had a burger and fries,” she told her. “Then we both had dessert and coffee.”

“Don’t make me slap you upside the head,” Annie replied. “You know that’s not what I care about. Did you like him? Did he like you? Are you going to see him again? Did he kiss you?” The words tumbled out of Annie’s mouth in usual Annie style.

“I like him. I don’t know if he likes me. I don’t know if I’ll see him again. And it’s none of your business if he kissed me.”

Annie’s eyes sparkled. “So, he did kiss you! Was it a sweet kiss or a hot, tongue-and-all kiss?”

“Annie, stop,” Janis replied with more laughter. She could always count on her friend to pull her out of the doldrums. Annie was unfailingly cheerful and truly interested in everything and everyone. “It was just dinner out...no big deal.”

“I know you’ve had a crush on him forever, so him asking you out is a very big deal,” Annie stated. “Who suggested dessert? Him or you?”

“He did.”

“That’s awesome. That means he likes you and wanted to spend a little more time with you,” Annie proclaimed.

“And I’m sure some of the customers around here would like the two of us to quit chatting and get to work,” Janis replied.

“I hate it when you act like the manager of this place,” Annie said with a fake pout.

“Do I need to remind you that I am the manager of this place?” Janis laughed as Annie danced away to the section she’d be working that day.

Janis greeted Chance Aldrich, who worked as their part-time bartender. He had a ranch on the outskirts of town, but Janis guessed things weren’t going too well there for him to have to pick up extra money bartending.

There were several people already in their usual places in the bar. Lester Caldwell, one of the grumpiest old men in Bitterroot, sat at the bar, nursing a whiskey. Lester complained about the drinks, the food and the music, yet he sat on the same stool every afternoon from about three to five.

Myles Hennessy was also a regular. A pleasant man in his late fifties, he shamelessly flirted with the waitresses and loved the bar’s pulled pork sandwiches with fried pickles.

For the most part Janis enjoyed the people who frequented the bar. It was only occasionally, on a busy Friday or Saturday night, that too much alcohol combined with too much testosterone and a fight ensued.

“Hi, Lester,” she said as she greeted the old man. “Can I get you a fresh one?” She gestured to the empty glass before him.

“Okay, but don’t water it down none. I swear every drink I get in this place is watered down to profit the bar,” he grumbled.

She knew there was no reason to waste her breath explaining to him that if he wanted a whiskey on the rocks and nursed it for over an hour, the odds were good the ice cubes would melt and water down the alcohol. He would concede the point and then find something else to grouse about.

As the evening approached, more people came in and, thankfully, it was impossible for Janis to think about anything but filling orders.

At six o’clock Sawyer walked in alone. He greeted several people as he wove his way to a booth in Janis’s section. Janis couldn’t help the way her heart leaped at the sight of him.

“Sawyer, I don’t usually see you in here during the week,” she said in greeting.

“I wanted to come in to see how you were doing,” he replied. He placed his brown cowboy hat next to him on the seat.

“I’m okay,” she replied.

“I wanted to call you earlier, but I realized we didn’t exchange phone numbers last night. Want to do it now?”

Her heart fluttered. “Sure.” She pulled her cell phone from her back pocket, pleased that last night’s drama hadn’t put him off.

“Can I get you the usual?” she asked once they’d shared their numbers. His usual would be a tall glass of beer.

He hesitated a moment and then shook his head. “No, I think today I’d like just a plain soda with a couple of limes thrown in.”

She tried to hide her surprise. “Okay. I’ll be right back with it.”

Annie met her at the bar. “Oh, my God, Janis. He must be so into you,” she said. “He never comes in here by himself or on a weekday.”

“I know,” Janis replied. But he wouldn’t be so into her when she told him the truth about their night of passion. She needed to tell him. It was possible he was just being overly nice to her now because he felt guilty about that night.

But she didn’t tell him that evening, or the next when he once again showed up and ordered a soda with lime. Instead, when she was between waiting on people, she stood next to his booth and they continued to get to know each other better.

Wednesday evening when he came in, she knew she couldn’t put it off another minute. So far their conversations had been pleasant. They’d talked about the nicer weather and his work around the ranch.

He’d told her that Trisha Cahill, who’d married fellow ranch hand Dusty Crawford, was pregnant and that Dusty was over the moon. In turn, she’d told him that she’d heard rancher Abe Breckinridge and his wife, Donna, were down with the flu and that Janine Willis, who worked at the grocery store, had taken a fall and broken her hip.

