Thunder Canyon Homecoming

Brenda Harlen

A Thunder Canyon Christmas

RaeAnne Thayne

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Thunder Canyon Homecoming

Brenda Harlen

Dear reader,

Long before I ever wrote my first book, I was a reader—and especially a reader of romance novels. From Victoria Alexander to JR Ward and all authors and genres in between, I love nothing more than to lose myself in a good love story. And a good love story with a cowboy hero is especially irresistible to me, so I was thrilled to be part of the MONTANA MAVERICKS: THUNDER CANYON COWBOYS continuity.

Maybe Corey Traub isn’t a full-time cowboy, but he has the attitude and the swagger and more than enough sex appeal to set Erin Castro’s heart pounding. But she came to Thunder Canyon looking for answers, and the last thing she needs is a romance with a too-sexy-for-his-own good cowboy—even if that turns out to be exactly what she wants…

I hope you enjoy Corey and Erin’s story and that you have as much fun visiting Thunder Canyon as I did.

Happy reading,

Brenda Harlen

About the Author

BRENDA HARLEN grew up in a small town surrounded by books and imaginary friends. Although she always dreamed of being a writer, she chose to follow a more traditional career path first. After two years of practicing as an attorney (including an appearance in front of the Supreme Court of Canada), she gave up her “real” job to be a mom and to try her hand at writing books. Three years, five manuscripts and another baby later, she sold her first book—an RWA Golden Heart winner—to Silhouette Books.

Brenda lives in southern Ontario with her real-life husband/hero, two heroes-in-training and two neurotic dogs. She is still surrounded by books (too many books, according to her children) and imaginary friends, but she also enjoys communicating with “real” people. Readers can contact Brenda by e-mail at brendaharlen@yahoo.com.

For two of my most loyal readers:

Marjorie Gennings, a wonderful aunt who has been there for me through every stage in my life; and

Marilyn Bellfontaine, a true friend who has supported my career not only from the beginning but “above and beyond.”

And with sincere appreciation to the other authors in this series for sharing histories, brainstorming details, answering last-minute questions, and making this project such an enjoyable one.

Chapter One

Erin Castro stood at the front of the church and tried not to fidget.

It was Erika and Dillon’s wedding day and she knew that the attention of all of the guests was focused on the bride and groom, but since she’d arrived in Thunder Canyon, she’d worked hard to blend in and couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable with so many eyes turned in her direction.

Her fidgeting fingers found the wide ribbon that bound her bouquet. The satin was smooth and cool, and the rhythmic winding and unwinding of it gave her something to concentrate on rather than the crowd of onlookers.

When she’d come to town a few months earlier, she’d had two suitcases in the trunk of her secondhand Kia, a newspaper clipping in the pocket of her faded jeans and absolutely no clue how to begin the quest she had set herself upon. Then she’d seen the “Help Wanted” sign in the front window of The Hitching Post and had taken the first step in her journey.

She’d worked with Haley Anderson at the restaurant and when Erin mentioned that she didn’t want to live at the Big Sky Motel forever, Haley had helped her find an apartment. With both her job and housing concerns alleviated, Erin had believed that she was meant to stay. A few weeks later, she learned of a position available at the Thunder Canyon Resort. Realizing that the more people she encountered, the more likely she was to find someone who might have answers to the questions that prompted her trip from San Diego, Erin willingly took on the second job. When she started working a lot of overtime at the resort, she’d had to give up the waitressing job, but she had no regrets. It was at the resort that she’d met Erika Rodriguez, who was now exchanging vows with Dillon Traub.

She was happy that her friend was marrying the man of her dreams, but she couldn’t help wishing that she was watching the nuptials from somewhere in the back of the church rather than the front. She wound the ribbon around her finger again as her eyes moved restlessly over the assembled crowd, focusing more on the stunning white décor of the winter wonderland setting than on any of the guests.

Her thoughts and her gaze continued to wander, until caught by the hot, intense stare of Corey Traub—the groom’s brother.

Her breath stalled, and her heart pounded.

She’d met Corey the night before at the rehearsal. And her response to his presence had been just as powerful then as now—and just as unwelcome.

Her reasons for coming to Thunder Canyon hadn’t included any thoughts of romantic entanglements. Especially not so closely on the heels of the end of another relationship.

She knew that her mother had harbored great expectations for the future of her almost-twenty-six-year-old (read “virtually unmarriageable”) daughter and the man she’d already envisioned as the perfect (read “willing to marry her daughter”) son-in-law. And while it shouldn’t have been so difficult to end a relationship that meant more to Betty than it did to her, it had been tough. More so than she’d expected. She’d always felt as if she hovered on the periphery of her family. She couldn’t have said why she felt that way—it wasn’t anything specific anyone had said or done, it was just a sense that she didn’t quite belong, and she desperately wanted to belong. And perhaps on some level, she’d thought—hoped—that a good marriage would give her the gold star she’d longed for.

As the youngest child and the only daughter, her parents didn’t have the same expectations of her that they had of their sons. One of the few things they expected was that she would meet a nice man and start a family. After only a few weeks of dating, Trevor had told her that he wanted to get married.

He’d laughed at the shocked expression on her face, then explained that he wasn’t actually proposing to her. He was just putting it out there, he said, so she understood what he was looking for and so that she could let him know if she didn’t want the same thing.

She wanted to want the same thing. She tried to make herself feel more for him than she did because she knew that her parents would approve of Trevor and she really wanted to be approved of. But in the end, she couldn’t stay with a man whose kisses left her unmoved. She couldn’t plan a future with a man whose touch made her want to pull away rather than press closer. She knew that physical attraction was only one aspect of a relationship, but she couldn’t imagine building a long-term relationship with a man without ever feeling that little quiver in the pit of her belly.

As she looked into Corey Traub’s espresso-colored eyes, she felt that quiver—and a whole lot more. There was a crackle and sizzle in the air that assured her his kisses would not leave her unmoved.

When his gaze drifted to her mouth and his own lips curved, she knew that his thoughts were following a similar path to her own. Her body’s response was strong and swift, and she was shocked by the purely visceral reaction.

She wasn’t the type of woman who got swept away by passion. She wasn’t sure she even believed in the kind of all-consuming passion that could sweep a woman away. She’d certainly never experienced anything like it before. And what was wrong with her that she was having such thoughts about a man she barely knew—and during her friend’s wedding, no less?

She resisted the urge to lift the bouquet of flowers to her face and use it as a fan to cool the heat that had suddenly infused her cheeks.

“…I now pronounce you husband and wife.”

The minister’s voice broke through Erin’s reverie and refocused her attention.

“You may kiss your bride,” he told the groom.

She watched Dillon as he lowered his head toward Erika’s, and the obvious love and happiness in his eyes brought tears to Erin’s. Standing behind Erika, she couldn’t see the expression on her friend’s face, but she knew Erika’s eyes would reflect the same emotion and joy. Erika had been floating on cloud nine since she’d finally accepted that Dillon loved her and admitted that she felt the same way about him. This wedding was just the icing on the cake—a public ceremony to affirm the love they shared and formalize the commitment they’d already made to one another.

Erin was surprised to realize that she envied her friend. Surprised to realize that getting married and starting a family might not be as far down on her list of priorities as she’d suspected. Of course, she’d have to fall in love first, and she wasn’t looking for any kind of personal involvement right now.

She’d never been all the way in love before. Sure, she’d experienced attraction and infatuation and there had even been a time or two when she’d thought what she was feeling might be love. But when those relationships had ended and she’d felt more relief than regret, she’d known it wasn’t. And the relief had given way to doubt as she wondered if she would ever know the intensity of emotion that was supposed to be love.

Her parents had it—she recognized it in the looks that passed between them, the casual touches they exchanged, the secret smiles they shared. Even after more than thirty years of marriage, there was an enduring bond of both at traction and affection between them that Erin someday hoped to find with someone.

Of course, her life was too unsettled right now to be making any kind of long-term plans, but…someday.

She glanced at Corey again and found his eyes still on her. Her future might be uncertain, but she wasn’t immune to the attraction of a handsome man.

And she found herself wondering what it would be like to be held by him, kissed by him. She wanted him to take her in his arms and hold her tight against his hard body until she was breathless. Which would take all of about half a second considering that just the thought of kissing him stole all the air from her lungs.

She tore her gaze from his and forced the treacherously enticing thoughts from her mind.

Because she had no doubt that the six-foot-tall oil heir had kissed more than his fair share of women and she had no intention of joining the undoubtedly long line of willing women he had left behind. And he would be leaving—he might have family in Thunder Canyon, but his home was in Texas and her home was…well, she hadn’t quite figured that out yet.

Which was just one more reason that any kind of involvement with Corey Traub would be both foolish and reckless.

When the bride and groom’s kiss finally ended, even the minister was smiling his approval. Then he turned to the assembly and said, “Ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to introduce to you Dr. and Mrs. Dillon Traub.”

The guests all rose to their feet and applauded.

Dillon took Erika’s hand with one of his and held out the other to Emilia, his two-year-old stepdaughter. The little girl’s bright, happy smile made Erin smile, too. Her friend had harbored doubts about Dillon’s willingness to be a father to someone else’s child, but the sexy doctor had proved that he wasn’t just ready to step up but was eager to do so, and it was obvious to everyone present that the bride and groom and tiny flower girl were already a family.

Erin felt an ache in her heart as she thought of her own family and the questions that had brought her to Thunder Canyon. Questions that remained, after more than three months in town, unanswered.

Her parents still didn’t understand what had precipitated her sudden decision to pack up and head to Montana. She’d claimed dissatisfaction with her job and the relationship with Trevor, but she knew they were worried, that they felt she should have tried to change the situation rather than run away from it. But after her last meeting with Aunt Erma, only hours before the elderly woman passed away, she’d realized that she needed answers her parents couldn’t—or wouldn’t—give her. Answers that might finally explain why she’d always felt a little out of place in her own family.

You need to find your family. Her aunt’s words echoed in her mind. They’re in Thunder Canyon.

Erin had been as stunned as she was skeptical, especially when Erma didn’t provide any more information. As for the newspaper clipping the elderly woman had given to her, Erin still didn’t know what to make of that. She didn’t have a clue which of the families in the photo—if any—might be able to help her find the answers she sought, and Erma hadn’t steered her in a specific direction.

