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Long Road Home
Vicki Lewis Thompson






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DO YOU NEED A COWBOY FIX?

New York Times bestselling author Vicki Lewis Thompson is back with more …

Sons of Chance

Chance isn’t just the last name of these rugged

Wyoming cowboys—it’s their motto, too!

Saddle up with:

LONG ROAD HOME

November 2012

LEAD ME HOME

December 2012

FEELS LIKE HOME

January 2013

Take a chance … on a Chance!


Dear Reader,

Have you ever wanted desperately to connect with someone, yet not known for certain whether they’d accept you? That’s the uncomfortable position in which Wyatt Locke finds himself as he drives toward the Last Chance Ranch in the first SONS OF CHANCE book. Yes, folks, Wyatt’s story kicks off another three-book parade of gorgeous cowboys!

Although Wyatt longs to be friends with his half-brother Jack Chance, he’s so afraid of rejection that he doesn’t notify Jack that he’s coming. That plan doesn’t work out as he expects, but in Wyatt’s shoes, I would do the same.

In writing about Wyatt, I longed to protect him from getting hurt, so I gave him Olivia Sedgewick, someone who sympathizes with his desire to connect with family. But even Olivia can’t stand between Wyatt and disappointment. As it turns out, getting hurt and learning from the experience is how people grow.

And just so you know, Wyatt doesn’t start out the story as a cowboy, but before long, he’s wearing the jeans, the boots and the hat. They’re borrowed, but they do the trick. Taking yummy-looking guys and turning them into yummy-looking cowboys is what I do.

Welcome back to the Last Chance Ranch, and thank you for joining me there once again! It’s going to be a great winter because my cowboys are saddled up and ready to ride straight into your heart!

Warmly,

Vicki Lewis Thompson




About the Author


New York Times bestselling author VICKI LEWIS THOMPSON’s love affair with cowboys started with the Lone Ranger, continued through Maverick and took a turn south of the border with Zorro. She views cowboys as the Western version of knights in shining armor—rugged men who value honor, honesty and hard work. Fortunately for her, she lives in the Arizona desert, where broad-shouldered, lean-hipped cowboys abound. Blessed with such an abundance of inspiration, she only hopes that she can do them justice. Visit her website at www.vickilewisthompson.com.


Long Road Home





Vicki Lewis Thompson
















www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)






To my wonderful readers, especially those of

you who’ve been with me from the early days.

Your e-mails and letters mean the world to me!




Prologue


August 22, 1978From the diary of Eleanor Chance

JONATHAN IS MARRIED, and my heart is heavy. We had a small ceremony this afternoon at the Last Chance because that’s all he and Diana wanted. There’s no pretty way to say this—a baby is on the way, and after several months of debate, Jonathan and Diana decided to get married. If you’re in love, you don’t debate such things, so I’ve concluded they’re not in love and I hate that for both of them.

Oh, they say they love each other, but I think that’s so Archie and I won’t be upset about this marriage. Jonathan is our only child, and of course we wanted him to end up with a woman he adores, who also adores him. We hoped she’d share his devotion to the ranch and look forward to raising children here. Our grandchildren.

Instead he has Diana. She looks like an Indian princess, which makes sense because her mother was Shoshone. Other than that, she hasn’t volunteered much about her parents except to say they’re both gone.

I have to wonder what her upbringing was like, because she’s the least nurturing person I’ve ever come across. She pretends to be happy about the baby, but I can tell she’s not.

She confessed to me that before she found out about her pregnancy, she’d been saving her tips from waitressing to finance a move from the Jackson Hole area to San Francisco. She’d dreamed of getting out of Shoshone, which she calls a one-horse town, and living a more sophisticated life.

Instead she’s stuck here, and I can tell that’s exactly how she feels, too. I seriously doubt she looks forward to living on the ranch for all her born days, and if she stays with Jonathan, that’s what she’ll have to do.

I’m torn because I don’t think the marriage is a good idea, but she’s carrying my grandchild. For that reason, I want her to stay right here and learn to love being a mother to my grandbaby and a wife to my son. I plan to do everything in my power to help that cause.




1


IF WYATT LOCKE BELIEVED in omens, his return visit to the Last Chance Ranch had disaster written all over it. Rain drummed on the roof of his truck and sluiced over the windshield faster than the wipers could sweep it away. Every so often lightning would strike close enough to deafen him while providing a camera-flash view of the muddy road and the soggy Wyoming countryside.

The storm had come on quickly, ambushing him after he’d already committed to the rutted dirt road leading to the ranch. The weight of his camper shell and the gear in the back helped keep him on the road, but trying to turn around now would almost guarantee he’d end up axle-deep in mud. Going forward was his only option.

He slowed the truck to a crawl and kept his headlights on, although they didn’t accomplish much. Still, he’d hate to run into something. A pair of taillights winked in the distance to let him know he wasn’t the only fool out here. But then the rain got serious again and reduced visibility to about fifteen feet in front of him.

If his twin brother, Rafe, could see him struggling through this deluge, he’d laugh himself silly. Rafe had tried his best to talk Wyatt out of this harebrained scheme, but once Wyatt latched on to an idea, he couldn’t let it go. Jack Chance was his half brother, damn it, and they should get to know each other. Jack was Rafe’s half brother, too, but Rafe wasn’t interested in cementing any family ties.

The rain let up for a second and there were the taillights again, several yards in front of him. Probably one of the ranch hands coming back from town. Could even be Jack.

Wyatt’s gut tightened as he thought about his half brother. He probably should have alerted Jack that he was coming, but he knew exactly why he hadn’t. He’d been afraid Jack would tell him to stay away.

Wyatt had shocked the hell out of him the previous summer by dropping by the ranch to introduce himself. He’d shown up without warning that time, too, not sure until he’d knocked on the ranch house door that he’d go through with it. Realistically, he should have expected Jack’s chilly response.

No doubt Jack hadn’t believed him at first. He would have believed Rafe right away because the two men looked so much alike, both having inherited their mother’s dark hair and eyes. But Wyatt and Rafe were fraternal as opposed to identical twins, and Wyatt had ended up with his dad’s sandy hair and gray eyes.

Eventually Jack had seemed to accept that Wyatt was his half brother, but he’d remained suspicious, as if Wyatt might want to cash in on the financial success of the Paint horse breeding operation at the Last Chance. No, and hell no. Wyatt had a profitable wilderness trekking company based in San Francisco and wasn’t the least bit interested in Chance money, but Jack couldn’t know that.

The money issue wasn’t the biggest reason for Jack to be prickly, though. Finding out that the mother who’d abandoned him had subsequently married a successful businessman and raised two more kids couldn’t be an easy pill to swallow. Worse yet, she’d kept Jack’s existence a secret from her second family until last year when the divorce from Wyatt and Rafe’s father had apparently loosened her tongue.

Hiding the fact she’d had a kid thirty-odd years ago was pretty radical, even for his mother. But it wasn’t totally out of character. Diana had always been evasive about her past, as if she was ashamed of it. She claimed that she’d been through hard times and nothing more needed to be said. Yeah, well, she’d put Wyatt and Rafe through some hard times as they tried to deal with a completely self-absorbed mother.

The taillights disappeared again as the rain redoubled its effort to drown this part of the country. Wyatt had years of experience handling every kind of weather, and he’d be damned if he’d end up in a ditch this afternoon and have to call the ranch for help. That wouldn’t improve his rep any.

And he wanted his rep to be solid, wanted Jack and everyone else on the ranch to think of him as a competent outdoorsman, even if he wasn’t a cowboy. Maybe he and Jack would have things in common other than the obvious connection of having the same mother. Wyatt liked the idea of being related to a rancher.