They’d talked about nothing in depth and she still had no idea how he’d react when he learned what she had done to him.

Even though she got to know him better the more time she spent with him, she’d like to know him even more. She wanted to know what he dreamed about, what life events had made him into who he was, and what he looked for in the future.

But she feared she’d never get to learn those things once she told him how she’d fooled him. And he had every right to be quite angry with her. What had seemed like a funny idea at the moment didn’t feel quite so funny now.

She glanced across the bar to where he was in a booth visiting with Chad Bene who worked on the Swanson ranch. The two men were laughing at something and she wished she was seated next to Sawyer in the booth and having fun.

He glanced in her direction and the look he gave her felt sinfully intimate and warmed her from head to toe. Oh, she didn’t want to come clean with him. She didn’t want the budding romantic relationship with him to end.

She couldn’t completely lose her head. She had to remember that the romance she believed might be building between them was based on her lie.

If tonight went as the other two nights had, Sawyer would stay until about ten or so and then leave to go home. Usually by ten on a weekday the bar became fairly deserted.

Tonight, no matter what was going on in the bar, she was going to have that conversation with him. She absolutely, positively, couldn’t put it off any longer.

As the clock quickly wound down to the designated hour, a ribbon of tension twisted around her stomach and pressed tight against her chest.

There were only three people left in the bar. They were all seated in Annie’s section when Sawyer reached next to him on the booth seat for his hat, a sure sign that he was preparing to head out. She couldn’t let him leave tonight without knowing the truth.

She approached the booth. “You getting ready to leave?”

“It’s about that time,” he replied. “I know tomorrow is your night off and I was wondering if you’d be interested in eating dinner at the café with me again.”

“I’d love to. But, before you leave, there’s something I really need to tell you and it might make you renege on your offer.” Dread and tension once again pressed tightly in her chest.

He frowned and set his hat back down on the seat. “And what would that be?”

She sucked in a deep breath and then released it.

“We didn’t sleep together the other night. I mean, we slept together, but we didn’t have sex.”

His frown deepened and a dark wariness jumped into his eyes. “What are you talking about? I was there.”

“Well, you mostly weren’t there,” she replied. She stared down at the booth table, unable to meet his gaze as she continued. “You were passed out, like you usually are at the end of a Saturday night. It was kind of a joke, but I also wanted to show you how vulnerable you are when you get in that state. It frightens me for you.”

When her words were met with a weighty silence, she finally looked up. Anger. It was written in the darkness of his eyes, in the grim slash of his lips. Every line in his face appeared sharper and his shoulders were stiff.

“Did everyone have a good laugh at my expense?” he asked, the words clipped and curt.

“It wasn’t like that,” she quickly protested. “I didn’t do it for my own humor, although I will admit it was kind of funny seeing your reaction when you woke up in my bed the next morning.”

Her words did nothing to soften any of the hardness in his gaze. He leaned over, grabbed his hat once again and worked the brim between his fingers.

“Sawyer, I’ll admit something else,” she continued hurriedly. “I told you I had a crush on you and I meant it. It’s the truth. I didn’t like the idea of you being passed out to the point that you could become a victim. You could get beaten up or robbed when you’re in that state. You could be taken advantage of by an unscrupulous woman.” The words tumbled out of her in a desperate rush to take his anger away.

“So, you decided to be the unscrupulous woman?”

The press of tears burned at her eyes. This was going so much worse than she’d ever thought it would. “I’m sorry. I should have never done it.”

“Yeah, you got that right.” He got up from the booth, slapped his hat on his head and walked away from her toward the door.

She watched him go until he disappeared from her sight. So much for a romance with Sawyer Quincy. She’d be lucky if he ever spoke to her again.

* * *

Sawyer stepped out into the cool night, the air a welcome relief to the hot anger that coursed through him. He wasn’t just ticked off at Janis. He was also irritated with his friends, who had obviously been in on the whole thing all along.

Geez, he’d been so worried and had felt so guilty when he’d believed he’d had sex with Janis and had no memory of it. The whole reason he’d invited her out to dinner the next night was that he’d thought they’d been intimate.

But you enjoyed having dinner with her, a small voice whispered in his head. And he’d enjoyed her company since then. Still, he couldn’t believe what she had done to him.

