Their Rancher Protector

by Sasha Summers

  “No.” Skylar’s brow furrowed, but she avoided making eye contact. “We can just take the van. But, thank you.”

  “I’d like to go.” Kyle set his napkin on the table.

  Skylar’s eyes pressed tight, her jaw muscle tightening. “Kyle—”

  “I want to be there for Mya.” He swallowed. I can do this. Right here. Right now. In front of...everyone that matters. “And for you.”

  The table went silent. Even Mya and Brynn seemed to understand that something important was happening.

  “I appreciate that but I’ll be fine. We will be fine.” Skylar’s smile was forced and she wouldn’t make eye contact.

  “You might be, but I’ll worry.” He cleared his throat. “I know how important this is. Hell, it’s important to me.” He broke off. “Sorry... Bottom line is I care about you and the girls, Skylar.” He took a deep breath. “What I mean is I love you and the girls. I love you.”

  She faced him, her eyes round.

  “Chad told you I’m a man of my word, so here goes.” He pushed out of his chair and came around the table to stand by her chair. She was so surprised, she didn’t resist when he pulled her to her feet. “You have my word on this, Skylar. Every word. I love you. Not because I promised Chad I’d take care of you. Not because I was struggling with guilt over his death. But because, for the first time in my life, I feel something I’ve never felt before. For you. I miss you when I don’t see you. I look for you everywhere. I’m happy when I see you. I...I need you in my life, Skylar.”

  Skylar’s lips parted but no sound came out.

  “If this is too much, too fast, I’ll wait.” His heart was lodged in his throat, making it hard to finish. “I promise, I’ll never give up on you—on us.”

  “You said...” She shook her head. “You said you were moving on.”

  “I was working my way there. Here. I was nervous. I’ve never done this before. Probably shows.” He shrugged. “In retrospect, I probably could have done a better job.”

  She blinked, a long, slow breath escaping.

  “My goal was to get here. To the ‘I love you’ part of it. Because I do.” He shook his head. “I know you need your space and you’re moving out—”

  “Maybe,” she whispered.

  He placed her hand on his chest, knowing she’d be able to feel just how fast his heart was thundering. “Maybe?”

  “I...” She shook her head, then glanced at Mya and Brynn, the two of them watching closely. “I want to do what’s best for them. It’s not just about what I want. I don’t even know if they’d be okay with this.”

  “Hold up.” He drew in a deep breath. “Is this what you want?” he asked, watching her closely.

  Skylar hesitated so long, doubt tightened his gut. Her nod almost brought him to his knees.

  Kyle let go of her hand, carefully signing what he’d been practicing most of the night. “I love your mom.” He waited for Mya to nod, her expression serious. “I want you to stay with me. I want us to be a family.”

  Mya frowned. “We not staying?” she asked. “Ma? I want to stay.”

  “Me, too,” Brynn sounded off. “Greer does, too.”

  “Good answer, girls.” He winked. “It’s up to you, Skylar.” He smiled. “Now or later, I’ll wait.” He cradled her cheek and leaned forward to whisper, “No pressure.”

  Skylar signed. “Yes, we are staying. With Kyle.” She slipped her arms around his neck. “I love you, too. I love you so much.”

  “Finally.” Hayden’s reaction caused a ripple of laughter from around the table.

  “Hush, Hayden,” his mother scolded. “Behave.”

  “They’re having a moment,” Lizzie added. “Don’t be a stick-in-the-mud.”

  Kyle was laughing. “Now that everyone has sounded off.” Kyle rested his forehead against hers. “Where were we?”

  “I was telling you that I love you.” There was no denying the warmth in her brown eyes.

  “That’s one hell of a relief because the only time I’ve ever felt at home is when you’re with me, Skylar.”

  “Welcome home.” She smiled up at him.

  He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I like the sound of that.”

  * * *

  Return to Rendezvous Falls for the next charming and heartfelt book in Jo McNally’s series!

  Read on for a sneak peek of Love Blooms by Jo McNally.

  Love Blooms

  by Jo McNally

  OWEN DIDN’T KNOW how to respond. She was right. He wasn’t the guy Lucy had known before. His time in the military had changed him. There was a bright flash beyond the trees, and a rapid series of explosions followed by more colors lighting up the sky. The finale of the fireworks show. His body tensed at the bombardment of sound and light, no matter how distant. Lucy’s hands gripped his biceps, and her forehead touched his. She was trying to stay connected...trying to keep him connected to her. To the present, not the past. He rested his hands on her waist, completing the circle, but not pulling her closer.

  Neither of them said a word while the finale came to its explosive conclusion. There was a beat of complete silence after the echoes faded, then the sound of car and boat horns rose up from the lakeshore as people expressed appreciation for the event that had sent him running.

  And still they stood without moving in the empty parking lot. He breathed in the soft floral scent of her and wished they could stay connected like this forever. Once silence fell on the Seneca Valley again, Lucy made the first move, slowly backing away. Moving out of reach, but not by much. That had to be a good sign, right? Was this whole night a good sign? Or a goodbye?