He’d always felt out of place in the circles his parents preferred. Rafe, with his business degree and his talent for investing, fit right in. Not Wyatt. He’d taken up hiking and camping as a teenager to escape charity balls and gallery openings.

Jackson Hole had some of that high society element going on, especially within the Jackson city limits. But the little town of Shoshone about ten miles from the ranch was definitely more Wyatt’s style. A collection of small businesses and a single traffic light at the only major intersection—that was urban enough for Wyatt.

If he chose to, he could relocate his company here. Adventure Trekking could operate as well—or maybe even better—from the Jackson Hole area as it did out of San Francisco. If he lived here, he could spend time at the ranch and get to know the Chance family. He had a feeling he’d fit in with them better than he ever had with his own family.

But before he made any drastic changes, he needed to find out if Jack had mellowed toward the idea of Wyatt’s and Rafe’s existence. Jack’s resentment could be a major obstacle to Wyatt’s plan. The guy had obviously been hurt when Diana had left him, but in Wyatt’s opinion, Jack might have been better off without her in his life. Wyatt had asked around town, and the guy seemed to be doing just fine.

Sure, his father had died a while back, but he still had his stepmother, Sarah, and two half brothers, Nick and Gabe. They all owned a part of the ranch and, according to what Wyatt had heard, everyone got along great. Jack was happily married now and had a kid of his own.

Wyatt planned to keep that last bit of info to himself. He wasn’t sure how Diana would react to finding out she was a grandmother, and Jack didn’t need to have her suddenly appear and claim her grandmotherly rights. She might not care a whole lot about the baby, but she loved being the center of a drama.

If Jack had a baby, that made Wyatt an uncle. He smiled at the idea. It was kind of cool to think about. Maybe he should have brought something for the baby, especially because he was once again arriving unannounced. But he hadn’t….

Lightning flashed, nearly blinding him with its intensity. For a split second the road was lit up like a movie set. A crack of thunder followed, loud enough to make his ears ring. But in that brief moment of full light, he’d seen a Jeep Cherokee off on the side of the road up ahead, its right wheels buried in mud, the taillights still on.

He hadn’t been able to tell if the vehicle was occupied, but he guessed it was if the lights were on. Once he was alongside it, he stopped and lowered his passenger side window to get a better look.

The driver’s window on the Jeep slid down, too, which gave him his answer even before he saw the pretty woman with the hopeful expression gazing over at him. Her shoulder-length hair was streaked with red and blond, obviously a salon job and not her natural color, but it looked good on her. The Cherokee’s taillights must have been the ones he’d followed down the road.

“Seems like you’re stuck!” he called out over the sound of the rain.

“Yep! I was about to phone the ranch. Maybe somebody can come get me.”

“I’m headed that way, if you want a ride.” He knew what he was suggesting wasn’t a perfect solution. That salon hairdo would be dripping with water by the time she made it into his truck, and her shoes would be covered with mud. But she’d be in the same fix if someone drove out here to get her. Trying to hitch a tow chain to her Jeep in this downpour with lightning flashing all around wasn’t reasonable.

A couple of seconds went by with rain coming in his open window and hers, too, probably. He had a chance to study her a little, which added to his initial impression that she was pretty—high cheekbones, rounded chin, full lips and very blue eyes. He wondered if she was worried about accepting a ride from a stranger. “My name’s Wyatt Locke,” he said. “I’m Jack Chance’s half brother visiting from San Francisco.”

“Sarah didn’t mention anyone coming to visit today.”

Wyatt wondered if Jack’s stepmother would be annoyed because he was dropping in. “It’s a surprise. But if you want to call the ranch and double-check that I’m legit, go ahead. The surprise isn’t that important.” And they couldn’t tell him to leave with this gully-washer in progress, even if they wanted to.

She smiled, revealing even white teeth with a tiny space in the middle. “I’m sure you’re perfectly safe, Wyatt Locke. Serial killers don’t usually come out in weather like this.” She glanced at the seat next to her before turning back to him. “But I have a couple of bags of stuff I need to take up to the ranch house.”

“Will it get ruined if it gets a little wet?”

“Not really, but—”

“You can’t carry it all in one trip,” he said, making a guess.

“Right.”

“Hang on. I’ll help.” Leaving the motor running, he opened his door and stepped out. He was drenched immediately. Cold water soaked his Adventure Trekking T-shirt and hiking shorts, and burrowed into his hiking boots.

“Wait!” she called out. “You don’t have to—”

“Yeah, I do. Can’t leave a damsel in distress.” He slogged around the front of the truck, his boots making a sucking sound with every step. First he opened his passenger door and then turned toward her Jeep. “Let’s get your bags in there first. Do you have an umbrella?”

“No such luck.” She opened her door and passed him two large zippered totes.

“Got ‘em.” Water ran in rivulets down his face, but now that her door was open he could see the rest of her if he blinked the rain away. She had a great figure, nicely showcased by jeans and a black scoop-necked top. Then he noticed her feet. Dear God, was she wearing high heels? Not good. “Stay put. I’ll come back for you.”

“No need. I’ll take off my shoes and roll up my pant legs for the trip over.”

“It’ll be better if I carry you,” he called over his shoulder as he navigated the short but muddy stretch between her Jeep and his truck. He put the totes on the floor of the cab and turned back to her.

She had one bare foot propped on the edge of the seat as she rolled her pant leg up and her toes had some sort of glittery stuff on them. Her left arm and leg were already wet from the rain coming in the open door.

“You really don’t want to step out here. It’s nasty.”

“It’s only mud.” She glanced up at him, her blue gaze resolute. “You can go back to your truck. I’ll be right there.”

“But I’m already a mess. If I carry you over, you won’t have to be.”

She looked him up and down. “Yes, but the footing is terrible. You could easily slip, and then where would we be?”

He swiped the rain away from his eyes. “I won’t slip.” By now his boots were so full of water they’d keep him well stabilized.

“I’m sure you wouldn’t mean to slip, but how often do you carry a person who weighs a hundred and … twenty through the mud?”

He couldn’t help grinning. Women and their weight issues. “More often than you’d suppose. I’m a wilderness guide, and I’m certified for search and rescue. In other words, I’m a professional.”

“Oh. That explains the Adventure Trekking logo on your truck and your shirt.”

“Exactly. I could carry you even if you weighed one-thirty.” He was guessing at how much she’d subtracted from her actual weight.

Her cheeks turned pink and her chin lifted. “One-twenty-six.”

She wore it well, too. “Come on. Just let me do my thing. It would be a shame to get those sparkly toes all covered with muck.”

“They’d wash off, but … all right, Wyatt Locke of Adventure Trekking. You’re getting soaked, and you’ve convinced me I’m just being stubborn.”

“I wasn’t going to say that.”

“I believe you, and that kind of restraint is impressive.” She smiled at him. “Let me put my shoes in my purse before you hoist me out of here.”

He waited as the rain plastered his clothes to his body. He hadn’t been this wet fully clothed since the time he’d fallen in the Snake River on a canoe trip two years ago.

“Ready.” She hung her purse strap around her neck and scooted out from behind the wheel. “Can you get the door once I’m out?”

“Uh-huh.” Moving into a half crouch, he slid one arm under her knees and the other behind her shoulder blades. She felt warm, soft and infinitely huggable. If it were up to him, she wouldn’t lose an ounce of that one-twenty-six. “Put your arms around my neck.”

She did, bringing with her a tantalizing scent of jasmine.

He was starting to enjoy himself. “On the count of three. One, two, three.” He lifted her, taking care not to bang her head on the door frame, and stood slowly as she nestled against him. “Okay?”

“Yes.”

