# Protecting the Colton Bride

Elle James

A cowboy's marriage of convenience may lead to a deadly honeymoon in the latest from New York Times bestselling author Elle JamesWith his ranch in financial trouble, cowboy Daniel Colton makes the perfect proposal to Megan Talbot–a marriage of convenience to save his business and ensure she receives her inheritance. But spending night after night with the strawberry blonde beauty tests all boundaries of Daniel's self-control. And when a killer targets his new bride, vying for her estate, it sets off all of his protective instincts. Daniel refuses to trade his honeymoon for a funeral. Now it's a race against the clock to track down the culprit and protect the wife who's starting to be so much more to him than just a business partner.

Megan’s arms slipped around his waist.

“I don’t expect you to take on my problems. You’re my boss, not my fairy godmother.”

Daniel chuckled. “Yeah, I’d look pretty silly in a dress carrying a fairy wand, and I’m not such a great boss at that.”

“Why do you say that?” She looked up at him through watery green eyes. “You’re great.”

“Because a good boss doesn’t go around kissing his employees.” He stared down at her damp cheeks, his belly flipping. “Right now, I want to be a very bad boss.”

Her eyes flared with desire. “How so?”

“I want to kiss you. Again.”

She sucked in a breath and bit down on that lip before saying, “I told you, I quit. That means you’re not my boss.”

He leaned his forehead against hers and sighed. God, he wanted to kiss her. “I’m not accepting your resignation.”

“You don’t have a choice,” she said, her lips so close.

* * *

Be sure to check out the next books in this series.

The Coltons of Oklahoma: Family secrets always find a way to resurface…

Protecting the

Colton Bride

Elle James


www.millsandboon.co.uk

New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author ELLE JAMES is a former IT professional and retired army and air force reservist. She writes romantic suspense, mysteries and paranormal romances that keep her readers on the edge of their seats to the very end of every book. When she’s not at her computer, she’s traveling to exotic and wonderful places, snow-skiing, boating or riding her four-wheeler, dreaming up new stories. Learn more about Elle James at www.ellejames.com.

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This book is dedicated to my father, who left his home in Arkansas to join the US Air Force and gave twenty years of his life to his country. He ultimately followed his heart all the way back home, where he lives today and is happy to stay there. Home was where his heart was, and his heart was in Arkansas. I love you, Dad!

Contents

Cover

Introduction

Title Page

About the Author

Dedication

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

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Extract

Copyright

Chapter 1

Daniel Colton swept the brush over Rider’s black coat, comforted by the scent of animal hide, manure and fresh-cut Bermuda. With every swish of the horse’s full black tail, hay dust sparkled in the air, reflecting the afternoon sunlight streaming through the open door of the Lucky C breeding barn.

This was home and there was nowhere else Daniel would rather be.

“Are you about done brushing Rider? Halo’s practically champing at the bit to get outside for her afternoon run.”

Daniel lifted his head and stared over the black quarter horse stud’s back at the woman on the other side. She was brushing the beautiful palomino mare, one of Daniel’s many successes in his quarter-horse-breeding program at the Lucky C Ranch.

His chest tightened and his breath caught. It wasn’t the horse he couldn’t take his gaze off. It was the halo effect the sun gave Megan Talbot’s strawberry blond hair. The palomino’s registered name was Angel’s Golden Halo, but the woman deserved the moniker more than the animal. For the first time in the four months since Megan had come to work for him, she’d worn her hair loose. Normally those long, curly locks were twisted into a braid, pulled back from a face sprinkled lightly with freckles. Some would call them flaws in her pale complexion, but Daniel found each freckle adorable and hard to resist.

A light breeze blew through the door, lifting Megan’s hair, making it dance in the sunshine. The horse shifted nervously and Megan patted her backside. “Shh. We’ll leave soon.” She turned and smiled at Daniel with her bright green eyes. “Ready to saddle up? I don’t know if Halo can wait any longer. She’s more hyper than usual.”

Daniel jerked his attention back to his horse, reminding himself that he was the boss, Megan worked for him and he had no business staring at her hair or any other part of her perfectly shaped face or lithe, athletic body.

“Let’s saddle these two.” He was ready to get out of the barn and gallop across the pastures of his father’s ranch. Working around the animals, training, feeding and riding, he was more at home than at the big house with the rest of the Coltons.

Big J Colton was the patriarch of the Oklahoma Coltons and the owner of the Lucky C Ranch. As his bastard child, Daniel had grown up with his half brothers and half sister, accepted by everyone except his stepmother, Abra Colton. Because of her antagonism toward him and the fact that Big J had taken in a child who wasn’t hers, Daniel had never felt he quite fit in with the others.

Megan was first to the tack room. When she emerged, she carried a blanket. “Is Greta back from Oklahoma City?” she asked.

“Not that I’ve heard. Why do you ask?”

With a shrug, Megan threw the blanket over the mare’s back and followed Colton into the tack room. “I thought I saw her earlier. I might have been seeing things. With a wedding to plan, I doubt she has time to go back and forth between Tulsa and Oklahoma City often.”

Daniel snorted. He grabbed his saddle and a blanket and squeezed by Megan in the confines of the barn. The scent of strawberries wafted in his direction from Megan’s hair hanging down around her shoulders. Why did she have to be so darned beautiful? If she wasn’t also so efficient and helpful, he might reconsider her employment at the ranch. She was a distraction and growing more distracting every day. “Don’t know what takes so long in planning a wedding. All you need is a bride, a groom, a preacher and a ring.”

Megan laughed as she lifted her own saddle. “I’m with you. If you know you love someone, why all the fuss, anyway? Married is married whether you have a big wedding or stand in front of a justice of the peace, say I do, sign the papers and call it done.”

Daniel chuckled. “And I thought all women were romantics.”

Megan’s pretty coral lips twisted. “I think it’s just me. My parents tried to convince me to earn an M-R-S degree, but I was too busy studying genetics and cell biology to be interested in the boys on the UCLA campus.”

“M-R-S?”

Her brows rose. “You know. Mrs. someone.” She shook her head. “They wanted me to marry well, be a social butterfly on the arm of my husband and stop playing in yucky stuff like parasites, tissues, and horse and cattle semen.” Megan tossed her saddle up onto the mare’s back with little effort.

Strong and beautiful, and she knew what she wanted out of life. In Daniel’s mind, that was a killer combination. Why waste brains and talent by making her some man’s arm candy?

He threw the blanket on Rider’s back, followed by the saddle. “Didn’t you grow up on a ranch? You know your way around horses like you’ve been doing this all your life.”

Megan reached beneath the horse to grab Halo’s girth, threaded the strap through the ring and tightened it. “My parents own a nice spread in California,” she answered, pulling hard. “But they didn’t let me work with the animals. I was barely allowed to ride. They were afraid those big ol’ horses would hurt little ol’ me.” She laughed, the sound brightening Daniel’s day.

Daniel frowned at how he’d grown used to the sound and looked forward to it. As he cinched Rider’s girth and looped the leather strap, he concentrated on sticking to facts, not emotions. “You’re an excellent rider.”

“I didn’t get that way because of my parents, but more in spite of them. What they didn’t know was that I’d go to my room, saying I wanted to read for a while. Once there, I’d slip out the window, climb down a tree and race off to the pasture. Because I didn’t want to get caught, I rode bareback and without a bridle.”

An image of a gangly young woman with long strawberry blond hair riding bareback across the hills of California flashed in Daniel’s mind. “No bridle? How did you get the horses to go the way you wanted?”

Megan lowered the stirrup and patted Halo’s neck. “They could feel the pressure of my legs and responded accordingly. I also bribed them with apples and sugar cubes.”

“I’m impressed.” Daniel adjusted his stirrup and slipped the bridle over Rider’s head. “Your parents didn’t know what they were missing. You’re very good with the horses.”

“They didn’t need the help with their horse-breeding program. We had a staff that managed the animals on the ranch.” Megan sighed. “I’d love dearly to bring my horses out here someday.”

“Why don’t you?”

“My parents haven’t forgiven me for moving to Oklahoma. Every time I speak with them on the phone, they ask me when I’m moving back. Remember last month, when I went home because my father was sick?”

Daniel nodded. She’d been gone an entire week, and he’d missed her more than he cared to admit. “You could have brought your horses back with you then. We have room here on the Lucky C for them.”

Megan gave an unladylike snort. “Don’t you think I would have if I could have?” She shook her head. “My father is using them as leverage, threatening to sell them if I don’t move back to California.”

Daniel shot a glance her way. “And are you?”

Megan blinked. “Am I what?”

“Moving back to California?”

She laughed. “Oh, heavens, no. I love it out here. I love my parents, but they stifle me. I’ve been calling my father’s bluff about selling the horses. I hope he has a change of heart and lets me have them. Besides, I have no desire to live their lifestyle. It’s not me.”

Grabbing his stallion’s reins, Daniel asked, “And what lifestyle is that?”

Megan’s mouth twisted. “Servants to do everything for you, smiling at people you don’t know at social events you don’t really care about. Wearing skirts, heels and makeup all the time. Never getting your hands dirty or breaking a nail.”

Daniel studied her fresh, makeup-free, freckled face. With her light red eyebrows and blond-tipped eyelashes, she was beautiful just the way she was. He wouldn’t change a thing.

Tearing his gaze away from her, he led Rider out of the barn. He walked away from the woman who was far too often in his thoughts both at work and at night when he lay in bed, trying to sleep through a growing hunger that had nothing to do with food.

Behind him, he heard the sound of hooves pawing the ground and then thumping against the hard-packed dirt.

“Whoa, Halo,” Megan said, her voice tight.

Daniel glanced over his shoulder.

Halo, normally calm and gentle, reared, her front hooves pawing at the air.

Daniel took a step back into the barn, his hand still holding Rider’s reins.

Megan held on to Halo’s bridle, talking softly, soothingly. When the horse came back down on all four hooves, Megan chuckled shakily. “You really are raring to go, aren’t you?”

“Need a hand?” Daniel asked.

Her mouth firming, Megan frowned. “I don’t need your help. I’m perfectly capable of handling Halo.”

A smile tugging his lips, Daniel led Rider out of the barn. “Touchy, are we?”

“I’m not fragile like my father and mother seem to think. Haven’t I proven that?” she demanded.

“Absolutely,” he said, unable to fight the grin spreading across his face. “If you didn’t look so good in your jeans, I’d mistake you for one of the guys.”