She hadn’t shown the clipping to her parents—a decision that she continued to wrestle with. But both Jack and Betty had been dismissive of Erma’s claims. When Erin had asked if she’d been adopted, her mother had offered to show off the stretch marks and unsightly veins that were her reward for the nine months that she’d carried her daughter.

But there was something about Erma’s words that haunted Erin in a way she didn’t understand and couldn’t disregard.

If she wasn’t adopted, maybe her parents had gone through a rough patch in their marriage and her mother had been involved with someone else. It had taken a lot more courage to ask Betty about that possibility, but her mother had actually laughed, assuring Erin that there had never been anyone before her father and never anyone since.

Still, she couldn’t help but feel that there had to be some kind of foundation for Erma’s conviction. Unfortunately, her aunt’s death had left Erin with a lot of doubts and uncertainties, countered only by her determination to find the truth once and for all.

“Shall we?”

The question jolted her out of her reverie and made her realize that the bride and groom had already started down the aisle. She forgot about Erma and all of her reasons for coming to Thunder Canyon when she settled her hand in the crook of Corey’s elbow.

She concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other as she followed Dillon and Erika and Emilia, refusing to look at the groom’s brother. But as they approached the doorway, Corey pulled her a little closer to negotiate the narrow opening, and she shivered.

Thankfully, the cool November afternoon gave her a ready excuse for the goose bumps on her flesh, even if she knew they were more a response to the man at her side than the chilly weather. But she had no intention of being distracted from her fact-finding mission by anything or anyone—not even the groom’s far-too-sexy brother.

It was torture, riding beside him in the limousine on the way to the resort for the reception. Although there were only five of them in a ten-passenger limo—and one of those five a child buckled into a car seat—the interior of the vehicle felt small to Erin. Or maybe it was that Corey was so big.

She shifted on the seat so that she was pressed against the side of the car. But she could still feel the heat of his body and smell a hint of his aftershave, and she couldn’t help but watch the smooth, efficient movements of his hands as they peeled the foil off of a chilled bottle of champagne.

He unfastened the wire and popped the cork while Dillon struggled to unwrap the straw on a juice box for his new daughter. Erika reached for the drink, obviously trying to help, but her groom was determined to master the task. The bride shrugged and settled back against the cushy leather seat, content to let him.

Erin felt a little tug of envy again but pushed it aside. Maybe Erika did have it all, but getting it hadn’t been easy for her. She’d had her heart broken when Emilia’s father walked out on her, and then she’d had to tackle the trials and tribulations of single parenthood. From Erin’s perspective, her friend had done a wonderful job, and if she’d lucked out when she’d fallen in love with Dillon Traub, well, no one de served it more.

Corey had finished pouring the champagne and passed the crystal flutes around to the adults.

“To the bride and groom,” he said, lifting his glass.

Erin joined in the toast but only took the tiniest sip. Although she was sure the bubbly wouldn’t be nearly as po tent as Corey’s proximity, she didn’t want to take the chance of alcohol further compromising her judgment.

“To Erika,” Dillon said. “Not only the most beautiful bride I’ve ever seen and the most amazing woman I’ve ever known, but also the one who has given me the greatest gift I could ever hope for by becoming my wife today.”

Erika’s eyes were misty with tears when her new husband brushed his lips against hers.

“To my daughter,” the groom said, tapping his glass against Emilia’s juice box. “One of those greatest gifts.”

The little girl beamed at him and slurped down more juice.

“And to my brother,” Dillon continued. “For always being there for me when it mattered, and especially today because it mattered most of all.”

Corey grinned. “I’ll remind you of those words the next time you grumble about me being underfoot.”

His brother smiled back before he shifted his attention. “And to Erin—”

“Wait,” Erika interrupted.

Dillon’s brows rose.

“As the bride, I should get to toast my maid of honor,” she said.

Her husband gestured for her to continue.

Erin’s fingers tightened around the stem of her glass as she felt the attention focus on her.

“To Erin. I know you were surprised when I asked you to stand up with me at my wedding, and more than a little reluctant, and I want to thank you for saying ‘yes’ because although we’ve only known each other for a few months, I feel closer to you than all of the people that I grew up with here in Thunder Canyon. More, I feel accepted by you and appreciated for who I am rather than judged by what I’ve done, and I will always be grateful for your unwavering sup port and your unconditional friendship.”

“Hey, can you say something about me?” Corey asked his new sister-in-law. “Because that was a lot more eloquent than what Dillon came up with.”

Everyone was laughing as the limo pulled up in front of the resort.

Erin slipped away from Corey’s side soon after they entered the ballroom.

The bride and groom had opted for a champagne reception rather than a formal meal, so there was no seating plan and guests mingled freely while waiters circulated with trays of hot and cold hors d’oeuvres. Erin decided it was wise to do her mingling as far away as possible from the best man.

It was a strategic retreat. She simply didn’t know how to deal with the feelings that stirred inside of her when she was near Corey. During the brief time that she’d dated Trevor, she’d been aware that something was missing. She’d liked him well enough and they’d shared some common interests, but there was no spark between them.

When Corey Traub had walked into the rehearsal the night before, she could hardly see for the sparks. She’d al ways thought she should feel more, but she had never guessed how much more there could be—or how unsettled the more could make her feel.

She had no experience with this kind of immediate and intense attraction. But she was certain that Corey did. That he had this effect on women all of the time and no doubt knew exactly how to handle it. How to handle her. And as intrigued as she was by the idea of being handled by the sexy groomsman, she was even more wary.

She didn’t do a lot of mingling, but she made a point of chatting with the people she knew and spent several minutes talking with Haley Anderson and Marlon Cates, Haley’s now-fiancé. When she turned away from the couple, she found herself face-to-face with Corey.

Actually, it was more face-to-chest because, even in heels, she was several inches shorter than he. And it was quite a chest, the breadth and strength of it evident even through the shirt and jacket he wore. She forced her gaze to lift to an even more impressive face.

Was it any wonder the man took her breath away? He had a look that could sell…anything, she decided, and managed to hold back a sigh.

He had a strong forehead, sharp cheekbones, a slightly square jaw. His brows arched over dark eyes surrounded by thick lashes, his lusciously curved mouth was quick to smile, and when he did, her knees simply went weak. The slight bump in his nose was the only imperfection, but it didn’t detract from the overall effect.

But he was somehow more than the sum of all of those parts, and the devilish charm that sparkled in his eyes and winked in his smile was just one more weapon in his overstocked arsenal.

“You’ve been avoiding me,” Corey said, sounding more curious than offended.

“I have not,” she denied, though not very convincingly.

“Prove it,” he challenged.

She eyed him warily over the top of her glass. “How?”

“Dance with me.”

Erin took another tiny sip of her champagne as she considered how to respond. She knew she should refuse, that getting closer to the groom’s brother was not a good idea when he could make the nerves in her belly quiver from clear across the room. But how could she refuse? What excuse could she give for declining a seemingly innocent request? Especially when he’d already guessed that she was avoiding him.

Thankfully, before she could say anything, another woman approached from the other side and latched on to him, deliberately rubbing the curve of her breast against his arm as she leaned close. “Hey, cowboy, you promised me a dance.”

When she’d been waitressing at the Hitching Post, Erin had gotten to know Trina as one of the Friday night regulars. Trina frequently came in with a group of girlfriends and often left with a man—and not usually the same one as the week before.

At the resort, Erin frequently worked at check-in with Trina, as had Erika. No doubt it was their working relationship that had compelled the bride to invite the other woman to her wedding despite the fact that Trina had been instrumental in churning the gossip mill when Erika started dating Dillon.

Erin didn’t know whether Trina had attended the event with a date, although she knew the presence of an escort wouldn’t inhibit Trina from flirting with anyone else who caught her eye—as the groom’s brother had obviously done.

To his credit, Corey didn’t roll his eyes, though Erin didn’t miss the quick desperate plea in them before he shifted his gaze from her to the other woman.

“But I already promised this particular dance to Erin, didn’t I, darlin’?”

She had the power to save him. She simply had to agree that he had promised this dance to her. But she sensed that saving Corey from the she-wolf at his side would somehow end up with her becoming a sacrificial lamb, and that was a risk she wasn’t willing to take. Because the way he said “darlin’”—the subtle Texas twang in his voice combined with the unmistakable heat in his eyes—sent a delicious shiver over her skin and stirred desire in her body and reminded her that what she needed to do was keep a good, safe distance between herself and the far-too-sexy Texas oil heir.

“Actually, I really wouldn’t mind sitting this one out,” she said.

“I’ll be right back,” Corey said to her, and his narrowed gaze told her that the words were more a threat than a promise.

Trina’s satisfied smile, however, warned Erin not to count on his prompt return.

She watched him move around the dance floor with the other woman in his arms and tried to convince herself that the sensation overtaking her was relief and not regret.

Corey knew when he was being brushed off. Though it was something of a new experience for him, he had no trouble interpreting the message in Erin’s polite words—she wasn’t interested.

The woman in his arms, however, definitely was. Unfortunately, Corey couldn’t even remember her name.

Catrina? Tina? Trina! At least, he thought that was it. He admittedly hadn’t been paying much attention when she’d introduced herself earlier. He hadn’t paid much attention to any of their conversation, having been thoroughly captivated by the sexy bridesmaid in the frosty blue gown.

The one who claimed she wasn’t interested.

His gaze drifted across the room to where Erin stood with a glass of champagne in her hand, and his gaze locked with hers again.

And he knew that, although she might feign disinterest, the look in her eyes contradicted her words.

So what was the story there? Why was she pretending to be immune to the chemistry between them?

After meeting her at the rehearsal the night before, he’d made some discreet inquiries and learned that she didn’t have a steady boyfriend. In fact, by all accounts, she hadn’t dated anyone since moving to Thunder Canyon a few months earlier. Which made him wonder if she’d made the move because she needed to get away from someone who had broken her heart.

The thought was strangely unsettling. He didn’t even know her, so he didn’t understand why he would feel protective of her. But there was something that had struck him from the first—maybe it was the hint of vulnerability in those deep-blue eyes, or the wistfulness in her smile, or maybe it was just the feeling, irrational though he knew it was, that Erin was the woman he’d been waiting for.

He smiled at the thought, recognizing it as not just irrational but ridiculous in light of the fact that he couldn’t even get her to agree to dance with him. Then again, Corey had never been one to back down from a challenge.

