Killer Colton Christmas. Regan Black

the years.

      “The boys had their ornery moments for sure,” he said of Emiliano and his younger brother, Dario, as they walked outside. “Brothers do that, y’know.”

      She didn’t, but she nodded along. Her friends often fussed about siblings, yet she’d always envied the unbreakable bond of true family ties.

      Ace guided her through the barn nearest the house, where the family’s horses were kept in big, airy stalls. He told her about horses and goats, rescue dogs and cats. They found Gordo snoozing in a patch of sunlight, a small kitten snuggled beside him. “Aurelio and Natalia raised ’em right. They put a love for the land and all the animals on it into those boys.”

      “Neither of them stay to work the ranch?”

      Ace looked almost offended. “They’re capable of it, if that’s what you mean.”

      It wasn’t.

      “It’s a big world and young men have things to do.” He ducked into a small office and opened an ancient refrigerator. He pulled out a couple of carrots and handed them to her. “Besides, if those boys were here all the time, what would I do?”

      “Give ranch tours to city girls?”

      He laughed loud enough to wake Gordo. “Allow me to introduce our horses.” He stuck out his elbow and she looped her hand through it.

      He guided her around the house to the fenced paddock that bordered the driveway. Under the clear blue December sky, three horses were enjoying the morning sunshine. Ace propped a boot on the lowest rail of the fence and pointed to each of them in turn, giving Marie the names. “Brandy is that solid brown mare. She’s as sweet as they come.” He clucked his tongue and Brandy started their way along with a colorful horse. “Where Brandy goes, Picasso follows. He’s a pinto and the boy never misses a treat since Natalia rescued him years back. Now, that fair color is called palomino. Our gal Rapunzel has a bit of sass.” When he whistled for the horse, she only flicked her tail. “See what I mean?”

      Marie laughed. As Brandy and Picasso reached the fence, she started to ease back. The beautiful animals were so much bigger up close. Until today, horsepower was something she only related to cars or the Dallas mounted police. Definitely city girl to the bone, she thought ruefully.

      “Don’t be shy,” Ace said to Marie. “And don’t be pushy,” he told the horses. “There’s enough for everyone.”

      The old ranch manager showed her how to touch the horses and she reveled in the textures between their soft noses, the sleek coats and the tickle of lips as they plucked chunks of carrot from her open palm. Eventually Rapunzel got jealous enough, or curious enough, to join them. “I haven’t been this close to a horse since a field trip to the zoo as a kid. They’re wonderful,” she said. “Thanks, Ace.”

      “Guess that means you don’t ride.”

      “Never had the chance to learn,” she replied. She didn’t want to offend him with the truth that she’d never been interested. Her limited knowledge of ranches and rural environments came from entertainment venues like books or movies. Being out here in it gave her a new appreciation for why those characters loved it so much.

      “You should ask Emiliano to teach you,” Ace said as they started back to the house.

      “Oh, I doubt I’ll be here that long.” Though she couldn’t deny that she found the peaceful area almost as enticing as the man who’d brought her here.

      “Time will tell.” Ace gave her a wry smile, as if indulging a child’s idealism while knowing the real world would clear things up soon enough.

      There was something she wanted Emiliano to teach her. She needed to learn how to defend herself. In light of the attack on Ace, she decided to approach her FBI protector at the first opportunity.

      * * *

      Emiliano returned from his circuit of the ranch and caught sight of Ace and Marie with the horses out front. If by chance he’d missed them, Scrabble’s alert would have corrected the lapse. His faithful companion had fallen in love with Marie, effectively the newest rescue on the ranch. The dog often showed more caution around new rescues and the attitude shift baffled him.

      More unexpected was the undeniable attraction and connection drawing him toward Marie. Her delighted expression when he’d flipped that pancake had made him feel like a hero. And she’d immediately understood why he wanted Ace to show her around.

      He’d had a busy morning, taking and sending clear pictures of the tire tracks near the vet offices to both his boss and Shadow Creek’s new sheriff, Knox Colton. He’d ridden out to check the property lines and the herd for any signs of trouble or weakness. Scrabble was thrilled to be out and about, and she’d alternated between bounding alongside and riding up in the saddle with him.

      Through it all, he mulled over Marie, the Cohort threats against her and the threat she might pose to the investigation. It was hard to look at her and think enemy when those dimples creased her cheeks and a smile lit up her big brown eyes.

      He checked his watch, knowing he was cutting it close before the scheduled update conference call. Guiding his black-and-white gelding, Domino, into the corral behind the barn, he’d just removed the saddle and propped it on a rail when Ace walked up.

      “Let me take care of this,” Ace said.

      Emiliano shook his head, removing the rest of the tack. Ace should be resting. “I’ve got it. Where’s Marie?”

      “Out front with another cup of coffee, I think.”

      “You think?”

      Ace hooked his thumbs in his belt, rocked back on his heels. “I thought you had her babysitting me, not the other way around.”

      “Either way, you should both be here,” he pointed out, inexplicably annoyed. “Scrabble, find Marie.”

      Ace snorted and reached for the saddle as the dog raced off.

      “Ace,” Emiliano warned.

      “I’ve had as much rest as I can stand.” He yanked the saddle off the rail and stalked off toward the tack room.

      It wasn’t until he was well away from the house that Emiliano had realized his mistake in leaving her with Ace, who, despite the declarations to the contrary, wasn’t at the top of his game today. She might have done anything while he was gone, tampered with his computer, contacted the Cohort, tried to walk into town. Or found a ride back to Dallas.

      And as she followed Scrabble to join him at the corral, a cup of coffee in hand, winter sunlight on her hair and that wide smile flanked by dimples, he knew all those possibilities were baseless. Mentally, he removed her name from the list of possible Cohort accomplices.

      He’d done more background research last night after Marie had gone to bed and Ace had fallen asleep. He supposed being a foster kid explained her lack of ties to anything other than Colton, Incorporated, but it still bothered him. Who lived that way, without support or backup? No pets, as she’d said, a minimal social life and completely career-oriented.

      When Scrabble sat, gazing up at him expectantly, he praised her and bent to give her a good ear massage. It gave him a moment to pull himself together. “How was your morning?”

      “Great. Ace gave me the full tour. He showed me how to give the horses out front some treats.”

      “Good.” Emiliano shuffled his feet and stared out over the acreage. She was almost too fresh and pretty to look at with her hair pulled up into a ponytail, her snug jeans too dark to have seen much use, and the half-zip sweatshirt with the faded football team logo over a long-sleeved shirt. She was in tennis shoes instead of high heels, so he had a better sense of how petite she really was, with those feminine curves balanced perfectly on her small frame.

      At one time, she might have been exactly his type of woman. Thank goodness his work kept him traveling from one cyberattack to the next, effectively killing his