Megan’s frown deepened for a moment, then cleared. Her lips quirked upward along with her brows. “You like the way I look in jeans?”

Daniel was saved from responding by Halo rearing again, jerking Megan up off her feet for a second.

“We’d better get going before Halo takes off without you.” Daniel jammed his boot in the stirrup and mounted Rider. He had to remind himself Megan was his employee. He couldn’t flirt with the staff. It wasn’t right. He leaned down and opened the gate to the pasture, rode through and waited for Megan.

She stuck her boot in the stirrup, but before she could sling her leg over the top of the saddle, Halo spun.

Megan held on, managing to get her leg over the top. “I don’t know what’s got her riled, but she’s not acting right.”

“You want to take another horse?”

“No,” Megan grunted, fighting to control the horse and aim her toward the open gate. “She needs to get out and run.”

Daniel waited for Megan and Halo to pass through before he closed the gate.

Megan released one hand from the reins to pull her hair behind her and tuck it into the back of her shirt. “I should have braided this—”

Before she finished her sentence, Halo reared, tossed her head and yanked the reins from Megan’s hands. Before Megan could reach out to retrieve them, Halo leaped forward and bolted across the pasture.

Daniel dug his heels into Rider’s flanks and raced after her, his pulse pounding as fast as the horse’s hooves. At the speed Halo was going, all it would take was a quick change of direction or halt and Megan would be thrown.

Rider’s hooves thundered across the ground. Daniel leaned forward to decrease wind resistance, slapping the reins behind him against the horse’s hindquarters, urging him faster.

The stallion’s eagerness to be first in the race would have made him move faster even without Daniel’s bidding.

Halo had a good head start, but Rider slowly closed the gap.

Megan held on, bending over the horse’s neck in an attempt to grab her bridle, without success.

As Daniel rode up beside her, pressing Rider against Halo’s side, he yelled, “Grab on!” Reaching out, he looped his arm around Megan’s waist.

She grabbed around his neck and held on as he lifted her out of the saddle and slammed her hard against his chest.

His legs clamping tight around the horse, Daniel adjusted his balance for Megan’s weight and pulled on the reins. “Whoa, Rider.”

The horse strained against the command, determined to catch up and overtake Halo.

His grip loosening around Megan’s waist, Daniel’s breath caught and held. If he didn’t get Rider under control soon, he’d drop her and she could be crushed beneath the horse’s powerful hooves.

* * *

Megan clung to Daniel.

Rider had been just as spooked by Halo’s behavior as she had been. In his mad dash to catch up to the other horse, he was ignoring Daniel’s one-handed attempt to bring him under control.

She was deadweight on Daniel. If she could get her leg around to the back... Swinging her leg behind her, she couldn’t quite reach the back without Daniel losing his grip on her. The front was closer and had a better angle.

“Whoa!” Daniel yelled at the crazed horse.

Megan made the decision to go for the front. She looped her leg over the saddle horn and straddled Daniel’s lap, facing him.

Daniel immediately released her and reached around her to take the reins in both hands.

Trying to make herself as small as possible, Megan pressed her face into his chest so that he could see over her. Daniel’s thighs tensed beneath her as he dug his heels into the stirrups and pulled back hard on the reins. Rider slowed, whinnying his protest, as he settled into an agitated trot.

Daniel let off on the reins just a little.

Rider took that as an invitation to leap forward. He was instantly brought back by a sharp tug on the reins.

The horse reared.

Daniel leaned forward, his chest pressing into Megan’s, his breath stirring the loose hair at her temples.

Her pulse hammered in her veins, but she kept her cool and held on until Rider stamped to a complete stop, pawing at the dirt.

When she was certain Daniel had the horse settled, she lifted her head, her face inches from Daniel’s. Adrenaline spiking through her system, her breaths coming in ragged gasps, she was hyperaware of every point of contact between her body and his, from her legs resting on his muscular thighs to her chest pressed against the hardened planes of his. She could barely breathe.

His arms still around her, holding on to the reins, Daniel breathed out a long sigh. “You had me scared.”

Megan let go of a nervous laugh. “You? I could do nothing to stop her. That was stupid of me to let go of the reins.” The wind lifted her hair and blew it across her face. Before she could shove it behind her ear, Daniel reached out and did it for her.

“You couldn’t have known Halo was going to take off like she did.” Daniel’s fingers curled the hair behind her ear, and he dragged the backs of his knuckles across her face, tracing a line from her ear to her jaw. “Watching her fly off like that with you on her back the reins dangling...”

Mesmerized by his gentle touch, Megan couldn’t move away, nor did she want to. Daniel had never made a pass at her, nor had he indicated any attraction toward her in the four months she’d worked for him. Oh, but she’d been attracted to him from the day they met, when she’d interviewed for the job of his assistant.

Now, with her heart racing for an entirely different reason, her breath lodged in her throat and held as she waited for him to make the next move.

Daniel’s gaze shifted to her mouth. He cupped her cheek, and his thumb brushed across her lips. “You don’t need makeup.”

“My mother would disagree. She hates my freckles,” Megan whispered, her breath mingling with his.

“I think they are one of your best features.” He leaned forward and touched her freckled nose with his lips.

Megan’s eyes widened. Had he just kissed her? Was she dreaming? Her lips tingled in hopeful anticipation of a kiss that met her mouth, not her nose. She swept her tongue across her suddenly dry lips, and she stared up into his eyes.

Daniel’s thumb brushed her lips again. “Don’t do that.”

“Do what?”

“This.” He leaned forward and touched his mouth to hers, his tongue sweeping across the seam of her lips.

She opened to him as naturally as a morning glory opened to the sun. Her hands curled into his shirt, dragging him closer.

Daniel crushed her to him, his arms tightening around her. His tongue slipped past her teeth, claiming her in a long, sensual kiss that made her blood burn a path all the way to her core.

When at last he raised his head, he stared down at her as if seeing her for the first time.

Suddenly she felt shy. Her cheeks heated and she stammered, “Thanks for coming to my rescue.”

Her words seemed to shake him out of his trance, his body stiffening. “Right. You’re welcome.” He glanced away, looking anywhere but at her. “I’d have done it for anyone.”

He could have stuck a pin in her ego, as deflated as she felt after that incredible kiss and then his complete brush-off. A rush of adrenaline-induced anger made her back straighten. She was sitting in his lap, for heaven’s sake, and there was no mistaking his obvious attraction to her pressing against her.

“Here, let me help you down.” He gripped her arms and started to lift her off him.

Megan’s arms slipped around his neck, refusing to let him dislodge her from his lap. Damn it. She didn’t want down. Where she sat was exactly where she’d ached to be for so long. She wanted to scream with frustration that he now seemed determined to put her back in her place.

Megan tilted her chin in challenge. “I know you would have rescued anyone. That’s the kind of person you are. But would you have kissed anyone like you just kissed me?”

Chapter 2

Daniel helped Megan slide around him to ride double behind him. Then he turned back for the barn.

“Aren’t we going after Halo?” she asked.

“We’re closer to the barn. I’ll come back to get her when she’s had time to calm down.”

All he got from Megan was a soft snort. He could feel her anger and was torn between regret and relief. She was his employee. He had no right to kiss her like he had. Instead of holding around his waist, she gripped the rim of the saddle’s seat and didn’t say a word.

Her silence made Daniel’s gut knot. This was the reason he didn’t mix business with pleasure. And holy hell, it had been all pleasure, the feel of Megan’s lips on his, her body pressed tightly to his. But when you crossed the line, you couldn’t go back. The easy camaraderie they’d had before the kiss might be gone for good.

Jack, the oldest of Daniel’s half siblings, and his younger brother Brett stood by the barn, sunlight glinting off their dark brown hair. They draped their arms over the wooden fence rail, their brows rising when Rider turned, revealing Megan behind Daniel.

Jack frowned. “Run into trouble?”

A grin split Brett’s face. “Or creating some of your own?”

Daniel glared at Brett.

As soon as they reached the barn, Megan slid off the horse’s rump, her cheeks bright pink. “I’ll go look for Halo,” she said, turning toward the barn to find another horse.

“Don’t worry about her. Jack and Brett can saddle up and help me go after her.”

“Fine.” Megan, her face averted, ran for the barn.

Brett’s smile disappeared. “What happened?”

“Something spooked Halo.”

His younger brother’s gaze followed Megan. “Not the horse. Megan. What happened with Megan?” He faced Daniel.

Heat suffused Daniel’s cheeks and spread all the way out to his ears. “When the horse bolted with Megan, I pulled her off. She rode back with me. That’s all.” He narrowed his eyes, willing his brothers to stop with the inquisition about Megan. “What did you think happened?”

Brett’s mouth twisted. “I don’t know, but Megan just ran off like a scalded cat.”

Daniel blew out a breath. “The point is, Halo spooked and nearly hurt Megan.”

Jack’s brows drew together. “That’s not like her. Halo’s one of our gentlest mares.”

“I know. All the more reason to bring her back and find out what’s wrong with her.” Daniel looked from Jack to Brett. “Are you coming or not?”

Brett spun and trotted toward the barn. “It’ll just take us a minute to saddle up.”

Daniel dismounted and led Rider to the watering trough, watching through his peripheral vision for Megan to emerge from the barn.

By the time his brothers had captured and saddled their horses, Megan still hadn’t come out of the barn. Daniel knew it had been a mistake to kiss her. Now she was too embarrassed to come out while he was still around. She was the best assistant he’d had. Okay, so she was the only assistant he’d had. Now that his breeding program was doing well, he needed all the help he could get.

Megan was smart, computer savvy and great with the horses. He hoped she didn’t quit because of one little kiss. One completely soul-defining, world-shattering kiss.

Daniel groaned.

“Got a bellyache?” Brett asked, leading his bay gelding out of the barn, followed by Jack.

“No, just thinking.”

Jack swung up on his horse, carrying a lasso in his right hand and reining with the left. “Thinking these designer horses aren’t the way to go after all?”

“No, not at all.” Daniel had put a lot of thought, planning, research and sweat into the horse-breeding program, and it was just beginning to pay off. He wasn’t giving up now.

“I told you, Jack,” Brett said. “With Daniel’s eye for excellent breeding stock and Megan’s record-keeping capabilities, we’re finally starting to take off. It won’t be long before the Lucky C becomes a household name in progressive horse-breeding programs.”

