The Cowboy's Homecoming. Donna Alward

the little sedan. Kailey turned in the passenger seat and faced her friend. She had to be honest here, even if Rylan was Lacey’s baby brother.

      “Okay,” she continued. “When I woke up, he’d taken his things and checked out. His truck was gone...it was like he had never been there.”

      Now Lacey frowned, a wrinkle forming between her perfectly groomed eyebrows. “He ran?”

      “Like he couldn’t get away fast enough. And he hadn’t left enough cash with the room key, so I had to pay the difference.”

      It had been the singularly most humiliating moment of her life. If he’d hung around, she might have been able to avoid going to the office and seeing Lyle Tucker behind the desk. The small smirk on his face had only added insult to injury as far as Kailey was concerned. It was enough to turn her off romance for a good long while.

      “Oh, ouch,” Lacey said, frowning. “Hey, I love Ry. He’s my brother. But that was pretty crappy behavior.”

      “Yeah, it was.” Kailey sighed. “And I know I should get over myself and just...I don’t know, put it behind me. Not let it get to me.”

      Lacey looked far too hopeful for Kailey’s liking. “Could it be you still care for him?”

      There was a very real chance of that, but Kailey would never admit to it. “I barely know him,” she replied. “And I’m very aware of how that makes me sound considering what we shared.” And what they hadn’t shared. Her shoulders slumped. “I made a mistake, that’s all. And I’m trying, really I am. We were chatting about the stock and stuff and doing fine until he insisted on paying the bill.” She sent Lacey a sheepish half smile. “I’m afraid it set me off, since he stiffed the motel, you know?”

      “Maybe if you just talk to him—”

      Kailey cut her off before she could finish the sentence. “No way. What’s done is done. It’ll be fine. I just need to put on my big-girl panties.”

      Lacey laughed. “Well, if it makes you feel any better, Duke is Quinn’s best man. You won’t be paired up for the day or anything.”

      It didn’t. Because that was just for the ceremony, and maybe a few pictures. The rest of the night Duke and Carrie would be pasted together. And Kailey, the maid of honor, would be the old maid of the group.

      Ugh.

      “Speaking of...” She changed the subject. “Let’s get these errands done. We’re supposed to be focusing on your wedding, not my romantic drama.”

      The mention of wedding errands was enough to set the efficient Lacey into action, and they talked about lace versus satin ribbon for the flowers and cake flavors as they headed down Main Street.

      It was just too bad Kailey couldn’t get Rylan’s gray-blue eyes out of her mind, or the sound of his voice. She knew Lacey and Duke needed him to keep the ranch in the family, but honestly she hoped he wasn’t around much. Then life could get back to normal.

Chapter Three

      Rylan pulled into the Crooked Valley yard at quarter past seven. Too late for dinner—though if he asked, Lacey would probably have leftovers—and still with enough daylight left that he could chill for a bit before falling into bed.

      It would be good to move around for a while, loosen up the tight muscles that came from driving the better part of the day. The past two weekends he’d competed, both times in the money, once at the top. But it hadn’t been easy, either. He’d twisted his knee a little yesterday during an awkward dismount, and the rides had been tough, beating his body around enough that he felt it through his ribs and shoulders.

      But he was home now. And while he wouldn’t admit it to Lacey, it was nice to have a home base. Not that working in Wyoming had been bad. His boss had been good to him. Paid him well.

      Ry’s needs were simple and he’d been careful with his money. As a result he had a rather nice little nest egg built up for a rainy day.

      A rainy day that might have arrived. He still had some thinking to do before making any firm decisions. Still, it didn’t hurt for a man to have his ear to the ground.

      But first he had to get unhitched. He could hear the dogs, Molly and Ranger, barking inside when he hopped out of the truck and moved to disconnect the camper. It took very little time for him to have it level and ready, just the way he liked it.

      No one was home, so he went in the back door and emptied his dirty clothes from his duffel into the washing machine. After petting the dogs and putting some water in their bowl, he took a quick scrounge of the fridge and found leftover meatloaf. Ry sliced a huge hunk and put it between two slices of homemade bread for his dinner, then grabbed a beer from the fridge before heading back outside.

      It was quiet. Almost too quiet. What he’d really like to do was go for a swim, let the cool water soothe his tired muscles. With more than an hour of daylight left, he shoved the last crust of bread into his mouth, washed it down with the beer, and struck out for the western edge of the property.

      He’d discovered the bend in the creek quite by accident a few days after he’d arrived at the ranch. He’d been out riding, familiarizing himself with the place, and he’d started following the creek toward the property line. He knew at some point the land became Brandt property, but he didn’t know when and where. It took him a good half hour to make his way to the spot he’d found before, where the rushing, burbling sound faded to a soft lapping. It was wide enough, deep enough to swim. With the warm sun bathing his face, he stepped through the tall grass to the edge and prepared to strip to his briefs.

      And halted, with his hands on the button of his jeans. There was already a pile of clothes on the ground, a heap of denim and a pale green T-shirt next to running shoes. Women’s running shoes.

      He snapped his gaze to the water at just the right moment to see a woman surface in the stillness, parting the water with a soft splash and then swiping her hair back off her face.

      Kailey.

      His body reacted in a typical way and he shifted his weight to the other foot, unsure of what to do. What were the chances of him getting out of here without attracting her attention? Slim to none, he would imagine. Standing here staring was another ill-advised move... Damn. It didn’t really matter what he did, it would be wrong. After leaving Kailey the way he had, he’d come to expect it from her.

      He took a step backward and dry grass crackled beneath his feet. Maybe she wouldn’t hear. He’d approached after all, and she hadn’t been the wiser. But no such luck this time. Her head snapped around and she saw him standing there, next to her mound of clothing, and he could see her blush even though they were several yards apart.

      “Sorry,” he called. “I’ll go.”

      He’d turned halfway around when her voice stopped him. “What are you doing here, Rylan?”

      He hesitated and faced the pool—and her—again. “I was going to go for a swim. I saw this place a few weeks ago and thought it would be perfect.”

      “It is. Don’t go. I’m done anyway. If you don’t mind turning your back for a few minutes, I’ll leave you in peace.”

      He swallowed, hard. Looked down at her clothes. He didn’t see any underwear, and he let out a relieved breath. He wasn’t sure his body, or his imagination for that matter, could take knowing she was skinny dipping.

      “Don’t get out on my account. Really, I’ll just go back home.”

      He’d taken two more steps when she called after him. “Are things going to be this awkward between us forever?”

      Forever was a long time. He called back, “I’m not staying forever, so I doubt it.”

      She didn’t answer, but he heard a splash and dared to look over his shoulder.

      She’d