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Claimed!
Vicki Lewis Thompson


He’s everything she wants… Following a dream brought Josie Keller to Wyoming. Following her heart brought her plenty of great sex with gorgeous good-time cowboy Jack Chance! She was head over heels for him…until he left her. Stay with one woman? Not a chance! Then why does Jack miss Josie like crazy? Had their relationship been more than just incredible sex?Little do Josie and Jack know that a plan’s afoot to get them back together. And once there it’s not long before they’re burning up the sheets again! Jack has to decide if he’s going to stake his claim on Josie, or lose her forever…










Harlequin is thrilled to welcome Vicki Lewis Thompson back to Blaze


.

Look what people are saying about this talented author’s latest works.

“Vicki Lewis Thompson gives readers

a sexy, funny tale.”

—Romance Reviews TodayonBetter Naughty than Nice

“Hang on for the ride of your life …

I could not put this book down!”— Night Owl ReviewsonBlonde with a Wand

“If you thought Over Hexed was phenomenal, wait until you read Wild & Hexy! … A rip-roaring good time.” —Romance Junkies

“The same trademark blend of comedy and heart that

won Thompson’s Nerd series a loyal following.”

—Publishers WeeklyonOver Hexed

“Thompson mixes magic, small-town quirkiness

and passionate sex for a winsome effect.”

—BookListonOver Hexed




About the Author


New York Times bestselling author VICKI LEWIS THOMPSON has been writing books for a few (cough, cough) years now, and she has a Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award from Romance Writers of America to prove it. Turns out that after all these years and all these books, the process is as exciting and challenging as ever. In other words, the one hundred and first book is no easier to write than the first! And she wouldn’t have it any other way. This is a great job and somebody has to do it. She feels lucky that she’s been allowed to share her fantasy world with readers everywhere.


Dear Reader,

Summer nights are cool in Wyoming, but the right cowboy can raise the temperature in no time! And I have just the cowboy for you. Join me while we follow Jack, the oldest Chance brother, as he calls on his ex-girlfriend, Josie, owner of the Spirits and Spurs saloon.

The bar is closed and Shoshone’s Main Street is deserted. If you listen carefully, you’ll hear the hoot of an owl perched on a nearby lamppost. The moon peeks out from a passing cloud, but Jack doesn’t need its light to find his way. It’s been ten long months since he climbed the stairs to Josie’s apartment above the bar, but he could do it blindfolded.

Many things have changed, though, in those ten months. Jack’s now in charge of running the Last Chance Ranch, a place dedicated to those who deserve a last chance at happiness. And if anyone needs that, it’s the broad-shouldered cowboy climbing those wooden stairs. Come listen to Jack’s story. And welcome back!

Warmly,

Vicki


CLAIMED!

VICKI LEWIS THOMPSON














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


To all those compassionate souls who have cared

for a child not their own,and who have never let the

circumstances of birth stop them from doing

what needed to be done.




Prologue







8:32 p.m., May 14, 1946

“BEAR DOWN, Eleanor!” Delia, a midwife from Jackson, coached the birth from the foot of Archie and Nelsie Chance’s marriage bed. “This little tyke’s a stubborn one.”

Archie gripped his wife’s hand. “Not as stubborn as my wife,” he said with pride. He’d watched her battle for five hours to have this baby. Her language had grown more colorful, but her spirit had never flagged. He crouched down and murmured in her ear. “Come on, Nelsie girl. You can do it.”

Nelsie panted and dug her nails into his hand. “Damn right I can. This kid is going to be born … right … now!” And she let out a yell that would have done a cowhand proud.

Delia whooped. “That does it!” She eased the baby free. “Congratulations. You have yourselves a bouncing baby boy.”

Still clutching Nelsie’s hand, Archie rose to his feet and stared in wonder. The baby was as red as a boiled lobster and slippery with goo. As Delia ran a cloth over the wrinkled little face, the baby sputtered once before launching into a series of high-pitched, hiccuping wails. Archie’s vision blurred and his chest tightened. A son. He had a son.

“Archie?” Nelsie squeezed his hand. “Are you okay?”

Clearing his throat, he blinked away tears. “I’ve never been more okay in my life.” He leaned down to give her a tender kiss. “How about you, brave girl?”

“Much better, now.”

“Thank you for having our baby.”

Nelsie looked a little misty-eyed herself. “My pleasure. Well, maybe not. It was a lot more fun making that baby than having him.”

“I’ll bet.” He kissed her again. “You were great.”

“So who wants to hold him first?” Delia approached with the squalling baby wrapped in a blanket.

Archie had assisted many a calf into this life and a few foals, as well, but holding this baby scared the bejesus out of him. “Maybe you’d better give him to Nelsie.”

“No.” Nelsie’s voice was firm. “You hold him first, Arch. I want Delia to take a picture. The camera’s on the dresser.”

“Uh, okay.” Archie could hardly refuse after all Nelsie had been through. Reluctantly he accepted the red-faced little kid, who was working up quite a head of steam. “Just for the picture.”

“Support his head in the crook of your arm.” Delia positioned the baby to her satisfaction. “There. I’ll get the camera. By the way, have you picked a name?”

Archie stood frozen to the spot and gazed down at the tiny face, the eyes squeezed shut and the toothless mouth pouring out all that baby anguish.

“We decided on Jonathan Edward,” he said. “Jonathan for Nelsie’s father and Edward for mine.”

“That’s a fine name,” Delia said. “Suits him.”

Archie wasn’t sure. It seemed like a really big name for such a tiny thing. “Shh,” he murmured, jiggling the baby just a little bit, the way he’d seen people do. “Shh, Jonathan.”

As if a switch had been thrown, the baby stopped crying. With a ragged sigh, Jonathan Edward opened his little eyes.

“See?” Nelsie’s voice trembled. “He likes his name.”

“Guess so.” Archie’s chest swelled as he looked into those unfocused baby eyes.

“Hold still so I can get the picture,” Delia said.

Archie didn’t glance up as the camera flashed. That newborn gaze held all his attention. Slowly he began to contemplate something he hadn’t dared think about until now. Life held no guarantees, but with a little luck, this tiny baby would grow into his name. And with even more luck, Jonathan Edward Chance would continue the legacy of the Last Chance Ranch.




1







Present day

“JOSIE, THERE’S A drunken cowboy at the door.”

Jack Chance stared at the tall guy silhouetted in the doorway of Josie’s place. His Josie. “Who the hell are you?”

“That’s none of your business. Look, Josie closed the bar thirty minutes ago, and besides, you don’t look as if you need another—”

“You’d better not be her boyfriend.” Jack was a tad bit liquored up, but he’d been sober enough to climb the stairs to Josie’s apartment above the Spirits and Spurs without stumbling. He also was sober enough to understand the significance of a guy answering her door at this hour of the night.

The intruder shifted his stance. “And you’d better be on your way, cowboy.”

That’s when Jack noticed the bastard wasn’t wearing shoes or socks. Jack’s blood boiled. How dare this yahoo move in on his girl? True, they’d broken up a few months ago. Okay, ten months ago. But just who did this idiot think he was, standing barefoot in Josie’s apartment like he owned the place?

“Alex?” Josie’s voice came from somewhere in the back of the apartment. Like the bedroom. “Find out who it is, okay?”