More and more couples were joining those already on the dance floor and soon the space was so crowded with bodies that he lost sight of her. When the song finally ended and he released Trina, she pouted prettily.

“Are you really going to let me go so soon?”

“Yes, I am, darlin’,” he told her, but softened the rejection with a smile.

She tucked something into his pocket. “My number—in case you change your mind.”

Because his mother had raised him to be a gentleman, he didn’t tell her that he’d had her number from the start, but he also didn’t give her another thought as he walked away.

He was too busy searching the crowd for a certain blue-eyed girl in a familiar blue dress.

Chapter Two

Erin had let down her guard. It was the only excuse she had for being caught so unaware. But when Corey had followed Trina onto the dance floor, Erin had been certain her coworker would keep him thoroughly occupied. She hadn’t expected that he would walk away from an obviously willing woman and come looking for her.

But she’d barely started to nibble on the hors d’oeuvres she’d put on her plate when he lowered himself into the empty chair beside her. She popped a coconut shrimp in her mouth, slowly chewing then swallowing.

“I believe you owe me a dance,” he said, choosing a stuffed mushroom from her plate.

She lifted a brow. “Do I?”

“At the very least.”

“Why don’t I share my dinner and we’ll call it even?” she suggested.

He grinned, and she felt the now-familiar weakness in her knees again. “I’ll get you some more mushrooms as long as I get the dance.”

She nudged her plate toward him. “I’m really not that hungry.”

“What are you afraid of?” He bit into a petite quiche.

“That you’ll stomp all over my toes with your cowboy boots.”

She’d meant to insult him, hoped the affront would dissuade him. Instead, he laughed.

“I’m sure you’ll survive,” he told her. “My previous dance partner was barely limping when she walked away.”

“She was plastered so close, you wouldn’t have been able to step on her toes if you tried.”

Too late she realized what she’d said—that her response proved that she’d watched him with Trina.

Corey’s smile confirmed that he’d caught her slip, but thankfully, he didn’t call her on it.

“What do you say?” he prompted.

Erin knew that to refuse again would only succeed in making a big deal out of something that shouldn’t be. After all, it was just a dance.

So she took the hand he offered and let him lead her away from the table. Though her heart was hammering furiously against her ribs, she decided that there really wasn’t any danger in spending time with Corey on a crowded dance floor.

The minute he put his arms around her, she realized she was wrong. Because every fiber of her being was acutely aware of his nearness and every nerve ending in her body was suddenly humming.

She should have guessed that he’d be a good dancer. Contrary to her earlier teasing remark that she feared for her feet, he moved smoothly and confidently around the dance floor. No doubt he knew all the right moves in any situation, but despite that warning to herself, it required no effort on Erin’s part to follow his lead, nor was it a hardship to be held in his arms.

She saw Erika and Dillon dance by and was grateful for the distraction. “They look so perfect together,” she murmured.

“I’ve never seen my brother so happy,” Corey admitted to her. “It almost makes me forgive him for pulling up stakes and moving to Montana.”

She tipped her head back. “Almost?”

He shrugged. “A Texan is always a Texan, regardless of where he parks his horse.”

The mental image of a horse tethered outside of the medical clinic made her lips curve.

His gaze dropped to her mouth, lingered. Her breath caught.

“You have a beautiful smile,” he told her.

Immediately, her smile faded.

“Why do I make you so nervous?”

She couldn’t—wouldn’t—tell him that it was her own response to him that made him nervous. Instead, she said, “Because I don’t know what you want from me.”

“Right now, just a dance.”

“And later?”

His smile was slow and filled with sensual promise. “Why don’t we figure that out later?”

“If you’re looking for a good time while you’re in Thunder Canyon, you should be looking in Trina’s direction,” she told him.

“You don’t think we could have a good time together, darlin’?” The challenge was issued in that same lazy tone that skimmed over her like a caress.

“I’m sure we could,” she replied honestly. “But I’m not the type of woman to go home with a smooth-talking stranger.”

He pulled her closer so that her thighs were aligned with his. They were more swaying than dancing now, and the light brushes of his body against hers felt disturbingly like foreplay.

“I’m hardly a stranger,” he said.

“I just met you yesterday.”

“And I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since then.”

She wasn’t entirely sure she could trust what he was saying. Because while he sounded sincere and the look in his eyes confirmed that he felt at least a hint of the same attraction that had her whole system tied up in knots, she couldn’t help but feel that Corey Traub was the type of man who had a line for every occasion—and a woman in every town he’d ever visited. She’d be a fool to fall under his spell, and she was already halfway there.

He dipped his head toward her, his dark eyes sparkling with a hint of playfulness. “So tell me, are your toes black and blue yet?”

“You know they’re not,” she said.

He grinned, and again her breath caught. Damn. The man’s smile was a seriously dangerous weapon.

“So why do you sound annoyed?” he teased.

“I’m not annoyed,” she denied.

But she was wary.

Corey could see that in her eyes. And he couldn’t blame her. She was probably used to being hit on by guys who wanted nothing more than to get naked with her, and although Corey wouldn’t deny that idea appealed to him, he was trying not to objectify the woman who was obviously a close friend of his new sister-in-law.

Sister-in-law.

The word echoed in his mind, made him shake his head.

Erin raised a brow.

“I was just thinking about the fact that I’m dancing with the most beautiful woman at my brother’s wedding,” he answered the unspoken query, “which made me realize that Dillon is actually married.”

“Is he one of those guys who swore it would never happen?”

“I don’t know if I’d say that, but he and his first wife divorced after their son died and he never gave any indication that he was looking to settle down ever again. And certainly no one expected that, when he came to Thunder Canyon to fill in for Marshall at the resort, he would fall in love and become a husband and a father only a few short months later.”

“Especially not Erika,” Erin noted.

He chuckled. “Yeah, I think she fought against falling in love again even more than he did.”

“She had reason to be wary.”

“I guess she did,” he agreed. “And so did he. How about you?”

“What about me?”

“Why isn’t there anyone here with you tonight?”

“I didn’t see any point in bringing a date when I would only neglect him to perform my maid-of-honor duties.”

Which answered his question without actually telling him whether or not she was involved with anyone right now. He decided to trust the reports of the local grapevine and assume that she was currently unattached.

But there was something else he was curious about. “You’ve known Erika for a while?”

“Since I moved here in the summer.”

“So why were you uncomfortable in the limo when she thanked you for standing up with her?”

She lifted a shoulder. “Because I didn’t really do anything that required thanks.”

“You were—are—her friend.”

“And she’s mine.”

He nodded. “But why—”

Someone nudged his shoulder.

He scowled and turned, an irritated retort on the tip of his lips until he saw that it was his cousin Dax.

“Come on, Cor. We’ve got bottles of champagne ready to toast the bride and groom.”

“And I’ve got a beautiful woman in my arms,” Corey pointed out to his cousin.

“I’m not suggesting you let go of her,” Dax said and winked at Erin. “Bring her along.”

And that was how she ended up with Corey at a table where his friends and family were gathered.

During the time she’d been in Thunder Canyon, she’d already met most of the others at the table. The Traubs—Dax and Shandie, DJ and Allaire, and the Cates—Marshall and Mia—now back from their vacation, Mitchell and Lizabeth, Marlon and Haley and Marlon’s twin brother, Matt. Erin realized that Matt Cates was the only one not married or engaged, though he had brought Christine Mayhew as his date. Her boss, Grant Clifton, was also there with his wife, Stephanie, and Grant’s best friend, Russ Chilton, was in attendance with his spouse, Melanie. Erin had met the rest of the groom’s family at the rehearsal, but other than the parents—Claudia and Peter—she didn’t remember any of their names, and she was grateful when Corey repeated the introduction of his brothers, Ethan, Jason and Jackson, and his sister, Rose.

Erin hovered on the periphery as glasses of champagne were passed around, thinking that she might be able to sneak away. But Corey kept an arm around her shoulders, making it clear that he had no intention of letting her go. So she stayed beside him as toasts were made and glasses refilled, and she found herself following the various conversations with avid curiosity.

When conversation shifted to the Thanksgiving holiday, only a few weeks away, Grant remarked that he expected his mother and his sister would both return to Thunder Canyon for the occasion.

“It’s been a long time since Elise has been in town for her birthday,” Grant said. “So I’m planning a surprise party for her while she’s here.”

“How old is she going to be?” Erin asked.

“Twenty-six,” her boss replied. “On the twentieth.”

Erin paused with her glass of champagne halfway to her lips.

Her twenty-sixth birthday was on the twentieth, too.

It was probably nothing more than a coincidence, but a sudden startling thought occurred to her. All this time she’d been looking for a man who might have had an affair with her mother, but maybe aunt Erma had been referring to something completely different.

Erin lowered her hand and focused her attention more intently on her boss, noticing—for the first time—that his eyes were the same blue color as her own. And that his hair was dark blond, also similar to her own. She shook her head, as if to rid it of the fanciful imaginings. But the questions that had rooted in her mind wouldn’t be easily dismissed.

“I haven’t seen Elise since high school,” Matt remarked. “I’m not even sure if I would recognize her.”

“I’m sure you would.” Grant reached into his back pocket for his wallet. “She hasn’t changed much.”

Erin, who had been wondering how to ask Grant if he had any pictures of his sister, leaned closer as her boss tugged a photo out from its holder and slid it across the table toward Matt.

“This was taken last summer,” Grant told the other man.

Matt leaned closer to look at the photo, and Erin did, too.

“You’re right,” Matt said. “In fact, she hasn’t changed at all.”

Erin’s first thought was that Grant’s sister was an attractive woman—her blond hair was worn in a pageboy style that brushed her shoulders and she had pretty blue eyes and an innocence about her that made her appear younger than her years. Her second thought was that Elise didn’t look much like her brother. In fact, the shape of her eyes and her chin was more like that of her own brothers, Jake and Josh.

She pulled back, her stomach suddenly churning, her heart pounding. The conversation continued around her, but she didn’t hear a word of it. She couldn’t think of anything but that picture of Elise.

“More champagne?”

“What?”

Corey held the bottle of champagne over her glass. Erin shook her head and set her glass on the table. “I, um, I need to get some air,” she said, and slipped away from him and toward the exit.

