Pursued by the Rich Rancher. Catherine Mann

that suitcase with her to college, then New York City. The stickers all over the vintage piece advertised countries she’d dreamed of visiting. Warren had bought her a new set after they married, but she couldn’t bring herself to throw the old ones out. After her divorce, she’d donated the honeymoon designer luggage to charity and reclaimed her old “dreams for the future” set. Those changes had felt like a reclaiming of her values and hopes.

      Her cell phone chimed, interrupting her swirling thoughts. She leaned from the sofa to grab her purse off the coffee table. Her stomach leaped at the possibility that Alex might be calling. He had access to her number from her registration.

      She glanced at the screen. Disappointment jabbed at her. Then guilt. She should be thankful her friend Reed was checking in on her. She and Reed had met at a play group for their children. A nice guy, a single father of a little girl with Down syndrome. His partner had left him over the stress of having a special-needs child. Nina understood the mark that betrayal left. They helped each other when they could, but they both had such very full plates.

      “Hello, Reed.” She propped her feet on the coffee table. “You’re up late. Morning’s going to come early for you getting Wendy to the bus stop.”

      Reed owned a bistro and took his daughter to work with him when she wasn’t in school. Little Wendy loved the activity and charmed the customers.

      “I’m not the only one up late,” her friend teased back, his Northern accent so different from a particular cowboy drawl. “Did you lose your phone? I’ve been calling for a couple of hours. Just wanted to be sure you arrived safely.”

      “I was outside on the porch talking to...” She couldn’t bring herself to tell him about Alex, not that there was much to tell. So she fibbed. “I was talking with another parent. Cody was asleep. The nights here are...idyllic.”

      “How did Cody enjoy his day?”

      She grasped the safer topic with both hands. “He was enthralled by everything here. We’re only a day into it, but I’m cautiously optimistic we’re going to make a breakthrough here.”

      “I wish I could be there to see that.”

      “You have a restaurant to run.”

      “True enough. So tell me more about the camp.”

      What parts should she share with him? That she suddenly understood about the cowboy appeal? Or at least the appeal of one cowboy in particular? Reed was a friend, but not the kind of friend to whom she could say anything like that. “I was nervous coming up here that the camp would just be some overpriced excuse for parents to get a break. But it really is all about the children.”

      “Such as?”

      “They had pony rides but let the parents lead the children around so they would feel more at ease. The menu is kid-friendly with a variety of choices so even kids with issues about texture will find something that works.” And the adult fare was delicious, especially when delivered by a hot man who looked at her with hungry eyes. She hadn’t felt like a desirable woman in so very long.

      “That’s awesome, really awesome. I’m glad you’re getting this break and able to spend time with other adults. You spend too much time alone cooped up in your house.”

      True enough, but she didn’t want to dwell on negative thoughts. She sagged to sit on the edge of the brass bed. “You must have called for a reason...”

      “Can’t I just check on you because you should have people looking out for you?”

      “Sure you can, but I also hear something in your voice that worries me.” She traced the pink and green pattern on the quilt.

      “Your mother-in-law called. She’d gone by your town house and realized you’d left. She checked again this evening.”

      “What did you tell her?” Her mother-in-law didn’t approve of her choice to keep Cody at home, and Nina knew she would just get blowback for choosing this camp. Her mother-in-law would come up with a million reasons why it was wrong.

      “I said you went on a weeklong vacation with Cody. She wanted to know where. I told her to call you if she wanted details.”

      “Thank you.” Sighing, she sagged back onto the bed, her head sinking into the pillows. “I appreciate that.”

      “Stop worrying. They’re not going to get custody of Cody. There’s no reason for a judge to pass over custody to them.”

      “Thank you again. I feel like I’m saying that all the time, but I mean it.” She stared up at the ceiling fan slicing lazy shadows across the room, the distant echo of a band playing at the lodge penetrated the walls like a soft lullaby. “They just want to lock him away and control his inheritance. They don’t love him. Not really.”

      “I know. And so will any judge who looks at the facts. When my partner tried to get out of helping with child support, my lawyer was on me 24/7 to keep a journal,” Reed said with the unerring persistence that made him a force to be reckoned with in the courtroom. “Write a detailed accounting of your schedule and outings. Document. Document. Document. You’ll have the facts on your side.”

      “Aye-aye, sir,” she teased. “I will. Now you should stop worrying and get some sleep.”

      “You too. And be sure to take lots of photos of Cody.”

      “I will. And give little Wendy a hug from me. Tell her I’ll bring her a present.”

      “Sure will,” he said, an unmistakable affection leaking into his voice. He loved his daughter. “I’ll be checking for text message photos.”

      “You’re a good friend.” And such a good man. They could have a great life together—except for the fact that they weren’t attracted to each other. At all. Not a chance ever, since she wasn’t a guy. “Good night, and thanks.”

      She disconnected the call, the taste of blueberries and the tangy scent of a certain cowboy’s soap still teasing her senses.

      God, on the one hand she had an amazing friend she could never sleep with. On the other hand she had a week with the hottest man she’d ever met. Too bad she’d never been the fling sort. But with the memory of Alex’s touch still buzzing through her, she wondered if maybe she could be.

       Three

      Alex propped his boots on the office desk, the morning routine stable noises wrapping around him. Except today he couldn’t get into the groove. Thoughts of Nina Lowery had him tied up into hitch knots.

      He’d spent most of the night on the porch in a hammock, staring up at the stars, trying to reconcile his blaring conscience with his shouting libido. By sun-up, he’d reconciled himself to the fact that he couldn’t hide his identity indefinitely. He would tell her who he was today and take it from there. It wasn’t as if he’d actively tried to pry those stocks from her hands, and she had no reason to expect he would.

      And he was genuinely interested in her.

      What did he intend to do with this relentless attraction? It would be so much simpler if they’d just met somewhere outside the Hidden Gem Ranch. Not that he left this patch of earth often.

      He cranked back in his chair, peering out in the open barn area that was more like a stadium, used for parties. The kids had worn themselves out with a morning of nature walks and a wagon ride picnic. Now they were napping in the cool barn on mats, a wide-screen television showing a video for the spare few who hadn’t fallen asleep.

      He scanned the familiar walls of home. Like in all their stables and barns, custom saddles lined the corridors, all works of art like everything the McNairs made. Carvings marked the leather with a variety of designs from roses to vines to full-out scenes. Some saddles sported silver or brass studs on horn caps and skirting edges rivaling the tooling of the best old vaqueros. He’d explored every inch