Daniel’s chest swelled. “I’m determined to continue that progressive trend. Has Big J considered my proposal to purchase semen from the Kennedy Farms?”

“He’s thinking about it. You already know how I feel,” Jack said. “The Lucky C is a cattle ranch. We’ve always run cattle. The horses should be secondary, for running the cattle, not breeding.”

Daniel respected his older brother’s ability to manage a ranch the size of the Lucky C and his love and determination to protect his family. But the man was pragmatic and often slow to change. In order to let loose of the funding to purchase the semen needed to move their program forward, Daniel would have to convince both his father and his older brother it would be worth the investment.

“Come on, Jack,” Brett said, nudging his horse to catch up with Jack’s. “Daniel’s already got other breeders looking at the Lucky C lines. He knows what he’s doing, and it doesn’t hurt to diversify our holdings.”

“Yeah, well, we don’t even know if the Kennedys will sell to us.” Jack shot a glance at Daniel. “What’s the latest?”

“They are all about the pedigree,” Daniel said. “They hand-select the programs they want to contribute to.”

“You have some of the best horses in the country,” Brett noted. “Why wouldn’t they want to add to your lines?”

Daniel snorted. “Their pedigree requirement extends to family and heritage.”

“So? The Coltons are full of family and heritage. You think they might not sell to us because of family?” Jack’s brows dipped. “I’ll bet the Lucky C Ranch has been in the Colton family as long if not longer than the Kennedys have owned their ranch.”

“Yeah, but I’m the one running the horse-breeding program here. I’m the main contact,” Daniel reminded him.

“And?”

“Well, I’m not exactly a blue blood or a purebred.”

Jack reined his horse to a stop. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“Yeah, what are you saying?” Brett reiterated. “You’re just as much a Colton as the rest of us.”

“I’m the bastard,” Daniel said, his tone flat.

“That’s not how we see it,” Brett said.

Jack, Brett, Ryan and Greta had always treated him as one of the family, even though Daniel’s stepmother had resented the fact that Big J brought him to live with them when his own mother had died.

Abra hated Daniel. She hated that Big J had an affair with the nanny when Abra had been halfway around the world on another one of her trips. The woman couldn’t stand to be around her own kids. They made her nervous.

Daniel’s mother, full-blood Cherokee, had left the Lucky C when she discovered she was pregnant with Big J’s child. She’d returned to the reservation, where she’d instilled in Daniel pride in his Cherokee heritage and the love of horses.

“You’re as much a Colton as the rest of us,” Jack said.

Brett snarled. “If anyone says differently, they can take it up with all of us.”

“Not everyone sees things the way you, Ryan and Greta do,” Daniel assured them. But his heart warmed at the conviction in his brothers’ tones.

When he’d come to live with them at only ten years old, he’d thought he’d be miserable, losing the mother he loved and moving in with a father he barely knew. He figured on staying until he was old enough to leave home.

And here he was twenty years later. He no longer lived at the big house, having moved out when he finished college. Now he lived in the cozy two-bedroom cabin close to the breeding barn. It was small but enough for a bachelor and away from his stepmother.

“There she is,” Jack called out, pulling Daniel back to the task at hand.

Halo stood in the middle of the pasture, pawing at the ground.

As they neared, she reared and whinnied.

Rider answered, sidestepping nervously.

“She’s all wound up,” Brett muttered. “Did she get hold of some bad feed?”

“No telling. But whatever is bothering her isn’t normal.” Daniel nudged Rider forward.

“Let’s go get her.” Jack lifted his lasso and urged his mount forward.

Daniel rode up to the mare. With only twenty yards between them, the mare bolted and ran. Rider quickly caught up to her on one side. Jack’s horse swung to the opposite side as he tossed the lasso, his aim true. The rope circled the mare’s neck.

Jack tied off on the saddle horn and slowed his horse by pulling on the reins.

Halo pulled against the rope around her neck, tossing her head, dancing sideways to avoid Jack. Daniel was on the other side. He reached over and grabbed her reins.

Between Jack and Daniel, they slowed the mare to a halt. Her chest heaved, her sleek cream-colored coat was slick with sweat and her eyes rolled, showing the crazed whites.

“Need a hand there?” Brett called out, riding nearby in case the horse broke free.

“We have her.”

The two Coltons led the horse back toward the barn, Daniel speaking to her softly, trying to soothe her.

Brett was first off his horse. He took over for the other two and held the horse’s reins.

When Jack loosened his hold on the lasso, Halo tried to rear, but Brett held tight, pulling her head down.

“You’re right,” Brett said, straining to hold on to the horse. “Something isn’t right with her.”

“Let’s get her into the squeeze chute. I want to take a blood sample.” Daniel dismounted and led Rider into the barn, tying him off to a post before helping Brett get Halo into the chute.

Jack backed away. “If you two can handle this, I’ll take care of the other horses.”

“We have it,” Daniel assured him. “All I need is a syringe—”

Megan appeared, carrying a syringe and a couple of cotton balls soaked in rubbing alcohol.

Daniel breathed a sigh, happy that she hadn’t decided to quit because of his indiscretion.

“Daniel keeps telling us how efficient you are,” Brett teased. “Now you’re a mind reader?”

Megan shook her head. “It’s logic. Halo wasn’t acting herself. There has to be a reason.”

Brett and Daniel held Halo’s head while Megan swabbed the horse’s neck, felt for the jugular and slid in the needle.

Halo jerked, but the men held her steady while Megan pulled the plunger, filling the syringe. She removed the needle, swabbed the injection site and massaged it for a moment. “I’ll put this in a tube and drop it off at the vet pathology lab in Tulsa on my way home.”

“Better leave now if you want to catch them before they close for the day.”

“Will do.” Megan hurried back into the barn with the syringe without making eye contact with Daniel. She’d always been open and smiling around him.

Daniel could have kicked himself for ruining everything. He wouldn’t have been surprised in the least if she came in the next day with her resignation. “Can you take over with Halo?”

“Sure.” Brett gripped the mare’s bridle and backed her out of the chute.

Daniel ran into the barn, where Jack had tied off his and Brett’s mounts beside Rider. He was in the process of removing the last saddle.

Megan was nowhere in sight.

Jack shook his head. “She’s in the office.”

Without a word, Daniel entered the office.

Megan was at the desk they shared in the cramped space, transferring the blood from the syringe into a tube. “Is there anything else you need dropped at the lab?” Megan reached for a padded envelope and dropped the tube inside.

“No. Just that.” Daniel rubbed his sweaty palms down the front of his jeans. “Megan, I want to apologize.”

Megan’s cheeks reddened. “Don’t.”

“I’m afraid my actions might have given you the wrong idea.”

Her head jerked up and she stared straight into his eyes. “Are you going to tell me that you kissed me by accident? Or that it was a huge mistake?”

“No. I mean, yes.” He bit down on his tongue to keep from saying something stupid.

“Save your breath, Daniel.” She crossed the room with the package in her hand. Her jaw was set, lips pressed into a thin line. “I agree. The kiss was a big mistake.”

He let go of the breath he’d been holding, but the tightness in his chest didn’t loosen. Though he thought the kiss was a mistake, he hadn’t known how he’d feel to hear her echo his thoughts. Had the kiss meant nothing to her?

“Good, then.” Daniel straightened, determined not to let any of his chaotic thoughts show in his expression. “I just didn’t want things to change between us. You’re the best assistant I’ve ever had.”

Megan rolled her eyes. “Daniel, I’m the only assistant you’ve ever had. But if you want to pretend nothing happened and everything between is just like it was this morning, I can play that game, too.” She stopped in front of him and poked a finger into his chest. “But it would be a lie. You might wish you could, but you can’t take back that kiss or the way it made you feel. Because I sure can’t. It wasn’t entirely one-sided, in case you hadn’t noticed.”

* * *

Megan left the office and ran out of the barn. She hopped into her Jeep Wrangler and sped down the road leading to the gate to the Lucky C Ranch. Soon she was on the highway into Tulsa, where she had a depressingly small apartment in an inexpensive but not too sketchy neighborhood.

Determined to make it on her own without her parents’ vast wealth, she’d managed to put down a deposit on the apartment and pay rent and her utilities with the money she made working for the Lucky C Ranch.

The drive into Tulsa didn’t take long, and soon she was on the bypass circling the city to get to the veterinary laboratory before it closed. She hadn’t factored in the evening rush-hour congestion. Swerving in and out of traffic, she finally pulled into the parking lot with two minutes to spare.

She ran the blood sample inside, wrote out her request and left the package with the receptionist.

Then she drove to her apartment complex and parked, her hands shaking as she sat behind the steering wheel, letting the events of the afternoon wash over her in a tidal wave of emotions. One thought stood out over all others.

Daniel Colton had kissed her.

The incessant buzzing of her cell phone pierced her hazy cloud of schoolgirl giddiness, and she dug in her purse.

Perhaps it was Daniel calling to tell her that the kiss hadn’t been a mistake and he was deeply, madly, completely in love with her. Megan found the phone, stared at the caller ID and groaned before punching the talk button.

“Hi, Mother. What do you want?” she asked, the irritation in her voice more pronounced than usual.

“Ferrence Small is back home from New York City.”

“That’s nice.”

“I understand he’s a lawyer now, working with a large pipeline company out in Wyoming. If you can tell me the next time you’ll be home, I’m sure I can set up a chance for you two to meet.”

“Mother, I’m not interested.”

“Sweetheart, your father’s health isn’t what it used to be. He’s a very sick man.”

“I know. I was out there last month. We had a lovely visit.”

“Honey, you can’t keep slaving away in the tornado-infested center of the country. I can’t stop worrying. And you can imagine all the stress your father is under.”

“I’m sorry, Mother. But you and Daddy can manage your ranch in California. You don’t really need me there. However, the Lucky C needs me here. I have important work to do, and I don’t need care packages, cards and letters begging me to come home. I’ll be home for visits. That will have to be enough.”

Her mother clucked. “Oh, darling, I didn’t want to have to tell you...”

A sense of dread slipped over her. Her mother only used that I-hate-to-stick-it-to-you-but-I-will-if-I-have-to voice when she was about to drop a bomb on some poor unsuspecting sales clerk who displeased her while shopping. Only this time, the bomb would fall on Megan.

“Your father is on the line, and he has something to say to you.”