She hadn’t expected that he would follow her, but she’d only just pushed through the doors and barely registered the cold November wind on her bare shoulders before they were covered.

“You shouldn’t be out here without a coat,” Corey said, draping his tuxedo jacket around her.

“Now you are,” she told him.

“I’m not wearing a sleeveless dress.”

Her lips curved, just a little, at the thought of the all-too-masculine Texan in any kind of dress, and she slipped her arms into the sleeves of his jacket.

She could feel the heat from his body, smell the scent of his skin, and the quivering that reverberated low in her belly was almost enough to take her mind off of the kaleidoscopic thoughts swirling in her mind.

Twenty-six years earlier, on November twentieth, she’d been born in Thunder Canyon. Elise Clifton had been born on the same day in the same town. And Elise looked a lot like Erin’s brothers—certainly more than she resembled Grant. Which made Erin wonder—was it possible that the hospital had somehow mixed up the two babies? Was it possible that the man she knew as her boss could be her biological brother?

“Erin?” Corey frowned and touched a hand to her cheek. “Are you okay? You look a little pale.”

“Actually, I’m not feeling all that good,” she told him. “I think I’d better call a cab and head home.”

“I’ll give you a ride, if you’re sure you’re ready to go.”

“I am,” she told him. “But you don’t have to—”

“I’ll take you home,” he insisted.

Because he’d had a couple of beers earlier in the evening and knew he would be driving, Corey had barely touched his own glass of champagne. He didn’t think Erin’s had been refilled more than once, but she was obviously feeling the effects of the bubbly, and because he’d been the one who refilled her glass, he felt responsible and was determined to ensure she got home safely.

As they waited for the valet to bring his truck around, he noticed that some of the color had returned to her cheeks. Or maybe they were just pink from the cold. In either case, she didn’t really look intoxicated. Her words weren’t slurred and her steps weren’t unsteady, but her eyes were a little glassy and, even with his jacket on, she was shivering uncontrollably.

He settled her in the passenger seat and immediately cranked up the heat. After a few minutes, her teeth stopped chattering but she kept her arms folded across her chest and continued to stare straight ahead out the window.

She was quiet during the short drive to her condo on the outside boundary of the resort property, only speaking when it was necessary to tell him to turn left or right. He kept stealing cautious glances at her, hoping for some clue as to how she was feeling, but neither her posture nor her expression gave anything away.

He’d been talking to DJ and Allaire and hadn’t really paid attention to any of the other conversations. She’d been chatting with Grant and Matt, and he wondered now if either of those men had inadvertently said something that might have upset her. If so, no one else in the group seemed to have picked up on anything that might have caused her distress. Because the more Corey thought about it, the more convinced he was that Erin wasn’t drunk—she was upset.

But whatever was on her mind, her silence clearly indicated that she had no intention of talking about it. Not with him, anyway.

“Right here,” she said.

He pulled into a narrow driveway, behind a dark-green Kia, and turned off the engine.

“Thanks for the ride,” she said, reaching for the handle before Corey could come around to help her out.

“I’ll see you to your door,” he told her.

“That’s really not necessary.”

“Necessary or not,” he said, falling into step beside her, “my mama would never forgive me if I left without making sure that you were safely inside.”

“Okay, you walked me to my door,” she said, stopping under the porch light. “Now your mother can hold her head up, confident she raised her boys right, and you can go.”

“Not just yet,” he said. “How are you feeling?”

“Fine.”

She did look better, as if the effects of the champagne had already dissipated. If the champagne had truly been the reason for her abrupt departure.

“No nausea? No dizziness?”

She shook her head. “I’m fine,” she said again. “Really. It was probably just too warm in the ballroom and once I got out into the fresh air, my head cleared.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure.” She smiled up at him, and though the smile didn’t quite erase the shadows in her eyes, it made him forget his concerns and remember how much he wanted to kiss her.

“Good,” he said and lowered his head to taste the sweet curve of her lips.

It was a testament to how preoccupied Erin’s thoughts were that she didn’t anticipate his kiss.

She’d been kissed plenty of times before, and she knew how to read the signs and signals that usually led to the first touch of lips on lips—and how to dodge that touch if she wanted to.

Not that she wanted to dodge Corey’s kiss. In fact, she’d spent an inordinate amount of time wondering what it would feel like to be kissed by him. She’d wondered if the same spark and sizzle she felt when he looked at her would translate through actual physical contact…or if the anticipation of his kiss would be more exciting than the actual event.

No worries there, she thought, as his lips brushed against hers again, sending tremors of longing through her body.

He kissed the way he talked—softly and smoothly, as if he had all the time in the world. And as if he intended to spend all of that time just kissing her.

His hands skimmed up her back and, even through the fabric of the jacket she still wore, she could feel the heat of his fingertips tracing the ridges of her spine. Then his hands moved across her shoulders and down her arms.

The keys that she held slipped from her fingers and crashed to the ground.

Erin didn’t even notice.

She was far too busy enjoying the slow, sensual assault on her mouth.

His tongue slid between her lips, licked lazily.

There was nothing leisurely or casual about her body’s response.

Each flick and flutter of his tongue shot flame-tipped arrows of heat and hunger spearing toward her center. Every careful and unhurried pass of his hands made her blood pulse and pound.

She moved against him, and both the tempo and intensity of the kiss changed.

He drew her closer, his arms wrapped around her tighter, he kissed her deeper.

Erin felt her own arms glide up his chest, her hands sliding over impressive pecs and broad, hard shoulders to link behind his neck. He was so big, so strong, so wholly and undeniably male.

And her response was completely and helplessly female.

She shuddered and melted against him.

Corey groaned into her mouth and delved deeper.

Yeah, she’d been kissed before. But never like this. In her experience, most men approached kissing as nothing more than a brief prelude to the main event, but not Corey Traub. His kisses were worthy of top billing. He kissed her as if she was the object of all desire and the source of all pleasure, and as if he never wanted to stop.

And Erin never wanted him to stop.

But just when Erin was about to throw all common sense and caution to the wind and drag Corey inside with her, he eased away.

“I think I should say good-night now, before I forget that my mama raised me to be a gentleman,” he said.

She should have been grateful he’d backed off. She didn’t know him nearly well enough to even kiss him the way she’d kissed him, never mind indulge in any of the other erotic fantasies her mind had conjured up while he’d been seducing her with his skillfully creative mouth and his dangerously talented hands.

He bent to scoop up the keys she’d dropped and put them in her hand, curling her fingers around them.

His other hand lifted to her face, his fingertips skimming lightly over the swollen curve of her bottom lip.

The gentle touch set off bursts of erotic tingles that warned her to put some distance between them before she urged him to forget his mother’s teachings.

“Good night,” she said softly.

He stepped back, and Erin fumbled with the keys in her hand for a moment before she found the right one for the door. She fumbled some more fitting it into the lock, but then the bolt released with a click.

Corey didn’t say anything else, but he waited on the step until she’d slipped inside and locked the door again, then he turned away.

Erin watched from the window as he walked back to his car and reminded herself that she’d done the right thing, the smart thing, in letting him go. There was too much uncertainty in her life to consider any kind of personal involvement right now.

But that knowledge didn’t stop her from wishing otherwise.

Chapter Three

It was a kiss, Corey reminded himself—for the umpteenth time—as he got dressed the next morning.

Yeah, it had been pretty spectacular as far as kisses go, but it was still just a kiss. Certainly there wasn’t any reason for him to have lain awake into the wee hours of the morning thinking about that kiss—and the woman he’d shared it with.

But the truth was, even before they’d shared that one scorching kiss, he’d been haunted by thoughts of Erin Castro.

Thoughts of wanting to kiss Erin Castro.

He shook his head as he tugged on his jeans.

He didn’t know what it was about the woman that had gotten under his skin. Sure, she was attractive in a classic blue-eyed, blond-haired, porcelain-skinned, soft curves sort of way.

Okay, more than attractive. He hadn’t been giving her a line when they were dancing and he’d told her she was the most beautiful woman at the wedding because from the first moment he’d set eyes on her, he hadn’t seen anyone else.

And now that he had kissed her, now that he’d tasted the sweet seductive flavor that was hers alone, he worried that he’d made a mistake. Because now he wanted more.

Cursing himself for his weakness, he picked up his phone and dialed the number he’d obtained from directory assistance. She answered on the third ring.

“Hey, Erin, it’s Corey.”

“Corey?” She sounded distracted, as if he’d caught her in the middle of something. Or maybe as if she didn’t recognize the name.

He was frowning over that possibility when she spoke again.

“Oh, Dillon’s brother. Hi.”

Dillon’s brother?

That was how she thought of him? How about the man who’d taken her home the night before? The man who’d kissed her breathless and continued to kiss her until they’d both wanted a lot more?

But of course he didn’t ask any of those questions. He didn’t want her to confirm that he’d thought about her a lot more than she’d thought about him.

“I’m sorry I didn’t make the connection right away,” she said. “I just—you caught me when my mind was wandering.”

“Is this a bad time?”

“No. I don’t think so.”

“You don’t think so?” he prompted.

“Well, I guess that depends on why you’re calling,” she said.

“Partly just to find out how you’re doing.”

“I’m fine.”

“You said you had too much champagne last night, so I wanted to make sure you weren’t suffering any lingering effects today.”

“Champagne. Right. Well, that certainly explains the… uh…”

She faltered, and he suspected that she was thinking about that kiss again. Or maybe he just wanted to believe she was thinking about it because he was.

“…the headache I had this morning,” she continued. “But I took a couple of aspirin with breakfast and I’m fine now.”

“Good,” he said, even while silently wishing he could rid himself of the residual effects of the night so easily. But he suspected that the only thing that could cure his craving for Erin was Erin herself.

“And since you’ve already had breakfast—which was the other reason I was calling—why don’t you let me take you to lunch?”

“Lunch?”

“You know—the meal usually served in the middle of the day,” he teased.

“Yes, I do know what lunch is,” she assured him. “I’m just not sure I understand why you’re inviting me to have lunch with you.”

“Because I don’t like to eat alone. And because I really enjoyed spending time with you last night and I’d like to get to know you better.”

Erin was tempted—too tempted—to jump at his invitation. And not just because she knew he would be able to distract her from the questions that had been pounding inside of her head since she’d seen that picture of Grant Clifton’s sister the night before. Unfortunately, all of the rea sons that Corey would be such a great distraction were the same reasons that she had to refuse. Because she was far too attracted to the man, because she couldn’t think of anything else when he was near and because she could very well end up with her heart broken when he went back to Texas.

