Tears filled my eyes. “But I’ll never look like her. I’ll never be like her.”
“Thank God!” he said with so much enthusiasm that I couldn’t help but laugh. He touched my bottom lip with his thumb, moving so close that I could feel the heat of his body, smell the scent of his cologne. “I don’t want you to be her. I want you to be exactly who you are. I love you, Eve, just the way you are.”
A little sob escaped my lips. “Are you sure?”
“I’ve never been more sure.”
He kissed me and I knew, just like I’d known before. I think I’d always known, I just couldn’t make myself believe it. But I did now.
“I love you, too…”
LANCE
Prologue
Becky
It was the not knowing that was driving me insane. And then...
I could hear him.
My heart was pounding in my ears. I made myself as small as I could, praying furiously inside my head:
Please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please!
Tears rolled down my cheeks. A sob sat on my lips, but I bit it back, bit back everything that might alert him to my location. I couldn't do this now, couldn't do this again. I couldn't live like this.
Please, God, make him go away! Make this stop!
"I know you're there!" he yelled, his voice so familiar despite everything. "I can hear you breathing!"
My hands were shaking.
"Come on, Viv! I know you're here!" His footsteps came closer, too close. "I couldn't believe it when I saw you at that horse show, couldn't believe your beautiful face was just standing there, right in front of me. All these years... I believed you were dead. After that accident... I looked for you everywhere! When I couldn't find you, I believed you were dead, a Jane Doe in some morgue somewhere. But now... you're mine. You've always been mine, Viv. I'm going to take you home."
There was threat in those words, threat that brought back memories that only increased the fear pumping through my blood. How did this happen? How did he find us? What mistake did I make? What was he doing at that show? Why was he in Wyoming? I thought I'd gone far enough, thought he would never find me here. How did this happen?
What was I going to do?
Please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please!
Chapter 1
At the Ranch
Sutherland leaned forward on the uncomfortable bench, watching closely as the stallion pranced out into the arena. They'd worked on this for weeks, the way the horse would walk up to the judge's table and bow, the way he would move into his maneuvers. This show was so important... but she had faith that Grainger had his mount firmly under control. But, just the same, she clung to Eve's hand as she watched, the two of them silently praying for an expert showing.
They weren't the only ones praying. Sutherland could see Becky down at the railing, her hands moving in the vague gestures Grainger was making on the back of the stallion. She'd taught him every move, taught him everything he needed to know to make that stallion shine. He was a difficult horse, hence his name, Trouble. When their last show rider had refused to mount him again, it had seemed that the star of MidKnight Ranch's stable was about to become nothing more than a workhorse. But then Grainger walked into his stall and it was like love at first sight. Becky insisted she'd never seen such a thing before, and she'd been working with horses since she was a child. Some horses were just impossible. But when Grainger was around, Trouble suddenly became a pussy cat. It was quite a sight. And it'd saved Sutherland too many sleepless nights to count.
If Trouble won this show, it would mean a huge payday. And a reputation that would put them on a bigger stage, a reputation that would lead to more shows, more wins, and, ultimately, stud fees that would pay for the future of MidKnight Ranch.
This was a break MidKnight desperately needed.
It seemed like everything that could go wrong had gone wrong in the past six months or so. The grain got wet somehow, and all the horses went down with colic, causing their prized stallion at the time to suffer consequences that led to the loss of stud fees. Then someone blew a hole in the south pasture's fence, allowing fifty head of cattle to wander onto the neighbor's property and he—just the thought of him made Sutherland's knees weaken a little for multiple reasons—refused to return them for weeks. Then the neighbor damned up an important stream that runs through MidKnight's south pasture. A dozen head of cattle suffered dehydration as a result. They recovered, but it was another setback they didn't need.
All that was several months ago. But it hadn't stopped.
An order for hay went missing for some reason—Sutherland later found out that the hay had been delivered to the Circle B, the neighboring ranch. And Bodhi Archer, Circle B's owner, hadn't bothered to call and let them know about the mistake. When confronted, he claimed that he wasn't at the ranch when it happened, but that he reprimanded his foreman for not dealing with it better. That didn’t do the cows who went without the extra nourishment for three weeks any good.
There was more, but it gave Sutherland a headache thinking about it all. The only thing that was important right now, was Trouble winning this show.
"He looks confident," Eve said.
Sutherland nodded. "They both do."
It was true. Grainger was a strong rider, fully in control of his mount. And it didn't hurt that he was a very handsome man. Blond, blue eyed. And he had that soldier's physique that was always impressive. Several of the judges were middle aged women who were clearly in lust, if their expressions told Sutherland anything.
They had this in the bag.
Grainger and Trouble finished their presentation. Sutherland and Eve watched as they rode out of the arena, Becky quickly leaving the stands to follow. Becky Kay was a vet tech who was pretty much head groomer, head stable girl, head everything when it came to the horses at MidKnight Ranch. She was brilliant, a single mother who was attending school in Casper to become a big animal vet. As proud as Sutherland was of her, she worried what would happen when Becky graduated. She was never going to find anyone else who was as dedicated as Becky was.