He was more than okay. Coming to the aid of a beautiful woman—he’d upgraded her from pretty to beautiful—was a rewarding experience. Besides getting points for gallantry, he was required to cuddle with said woman for a brief time, all in the name of a heroic rescue. He turned toward his truck.

“Don’t forget the door.”

“Right.” Which he had. The sensual pleasure of holding her had short-circuited his brain.

Rotating in place, he nudged the door with his left knee. The sideways tilt of the Jeep meant gravity was in his favor, and the door swung closed with a solid clunk. But using his knee to close the door threw him slightly off balance.

She let out a little cry of alarm and tightened her hold on his neck. “Don’t you dare drop me!”

“Easy does it. We’re fine.” He regained his balance and adjusted his hold. God, she felt good in his arms. Part of that was her welcome warmth against his chilled body, but he could get that from a hot water bottle. She was a lot more satisfying to hold, and he was reminded that he’d been so busy working in the past year or so that he’d abandoned his social life.

The trip to his truck took maybe five seconds, and he cherished every one. Too soon he had to lean down and slide her onto the fabric seat, which was also wet after having the door open so long. “There you go.”

“Thank you.” She scrambled onto the seat and unhooked her purse from around her neck. He thought she’d go for her shoes, but instead she put the purse on the floor with the bags and started running her fingers up through her wet hair as if trying to save the look she’d started out with.

Shrugging, he closed the door and sloshed around to the driver’s side. A woman’s concern with her appearance was usually a warning signal for him after all the years he’d spent watching his mother obsess about her hair, makeup and clothes. But he didn’t know this particular woman well enough to make snap judgments.

Hell, he didn’t even know her name. Climbing into the truck, he closed the door and fastened his seat belt. She was still futzing with her hair. “It looks fine,” he said.

She laughed and finger-combed it back from her face. “I’m sure it doesn’t, but thanks for saying that. I’m Olivia, by the way. Olivia Sedgewick. And I appreciate you rescuing me and keeping my feet clean.”

“You’re welcome, Olivia. Nice to meet you.” And he meant it sincerely. He flashed her a smile for added emphasis.

“The thing is, I’m a beautician, so I like to arrive at an appointment somewhat pulled together.”

“You have an appointment at the ranch?” He put the truck in gear, and after a moment’s hesitation while the tires worked out of the mud, it moved forward.

“Uh-huh.” She took her trendy heels out of her purse and slipped them on her feet. “Sarah hired me to come out and give everyone manicures.”

“Everyone?” Wyatt had only spent about ten minutes with Jack, but he couldn’t picture the guy getting his nails done.

“All the women, I mean. Most of the guys are out of town this weekend at a horse show and sale, so Sarah decided to schedule a night of beauty for herself and her daughters-in-law, plus a few other women connected to the ranch in one way or another. I’m going to try and get a few pedicures in there, too.”

“Oh.” Wyatt wished to hell he’d pushed past his fear of rejection and called ahead. “I assume that means Jack’s gone, too.”

“I’m afraid so.” She glanced at him. “Sorry. Kind of messes up your surprise, doesn’t it?”

“It kind of does.” He stared out the windshield. Maybe the storm had been an omen after all. Not only had he missed Jack, he’d landed in the middle of a girls-only beauty shindig. He had bad timing all the way around.




2


OLIVIA FELT SORRY FOR her hero. Wyatt Locke seemed like a really nice guy, besides being serious eye candy. His wet T-shirt clung to muscled pecs and washboard abs that made her little heart go pitty-pat.

The trip from her Jeep to his truck had been a true delight. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been carried, let alone by a guy with such a hard body. On top of that, he had nice eyes, a great smile and he hadn’t dropped her in the mud.

But now, after his outstanding rescue, he wouldn’t get to spring his surprise on his half brother, at least not immediately. She tried to come up with a consoling statement. “Jack can still be surprised when he comes home tomorrow night.”

“I guess. But once the weather clears up, I’ll head back to the Bunk and Grub for tonight.”

Although the Bunk and Grub B and B wasn’t far away, she was still surprised he had a reservation there. “You weren’t planning to stay at the ranch?”

“Uh, no.”

“But I thought you said you were Jack’s half brother.”

“Yeah, well.” He sighed. “It’s complicated.”

Olivia was beginning to understand the Chance family was full of complications. Although she’d only arrived in Shoshone from Pittsburgh last fall, her job in the local salon, To Dye For, guaranteed that she heard all the gossip.

Within a couple of months she’d found out that each of the Chance men had a different mother. Jack’s mom had left when he was two, Nick had been the result of a brief affair and Gabe was the only biological son of Sarah, Jonathan Chance’s second wife and now his widow. But according to everyone in town, Sarah treated all three as her own.

Now here came another half brother, but he’d only made reference to Jack. “This is really none of my business,” she said, “so you don’t have to answer, but I’m curious as to how you and Jack are related.”

“We have the same mother.”

“Ah.” So that was the much-maligned Diana who’d taken off all those years ago. Any time her name was mentioned, people made a face. “And is she …”

“Alive and well in San Francisco.”

“Hmm. I take it she and Jack aren’t close?”

“They’ve had no contact since she left the ranch.”

Olivia considered that for a moment, trying to imagine such a thing. Nope, couldn’t do it. “But you’re here now.”

Wyatt heaved another sigh and stretched his arms against the steering wheel. “I didn’t find out Jack existed until last summer, and I … I’d like to get to know the guy.”

“She kept Jack a secret?”

“Yep.”

Olivia didn’t say what she thought about that because Diana was his mother, after all, but apparently the people who made a face at the mention of her name had good reason. “Does Jack know you exist?”

“Yeah, because I paid him a short visit last August. We left the situation sort of open-ended. I decided to come back and see …”

The longing in his voice made her heart ache. “Are you an only child?”

“No. I have a twin brother named Rafe.” He paused. “He thinks coming here is a dumb idea. And maybe it is.”

“No, it’s not a dumb idea,” she said softly. “I don’t have any brothers or sisters, but if I suddenly found out I had one tucked away somewhere, I’d be making tracks for wherever that person lived. I mean, they’re your blood. That has to count for something.”

He sent her a look of gratitude. “I think so.”

Rain continued to pound the roof of the cab and splash against the windows, cocooning them from the rest of the world. A sense of intimacy enhanced by his impressive rescue almost made her comfortable enough to touch his arm in a gesture of understanding. Almost.

“You said you don’t have brothers or sisters, so you must be an only child,” Wyatt said after a moment of cozy silence.

“I am. My mom died soon after I was born, and my dad never remarried.”

“Were you lonely?”

Yes, achingly lonely. But she gave him the answer she always gave. “Not really. My dad’s an inventor so he worked at home. He kept me company.”

“An inventor.” Wyatt sounded impressed. “You don’t hear that every day. Has he invented anything I’d know about?”

“Actually he came up with a razor blade that never wears out.”

Wyatt gave a low whistle of surprise. “Is it available? Because I would buy that in a second. I have to shave twice a day.”

That comment directed her attention to his strong jaw. He must have shaved recently because no stubble showed, and now that he’d mentioned shaving, she remembered that she’d noticed a mint scent when he’d carried her to his truck. “Sorry, but the blade’s not available.”

“When’s it coming out?”

“It’s not. One of the big companies, and I’m not allowed to say which one, bought the patent because they didn’t want that product on the market. They said it would wreck their profit margin.”

“Damn. Can I just buy one from your dad?”

“‘Fraid not. He had to destroy everything, including his research notes, in order to get the payoff. But it was a lot of money. That’s why we’re here, actually. He always wanted to live in Jackson Hole, so once he had the means, we pulled up stakes and left Pittsburgh.”

“You live with him?”

