The Consummate Cowboy. Sara Orwig

handsome, charming man—but when had Amber ever been with a man who wasn’t handsome, sexy—a hunk?

      Emily edged closer to the window and stared at him.

      He had thick brown hair with a slight wave. He turned, and she was riveted by the sight of him. His chest was muscled, with a sprinkling of dark hair. His stomach was flat and trim, his jeans riding low on his slender hips. His rugged angular face had a scar along his jaw.

      His gaze swept toward the window.

      Recovering her wits, she dropped to the ground, her heart pounding, terrified that he might have spotted her. She leaned back against the house to get her breath and then looked inside again.

      He picked up two glasses of water.

      “Keeps to himself. Him and his kids. Never see ’em or talk to ’em much.” Sheriff Nunez’s words echoed clearly in her mind along with his reasons for not forcing his way into Durham’s house to search it. The sheriff said he had to have just cause for a warrant to search the place. Well, maybe she could convince the sheriff there was just cause for a search.

      Emily looked at the tall man holding the glasses of water. Must be for the kids. Her niece and nephew. Curiosity plagued her. She still couldn’t believe Amber had had two babies.

      Two babies that Amber had walked away from. Emily felt a stab of remorse. Zach Durham had to have a good side. She prayed he did, and was loving to the children. When Amber had called to tell her she had married husband number three, Emily had asked about Zach and the kids.

      “Oh, he’s a great dad. His life centers around those kids. Mine doesn’t. I’m so happy now. I can’t wait for you to meet Raimundo.” And Amber had gone on to talk about her latest husband. Years ago when they were children, Emily had given up trying to understand her sister.

      She peeked through the window again. Zach was walking toward a door to what must be a hallway. Her gaze raked again over his lean form. His profile—a firm jaw, prominent cheekbones—was rugged, the planes of his face craggy.

      Then he was gone and she could see only the empty kitchen. Where had he gone?

      She slipped around the corner of the house and stepped back to look at it. All the windows were dark beyond the kitchen. She tiptoed along, keeping close to the wall, thankful when she reached the shadows of an oak. Everything in her cried to get away, yet she had to find out if Amber was here.

      “Don’t move.” The voice was deep, commanding and harsh.

      Without thinking, she jumped in fright With a small cry, she spun around.

      Something slammed into her. Pain burst in her ribs; she hit the ground and stars danced in front of her eyes. The damp ground was cool beneath her with a faint scent of pine rising from the disturbed needles. As she fell into a patch of moonlight, she looked up. A man straddled her, his fist raised to strike. She was frozen, unable to speak.

      His face was in shadow, hers bathed in moonlight. His fist paused, hanging in the air as she looked up at him and saw his dark eyes staring down at her.

      When she locked gazes with him, something unexplainable happened. Tension arced between them. She could all but hear the air crackling with electricity as the moment changed. Her heart thudded, but no longer in fear. She became aware of every inch of him that touched her—his thighs pressed against her sides, his hand on her shoulder. His chest was even more impressive up close, the contours of his muscles highlighted by moonlight.

      And he seemed caught in the same stunned suspension. His eyes searched hers and he remained immobile.

      Even though she felt vulnerable, a flicker of curiosity about him flared to life and built within her. She stared up at him. Maybe it was his primal urge to defend his home and family that terrified her and at the same time drew her to him.

      He lowered his hand slowly to splay his fingers on his thigh. Her gaze followed his hand, and she couldn’t resist looking at the fly of his jeans, the taut pull of the worn material over his thigh. Her gaze flew back up to meet his fierce scowl. The magic moment that had danced between them like snow crystals was gone.

      “Why are you looking in my windows?”

      She could hear the rage in his bass voice. “I had car trouble,” she said, realizing he must not remember meeting her. “I’m Amber’s sister.”

      His eyes narrowed while he studied her. In one swift movement that revealed how fit he was, he stood and pulled her to her feet. “Come inside,” he said, holding her arm and jerking his head toward the door.

      Hurrying to keep pace with him, she stretched out her legs. Her ribs ached from his tackling her, and her heart pounded with fear. Her baseball cap was gone and her hair was coming unpinned, locks curling around her face.

      They went up the steps and crossed the porch, then he led her into the house. Watching her, he locked the door. His hand closed around her arm as he drew her into a room and shut that door, too. Despite her consciousness of the man beside her, she took in a room with bookshelves, a large fireplace, a navy leather sofa, Navaho rugs and beamed ceilings.

      He turned to her and his fingers wound in her hair. Pins went flying from her scalp as he tilted her head so he could look into her face.

      She gazed into brown eyes so dark they were endless pools of blackness, eyes that held fires of rage in their depths. Her heart pounded because there was no mistaking his fury, and he looked capable of violence.

      “Let go of me,” she said, hoping she sounded calmer than she felt.

      Angry and surprised, Zach stared down into wide eyes, framed by a riot of red curls that tumbled down the back of this intruder’s neck. With a stirring of memory, he studied her crystal green eyes, straight nose, slightly pointed chin, prominent cheekbones. Besides their long ago meeting, she looked incredibly familiar. Another face flitted to mind—his daughter’s. With her tangle of red curls and big green eyes, her freckled nose and little pointed chin, his daughter could belong to this woman.

      “You’re my ex-brother-in-law,” Emily said in a whispery voice, as if desperately emphasizing their relationship.

      He could see the vein in her throat and knew her pulse was racing. Anger mushroomed in him. He didn’t want anything to do with his ex-wife—or her sister.

      “Damn it, what kind of game are you playing? What do you want?”

      Emily’s heart thudded. His dark gaze was intense, and in her peripheral vision she was too aware of his bare chest and broad shoulders, the faint hint of stubble on his jaw. She could detect the scent of aftershave.

      And as she stood looking up at him, tension pulled at her again, making her feel as if the air between them crackled. She felt drawn into his midnight eyes, tumbling into a blackness that carried her on a swift current to an unknown destination. He stood too close and he was too bare. Too virile. When his gaze shifted to her mouth, she couldn’t get her breath. She was reacting to him as a man—something she didn’t want to do and couldn’t recall ever having done so intensely before. In her well-ordered life, there were no moments of irrational, unwanted attraction.

      “What in the hell were you doing creeping around my house in the dead of night?” His words broke the spell, jolting her and reminding her that she might be in danger. His hand relaxed in her hair, and her head was no longer pulled back, yet she continued to gaze up at him, locked in his compelling stare.

      “I’m looking for Amber,” she answered, her voice sounding faint and breathless. Amber’s men were probably as unpredictable as was Amber. They could run to violence but that had never kept Amber from flirting with them—or even marrying them. Emily wished desperately she were back in Chicago, safe in her own apartment. Yet in spite of her sense of danger, she was intensely aware of Zach as a strong, sexy male.

      His hand shifted to her jaw and she noticed the warmth of his fingers. “You could get hurt badly. Didn’t you see my No Trespassing signs?”

      “Yes,” she whispered