1

Chapter One

The song “Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)” popped into Lily Donovan’s head

as she leaned over the rail fence, her gaze fastened on a perfect male ass,

hugged by a pair of Wranglers. From there she couldn’t help but lift her gaze

higher, from the narrow waist to a wide, strong back and equally powerful

shoulders that flexed against a tight T-shirt. The wide brim of his hat cast a

shadow on his neck, hiding any glimpse of his hair. He’d yet to turn around,

but did that really matter? The view was perfect from where she stood.

“Yee-haw. Am I right?” Her companion snickered from beside her.

“Who’s the new talent?”

Lily cast a sidelong glance at her sister, Shay, who happened to be

admiring the same view.

Lily stifled a grin. “I don’t know, but he sure knows how to wear a pair of

jeans.”

And she’d noticed over the years that most men hadn’t acquired that

talent. Or the backside to carry it off.

“I’m more interested in what he looks like without them,” Shay remarked,

more teasingly than serious.

“Of course you are.” Lily resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Cowboys, no

matter how good looking, were not usually her sister’s thing.

“You saw him first, though, so I’m giving you dibs.” Shay waved

graciously, her perfectly manicured ruby-red nails glinting in the sunlight.

Lily gave in to the urge to roll her eyes. “Gee, thanks. That’s awfully

generous of you,”

“Oh, I know.” Shay was always so magnanimous. “You can owe me

later.”

“And I’m sure you’ll remind me of it regularly.” Lily couldn’t help but

laugh at the thought.

“You know I will,” Shay remarked. “But you need a man more than I do.

You have to get back in the saddle, girlie.”

Shay’s intentions were good, but Lily had her reasons for staying single

for so long. She admired. Flirted every once in a while. Ogled on occasion.

But for the past year Lily had been a strictly “look but not touch” sort of a

woman.

Hypotheticals were comfortable. She could talk a good game, and it was

safe to banter about a guy’s ass with Shay when his back was turned to her

and she wasn’t required to engage in conversation. This was better. Safer.

And safe distances like this were likely to be the norm for a while longer.

As if he’d heard them, the cowboy in question turned in their direction.

Though the hat shaded his face, the sparkle of honey-gold eyes stood out

from the shadows. His gaze locked with Lily’s and held it for the briefest

moment.

“Wow!” Shay exclaimed a little too loud. “The front side is just as damn

good as the backside!”

“Shay!” Lily hissed. “Shhh. He’s looking right at us.”

“He’s looking right at you,” Shay corrected her. “You might want to offer

him a tissue so he can wipe the drool from his mouth.”

Lily scoffed, but she didn’t look away. Strong jawline, high cheekbones, a

nose that was just imperfect enough to ground his good looks, and those

eyes. They practically glowed. He continued to stare, his gaze unwavering.

Lily tried to look away, but his eyes captivated her.

“No one stands around here, girls. You know that.” Lily’s cousin Jacob’s

voice boomed from the group of men setting up the cattle chute, breaking the

spell. “Fence leaners get put to work, so you’d better get moving or get

down here and get dirty.”

He was teasing, but Lily wanted to kick Jacob in the shin for drawing

attention to them. It was his ranch, after all, and it wasn’t the first time she

and Shay had been given a hard time. They weren’t there to hang around and

get dirty, though. They were picking up Jacob’s wife, Sallie, for a shopping

trip in Sacramento.

“Sorry, Jacob!” Shay called back. “We’re supervising. But we probably

should stay. There’s not a single woman out there to make sure you’re doing

it right!”

Jacob grinned and shook his head. He was a good sport. They really did

harass him on a regular basis. But they’d been doing it since they were kids,

and neither she nor Shay could find a good reason to stop doing it now.

“Aren’t you going to Target or the mall or something?” Jacob swept his

hands at them as though to shoo them away. “Maybe you should go make a

shopping list.”

“You don’t make a shopping list for Target,” Lily quipped. “Target tells

you what you need when you get there.”

She reached a fist up and Shay bumped her knuckles against Lily’s. From

the corner of her eye, she kept her attention on the mysterious cowboy and

found him watching her again. For the past year, that sort of attention had

made her a little anxious. This time, however, it gave her a bit of a thrill.

“Lily, will you please control your sister?” Jacob said with mock

exasperation.

“You know she’s uncontrollable,” Lily reminded him with a laugh.

“Boy, you’ve got that right.”

He gave them a wave in parting and headed back to the chute. Lily

stepped down from the fence.

“Are you sure you want to go shopping today? Looks like everything you

need is right here. Might not be a bad idea to get down and dirty if you know

what I mean,” Shay suggested as she followed.

“You’re hilarious.” Lily jabbed at Shay with her elbow.

“Oh, I know.” Shay could always be counted on to be modest.

