by Elle James
"I don't know. I don't like leading someone on when I don't want it to go anywhere."
"Just do it and keep an open mind. We screen our clients and do background checks. At least, you know you won't be getting an ex-con or child molester. You won't regret it, I promise."
Emma chewed on her lip. Leslie's proposal might do the trick. She just didn't want her friend's matchmaking business to suffer the consequences. "The date is doomed to failure. Are you sure you want to take the hit?"
"Be honest with the data. The system will do the rest and I'm willing to take the risk."
For a long moment, Emma stared into her friend's hopeful face. "Anyone ever tell you saying no to you is hard?" She laughed. "If you keep that up, you should get lots of business."
Leslie nodded, a smug smile on her lips. "I plan on it. I only want others to have a chance at the love you and I have both known. I wouldn't have missed the experience for the world."
Emma sighed. "Me either." She let Leslie lead her into a spare office where she could use the computer to enter her data. Emma made a point of putting it all out there—the good, the bad and the not so attractive. If the system found someone to date her, the result would be a miracle. And once out at the ranch with her brothers running him through his paces, any prospect would soon learn no one would equal their expectations.
She'd be off the hook and free to pursue her own goals and dreams. Which included purchasing Old Man Rausch's one-hundred-and-fifty-acre spread on Willow Creek. The place would be all hers, paid for with the money she'd been saving from her work as a horse trainer for the T-Bar-M Ranch. Once she lived on her own, her brothers couldn't interfere with her life.
A good plan, and one she intended to see through.
As she stepped into her truck to make the long drive back to the Rockin' J Ranch, a cool breeze swept across the parking lot, lifting the hair off the back of her neck, surrounding her like a caress. She glanced at the sky. No clouds. Weird. The temperature read-out on the bank sign on the corner listed ninety-nine degrees. Heat waves rippled upward from the black pavement, and Emma had yet to switch on the truck AC. So where had the cool breeze come from? She could swear she smelled a faint hint of musky aftershave, the kind Marcus liked to wear when they'd gone out on dates.
Emma's chest tightened and she sat still, trying to recapture the scent. Finally, she gave up. She had to be imagining the smell. All this talk with Leslie about having loved the man of their dreams had played havoc with her memories. Nothing a good round of stall mucking wouldn't cure.
She'd never told anyone she thought Marcus's spirit lingered around her, keeping her company when she was lonely or afraid. Her brothers would have her in a shrink's office quicker than she could say lickety-split. At night, when she lay in bed, missing him so badly it hurt, a light breeze would stir the curtains and waft around her. She'd stare at the picture of them laughing on the beach at South Padre Island and sigh. Marcus was everything she'd ever wanted in life. With him gone, she didn't have anything to aim for, except the ranch and her independence.
If her plan to bring a "date" home to her brothers worked, she'd be one step closer to that independence she so craved and to quelling her brothers' determination to marry her off. The ball was in Leslie's court to find the right man to pull off the plan.
"Please be everything I asked for," Emma whispered as she cranked the truck engine. Another gentle breeze blew in through the open window and trailed across her skin, lifting more goose bumps. She shrugged and shifted into drive. Emma chastised herself for her morbid thoughts. If she didn't stop thinking every peculiar thing that happened in her life was a sign, she'd be forced to commit herself to the nearest psychiatric ward for evaluation.
Warrior’s Resolve
Iron Horse Legacy Book #5
New York Times & USA Today
Bestselling Author
ELLE JAMES
Coming Soon
PREORDER HERE!
Molly McKinnon’s father disappeared on a manhunt for an escaped convict. From what they’ve been able to piece together, whoever kidnapped her father, wants the location of the money the convict escaped to retrieve. Getting desperate, the kidnappers will do anything to get the McKinnon patriarch to tell what the convict told him, even go after the rest of the McKinnon family.
Former US Air Force PJ, Parker Bailey, was medically retired from the military after a disastrous mission left him with a damaged leg and a dead pilot he was supposed to rescue. Parker retreats to Montana where he’s offered a job as foreman of the Iron Horse Ranch. He’s spent the last five years working hard and keeping to himself, even though the owner’s pesky daughter is always underfoot. From the first, he found Molly irritating. As she matured into a responsible adult, he found he respected her and eventually desired her. But he would never act on that desire, since she’s the boss’s daughter. Until the boss disappears and Molly’s mouth makes Parker so angry, he kisses her to shut her up. Kissing her breaks all the rules and sets him on path he can’t undo. Even if he did fight to win her heart, he'd have to go through all the McKinnons to get to her.
When Molly is kidnapped, Parker vows to get her back at any cost. Together with her brothers and the Brotherhood Protectors, he fights to retrieve Molly and her father and bring them home to the Iron Horse Ranch.
PREORDER HERE!