Jack clenched his right fist. “The name’s Jonathan Edward Chance, Jr., and Josie Keller’s my girl.” Then he punched this Alex joker smack in the kisser.

Sad to say, it wasn’t much of a blow. Jack wasn’t as steady as he might have been and the guy dodged at the last minute. Failing to land a solid punch, Jack dropped his shoulder and threw a tackle. That proved to be more effective. They both went down hard. Jack lost his hat and a good part of his dignity.

Alex swore and struggled to get free, but Jack had him pinned. It was a hollow victory, though, because Jack had knocked the wind clean out of himself.

“What in the name of heaven is going on?”

I’m guarding my territory. The thought went through Jack’s head, but he didn’t have the breath to say it.

“Jack Chance, get off my brother this minute!”

Thank God he hadn’t said it. Her brother? Jee-sus. The back of his neck grew hot as he pushed himself to his hands and knees.

Alex glared up at him. He didn’t look happy. But he did look quite a bit like Josie. Same blond hair, same gray eyes. Come to think of it, Josie had mentioned an older brother named Alex, but he was supposed to be in Chicago, not standing in her doorway barefoot, giving the wrong impression that he was fixing to be Jack’s replacement.

“Sorry about that, man.” Jack staggered to his feet and held out a hand to help the guy up.

Alex ignored Jack’s outstretched hand and stood under his own power. Then he turned to Josie. “I take it you know this jerk.”

Josie must have been getting ready for bed. She was wearing that silky black robe Jack remembered, but her jeans peeked out underneath, so she hadn’t completed undressing when Jack had arrived. She hadn’t taken her long hair out of its braid, either. Jack used to love when she did that. He used to love everything Josie did.

She sighed. “Yes, I know him. This is Jack Chance, the guy I was dating last year.”

Dating. Such a lame word for what they’d had going. Josie made it sound as if they’d kept each other company during the occasional dinner, followed by a PG-rated movie. Instead they’d spent hours having wild monkey sex in this apartment. Sometimes they’d even used the bed. There wasn’t a piece of furniture in the place that didn’t remind Jack of being buck naked with Josie.

Well, maybe the stove. They’d never done it on the stove, because sure as the world they would have hit a switch in the midst of the crazy action and singed something vital. They couldn’t get enough of each other back then.

Alex’s eyes narrowed and he clenched his fists at his sides. “So this is the one.”

Stepping neatly between Jack and Alex, Josie put a hand on her brother’s chest. “I’m not angry about that anymore, Alex.”

Jack got a whiff of her perfume, which had always reminded him of peach schnapps. God, how he’d missed her.

“You may not be angry anymore, but I’m pissed as hell.” Alex’s jaw tightened. “As I recall, this SOB dropped you like a hot potato when his dad died. And now he has the unmitigated gall to barge in here as if—”

“I thought you were her new boyfriend, Keller. Sorry.” Nobody had ever accused Jack of having unmitigated gall. Not many folks around Shoshone, Wyoming, talked that way. He’d been accused of having a hell of a lot of nerve, but never unmitigated gall.

Last Jack had heard, Alex was a DJ for one of Chicago’s drive-time radio shows. Stood to reason he’d have a big-deal vocabulary to go with his job.

“And what if I had been her boyfriend, hotshot?” Alex balanced on the balls of his feet. “You think you can dictate who she sees? Somebody needs to teach you some manners.”

Jack figured the guy could start swinging any minute. Although Jack had never had a sister, he could imagine how a brother might feel toward someone who had treated his sister the way Jack had treated Josie. He wasn’t proud of his actions, but at the time they’d made some sort of crazy sense.

He’d been in bed with Josie the morning his dad had called wanting his help to pick up a filly from a nearby ranch. Jack had put him off with the excuse that a storm was brewing, when actually he hadn’t wanted to leave Josie. His dad had gone alone, rolled the truck and died. Riddled with guilt, Jack had punished himself the only way he knew how. He’d told Josie they were finished.

No wonder Alex wanted to punch his lights out. Any brother worth his salt would feel the same. Jack had never been one to back down from a fight if he believed in the cause, but this time he was in the wrong and he knew it.

“I’ll just leave, then,” he said.

Josie relaxed a little. “Good idea, Jack.”

He started for the door and paused to glance over his shoulder. “I really did think he was your new boyfriend.”

She gazed at him with eyes the color of a storm cloud. “And that would bother you?”

His brain definitely wasn’t working, because he hadn’t realized until that moment how his caveman tactics had exposed him. “Reflex,” he said, trying to pawn the punch off as nothing more than habit.

“I see.”

“Pure knee-jerk reaction. See you all later.” It might have been a decent exit if he hadn’t tripped on the door-sill. He didn’t fall, but he came damned close to it. Face burning, he started down the wooden stairway to the street level. If Josie told anybody about this, he’d never hear the end of it.

“Jack, wait.” Josie caught up with him partway down and laid a hand on his arm. “You shouldn’t drive home.”

He glanced back at her. Her hair had come a little bit loose from her braid, and the porch light shone on the top of her head, creating a kind of halo. He knew for a fact she was no angel, but damn, she was beautiful.

“I’m okay,” he said. “Just clumsy.” He wasn’t about to tell her he had no vehicle at his disposal. He hadn’t intended to come into town at all tonight.

He’d been at the ranch quietly getting soused. It was his pathetic attempt to ease the crushing sense of responsibility he felt now that he was in charge of everything. He’d been interrupted in that endeavor when his youngest brother, Gabe, had come home devastated because Morgan, the woman he loved, had turned down his marriage proposal.

Jack had convinced him to drive back into town and repeat the proposal with Jack riding shotgun and giving moral support.

“Leave your truck here and let me drive you home,” Josie said.

“Sorry. Too humiliating.”

“Don’t be stupid, Jack. Your family doesn’t need another tragedy.”

A reminder like that still had the power to slice through him. “That’s a cheap shot.”

“Maybe, but I don’t want to find out tomorrow that you drove into a tree on the way home, so I’m willing to fight dirty. Your truck will be fine here.” She glanced down at the parking area. “Where is your truck, by the way? I don’t see it.”

Jack sighed. Gabe would pay for this. When Gabe’s second proposal had worked out, Gabe had disappeared inside Morgan’s house, taking the truck keys with him. On his way in, he’d suggested Jack go knock on Josie’s door. Lured by his brother’s success with his woman, Jack had decided to go for broke.

Which had landed him in this pile of stinking cow manure.

“Josie, just go back inside and let me take care of my own problems, okay?”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “No.”

“What do you mean, no? Are you planning to sling me over your shoulder and throw me in the back of your Bronco?”

“I mean that you owe me, Jack Chance. You owe me big time for the way you acted ten months ago. I don’t want things to get any uglier because you drove away from my place and got in a wreck. Your family already blames me for—”

“They don’t.”

“Not to my face, but it was because of me you didn’t pick up that filly with your dad. If I hadn’t been in the picture, he might still be alive.”

“Good God, is that what you think? That it’s somehow your fault?” Jack was stunned. He thought he had the corner on guilt, but maybe not.

“Logically I know it wasn’t my fault. You’re a big boy.”

“My point exactly. About that morning and tonight. Go back inside. I’m not your problem.”