Her hand tightening on the cell phone until her knuckles turned white, Megan sucked in a deep breath and said, “Hi, Dad. What is it you wanted to say?”

“I have an auctioneer coming out tomorrow to look at your horses.”

Megan’s heart plummeted to her knees. “Daddy,” she said. “I’ve only just started putting money away for the horses. It will take me years to have what I need to pay you for them.”

“I’m sorry, sweetheart, but if I can’t go out to Oklahoma to talk some sense into my daughter’s head, I can damn sure get her to come to me. The Triple Diamond Ranch is your legacy.”

“Daddy, it’s your legacy. You and Mother never wanted me to help with it. Now I want to make it on my own.” She’d left the rich debutante lifestyle behind after she’d lost her fiancé and nearly lost her life. Megan had no intention of going back.

Her father snorted. “You do not have to work for others when you have servants who can do all that for you.”

“But, Daddy, you don’t understand. I love working with the horses. And I’m good at it.”

“You’re a woman. You shouldn’t be working around animals big enough to crush you.”

“Those horses are big enough to crush the men I work with as well as me. The thing is, Daddy, I know when to get out of the way.”

“Damn it, Megan, you are our only child. I want to know when I die...” He coughed. “I want to know you will be here to take over the reins. You need to come home, settle down, get married and have children to shoulder your obligation to your heritage.”

“I’m sorry, Daddy, but I have to live my life the way I want to, not the way you dictate.”

Her mother’s gasp echoed over the line.

“Very well,” her father said in a steely voice. “If you’re not home in one week and actively looking for a suitable spouse, I will sell all of your beloved horses to a glue factory.”

Blood drained from Megan’s head, and her stomach flipped. “You can’t do that. Those horses are beautiful animals, and they should be with us. The horse-breeding program at Triple Diamond Ranch is one of the best. You can’t condemn them to a glue factory or even sell them just because you want me to come home.”

“I can and I will. If you care about the horses, show you care about your legacy and the future of Triple Diamond Ranch. One week, Megan.”

Chapter 3

Daniel tossed all night. When he actually fell asleep he dreamed of Megan, her hair flying out behind her on a runaway horse. He chased her. For a long time she was just out of reach. When he finally caught up with her, he snatched her off her horse and into his arms. Then they kissed. The kiss turned into more and suddenly they were in his bed, making love.

Daniel jerked awake, hot, sweaty and more aroused than he’d ever been in his life. All stemming from a kiss that shouldn’t have happened.

Before dawn, he rose from his solitary bed in the cabin close to the breeding barn and pulled on a pair of jeans, a shirt and his boots. He couldn’t go back to sleep knowing Megan would be in his dreams, lying naked in his sheets. Everything about that image was wrong.

He’d be lucky if she even showed up for work today. And if she did, she’d probably come only to turn in her resignation.

By the time the sun came up over the horizon, Daniel had fed the horses, checked on his studs and prize mares and stacked twenty bags of feed in a corner of the barn. With his pulse still pounding and blood burning through his veins, he snapped a lunging rope on Rider’s halter and walked him out to the arena.

Daniel twirled the end of the rope and clucked his tongue. Rider started at a walk, more interested in an easy pace than actual exercise.

“Come on, boy. You need this as much as I do.” Daniel continued twirling the loose end of the rope. He clucked his tongue again and tapped the horse’s hindquarters with the rope.

Rider stepped up the pace and trotted around the circle, tossing his black mane in protest.

The monotonous circling calmed Daniel and the horse, and they settled into a rhythm of walking and trotting. Fifteen minutes passed before a voice called out.

“Daniel!”

Daniel’s hand tightened on the rope. Rider immediately came to a halt.

Heat rose up his neck and into his face as Daniel turned toward the voice.

Megan leaned over the arena’s metal fence, her arms folded over the top rail, lines etched across her smooth forehead.

Though he was happy Megan had returned, Daniel couldn’t erase his concern over the content of his dreams, and he worried his thoughts would be easily discernible in his eyes. Without meeting her gaze, Daniel nodded. “Good morning, Megan,” he acknowledged, gathering the rope until he held the horse on a short lead.

The normally reserved and always confident young woman chewed on her lower lip, and her brows puckered. “We need to talk,” she blurted.

His stomach knotting, Daniel braced himself. “Yes, we do. Let me take care of Rider first. Then we can talk uninterrupted.”

“Okay,” she said, biting on her lower lip again, driving Daniel nuts with the nervous movement that only drew his attention to the mouth he’d kissed so hard the day before.

He opened the gate to the arena and led Rider through.

Megan closed the gate and trailed behind Daniel and Rider, following them into the barn.

Not certain what he was going to say, Daniel chose to concentrate on the horse, putting off the talk as long as he could, hoping he could say something that would make sense and put things back on an even keel. He liked Megan. A lot. And he didn’t want to lose her over something as stupid, and inconsiderate, and completely unforgettable as a kiss.

Holy hell, he couldn’t even come up with an apology when he wasn’t at all sorry he’d kissed her. He’d be sorry only if she left because of it.

After grabbing a brush, Daniel stalled by running the brush over Rider’s back.

Megan fetched another brush and took the other side, working quickly, her strong hands smoothing over the horse’s sides, meeting Daniel over the horse’s hindquarters. She stared across the animal’s rump and said, “Daniel, I have to quit.” Then she spun and paced away from him.

“Won’t you at least give me the chance to apologize properly?”

Her head down, her boot heels pounding the dirt, she marched to the end of the barn and back. “Normally I’d give two weeks’ notice. But that’s impossible.”

His chest tightening with each of her words, Daniel stood with a brush in his hands. How could he salvage this situation and keep her on the Lucky C? “Under the circumstances, I don’t blame you, but I wish you’d reconsider.”

She paced, shaking her head, her long French braid whipping side to side. “If there was any other way, I wouldn’t go, but I don’t see another option.”

“Again, I don’t blame you. I blame myself.” He set the brush on a workbench and gathered Megan’s hands in his. “I wish there was something I could say or do to make it better. Please don’t go. I need you here.”

She stared up into his eyes. “I don’t have a choice. If I don’t leave, he’ll sell them all.” Her eyes swam with tears.

Daniel stared down at her. “What are you talking about?”

“My horses.” She frowned. “What did you think I was talking about?”

A wave of relief nearly made Daniel weak. “I thought you were mad about yesterday.”

Her frown deepening, she stared into his eyes. “Yesterday?” Then her eyes widened and her mouth formed a kissable O. “Yesterday.” Twin flags of color flew high on her cheekbones. “The kiss.”

“The kiss.” His hands slid up her arms and stopped before he pulled her close and kissed her again. “I thought you were going to leave because I crossed the line.”

“You think I’d leave because of a kiss? I thought you knew me better than that.”

“You had every right to quit. As your boss, I shouldn’t have kissed you.”

“For your information, there were two people involved in that kiss. It was not one-sided. And that’s not the reason I’m leaving.”

“Then what is?”

“My father.” She pulled in a long breath and let it out. “He gave me an ultimatum. He’s going to sell my horses if I don’t come home to live.”

Daniel’s fingers tightened on her arms. “I thought the horses at the Triple Diamond were quality stock. They are ranked right up there in standing with the Kennedys’ breeding program.”

“Yeah, well my father doesn’t really give a damn about the horses. It was just a project he took on at my suggestion until I left.”

“Can’t you buy them from him?” Daniel couldn’t wrap his mind around throwing away some of the best horseflesh in the nation.

“If I had the money my grandmother left to me.” She shook her head. “But I won’t get that until I’m married. It’s a stipulation of her will. Even then, I’d have to purchase them through a third party. My father would never sell them to me. He wants me home, and this is his leverage.”

“Didn’t you say he was sick?”

“Yes, but I can never tell how sick he is. He always tries to manipulate me and make me live according to his standards. I don’t want to go back, but I don’t have another choice. I have to go home. I can’t let him sell those horses. They’re top breeders...and...my friends.”

Daniel gathered her in his arms and stroked her head. “It’s okay. We’ll think of something.”

She rested her cheek against his chest, her fingers curling into his shirt. “There’s nothing to think about. I have to go. The sooner the better.”

He tipped her face up. “When is he selling?”

“He gave me one week to get home or the horses go on the auction block.” Her eyes filled with tears.

“Well, that gives us a week.”

“One week isn’t enough.” She shook her head. “I don’t see any other way. If he sells them as breeding stock, they’ll go high. I won’t be able to buy them. I barely have enough money to pay next month’s rent. So you see, I have to go home.” She took a step back and stood in front of him, her shoulders slumped, the first tears sliding from the corners of her eyes. “I thought he was bluffing. But I can’t bet those horses on a bluff.”

The anger he could handle. But as the tears slid down Megan’s cheeks, it felt like a large fist had clenched around his heart and squeezed. He pulled her against him again and held her close, resting his cheek against the top of her head. “I have a little money saved.”

She laid her face against his chest. “I can’t take your money. This isn’t your problem. It’s mine.”

“Well, don’t do anything today. Give us some time to come up with some solutions.”

“I’m out of solutions,” she said, pressing her face into his shirt.

“Just promise me you won’t leave right away. Can you do that?”

“It’ll take time for me to organize my apartment, shut off my utilities and inform my landlord. But once I have all that done, I have to drive to California.”

“Just hold on for a day or two. We’ll think of something.”

Her arms slipped around his waist. “I don’t expect you to take on my problems. You’re my boss, not my fairy godmother.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, I’d look pretty silly in a dress, carrying a fairy wand, and I’m not such a great boss at that.”

“Why do you say that?” She looked up at him through watery green eyes. “You’re great.”

“Because a good boss doesn’t go around kissing his employees.” He stared down at her damp cheeks, his belly flipping. “Right now, I want to be a very bad boss.”

Her eyes flared with desire. “How so?”

“I want to kiss you. Again.”

She sucked in a breath and bit down on that lip before saying, “I told you, I quit. That means you’re not my boss.”

He leaned his forehead against hers and sighed. How he wanted to kiss her. “I’m not accepting your resignation.”

“You don’t have a choice,” she said, her lips so close.

Daniel could almost feel how soft they were. He wanted to kiss her so badly his lips tingled. The warmth of her breath feathered across his mouth. His hands shook with the effort it took to resist.

Then he pushed her to arm’s length. “I can’t screw this up. If we find a way to save your horses without you moving back to California, you’ll still be my employee. I don’t want to risk losing you as an assistant.”