So instead of accepting, she said, “I’m afraid I may have given you the wrong impression last night.”

There was a pause, as if he was surprised by her response. And he probably was because she’d no doubt given him the impression of a wild, willing woman who wanted to gobble him up in big, greedy bites.

And the impression wasn’t really wrong, but it was misleading because nothing like that was going to happen between them. She couldn’t let things move in that direction with him while her life was veering off course in so many other ways.

“The only impression I got,” he finally said, “was that of a smart, beautiful woman who was the last thought on my mind before I fell asleep last night and the first when I woke up this morning.”

“Oh. Wow.” Erin didn’t know what else to say. Was it the words, she wondered, that made her heart pound so fast? Or the sensual tone that turned the words into a verbal seduction?

She used her free hand to fan her flushed cheeks, grateful that he couldn’t see what she was doing, couldn’t know the effect that he had on her, even over a phone line.

“Then you definitely got the wrong impression because I’m really not looking to get involved with anyone right now.”

“I invited you to lunch, darlin’, not to shop for an engagement ring,” he said.

The heat in her cheeks intensified. He was right—she was overreacting. But even an invitation to lunch was dangerous when she wasn’t sure she could control her instinctive response to the man issuing the invitation.

“I know,” she said. “But I still don’t think lunch is a good idea.”

“Because you’re philosophically opposed to eating in the middle of the day?”

She had to smile. “Because you’re far too charming for your own good.”

“You think I’m charming?”

“I’m going to say goodbye now,” she told him.

“Wait, Erin.”

But she couldn’t wait, because she knew that if she let him say anything else, she might very well give in—not only to his invitation but to the desire stirring again in her blood. “Goodbye, Corey.”

Corey continued to hold the receiver to his ear, as if he didn’t quite believe that he was hearing a dial tone instead of Erin’s voice. He didn’t think any woman had ever hung up on him before but, for some inexplicable reason, the realization made him smile.

As a management consultant, his professional reputation had been made on the basis of identifying a problem and determining the best solutions. He would simply analyze Erin’s resistance in the same way. And if she thought he was the type of man to be dissuaded by one terminated phone call, well then, she was very soon going to learn differently.

But thinking of his business objectives made him remember that he had other reasons for being in Thunder Canyon than his brother’s wedding and more reasons for staying than a pretty blue-eyed bridesmaid.

Pushing all thoughts of Erin Castro from his mind, at least for the time being, he pulled out his laptop and got to work reviewing the reports he needed for his meetings on Wednesday. The information he’d seen so far had been in complete and often contradictory, warning him that the evaluation he’d expected to finish within a couple of weeks might take a lot longer than that.

At first, he’d been frustrated by this realization, but now—thinking of Erin—the idea of extending his stay in Thunder Canyon didn’t bother him at all.

Erin called home on Sunday and spoke to both of her parents. Betty and Jack still didn’t know her real reasons for going to Thunder Canyon, but they tried to be supportive of her decision. They asked about her new job and her friends and, as usual, when she would be coming home for a visit.

She had originally planned to go back to San Diego for Thanksgiving, certain she would have all of the answers she sought by then, but she warned her parents now that a trip at that time might not be possible. The holiday was the start of one of the busiest seasons at the resort and she wasn’t sure that she would be able to get any time off. But she had another reason for changing her plans—she didn’t want to leave Thunder Canyon just when Grant Clifton’s sister would be arriving.

She continued to battle against the guilt she felt for not sharing her suspicions with them. She’d never really kept secrets from them before, and certainly never anything of this magnitude—if there could be anything else of such magnitude. Although she’d always felt a little disconnected from her parents and her brothers—as if they shared a deeper bond that somehow eluded her—she’d never been deceitful or dishonest, and the lie that she’d been living for the past several months was weighing heavily on her conscience.

When her mother said, “I love you, Erin,” as she always did at the end of a conversation, Erin’s eyes filled with tears.

They had always loved her. She didn’t doubt that. And she wondered now if the feeling that there was something missing in their relationship was actually indicative of some thing missing within herself. Maybe she was chasing after something that didn’t exist except inside her own imagination.

The original seed had been planted by Erma, but her aunt was gone now and Erin was starting to wonder what purpose could possibly be served by continuing to nurture the old woman’s suspicions. And if there was no purpose, then maybe it was time for her to forget everything Erma had said and just go home.

As she readied herself for bed, Erin realized the doubting and confusion had become as much a part of her Sunday night ritual as her call to her parents. Because talking to them inevitably made her realize how much she missed them, and missing them made her question why she was willing to upset the status quo.

Her family wasn’t perfect, but they were hers.

Weren’t they?

With a sigh, she pulled back the covers and crawled into bed.

As she settled back against her pillows, she acknowledged that it was entirely possible that her birthday being on the same day as Elise Clifton’s was nothing more than a coincidence. And both of them being born in the same hospital was probably just another coincidence. But the physical resemblance she’d noticed in Elise’s photo and her own brothers was a little harder to ignore.

Or maybe she’d just been looking for answers for so long that she was grasping at straws.

Determined to push these thoughts out of her mind, she picked up the Stephanie Plum novel she’d just started reading. But she was too distracted to focus on the story and she set the book down again after reading only a few pages.

It took her a long time after that to fall asleep, and when she finally did, she had the strangest dream.

She was in the hospital, and the cry of a baby slowly penetrated the thick fog of pain that surrounded her.

No, not a baby. Her baby.

She struggled to sit up but felt as if she was strapped to the bed, unable to move.

“My baby.” She tried to shout, but the words were barely a whisper.

“Your baby is fine. We’re going to take her to the nursery so that you can rest.”

She couldn’t see the speaker, but the gentle tone both soothed and reassured her.

A short while later, after she’d rested, she wanted to see her baby. But the hall that led to the nursery seemed to stretch ahead of her forever. She walked faster but made no progress. So she started to run. She ran until her legs were weak and her lungs ached, and still she hadn’t reached the end of the long, narrow corridor.

Then suddenly she was there, standing in the middle of the nursery, and her baby was crying again. But there were dozens of bassinets, dozens of crying babies, and she didn’t know which one was hers. She ran from one to the next, desperately hoping for some sense of recognition, but they were all the same, all strangers to her.

But then another woman came into the room, and she went directly to one of the bassinets and picked up the crying baby and carried it away. Then another, and another, and another. Until it seemed as if a whole parade of women had come into the room and, one by one, taken away the crying babies until there was only one left.

She tried to rationalize that the one remaining had to be her own, but she wasn’t certain. She didn’t know how each of the other new mothers had been sure that the baby she was taking belonged to her. What if someone had taken her baby?

She lifted the last infant from its bed, yearning for some sense of connection. But there was nothing. Her eyes scanned the room frantically, searching for someone, anyone, to help her. But she was alone. And when she looked at the baby again, it was gone, too.

Erin awoke with a start. She struggled to sit up and pushed her hair away from her face. Her hands were shaking, her heart was pounding. It was easy to tell herself that it was only a dream. It wasn’t so easy to shake the feelings of helplessness and fear that lingered.

There was no reason to believe that the scenario played out by her imagination had any foundation in reality, but she knew that the questions would continue to haunt her until she’d figured out the truth.

Maybe she should go home. Not forever, just for a while. If nothing else, the disturbing dream had proved that she definitely needed a distraction, something to stop her from thinking about hospitals and babies and questions that might never be answered. As if anything could distract her from these thoughts.

Unbidden, an image of Corey Traub came to mind.

Okay, there was a man who could make a woman forget her own name. Just one kiss had proved that. But she wouldn’t—couldn’t—let him get that close again. She snuggled under the covers, reminding herself that he would probably be heading back to Texas soon anyway, disappearing from her life as abruptly as he’d appeared.

She drifted back to sleep. But this time when she dreamed, she dreamed of Corey.

* * *

Corey wasn’t used to chasing women. If anything, he’d become accustomed to being chased by them. Prior to his fifteenth birthday, he’d been short and scrawny and mostly overlooked by everyone. But in that magical year, things had started to change. He’d shot up in height, put on some muscle, started to shave. And when he’d gone out for football the next fall, he’d made the team.

By the time he’d started college, he was a first-string receiver and his family was known across the great state of Texas for the fortune they’d made in oil. Corey had been so caught up in the thrill of being popular that he hadn’t questioned what he’d done to earn the attention. Truthfully, the reasons hadn’t mattered. All that mattered was that the skinny kid who had been mostly ignored by the girls and laughed at by the older boys was no more.

Corey Traub was now in the spotlight. Guys wanted to hang with him, girls wanted to be seen with him, and he’d reveled in the attention. And then he’d met Heather, and everything had changed. He hadn’t needed the adulation of fans so long as he had her attention; he hadn’t wanted to be with anyone else so long as he was with her.

They’d dated for a year and a half. She was the first girl he ever loved, and she claimed to love him, too. And then he discovered that, during the entire time they’d been dating, she’d been lying to him, deliberately keeping certain parts of her life a secret from him. When he finally found out and confronted her, she cried and apologized, but learning the extent of her deception had destroyed his trust, and her tears didn’t sway him.

It didn’t take long for news of their split to make its way around campus, and the girls started coming around again. In the decade that had passed since his college graduation, little had changed. He was as successful in the business world as he’d been on the football field. And although there weren’t any shy giggling girls hanging around outside of his locker room, there were plenty of bold, sexy women sneaking into his office after hours or slipping hotel room keys into his pocket.

He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had to take the first step with a woman. And it had been a heck of a lot longer than that since any female had told him “no.” But somewhere along the line, sometime within the last few years, he’d started to grow weary of empty relationships and meaningless hookups. He wanted what Dillon had found with Erika.

His brothers liked to tease that he fell in love too easily, but the truth was, Heather’s deception had taught him to be careful with his heart. Not that he’d given up on falling in love. He was still hopeful that would happen, but the next time he opened up his heart completely, it would be to a woman who he could trust was capable of loving him the same way. Openly and honestly, without any secrets or lies between them.

There was something about Erin Castro that made him think she might be that woman.