She didn’t budge. “Logically I get that. But emotionally … that’s a whole other thing. I wish I’d kicked you out of bed that morning, Jack. I wish I’d told you to go help your dad trailer that filly to the Last Chance.”

“Wasn’t your call.”

“So you don’t blame me?”

He heard the pain in her voice and knew that he’d caused it. “I never did.”

“Then why’d you end … us?”

“Some sort of penance, I guess. Thought I didn’t deserve to be happy.” And he had been happy. They had been happy. In his slightly inebriated state tonight, he’d deluded himself into thinking that the problems between them would magically evaporate and they could be happy again.

She bowed her head for a moment. When she looked at him, her gaze was direct. “I’m driving you home. Stay right here while I put my shirt on and get my wallet and keys.”

“Josie, I can—”

“Do it, Jack! Let’s stop the bullshit and do the sensible thing for once! I didn’t kick you out of bed ten months ago, but I damned sure won’t let you drive home tonight. I won’t have it on my conscience.”

She was fired up, and he couldn’t say he blamed her. After all, he was the one who had knocked on her door. Gabe had suggested it, but he hadn’t twisted Jack’s arm. Once again, Jack knew who was to blame for this disaster. “All right,” he said. “I’ll wait here until you get back.”

“Let me drive him home,” Alex said once Josie announced her intentions. “You shouldn’t be dealing with that jerk.”

“I appreciate your protectiveness, but better me than you.” Josie smiled at him. She loved having her only sibling around, although she hated his reason for coming.

His divorce from Crystal had become final this week, and he’d taken unused vacation time to get some perspective on the situation. Crystal had initiated the proceedings, and he still hadn’t recovered from the shock.

Only two years apart, Josie and Alex had fought like wildcats as kids, but as adults they were the best of friends. Alex was the first person Josie called for advice, and vice-versa. They were always there for each other, and she was happy to have him camp out on her hide-a-bed for as long as he needed to.

“What if I promise not to rough him up?” Alex said.

Josie laughed as she headed into the bedroom to change out of her bathrobe. “I wouldn’t believe you. You should have seen yourself once you knew who he was. You all but pawed the ground.”

Alex followed her down the short hallway of her apartment. “Have you forgotten how miserable you were when he pulled the plug on the relationship?”

“No, I haven’t forgotten.” She turned and looked at her blond Adonis of a brother. Crystal was an idiot who’d never appreciated him. “Tell me this, Alex. If you thought there was a chance to start over with Crystal, would you take it?”

He hesitated. “I don’t know. We’ve said some things that can’t be unsaid.”

“Same with me and Jack. But we meant a lot to each other once.” More than a lot. Jack had been everything to her, and she’d kidded herself that he felt the same. Then he’d spoken those horrible words that she’d never forget—No big deal, Josie. It was just sex.

“Be careful, sis.”

“I will.” And she would be, she vowed as she went into her bedroom to exchange her robe for the western shirt she’d thrown on the bed. Ten months ago, when she’d been more gullible, Jack had been capable of cutting her off at the knees.

But since then she’d admitted to herself that she’d woven a fantasy out of nothing. Jack had never told her he loved her, never suggested they could spend their lives together. No matter what happened between her and Jack now, she wouldn’t wear rose-colored glasses ever again.

She liked having the advantage that he’d come to her, though. True, he was slightly drunk and his guard was down. Ever since the painful phone call announcing Jonathan’s death and the end of their relationship, Jack had avoided the Spirits and Spurs. Josie had run into him a few times in town, and he’d remained polite but distant. He wasn’t that way now, but he could be again.

In fact, she could count on it. Jack didn’t like to be vulnerable, and that’s exactly what he’d been tonight. He didn’t want her driving him home, but she’d played her trump card by reminding him that his dad had been killed behind the wheel.

She’d played that card willingly. Jack might be able to navigate the rural two-lane between Shoshone and the Last Chance Ranch, but she wasn’t going to risk it. If anything happened to him …

Grabbing her wallet, her cell phone and the keys to her Bronco, she headed down the hall.

Alex stood and tossed aside the magazine he’d been reading. “I’m going. Mom and Dad told me to keep an eye on you while I was out here, and this qualifies.”

“You’re not going.”

“I don’t trust him.”

“I’m perfectly safe, Alex. Jack may have broken my heart, but he’d never harm me. Underneath all that bluster is a very gentle soul.”

Alex snorted. “So I noticed when he assaulted me.”

“That was a mistake.”

“Oh, it was a mistake, all right. Now he’s on my list.”

“Please don’t judge him by tonight. He’s not that kind of guy.”

“What kind of guy is he?”

“Confused. His mom left when he was three. He pretends it was no big deal, but I think it colors everything.”

Alex gazed at her. “You’re still in love with him.”

Josie opened her mouth to protest, but she knew it would be a lie. She’d tried to stop loving Jack, but she hadn’t had much luck. She’d meshed with him in a way she hadn’t with any other man. Their conversation came easily and their silences were never uncomfortable.

Then there was the sexual connection. His deep voice still haunted her dreams. She’d wake in the middle of the night, hot and aching for his touch.

With Jack she’d lost all her inhibitions. She’d felt alive, sensual, beautiful. Several people had warned her that he was a playboy who never stayed with a woman for long.

Some said it all went back to his mother leaving. Jack didn’t want to be left again, they figured, so he made sure he cut out before another woman could hurt him. But his affair with Josie had lasted six glorious months and he’d shown no signs of leaving.

Extraordinary circumstances had ended the relationship. Josie wondered what would have happened if Jonathan Chance hadn’t died and reawakened all Jack’s fears of being abandoned by those he loved. It was clear Jack hadn’t forgotten about her if he’d come here tonight ready to fight for her.

Alex sighed. “So you’re in love with him. Unfortunately, I don’t think that he’s—”

“Maybe he isn’t in love with me, but we were building something together. Then when his dad died, it all went to hell.”

“He was cruel and insensitive. Those are your words, by the way, not mine.”

“I know, but people can change. They can escape their past.”

“Oh, Josie, don’t fall into that trap.” Then he laughed and scrubbed a hand over his face. “Listen to me, giving you advice when my love life is in the dumper.”

Josie moved closer and gave him a hug. “I’ll be okay. Don’t worry about me.”

“Too late. I’m already worried. Listen, tell that guy that if he doesn’t treat you like royalty, he’ll answer to me. He doesn’t want to mess with somebody who grew up on the mean streets of Chi-town.”

“You did not. You grew up in Arlington Heights.”

He grinned. “Yeah, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have connections. I know people who know people. Mention cement overshoes to him.”

She stood on tiptoe and kissed him on the cheek. “I’ll do that.” As if it would matter, but she didn’t say that to Alex. Jack Chance had been through hell and back. He wasn’t afraid of anyone or anything.




2







JACK CHOSE TO WAIT for Josie beside her dark green Bronco. As he leaned against the fender, cool night air blew most of the cobwebs from his brain and left him with a clear and present truth. He’d behaved like an ass tonight.

He’d been doing that quite a bit lately, but tonight could qualify as his most spectacular display of assholeness in his entire thirty-two years. If they gave out medals for being a complete loser, he would win the gold, hands down.