Megan sighed and dropped her arms. “Okay, boss, I’ll be here for another day, but I’ll only be able to work half a day tomorrow. I have a lot to do to get my stuff packed for the move.”

“Don’t start packing yet. We’ll come up with a solution. In the meantime, I need you to call the vet lab and see if they came up with anything from the sample you took in yesterday.”

“They won’t have had time to process it,” Megan argued.

“Then research other breeding programs. The Kennedy deal might not happen.”

“Why? You have a fine program here. You’re a rising star in quarter horse breeding.”

Daniel snorted. “As far as the Kennedys are concerned, that isn’t enough.”

“Why?”

“I don’t want to go into it. Just do that research for me, will you?”

She popped a salute and gave him a crooked smile. “Yes, boss.” Then she turned and marched into the barn office.

Daniel let go of the breath he’d been holding since the urge to kiss Megan again had nearly pushed him past reason. He had to come up with a plan to help Megan get those horses or he’d lose her. After working with her for only four months, he knew she’d be impossible to replace. In more ways than he’d ever imagined.

* * *

Megan entered the office, closed the door behind her and leaned against it. Her face burned and her heart hurt so much she could barely think straight. She’d wanted to kiss Daniel. She’d almost thrown herself at him. After yesterday’s kiss, she’d thought there might be something between them. But today he’d pushed her away. Apparently he wasn’t as infatuated with her as she was with him.

Since the first day she’d come to work with Daniel, she’d known he was special. The man was quiet and dedicated. He loved horses as much as she did. His Cherokee ancestry didn’t hurt, either. He was tall and handsome. That dark, dark hair and even darker brown eyes made her crazy with longing. Maybe she should leave. Staying at the Lucky C and falling in love with Daniel would only set her up for a whole lot of pain.

The irony of it all was that all problems would have been solved if he’d professed a secret love for her and asked her to marry him. She’d have the man of her most sensual dreams and meet the stipulation of her grandmother’s will. She’d inherit her grandmother’s sizable financial holdings upon her marriage. That money would be enough to purchase the horses from her father and she’d never be subject to his threats again. Her life would be her own to live the way she saw fit.

Megan drew in a long, steadying breath and let it out on a sigh. If wishes were horses, beggars would ride. She held out no hope for another solution to her situation. But two more days with Daniel were better than nothing.

She sat behind the desk and thumbed through her contacts to find the number for the vet lab in Tulsa and called. When she reached one of the lab techs, she explained she was calling for the Lucky C Ranch.

“Oh, we’re so glad you called. We had a lull in samples, so we were able to get right on the one you left last night. I’m surprised that horse is still standing. The sample you left us indicated she was poisoned.” The tech gave her the scientific name of the poison, which Megan wrote on a pad.

“It affects the animal’s nervous system, making her jumpy and overstimulated.”

“How would a horse get hold of something like that?”

“It’s not like it grows around here. Either it was present in the food she was fed, something brought it into her environment or someone gave it to her.”

Megan’s gut clenched at the final option. They fed all the breeding horses the same feed, and Halo was the only one to show any symptoms.

“Okay, I’ll let the boss know. Thank you for the information.” Megan hung up and stared at the phone for exactly two seconds. Then she pushed to her feet and ran out to the stalls.

“What’s wrong?” Daniel had just finished mucking Rider’s stall and stood the rake against the wall.

“The vet lab said Halo was poisoned.”

“What?” He hurried to Halo’s stall with Megan.

The mare stood with her head sagging, her breathing labored.

“She seemed fine early this morning when I checked on her.” Daniel entered the stall and ran his hands over her neck, checked her eyes and looked down her throat. “Call the vet.”

Megan ran back to the office and dialed the veterinarian who serviced the animals on the Lucky C. He was there within twenty minutes, and they spent the rest of the afternoon working to save Halo.

Megan and Daniel cleaned her stall thoroughly, took samples from her trough and searched the barn for anything contaminated that she could have come in contact with. Nothing stood out.

After the vet left with strict instructions on how to take care of the very sick horse, Megan stood by Daniel. “What now?”

“We wait and see how she does by morning. We’ve done all we can do.”

Megan stared at Daniel’s worried face. Neither one of them had eaten lunch, and the work they’d done all afternoon had depleted Megan’s personal store of energy. It had to have taken a toll on Daniel’s. “It’s nearly supper time. Why don’t we grab a bite to eat?”

Daniel shook his head. “I have deli meat and bread at the cabin. Help yourself. I’m staying with Halo.”

Knowing Daniel needed to fuel his system for what appeared to be an all-nighter, Megan left him in the barn and hiked over to his cabin. It wasn’t the first time she’d gone to the cabin to make sandwiches. The man didn’t take care of himself. As his assistant, she’d helped him set up a robust database to track horses, feed, lineage, exercise and all the other nuances of running a breeding facility. She’d also learned what kind of sandwiches he preferred and made sure he ate.

She entered the cabin through the front door and headed for the small kitchen. Having little in the way of decorations, the cabin reflected the male occupant through the dark leather furniture and large television screen for the occasional football game he liked to watch. The furnishings were spare and serviceable.

In the kitchen, his refrigerator held five bottles of beer, a couple bottles of water, one moldy orange, a few bottles of condiments, a jug of soured milk and a package of deli meat. Megan gave the meat a smell test. Thankfully it passed.

After throwing together two sandwiches, she grabbed the bottled water and hurried back to the barn, not wanting to be away from Daniel and Halo any longer than necessary.

Daniel was where she’d left him and Halo lay on the ground beside him.

Her heart went out to the horse. “She doesn’t look good.”

“The vet said tonight would be the big test.”

Megan held out the sandwich she’d wrapped in a paper towel. “Eat. You’re no good to anyone if you pass out from hunger.”

“I don’t pass out,” he mumbled, refusing to take the sandwich. “I’m going to wash my hands first.”

“I’ll be here.” Megan sank to the ground beside Halo, unfolded the napkin around her sandwich and took a bite. She had no real interest in eating when such a beautiful creature was lying sick because of some toxin with a source they had yet to locate.

Over her shoulder, she heard the jingle of the phone ringing in the office. She struggled to stand but settled back on her bottom when Daniel’s deep tone said, “Hello. Yes, this is Daniel Colton. Mr. Kennedy, I’m glad you called.”

Megan stiffened. From the sound of it, Daniel was talking to the owner of Kennedy Farms. Excitement had her leaning toward the office, straining to hear the conversation. This was the call Daniel had been hoping for. Marshall Kennedy didn’t bother to talk to breeders unless he already had a good opinion of their programs.

Rider whinnied from his stall. Angel, Halo’s mother, answered, the noise drowning out whatever Daniel was saying.

The office door swung closed, shutting out the sound of the horses and cutting off any eavesdropping Megan hoped to accomplish.

Not that it mattered. She’d soon be on her way back to California to live the life her father and mother deemed appropriate for a debutante. All interest in the sandwich she’d prepared disappeared and she laid it on the napkin beside her.

Sleek, the black barn cat, trotted over to her side and sniffed at the discarded food.

“Go ahead. You can have it. You’ll need your strength here more than I will.” It appeared the cat would outlast Megan’s stay at the Lucky C.

Chapter 4

“I’ve heard a lot about the Lucky C Ranch lately,” Marshall Kennedy’s voice boomed in his ear.

Daniel held the phone in a tight grip. This call might mean the difference between a good program and an excellent breeding program that could gain international attention. “Thank you, sir,” Daniel said. “I’ve selected from only the best lineage.”

“I assume that’s why you’re looking at purchasing semen from Striker’s Royal Advantage.”

“Yes, sir. I’ve done my research, and I believe a foal from Striker and Big J’s Lucky Coin will be the most sought-after registered quarter horse in the country.”

“I’m impressed with Big J’s Lucky line, but I don’t sell to just any farm that comes along with enough money to pay for stud service.”

“I understand, Mr. Kennedy.”

“I want to know my horses are being bred and cared for by a fine, upstanding family. Good family is just as important, if not more so, than money. From what I’ve learned about the Coltons, there are a few skeletons in the closets. You being one of them.”

Daniel bit down on his tongue to keep from telling Kennedy that people couldn’t always choose their lineage like people could choose a horse’s bloodline. “I’m as much a part of the Colton family as any of my siblings, and I’m just as proud of my Cherokee blood.” Realizing he was coming across too strong, Daniel drew in a calming breath and continued. “If my heritage will be a sticking point in this deal, perhaps this conversation is over.”

“Whoa, young man. I didn’t say your bloodline was at fault.”

“Then what is it you need from me to convince you the horses produced from your lines will be well cared for?”

“I want you to convince me the Coltons are the right family to invest in. I’m speaking at the annual Symposium on Equine Reproduction a week from now in Reno, Nevada. I want you to attend that symposium. I’ll be there with members of my family. If at that time I feel that the Coltons are worth the risk, we can discuss the details of the sale. Are you still interested?”

“Yes, sir,” Daniel said, not really understanding how meeting Kennedy at a symposium would change the man’s mind if he’d already made his decision. “I’ll be there.”

“Good.” Marshall Kennedy ended the call, leaving Daniel no closer to knowing whether he’d get the semen he wanted to take his breeding program to the next level. With one of his mares down and no guarantee she’d pull through, and his assistant likely quitting, he wondered if it was too soon to take this step. He’d be gambling a great deal of Colton money on a dream. Not all of the Colton brothers were in agreement on taking this project forward. Big J liked a family consensus before funding was released.

The bright spot in the mess of the past few days was that Kennedy hadn’t said no. He hadn’t said yes. But there still was hope.

He stepped out of the office and returned to the stall, where Megan sat in the dying light beside Halo, stroking the animal’s neck. The horse didn’t look any better, and Daniel wasn’t sure she’d live to see the sunrise.

Too many strange things had happened on the ranch in the past few months. The main house had been robbed and his father’s wife, Abra, had been attacked and left in a coma. Now someone had tried to kill one of his prize mares.

Daniel wasn’t ready to give up on Halo, yet. And he still had to come up with a solution to Megan’s problem or he’d lose her, too.

Megan smiled over her shoulder at him. “I kept Sleek from eating your sandwich.”

The barn cat sat beside Megan, licking its paws. The stray had been an asset to the ranch and kept the mouse population down.