About the Author
ELLE JAMES also writing as MYLA JACKSON is a New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author of books including cowboys, intrigues and paranormal adventures that keep her readers on the edges of their seats. When she’s not at her computer, she’s traveling, snow skiing, boating, or riding her ATV, dreaming up new stories. Learn more about Elle James at www.ellejames.com
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Or visit her alter ego Myla Jackson at mylajackson.com
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Also by Elle James
Iron Horse Legacy
Soldier’s Duty (#1)
Ranger’s Baby (#2)
Marine’s Promise (#3)
SEAL’s Vow (#4)
Warrior’s Resolve (#5)
Brotherhood Protectors Series
Montana SEAL (#1)
Bride Protector SEAL (#2)
Montana D-Force (#3)
Cowboy D-Force (#4)
Montana Ranger (#5)
Montana Dog Soldier (#6)
Montana SEAL Daddy (#7)
Montana Ranger’s Wedding Vow (#8)
Montana SEAL Undercover Daddy (#9)
Cape Cod SEAL Rescue (#10)
Montana SEAL Friendly Fire (#11)
Montana SEAL’s Mail-Order Bride (#12)
SEAL Justice (#13)
Ranger Creed (#14)
Delta Force Rescue (#15)
Montana Rescue (Sleeper SEAL)
Hot SEAL Salty Dog (SEALs in Paradise)
Hot SEAL Hawaiian Nights (SEALs in Paradise)
Hot SEAL Bachelor Party (SEALs in Paradise)
Brotherhood Protectors Vol 1
Hellfire Series
Hellfire, Texas (#1)
Justice Burning (#2)
Smoldering Desire (#3)
Hellfire in High Heels (#4)
Playing With Fire (#5)
Up in Flames (#6)
Total Meltdown (#7)
Declan’s Defenders
Marine Force Recon (#1)
Show of Force (#2)
Full Force (#3)
Driving Force (#4)
Tactical Force (#5)
Disruptive Force (#6)
Mission: Six
One Intrepid SEAL
Two Dauntless Hearts
Three Courageous Words
Four Relentless Days
Five Ways to Surrender
Six Minutes to Midnight
Hearts & Heroes Series
&
nbsp; Wyatt’s War (#1)
Mack’s Witness (#2)
Ronin’s Return (#3)
Sam’s Surrender (#4)
Take No Prisoners Series
SEAL’s Honor (#1)
SEAL’S Desire (#2)
SEAL’s Embrace (#3)
SEAL’s Obsession (#4)
SEAL’s Proposal (#5)
SEAL’s Seduction (#6)
SEAL’S Defiance (#7)
SEAL’s Deception (#8)
SEAL’s Deliverance (#9)
SEAL’s Ultimate Challenge (#10)
Texas Billionaire Club
Tarzan & Janine (#1)
Something To Talk About (#2)
Who’s Your Daddy (#3)
Love & War (#4)
Ballistic Cowboy
Hot Combat (#1)
Hot Target (#2)
Hot Zone (#3)
Hot Velocity (#4)
Cajun Magic Mystery Series
Voodoo on the Bayou (#1)
Voodoo for Two (#2)
Deja Voodoo (#3)
Cajun Magic Mysteries Books 1-3
Billionaire Online Dating Service
The Billionaire Husband Test (#1)
The Billionaire Cinderella Test (#2)
The Billionaire Bride Test (#3)
The Billionaire Daddy Test (#4)
The Billionaire Matchmaker Test (#5)
SEAL Of My Own
Navy SEAL Survival
Navy SEAL Captive
Navy SEAL To Die For
Navy SEAL Six Pack
Devil's Shroud Series
Deadly Reckoning (#1)
Deadly Engagement (#2)
Deadly Liaisons (#3)
Deadly Allure (#4)
Deadly Obsession (#5)
Deadly Fall (#6)
Covert Cowboys Inc Series
Triggered (#1)
Taking Aim (#2)
Bodyguard Under Fire (#3)
Cowboy Resurrected (#4)
Navy SEAL Justice (#5)
Navy SEAL Newlywed (#6)
High Country Hideout (#7)
Clandestine Christmas (#8)
Thunder Horse Series
Hostage to Thunder Horse (#1)
Thunder Horse Heritage (#2)
Thunder Horse Redemption (#3)
Christmas at Thunder Horse Ranch (#4)
Demon Series
Hot Demon Nights (#1)
Demon's Embrace (#2)
Tempting the Demon (#3)
Lords of the Underworld
Witch's Initiation (#1)
Witch's Seduction (#2)
The Witch's Desire (#3)
Possessing the Witch (#4)
Stealth Operations Specialists (SOS)
Nick of Time
Alaskan Fantasy
Blown Away
Stranded
Feel the Heat
The Heart of a Cowboy
Protecting His Heroine
Warrior’s Conquest
Rogues
Enslaved by the Viking Short Story
Conquests
Smokin’ Hot Firemen
Love on the Rocks
Protecting the Colton Bride
Protecting the Colton Bride & Colton’s Cowboy Code
Heir to Murder
Secret Service Rescue
High Octane Heroes
Haunted
Engaged with the Boss
Cowboy Brigade
Time Raiders: The Whisper
Bundle of Trouble
Killer Body
Operation XOXO
An Unexpected Clue
Baby Bling
Under Suspicion, With Child
Texas-Size Secrets
Cowboy Sanctuary
Lakota Baby
Dakota Meltdown
Beneath the Texas Moon