Tucker's Crossing. Marina Adair

had waited nine years, eleven months, and twenty-seven days for this moment. She had prepared a speech. Even practiced it once on one of the cows. But all of the words she might have said, had rehearsed in her mind, vanished. Out of the countless scenarios she’d mentally played out, never once in all that time had she imagined that her reunion with Cody Tucker would take place with her as naked as a centerfold, staring down the barrel of a .45.

      She felt her skin flush from toes to cheeks, and up to her other cheeks. Reaching for her robe, she mentally planned her escape. If she was going to do this, she would damn well be dressed.

      “Don’t even think about moving,” Cody said in that sexy drawl that sent all kinds of unwelcome sensations shooting through her body. He tipped the gun toward her robe, cocky as ever. “Not ’til you answer my question.”

      Shelby swallowed back a frustrated scream and resisted the temptation to kick him. Was he serious? She might have been a yes-girl once upon a time, but she’d changed. She was here to settle the past and fight for her future, and that didn’t include being pushed around.

      “Tough,” she said, acutely aware of her nude state. “I’m tired, got a gun pointed at me, and dripping water all over the rug. Just because you’re finally ready to talk doesn’t mean I’m going to stand here naked to let you do it. You hear me?”

      “Oh, I hear . . .” His eyes traveled the entire length of her very exposed body, as if taking detailed notes of the changes since his exodus from her life. “And see you, perfectly.”

      Ignoring the gun, and that killer smile, Shelby gathered her robe and the courage needed to see this through. She’d answer his question, get him to agree to her proposal, and then he’d leave. And Shelby could get back to her life before her heart was any the wiser.

      Cody leaned comfortably against the door frame. He looked pretty damn good for a guy pointing a gun in her general direction. She, on the other hand, looked a fright. Her skin was all blotchy and she resembled a drowned kitty.

      Cinching the belt of her robe, she did her best to keep her shoulders squared and her expression natural—ignoring Cody’s glare.

      “Didn’t your mama tell you that playing at Goldilocks is illegal?” he asked.

      Never breaking eye contact, Shelby took a challenging step forward, then another one, her chest stopping just short of the barrel. All she’d wanted was to kick her shoes off, take a long shower, and enjoy a moment of peace on what had ended up being a crazy day. Was that so much to hope for?

      “Didn’t your mama teach you it’s rude to point a gun in someone’s face?”

      The minute the words were spoken, Cody shut down. According to Ms. Luella, this bathroom was where, after a horrendous battle with cancer, Cody’s mom had opted for a nice long bath and a bottle of sleeping pills, never imagining a nine-year-old Cody would come home early from school and find her lifeless body.

      But the way he just stood there, the epitome of cool, while Shelby was shaking all the way down to her terry-cloth robe, made her want to knock that arrogant grin from his face. But not like this.

      Then Cody’s gaze met hers, a familiar expression firmly in place, reminding her that her concern was unwarranted. He was, as she remembered him, in control and completely untouchable.

      “Get out,” he said, his voice calm and quiet.

      Ridiculous as it might be, his words cut so deep, Shelby felt them clear down in her bones. This was the man who’d promised to come back for her. Vowed to love her for all time. Then he broke her heart, disappeared, and—for heaven’s sake, had he just threatened her life?

      Despite all that, she just wanted to walk into his arms, tell him how much she’d thought about him over the years, and then shove him into a pile of horse chips.

      “I’m not going anywhere. And you could have knocked.”

      “Why the hell should I have to knock? It’s my house. The foreman assured me the place would be empty when I got here.”

      Sam Holden, the ranch foreman, knew her and Cody’s past. Knew why she was here. She felt a sense of betrayal that he hadn’t bothered to warn her.

      “Yeah, well, Sam should have told me you’d decided to finally pay us all a visit!” Without another word, Shelby shoved past Cody and left, desperate to get space between them before she did something stupid, like shoot him.

      She stayed calm enough to lock herself in one of the guest rooms, step into her dress and tell herself she was all right. She could handle this. But after three failed attempts to zip up the back, she gave up pretending.

      Three years ago, Shelby had come to Tucker’s Crossing, desperate for a safe place to regroup and rediscover the woman she had once been. Cody’s dad had given her that, and a place to call home. Then he’d died and she’d buried him, grieved for him, all the while preparing for Cody’s return.

      As expected, he never showed up. She finally had to resign herself, once again, to the idea that she might never get the chance to make things right for herself, for Cody—for her family.

      Shelby fumbled with the zipper of her dress. This was bad. Really bad. Because when she had stepped out of the shower and saw him, looking exactly like she remembered, her heart started racing just the way it used to. And Shelby was terrified.

      Not because she’d had a gun pointed at her. No, Shelby felt like her chest was about to split open because the one man she needed on her side had finally come home—and she’d somehow managed to piss him off. And she was afraid he was two seconds away from hightailing it out of there, away from Tucker’s Crossing, away from Sweet Plains, and away from her, only to disappear for another decade.

      Cody yanked his bedroom door shut and threw his bag down. Was this some kind of a sick joke? His old man’s last laugh? It had to be.

      Coming back was bad enough. But walking into his mom’s room and seeing Shelby, all of Shelby, with her wet, lush curves bared for his viewing, was enough to drive a man over the edge.

      “Christ!” Cody kicked the bed frame, expelling some of the rage that had been building since the reading of the will.

      Why was she here? What was she after? She’d dumped him. Betrayed him in every way possible. Hell, she’d married his best friend. But all the betrayal in the world didn’t stop his need. Those blue eyes and that smart mouth still turned him on.

      Cody dropped his head and rubbed at the knot that was starting to form at the base of his skull. He looked down at his crotch, caught sight of his raging hard-on and groaned. Why did she have to look so damn good?

      The truth was—he’d blown it as only a Tucker could do. Oh, she must not have been too upset over the breakup, the same one that had reshaped every aspect of his adult life—because she’d moved on, right into his business partner’s bed.

      But if Cody were being honest, he’d damn well scared her into it. Not that his friend’s bank account and family name were a bad consolation prize.

      No matter the reason, they were over. He wasn’t here to reminisce with his first love about their past regardless of how badly he wanted her. He’d come to Tucker’s Crossing with a single purpose—securing his and his brothers’ legacy. And no one was going to get in his way. So until he knew more, knew why Shelby was here, he’d keep the details of his father’s will and his plans for The Crossing to himself.

      Not that she’d be around long enough to get in his way. Cody planned to get his answers and then send her and her tight little ass packing.

      Shelby stacked the remaining lunch dishes into the dishwasher. Though half an hour had passed, her efforts to distract herself fell short of their desired effect.

      Cody was back. And he wanted her gone.

      With a practiced flick of the wrist, she twisted her hair up, and placed a damp towel on the back of her exposed neck, her body as queasy as it had been