The sun had dipped below the horizon while Daniel talked on the phone with Kennedy. With his world tilted on its axis, Daniel wasn’t sure what the next day would bring or how to keep everything he’d worked for from falling apart.

“You can go home. I’ll stay with Halo,” he said to Megan.

She shook her head. “If it’s all the same to you, I’d rather stay. I know it doesn’t make sense, but I feel like it’s my fault Halo’s in the shape she’s in.”

“Unless you purposely poisoned her, I don’t see how it could be your fault.”

“I should have realized something was terribly wrong with her and dealt with her immediately.” She scratched behind the horse’s ear. “Then you wouldn’t be as sick as you are now, would you, baby?” Her tone was soothing, and Halo’s ears twitched.

“We wouldn’t have known anything sooner,” Daniel said. “The lab had to make that determination. It wasn’t until this morning that she went downhill.”

“Still, I was the last one to ride her.”

“Stop.” Daniel held up a hand. “We’ll both stay with her.”

She gave him a crooked smile. “Thanks. I’d like that.”

He left her in the stall and went about the task of feeding the other animals. When he returned to the stall, he carried several clean horse blankets and a section of hay. He spread out the hay on the ground.

Megan took one of the blankets from him, laid it over the hay and sat on one side of it, patting the spot next to her. “Sit and eat your supper.”

Daniel sat and took the sandwich from Megan. When their hands touched, a spark of electricity shot up his arm, reminding him of that kiss and the subsequent dreams that had plagued his sleep the night before. At least if he stayed awake all night with Halo, he wouldn’t be dreaming of lying naked with Megan.

“Was that Marshall Kennedy on the phone?” Megan gave him a half smile. “Sorry, I overheard a little.”

Daniel chewed on a bite of deli meat, mentally going over his conversation with Kennedy. Megan had been with him when he’d researched the studs and breeders. She knew as well as he did what they needed at the Lucky C to make it a world-class operation, and she deserved to know the outcome of that conversation, even if she did quit in two days’ time. “Yes.”

“Well?” She leaned forward on her knees, her green eyes bright in the soft glow from the overhead lighting. “Is he going to deal with us or not?”

Daniel shook his head. “Jury’s still out.”

“Then why bother calling you?” She sat back, her excitement replaced by a frown. “Either he’s going to sell to you or he’s not.”

“It’s like I told Brett and Jack. The man has a thing about family. He looks at the lineage of the horses, but he’s concerned about the family raising those horses.”

“Then it should be a slam dunk. The Coltons are well respected as ranchers not only in Oklahoma but also across the United States.”

“Ranching cattle. But we’re new at horse breeding and not as well proven. That’s not what he’s concerned about, though. He wants to know his horses are going to a good family.”

“Again, the Coltons are well respected. What could he be concerned about?”

“He’s specifically worried about me. He called me a skeleton in the Colton closet. From what I’ve learned, the Kennedys are socially elite and proud of their status.”

“Sounds like my parents. They would hate to have me mess up their standing by marrying beneath me.” Megan shivered. “I’ve met too many of their social picks.” She snorted. “No thanks. Do you think that’s what’s holding the Kennedys back?”

Daniel nodded. “I’m the stick in the man’s craw. The bastard son of a Colton, and a Cherokee to boot.”

Megan’s face reddened and her eyes flashed. “Is he refusing to sell to you because you’re half-Cherokee?”

“He didn’t say that, but I’m betting he’s not comfortable selling to the bastard son. I don’t have the social status of a Kennedy.”

“Daniel, you’re just as much a Colton as any of your siblings.”

“Not according to my stepmother.”

“Abra is a bitter old woman who doesn’t even like her own children. She’s more interested in social status than love and family.” Megan clapped a hand over her mouth and then sat back. “Sorry. I couldn’t stop myself. I’ve seen how she treats you and your brothers and wanted to tell her what I thought about that. How can a woman dislike her own children?”

“It doesn’t matter, and it doesn’t bother me anymore.” Not since he’d moved out of the main house. He didn’t come into contact with Abra Colton as often and it suited him just fine.

“The point is, Kennedy can’t hold an accident of birth against you. You’re a good man. You’re good with horses and have a great eye for quality. If he could only see that, he’d sell to you with no further questions asked.”

“Well, that’s just it. He’ll get the chance. I meet with him face-to-face in exactly one and a half weeks.”

“What?” Once again Megan sat forward. “When? Where? I’d love to be a fly on the wall at that meeting.”

He wished Megan could be at his side. She’d be a great asset because of her knowledge of horse breeding from the Triple Diamond and her pedigree from an impressive family tree with a long line of Talbots raising only the best Talbots and horses. Kennedy would fall in love with Megan’s charm and capabilities just like he had.

She assured him, “Kennedy will see what a great program we have started here at the Lucky C.” Her lips twisted. “I mean, the program you’ve started.”

“I couldn’t have even tempted the man without your help putting the data together to send to him. Why don’t you come with me?” Then he remembered Megan was leaving the Lucky C to go home to California.

Megan sighed. “Unless I’m willing to let my horses be sold, I can’t. I’m headed to California in the next week.”

“Damn. I wish you didn’t have to go.” Daniel leaned forward and checked on Halo, racking his brain for a solution to both their problems. The horse lifted her head and stared at him with her big brown eyes as if to say she wished he could fix her problem, as well.

“You’ll do fine,” Megan said, leaning back against the wall. “The most important thing right now is to get Halo back on her feet.”

“You’re right.” Daniel settled back against the wall beside Megan.

She closed her eyes, stifling a yawn behind her hand. “I don’t know about you, but I didn’t sleep worth a darn last night. My dad’s threat and my ride on a sick horse weren’t conducive to pleasant dreams.” She yawned again and laughed. “Sorry. I’m supposed to stay awake all night with Halo. I won’t be of much use if I fall asleep.”

“Come here.” Daniel slipped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. “Lean on me. I’ll stay awake and let you know if there’s any sign of change.”

Megan snuggled up against him. “I thought you didn’t mix business with pleasure?”

“You said it yourself. You quit.” What could it hurt to hold her? It might give him a chance to come up with a plan to rescue her horses from being sold off, or find a way to impress Marshall Kennedy with his family when he wasn’t even part of the official Colton line.

Megan closed her eyes again. “Mmm. This is much nicer. I should have quit sooner.” Her breathing became deeper and her body relaxed against Daniel’s.

If only she knew how hard it was for him to hold her and not kiss the tip of her nose or press his lips to her temple, she might not be so willing to fall asleep against him. All thoughts of being a good boss and not touching his employee flew out the barn door while he held Megan in his arms.

Halo stirred, lifting her head a little, her hooves kicking out just once before she settled back in the straw.

Daniel prayed that she’d make it through the night and he’d come up with a way to keep Megan. She’d been instrumental in his research and planning for his breeding program. She was good at what she did, and her parents would squander her assets, forcing her to go to social events she couldn’t stand.

Sometime in the night, Halo shook out of the effects of the poison and got to her feet.

Daniel was so relieved, he almost woke Megan to tell her, but she was sleeping soundly and he hated to wake her. Instead, he lay down on the bed of straw and blankets and pulled her up against him. As he drifted into a deep sleep, he found himself wishing he could go to sleep every night with this amazing woman in his arms.

* * *

Megan woke to the soft thuds of hooves pawing at the dirt. She cracked an eyelid to see Halo standing in her stall, impatient for her feed and getting more impatient by the minute.

Joy filled her heart at the sight of the mare standing straight and proud, the effects of the poison worn off. Megan turned to tell Daniel, but he was asleep, his manly face softened in the gray light of dawn that snuck through the open door of the barn.

He must have been awake all night, worrying about Halo and wondering what to do about the meeting with the Kennedys.

Megan was loath to move away from the warmth of his body. It felt so firm and strong beside her.

One big obstacle had been cleared for Daniel. Halo would live. She was one of his best broodmares. Her loss would have been a big hit to his breeding program. Now all he had to do was impress the Kennedys. The irony of the situation wasn’t lost on her.

Her family was among the socially elite of California. The Talbots’ horse-breeding program at the Triple Diamond Ranch was nationally acknowledged. Daniel needed a boost on the social front in order for the Kennedys to consider him eligible for inclusion in their equine breeding efforts. What he needed was to marry into a family like the Talbots to give him social clout.

And if she and Daniel married, she’d satisfy the conditions of her grandmother’s will and inherit a trust fund sufficient to purchase her horses from her father.

Megan could see herself married to a man like Daniel. He respected her mind and her ability to work with the horses, and he wasn’t stiflingly overprotective. He’d worked hard to get where he was, earning his keep on the Lucky C, giving back to the family that provided him a home when his mother died. Yes, he was the kind of man she could easily fall in love with and probably already had.

If the ache that had settled in her chest when she thought of leaving the Lucky C and Daniel was any indication, she could see herself falling for this amazing man.

All her problems would be solved if only Daniel was interested in her as more than just his assistant.

“Do I have dirt on my nose?” Daniel stared up at her, a sleepy smile curling his lips.

“No,” she answered. “Why?”

“You were staring at me and frowning.” He swiped his hand across his face and sat up. “What were you thinking?”

How much she cared about him and wished he returned the feeling. Heat filled her cheeks, and she bit hard on her tongue to keep from blurting out her thoughts. To avoid answering, she turned to Halo. “When did she get up?”

“Around two in the morning. One minute she was lying as still as death, and the next she rolled to her feet as if she was done being sick.”

Megan smiled. “I’m glad. I’ll leave feeling much better knowing she is okay.”

Daniel’s brows dipped. “About that...” He stood and reached down for her hand. “I’ve been thinking.”

Megan laid her fingers across his big palm, bracing herself for the rush of heated awareness to shoot from the point of contact throughout her body. And it did, leaving her feeling slightly breathless and off balance. Oh, yes, she was well on her way to loving this man, and he didn’t have a clue.

If she were smart, she’d keep it to herself. He obviously wasn’t of the same mind or he would have kissed her again. He’d had an opportunity while holding her through the night, and hadn’t made a move.

Daniel pulled her to her feet. “You’re frowning again, and I haven’t even told you my idea.”

“Oh, sorry.” She slipped her hand free and stepped away from him to keep from making a fool of herself. “I guess I was thinking, too.”