  He looked up, unable to see her face in the shadows cast by the parking lot light behind her. But he could see she was looking back at him. Waiting for some kind of answers. He was suddenly exhausted from holding onto everything he was carrying, and his shoulders fell in defeat.

  “You’re right, Luce. I didn’t come back the same. The last tour...it was so many levels worse than the first two for me. Those were no picnics, but the last one...the mountains, the weather and the action... We ended up in the thick of things more than once. Screwed up intel. Lousy luck. I don’t even know.” He stared off into the darkness under the trees. “People died before. Even people I knew...sort of. But this time...” His head dropped. “This time some of them died in my arms. Friends died in my arms....” Lucy made a strangled sound. She was getting the idea. “It made everything else seem so...unimportant.” He rushed to clarify, looking straight at her. “I don’t mean that it made you unimportant. But the wedding plans...the dress...the food...” His hand rose and fell. “I know it was important to you, so I should have made more effort, but I truly didn’t care.” He stopped. “There, I said it.”

  She considered his words for a moment.

  “Yes, you said it. And I...I respect that, after what happened. But what you didn’t hear is that the problem wasn’t in the wedding plans—I never expected you to get excited over choosing the centerpieces. The problem was that I wanted a small, intimate ceremony and I was getting a country club reception with an orchestra. The wedding plans weren’t what I wanted you to care about. My feelings about them are what I wanted you to hear.”

  Silence hung between them again, heavier than before. He’d been such an idiot.

  “I’m sorry, Luce. You’re right. I should have heard that, but I just...I was barely hanging on, you know? I didn’t want any deep dives into feelings. Not mine. Not yours. I get why you left me standing at the church. I deserved it, and it helped jolt me out of my stupor.” He thought of the week he’d spent drinking alone in their apartment. “Eventually, anyway.”

  He turned her toward the car. “We should head back.” He took her hand, not sure if she’d allow it. She didn’t push his hand away as she fell into step at his side. His heart jumped. As they walked, she
wound her fingers through his. Progress! There had clearly been a shift in the mood between them tonight.

  His chest felt lighter. Her hand was warm and familiar. She’d come up here with him when he needed her. She still cared. Owen Cooper had never been a quitter, and he wasn’t about to give up on their future together. If he had to win Lucy’s heart all over again, he’d do it. And this time around...this time she could wear whatever damn dress she wanted when she married him.

  Don’t miss what happens next in...

  Love Blooms

  by Jo McNally

  Available August 2021 wherever HQN books and ebooks are sold.

  www.Harlequin.com

  Keep reading for an excerpt from Accidental Homecoming by Sabrina York.

  Copyright © 2021 by Jo McNally

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  Accidental Homecoming

  by Sabrina York

  Chapter One

  Of all the reckless things Danny Diem had done in his life, this was by far the most reckless—driving nine hundred miles to the middle of nowhere based on a scrap of a letter, a whisper of hope. But when a guy was as desperate as he was, sometimes reckless was the only option.

  Now, here he was, smack-dab in the middle of the most alien landscape he’d ever experienced. And for a guy born and raised in Las Vegas that was saying a lot.

  Everywhere he looked—left, right, forward, back—there was nothing. Rolling hills of hay-colored grasses as far as the eye could see. No structures. No towns. No living creatures. Just...emptiness. The cloudless sky arched overhead in what seemed like an endless bowl of blue.

  It would have been pretty, he supposed, if wide-open spaces didn’t make him a little twitchy. He was used to the thrum of the city, the glare of neon lights and street noise. Police sirens, boisterous crowds, all-night bacchanals...

  There was no noise out here, other than the whistling of the wind.

  It was downright eerie.

  The only thing that felt familiar to him was the sweltering early September heat as summer refused to quit.

  His GPS told him he was only twenty miles or so from his destination, but he had the sneaking suspicion it was lying. That he would never reach civilization again. That he’d be driving through this barren countryside forever. Hopefully, this whole scenario wasn’t God’s way of making a joke.

  Hot air blew in through his open windows as he zoomed down the deserted two-lane highway that, in parts, didn’t even bother with lane markers. Sweat dripped down the back of his neck and trickled between his shoulder blades. The sun baked the exposed side of his face. He reached for his water bottle and then grimaced as he realized it was empty. He resisted the urge to try the air-conditioning again, because he knew damn well it had conked out somewhere in Idaho.

  He’d been foolishly optimistic to think his old ’Vette could make the long trip from Vegas unscathed. But then, when you had few options, it was easy to convince yourself that optimism was realistic. And the letter he’d received had seemed like a lifeline. One he’d never expected. One that made this trip a gamble he couldn’t afford to pass up.

  He glanced at the official-looking document on the passenger seat under his duffle bag, the edges riffling in the wind, and once again, his thoughts returned to his father. That big, looming shadow in his life.

  Whoever he’d been, he hadn’t wanted anything to do with his son, or the woman who had produced him. Strange that now, at the lowest point in Danny’s life, this man might actually come to his rescue.

  No one had ever come to Danny’s rescue before. Other than an on-again, off-again mother and one far-too-short love affair, he’d always been utterly on his own. It had always been up to him to find a way, any way, to wriggle out of his problems. This time, it seemed there was no way out.