Maybe he was putting the cart before the horse, considering that she hadn’t even agreed to have lunch with him. But he refused to be dissuaded. If he’d believed that she was honestly not interested, he would have backed off. But he couldn’t forget the way she’d looked at him when they danced, the way she’d trembled in his arms, the way she’d responded to his kiss. No way was the attraction one-sided.

When Monday morning came around and he still hadn’t managed to put her out of his mind, he decided to track her down. Because he was staying in one of the resort’s condo units, it would be easy enough to stop by the front desk of the main building and invite her to lunch and see where things went from there. Except that when he went down to the desk, he didn’t see her anywhere.

“Erin isn’t in today,” Trina told him.

“Will she be in later?” he asked, wondering if she’d switched her shift for some reason.

“I doubt it. She called in sick.”

Sick?

He knew she hadn’t been feeling well Saturday night, but she’d sounded okay when he’d spoken with her Sunday morning. Did she have a touch of the flu or some other kind of bug and had suffered a relapse?

“Is there something I can help you with?” Trina’s long lashes fluttered, the invitation in those green eyes obvious.

“No, thanks,” he told her. “I’ll catch up with Erin later.”

“If you change your mind, you can catch up with me around four.” Her glossy pink lips curved. “That’s when I finish my shift.”

“I’ll remember that,” he told her, determined to ensure that he was nowhere around when Trina got off work.

With any luck, he would be with Erin.

Erin prided herself on being a reliable employee, someone who could be depended on to get things done, whatever those things might be. But when she woke up Monday morning and still hadn’t figured out what—if anything—to say to her boss about her suspicion that he might be her brother, she called in sick.

When her bell rang shortly after 10:00 a.m., she didn’t think twice before responding to the summons. It wasn’t until she’d peeked through the sidelight and saw Corey on her step, making her heart do a little hop and skip, that she hesitated. Unfortunately, he was looking through the same window from the other side, which meant there was no way she could now pretend she wasn’t home.

Forcing a smile, she pulled open the door.

“Corey, hi.”

He smiled back, and she felt that funny little quiver in her belly again.

“I stopped by the resort to see you, and Trina said you were home sick,” he explained. His gaze skimmed over her, leisurely, appraisingly. “But you look pretty good to me.”

“I wasn’t feeling well when I got up this morning,” she fibbed, conscious that her cheeks were burning. “I thought I should stay home…in case I was contagious.”

“Well, I brought you some homemade chicken soup—my mother’s favorite cure for whatever ails you.”

“You made chicken soup?”

He chuckled at the obvious skepticism in her tone. “No, I bought chicken soup that was homemade by the wonderful chefs at the Gallatin Room.”

She lifted a brow at his mention of the resort’s fine dining restaurant and figured the little plastic bowl in his hand probably cost more than a whole meal at any other restaurant in town.

“Thank you,” she said. “That was a really sweet gesture.”

“But you’ve already had lunch,” he guessed.

She nodded.

“So put it in the fridge for tomorrow.”

It would be rude to refuse his offer, so she did as he suggested, though she wondered what kind of strings might be attached to the bowl in her hand.

“Thank you,” she said again. “I’m sure I’ll enjoy it.”

“What are your plans for the afternoon? Because I know you’re not working.”

“I have no plans. I’m home sick,” she reminded him.

His smile widened. “Don’t worry. I won’t turn you in for playing hooky…so long as you let me play hooky with you.”

“You’re blackmailing me?”

He shrugged. “Whatever works.”

“What did you have in mind?” she asked warily.

“Just grab a jacket and put on a pair of boots.”

Which, of course, told her absolutely nothing about what he had planned. “Look, Corey, I’m flattered that you’d go to such lengths to spend time with me, but I really don’t understand why.”

“There’s nothing to understand. I just think some time outside in the crisp, fresh air will help you feel better,” he assured her.

“I don’t know,” she hedged.

“Trust me.”

It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Corey so much as she didn’t trust herself to be alone with him. The attraction she felt whenever she was near him was both awesome and overwhelming.

As she went to get her jacket and boots, she couldn’t help but think he looked as relaxed and unself-conscious in the jeans and flannel he was wearing today as he had in the designer tux he’d worn for his brother’s wedding, making her curious to know which was the real Corey Traub. Not that it mattered. Her instinctive response to him was the same regardless of what he was wearing.

She didn’t understand the attraction. She’d always dated guys who were…more subtle, she decided. There was nothing subtle about Corey. He was blatantly and undeniably male.

And the way he filled out a pair of jeans made her want to sigh. The cowboy boots didn’t surprise her. He’d even worn a pair at the wedding, with his tux. But those boots had been polished, and these were battered and worn, like the hat on his head.

She’d never known a cowboy before she came to Montana. And even in the past few months, she’d never met any one like Corey.

He wasn’t just sexy. He was knock-the-breath-out-of-your-lungs sexy. And the way he smiled at her, he knew it.

She’d never liked arrogant men. Or maybe it was just that she’d always wondered why the men she’d known felt entitled to their arrogance. With Corey, there was no question of his entitlement. And it made her wonder, not for the first time, why he was interested in her.

She wasn’t oblivious to her own appeal. Over the years, she’d received a fair share of compliments on her appearance, and she knew how to play up her attributes—how to apply makeup so her blue eyes looked bluer, how to dress so that her curves seemed curvier, how to walk into a room so that heads turned in her direction.

Since coming to Thunder Canyon, however, she’d deliberately downplayed her appearance. She’d toned down her makeup and dressed to blend in rather than stand out. No one looked at her twice, and no one asked any questions. At least, not until Erika’s wedding.

When Erin agreed to be a bridesmaid, she’d been thinking that she could somehow hide beneath layers of pink organza ruffles. She should have remembered that her friend had exquisite taste and an eye for fashion. There had been no way to hide in the strapless satin gown that hugged her curves. And she could hardly refuse when the bride suggested that her maid of honor should have her hair and makeup professionally done.

The result was that, as she’d made her way up the aisle, she’d been aware of the attention focused on her—and the speculation. She recognized some of her regular customers from the Hitching Post who had never looked twice when she’d waited on their tables and others who she’d met through her duties at the resort. None of them seemed to realize who she was. And although she’d been all too aware that the groom’s brother wasn’t the only man who had been watching her, he was the only one she’d watched back.

Corey snapped his phone shut when Erin came back with her jacket and boots.

“Everything’s arranged,” he told her.

“What is everything?”

“You’ll find out soon enough.”

“I don’t like surprises,” she warned, following him out the door.

“Everyone likes surprises,” he insisted.

She shook her head as she turned her key in the lock, engaging the deadbolt.

He slid an arm across her shoulders and steered her toward his truck. “What happened, darlin’? Were you traumatized by a clown jumping out of your cake on your fifth birthday?”

“Nothing so dramatic. I just like to have a plan, and I don’t like when things interfere with my plans.”

He opened the passenger-side door for her. “Didn’t John Lennon say something about life being what happens while you’re making other plans?”

“Maybe that worked for him,” she acknowledged, “but it’s a strange philosophy for a management consultant.”

“It’s not my business philosophy,” he told her. “But when I’m out of the office, I don’t like being shackled by rules and schedules.”

She stepped up into the truck, obviously thinking about his response. He closed her door, then went around to the driver’s side.

“My aunt died,” she finally said.

He paused in the act of inserting the key into the ignition. “Today? Is that why you called into work?”

She shook her head. “No. A few months ago.” She folded her hands, staring down at the fingers linked together in her lap. “You asked why I don’t like surprises. Her death was a surprise. And she gave me some information just before she passed that was…unexpected. I had so many questions that I never got to ask her.”

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I know how hard it is to lose someone out of the blue, feeling as if you’d left something unresolved.”

She looked at him, as if surprised by his response. “Who did you lose?”

“My father.”

“I didn’t realize—” She frowned. “I should have. When you introduced your mother and her husband, I just assumed your parents were divorced.”

He shook his head. “My dad died in an explosion on an oil rig when I was eight. The last time I saw him, before he went to work that day, he swatted my butt for talking back to my mother. When he walked out the door, I was happy to see him go.”

She touched a hand to his arm, and when she spoke, her voice was gentle. “You were eight,” she reminded him.

“I know. I got over the guilt a long time ago but only after I’d carried it around for a lot of years first.” He frowned.

Her hand dropped away. “What’s wrong?”

“I was just thinking that it’s mighty easy to talk to you.”

“It is?”

“I haven’t ever told anyone that story. Not anyone outside of the family, anyway.”

“Sometimes it’s easier to talk to someone who isn’t close to a situation.”

He turned into the long, winding drive that led to the Hopping H Ranch. “And sometimes a man just doesn’t have the sense to hold his tongue around a beautiful woman.”

Her cheeks flushed. “I might be a California girl, but I’ve heard plenty of stories about you smooth-talking cowboys to know that I’d be a fool to trust even half of the words that slide off of that glib tongue.”

He pressed a hand to his heart as he pulled into a vacant parking spot. “Now you’ve wounded me.”

The look of patent disbelief that she aimed in his direction changed to something more akin to wariness when she realized where he’d brought her.

Chapter Four

“This is Melanie and Russ’s ranch.”

Though it wasn’t a question, Corey nodded anyway.

“What are we doing here?”

“I would have thought that was obvious.” He got out of the truck and came around to her side.

This time Erin hadn’t jumped out ahead of him. In fact, she didn’t look like she had any intention of getting out at all. She hadn’t even unfastened her seatbelt, so he reached across to release the clasp for her.

“This isn’t a good idea,” she said.

“Why not?”

“Because I already missed work today. I don’t want to miss tomorrow, too, because I’m in a body cast in the hospital.”

“You can’t ride?” He deliberately infused his tone with both surprise and disbelief and a hint of challenge.

“Of course, I can ride,” she said, then added, “waves.”

“Waves?”

“I grew up on the coast, not in cowboy country,” she reminded him.

The mention of surfing had distracted him with thoughts of Erin clad in a skimpy little bikini, her hair slicked back, her skin wet and glistening as she balanced on a longboard. He knew it was more likely that she wore a wetsuit and figured she’d probably look just as enticing in a full bodysuit of neoprene that hugged her feminine curves, but a man was entitled to his fantasies and Erin in a bikini was definitely one of his. Peeling the little scraps of fabric from her damp skin was another.

“Well, you’re in cowboy country now,” he said, forcing the all-too tempting images from his mind.

