2

Chapter Two

Levi sat at the bar at the Broken Horn Brewery, the local sports pub,

finishing up his burger and fries. A lot about a town and its people could be

gleaned from watching, listening, and even just chatting up the bartender.

Deer Haven, California, was a small enough town that everyone knew

everyone and no one’s business stayed private for long. Gossip flowed like

whatever beer was on tap, and the locals seemed to drink it up just as

eagerly. Curious eyes watched him as well, regulars curious about strangers

and newcomers. Levi made a point to introduce himself to the bartender and

let her know that he’d been hired at Jacob Donovan’s ranch. No need to

draw attention to himself when he could squash curiosity by putting the

word out easily enough through the grapevine.

“You want another beer?”

Levi looked over at his nearly empty glass. “I’m good. Thanks, though.”

The bartender—Amelia—grinned. “Okay, sugar.” She slid his check along

the bar and secured it under the glass. “Let me know if you need anything

else.”

He gave her a nod and went back to surreptitiously scanning the bar. The

front door swung wide and a group of four women crowded the entrance. He

perked up at the sight of light auburn hair and watched as Lily, her sister,

Shay, and two other women walked through the bar and took seats at a

booth.

Levi got Amelia’s attention and jerked his chin in the direction of the

booth. “I’d like to buy those ladies their first round.”

She gave him a knowing smile. “You’ve got it. Which one do you have

your eye on?”

Levi replied with a wry grin, “What makes you think there’s just one?”

Amelia laughed. “Good answer. Keeping your options open.”

Hardly. He waited as a waitress took their order and came back to the bar.

Amelia mixed four drinks, set them on the tray, and leaned over the bar with

instructions. Again, he watched as she wound through the maze of tables

back to the booth and set down the drinks. She propped the empty tray

against her hip as she talked to the group for a few moments and pointed

over to where he sat. Four heads turned in unison and Levi tipped his hat.

The darker-haired of the women, Shay, if he remembered correctly, smiled

wide and waved. Lily, on the other hand, gave him a suspicious, narroweyed gaze, her lips pursed petulantly. So much for making a good

impression.

Rather than approach the table and invite himself to join them, Levi let it

be. He turned his attention back to his burger and watched the preseason

baseball game on the big-screen television above the bar. Amelia passed by

and he said, “You know, I think I will take another beer.”

She reached for the taps and produced an already full glass. “I knew you

would,” she said, and set the glass in front of him.

Levi popped a fry into his mouth. From the corner of his eye, he caught

movement from the table Lily sat at. He dipped his head, angling it to the

right, and watched as she slid from the booth and crossed the bar in his

direction.

She wasn’t carrying her drink. At least she didn’t mean to throw it in his

face.

She stepped up to the bar beside him, one hand moving to rest casually at

her hip as he turned to face her. His gaze swept the length of her frame, from

the shapely calves and thighs hugged tight in a pair of skinny jeans to the

supple curve of her hips that gave way to her torso. A vanilla and spice scent

surrounded her, and the soft waves of her auburn hair shone like strands of

silk. Levi’s fingers twitched at his sides, eager to reach out and touch. To see

if it was truly as satiny soft as it looked. She was a good head shorter than

him, affording Levi a glance at the generous swell of her breasts that

disappeared in the V neck of her blouse.

“Thanks for the drinks.” She was all but glaring at him.

“Any time.” He tipped the beer in reply but watched the frustration and

confusion that edged at her expression.

This woman wouldn’t be an easy sell where a man was concerned. He’d

have to work for this one, he knew.

“Did you even know who you were sending the drinks to?” Her eyes

narrowed in suspicion.

If he’d ever seen a woman itching for a fight, then it was this one. Pent-up

anger all but burned like flames in her gaze.

“Boss’s cousins and his wife.” He sipped at the beer again, his gaze never

leaving hers. “I saw you and your sister at the ranch and met Mrs. Donovan

later. I’m Levi Roberts. I just hired on with your cousin’s spread.”

“Jacob will kick your ass for flirting with his wife.” The prediction was

made with no small amount of glee as she ignored his introduction.

Levi couldn’t help but chuckle. “Can’t say as I’d blame him, but I wasn’t

trying to flirt with her. Or your family.”

Her lips parted as though to speak, then pressed into a firm line.

Yeah, it was Miss Lily he was after.

He sipped at his beer again, wondering what she’d accuse him of next.

She was like a little cat, all wary and ready to scratch.

A second later, her chin lifted defiantly. “We thank you for the drink.” She

seemed to force the words past her lips. “Good evening, Mr. Roberts.”

Lily swung her arms in time with her stride as she walked with purpose back

to the booth. Up close, Levi Roberts was even more strikingly handsome, so

much so, it was difficult to take a deep breath in his presence. At least six

feet five, with an impressive frame that complemented his height. His

muscular build was created by hard work and nothing else and stretched the

light cotton fabric of his T-shirt perfectly. His hair was short, mostly hidden

by the hat, but tawny with a few errant curls that poked out around the edge

near his ears. The cocky smile he seemed eager to show off must have

caused more than a few women to breathe a little harder. He knew he was

good looking and was confident enough to use it to his advantage. Guys like

that were dangerous. Lily knew from experience.

“Did somebody make a new friend?” Shay sipped innocently from her

straw before reaching for a mozzarella stick.

“Not damned hardly,” she muttered, casting the cowboy’s back another

glare.

Shay tilted her head to one side and gave Lily a disapproving look. “Too

bad, he’s cute. But you know I don’t do cowboys. Maybe Tara will take him

on,”

Tara rolled her eyes as she sipped at her drink.