As his punishment, he would accept this ride home from Josie, because the reality was, he didn’t have a lot of choice. Rousting Gabe out of Morgan’s bed and demanding the keys to his truck would only add to Jack’s list of transgressions. Sure, he could walk home, but that would take a good hour, maybe closer to two. And besides, everyone knew cowboys didn’t walk.

So instead he waited for Josie and stared up at the unlit sign of a cowboy on a bucking bronco, with Spirits and Spurs lettered underneath. The bar used to be called The Rusty Spur, but Josie had changed the name when she’d bought the place three years ago. Newcomers to Shoshone assumed the Spirits part referred to alcohol. A person had to stick around a while to find out that Josie considered the bar haunted. Many locals played along and called the after-hours visitors Ghost Drinkers in the Bar.

Jack didn’t believe in ghosts. More specifically, he didn’t want to believe in ghosts. All he needed was to have his father come back from the dead and tell him he was screwing up the management of the ranch.

He probably was. Everyone complained that he worked them too hard, that he worked himself too hard. But he was in charge of the whole operation now, and he’d be damned if the Last Chance would go in the red on his watch.

He’d never wanted to be in charge, but his dad had assumed he would be someday. Jack hadn’t known how to tell him that he didn’t want that honor, that he’d rather have Nick or Gabe run the place. It had seemed ungrateful.

His unspoken dream was to take over as foreman when Emmett retired. He’d intended to propose that to Jonathan eventually, but he’d procrastinated and now it was too late. He would do what was expected of him.

Footsteps on gravel alerted him that Josie had arrived. He turned to watch her walk in his direction. Even in the dim light from the dusk-to-dawn lamp he could tell her expression was wary.

He ached for a return to the old days, when she’d greeted him with a smile brighter than a summer morning. Those days were gone, and if he’d had any idea of recapturing them, he’d ruined that possibility by attacking her brother and making a fool of himself in the process.

“An apology seems pretty lame under the circumstances,” he said. “But I’m offering one, anyway. I’m sorry I tried to punch out your brother.”

Her wary expression changed and she began to laugh. “Tried being the operative word. I’ve never seen you so uncoordinated, Jack.”

Her laughter helped ease the tension. “Good thing I wasn’t at my best, then. You’d be a lot more pissed at me if I’d rearranged his face.”

“He also would have rearranged yours. He might be a city boy, but he’s no slouch when it comes to a fight.”

Jack admired her loyal streak. Ten months ago, he’d been entitled to that loyalty, too. “I don’t doubt it. He’s your brother.”

That seemed to sit well with her, and she smiled. “And he’s more protective than I remembered. He told me to mention the possibility of cement overshoes.”

“In Wyoming?”

She shrugged.

“He needs to acclimate to the western way of doing things. Out here we bury people up to their necks in ant hills and pour honey on them.”

“Duly noted.” She pulled her keys out of her jeans pocket. “Ready to go?”

“Sure.” He would rather stand out here and talk until dawn the way they had the first time they’d recognized their mutual attraction.

He’d never forget that spring night. He’d flirted with her at the bar and then stayed until closing. She’d walked him out to the parking lot and they’d talked until sunup. Before he’d driven away, he’d kissed her and promised that the next night they’d do more than talk. And boy howdy, had they. They’d burned up the sheets that first night, and many nights afterward.

As he climbed into her Bronco, he realized he’d never been a passenger in her vehicle. They’d gone into Jackson a few times during the six months they’d been lovers, but he’d always driven. This reversal of roles felt weird. It threw him off his game.

When she got in, bringing with her the scent of peach schnapps, he braced himself for the tough part—being this close without touching her. They used to ride down the road with their hands entwined. A few times they’d parked somewhere secluded and made out because they couldn’t wait for the privacy of her apartment.

“Buckle up, cowboy.”

“Right.” He’d been caught staring at her and reminiscing. Not cool. He latched his seat belt and took a deep breath. “Thanks for driving me home.”

“No problem.” She started the engine. “Just where is your truck, anyway? I seriously doubt you walked into town.”

“I rode in with Gabe. We … had an errand over at Morgan’s.”

“Oh?” She pulled the Bronco onto the two-lane main road, which was deserted at this hour. “So where’s Gabe?”

“Still at Morgan’s, I’m sure.”

“Oh.” She caught the green at Shoshone’s only stoplight and headed toward the edge of town. “So they’re back together?”

“Looks like.” Jack thought it was Gabe and Morgan’s business when they announced the engagement. Although the ending to the evening could stand improvement in his case, he was happy that those two had patched things up.

“I’m beginning to get the picture.” Josie increased the Bronco’s speed as they left the town limits. “You had nowhere else to go, so you came over to my place.”

“You make it sound like a last resort.”

“Wasn’t it?”

“No. I could have.” She had him there. He had some buddies in town, but he’d made himself scarce recently because of the ranch responsibilities. After blowing his friends off every time they’d asked him to meet them for a beer, he couldn’t very well show up in the middle of the night looking for a ride home or a place on the couch.

“Reliable old Josie.” Her good humor seemed to have faded some. “A guy can always count on her to take him in, right?”

“That’s not the way I was thinking.” Fact was, he hadn’t been thinking or he would have figured out an alternative. Worse came to worse, he could have gone to Grandma Judy’s. Technically she wasn’t his grandmother. She was his stepmother, Sarah’s, mom.

She would have taken him in, though. And then told Sarah all about it the next day. He could have weathered that, but he wasn’t about to get an eighty-six-year-old woman out of bed, especially one who’d had a hip replacement barely two months ago.

“To think I imagined you’d chosen to come over to my place,” Josie said. “Instead I was just handy.”

“You have it all wrong!” The more she voiced the truth, the harder he’d deny it.

“No I don’t. Man up and admit it, Jack. I was the alternative to sleeping on a park bench, nothing more.”

“Is this why you offered to drive me home? So you could chew my ass all the way there?” Not that he blamed her.

“I offered because I’m a bartender, and I’m trained to recognize when someone is impaired and shouldn’t drive. I thought you had your truck and were about to get in it. I didn’t know you were stranded.”

“So if you’d known I didn’t have a truck to drive, you would have let me walk?”

She didn’t answer.

“You would have, wouldn’t you? Well, we can take care of that right now. Pull over.”

“No.”

“Pull over, damn it!”

“I said I’d drive you home and I will drive you home. I honor my commitments.”

“What do you mean by that crack?”

Her jaw tightened. “I think you know.”

She’d pushed him too far. Jack Chance always honored his word. “We didn’t have a commitment.”

“Oh, good one, Jack! No woman ties you down, does she? You can spend every spare minute getting naked with her, but I guess it’s all about the sex, just like you said that day, because when it comes to making a commitment, you just can’t see yourself doing that, can you?” Her voice sounded funny, sort of choked up.

He peered at her in the dim light of the dashboard. “Josie, are you crying?”

“No!” She swiped at her cheeks. “Got something in my eye.”

He didn’t buy it. She was crying, and that rattled him. In six months of being together, he’d never seen her cry. Of course, he’d broken up with her over the phone, because he couldn’t have done it in person. In person, he wouldn’t have been able to say the one thing that he knew would convince her they were finished—it was just sex. After delivering that message, he’d hung up quickly. He’d probably made her cry then, but he’d avoided thinking about that.

“Josie.”

“That’s my name. Don’t wear it out.”

He sighed. “I’m sorry for … everything.” He doubted a global apology would do much good, but he wasn’t experienced at saying he was sorry.