“Well, it’s like this—and tell me I’m crazy if this sounds too insane to pursue—”

Megan watched as the man blushed and stumbled over his words. It wasn’t like Daniel to be embarrassed. Nor was it like him to beat around the bush. Megan leaned back against the wall, enjoying this side of Daniel she hadn’t seen. “It can’t be all that bad. Your ideas are usually spot-on.” She smiled, encouraging him to continue.

“You need the money to buy your horses.”

Before he finished his sentence, she shook her head. “I told you, I won’t take your money.”

“That’s good, because I don’t have enough to buy the Triple Diamond breeding stock. But I might have a solution for both your problem and mine.”

Megan’s heart skipped several beats as Daniel’s cheeks turned a ruddy red.

“You need a husband. I need an injection of social elitism that will impress Marshall Kennedy.”

Her heart stopped. Her breath caught and held, refusing to move past the knot in her throat as she waited for what she’d only dreamed would come next.

Daniel shoved a hand through his dark hair and frowned. “I can’t think of any other way to accomplish both, or I’d do it, but I’m fresh out of ideas.”

“Daniel!” Megan said, her voice breathy. “Get to the point.”

“Why don’t we get married?”

Even though she’d known it was coming, it still hit her square in the chest. The air rushed from her lungs, and a tsunami of feelings washed over her. A surge of joy made her heart beat so fast she felt faint. She crested that wave and slid into the undertow of reality. “A marriage of convenience?”

“Exactly.” He reached for her hands.

When she hid them behind her back, he dropped his arms. “It wouldn’t have to be forever. Just long enough to satisfy the stipulations of your grandmother’s will and keep your horses. That would help me get past the Kennedy gauntlet. We could leave today, find a chapel in Vegas and spend the night. It would be over in less than five minutes.”

With her heart smarting, Megan forced a shaky smile. “Way to sweep a girl off her feet.”

He waved his hand, and Halo tossed her head. “If you want, I can make an official announcement in front of my family.”

Megan shook her head. “No.”

“No, you won’t marry me?”

“No.” She pushed past him to pace down the center of the barn. “Your plan is insane.”

“Do you have a better one?” he asked. “I’m all ears.”

The plan was the same as the one she’d been thinking of before Daniel had woken up. Only when she’d dreamed it up, it didn’t sound as cold and impersonal as Daniel’s proposal. Somewhere in the back of her mind she’d hoped that a marriage to Daniel would be something more than one of convenience.

After yesterday’s kiss, she wasn’t sure she could be around Daniel for long periods without wanting another. And another.

“The problem is, my only other choice is to move home and live under my father’s thumb.”

“And you don’t want to do that, do you?” he asked.

Megan faced Daniel, her back straight, her chin tilted up. “I’d rather die than live like my parents want me to. If it were just me, I’d stay and tell my father no thank you.” Then her shoulders sagged. “But I can’t abandon my horses.”

“Is there anyone else who’d come to their rescue?”

“No.” Megan glanced around, looking for the answer. Her gaze returned to Daniel. “If you’re serious about your offer—” she paused, then went on “—I’m in.”

As soon as she said the words, she wanted to take them back. This was not how a proposal was supposed to be. She should have been ecstatic, giddy with excitement for the man professing his love to her. Instead they’d hop a plane to Vegas and wham, bam, thank you, ma’am, they’d be married by some pathetic imitation of Elvis in a drive-through chapel on the Strip.

Daniel’s lips quirked. “Why do I get the feeling you’re not happy about this?”

“I don’t know.” She flung her hands in the air and fought back tears. “I guess I expected...well...not this.”

“It’s not as if it will be a real marriage. Once we’re both in the clear, we can get a quickie divorce, and you will be free to marry whomever you prefer.”

Megan stared at the man. He really didn’t have a clue that she was falling in love with him. “Yeah. But the man of my dreams would have to do a better job of proposing.”

“You deserve the best, Megan. If he doesn’t care enough to do it right, don’t marry him.”

She raised her brows. “And your proposal was the standard to measure by?”

“Oh, hell no.” Daniel grasped her hands and pulled her closer. “If this were a real proposal, I’d have taken you out to dinner at a nice restaurant or, better yet, on a picnic to your favorite spot on the ranch, because I’d know you didn’t give a damn about all that fancy stuff. You love being out in the fresh air, close to the animals you love.”

Megan could picture this scenario. He’d take her out to the hill with the ancient oak tree near sunset and wait to ask until the bright orange globe settled at the edge of the horizon, brushing a glorious palette of colors across the clouds. She sniffed. “A picnic would have been nice.”

“And I’d have brought along a bottle of wine.”

She cocked her brows. “To get me liquored up?”

“Can’t have my girl turning me down, now can I?” He grinned and pulled her closer. “Then at sunset, I’d have gone down on one knee.”

Megan’s breath caught in her throat just as it would have had he been performing according to his script. Her chest tight, she forced a chuckle, hoping to ease the tension rising inside.

Daniel’s brows dipped. “What are you laughing about?”

“On a cattle ranch, you would have put your knee in a cow patty.”

“Anything for the woman I was about to ask to marry me.” Daniel held her hands, his gaze intense, the smile sliding away. “I’d have asked you properly, saying something flowery and sincere, like this. ‘Megan, you outshine the stars in the sky and make my heart beat faster whenever you’re around.’”

Megan laughed, the sound catching in her throat. “That would be a good start.”

“‘Would you marry me and make me the happiest man alive?’” He nodded to her. “And you would fall into my arms, crying happy tears, shouting yes at the top of your lungs.”

A real tear slipped from the corner of her eye and trailed down her cheek.

Daniel caught it on the tip of his finger. “You’ve got the idea.”

“A proposal like that would make it hard for a girl to refuse.”

“That’s where the liquor comes in to seal the deal.” He curled his fingers around hers. “So, Megan Talbot, will you marry me for however long it takes to sort out our troubles?”

Her heart breaking just a little, Megan wanted to say no. Daniel still had a long way to go before he fell in love with her, if he ever did. Then again, if she wanted to save her horses, this option seemed to be her only recourse on her father’s short deadline. If she married, she’d have the money she needed, and her father couldn’t expect her to come home to California to live.

He let go of her hands and stepped back. “Want time to think about it? I know it sounds crazy. You might feel better if we put the agreement in writing. I don’t want your inheritance, if that’s what you’re afraid of.”

“No, I trust you, and no, I don’t want time to think about it. My answer is yes.” If she thought about it too long, she’d talk herself out of it, and she couldn’t afford to pass up the offer. “For the horses.”

“Right. For the horses.”

Chapter 5

Daniel circled the single-engine Mooney as he went through his preflight checklist of the airplane. Flaps. Check. Horizontal stabilizer. Check. Ring?

Panic struck. He stopped in the middle of his inspection and dug into his pocket for his grandmother’s wedding ring. He wished he’d had time to take it to a jeweler to have it sized properly and fitted into a pretty box for safekeeping. But after they’d made their decision, they’d agreed they had little time to dawdle.

In the past hour, he’d taken care of the animals and informed Jack he’d be leaving. Then he’d arranged for someone to take care of the breeder barn in his absence and check on Halo through her recovery.

He’d barely had time to pack a bag and file a flight plan with the Tulsa airport. In less than thirty minutes, he and Megan would be on their way to Vegas to get married.

Holy smokes! He was getting married.

Granted, it was a marriage of convenience, but it was no less nerve-racking. Megan came from a family far above Daniel’s social class. Hell, for the first ten years of his life, he’d lived on the reservation in a trailer. Megan grew up in the lap of luxury, surrounded by people who took care of her every need. How could he compete with that?

He’d never truly been one of the elite Coltons, either. He’d never felt like he quite fit in.

Now he was marrying into a family known nationwide for their wealth and prestige. Megan’s parents were often in the news attending various events.

Then he reminded himself that she’d given up that lifestyle to come to work for him. She was willing to muck stalls and get her hands into the dirty and not so pleasant tasks of raising horses. Her fancy upbringing hadn’t slowed her down one bit. She was tough and fearless when it came to working with the large animals.

Megan had driven back to her apartment in Tulsa to throw some clothes into a suitcase and get back to the ranch. She’d be here any minute, ready to climb aboard the small plane the Coltons owned.

Damn. Where was that ring? When he couldn’t find the pretty emerald-and-diamond ring, he nearly had a heart attack.

“Daniel!” Ryan Colton, Daniel’s half brother, emerged from the darkness of the hangar into the bright Oklahoma sunlight. “Heard you were heading to Vegas.”

“I am,” he said, digging deeper into both front pockets.

Ryan’s eyes narrowed. “Forget your key to the plane?” His lips twitched.

Daniel’s fingers connected with metal, and the tension in his shoulders released. The ring was safe in his pocket. “No, thank goodness, I have it.”

“Dude, the plane doesn’t take a key.”

His mind on the trip ahead, Daniel ignored Ryan’s comment. “What brings you out to the hangar?”

“Jack informed me Halo was poisoned. What’s going on?”

The tension returning for an entirely different reason, Daniel’s chest tightened. “The lab reported they found poison in Halo’s blood. We have no idea how it happened.”

“Maybe she got hold of something in the barn or in the field.”

“Megan and I went over the entire barn, thoroughly cleaned Halo’s stall and couldn’t find anything that would have poisoned her. We don’t use rat poison in the barn.”

Ryan smiled. “That’s why we have Sleek.”

“Right, and we have too much invested in the horses we keep in the breeder barn to risk storing anything poisonous there.”

“Do you think someone might have given it to her?”

Daniel had considered that option. “Who would want to hurt Halo? She’s one of the best mares in my breeding program, and she’s got the best temperament.”

“I don’t know.” Ryan scratched his chin. “Do you know of any competing breeders who’d go to the trouble of sabotaging your horses?”

Daniel shook his head. “It’s not like she’s a race horse with the potential to win a derby.” He shrugged. “It makes no sense.”

“I’ll nose around and see if I can learn anything that’ll shed some light.”

“Thanks.”

“Hey, on another topic, is Greta back from Oklahoma City?” Ryan asked.

His half sister, Greta, had been in Oklahoma City busily planning her wedding to Mark Stanton, the son of one of the wealthiest families in the state. He missed her expertise with the horses. She was one of the best trainers he’d known.

“Not that I know of.” Daniel checked beneath the plane for any leaks. “Why do you ask?”

“I could swear I saw her at the hardware store yesterday.” Ryan shrugged. “Must have been seeing things.”