Mitchell had said running a ranch was a breeze.
Mitchell was a very funny man.
"Should we go congratulate them?"
Sutherland shook her head. "Let's wait and see what their competition looks like."
Sutherland regretted that decision immediately. The announcer called the audience's attention with the statement, "Up next, Pretty Lady from Circle B Ranch in Midnight, Wyoming. Rider, Bodhi Archer."
The crowd gasped, most of them recognizing the man's name immediately. Sutherland groaned for a completely different reason.
"Son of a bitch!" she muttered under her breath.
Bodhi Archer wasn't just her neighbor. He wasn't just the main suspect in most of the things that had been going wrong on her ranch these past months. He also happened to be a highly successful, highly popular actor in Hollywood. He had a series of adventure movies that sold billions worldwide. Sutherland's own daughter had his likeness in a poster on her bedroom wall that Sutherland was forced to look at each time she tucked her daughter into bed at night.
And now he was here, in her world, stealing any advantage they might have had in using Grainger's looks to woo the judges.
"Shit!"
Eve glanced at Sutherland, clearly surprised by her anger and foul language. But Eve was probably the nicest person in the world. She wouldn't understand just how backstabbing and frustrating this was to Sutherland. But she would see when her husband came in second to this Hollywood fool.
"His horse isn't as well trained as Trouble," Sutherland said, noting the lack of grace in the horse's movements. "And that bow... not the best."
"Did you know he would be here?"
Sutherland shook her head. "It would have been nice to have a head's up, though. We could have... we could have done something different."
"Grainger worked hard with Trouble. I think they have it in the bag."
Eve took Sutherland's hand again and squeezed it. But Sutherland wasn't so sure. She could see how star struck the judges were—even the men. That could spell trouble—no pun intended.
Sutherland watched Bodhi closely, her anger only growing as she found herself studying the movements of his body, the way his hands held the reigns so softly, the way his shoulder muscles bunched and relaxed with his actions, the way his powerful thighs moved against the horse. She hated the way her eyes moved from his face to his thighs, the way her own thighs seemed to quiver like they had a mind of their own.
Why did he have to be so good looking? Why did he have to have a soft, New Zealand accent that felt like a caress every time he spoke? Why did his kiss make her knees go weak and her soul forget that she was a grieving widow, not a teenager with a crush?
Damn him for having that effect on her, anyway!
"Sutherland?"
Eve was standing, her hand on Sutherland's shoulder. The show was over and it was time to go check the horses while they waited for the judge's decision.
Sutherland followed Eve down to the stables that had been provided for the show horses. Becky and Grainger were standing outside Trouble's assigned stall, both clearly excited by the performance Trouble had given. When Grainger spotted them, he rushed over to pull his wife into a warm embrace. Watching, Sutherland was emotionally torn. She was happy her friend and her colleague had found such happiness in one another, but saddened by how their happiness seemed to highlight the loneliness she'd been feeling especially acutely here recently.
Awe, Mitchell, she thought. Why did you have to die? Why aren't you here with me?
"The results should be announced soon," Becky said, her voice a little high, like a little girl expecting to take first place in the spelling bee. Sutherland loved her enthusiasm and wished she shared it more. But Becky hadn't seen Bodhi Archer out there.
"They looked great out there," Sutherland said, trying to push her doubts down. "Let's keep our fingers crossed."
"I think we have it in the bag."
Becky came over and took Sutherland's hands, squeezing them tightly as she made a sort of squealing sound. Sutherland laughed, finding herself caught up in the younger woman's enthusiasm.
Becky had worked at MidKnight Ranch for nearly five years, and Sutherland couldn't imagine how they got along before she arrived. She was just a quiet girl when she first arrived, afraid of her own shadow. But she'd blossomed with every new responsibility Sutherland piled on her thin shoulders and she managed to not only hold up her end of the deal, but supersede Sutherland's expectation. She ran the stables at MidKnight singlehandedly, as well as attended school while raising her ten-year-old daughter, Cassidy. She was an asset Sutherland was incredibly happy to have on her side.
For Becky's sake, she really hoped they placed well in this competition.
Speaking of which, the loudspeakers above their heads announced it was time to gather for the reading of the judges' rankings.
The four of them held hands as they stood in the center of the arena with the rest of the competitors.
"I didn't know Circle B was here," Becky whispered near Sutherland's ear.
She just nodded, trying not to look over to where Bodhi stood with his head groom and other members of his posse. She could feel his eyes on her and that was distraction enough.
"Let us begin by congratulating all the participants here today," the announcer said, leading a round of applause for everyone in the arena for which the audience halfheartedly participated. "It's quite a task, preparing a horse to perform such specific tasks."