He leaned against the front bumper of his truck, let out a deep sigh and stared up the street. Bitterroot shut down early on weeknights and there wasn’t a soul on the street except him.

And why was he still there? Why wasn’t he already in his truck and driving home?

He had to admit, the whole thing had given him a wake-up call he’d needed for a long time about his drinking. On that same Saturday morning he’d gone to speak to Cassie about the possibility of him becoming foreman once Brody Booth stopped working on the Holiday Ranch.

Brody had found love with Mandy and they now lived on a big spread. Everyone knew he was just biding his time before quitting the Holiday place.

For the first time in his life, Sawyer had wanted to step up and take on additional responsibility, but Cassie had turned him down. She’d said something to the effect that she didn’t believe the other men respected him enough to follow his lead.

That night he’d carried a bitter disappointment with him to the bar and he’d tried to drink it away. He’d guzzled his beer down with purpose and, like usual, he hadn’t remembered anything after the first couple of beers.

Cassie refusing to consider him for the foreman’s job coupled with believing he had made love to a woman while drunk and having no knowledge of it had made him rethink his drinking.

Hell, he didn’t even enjoy it that much. Before he could get a nice little buzz going, he always passed out. Was it really possible Janis had a genuine concern about him?

She didn’t appear to be the type of woman who would do something like that just for grins and giggles. Maybe she really had done it because she cared about him.

At the moment he was too confused to do anything but head home and get a good night’s sleep. He’d figure out how he felt about Janis tomorrow.

He climbed into his truck and instantly spied a piece of paper tucked beneath his windshield wiper.

“What now?” he muttered. He rolled down his window, reached out to grab the paper and then turned on the dome light.

Stay away from her.

Printed in bold, black letters, the words stared up at him. His heart had been racing with anger but it instantly quieted. He looked up and down the street once again, but there was still nobody to see.

As he looked at the note once again, his heart began to beat more quickly. What in the hell? There was no question in his mind that the “her” was Janis.

What was going on? Was this the same work as the person who had spray-painted the back of the bar? If that was the case, he had serious doubts the culprit was Zeke Osmond.

Then who? Did Janis have another boyfriend? Somebody she’d been seeing that Sawyer knew nothing about? Did she maybe have an ex-boyfriend who might be ticked that Sawyer was moving in on what he still thought of as his territory?

The anger he’d felt toward Janis slowly ebbed away. He liked her and he wanted to pursue a relationship with her to see where it led. The note only made him more determined to not stay away from her.

He sat in his truck and thought about everything until it was closing time. Once the bar went dark, he pulled around to the back, got out of his truck and knocked on her door.

She answered immediately, surprise on her features. “Sawyer,” she said and opened the door wider to allow him inside.

“We need to talk,” he said.

Her gaze searched his face. “I was afraid you’d never want to talk to me again.” She motioned him toward the chair. When he was seated, she sank down on the edge of the bed.

“I was definitely angry with you,” he admitted.

“I know.” She seemed miserable with her shoulders slumped slightly forward and her expressive eyes radiating despair.

“I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt that you didn’t fool me out of any meanness.”

“Oh, Sawyer, being mean to you wasn’t ever a thought in my head.”

“Then I think it best if we put all that behind us and we start over.”

“Really?” Her eyes instantly lightened and relief was evident on her pretty face. “I’d like that a lot.”

“And now there’s something else I want to talk to you about. Are you seeing somebody else?”

Once again she looked at him in surprise. “Heavens, no.”

“Is there an ex-boyfriend lurking around who has been trying to get back together with you?”

“The last boyfriend I had was over two years ago. He didn’t even live in Bitterroot and I heard through the grapevine that he got married two months ago. Why are you asking me these questions?”

He stood and pulled the note from his pocket. He unfolded it and handed it to her. “That was under my truck windshield wiper when I left here.”

She stared at the note for a long moment and then looked back up at him. “Are you sure this is about me?”

“I’m not seeing anyone else and haven’t for a very long time. It’s definitely about you.”

She dropped the note next to her on the bed as if it burned her fingers. “I can’t imagine who would do such a thing.”

“I can’t, either, but I think we need to call Dillon.”

“Do you really think that’s necessary?”

He nodded, pulled his cell phone from his back pocket and sat back down in the chair. “I do. This needs to be reported, especially on top of the spray-painting incident that took place. I’ll call him.”