Olivia shook her head. “God, no. I had to deal with his cluttered lifestyle when I was a kid, but I don’t have to now. I live nearby so I can keep an eye on him and make sure that he eats, but I have my own place.”

“He sounds like an interesting guy.”

“Interesting, maddening, funny. He looks like that picture you’ve probably seen of Albert Einstein, white hair sticking out everywhere.”

“Really?” He glanced at her. “But Einstein was old in that picture. You can’t be much over twenty-five.”

“I’m twenty-eight, and Dad was fifty when I was born. His hair was already turning white then, and now it’s a hot mess. Besides being a nail tech I also do hair, but he won’t let me give him a decent haircut. He’d rather cut it himself with my mother’s old sewing scissors.”

“At least he’s not vain.”

That made her laugh. “No, he certainly isn’t. I’ve tried telling him how handsome he’d look if I trimmed his hair, and he just shrugs and says he doesn’t care about that.”

“Speaking of your work, I really don’t see myself hanging around during a night of beauty.”

“Maybe not, but I don’t think Sarah’s going to stand for you staying at the Bunk and Grub, either. It’s a very nice B and B and it’s almost like being with family because of Pam’s connection, but still, Sarah’s going to want you here, I’ll bet.” From what Olivia knew of the woman, she was virtually sure of it. A long-lost half brother wanting to connect with kin would touch Sarah’s heartstrings.

“Pam Mulholland is part of the Chance family?”

“You didn’t know that?”

Wyatt shook his head. “There’s probably a lot I don’t know. And I want to.”

“She’s Nick Chance’s aunt, his late mother’s older sister. In fact, Pam will be at this thing tonight, assuming she made it over before the storm hit.”

“She probably did. Somebody else checked me in this afternoon and said Pam would be gone overnight.”

“Pam didn’t recognize your name when you made a reservation?”

“She didn’t act like she did. Jack and Sarah are the only people I met when I came here last August. Maybe they decided to keep my visit quiet.”

“Maybe.” Although intimate details of people’s lives were freely bandied about in Shoshone, Olivia figured the town had its share of secrets, too. Wyatt might be one of them. “I’m guessing you didn’t leave a phone number or an address with Jack.”

“No. To be honest, he was so abrupt that I wasn’t sure I’d come back. I understand why he might not welcome me with open arms, but like you said, we’re blood. I’d hate to miss out on … well, friendship, at the very least, and a deeper connection if such a thing is possible. Rafe doesn’t hold out much hope and doesn’t seem to care whether Jack accepts us or not. But I … I do.”

Olivia turned to him. “I like your courage and persistence, Wyatt Locke. I’m glad you decided to come back and give the brother deal another try, because it means we got to meet.”

He grinned at her. “Same here, Olivia. But no matter how much I like you, and I do, I’m still not up for a night of beauty with the girls.”

DESPITE THE DIFFICULTY he’d had driving through the storm, Wyatt was sorry when they reached the circular drive in front of the two-story log ranch house. He felt that he and Olivia had made a connection during that drive, and now that it was over, he wasn’t sure how to keep it.

He really did plan to head back to the Bunk and Grub the minute the storm passed. There would be no advantage in hanging around. Olivia would be busy doing her job and he just didn’t fit in with an evening of foot massages and nail polish. Maybe he’d drive into town and get a beer and a burger at the Spirits and Spurs, Shoshone’s local bar.

Several trucks and a couple of SUVs were parked to the left of the ranch house. “A lot of people are here,” he said. “Who did you say was coming?”

“Well, there’s Pam, as I mentioned, and Mary Lou, the ranch cook, and Sarah’s three daughters-in-law—Dominique, Morgan and Josie. They each have homes on the ranch, but it’s not really walking distance so I’m sure they drove in. Then Morgan’s sister Tyler will be there—she’s married to Josie’s brother Alex.”

“Everybody’s sort of connected, aren’t they?” It sounded nice to Wyatt. Really nice.

“It’s a close-knit group. Oh, and I’m pretty sure Emily will be there. She’s the daughter of the ranch’s foreman, Emmett Sterling, and she married Clay Whittaker this past spring. He runs the stud program at the ranch. I did everybody’s nails for that wedding. Great party.”

As Wyatt had suspected, this was exactly the kind of family he’d always longed for and never had—informal and good-hearted. But they might not let him in. He quickly shoved away that thought, which was way too depressing to contemplate.

The house itself looked as massive as he remembered. The barn, corrals and other outbuildings were located down the hill to the right, and were nearly obscured this afternoon by a heavy curtain of rain.

Over the winter months, Wyatt had pried some information out of his mother about the place. When she’d moved in as a bride, the house had a two-story center section plus a wing on the right, a wide front porch running the length of the house and a circular driveway. The two medium-sized spruce trees she’d mentioned being located in the middle of the circle now stood at least thirty feet tall.

After Jack was born the family had added the wing on the left and extended the porch. On each side porch a row of rockers, shiny with rain, moved gently in the wind. Rain had flattened the plants in the flower beds on either side of the wide front steps, and water gushed from downspouts to puddle in the gravel driveway.

Both wings were set at an angle like arms flung open in welcome, and lights glowed from the windows on this stormy afternoon, inviting travelers inside. Wyatt figured some travelers were more welcome than others. And his category was still in question.

Olivia looked over at him. “I don’t think it’s going to let up. We’ll have to make a run for it.”

“You’re right.” Wyatt wondered if he could get away with dropping her off and heading back down the road. Not likely. That would force her into breaking the news that he was here and he’d look like a damned coward for leaving. “Let me pull up closer to the steps. Then you can unload without having to walk on that sloppy gravel in your nice shoes, and I’ll move the truck once you have everything out.”

“Believe me, I’m regretting the shoe decision, but at the time I was going for stylish.”

“They are that.” He put the truck in Reverse, backed up a ways and cut the wheel. Then he pulled forward and edged right up next to the steps.

“But if I’d worn sensible boots, you wouldn’t have had to haul me over to your truck.” She picked up her purse and one of the two bags.

“I enjoyed it.”

She gave him a quick smile. “Me, too.”

That comment made him bolder. “Listen, I’m not sure how this visit will turn out for me, but can I give you a call before I leave town?”

“Sure.” She zipped open her purse, rummaged around in it and came up with a business card. “My cell’s on there.”

“Thanks.” He took the pink card, which advertised the beauty salon, To Dye For, but also gave Olivia’s name and number. “I’ve toyed with the idea of relocating here.”

“Really?” Her gaze met his. “That would be nice.”

“Meeting you gives me some extra incentive.”

Her blue eyes warmed. “Good.”

He had the craziest urge to kiss her, but it was too soon, and he didn’t want to ruin everything by overstepping.

Then, to his amazement, she leaned toward him and quickly brushed her lips against his. “Thanks for rescuing me today.” She pulled right back, as if to signal it was a one-time shot.

The kiss came and went so fast he didn’t have time to close his eyes, much less reach for her. “You’re welcome.” His voice sounded a little rusty, which wasn’t surprising since he was busy processing the soft feel of her mouth.

“I’ll come back for the second bag in a sec.” She opened the door and let in a gust of wind and rain. “Man, it’s some storm!”

“Yep.” Wyatt watched as she navigated the rain-soaked steps to deposit her purse and the first bag beside the door. As far as he was concerned, it was a wonderful storm. Without it, he would have arrived at the ranch, discovered Jack wasn’t there, and driven back to either the Bunk and Grub or the bar. He might have met Olivia in passing but they wouldn’t have talked, not when she was there to create nail magic.

Instead they were well on their way to becoming friends. Wyatt was really starting to like it here. The country was beautiful, even in the rain, and the local residents, including a certain blue-eyed beautician, interested him a great deal.