“I’m aware of that,” she said, just as Russ came out of the barn.

The rancher came over to shake hands with Corey and Erin.

“Thanks for accommodating us,” Corey said.

“Always a pleasure,” Russ assured him.

Erin remained silent, wary.

“I’ve got Lucifer and Jax all saddled up and ready to go, but you just let me know if you need anything else.”

“Will do,” Corey promised.

And Russ disappeared into the barn again.

“Lucifer?”

Corey pointed out the spirited black stallion in a nearby enclosure. “And here—” he guided her to a closer paddock “—is Jax.”

She hesitated a few feet from the fence.

“You’ve never ridden before?” He couldn’t imagine going through life without experiencing the exhilarating freedom of racing over the open fields on the back of a horse.

“No, I have.” Her gaze flickered cautiously toward the horse again. “Twice.”

“When you were a kid?”

She shook her head. “A few weeks ago.”

His lips twitched as he fought a smile. “What happened?”

“Haley convinced me that I couldn’t live in Montana if I didn’t know how to ride, so I decided to take some private lessons.”

“And you had two?”

“I suffered through each one and decided the bruises on my butt were never going to go away if I kept them up.”

Corey shook his head. “You don’t strike me as the type of woman to give up so easily.”

“You don’t know me,” she reminded him.

“I’m working on it.”

“And accepting that something isn’t working doesn’t equal giving up.”

“It sure sounds like giving up to me.”

“If you came here to ride, go ahead,” she said. “Don’t worry about me.”

“And what will you do?”

“I can watch.”

He curved an arm around her shoulders and guided her closer to the docile bay gelding. He whistled softly, and the horse ambled over to the fence.

Erin looked at Jax.

It was an innocuous-sounding name, and the animal seemed well behaved, but he was just so big. Okay, not quite as big as Lucifer, and certainly not anywhere near as menacing as the powerful stallion that was pawing impatiently at the ground and tossing his head from side to side, but still pretty intimidating. But there was something about those big dark eyes that encouraged her to trust that, though he was big and strong enough to toss her around like a rag doll, he wouldn’t.

She started to reach toward the horse, testing herself as much as the animal, then hesitated.

Corey caught her wrist before she could withdraw and guided her hand the rest of the way, until her palm was flat against the horse’s neck. She felt the muscles quiver beneath her touch, and the gelding blew out a quiet breath that sounded distinctly like a sigh of pleasure.

Corey’s hand dropped away, but he remained close while she continued to stroke the animal.

“I think he likes me,” Erin told him.

He smiled. “Of course he likes you. He’d like you even more if you took him out for the run he’s saddled up for.”

Still, she hesitated.

“It’s okay if you’re afraid.”

Her shoulders stiffened. “I’m not afraid.”

His lips curved, just a little, and she knew that she’d fallen straight into his trap. He vaulted easily over the fence, then put one foot in the stirrup and swung himself into the saddle, then he held out his hand to her. “Come on.”

Erin remained rooted where she was. “I thought you were going to ride Lucifer.”

“I am,” he said. “We’re just going to take a walk around the paddock together, until you’re comfortable with Jax.”

Still she hesitated. “You expect me to get up on that horse with you?”

“You won’t fall off,” he promised.

“Won’t we be too heavy for the horse?”

“We’re just going to take a few turns around the paddock. He can handle it.”

Erin remained skeptical.

“Trust me, darlin’, I know what these animals are worth and I wouldn’t do anything to risk harming any of them.”

“Maybe I’m more worried about harm to me,” she told him, but climbed up onto the fence—keeping a wary eye on the horse—and over.

“I won’t let anything happen to you.” He smiled. “Not anything that you don’t want to happen, that is.”

It was as much an enticement as a warning. She felt her cheeks flush but chose to ignore the innuendo.

She thought she was going to fall off before she ever managed to get on, but eventually she managed to climb up, straddling the horse’s back behind the saddle.

“Put your arms around me and hold on,” he told her.

She did so, all too aware of his solid warmth and masculine strength. His jacket was unzipped and she could feel the ripple of his muscles beneath the soft fabric of his shirt. Her mouth went dry—although whether it was from fear of the horse or awareness of Corey, she wasn’t certain.

He nudged Jax into motion, and as Erin felt herself starting to slide, she fisted her hands in Corey’s shirt and held on for dear life. He only chuckled. As the horse made its way around the paddock and she realized how easily he was controlling the powerful animal with the hard muscles of his thighs, her grip on the flannel gradually loosened.

Her own muscles felt watery; her limbs were weak. And her heart was pounding so hard inside her chest she was surprised he couldn’t hear it. The rocking motion was somewhat familiar, and the familiarity made her tense. Her butt was definitely going to be sore tomorrow, and the knowledge made her wish that she’d never responded to Corey’s knock on her door. She really did want to learn to ride, but maybe she just wasn’t cut out to be a horsewoman.

“Relax.”

She did and realized that when she stopped trying to anticipate the horse’s movements, she didn’t jolt up and down so much. In fact, she could almost enjoy the steady, easy rhythm. Lulled by this discovery, she closed her eyes and pressed her cheek against Corey’s back, breathing in the heady scent of leather and horse and man.

She felt the familiar stir of desire low in her belly, and a tingling warmth between her thighs. Obviously as her worry lessened, her awareness heightened. With every step the horse took, her breasts brushed against Corey’s back, and she was suddenly aware that her nipples had tightened into hard points that were straining against her bra, aching for much more intimate contact.

She wanted his hands on her, stroking over her bare skin, touching her everywhere.

He glanced over his shoulder. “Ready for more?”

She wondered, for a moment, if she’d said something out loud, but then she realized that he was referring to the horse’s pace, and she nodded.

A nudge of his knees against the horse’s flank and the animal moved from a jog to a canter—if she was remembering the terms correctly—and suddenly every nerve ending in her body was on high alert. She’d never found the experience of being on horseback anything but scary and awkward and painful, but with Corey it was exhilarating and incredible and sensuous.

It had been obvious to Corey that Erin had some apprehension about getting up on a horse again, so riding with her seemed like the perfect way to ease her worries. It had worked with his sister, Rose. When she was little, she’d fallen off the back of her pony and had been terrified to climb back up again. But she’d trusted her big brother, and riding with Corey had given her the courage to overcome her fears.

It didn’t take a minute for Corey to realize that sharing a horse with a grown woman was a very different experience than doing so with his six-year-old sister. And when that woman was soft and sexy and snuggled up behind him, it was sheer torture.

Only for a few trips around the paddock, he promised him self, then she would be ready to handle Jax on her own—or Jax would be ready to handle her. The horse had a gentle nature and was well-trained, both essential qualities for the mount of a novice rider. He didn’t know where Erin had gone for her lessons, but for her to have thrown in the towel after only two sessions, she’d either been given a difficult horse or had a horrible instructor. He was determined not to let that memory prevent her from enjoying the day.

He wanted to share this experience with her, to introduce her to pleasures that no one else ever had. And he wasn’t just thinking about what they could do on horseback.

And while he tried to keep a tight rein on his thoughts, it was next to impossible. He was all too aware of her arms around him, of her soft breasts pressed to his back, rubbing against him. Though he was sure he couldn’t actually feel the hard nubs of her nipples through the layers that separated them, he imagined that he could. He wanted to touch her, all of her. He wanted to strip away her clothes and—

He managed to lasso the runaway fantasy before it took him to the point of no return and, after another torturously slow turn around the paddock, he said, “Let’s see what you can do on your own.”

They headed out at a leisurely gait. Surprisingly, after half an hour in the paddock with Corey and Jax, Erin felt a lot more comfortable on the back of the horse than she had at any time during her two lessons. She had a moment of panic when they headed away from the barn, but Jax was so strong and steady beneath her that it was gone as quickly as it had come.

Lucifer wasn’t nearly as complacent, and though Corey didn’t have any trouble controlling the spirited stallion, it was obvious that the animal was eager to run. His feet danced impatiently and he tossed his head excitedly, but Corey held him in check and continued to keep pace with Erin and Jax.

When they broke through a stand of trees to yet another open field, Erin said, “Why don’t you let him run?”

Corey looked over his shoulder. “I don’t want to leave you.”

“Well, I would appreciate it if you came back.”

He grinned at her dry tone. “Are you sure you don’t mind?”

“I’m sure,” she said. “And I’m guessing that you crave the speed as much as he does.”

He didn’t deny it. “We’ll be back.”

She knew they would. And truthfully, she didn’t mind letting them go. In fact, it was a pleasure to watch them streak across the fields. Horse and rider—two beautiful beings—so closely attuned to one another they moved as if they were one entity. As they raced off into the distance, Erin sighed.

What was she doing? She had no business being here with this man, no reason to think that getting involved with him could end up in anything but heartache. He was from Texas, she was from California, and it was only a coincidence that their paths happened to cross in Montana. She didn’t even know how long he planned to stay in Thunder Canyon—or even how long she did.

But why couldn’t she enjoy his company so long as he was here? For once in her life, why couldn’t she be impulsive and irresponsible and just let things happen?

She heard them returning before she saw them. The thunderous pounding of the stallion’s hooves in the distance made her turn just as they plunged through a copse of towering pines. The horse raced ahead, wild and reckless, and the man on its back looked every bit as dangerous. But it wasn’t fear that made Erin’s heart pound in her chest—it was excitement. Anticipation. Lust.

She wanted him. It was ridiculous to continue to deny it. It was also ridiculous to imagine that she could ever have him for anything more than a very hot, very short-term fling.

And what would be so wrong about that? her clamoring hormones demanded to know.

As he drew nearer, her heart pounded even harder.

What would be wrong, she reminded herself sternly, was that she didn’t even know the man. Aside from the fact that he was Dillon’s brother, she knew almost nothing about him. And she wasn’t in the habit of falling into bed with men she didn’t know.

Corey reined in the horse, reducing his pace to a canter, then a trot and finally slowing him to a walk as they approached Erin and Jax. She turned her mount around and began to head back, but she was less successful in redirecting her thoughts.

“You both look as if you enjoyed that,” Erin said.

“I don’t think there’s anything I love more than exploring the great outdoors on horseback.”

“This is beautiful country,” she agreed.

“The prettiest in the whole world, apart from Texas, of course.”

“Of course,” she agreed drily.

He grinned. “Although I hear the West Coast has some good stuff, too. Like California girls.”