“Sawyer, I just want to tell you again how very sorry I am,” she said when he’d finished making the call.

“I accept your apology and, if truth be known, I should probably thank you,” he admitted.

“Thank me?” She looked at him curiously.

He heaved a deep sigh. “Between you and Cassie, my eyes have been opened to my drinking issue.”

“Cassie?”

He frowned thoughtfully, remembering his conversation with his boss.

“Last Saturday morning, I decided to talk to her about me possibly taking over the position of foreman when Brody leaves. Since he got hooked up with Mandy Wright, he’s been living on that big ranch of hers and we all know he’s about ready to quit the Holiday place to ranch on his own.”

“So, what did she say?” She leaned closer to him, her gaze soft and her evocative floral scent swirling around his head.

“She basically said she didn’t think I had the respect of the other men because of the nights they have to put me to bed drunk, although she didn’t say in it those exact words.”

“Why do you drink?”

“I always thought that’s just what we did. We worked hard during the week and then went to the bar to drink on Saturday nights,” he replied.

“Do you like the taste of beer?”

He frowned thoughtfully. He’d never really considered the things she was asking him about before. “It’s all right,” he replied.

“I think you’re allergic to it or something.”

He looked at her in surprise. “You think?”

“I’ve never seen anyone totally pass out on so few drinks as you do.”

“According to my mother, my father was a raging alcoholic who suffered blackouts. I’ve had a few blackouts, as well.”

“You didn’t know your father?”

“He disappeared from our life when I was four years old. When I was ten, we heard that he’d died. It’s a good guess that he died from his alcoholism.”

“My father died from a massive heart attack when I was sixteen.” A deep sadness filled her eyes.

“I’m sorry for your loss,” he replied. “It stinks not to have a father.”

“At least I had mine for sixteen years. You didn’t have yours for long at all. Do you have any memories of him?”

“None,” he replied.

Before they could talk any further, Dillon arrived. He looked at the note and then asked Janis the same questions Sawyer had asked her. Was she seeing anyone else? Was there somebody she knew who wanted to date her? Maybe somebody she’d turned down recently? Janis’s answers were the same...no, no and no.

“It definitely looks to me like you’ve picked yourself up a secret admirer,” Dillon said. “And he might possibly want Sawyer out of the picture so he can make a play for you.”

“So, what should we do?” Janis asked.

“I don’t think you have anything to worry about,” Dillon said to her. “I imagine whoever it is will either make himself known to you pretty quickly or he’ll just give up and go away.”

He then looked at Sawyer. “I also really don’t think you have anything to worry about, either. In my experience, anonymous notes rarely lead to any kind of violent actions.”

Sawyer nodded, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to watch his own back a little more closely than usual. “I’ll take the note with me, but I imagine the only prints I’ll get will be from the two of you,” Dillon continued as he stepped to the door. “There isn’t much more I can do at this point.”

“Thanks for coming out,” Janis said.

“That’s my job,” the lawman replied with a smile. “I’ll let you both know if I manage to pull off any viable prints, but don’t hold your breath.”

“I should probably get out of here, too,” Sawyer said when Dillon had gone. “You still up for dinner at the café with me tomorrow night?”

“Are we okay?” Her eyes held a soft luminosity and her lips had never looked so darned kissable. He pulled her into his arms and settled his mouth over hers.

He kept the kiss light and quick, but it wasn’t because her lips didn’t entice him to delve deeper. It wasn’t because she didn’t excite him on a physical level.

It was because he really did want to take things slow with her. He wanted a do-over. Things had gotten off to such a crazy start with them and now that he knew he hadn’t made love to her, he was excited for them to slowly progress to that place.

“So, how about I pick you up around five thirty tomorrow?” he said when the kiss ended.

“I’ll be ready and waiting,” she replied. “I work the morning shift and get off at three thirty, so that gives me plenty of time to clean up.”

Minutes later, when he was back in his truck and headed home, he thought again about the note. Was it simply from some timid soul who had a crush on Janis or was it the beginning of something more ominous?

He figured if he wound up dead, it would either be from Halena Redwing pinching his butt to death or because they all should have taken the note more seriously.

Only time would tell, and that thought did nothing to make him feel better.

Chapter 4

“I’ve looked forward to this all day,” Janis said to Sawyer as they entered the busy café the next evening.

“Ah, you’re just here because they have great french fries,” he replied, his eyes filled with a teasing light.