  And then the letter had come.

  As legal documents went, it was frustratingly vague. All it said was that Danny was included in the will of a man named Daniel Stirling I, and he was to present himself at the offices of William Watney, Esquire, in the town of Butterscotch Ridge in eastern Washington State. It didn’t specify how much the inheritance was, or why Danny was included. He could only imagine that the deceased was his deadbeat father, the man his mother had cursed since Danny was small. But even that was conjecture. Hell, everything to do with that part of his past was conjecture, considering he knew practically nothing about the man.

  Well, hell. In all likelihood, his inheritance was something useless. Like a grandfather clock or a packet of old love letters. This whole thing was probably a waste of time, but in his dire straits, it was a necessary one.

  His life could hardly get any worse. Could it?

  A huge ker-chunk shook his car and a plume of steam roiled up from under the hood. The car sputtered and jerked, then slowly rolled to a stop on the side of the road.

  Damn. Maybe I shouldn’t have asked.

  He sighed and reached down to pop the hood, which let out a great gasp of vapor. Awesome. He checked his cell phone, but as he expected, out here there was no reception. He was stranded. In the middle of nowhere, in a hellish summer heat wave.

  Great. Another disaster. He seemed doomed to find them.

  Danny hadn’t seen another car since he’d left the Tri-Cities, and while he’d spotted a solar-powered call box, he couldn’t say how many miles back it had been. He had no idea how far it was to the next town. Too far to walk with no water, for sure.

  The car was fast becoming too hot to sit in, as it soaked up the blistering sunshine, so Danny grabbed his baseball cap, which he hoped would protect him from the heat, propped open the hood in the hopes the engine would cool, then settled down in a slender shady spot on the far side of the car and prayed for someone to come along.

  If he had to, he’d wait until nightfall and then start the long walk to civilization—a gas station, a far-flung country motel, something. Hopefully it would be cooler by then.

  As he settled down to wait, one thought buzzed through his brain. Where on earth had he gotten the idea that Washington State was cold and rainy?

  He must have dozed off, because he woke with a start from a familiar dream when he heard the roar of an approaching engine. The dream was alluring—it was the one he had often, where he and Lizzie were together in each other’s arms. His lips sliding over her skin, tasting her. Her scent engulfing him. The sound of her moan in his ears so vivid it seemed she was right there beside him... The dream came to him so often and felt so real that it was hard to shake. It still clung to him as he leaped to his feet and frantically waved his arms.

  An enormous crew cab slowed and pulled to the shoulder in front of Danny’s Corvette, and the driver stepped out. His boots were dusty and well-worn, but it was the Stetson that made clear, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Danny had landed in cowboy country.

  The man was about his age, maybe a few years older. His face was weathered and his chin sported an auburn bristle. His eyes were gray and he had a friendly smile.

  “Hey there, fella. You need some help?” he asked in a deep, smoker’s rasp.

  “Yeah. If you don’t mind.” Danny gestured at his sad little car. “Engine conked out.”

  The cowboy sauntered over and gave the ’Vette’s engine a quick glance. “Probably the heat. Did you try adding coolant to the radiator?”

  “Uh, I don’t have any.”

  “Water, then?”

  A rush of heat rose on Danny’s face. He’d never felt more stupid. “I’m out of water.” He’d brought plenty—he’d thought—but apparently not enough. He hadn’t realized he’d be traveling through t
his searing terrain. In rainy Washington State. In September.

  The cowboy didn’t smirk or make a rude comment about city boys. He just nodded, tipped back his hat with a finger and said, “Well, let’s have a look.”

  He bent over the engine and fiddled with this or that—Danny had no idea, because, honestly, he knew little to nothing about mechanical things—and then the fellow grunted. “Well, water won’t help. Looks like your whole radiator’s blown. You’re gonna need a tow. Can I give you a ride to town?”

  Danny blew out a sigh of relief, took off his cap and wiped the sweat from his brow. “That would be great.” He turned to the cowboy with a grin, only to discover that the guy was staring at him.

  As soon as he realized that Danny had noticed his sharp attention, he averted his gaze. “I’m Chase McGruder, by the way,” he said, thrusting out his hand.

  “Danny. Danny Diem.”

  Chase narrowed his eyes. “Have we met?”

  “Ever been to Vegas?”

  The response was a snort.

  “Then, no. I don’t think so.”

  Chase peered at him for a few more seconds and then shook his head. “Huh. You look familiar, but I just can’t place it. Ah, it’ll come to me. Well, we better get movin’. Need to get you out of this heat, I reckon.” He paused and pointed back to Danny’s car. “You may want to bring your things, though. George has the only shop in town, and he tends to start drinking early on the weekends, so he may not get out here for a while.”

  Danny chuckled. “Ah...it’s Thursday.”

  Chase’s grin was wry. “Exactly.”

  Danny nodded and headed back to grab the letter and his duffel bag. Everything he owned was in that duffle. So pathetic. But that was what happened, he supposed, when your dear, sweet mother cleaned out your bank account, then cleaned out your apartment and pawned anything of value before disappearing into the wind.