“I’ll be glad when she’s done with this wedding planning business.” Daniel straightened.

“You and me both. It’s not like her to get all girlie.”

Megan emerged from the shadows of the hangar and out into the open, rolling a suitcase behind her. She wore jeans, boots and a green blouse that exactly matched her eyes. Her hair was damp but pulled back in her normal French braid. Other than the nice shirt, she looked like she was ready to go to work, not to her wedding in Vegas.

Daniel’s heart skipped several beats. Megan could wear a feed sack and make it look great. With those long legs, the subtle sway of her hips and the way she smiled...his groin tightened, and he wanted to hold her close all over again. Keeping her at arm’s length would be a challenge.

“Hey, Dan.” Ryan waved a hand in front of Daniel’s face.

Daniel barely saw the hand, his gaze on the woman walking toward them.

Ryan turned. “Ah, Megan. Are you going, too?”

Megan rolled her case to a stop, nodding. “Yes, I am.” Her gaze shot from Daniel to Ryan and back.

Daniel took Megan’s bag and loaded it into the plane. “I have a couple more checks. Then we’ll be ready to go.”

“So, what’s in Vegas besides the usual—gambling, wedding chapels and shows? I haven’t heard of any of those involving horses.” Ryan stared at Daniel, then Megan.

A flush of pink rose in Megan’s cheeks. She glanced at Daniel and gave him a slight shake of her head.

Taking Megan’s cue, Daniel replied, “We’re going to see a man about a horse. If the Kennedy Farms deal doesn’t work out, we want to have a backup plan.” Daniel didn’t like lying to his brother, but Megan wasn’t ready to announce their plans, and that was okay with him. He wasn’t certain how he felt about what they were about to do.

“Well, then, I won’t keep you.” Ryan held out his hand. “Be careful. I understand there are some storms heading this way.”

“I’ve already checked the weather. We’re flying north of the system.” Daniel took his brother’s hand.

“Good. We kind of like having you two around.” Ryan shook Daniel’s hand and then pulled him into a hug. “See you in a day or two?”

“It might be closer to a week.”

“A week?” Ryan stepped back, his eyes wide. “What kind of horses take a week to look at?”

Daniel’s lips firmed. “After we stop in Vegas, we’re going to California to check out more horses. I have a meeting scheduled with Marshall Kennedy in Reno in a week. We’ll be back at the Lucky C long enough to regroup and head out again.”

“Sounds like a nice vacation. Wish I could go along with you.” Ryan nodded. “Again, you two take care and come back in one piece.”

“We will.”

Ryan stood back as Daniel helped Megan into the plane and climbed in after her. She settled in the copilot’s seat and Daniel sat beside her, going over the remainder of his preflight check. When they were finally ready, he showed her how to wear the copilot’s headset and slipped his headset over his ears.

“Ready?” he said into microphone.

“Ready.” Her voice came to him over the sound system.

As they taxied down the grass runway and lifted off into a westerly breeze, Daniel gripped the yoke, his pulse racing as he thought about what lay ahead. In a few short hours, they’d be in Vegas getting married.

* * *

Megan’s fingers curled around the armrests as the plane left the grass strip and climbed into the sky. When they were far enough away from the ground that she didn’t have to worry about crashing, she settled back and relaxed.

“I knew the Coltons had a plane, but I didn’t realize you all knew how to fly it.”

“Not all of my brothers have learned.”

“Just how long have you been flying?”

“Since I was about fifteen and Big J bought the plane. He paid for my flight lessons while he learned to fly, as well. It’s always a good thing to have a copilot in case something happens to the pilot.”

Megan’s stomach fluttered as she stared at the yoke in front of her. “Just so you know, I don’t have a clue how to fly this thing, but I’m willing to learn.”

He smiled over at her. “It’s not a requirement, but I’m glad to hear you’re willing. Not many people are interested.”

She liked it when he smiled at her. He had the faith in her to think she could learn to fly an airplane. She’d always been interested in flying, but her parents wouldn’t have allowed her to take flying lessons any more than they wanted her working with large animals. To say they were overprotective would be a gross understatement. Hell, she’d learn to fly if it was something Daniel wanted.

“My parents are likely to flip when I come home with a husband. Just so you know. We’re likely to incur resistance.”

“I can handle it,” Daniel assured her.

“I placed a call to the attorney who handled my grandmother’s will and arranged an appointment with him in two days. I also arranged to meet with a horse broker.”

“Good thinking. By this time a week from now, we should be sitting pretty. You with your horses, me with my breeder stock semen.”

Megan nodded. “Sounds easy enough. However, I’ve never known anything to be that simple.”

Daniel shot a glance her way. “True.” He held out a hand. “We’ll get through this together. We make a good team.”

She took his hand, that same sharp crackle of electricity shooting through her. She had no doubt they’d make it, and she refused to think about what would happen afterward, when their marriage of convenience was no longer needed.

“Hey.” Daniel squeezed her fingers. “It’s going to work out.”

She nodded, comforted by the gentle pressure on her hand.

“You didn’t get much sleep last night. Why don’t you relax and take a nap? I might need you later to spot me through the mountains.”

Her heart leaped into her lungs. “Mountains?”

“Unless you want to take the long way around, we’ll be flying just south of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in New Mexico.”

She bit on her bottom lip.

Daniel let go of her hand and brushed his thumb across her lip. “Don’t worry. I’ve flown this route several times.”

“I have, too. In a 747, not a crop duster.” She stared out the window at the ground several thousand feet below them. “Something tells me it will be a lot different than flying over at thirty thousand feet.”

“It is, but I think you’ll like it.”

Megan settled into her seat, letting the hum of the engine lull her into a trance while they were still over the flat terrain of Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle. At least the danger of the flight took her mind off her coming nuptials.

She must have fallen asleep somewhere between thinking about crashing into the mountains and a cheesy wedding in Vegas, because the next thing she knew, they’d hit a speed bump on the Vegas Strip.

Megan’s eyes popped open, and she stared around the interior of the airplane. It hadn’t been a speed bump they’d hit. The little plane hit another pocket of air and jerked.

She sat up straight and stared out at a darkening sky. Thunderclouds rose high to her left, lightning flashing. “Is everything okay?”

“Should be,” Daniel said through gritted teeth. His fingers gripped the yoke, his knuckles white. “Remember that storm my brother was talking about coming out of the southwest?”

“I thought we were going around it?”

“That’s the idea. Only it’s getting bigger as we speak. We won’t be going through it, but we’re getting some of the bumpy air around it.”

Mountains rose ahead of them, their snow-covered peaks appearing beautifully dangerous. Megan’s heart lodged in her throat. “I thought we wouldn’t be going through the mountains on this trip.”

“In order to go around the storm, I’m having to fly farther north. We’re nearing the Sangre de Cristo mountain range.”

Megan’s pulse raced, her breathing becoming shallower. “Just how much experience do you have flying through mountains?”

He laughed, though it sounded strained through the headset. “Too late to ask now, isn’t it? But for what it’s worth, I have over two thousand hours flying this plane.”

“That sounds like a lot. How many of those hours were in this kind of weather?”

“There are never enough hours flying in this kind of weather. The idea is to avoid these conditions.”

“Should we put down?”

“Can’t. Not here. The best we can hope for is to swing wide.”

They hit more turbulence, and the plane dropped like someone had pulled the rug out from under them.

Megan swallowed a scream and held on.

Daniel moved his feet and scanned the instrument panel, his hands steady on the yoke. “Just a little farther and we should clear the side of this storm.”

She caught and held her breath as they neared the snowy crags a lot lower than she liked.

Lightning flashed nearby. A rumble of thunder sounded over the roar of the engine and through the muffling of her headset.

Megan had never been so frightened in her life. But seeing Daniel in the pilot’s seat, his jaw set, all his concentration on flying the airplane, made her feel a little safer.

Until the next big dip brought her even closer to the jagged peaks. Her stomach clenched, and she bit down hard on her tongue to keep from screaming again. Daniel didn’t need a crying woman in the cockpit with him. She had to be strong, even though she shook from head to toe.

The clouds billowed higher, blocking the sun, making the sky ominous.

Megan found herself leaning away from the turbulence, willing the little plane to fly safely around the storm and up over the mountains.

They seemed to be heading straight into the mountains instead of flying over the top, and the storm appeared to be engulfing them in its fury.

Tearing her gaze away from the mountains, she risked a glance in Daniel’s direction. His face was tense, a muscle flicked in his jaw and his knuckles were white on the yoke.

“It’s going to be okay,” she said softly, as if speaking the words out loud would make it so. She sent a silent prayer to the heavens to deliver them safely through the storm and over the mountains they were racing toward.

“Hold on,” Daniel said in her ears.

Her fingers dug into the leather of the armrest. She closed her eyes, trusting Daniel to deliver her safely over to the other side of the storm and the mountain.

Another drastic drop forced her eyes open in time to see the ragged peaks directly in front of them.

Daniel struggled with the small plane, pulling back on the yoke at the last minute, narrowly missing the edges of a giant outcropping.

Once over the top of the mountain, the clouds parted, and they blew through as if spit out by the storm. Slowly the turbulence subsided, and they flew out of the black clouds, into an entirely different world of sunshine and blue skies.

“Wow.” Megan pressed her hand to her heart and drew in a long, steadying breath, then let it out. “You were amazing.”

Daniel scrubbed a hand down his face. Beneath his Cherokee complexion, his face had paled.

Megan reached out and placed her hand over his on the controls.

Eventually he unwound his grip, transferring it to her hand. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have tried to outrun the storm. We could have been killed.”

“But we weren’t, thanks to your superb flying skills.”

“I feel like we should find a place to land and rent a car for the rest of the journey.”

“No way. I’ve never flown into the sunset in a single-engine airplane. And it appears as if we’re going to have an outstanding display.”

“As long as you’re okay.”

“I’ll admit, I was shaking in my boots about the time we hit that last really bad dip.”

“You and me both.” He squeezed her hand. “But from here to Vegas it should be smooth.”

“As long as you’re flying, I’m okay.” She smiled across at him and settled back, refusing to release his hand unless they hit another intense storm.

Megan figured if they could survive something as insanely intense and dangerous as braving that storm and nearly crashing into the mountain, things could only get easier. They’d land, check into a hotel, find a twenty-four-hour wedding chapel and tie the temporary knot.

What could be hard about that compared with the flight over?