She cleared her throat. “No reason to apologize, Jack. You’re just being you. I guess you got tired of the celibate life, huh?”

“What?”

“I know you haven’t been seeing anybody since we broke up. Everybody says you’ve become a workaholic. Stands to reason that given a free night in town with no truck available, you’d look up the woman you used to have sex with. Perfectly logical.”

“Damn it to hell! That’s not why I came to see you tonight!” But it was, in a way. He’d had some vague idea that she might be glad to see him after all this time. She hadn’t hooked up with anyone, either, or at least that’s what he’d thought until he’d seen a guy standing in her doorway.

“It’s okay, Jack.”

No, it wasn’t. Everything was a gold-plated mess. He’d followed Gabe’s suggestion in hopes that he’d be able to make up with Josie and return to an uncomplicated relationship built on laughter and sex. At least he’d always considered the relationship uncomplicated.

Clearly he’d been wrong.

Jack didn’t know what to say that would help the situation, and Josie seemed all talked out, so they drove in silence the rest of the way to the ranch. The long road in from the highway was unpaved because that’s how Jack’s father had wanted it. Jonathan Chance thought an unpaved road would discourage gawkers, while true horsemen and women determined to see the registered Paints bred by the Last Chance wouldn’t be deterred by a little dirt and dust.

Jack wasn’t about to pave the road and go against tradition, but as Josie’s Bronco jolted over the ruts, he vowed to have it graded soon. Maybe he’d rent a grader and do it himself.

At last Josie eased to a stop in the circular gravel drive in front of the two-story ranch house. Constructed of logs by Jack’s grandfather Archie, the house had grown as the family expanded. The right wing was added when Jack’s father was born, and he’d built the left wing as his three boys grew older and needed more space.

Each wing was angled so that the house seemed to offer an embrace. Or a trap.

“This is a big place,” Josie said, breaking the silence.

“Yeah.” Jack didn’t need to be reminded. Big place. Big responsibility.

“I know I’ve been out here before, but everything was … different.”

“My dad was still alive.”

“Right. But tonight, driving through Chance land, and then seeing the house and the outbuildings again … it’s made me realize what a huge job you inherited last October.” She stared straight ahead, as if fixated on the house. “I remember you said once that you didn’t want to be in charge of the Last Chance.”

“I can handle it.” What else was he supposed to say? He wasn’t going to lay his troubles at her feet like some jerk looking for sympathy.

“I’m sure you can.” She glanced at him. “Take care of yourself, Jack.”

He recognized a kiss-off remark when he heard it. She was done with him. He shouldn’t be surprised. After ten months of silence he’d shown up slightly drunk, with no advance warning, and he’d laid into her brother.

Good thing he hadn’t counted on her welcoming him back. This had been an experiment, and it had failed spectacularly. With practiced ease, he closed off his heart.

“See you around.” It was a phrase he used a lot, but in this case it was inappropriate. He wouldn’t be seeing her around, not if he could help it. Not if she could help it, either, he was sure. He got out of the truck and walked toward the darkened house.

Behind him gravel crunched as she drove away. Well, that was over with. Completely over.

As she headed back to Shoshone, Josie refused to let herself cry again. She’d already shed way too many tears over Jack Chance. But she couldn’t seem to do anything about the ache in her chest. She’d reopened a wound that had finally started to heal, and now she remembered what that pain had felt like.

When she’d imagined him coming back, and she’d done that far too often for her own good, she’d expected him to make some grand gesture, something worthy of a Chance man. Instead their reunion had been an afterthought, the by-product of whatever had happened with Morgan and Gabe. Man, that hurt.

She reached Shoshone in record time. Fortunately no cops were around to see her put the pedal to the metal and hurtle down that two-lane road away from the Last Chance Ranch, away from Jack Chance and his half-assed apologies. It would be a cold day in hell before she ever gave that guy room in her heart.

This time she’d tamp down any remaining sparks of hope that they could rekindle the flame between them. Jack was a lost cause. She should have realized that a long time ago, but she did now. Whether his issues arose from his mother leaving him when he was a toddler or his father dying in a rollover that Jack felt he could have prevented, the guy obviously wasn’t ready to deal with his demons.

She parked next to the Spirits and Spurs and climbed the stairs to her apartment. Although she loved her brother to distraction, she wanted to be alone right now. But she had to let him know she was home or he’d worry about her.

When she walked in, Alex was sitting on the couch reading the same news magazine he’d had earlier. He glanced up immediately. “Well?”

“It’s over for good this time.” She ignored the way her chest tightened when she said that.

“You don’t look happy, but it’s probably for the best. In the long run, I mean.”

“It is.” She took a shaky breath. “I thought he’d put some thought into coming over here. I even told myself he’d been drinking to bolster his courage to face me. But he only dropped by because his brother stranded him in town. He had nowhere else to go.”

“Aw, sis.” Alex stood and came toward her, as if he wanted to give her a hug.

She held up a hand. “Don’t be too sympathetic or I might lose it, and I’m determined not to do that. The bastard doesn’t deserve my tears.”

“No, he doesn’t. But he deserves some grief from me. If you’ll point me in the direction of this ranch of his, I’d like to—”

“Thanks, but no thanks, Alex. I appreciate the sentiment. I really do. But you ending up in a physical confrontation with Jack isn’t going to help anything. Besides, he’s … He’s in really good shape.”

She’d tried to avoid thinking about that hard body of his the entire time they’d been cooped inside the Bronco together. She’d failed. The minute she’d breathed in his scent, a combination of leather, spice and virile male, she’d experienced total recall of what that body could accomplish with a willing woman.

Had he touched her, she might have forgiven him everything. She was lucky he hadn’t tried.

“I’m in good shape, too,” Alex said quietly. “And it would give me great satisfaction to cause him some pain after what he’s put you through.”

She shook her head. “That would only stir the pot. The best way to handle Jack Chance is to ignore him completely. I intend to, and I’d like you to do the same.”

“But—”

“Please, Alex.”

“Okay.” He shrugged. “It’s your town.”

“Not really. If it’s anybody’s town, it belongs to the Chance family. They’re the reigning royalty around here.”

Alex crossed his arms and studied her. “I’ll bet there’s a quaint little bar for sale somewhere in downtown Chicago.”

“I wouldn’t give Jack the satisfaction of running me out. I love it here, and the bar’s doing very well. At this rate I’ll have the building paid for in five years. I’m staying.” She lifted her chin. “And Jack Chance can kiss my ass.”




3







“YOU’RE GETTING MARRIED already?” At mid-morning Jack had walked into the large ranch kitchen in search of coffee, only to find Jack’s stepmother, Sarah, and his brother Gabe knee-deep in wedding plans. Mary Lou Simms, the ranch cook, was in the thick of it, too, offering comments in between tending a huge pot of chili on the stove.

Gabe’s truck hadn’t been in the driveway earlier, but he was home now, looking scruffy and quite pleased with himself. Jack wasn’t used to seeing his youngest brother unshaven, his dark blond hair sticking in twenty different directions. With luck Gabe was so besotted with his lady love that he’d forget to ask how Jack’s evening had turned out.

“Morgan and I see no point in waiting.” Gabe sat at the kitchen island drinking coffee with Sarah.