The applause died out almost as soon as the announcer stopped speaking, but then someone screamed Bodhi's name. Laughter filled the open space when he dipped into a low bow to acknowledge his fan.
Sutherland rolled her eyes.
"He shouldn't be allowed to compete. It distracts from the skill of the other participants."
Becky didn't respond. She was too busy checking out Bodhi.
"We'll begin with fifth place."
Sutherland closed her eyes as she listened to the reaction of the crowd when a small, Texas ranch's name was called. She whispered a little prayer, so afraid Trouble would be called before the got to first place. And then, like an answer to her prayers, the best thing possible happened.
"Fourth place, Circle B Ranch, Bodhi Archer owner."
The crowd screamed like it was the Oscars and he'd just won best actor. Sutherland opened her eyes and watched him humbly accept the cheap medal they placed around his neck. Then he shared high fives with his team before turning to face the other competitors, his gaze falling specifically on Sutherland. He winked, that crooked, charming smile on his full lips.
Asshole!
She turned slightly, pretending she didn't see him.
When they called third place and Trouble still hadn't been named, Becky grabbed her hand and held on tight. Grainger took the other, the four of them standing their together, all of them praying harder than they probably ever had.
"Second place, Triple Five Ranch, Carlson Johns owner."
Hope soared in Sutherland's chest. She knew there were four other competitors left besides them, but she also knew that Trouble did much too well to not have placed at all. But there was still that little bit of uncertainty dancing up and down her spine. So when they began the announcement, "And first place goes to..." she became lightheaded, convinced they would not say MidKnight Ranch.
And then they did!
"...MidKnight Ranch, Sutherland Knight owner. Grainger North rider. Becky Kay trainer."
Becky screamed as she threw her arms around Sutherland's neck. But Sutherland couldn't bring herself to believe it. She'd heard it with her own ears, but the reality of it was taking longer to settle in. This had to be the beginning of a new upswing for MidKnight Ranch. It was the end of January, the beginning of a new year. Maybe things were finally beginning to look up.
She was still thinking that a few hours later as she finished cleaning out the stall Trouble had been housed in these last few hours. Everyone else was packing up the truck, preparing for the long drive back home. Becky was anxious to get back to Cassidy and the newlyweds were anxious to return to their lives. Sutherland, though, she was content to do the work, happy to have something to keep her busy that didn't require some sort of crisis management. Running the ranch at the same time she was trying to get a new business off the ground—Gray Wolf Security may be an established thing in Santa Monica and Austin, but it was still new up here in nowhere Wyoming—was more than a full-time job and it was beginning to wear her down.
She almost missed the grunt work she'd hated so much when she was just a lowly Army private.
"Congratulations."
She would have known that voice anywhere. She debated not turning around, debated pretending that she hadn't heard him. The only problem with that was that she was the only one left in the stables. She really had no excuse to ignore him.
She sighed heavily as she leaned on the pitchfork she'd been using to spread fresh hay.
"Mr. Archer."
"Oh, Sutherland, you break my heart," he said, pressing a hand to the center of his chest. "Haven't we gotten past the formal stage?"
"You seem to mistake me for a friend. But we aren't friends."
"We're neighbors. And, someday... hopefully someday soon, I anticipate we'll be lovers."
"In your dreams."
That smile came back, the tip of his tongue touching the center of his upper lip. "Most definitely," he said in a tone that left very little for confusion as to his meaning.
Sutherland blushed. And that made her angry. How dare he make her feel like an object, like a desirable, beautiful... damn him!
"I'm a married woman. You do realize that, right?"
"You're a widow. And, from what I understand, you've been a widow for more than a decade." He tilted his h
ead slightly, his eyes moving slowly over the length of her. "Must be a lonely existence."
"I'm busy enough, thank you."
She picked up the pitchfork and went back to her chore, moving around hay that really didn't need to be moved. She was actually finished with the task, she simply wanted something to keep her busy. Maybe he'd get the message and go away.
No such luck.
"Don't you have people who could do that?"
"We all have our own chores to do."
"But you're the owner of the ranch. Why wouldn't you assign the grunt work to someone else?"
"Why did you ride your own horse in the competition?"
"Touché," he said, even as he came up behind her and took the pitchfork out of her hands. "But I really think you've done just about as much as you can."
"And now you're the expert as to how much hay should be spread in the stalls?"
"No. But if you lay much more, they next horse will be up to his haunches in hay."
Sutherland looked around herself, aware that there was too much, but the image of a horse that deeply buried in it, making her laugh.
"Okay, I get it."
"That's nice," he said, touching her shoulder to turn her toward him. "You have a nice laugh."
The amusement immediately disappeared.
"Why do you do this? Why do you talk to me this way?"
"Because I like you."
She shook her head. "You don't know me."
"I'd like to get to know you, but you refuse to go to dinner with me."
"I'm busy."
"I've been asking for months."
"It's been a busy few months."
"You're not busy right now."
"I'm three hundred miles from home. And my team's waiting for me."
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