Leaning back in, she grabbed the second bag. “Okay, that does it. I’ll meet you inside.”

“Right.”

She paused, and her eyes narrowed. “You are coming inside, aren’t you?”

“Yes, I am, but I’ll leave my muddy boots on the porch. I actually considered asking you to make my excuses, but I didn’t think you’d appreciate that.”

“Good guess. And besides, you don’t want to miss the food.”

Wyatt imagined finger sandwiches and tea cakes washed down with wine coolers. “That’s okay. Once the storm lets up, I’ll go into town and—”

“No, really. You don’t want to miss the food. See you inside.” She started to close the door but opened it again. “Can I say that you’re here? Or do you want to make a grand entrance?”

He chuckled. “Do I strike you as a grand entrance kind of guy?”

“No, but you did mention this was supposed to be a surprise.”

“That was a smoke screen. I was just too chickenshit to give Jack advance warning in case he told me not to bother. So, yeah, go ahead and announce that I’ll be in after I park the truck, but please tell Sarah I’m not planning to stay and interfere with this night of beauty she’s set up.”

Olivia looked amused. “I’ll tell her. But don’t blame me if she vetoes your decision.” Then she shut the door, ending any further debate on the matter.

Pulling carefully away from the front of the house so he didn’t accidentally take out a chunk of the wooden steps, he drove over to the area where everyone else had parked and turned off the engine. So he was here. Considering he’d met Olivia, he was glad he’d come.

But no matter what, he wouldn’t stay at the ranch tonight. He’d made it out here, and he could make it back to the paved road, too. When Jack came home from the horse show tomorrow, Wyatt would drive over and try this routine again.

A flash of lightning followed by a crack of thunder that sounded like a mountain being split in two made him jump. The house went dark. Well, damn. What kind of guy marched into a house that had just lost power and announced he was taking off?

He needed to go in and find out what he could do to help before he left. Climbing out of the truck, he ignored the rain pelting him as he walked around to the rear and opened the back window of his camper shell. Fortunately his battery-operated lantern was within easy reach of the tailgate.

Lantern in hand, he sloshed through water and gravel and climbed the front steps. The cool, rain-scented air smelled of wood smoke, so a fire must be blazing inside. He unlaced his boots, toed them off and peeled away his wool socks, which were soaked.

When he came out—if he came out—he’d just wear the boots out to the truck and carry the socks. Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door.

It opened soon afterward. “There you are!” Olivia stood holding a brass candlestick with a lit candle. She looked like an angel. “Come in. I told everyone who rescued me and they’re all dying to meet you. Well, I guess Sarah has already met you.”

“Briefly.” He remembered a stately silver-haired woman in her sixties who had a warm smile and kind eyes. Stepping into the entryway, he closed the door behind him. “I’m dripping. I should stand out here on the mat for a minute so I don’t mess up the hardwood floors.” The musical hum of female voices and laughter filtered in from the living room, along with the clink of glasses and the snap and crackle of a fire.

“Maybe I should get you a towel.”

“That’s not necessary. I really can’t stay.” He threw the comment out there, although his escape hatch was closing fast. “But I brought a lantern in case the power’s out for a while.” He held it up.

“If the lightning hit a transformer, and Sarah thinks it might have, then the power will be out for the rest of the night.”

“Doesn’t the ranch have a backup generator for emergencies?”

“Yes, but it’s not working right now. The men were planning to buy the part in Casper and repair it after they came back. I guess this storm was a surprise to everyone.”

“Oh.” Although intellectually Wyatt knew that the women on this ranch were unlikely to be helpless females who couldn’t look after themselves during a power outage, he still couldn’t picture himself driving away, knowing he’d left them in the middle of a blackout that might last until morning.

“Sarah wants you to stay, and I think you should. Pam’s fine with it, and she won’t charge you for a night at the Bunk and Grub, either.”

The escape hatch closed with a bang. “I’m happy to pay her anyway, but yeah, I’ll stay. Although I don’t have anything with me like clothes and stuff. I left it all at the B and B.”

“I’m sure that can be worked out. A place with this many men on-site must have some old clothes somewhere.”

“I suppose.” Wyatt felt something warm and wet on his bare feet. Glancing down, he discovered a low-slung, brown-and-white spotted dog with floppy ears licking his toes. “Who’s this?”

“Rodney, Sarah’s recently adopted dog. She got him from a shelter in Colorado, and he’s a mix but he’s mostly basset hound.”

“Not the kind of dog I’d expect on a ranch, but why not?” Wyatt crouched down and scratched behind the dog’s oversized ears. “How’s it going, Rodney?”

“His full name is Rodney Dangerfield.”

Wyatt lifted the dog’s muzzle and looked into his sad eyes. “Appropriate. Can’t get no respect, can you, Rodney?”

The dog whined and wagged his white-tipped tail.

“You and me, we’ll hang out tonight, buddy. We’ll find us a baseball game on TV—”

“No power,” Olivia said.

“Oh, right. No worries, Rod. With that face, I’ll bet you’re great at poker. We’ll play cards by candlelight.”

The dog whined again.

Olivia glanced up at him with a smile. “That’s enough of the stall tactics. You’ve stopped dripping, so it’s time to come inside and meet everyone. I told them how you rushed to my rescue, so I suspect you’re going to be the man of the hour.”

Wyatt groaned inwardly. Just what he didn’t want. He followed Olivia into the living room with Rodney trotting at his heels. Wyatt wasn’t sure of his welcome with Jack, but at least he’d scored with the dog.




3


OLIVIA GUESSED THAT WYATT had agreed to stay because he was unwilling to leave a group of ladies caught in a power outage. If chivalry kept him here, that was fine with her. She wouldn’t mention that these were resourceful ranch women who didn’t need a man to babysit them in an emergency.

But judging from what the women had said after she’d arrived, nobody should be out driving tonight, not even a can-do wilderness guide. Sarah’s battery-operated weather radio had predicted high winds and hail would follow on the heels of the heavy rain. She and Wyatt walked into the living room, where a fire burned in the large rock fireplace and candles positioned around the room illuminated a comfortable collection of brown leather furniture and sturdy wooden side tables.

Conversation stopped among the eight women gathered there. Eleven-month-old Sarah Bianca, Morgan Chance’s little girl who was known as “SB,” continued to babble to her stuffed dinosaur, and four-month-old Archie, Josie Chance’s son, slept peacefully in his carrier. All other eyes turned toward Wyatt.

Olivia understood why. Firelight and candlelight bronzed his wet T-shirt look with an erotic glow that was truly mesmerizing. The women had good reason to stare, especially after hearing Olivia’s tale of being carried through the rain by this fine specimen of manhood.

Sarah was the first to break the charged silence. “Good to see you again, Wyatt, but my goodness, you’re soaked!” She set down her wineglass and walked toward him, all smiles. “We need to do something about that before you settle in.”

Olivia swallowed a bubble of laughter. What Sarah really meant was that if she didn’t reduce the sexual wattage of that impressive physique by giving him something dry to wear, the women would be distracted the entire evening by the resident beefcake.

“I have some of my sons’ old clothes I was going to take to a rummage sale in town,” Sarah said. “Come on back to the laundry room with me. Something should fit you.”

“Thanks. I appreciate it.” Wyatt set his lantern on a side table and followed her down the hallway to the left with Rodney close behind, his short legs moving rapidly to keep up.

“Whew.” Josie Chance, Jack’s wife, flipped her long, blond braid over her shoulder. “Don’t anybody tell Jack I said so, but that guy’s hot. I had no idea. Jack just said he was a typical hiker type with sandy-colored hair.”