As they headed toward the house, Shay continued to talk, but the words

faded to the back of Lily’s mind. She fought the urge to turn around and look

one last time, to try to get a glimpse of the gorgeous cowboy with the light

honey eyes. But Shay would never let her live it down if she did, and so Lily

kept her gaze straight ahead, nodding here and there, going along with

whatever it was that Shay said.

“So, you agree with me? I bet we could get Jacob to introduce you.”

“Wait. What?” Lily snapped out of her reverie.

“Lily, I’m hurt.” Shay feigned a pout. “You’re the one person I can count

on not to tune me out when I ramble, and you let me down.”

“What did you say?” Lily demanded as she stared at her sister

suspiciously.

Shay released a long-suffering sigh. “I said that I think it would be good

for you to go out on a date. I could totally go too. I mean, not on the date.

That would be weird. But I could be, like, undercover. Sit at the next table

and wear a wig and sunglasses. Keep an eye on you in case someone needs

his ass kicked.”

Lily pictured her sister sitting in a booth at Merrill’s Café, full trench coat,

dark curly wig, and overstated sunglasses. She stifled a laugh, and though

she wanted to get on Shay’s bandwagon, she knew she just wasn’t ready.

“No dates for me.”

Shay’s shoulders slumped like a four-year-old who was just denied a

sucker.

“It’s been almost a year,” her sister reminded her, her voice quiet.

The conversation had turned damned serious and they hadn’t even made it

to the house yet. Lily had hoped they’d at least make it out of the county

before the conversation circled around to her love life, or lack thereof.

Lily’s cell vibrated in her back pocket, and for once she was thankful for

the interruption. She pulled it out and a rush of adrenaline coursed through

her veins. She didn’t recognize the number, but she knew the area code.

“Go ahead and grab Sallie,” Lily said as she swiped her finger across the

screen. “I’ll meet you guys at the car.”

Shay’s brow furrowed with concern, but she did as Lily asked and hustled

up the front steps and into the house.

“Hello?”

“Lily Donovan?”

The formal tone of the man on the other end of the line only added to her

worry. She took a steadying breath.

“Yes.”

“This is Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal Seth Miller calling from the U.S.

Marshals Service. Do you have a moment to talk?”

Lily’s throat went dry. She turned and walked toward her car as she tried

to stay calm. “Um, sure. I don’t have much time, though.”

“I’m sorry to be calling, but I need to inform you that Graham Brisbee

escaped from the California Correctional Center in Susanville two days ago.

The media hasn’t been alerted yet. I wanted to make sure you were one of

the first to know. We’d like to put you in protective custody until he’s

apprehended. I can have a deputy marshal pick you up immediately and

transport you to Sacramento.”

“No.” The word left Lily’s mouth before she could think better of it. Her

hands trembled and she worried she might not be able to keep her grip on the

phone. It took a conscious effort to draw air into her lungs, but she forced

herself to keep her shit together. “He escaped? How?”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t share that information with you right now. Excuse

me, but did you just say no?” He sounded almost incredulous.

She wasn’t surprised by his incredulous tone. But Lily had made her mind

up a long time ago. No one was ever going to be in charge of her life but her.

She’d managed to keep this part of her life a secret, and she wasn’t about to

change that.

“I said no. And I don’t want any deputy marshals following me around

either. Your job is to catch him. I’ll look out for myself. Have a good day,

Chief Deputy.”

She ended the call and released a shuddering breath. Sallie and Shay

walked toward the car and Lily stuffed the sudden fear and anxiety that had

overtaken her to the soles of her feet. In a single moment, one of her worst

nightmares had been awakened. She just prayed that the marshals would do

their job and not make her regret her decision to look after herself.

Levi Roberts stepped away from the group of ranch hands. The persistent,

rhythmic buzz of his cell let him know it was a message that couldn’t be

ignored. He retrieved it from his pocket and quickly read the text message.

Disappointment puckered his brow as he fired off a quick response and

tucked the phone away. He turned toward the driveway, his attention drawn

to the three women climbing into a Toyota 4Runner. He pulled the brim of

his hat down lower over his forehead, shielding his gaze from the sun as he

watched the car drive off, sending a plume of dust into the air behind it.

“Levi, what do you think?”

Now that was a loaded question. He turned toward Jacob Donovan and

jerked his head toward the acres of sprawling pastures beyond the ranch.

“This is a bigger operation than the one I worked near Waco. But I can

handle it.”

“Good,” Jacob replied. “Because I can always use another set of hands

around here, even if it is only temporary. We have a bunkhouse on the

property that you can stay in. If it works for you, I’d like for you to start

tomorrow.”

“I’m here now. I’d rather start today if that’s not a problem.” Levi fought

the urge to look back at the road and the car that sped down the lane. Before

he’d even been made aware of who she was, Levi had been drawn to the

woman with auburn hair. The sunlight played off the red-gold strands setting

them afire. Her voice and spunk had piqued his curiosity. Only after he’d

heard her name had Levi made the connection. Lily Donovan. He hoped to

see her again, soon. “Might as well hit the ground running, you know?”