“And I’m glad for that.” Sarah seemed giddy at the prospect. She’d always looked youthful, even though she’d let her hair go naturally white, but this morning she seemed almost girlish. “Your idea of having the ceremony on horseback means we don’t have to decorate for the wedding, just for the reception.”

“Horseback, huh?” Jack walked over to the hat rack in the corner of the kitchen.

“Morgan’s game,” Gabe said, “so I decided what the heck. Might as well take advantage of the famous Jackson Hole scenery.”

“Now I can see the reason for rushing things.” Jack hung his hat next to Gabe’s. “An outdoor ceremony wouldn’t work so well in the snow.”

“Exactly,” Sarah said. “Besides, it’ll be a fun challenge to pull it together in … wow, less than two weeks.”

“I’m glad you think so.” Jack was happy that Gabe and Morgan were getting married. He was also pleased to see Sarah so excited about the wedding. But his own misery moved in like a dark cloud to cover any potential joy. He needed to snap out of this foul mood and get into the spirit of things.

Mary Lou left her chili to simmer, poured a mug of coffee and handed it to Jack. “I figure this is what you wandered in for.”

“I did. Thanks.” Maybe caffeine would help.

Mary Lou gestured with the carafe. “Gabe? Sarah?”

“Load me up.” Gabe held out his mug. “Didn’t get much sleep last night.” He winked at Jack. “You don’t look like you did, either.”

“Not much.” Actually, none.

“You boys.” Mary Lou clucked in disapproval. “I thought you’d both passed the stage of staying out ‘til all hours. Sarah? Coffee?”

“Nothing for me, thanks. I’m wired as it is with all this good news.” Her blue eyes shone as she flashed Jack a smile. “Did you see Josie last night?”

Jack glared at Gabe. Some people couldn’t keep their traps shut.

Gabe shrugged. “She wanted the whole story. You know how moms are.”

“Right.” Jack really didn’t know how moms were. Sometimes they were great, like his stepmother, Sarah, but other times they left. For years Sarah had asked Jack to call her Mom, but he liked calling her Sarah to distance her from the other mother he’d known, the one who’d deserted him.

“So did you see Josie?” Gabe asked.

Jack thought then how much alike Gabe and Sarah were—not only in looks, because they were both fair with blue eyes, but also in being such cheerful, curious people.

Sarah could keep a secret when she had to, though. Until a few weeks ago, she’d kept a whopper. Turned out Nick, Jonathan’s middle son, wasn’t hers. Instead he was the result of an affair that took place after Jonathan divorced Jack’s mother and before he met Sarah.

But Nick had been raised at the ranch as Sarah’s son, and finding out the truth of his birth had shattered his world. Thanks to his fiancée, Dominique, Nick was recovering from that emotional blow. The two of them were holding off on a wedding until Dominique transferred her photography business from Indiana to Wyoming, but it looked as if two of the three Chance boys were settling down. As usual, Jack was the lone wolf, the son who didn’t quite fit in.

“So? What’s the deal with Josie?” Gabe was nothing if not persistent.

“I saw her for a little while,” Jack said. “Her brother, Alex, is visiting.” That was the God’s truth, and it should stop their questions for a while.

“Tough luck,” Gabe said with a twinkle in his eye.

“Whatever.” He finished his coffee, set the mug in the sink, and reached for his hat. “I need to get back to work.”

“There’s one wedding detail to handle before you go,” Gabe said.

“What’s that?” Jack put on his hat in preparation for leaving as quickly as possible. Maybe he’d take a ride out to the north pasture and check the fence. Putting some distance between him and these wedding plans sounded good.

“I’d like it if you and Nick would share the job of best man. Would that work for you?”

“Sure. Be glad to.” Sharing the job would be a relief. He wouldn’t have to handle everything, and Nick was good at that sappy stuff.

“Excellent. Morgan’s going to have two maids of honor, so it’ll be balanced.”

Jack nodded, not really listening. “Great. Well, if that’s all, then—”

“You’ll probably want a heads-up on who the maids of honor will be.” Gabe had a gleam in his eye.

Jack hoped to hell Gabe wasn’t hoping to promote a romance between him and one of Morgan’s sisters. There might be several to choose from, because Morgan had come from a family of seven kids.

He turned to make his getaway. “You can fill me in on the particulars later.”

“I just thought you’d want to know that Morgan’s asking Josie.”

Jack froze. His brain froze, too. But when it thawed a couple of seconds later, horror poured out in torrents. No. He couldn’t be in a wedding with Josie. That was completely unacceptable.

Doing his best to cover his reaction, he turned back to Gabe. “I’m surprised.”

“You look more than surprised.” Gabe’s mouth twitched as if he dearly wanted to laugh. “You look like someone whacked you upside the head with a two-by-four.”

“Why Josie? I thought Morgan had a passel of sisters and brothers.”

“She does, but her sister Tyler’s the only one she wants in the wedding party. Morgan and Josie have hit it off. I’m guessing Morgan’s over there right now asking her. I figured you’d want to know, in case you’re talking to Josie at some point.”

Jack would rather not admit that he didn’t expect to talk with Josie … ever. Gabe must assume they were back on speaking terms and Josie’s brother had been the only obstacle to a happy reunion. This wasn’t going to work, but he didn’t know how to say that without revealing all his personal business in front of Sarah and Mary Lou.

Then he had a brilliant idea. “I thought you wanted to have this wedding on horseback.”

“We do. Morgan’s excited about it and it should make the planning a lot easier.”

“Then Morgan might want to pick a different maid of honor. Josie doesn’t ride.”

Gabe’s eyebrows lifted. “Are you sure?”

“Absolutely. She’s never been on a horse in her life. We talked about me teaching her, but we never got around to it.” Because they were so busy getting busy.

Sarah waved a hand. “Then that’s the solution. She won’t have to be an accomplished horsewoman for this, so you have plenty of time to teach her the basics before the wedding.”

Dear God, he’d only made things worse.“I can’t.”

Sarah’s gaze sharpened. “Of course you can.”

Panic made him sound desperate. “No, really, Sarah. I have enough to do managing things around here, and now there’s the best man stuff to think about. Riding lessons are out of the question.”

Sarah and Gabe exchanged a glance. Jack knew that glance. He’d given himself away by protesting too loudly about the riding lessons.

“I’m sure we can work out a time,” Sarah said. “After all, this is important.”

Jack saw no way around it. He’d have to come clean. “The thing is, Josie won’t want to take riding lessons from me.”

Gabe’s eyes narrowed. “Why not?”

“Last night I mistook her brother for a new boyfriend and I … sort of … attacked him.”

Gabe and Sarah gasped and Mary Lou dropped a spoon on the stove with a loud clatter. All three of them stared at him as if he’d grown horns and a tail.

“He’s not hurt or anything. As Gabe knows, I’d had a … a couple of drinks, so my aim was off.”

Gabe’s muffled snort meant he was trying hard not to laugh.

Sarah, however, looked scandalized. “You assaulted Josie’s brother? I can’t believe you did that.”

“I can’t, either,” Mary Lou said. “That’s not like you, Jack.”

“It was a mistake.”

Gabe’s eyes were watering from his efforts to hold back his laughter. “No kidding.” He cleared his throat. “This does put a different spin on things.”