Morgan Chance, Josie’s redheaded sister-in-law, laughed as she took the dinosaur her daughter handed her. “Of course he said that. You think he’s going to describe his half brother, or any guy, for that matter, as good-looking?”

“I wish I could have snapped off a couple of shots before Sarah dragged him away.” Nick Chance’s wife, Dominique, a tall brunette with short hair, was a professional photographer who always had her camera handy. “But that would have spooked him, I’ll bet.”

“Oh, you think?” Mary Lou, who’d been a cook at the ranch for years, shook her head and grinned. “You ladies better take it down a notch or he’s liable to spend the evening in a back room playing with the dog.”

“That would be a shame.” Olivia had returned to setting up her mani-pedi station in a corner, but she glanced over at Dominique. “Still, I would have loved a picture of him in that wet T-shirt. I can see it framed and hanging in your gallery. You’d sell a few prints of those, girlfriend.”

“But you and Dominique would be the only ones who could get away with having that picture,” said Tyler, Morgan’s dark-haired sister. “I don’t think Alex would take kindly to me pasting it up on the inside of my closet door. Those days are over for this married lady.”

Emily, a petite blonde, lifted her chin. “I don’t need a picture like that. I have Clay.”

“Spoken like a woman who’s only been a bride for two months.” Morgan winked at her. “Just because we ogle once in a while doesn’t mean we don’t adore our guys. There’s no harm in a little recreational voyeurism. Right, ladies?”

“Right!” everyone chorused, except for Emily.

“I can’t believe I didn’t recognize his name when he made his reservation at the Bunk and Grub.” Pam Mulholland, a curvy woman who counted on Olivia to keep her gray hair looking blond, sipped her wine. “Sarah told me about his visit last summer, and you’d think I’d have made the connection.”

“It’s probably just as well you didn’t.” Josie walked over to peek at a still-sleeping Archie before retrieving her glass of mineral water. “If Jack had known he was coming, that might have changed his plans for the Casper horse show.”

“True,” Morgan said. “And I think it’s great that they all went and took so many Last Chance horses. Gabe was looking forward to putting on a cutting horse demonstration.”

“And Jack didn’t have time to get all discombobulated at the idea of Wyatt returning,” Josie added. “So I’m glad it didn’t occur to you, Pam.”

“I’m certainly not complaining, either.” Olivia pulled her stainless-steel footbath out of one of her zippered totes. She’d organized the area with a comfy chair and a small desk for manicures and a second cozy chair for pedicures. She’d roll back and forth on the office chair Sarah had brought out.

“I’ll bet you’re not complaining,” Morgan said.

“He seems really nice.” As Olivia took inventory of the stack of towels Sarah had provided, she almost mentioned that Wyatt might move his business here, but she thought better of it. He wanted to relocate, but he might not appreciate having her give out that information prematurely.

“Yes, he does seem nice,” Josie said. “I hope that everything—well, never mind. I hear them coming back down the hall.”

“So!” Sarah clapped her hands together as she walked into the living room with Wyatt and the ever-present Rodney Dangerfield. “Let’s get this party started!”

Olivia straightened and turned toward Sarah and Wyatt. Whoa. She was more than ready to party, all right, but she wished it could be a private one featuring her and the hunk of burning love who’d just walked in. The wet T-shirt had showcased Wyatt’s glorious muscles beautifully, and she hadn’t thought Sarah could improve on that.

Oh, but she had. The yoked gray Western shirt was a smidgen too tight and tucked into worn jeans that fit like a second skin … ooo, baby. Olivia licked her suddenly dry lips.

A scuffed but serviceable tooled leather belt with a plain silver buckle brought her attention to the fly of his jeans, and she looked away quickly before she could be caught staring. A pair of Western boots that showed some wear completed the outfit. He’d left the room a wilderness guide. He’d returned a cowboy.

SARAH INTRODUCED WYATT to everyone and he did his level best to keep them all straight. Josie, Jack’s wife, would be important to remember. She was the one with the long blond braid. Their baby, Wyatt’s new nephew, was named Archie, after Jack’s grandfather. Archie was asleep in his carrier, so despite Wyatt’s curiosity, he kept his distance, not wanting to wake him.

Morgan, a busty redhead, was obviously the mother of a little redheaded tot named Sarah Bianca, SB for short. Morgan’s dark-haired sister, Tyler, had married Alex Keller, Josie’s brother. Wyatt decided when he had access to paper and pencil he’d write some of this down.

Then he met Dominique, a tall brunette who was the third daughter-in-law, and Emily, a petite blonde who had just married the guy who ran the stud program. That took care of the women in his generation.

He recognized Pam, a blonde in her fifties, from hearing her voice on the phone when he’d registered at the Bunk and Grub. By process of elimination he knew that the gray-haired woman with the jolly smile had to be Mary Lou, the cook. Yes, he would definitely write all this down before he went to sleep tonight.

But he should be okay for the evening while the introductions were fresh in his mind. Maybe this wouldn’t be so awkward after all. He’d thought he’d be uncomfortable wearing somebody else’s clothes but he’d been wrong. These cowboy duds felt great.

Sarah had offered him several shirts and pairs of jeans along with clean underwear. Neither of them had talked about the need for underwear, but he was soaked through.

Once Sarah had handed over the clothes, she’d waited outside the laundry room while he tried them on. He’d chosen the first things he’d put on for expediency’s sake. But the longer he wore them, the more right they seemed.

When he’d asked her who the clothes had belonged to, she’d confided that they’d all been Jack’s. Now that Jack was relaxed, happy and enjoying married life, he’d put on a little weight and couldn’t wear them anymore without straining the seams. She’d made Wyatt promise not to mention the weight gain to Jack, because he swore the clothes had shrunk in the wash.

Apparently Wyatt was about the size that Jack had been a year ago, before he’d married Josie. Knowing they were so alike in build, if not in coloring, had pleased Wyatt. But meeting Jack while wearing his old clothes might be weird. Wyatt planned to drive back to the Bunk and Grub and change into his own stuff before Jack came home.

In the meantime, he liked the way Olivia had looked at him when he’d first come into the room. He hadn’t thought about whether she had a soft spot in her heart for cowboys, and if so, he might decide to brush up on his riding skills and pick up some Western wear of his own. Re-creating that sparkle in her blue eyes would be worth the effort.

Sarah finished the introductions and turned to Olivia. “So who would you like to do first?”

In what looked like a purely unconscious move, Olivia glanced at Wyatt, and he swore he could read her X-rated response. Heat rocketed through him. Wow. He was definitely buying Western clothes before he left town.

She turned bright red before she looked away. “Why don’t I start on Josie’s nails while little Archie is asleep?”

“That’s fine with me, but he sleeps through anything,” Josie said. “But I guess if you do my nails first, they’ll be dry in case he does wake up.”

“I just thought of something.” Sarah looked worried as she glanced at Olivia. “You’ll want warm water for your finger bowl and the foot bath. The hot water heater’s electric, so we have hot water now, but we won’t for the rest of the evening.”

“We can hang a kettle over the fire like people did in the old days,” Mary Lou said.

Sarah brightened. “Sure we can. Problem solved. Let’s get that kettle going now so it’ll be ready when the water from the heater turns cool.”

Talk of manicures and footbaths galvanized Wyatt into action. “I think it’s about time for me to take Rodney and vamoose.”

“Oh, no, you don’t.” Mary Lou smiled at him. “Now that we’re in full swing, I could use some help getting the food laid out.”

“We can help, Mary Lou,” Dominique said. “Morgan has her hands full with SB, but the rest of us can schlep things from the kitchen.”

“Hey, I’m glad to do it,” Wyatt said. “I’m the party crasher around here, so it would make me feel better if I can be useful.”

