Lucy and The Lieutenant. Helen Lacey

cousin, was pure cowgirl and owned a small horse ranch just out of town.

      All four women were good friends and she thoroughly enjoyed their company...most of the time. But she wasn’t really in the mood for drinks and conversation tonight. She’d had a long morning in the emergency room and had been at the veterans home for the past few hours. She was tired and wanted nothing more than to go home, strip off and soak in the tub for a leisurely hour or so. But since her friend wouldn’t take no for an answer, she agreed to meet them at the pub at six, which gave her an hour to get home, feed the cat, shower and change, and then head back into town.

      Lucy ended the call and walked toward the nurses’ station. She handed in her charts to the one nurse on duty and signed out. She had another two weeks at the home before her contract was up and then she’d return full-time to the hospital. But she’d enjoyed her time working with the veterans. And with Joe Parker in particular. He was a natural storyteller and entertained everyone with his charm and easy-going manner.

      Pity his nephew didn’t inherit some of those manners or charm.

      Lucy wrinkled her nose and headed down the hall to the small locker room. Brant made her mad the way he ignored her. It wasn’t like he was some great catch or anything. Sure, he had a body to die for. And the sexiest deep blue eyes. And dark hair that she’d often imagined running her fingers through. But he was a moody, closed-off loner who didn’t seem to have time for anyone. Except his closest family members. She’d seen him in town one morning with his young nieces and the girls clearly adored him. It had made her think about how he’d probably make a great dad one day. And the idea of that quickly had her womb doing backflips.

      Idiot...

      She shrugged off her foolish thoughts, hung up her white coat and grabbed her bag.

      The cold air outside hit her like a laser blast when she walked through the hospital doors. She quickly made it to her Honda and jumped inside. Snow was falling lightly and she watched the flakes hit the windshield. She loved snow and everything that went with it. Skiing, snowballs, log fires and the holidays... It was her favorite time of year. And one day she hoped she’d have a family of her own to share it with.

      If only she could get the silly and impossible dreams of Brant Parker out of her head.

      She popped the key into the ignition, started the car and drove off. The roads were slick, so she took her time getting home. When she pulled up in the driveway it was past five o’clock and she spotted her ginger cat, Boots, sitting idle in the front window. The image made her smile, and she was welcomed by the demanding feline once she’d dusted off her shoes and entered the house.

      The place was small and very much in need of a complete renovation. She’d painted the walls in the living area and main bedroom when she’d returned to town for good, but since then she’d been so busy at the hospital, anything else had been put on hold. The kitchen required a complete overhaul as the cupboards were decades old and styled in old-fashioned laminate paneling and bright orange trim. It was retro in the truest sense and not to her taste. But she couldn’t really afford to get someone in to do the work until the following summer and wasn’t skilled enough to tackle anything more than painting herself. So, it would have to wait.

      She dropped her bag, fed the cat and quickly checked her email before she headed to the shower. Within half an hour she was dressed in her favorite long denim skirt, emerald green shirt and mid-heeled boots. She pulled her hair from its ponytail, applied a little makeup and grabbed a small handbag for her wallet and cell phone. She texted Kayla as she was leaving, grabbed her coat and headed outside. She dusted the thin layer of snow off the windshield before she got into her car. The vehicle took a few turns of the key to start, but she was soon on her way.

      The O’Sullivan pub was in the center of town and possessed a kind of richly authentic Irish flavor. It was actually a hotel, with fifteen luxurious rooms, two restaurants, a bar, an outdoor garden for private functions and several conference rooms available for rent. The O’Sullivan family was rich and well-known. Although the old man, John O’Sullivan, had retired and his eldest son, Liam, now ran the place, he still walked around with his chest puffed out like he ruled the town and everyone in it. No one crossed the O’Sullivans. No one would dare. The hotel was one of the main draws in the town and that had a lot of pull with the mayor’s office. Tourists came to see the old mines, the occasional rodeos, the horse and cattle ranches, and many used the town as a stopover before they crossed the state line. Since the O’Sullivan’s hotel was the poshest place to stay, few people objected to paying for their amenities.

      She did wonder if that’s why Brant had bought the Loose Moose—as a way of sticking it to the O’Sullivans. There was certainly no love lost between the two families. Brant’s older brother, Grady, had been married to Liz O’Sullivan, and Lucy knew her parents had never thought a rancher was good enough for their beloved daughter. When Liz died a few years ago things had gotten worse and, according to Colleen Parker, the feud between the two families was now quite intense.

      It was early, so she found a spot outside the hotel and parked. She got out, grabbed her coat from the backseat and tossed it over her arm. A few people milled around the front of the hotel, and she recognized a couple of nurses from the hospital and waved as she made her way through the wide doors.

      Kayla, Brooke and Ash were already seated at a booth in the bar when she arrived, with a pitcher of sangria between them. The O’Sullivan pub certainly wasn’t the average run-of-the-mill kind of drinking establishment. If you wanted beer and a game of pool you went to one of the other cowboy bars in town like Rusty’s or the Black Bull. She slid into the booth and raised a brow at the quarter-empty pitcher on the table. “You started without me?”

      Brooke tossed her straight blond hair a little and grinned. “You’re late. So, of course.”

      Blue-eyed Ash, whose bobbed hair was the color of copper, smiled and nodded. “I’m off duty.”

      “And being a museum curator is thirsty work,” Kayla said and laughed. “Although I’ll be stopping at one drink. But we got you a glass.”

      Lucy chuckled and stared at her friend, who was easily the most beautiful woman she’d ever known. Kayla’s long blond hair and dark brown eyes stopped most men in their tracks.

      She lifted the half-filled glass and took a small sip. “Thanks. Are we staying for dinner?”

      “Not me,” Brooke said. “I have a foal due within days and with this weather coming in...” She sighed and grinned. “You know how it is.”

      Yes, they all knew Brooke lived and breathed for her horses.

      “Nor me. I only have a sitter until seven thirty,” Ash replied and inclined a thumb toward Kayla. “And this one has a date.”

      Lucy’s gaze widened. “Really? With whom?”

      Kayla laughed again. “Assignments. Marking papers for the online class I’m teaching through the community college.”

      “Gosh, we’re a boring group,” Lucy said and smiled. “Just as well I have a cat to get home to.”

      “You could always ask Hot Stuff over there to take you to dinner,” Kayla suggested and laughed again.

      Lucy’s eyes popped wide. Hot Stuff? There was no mistaking who she meant. Her friend had been calling Brant that name for years, ever since Lucy had admitted she was crushing on him when she was a teenager.

      “He’s here?”

      “Yep,” Kayla replied. “Over by the bar, talking to Liam O’Sullivan.”

      Lucy looked toward Ash for confirmation. “She’s right. He was here when we arrived. Looks like he’s not too happy about it, either. I don’t think he’s cracked a smile in that time.”

      Nothing unusual about that, Lucy thought. She itched to turn around and see for herself, but didn’t want to appear obvious. But she was curious as to why he was with Liam O’Sullivan, considering the family history.

      “You