Jack sighed. “If Morgan has her heart set on Josie, then I’m sure the two of us can muddle through the wedding, but somebody else will have to teach her how to ride. Maybe one of the hands could do it.”

“Maybe.” Lips twitching, Gabe continued to assess him. “But are you sure you could handle that?”

“What do you mean? Of course I could. That’s what I’m saying, isn’t it? Get somebody else.”

“Yeah, but last night you thought you had a rival and decided to take him down.” Gabe looked as if he might be ready to burst out laughing. “I’d hate for you to go after one of our cowhands.”

“Oh, for crying out loud! Just because I screwed up one time, that doesn’t mean—”

“That you still consider Josie your woman? I think it does.” Gabe looked over at Sarah and Mary Lou. “What do you two think?”

“I think you need to make amends to Josie,” Sarah said. “And you should do that before the wedding, so we don’t have any unpleasantness spoiling Gabe and Morgan’s big day. Teaching her to ride would be the perfect opportunity.”

Mary Lou nodded. “Good idea.”

“She won’t go for it.” Jack felt the trap closing around him. He’d known he would pay for last night’s debacle, but he’d never dreamed it would be like this.

“She will if you present it the right way,” Sarah said. “Tell her as one adult to another that the two of you need to iron out your differences in private so that you don’t accidentally ruin Gabe and Morgan’s wedding.”

“You want me to approach her about this?” Jack couldn’t even contemplate it.

Sarah continued her devastatingly logical argument. “If you can’t do that, how do you expect to be able to make it through the wedding festivities? It’s not just the ceremony, you know. We’ll need a rehearsal the Friday afternoon before the wedding, and there will be a dinner on Friday night.”

“She’s right about this, bro.” Gabe’s voice held only a trace of pity. “You and Josie have to work through whatever’s bothering you before the wedding.”

Jack gave it one last shot. “I promise you that nothing will happen. You have my word on it.”

“I’m sure Josie would promise, too,” Gabe said, “but when it comes to tension between a man and a woman, all bets are off. I really want you there, and Morgan really wants Josie there. They’ve bonded.”

“That seems kind of quick,” Jack said.

“It makes sense. They’re about the same age and they’re both small business owners. And … they’ve each been involved with a Chance brother.”

Jack made a dismissive noise low in his throat.

“I wondered if it would be a problem when Morgan suggested Josie,” his brother said.

“Don’t worry, Gabe.” Sarah picked up her coffee mug. “Jack’s going to take care of this when he teaches Josie to ride, aren’t you, Jack?”

He couldn’t see a way out of this corner they’d backed him into. “Yeah, I’ll take care of it.”

“Good.” Sarah raised her mug in salute.

Jack thought she seemed way too happy about the riding lesson plan. But then, she hadn’t disapproved of Josie the way his father had. In fact, Sarah had stood up for Josie a couple of times when his dad had made disparaging remarks.

“Oh, and thanks for telling me about her brother,” Sarah added. “If he’s staying awhile, we should invite him to the wedding.”

“I’ll find out his plans,” Jack said. Oh, yes, he was going to pay for his moment of madness when he’d knocked on Josie’s door and tried to deck her brother. He wondered how high the price would end up being. “In fact, I might as well drive into town now and get this program started.”

“Might as well.” Gabe sounded as cheerful as Sarah.

Strangely, Jack was feeling a little lighter, too. “See you all later.” He touched the brim of his hat as he glanced at Sarah and Mary Lou.

“Bye, Jack!” Mary Lou beamed at him.

“And thanks,” Sarah added.

“No problem.” It would be, but he’d handle it with as much grace as possible. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. He left the kitchen knowing full well that Gabe, Sarah and Mary Lou would discuss his situation with Josie the minute he was out of earshot.

As he walked down the hallway and into the living room with its beamed ceilings, gigantic rock fireplace and buckets of family memories, he thought about the irony of the situation. Sarah was forcing him to interact with Josie. When Jonathan was alive, he’d actively tried to discourage the relationship.

To be fair, his dad hadn’t disliked Josie so much as he’d disliked the man Jack became after he’d started seeing her. Until then, Jack had been up with the sun every morning, helping his father and acting like a true rancher’s son.

But Josie had changed all that. Jack had fallen into the habit of helping her close the bar and then spending the night with her. As a bar owner, Josie’s hours were the opposite of a rancher’s. She stayed up late and slept in. When Jack started keeping her schedule, Jonathan had let his displeasure be known.

Not about to be ordered around, Jack had continued his new routine. He’d argued with his father about it many times. Jonathan’s insistence on getting the filly that fateful morning had been less about fetching the horse than about proving who was in charge. Jack hadn’t wanted his dad to win, but the cost of that battle of wills had been too high.

Jack refused to get into a similar battle with Sarah. He’d do what she wanted, and if he could present the situation well enough to Josie, she would agree, too. As he left the ranch house and climbed into his truck, he realized Sarah had done him a favor. His pride wouldn’t have allowed him to contact Josie, but this lesson scheme gave him an excuse. And despite his misgivings, he was glad for it.




4







JOSIE BARELY HAD TIME to wrap her head around Morgan’s request that she be a maid of honor before she had to be downstairs taking a delivery of beer. Good thing her cook, Andy, was there to double-check everything, because Josie was having trouble concentrating.

All she could think about was this wedding coming up in less than two weeks, a wedding that would involve Jack. And horses. Morgan had promised her that the riding would be no big deal. Josie could go to any of a number of stables in the area and get some basic instruction.

The horseback riding didn’t worry Josie all that much. She’d learned to ski as an adult, so she could learn to ride. In fact, a ski vacation had been her introduction to Jackson Hole.

She’d come back several times before realizing that if she truly intended to buy a bar, she wanted it to be in this area. And that decision had led to her meeting Jack Chance.

As the beer truck pulled away, she glanced at her watch. The bar opened for lunch at eleven-thirty, which gave her fifteen minutes to get her act together. At least someone else would be behind the bar. Josie turned the operation over to Tracy Gibbons on weekdays and she occupied herself with the computer in the office.

She had bills to pay and books to reconcile, but she wondered how much she’d accomplish when all she could think about was the darned wedding … and Jack. She would have loved to talk this over with Alex, but he’d left early in the morning to hike in the Tetons.

On second thought, she should decide how she planned to handle this turn of events before telling Alex. He might want to confront Jack, after all, now that his sister would be required to be in Jack’s company for the better part of a weekend. Josie didn’t want Alex and Jack to square off again. Once was enough.

So Alex would have to cool it, and somehow Josie would manage to get through the wedding without letting Jack know he’d ripped open the wound she’d been trying so desperately to heal. With a sigh of resignation, she walked through the back door of the bar into her tiny office and turned on the computer.

The scent of onions simmering in olive oil told her Andy had started cooking the lunch entrées. Usually by now she was hungry, but not today. Her tummy twisted in knots at the thought of eating. She’d have to get over her nerves in the next ten days, though, or she wouldn’t be much good to Morgan as a maid of honor. The bride was the only one allowed to be nervous.

As she waited for the computer to load its various programs, a gut-wrenchingly familiar knock sounded at the back door. She and Jack had devised a code so she’d know in advance it was him—three soft raps and two harder ones.