Dominique put down her wineglass. “Okay, but we can still help.”

“Absolutely,” Tyler said. “I’m actually good at this kind of thing.”

“Ladies, ladies.” Mary Lou held up both hands. “Your offer is much appreciated, but I think you should let this nice young man do the honors. I’ve had my eye on him since he walked in. I said to myself, Oh, good. There’s our muscle.”

Wyatt pretended not to hear the muffled laughter that followed that remark. “Then it’s settled. Everybody relax and I’ll handle it.” Considering how hungry he was and how many delicious smells had invaded the laundry room while he was changing clothes, he was more than willing to facilitate the food situation. He could always disappear after the meal part.

“Great,” Mary Lou said. “Come on back and I’ll show you where the large folding tables are stored. We need a couple set up in the living room so we can create a buffet. That way everyone can munch whenever they feel like it. Since the stove’s electric, I need to move the hot food into chafing dishes and bring them out here.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Wyatt was aware of everyone eyeing him with amusement.

“Oh, and I’d appreciate it if you’d bring that light of yours into the kitchen, too.”

“Sure thing.” Wyatt grabbed the lantern from where he’d left it and followed Mary Lou down the same hall he’d recently traveled with Sarah. The left wall was a bank of windows, which now looked out on rain and streaks of lightning. But each time the lightning flashed, it lit up the other wall, which was covered with framed photos.

“What are all those pictures?” Wyatt asked.

“Family.” Mary Lou kept walking. “No sense in trying to show you now, though. We’d have to use your lantern and we should probably conserve the batteries. But the entire history of the Chance family is there in those pictures.”

“I’d like to study that.” His mother would never allow a wall of pictures to spoil her ultrachic decor.

“I’m sure you would. Come down in the morning and I’ll give you a guided tour.” Mary Lou kept walking, but she glanced over at him. “I wish you well, Wyatt Locke. Your mother caused a lot of pain in this family but that’s not your fault. It took guts for you to come back here, and that tells me you’d fit in a lot better than Diana ever did.” She caught her breath. “Oh, I shouldn’t have said that. It wasn’t respectful. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. I know my mother’s not a popular person around the ranch.” He hesitated, torn between truth and disloyalty. “She’s a complicated woman. Being her son hasn’t always been easy.”

“Well said.” Mary Lou reached over and patted his arm. “I personally think you’ll be good for Jack. I only hope he’ll be good for you, too.”

“We’ll see, Mary Lou. We’ll see.”

After that they didn’t have time for philosophical discussions. Wyatt carried the folding banquet tables back down the hall and set them up while Mary Lou used his battery-operated lantern to light her work space in the kitchen. Because the ranch was used to serving hot food outdoors for barbecues, Mary Lou had an assortment of warming pans heated by gel packs instead of electricity.

As Wyatt helped her bring in the food, he laughed at his assumption that it would be finger sandwiches and tea cakes. This was hearty ranch fare—baked beans, ears of corn, coleslaw, fried chicken, mashed potatoes and a giant platter of chocolate frosted brownies for dessert. The only nod to what Wyatt considered girly food was a big bowl of salad and a relish tray of carrot sticks, celery, radishes, pickles and green onions.

Sarah told Wyatt where to find a high chair for little SB, and he brought that in along with an oil cloth he spread under it to catch food fallout. Then he helped Morgan settle the little redheaded girl into her seat, along with her stuffed dinosaur and a bowlful of dry Cheerios. He’d never spent much time around little kids and he was surprised that he instinctively took to it.

Mary Lou announced the food was ready and the women didn’t hold back. Laughing and talking, they loaded their plates and refilled their wineglasses. Wyatt, being gentlemanly and an uninvited guest, waited until they’d all gone through the line. That included Olivia, who’d finished Josie’s manicure.

“I’ll fix your plate for you,” Olivia said to Josie. “You need to be careful of your fingernails.”

“I can do it for Josie,” Wyatt said. “You go ahead and eat, Olivia.”

“Why, thank you.” She gave him such a dazzling smile that he temporarily forgot what he’d volunteered for. He was fascinated by that tiny space between her front teeth. Adorable.

“You’re making points fast,” Josie said to him. “Gallantry counts around here. Are you sure you’re not a cowboy?”

When she spoke, he refocused on his task and picked up a plate. “My brother and I used to pretend to be cowboys when we were kids.” He grabbed a napkin and utensils, too. “Does that count?”

“Absolutely.” She pointed to the steaming baked beans. “Lots of those, please. Light on the potatoes and heavy on the coleslaw.”

Wyatt loaded Josie’s plate as instructed and carried it over to an empty chair next to the baby carrier sitting on the floor. Archie slept on, despite the racket.

After making sure Josie was all set and hadn’t ruined her manicure, Wyatt crouched down next to the baby carrier. “Looks like he took after you more than Jack.”

“I think so.” Josie gazed with fondness at her son. “He has Jack’s nose, though, and of course he’s only four months. His blond hair could get darker, but he definitely didn’t inherit Jack’s coloring.”

Wyatt studied the tiny face, so sweet and soft. Something about the nose reminded him of Rafe’s baby pictures. “He looks … familiar.”

“He should. You’re related to him.” Josie laid down her fork and looked at Wyatt. “I hope you’ll be patient with my husband. He puts his shields up when it comes to you, even though it’s not your fault that your mother … well …”

“Abandoned him.” Wyatt met her gaze. “It’s okay. You can say it. There’s no good excuse for what she did and I promise I won’t try to make any.”

“I’m sure that will help. At one time I thought Jack had accepted his past, but meeting you has stirred it up again. Unfortunately I think he resents the fact that she started another family while continuing to pretend he didn’t exist.”

Guilt pricked him. “I don’t want to create problems.”

“You’re not the one who created the problem. Diana did. Jack knows about you and your brother now, so you can’t put the toothpaste in the tube again. Coming back was the right move, in my opinion.”

“Thanks, Josie. Jack’s a lucky guy to have you.”

“We’re lucky to have each other,” she said softly. Then her glance shifted as she looked over his shoulder. “Too bad you can’t see the expression on Olivia’s face right now. Women get all mushy when they see a guy crouched down next to a baby.”

Warmth crept up the back of his neck and he resisted the urge to turn around. “But I wasn’t doing it for—”

“I know. I can see that you’re the real deal, Wyatt. Olivia can, too. We all can. Even Rodney.”

Upon hearing his name, the dog padded over and pushed his nose against Wyatt’s leg. Wyatt ran a hand over the dog’s silky head. “Yeah, I know, Rod. I promised you we’d hang out and here I am ignoring you.”

Josie chuckled. “Now Olivia’s really got a sappy look on her face. Kids and dogs. I’m telling you, Wyatt, you have a gift. Not that it’s any of my business, but is there a girl back home?”

“No, actually, there’s not. I’ve been pretty busy getting my business up and running.”

“In that case, I suggest you grab a plate of food and go sit by Olivia while she has a moment to herself.”

Wyatt smiled. “Believe I will. Come on, Rod. Apparently you’re an asset to the cause.”

As Wyatt headed to the buffet table, Mary Lou handed him a cold bottle of beer. “Most times the guys prefer this to wine,” she said.

“Thanks, Mary Lou.”

“There’s more where that came from. I brought in a small cooler and put it under the table. Consider it your reward for all your fine work.”

“You’re a gem.” He tucked the beer in the crook of his arm, filled a plate with food, and walked over to where Olivia sat on a leather-covered ottoman.

She glanced up, welcome in her blue eyes. “Hi, there. I’d offer you a seat, but there isn’t one.”