“Sounds good to me. You’ve already pretty much met everyone here. John

Grange, who you met earlier, is in charge of the day-to-day stuff. He’ll line

you up. If you have any questions, go to him.” Jacob reached out his hand

and Levi took it in his, returning the firm shake.

Levi nodded. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”

“Not as much as I do,” Jacob said. “The spring calving season is the

busiest around here. I’m glad to have you join the crew.”

Jacob left Levi to get straight to work. He was anxious to get to know the

crew and the operation. Learn more about Deer Haven and the people who

lived here. The best way to do that was to talk his co-workers.

The Rocking D Ranch was a decent-sized operation. Large enough to

employ a crew of about a dozen or more. From what he’d heard, Jacob hired

mostly ex-military, which was what made Levi a perfect fit.

“Jacob says you were an Army Ranger?”

Levi hoisted up a section of metal fencing, waiting for the other guy to

secure it to the section they’d just set up. “Yup. Eight years. Joined straight

out of high school.”

“I’m Chris, by the way. Navy. Twelve years. Nothing fancy, just an

enlisted guy.”

“Levi,” he introduced himself. “And no one is ‘just’ anything. Every job

serves a purpose.”

“Ain’t that the truth,” Chris agreed. “I thought about being a lifer, but I

missed home.”

“You’re local?” Levi asked.

“Born and raised here,” Chris said proudly. “Once a California boy,

always one, right?”

“So you know the family?” Casual conversation was always the best way

to find anything out. Especially in a small town. In order to get to know the

area and the people who lived here, all he had to do was be friendly and

initiate conversation.

“Oh sure. I’m five years older than Jacob, but everyone sort of knows

everyone in a small town.”

“His cousins hang out here a lot?” He tried to pose the question casually.

Chris grinned as he reached for another section of fencing that would

make up the temporary corral. “You mean Lily and Shay? They’re here

every once in a while. Tara too sometimes.”

“Another cousin?” Exactly how many cousins ran around loose on this

ranch anyway?

“Yeah.” Chris nodded.

Levi hoisted the fencing up and waited for Chris to put the pins in place,

securing it to the section before it. “Be careful, though. Jacob’s superprotective of the girls and he’ll kick anyone’s ass who does them wrong, if

you know what I mean.”

“Noted,” Levi said with a laugh. “Though they seem like they can take

care of themselves without any help from Jacob.”

“You’ve got that right,” Chris said. “Don’t let those innocent good looks

fool you. The Donovan girls won’t stand for any bullshit.”

Feisty. Levi liked that.

“Shay’s a firecracker for sure, but it’s Lily that you have to watch out for.”

Levi grabbed another section of fence. “How so?”

“She’s like a stealth bomber. Seems harmless enough and then, bam! She

lays you out before you know what hit you.”

Levi laughed. “Sounds like a handful.”

“Last year, Jacob’s wife, Sallie, was in a bit of trouble. Jacob did what he

always does and made sure that everyone in his family was safe. Told Justice

Culpepper to keep an eye on Lily. Lily and Justice have sort of an

antagonistic history, and she wasn’t super-happy about Jacob dumping

Justice on her. Guess she let Justice know by chucking a cast-iron skillet at

his head.”

“Handful” was an understatement. He didn’t even know who this Justice

Culpepper was, but he almost felt sorry for the guy.

Levi didn’t have any information about the situation with Jacob’s wife last

year, but in the couple of days he’d been in town he’d heard enough gossip

to have found out the basics. Sallie had gotten mixed up in something that

had to do with her stepfather, a diplomat. Some dangerous men had come to

Deer Haven looking for her and learned the hard way that you don’t fuck

with people Jacob Donovan loves. Levi admired Jacob. He had a reputation

for being a good man and force to be reckoned with when crossed. He was

definitely the guy you wanted on your side when shit went south.

“It definitely sounds like Lily is the one to watch out for,” Levi remarked.

“Unless you’re looking to get a concussion.”

“She’s got a temper on her,” Chris said. “But she’s a catch.”

“Single?” Levi tried not to sound too curious.

“Yeah. For a while now.”

“No one’s willing to risk a skillet to the head, huh?”

“I doubt that’s it.” Chris laughed. “She’s a prize and any man with eyes in

his head has tried to snag her. She’s a cold one when she wants to be.”

Lily had a wall up. Levi could see it in her eyes when she’d looked at him.

He knew all too well what that felt like. She wanted to push people away,

but it only served to draw him in. His curiosity grew to a point that Levi

knew it wouldn’t be squashed until he got to know her better.

He was determined to melt that cold exterior of hers, even if it meant

feeling the icy burn in the process.