“There is that,” she agreed. She was thrilled that he didn’t seem to harbor any bad feelings toward her. She definitely liked a man who forgave easily.

They spied an empty booth and wove their way through the tables toward it. Once they were seated, he gazed at her seriously. “How are you doing after last night?”

“Better now,” she replied. “But I’ll admit I had a hard time getting to sleep. I keep thinking about all the men I have contact with at the bar and who might have written that note to you.”

“Did you come up with any answers?”

“Unfortunately no. There are lots of men who are flirtatious with me, but it’s all harmless fun.”

She didn’t want to tell him that last night, for the first time since she’d moved into the room in the back of the bar, she’d felt a bit creeped out. Was her secret admirer parked someplace nearby watching her door? After Sawyer had left, had her admirer crept up to her window to peer inside? Those were the kinds of disturbing thoughts that had kept sleep at bay.

As ridiculous as it was, she’d felt eyes watching her, raising the hair on the nape of her neck and making it hard for her to breathe.

“I don’t want to talk about that tonight,” she finally said. “I just want to talk about happy things.”

He smiled at her. “So, what kinds of things make you happy?”

“A rainstorm while I sleep and sheets that smell like sunshine,” she said thoughtfully. “Chocolate ice cream, and thinking about someday having my own house, and a wiggly little puppy make me happy. What about you?”

He leaned back. “I never really thought about it much before, but listening to Mac strum his guitar and riding across the pasture on my horse makes me happy. Do you ride?”

“No, I’ve never even been on a horse,” she replied.

“Well, we’re definitely going to have to change that.” Anything else he was going to say was interrupted by Julia Hatfield arriving to take their orders.

For the next twenty minutes they talked about the new menu items Mandy had added since taking over the café and what kinds of food they liked and what they didn’t like.

Tonight Sawyer had ordered a fried-chicken dinner complete with a mound of mashed potatoes and corn. Janis had opted for one of the new items: a turkey and avocado wrap with fries on the side.

As they ate, he entertained her with more stories about the men he not only worked with but had also grown up with, and of Big Cass who had taken a chance on them all.

“She had a soft side, but she could also be as tough as nails. None of us ever wanted to disappoint her. She gave us all respect when most of us had never had it and she taught us to respect ourselves.”

“I saw her around town once in a while, but I never met her,” Janis replied.

He shook his head and smiled, a soft light in his eyes. “She was something else. It’s hard to believe she’s been gone for almost a year now. She definitely filled a hole inside me that my mother’s death had left behind.”

“You and your mother were close?”

“Very,” he replied. “It was always just her and me against the world. She was beautiful and loving, and pretty much the center of my world. I never doubted how much she loved me.”

“That’s nice,” Janis said wistfully. “I felt that way about my father. I was his princess and he made me feel like the most loved person in the world.”

“But you aren’t close to your mother,” Sawyer said.

“No, I’m not. Tell me more about your mother,” she said in an attempt to deflect the conversation away from her relationship with her mother.

She’d never shared with anyone the fact that her mother had never loved her. That her father’s unconditional and enormous love had never been quite enough to fill the void in Janis’s heart that her mother’s hatred of her had left behind.

As they lingered over coffee, Sawyer told her about growing up poor and with a mother who struggled to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table. “We ate ketchup spaghetti and lots of potatoes, and considered it a treat if she managed to buy any kind of meat.”

“Didn’t she qualify for some sort of assistance?” Janis asked.

“I’m sure she did, but she didn’t believe in the government taking care of us. She said as long as she was able-bodied and could work, we’d get by,” he said.

“What kind of work did she do?”

“She cleaned houses. She said it was the best job for her because she could manage her hours so she was always there for me when I got out of school.” Sawyer’s voice was filled with his love for the woman who had given him birth.

“And what kind of a kid were you? Were you good and dutiful or were you ornery?”

“Maybe a little bit of both,” he admitted with a laugh. “I definitely had my share of ornery.”

She smiled at him. It was so easy to envision him as a red-haired little boy with a naughty grin on his face and mischief in his eyes.

She was sorry when their coffee was gone and the night had reached its logical conclusion. It was time for him to take her home.

The night air felt almost balmy compared to what it had been. “Oh, I hope this means spring has really arrived,” she said once she was in the passenger seat.

“All the men at the ranch can’t wait for nicer days. We’ve all been cooped up together for too long during the winter.”

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