“No worries.” Setting his plate on a nearby end table, he crouched down next to her. Rodney took a spot right by his feet. “I’m used to making do.” He unscrewed the cap on his beer and took a swallow. “That’s quite a spread Mary Lou put on.”

“See, I told you to stay for the food.”

He didn’t say what he was thinking, that he’d eat twigs and leaves if he could be near her while doing it. “You were right.” He noticed that Rodney was staring up at him as if he hadn’t had a decent meal in a week. “The dog thinks so, too.”

“Don’t feed him anything. Sarah has him on a special diet. He’s overweight.”

“How can you tell with a basset hound? They’re all sort of roly-poly.”

“Beats me, but she wants him to be able to fit into his life vest and it’s still a little tight.”

Wyatt blinked. “His what?”

“One reason she wanted to adopt him, besides the fact he’s adorable, was his tracking ability. Sarah’s always wanted a tracking dog on the ranch. Butch and Sundance, the two mixed breeds living down in the barn, aren’t particularly good trackers.”

“So what’s that got to do with a life vest?”

“There are streams and ponds all over the property, and basset hounds can’t swim. Their bones are too dense.”

“They are?” Wyatt looked down at Rodney. “I didn’t know that.”

“Me either, but Sarah researched it. If she wants to turn him loose to do his tracking, he has to wear a life vest so he won’t accidentally fall in the water and drown.”

Wyatt took another swig of his beer and glanced down at Rodney. “I’m getting quite a visual here, Rod. I’m thinking YouTube video star, aren’t you?”

Olivia laughed. “I think you’re on to something. Definitely bring a camcorder next time you come to the ranch.” She picked up her empty plate and stood. “Well, time for me to get back to work. You can have the ottoman.”

Wyatt rose, too. “Actually, I think I’ll take my plate, my beer and the dog into the kitchen. I’ll just be in the way out here.”

“I heard that.” Morgan, little SB on her hip, walked toward him. “Don’t think you can sneak out of here that easy. I’m sure I speak for everyone when I say we’d love for you to hang around.”

“Yes, we definitely would,” said Dominique from her spot on one of the couches.

Wyatt wasn’t sure where this was headed. He glanced over at Olivia, but she was already settled into her chair and preparing for her next customer. “Hey, I’ll just cramp your style,” he said to the room in general. “Rodney and I will be fine in the kitchen, right, Rod?”

The dog gave him a doleful look.

“Our style isn’t that easily cramped,” Morgan said. “And we need somebody to tend the fire and add wood. We’ll all have fresh manicures and can’t do that.” She looked up at him. “Unless you’re planning to get a manicure, too, in which case we—”

“I’m not getting a manicure.”

“See? So you’d be perfect, then. Instead of a designated driver we need a designated fire tender.”

Wyatt had to hand it to these Chance women. They were very good at maneuvering a guy into doing what they wanted. “Then I’d be honored to watch the fire for you.”

“Excellent.” Morgan beamed at him. “Besides, it’s not every day we get the opportunity to talk to a single guy without our husbands around to kibitz.”

He gave her a wary look. “Talk about what?”

“What else?” Morgan’s green eyes twinkled. “Men!”




4


OLIVIA ALMOST FELT SORRY for Wyatt, who looked somewhat like a cornered animal. But he was a big boy, and besides, she was curious to see how this would turn out.

“I’m not sure what you mean,” he said.

“Let me explain.” Morgan shifted SB to her other hip. “Most of us in this room are married, and the ones who aren’t are getting closer by the day.”

“Not true,” Mary Lou said. “I’m never marrying that old fool Watkins, and you can quote me on that.”

“Emmett still has a burr under his saddle about the size of my bank account,” Pam said. “So I don’t see us tying the knot anytime soon, either.”

All attention focused on Sarah, the remaining single lady other than Olivia. Sarah was blushing.

Morgan paused expectantly. “Well? Do you have news at long last?”

She cleared her throat. “I guess it’s okay to say something.”

Dominique laughed. “At this point, I think it’s required to say something, Sarah. We’re all dying of curiosity. Have been for months.”

“Well, Pete and I have talked about it, but we haven’t set an actual—”

Squeals of joy erupted as everyone ran over to hug Sarah. Olivia, who didn’t feel she knew Sarah quite well enough to be part of the hug fest, motioned Wyatt over to the manicure table so she could fill him in on the meaning of the uproar.

He walked over, carrying his beer. “Who’s Pete?”

“Peter Beckett. He’s a local philanthropist. He and Sarah put together a youth program that begins here in two weeks. They’ll be boarding several problem teens and giving them a chance to work at the ranch for the summer.”

Wyatt’s eyes widened. “Hey, that’s cool.”

“It is. Really cool. And everyone’s suspected a romance between the two of them, but Sarah always denied it before.”

“She looks happy. Is this Peter guy good enough for her?”

“Her sons all like him, so I’d say he has the Chance stamp of approval.”

Emotion flickered in Wyatt’s soft gray eyes. “I have a feeling that’s not so easy to get.”

“Don’t worry. It’ll work out between you and Jack.” She gazed up at him. “You already have a lot of support right in this room.”

“I hope so. I’d enjoy being part of life around here.”

“Even when you’re about to be put on the hot seat?”

“Yeah.” He massaged the back of his neck. “I’m not sure what that’s all about.”

“After all my years as a beautician listening to women talk, I can make an educated guess. Husbands are more prone to say what they think their wives want to hear. These gals are hoping you might actually tell them the truth about what guys are thinking.”

“But it’s only one point of view.”

“Yes, but you’ve established yourself as one of the good guys and that makes your point of view worth exploring.” She pushed back her chair. “I’ll get you another beer. That should help.”

Before he could protest, she’d hurried over to the buffet table and snagged another bottle out of the ice-filled cooler Mary Lou had brought in.

“Here.” She handed it to him and then stepped closer. “Listen, before I make a complete fool of myself, I need to ask you something.”

“What’s that?”

“Are you involved with anyone?”

He looked into her eyes and his gaze was straightforward. “Nope, I’m not. Not at all. Are you?”

“Not yet.” Rising up on tiptoe, she gave him another one of her drive-by kisses. She was fast becoming obsessed with his mouth, but she didn’t dare linger. “I have to refresh my soaking solution.” She picked up the crystal bowl she used for that purpose and headed toward a bathroom located just down the hall on the right.

If she’d ever met a more adorable guy than Wyatt, she couldn’t recall who it might have been. If he truly wanted to relocate to Shoshone, Wyoming, she’d do whatever she could to help him make that happen.

ONCE AGAIN, OLIVIA HAD GOTTEN the drop on him. Wyatt vowed that the next time he’d be ready for her when she did that and he’d get in some lip pressure of his own. In the meantime, he stood there holding one full bottle of beer and one nearly empty one while he gazed after her like some love-struck adolescent. He finished off the almost-empty beer and looked for a place to put the bottle.

“I’ll take that.” Morgan appeared at his elbow with her red-haired mini-me propped on her hip. “You need to finish your meal because we really do have some burning questions.”

If Wyatt had hoped Morgan had forgotten her original plan in the flurry of excitement over Sarah’s admission, that hope was now officially dashed. “I’m really not very knowledgeable about—”

“Now don’t be modest, Wyatt. You’re eligible and you’re gorgeous, which puts you in the perfect position to give us some insight into how guys think these days.” She gestured to an empty chair. “That seat’s available. I’ll be right back.”

Wyatt glanced over at Olivia, who’d just started working on Pam Mulholland’s nails. Olivia looked up with an encouraging smile. She’d told him he had support in this room, so maybe he should stick around. Retrieving his plate, he sat in the chair Morgan had indicated and began to eat. He probably needed to keep up his strength.




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