Christmas at Blue Moon Ranch. Lynnette Kent

life, especially as a teenager. Giving in to a boy’s persuasion—“If you loved me you’d do it”—was understandable when you were only sixteen.

      But what excuse did she have at thirty-two? How could she have allowed her principles to be overturned by a sexy grin and a pair of sweet blue eyes?

      Well, no more. As she jerked on her clothes, Willa swore to herself that she wouldn’t let Daniel Trent get to her. She would keep her distance, make him keep his. With any luck, he’d fail miserably in his attempt at ranching and be gone well before Christmas. All she had to do was wait him out…

      …and never again give herself a chance to make a mistake like the one last night.

      WHEN SHE FINALLY DREDGED UP the courage to leave her room, she found Daniel Trent leaning against the wall in the hotel lobby, scanning a newspaper.

      “Good morning.” Smiling, he straightened and fell into step beside her. “Can you join me for breakfast?”

      “No. Thanks.” She glanced at the people moving around them as if looking for someone, avoiding his knowing blue eyes. “I need to get on the road. I can’t afford to miss a whole day’s work.”

      “Okay.” He folded the paper under his arm. “I thought I’d follow you out to the ranch, look around a bit. My stuff won’t be arriving until the end of the week, but I’d like to see the setup, get a feel for what kind of supplies I’ll be needing.” Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him shrug. “I’ve lived in army housing most of the time, so I don’t have much furniture. Outfitting a house is a new experience.”

      Panic erupted in her chest. Without answering, Willa walked quickly outside, aware that Daniel was following as fast as he could. She didn’t slow down for him.

      Somehow, though, he was right behind her when she opened her truck door. He put a hand on her arm as she started to climb in.

      “Willa? What’s going on?”

      She threw her purse into the passenger seat and jerked around to face him. “What’s going on is that I’ve made two horrible mistakes in the past twenty-four hours. I’m furious with myself and—”

      “With me,” he said, interrupting.

      “Yes.” She shook off his touch. “I should never have put that land up for sale, and I shouldn’t have let you talk me into this crazy arrangement we’ve got set up now. All that was bad enough.” Taking a deep breath, she tried to steady her voice. “But to know that I let myself get drunk enough to…to—” The words stayed stuck in her throat. How could she have been so careless, so disrespectful of herself?

      Daniel didn’t have the same scruples. “Sleep with me?”

      Willa clenched her hands into fists. “Stop that! I don’t want you reading my mind and finishing my thoughts.”

      Daniel raised his hand and stepped backward, out of her reach. “Yes, ma’am.” His gaze had gone cold, and his mouth was a hard, straight line. “I will be following you as you drive home, however, because I have a contract that allows me access to the thousand acres of land I’m calling the New Moon Ranch. You should expect to see me from time to time, since the road to my place goes by the main house of the Blue Moon. I’ll try not to inconvenience you as I get settled.”

      He pivoted on his good leg and moved away with that awkward limp, climbed into his rain-spattered truck and let the engine idle, waiting for Willa to lead the way.

      Swearing under her breath, she started her own vehicle and left the parking lot. All through the hour-long drive home, she was aware of him behind her, his face grim through the windshield. He wore mirrored sunglasses, but she could imagine the blue gaze behind them. She’d read the hurt there before anger had replaced it.

      Last night, she’d urged him to stay and make love with her, accepting him despite his terrible scars. This morning, she’d rejected every moment they’d spent together. That made three terrible mistakes she had committed in the past twenty-four hours. Willa couldn’t believe how badly she’d behaved. No doubt about it, Daniel Trent brought out the worst in her. Yet another reason to avoid him.

      With every mile that passed, the screw of nerves inside her twisted tighter. By the time she reached the familiar gateway—an iron arch spelling out El Rancho Luna Azul, with a crescent moon on each end—Willa was a wreck. Abruptly, she steered her truck to the side of the road just inside the entrance and cut the engine. Daniel stopped behind her, but she reached his window before he could open his door, so he rolled down the glass.

      “Something else wrong?” he asked in a cold voice.

      “Stay away from me,” she told him. “If you need help, I’ll send one of my workmen to do what he can. But leave me alone.”

      Daniel took off his sunglasses, and she was surprised to see the laughter in his eyes. “You’re running scared, aren’t you, Willa? Afraid of what you felt last night?”

      Her cheeks heated up at the memory. “I don’t sleep around.”

      “I didn’t think you did. And I don’t intend to pressure you for something you won’t give freely.” He slipped the shades back onto his face. “But I do intend to make the New Moon Ranch my home. You’d better figure out how to tolerate my presence.”

      The truck engine roared, and Daniel gave her a grin. “’Cause come Christmas Day, I’ll be a permanent fixture in your life. And it’s gonna be a long fifty years if we can’t even say good morning without getting into an argument!”

      Then, without warning, he backed into a cloud of dust, turned sharply and headed up the road, leaving Willa behind.

      Chapter Three

      A mile inside the Blue Moon gate, Daniel came over a rise and saw the Mercado ranch house sitting off to his right. Easing off the gas and unclenching his jaw, he slowed down for a good look at Willa’s home.

      He’d gleaned a little of the ranch history from the attorney and the Internet, enough to know that Rafael Mercado from Mexico had taken possession of the land in the 1840s, back when Indian attacks were an ever-present threat. The tall, defensive wall Rafael had first built around the house had been lowered in the twentieth century to reveal the courtyard, filled with mature live oak trees, which surrounded the villa inside. A series of white-columned arches created a wide veranda along the two-story front wing of the house. Two side wings stretched back at right angles to form a U-shape with another courtyard in the center. Green shutters framed the windows, a sharp contrast to the creamy white stucco walls.

      Daniel squeezed a whistle through his teeth. Willa had a right to be protective—this was quite a showplace. He could imagine how much maintenance work would be involved in caring for such a property. Around the house stretched ten thousand acres of the Wild Horse Desert, where she bred and raised longhorn cattle. No doubt about it, the woman carried a heavy burden. And since her husband had died, she’d carried it alone.

      At the sound of her truck rumbling up behind him, he squeezed the accelerator and pulled away fast enough to spray gravel as he fishtailed on his way. The last thing he needed was another “get lost” lecture. She’d made her point and it was a sharp one, especially after last night’s pleasure.

      Following the winding, hilly road farther into the Blue Moon, he saw the barns, corrals and utility buildings that formed the heart of the ranching operation. Miles of wire fencing defined the pastures, which alternated between cultivated range land and the scrubby shrubs and natural grasses native to south Texas. The wild landscape held a beauty all its own, however, especially on the morning after rainstorms had cleared the dust from the air. Daniel appreciated the wide blue Texas sky, the varied shapes of the trees and cacti and bushes, the freshness of the wind.

      There was no sign to tell him when he crossed onto his own property, just a line on the map the attorney had provided. The terrain didn’t change. There were fences, and cattle…although he was sure Willa would have those rounded up and removed soon