Beau: Cowboy Protector. Marin Thomas

vehicle Tuf drove. Disgusted, he retrieved the Thunder Ranch truck and livestock trailer.

      With the help of two rodeo workers, Beau loaded Bushwhacker and Back Bender into the trailer. When he pulled out of the Sweetwater Events Complex, he drove north, intent on arriving home by the ten-thirty news. He made a pit stop for gas outside Rock Springs then purchased a large coffee and a Big Mac from the McDonald’s restaurant inside the station. Back in his truck he popped three ibuprofen tablets to help with the swelling in his ankle—already his boot felt tight.

      Once he merged onto the highway, he found a country-western station on the radio and settled in for the long drive. Less than five minutes passed before his thoughts turned to Sierra Byrne.

      Physically, she was the opposite of the women he’d dated in the past. In heels, Sierra might reach five-seven. Full-figured—not slim or willowy—and red hair. He usually went for blondes.

      Ah, but her eyes…Sierra’s eyes had stopped Beau in his tracks the first time he’d gotten up the nerve to begin a conversation with her. Bright blue with a paler blue ring near the pupil. He’d locked gazes with her, mesmerized by the way the blue had brightened when she’d smiled.

      And her hair… Sierra wore her hair in a springy bob that ended an inch below her jaw, and her bangs skimmed the corner of her right eye, lending her a playful, sexy look.

      Her cuteness aside, there was something stirring…vulnerable in Sierra’s gaze that tugged at him. If only he could get her to agree to a date with him. He’d first asked her out this past June…then in July…then in August…September. Each time she’d made up a lame excuse about the diner keeping her too busy.

      She was proving to be a challenge, but Beau wasn’t one to back down when the going got tough. Sierra might have rebuffed his advances, but she wasn’t as clever at hiding her attraction to him. A few weeks ago, she’d run into the edge of a table at the diner and he’d rescued a plate of food from her hand. Their bodies had collided, her lush breasts bumping his arm. Everyone in the booth had heard her quiet gasp, but only Beau’s ears had caught the sexy purr that had followed.

      Worrying about his love life wouldn’t get him home any faster. He switched the radio station to a sports talk show and forgot about his crush on Sierra.

      Five hours later, as Beau approached Roundup, he noticed a vehicle parked on the side of the road. His truck’s headlights shone through the car’s rear window, illuminating a silhouette in the driver’s seat. He turned on the truck’s flashers then pulled onto the shoulder behind the car. When he approached the vehicle, the driver’s side window lowered several inches.

      What the hell?

      “Hello, Beau,” Sierra said.

      Well…well…well… This surely was his lucky day.

      Chapter Two

      Drat!

      Sierra had the worst luck—go figure Beau Adams would end up rescuing her from her own stupidity.

      Beau had set his sights on her early this spring when he’d begun eating at the diner on a regular basis. She found the handsome bull rider’s attention flattering and would have jumped at the chance to date him, but circumstances beyond her control had forced her to keep him at arm’s length.

      “Engine trouble?” Beau’s gaze drifted to her lips. The man had the most annoying habit of watching her mouth when they engaged in conversation.

      “I’m not sure what the problem is,” she said, ignoring her rising body temperature. There wasn’t a thing wrong with her RAV4, except for the dent in the rear fender from a run-in with a minivan in the parking lot of the diner.

      Sierra’s sight had left her marooned on the side of the road.

      He swept his hat from his head and ran his fingers through his hair. Beau’s brown locks always looked in need of a trim, but it was his dark brown eyes and chiseled jaw that made her heart pound a little faster.

      “I bet I can figure out what’s wrong,” he said.

      Typical cowboy—believing he could repair anything and everything. Too bad Beau couldn’t fix her eyes.

      “How long have you been sitting here?”

      Hours. “A short while.” No way was she confessing that she couldn’t see well enough to drive at night.

      If not for a freeway wreck on the outskirts of Billings, she would have made it home, but ten miles from town dusk had turned to darkness. With few vehicles traveling the road, Sierra had decreased her speed and continued driving, but her confidence had been shattered when she’d crossed the center line and almost collided with another car. The near miss scared years off her life and she’d pulled onto the shoulder, resigned to wait until daybreak to drive into Roundup.

      She’d phoned her aunt, who’d been visiting her since July, and had informed her that she planned to spend the night with a friend. Silence had followed Sierra’s announcement. Everyone in town was aware of Beau’s frequent visits to the diner and Jordan probably wondered if Sierra’s friend happened to be Beau.

      She appreciated that her aunt hadn’t pried—after all, Sierra was thirty-one, old enough to have a sleepover with a man. In truth, she’d love to get to know Beau better, but life wasn’t fair. Too bad he’d happened along tonight. She’d been certain she’d get out of this mess without anyone the wiser.

      “Pop the hood,” he said.

      “There’s no need. I called Davidson Towing. Stan is out on another call but should be here in a little while.” Maybe if she distracted Beau, he’d forget about checking the engine. “Returning from a rodeo?”

      “Yep. Hauled a couple of Thunder Ranch bulls down to Rock Springs, Wyoming.”

      “Did you compete?”

      He rested an arm along the top of the car. “Sure did, and I won.” His cocky grin warmed her better than her down parka.

      “Congratulations.” The diner’s patrons kept Sierra up to date on their hometown cowboys’ accomplishments. Since she’d moved to Roundup five years ago, most of the gossip about the Adams twins focused on Duke’s rodeo successes. Lately, Beau was getting his turn in the spotlight.

      “Wanna see my buckle?”

      She swallowed a laugh. “Sure.” He removed the piece of silver from his coat pocket and passed it through the open window. “It’s beautiful.”

      “There’s no need for you to freeze. Stan’ll tow your car to his garage and square the bill with you in the morning.” Beau reached for the door handle.

      “No!” Sierra cringed. She hadn’t meant to shout. For a girl who’d lived most of her life in Chicago, small towns were both a blessing and a curse. She handed Beau the buckle. “I appreciate the offer, but I’d prefer to wait with my car.”

      Instead of backing away he poked his head through the window, his hair brushing the side of her face. A whiff of faded cologne—sandalwood and musk—swirled beneath her nose. “Just checking to make sure there’s no serial killer in the backseat holding you hostage.”

      Oh, brother.

      “If you’re determined to wait for Stan, then sit in my truck. I’ve got the heat going and I’ll share the coffee I bought at the rest stop.”

      “Thanks, but you should get your bulls back to the ranch.” C’mon, Beau. Give up and go home.

      “I don’t like the idea of you waiting out here all alone.”

      “This is Roundup, Montana. Nothing’s going to happen to me.”

      “You’re forgetting the break-ins this past summer. This area is no Mayberry, U.S.A.”

      Sierra regretted her flippant remark. Although Roundup had been and would continue