Ten months ago that rap would have been a signal to fling open the back door of the office and pull him in for a scorching kiss. Sometimes they’d gone beyond a mere kiss. On at least three occasions she’d locked both doors—the one to the outside and the one leading into the bar—and they’d had sex in her office.

This morning the door to the bar stood open and she could hear Andy banging around in the kitchen. Tracy would arrive any minute, along with any customers who liked to get an early start on their lunch or a midday beer.

She could imagine why Jack was here. Undoubtedly it had something to do with the wedding. And so it started, their required interaction. Taking a deep breath, she left her chair and opened the back door.

Ten months rolled away as her gaze swept over the cowboy standing there. His black hat shaded his eyes, making their dark depths look sexy and mysterious. His hat was slightly dusty. So was the rest of him, including a blue plaid western shirt, faded jeans and well-worn boots.

Jack hadn’t spruced up for the occasion. He’d come straight from whatever work he’d been involved in this morning. The combined scent of leather and sweat had become an aphrodisiac to her during the months they were together, and it had lost none of its punch. Damn it all, she still wanted him with a ferocity that left her shaking.

But wanting him wasn’t the only issue. Being alone with him filled her with nostalgia for the days when Jack had been her entire world. She’d been giddy with happiness, floating through her daily routine in anticipation of spending her nights with Jack. She had to believe that he’d enjoyed their time together just as much, because he’d used every possible excuse to be with her.

She took a long, restorative breath. “Is this about the wedding?” There, that sounded sufficiently curt and businesslike.

“Yes.” His dark gaze flicked over her in much the same way she’d surveyed him.

She wished now that she’d taken more time with her hair, her clothes, her makeup. She’d thrown on an old pair of jeans, her most comfortable boots and a T-shirt that said—unfortunately—Save A horse; Ride A cowboy.

“I remember that shirt,” Jack said.

She remembered doing exactly what the shirt recommended. But she wouldn’t be repeating that with Jack, no matter how much she might want to.

They needed to stay on track here. “You wanted to talk to me about something concerning the wedding?”

“Uh, yeah. Right. We … that is … listen, can I come in and discuss it?”

“Sure.” She stepped back to allow him to enter. She might as well test herself and see if she could handle being behind closed doors with him. It wasn’t as if they’d be really alone, anyway. Andy was nearby and Tracy would be here any time now.

All that rationalization disappeared the minute she closed the door and turned to face him. Every kiss, every touch, every minute of lovemaking came back to her. If she’d hoped the attraction was manageable, she’d been dead wrong. She ached for what used to be.

Maybe if she took refuge behind her desk, that would help. She retreated to her own chair and motioned to an armless wooden one on the opposite side of the desk. She used it when interviewing employees. “Have a seat.”

Typical Jack, he spun the chair around and straddled it, leaning his forearms on the back. He would have to sit like that. Dear God, why did his jeans have to fit so lovingly over his package?

He nudged his hat back with his thumb and gazed at her. “Looks like we’ll have to deal with each other during the festivities.”

“Guess so.” His voice stroked her nerve endings. She picked up a pen and started clicking the mechanism before realizing how idiotic that looked. She threw it down. “I’m sure we can do that.”

“I’m sure we can, too, but Gabe knew I went to your place last night, and I ended up having to tell him and Sarah what happened with your brother.”

“Oh.” Josie would have loved a video of that scene.

“So they’re convinced that you and I are a potential powder keg that could blow in the middle of the celebration.” Jack tapped his thumb idly against the back of the chair.

She knew how talented he was with that thumb. Yes, they might be a powder keg, but she feared the explosion would have to do with lust, not anger. Just sitting in this small office with Jack, her breathing had changed and her panties were damp. “They don’t give us much credit for self-control, do they?”

“They might have if I hadn’t thrown a punch at your brother. But after hearing about that, they’ve made a request, and I think we should honor it.”

“I promised Morgan I’d be in the wedding, Jack. I can’t go back on that promise.”

“Nobody’s asking you to. But Gabe and Sarah want some proof that we can get along like two civilized adults. So they figured if I was the one to teach you how to ride, then we’d work through our differences and be okay for the wedding.”

“Are you insane? I don’t want you to teach me how to ride. That’s a disaster in the making.” She’d never in a million years be able to keep her hands off him if they embarked on a project like that.

“No, it won’t be a disaster. We’ll make it work, and by the time the wedding rolls around, we won’t be as likely to get teed off at each other.”

He was a hottie, but he was an irritating hottie. “What’s all this we stuff? I didn’t throw a punch. Why don’t you just say that they’re worried about you and stop implying that it’s my problem, too?”

He sighed. “All right. They’re worried about me, but in order not to be worried, they’ve asked me to give you riding lessons.”

“I’ve heard that cold showers can lower your testosterone level.”

“Don’t be a smart-ass. This is serious.”

“No, it’s not. It’s silly. I’ll behave myself during the wedding, and if you can’t, then pop a Valium.”

His gaze grew hot. “Look, I told them I’d do this, damn it. Just go along with it, okay?”

“Why should I?”

“You need to learn how to ride, for one thing.”

“I’ll do what Morgan suggested and use one of the stables. I don’t want you teaching me to ride, Jack, and that’s final.” She could imagine it now. Him demonstrating a proper seat, her fixated on his buns, him astride the saddle, her wanting him astride her body.

“Why not?”

She’d take splinters under her fingernails before she’d tell him that. “Because you’re bossy.”

He nodded. “Fair enough. How about this? You’ll be free to tell me to go to hell whenever I get too bossy.”

“I’ve always felt free to tell you to go to hell.”

A ghost of a smile flickered. “True.”

That smile tugged at her heart. He used to smile all the time. They used to laugh and joke, even in bed.

Jack cleared his throat. “Tell you what. How about we try it for one lesson? If you really hate it, then we’ll quit.”

She could see he wanted her to agree, but she wasn’t sure exactly why. Apparently he’d told Gabe and Sarah that he’d do this, so it might be a matter of pride, but she sensed something else, an eagerness that had nothing to do with his family’s request.

“Why is this so important to you?”

“Well, I said I would, for one thing. But …” He paused and glanced down at his hands. “I’ve given you the impression I’m only interested in sex.”

“It’s more than an impression. You flat out said so in October.”

He raised his head and gave her a soul-melting gaze. “I’d like a chance to correct that.”

Oh, God. It was the one thing he could say that would make a difference. And when he looked at her like that, she couldn’t refuse him anything. He probably knew it, probably had used his powerful charisma on purpose to get what he wanted.

Her pulse raced, but she did her best to appear bored with the subject. “All right, Jack.”

Did he really intend to prove that he could be with her and not act on the sexual tension that had always existed between them, that existed even now, in this very room? And if he could be strong enough to resist temptation, could she?

Dismounting smoothly from the chair, he stood. “We should start with just an hour lesson.”

She stood, too, but she didn’t move from behind the desk. Too dangerous. “Just remember, it could be over in five minutes.”

“It won’t be.”

She’d always found his confidence sexy and now was no exception. “If you say so.”

“It’ll be fine. Can you be out at the ranch at nine in the morning? I know that’s early for you, but—”

“I’ll be there. We might as well find out right away if this is a good idea or a colossal mistake.”

He smiled, a full-out, genuine smile this time. “Thanks, Josie. I owe you one.”

“You owe me several, cowboy.”




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