“Since when have you sworn off cowboys?” Sallie asked, the amusement

in her voice thick.

Shay pursed her lips and turned to Sallie. “Since I’ve decided to broaden

my horizons.”

Lily grabbed a mozzarella stick and dipped it in a cup of marinara sauce.

Shay continued to watch her and she pretended not to notice. Meanwhile,

Sallie and Tara seemed to enjoy observing the quiet standoff, neither one

willing to step in and break the silence.

“He smelled your hair,” Shay said at last.

“He did not!” Lily exclaimed.

Shay looked to Tara, who shrugged apologetically. “Sorry, Lily. He totally

leaned in.”

“Doesn’t matter.” Lily helped herself to another mozzarella stick. “I’m not

interested.”

“Because you’re blind?” Shay wasn’t going to let it go.

“Because I’m not interested. I don’t want to date anyone in this town. You

know how the mentality can be. ‘You don’t lose your girlfriend; you just lose

your turn.’”

“Okay, so it’s true that the dating pool is more like a puddle here, but

that’s the beauty of new blood,” Shay argued.

“Yeah,” Lily said. “Until the breakup. Then you have to watch your ex

move on with someone you went to high school with. No thanks.”

“Who says you’d break up? Don’t be such a pessimist, Lily,” Shay

objected with a roll of her eyes.

“I’m not being a pessimist. I’m being a realist.” That was her story and

she was sticking to it.

Shay opened her mouth to speak, but Sallie cut her off. “She’s not ready,

Shay. Leave her alone.”

Lily looked at Sallie and smiled a silent thank-you. Recently, she’d

thought that she might be ready to try to date again. But that was until two

days ago, when she’d gotten a call from the U.S. Marshals Service. She had

bigger things to worry about right now than whether or not Levi Roberts had

smelled her hair. Though she had to admit, knowing he’d leaned in made her

heart beat a little faster.

Sallie graciously changed the subject, showing Tara a pic from an interior

design account on Instagram that was the inspiration for her living room

makeover, proving again to Lily that she was definitely a ride-or-die friend.

Though she tried to ignore him, Lily was painfully aware of Levi sitting

not fifty feet away at the bar. As far as she could tell, he hadn’t turned to

look at her table, and for some reason that annoyed her more than if he had

walked over and invited himself to sit down. A pleasant shiver rippled over

her skin as she thought again about him leaning in to smell her hair. What

could it hurt to take a chance?

Lily had learned the hard way that taking a chance could cost almost

everything.

The front entrance door swung open, bringing with it a chilly gust of

spring wind and Justice, Rancor, and Pride Culpepper, a trio of trouble if

Lily ever saw one. Motorcycle-riding, leather-wearing playboys with more

arrogance than good common sense. Lily ordered another drink. Damn it,

after the past few days she’d had she deserved it.

As the night wore on, more familiar faces passed through the door. The

double-edged sword of living in a small town was that everyone knew

everyone. Lots of people stopped by the table to chat before moving on, and

of course word had already gotten out among the women in town that Jacob

had hired a hot new ranch stud. But as annoying as it could be, the comfort

of being somewhere that felt safe was far worth the other drawbacks.

“You guys want to stay a little later?” Tara thumbed through the dessert

menu on the table. “There’s live music tonight.”

“I need to get home early,” Sallie said. “I promised Jacob we’d watch a

movie together.”

“I’m out too,” Shay chimed in.

“Lily?”

“I’ll stay for a while longer.” Even in a small town, it was safer to be out

with a wing-woman. She’d never leave Tara—or anyone else—alone at a

bar. Besides, it was Friday night and the thought of going home alone tied

Lily’s stomach into an unyielding knot. She had too much on her mind, and

if she spent the rest of the evening at home she’d just overthink things that

were out of her control. Better to hang out here with Tara and let the music

and crowd distract her.

“Yes!” Tara held up her hand and Lily gave her a high five.

The music started up not long after Shay and Sallie left. Lily and Tara

moved from their booth to one of the tables near the dance floor. The band

wasn’t bad. Some country group making the rounds of the local bar circuits.

A few couples had begun swing dancing and Lily watched while she nursed

a glass of wine. She’d had enough to drink tonight, just enough to be relaxed

without being too buzzed. She never overdid it. Never put herself in a

position where she was out of control.

“Wanna dance, Tara?” Pride Culpepper bent over the table, his head

between them. Tara held out her hand and he pulled her from the chair,

leading her out to the dance floor.

Dressed in a black T-shirt, snug jeans, and motorcycle-riding chaps, like

his brothers, Justice and Rancor, he resembled a Sons of Anarchy reject.

Her gaze strayed to the bar again, only to be caught, and held, by Levi’s.

What was it about him? There was an undefined something that caught

her attention from the first moment she’d seen him at the ranch. She knew

plenty of men with confidence, arrogance, and sheer bravado. That wasn’t

what made him stand out, though she was certain he possessed all three

qualities in spades.

Lowering her gaze to her nearly empty drink, she forced herself to remain

seated, not to go over to the bar for whatever reason she could conjure up.

But she did need a fresh drink, after all. Maybe an order of hot wings.

Gripping her glass in her hand, she made to stand up, looking toward the

bar again. But Levi was gone.

Her gaze swung to the dance floor, but she didn’t glimpse his tall, distinct

figure. Moving around the bar, she just did catch a glimpse of him leaving.

The need for the drink or the hot wings was gone just as quickly.

Dammit.