“Are you going to break into song now?”

“I only ever sing in the shower,” he told her, “so if you want to be serenaded—”

“Not necessary,” she assured him.

Corey chuckled.

“So what did you think?” he asked a few minutes later. “Not just of the ranch, but the ride.”

“I think I could learn to like this,” she admitted.

“I knew you would,” he said confidently.

There was that arrogance again—but it definitely suited him.

“You’ve probably been riding since you were little,” she guessed.

“Since I was knee high to a grasshopper, to hear my mama tell the story.”

She made a point of tilting her head way back to look up at him. “I can’t imagine you were ever knee high to a grasshopper.”

“I was,” he surprised her by admitting. “In fact, I was short and scrawny almost all the way through high school. I couldn’t even get a date to my junior prom.”

“And your senior prom?”

He grinned. “Well, that was a different story.”

“I’ll bet.”

“How about you? Did you go to your senior prom?”

She thought back, smiled. “Yes, I did. I went with Thomas Anderson. He was president of the chess club, editor of the yearbook, valedictorian of our graduating class.”

“The first boy you ever slept with?” he prompted.

She shook her head. “No. But he was the first boy to break my heart.”

“Where is he now? Want me to go beat him up?”

She laughed. “That’s not necessary. I got over him a long time ago.”

“Glad to hear that,” he said. “How about more recently?”

“More recently what?”

“Have you been dating anyone in Thunder Canyon?”

“No. And I’m not looking to start, either.”

“Why not?”

She shrugged. “I’ve been working a lot.”

“You know what they say about all work and no play,” he warned her.

“I don’t play games.”

“Some games are fun, darlin’.”

She smiled at that, but her smile quickly faded. “I was dating someone in San Diego for a while.”

“Did he break your heart, too?”

She shook her head. “But I think I might have bruised his.”

“And you’re still feeling guilty about it,” he guessed.

“Maybe. I don’t know. I didn’t think our relationship was that serious. We hadn’t been dating very long, but he was looking to make a commitment and I wasn’t.”

“Because you’re not ready to settle down? Or because you didn’t want to settle down with him?”

“I just didn’t want to settle,” she said and winced when she realized how the words sounded.

But Corey nodded, understanding. “There was something missing.”

“A lot of somethings, actually,” she admitted.

“How is that your fault?”

“Well, according to my mother, I didn’t give him a chance, my expectations are too high, I need to understand that chemistry takes time—” she broke off, her cheeks burning. “Well, that’s getting a lot more personal than I meant to.”

“So, there was no chemistry with this guy, huh?”

She ignored his question because she knew the answer would lead her down a treacherous path.

They were at the barn now, and Corey dismounted before turning to help Erin down. She was grateful for his assistance, because as relaxed as she’d begun to feel in the saddle she wasn’t at all confident in her ability to get out of it. She put her hands on his shoulders and slid down, the front of her body brushing against the front of his.

Like flint rubbing against rock, sparks flashed, heat flared. Her breath caught, her pulse pounded. His hands stayed on her hips, holding her close.

And suddenly she was smack in the middle of that treacherous path she’d been so determined to avoid.

“Did you guys have a good time?” Russ asked.

Erin jumped back, her cheeks burning.

“Oh, yes,” she said. “It was wonderful. Thank you.”

“Not a problem,” Russ said. “Melanie’s just about to put dinner on the table. There’s plenty of food, if you wanted to join us.”

“Oh.” She wasn’t sure how to respond to the invitation. She’d met Russ and Melanie a few times and didn’t want to refuse his generous offer, but she wasn’t sure she’d feel comfortable sitting down at a table with people she barely knew.

“Thanks for the invite,” Corey said, coming to her rescue. “But Erin and I have other plans.”

“You’re sure?” Russ pressed.

“Positive. But please thank Melanie for us.”

His friend nodded. “I will. And I hope you’ll find your way out here again before you head back to Texas.”

“You can count on it,” Corey said, shaking his hand firmly.

The rancher tipped his hat to Erin, then led the horses into the barn.

* * *

“How are you holding up?” Corey asked when they were back in his truck and heading away from the ranch.

“Not too badly,” she said.

“You should take a hot bath before you go to bed tonight,” he suggested. “It will help ease any soreness in your muscles.”

“That sounds like a wonderful idea.” She tipped her head back and closed her eyes as if she was imagining herself sinking into a tub filled with bubbles.

Or maybe he just assumed that was what was on her mind because it was on his.

“And if it doesn’t work, I’ll call Stefan in the morning and see if he can squeeze me in for a quickie during my lunch.”

“Stefan? A quickie?”

She laughed. “A quick massage,” she clarified.

“Oh.” But his frown deepened. “Don’t they have women who give massages?”

“Of course. But Stefan has the most amazing hands.”

“And you let him put them all over your body?”

“I pay him to put them all over my body.” She didn’t usually engage in this kind of flirtatious banter, but Corey’s reaction to her statement was so typically and possessively male, she couldn’t resist teasing him a little. “And he’s worth every penny.”

“I could do the same thing—for free.”

She lifted a brow. “Show me your diploma, cowboy.”

“Well, no one’s ever called it a diploma, but—”

She laughed. “I was referring to a professional accreditation. Stefan trained in Sweden.”

“I graduated from Texas A&M,” he said, flicking on his indicator.

Instead of heading in the direction Erin lived, he turned the opposite way.

“Where are we going?” she asked, more curious than concerned.

“I told Russ we had plans for dinner,” he reminded her. “You don’t want to make a liar out of me, do you?”

“I just don’t want you to feel obligated—”

“Erin.”

She frowned at the interruption.

“You seem to be forgetting that I’m the one who tracked you down this morning and pretty much blackmailed you into spending the day with me.”

“You did, didn’t you?”

“Which should prove that if I didn’t want to be with you, I wouldn’t be.”

“Okay,” she finally said, but the furrow in her brow deepened when he pulled into the parking lot of the Super Saver Mart, still referred to by a lot of the locals as the Thunder Canyon Mercantile. “This is where we’re going for dinner?”

He chuckled. “This is where we’re going to get the ingredients for dinner.”

She looked at him suspiciously.

“No, I don’t expect you to cook dinner for me,” he said be fore she could ask. “I’m going to cook for you.”

“You are?”

“Why do you sound so surprised?”

“I guess because I am,” she admitted, as they made their way toward the entrance. “No man has ever cooked me dinner before.”

He eyed her warily. “Are you one of those—what do they call them—vegetarians or vegans or whatever?”

The tone of his voice left her in no doubt what this man from cattle country thought of that possibility and made her lips curve. “No, I’m not a vegetarian or a vegan.”

“Are you a picky eater?”

“There are some things I don’t like,” she admitted, “but I’m not picky.”

“What don’t you like?”

“Peas. Pickles. Pineapple.”

He lifted his brows. “You have something against the letter ‘p’?”

“I don’t like squash, either.”

“Like…pumpkin?”

She smiled again. “Any kind of squash.”

“Well then, I think we’re pretty safe,” he told her. “Because there are no peas, pickles, pineapple or squash in my red sauce.”

“I do like red sauce.”

“How do you feel about pasta?”

“I love pasta.”

He grinned. “Then let’s go shopping.”

Chapter Five

If she’d been surprised by his offer to cook for her, she was even more so by the ease with which he pushed the cart around the grocery store. He didn’t just toss the vegetables into a bag, he checked the color of the tomatoes, tested the firmness of the garlic, gauged the texture of the peppers.

She made a face when he was sniffing the mushrooms. “Those aren’t one of my favorite foods,” she admitted to him.

“These are shiitake, not porcini,” he teased.

“I’m just not a fan of any kind of fungus,” she said.

“You won’t even taste them.”

She decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. After all, she was going to sit down for a home-cooked meal that she didn’t have to prepare, and she was curious about his skill in the kitchen. Okay, she was curious about his skill in other areas, too, but she refused to let her mind go down that path. Again.

He added a head of romaine lettuce, a bag of carrots, a bunch of green onions and a cucumber.

Moving out of the produce department to the bakery, he grabbed a loaf of French bread, then a package of fresh fettucine, extra virgin olive oil, basil, oregano, a hunk of parmesan cheese and a bottle of red wine.

“You’ve thought of everything, haven’t you?”

He took a mental inventory of the ingredients as they moved along the conveyor belt toward the cashier. “I hope so.”

“Do you do this often?”

“Shop for groceries?”

“Cook.”

“Do you mean cook for a woman or just cook in general?”

“Cook in general,” she said, unwilling to admit that she was just as curious to know if he was in the habit of cooking for his female companions.

“I have to eat,” he said logically.

“But—” She bit her lip, stifling the reply that had almost spilled out uncensored.

“But,” he prompted.

She felt her cheeks burn. “I just thought you’d probably have women lining up to cook for you.”

“Well, if you’re offering …” He grinned.

“You said you were cooking for me,” she reminded him.

“Tonight,” he agreed. “But maybe next time you could show off your culinary skills.”

“You’re assuming there will be a next time.”

“Not assuming,” he denied. “Just hopeful.”

She had enjoyed the time they’d spent together today and, so long as he wasn’t looking for anything more than friendship from her—and so long as she remembered that she wasn’t in a position to offer anything more—she wouldn’t object to spending more time with him.

“I do make a mean enchilada,” she told him.

“Spicy?”

“I guess I’ll let you be the judge of that.”

“I’ll look forward to it.” He smiled before he turned to the cashier to pay for his groceries.

Corey put Erin to work washing the lettuce and other vegetables while he got busy chopping and dicing. Her kitchen was laid out almost identical to the one in the condo he was renting, so he felt comfortable moving around in it and opening cupboards and drawers to find what he needed. He located a big pot to boil water for the pasta and a wok-style frying pan that he could use to make the sauce. He opened the bottle of wine to let it breathe while he heated a drizzle of olive oil in the pan and tossed in a couple of crushed garlic cloves.

“Where did you learn to cook?” Erin asked him.

He dumped the red and green peppers into the pan, stirred them around with a wooden spoon, then began peeling the tomatoes.

“Here and there,” he said.

She lifted her brows at the vagueness of his response, but he didn’t elaborate. He didn’t think he’d score any points with Erin by admitting it was an ex-girlfriend who’d taught him the basics of the sauce he was currently making for her. Especially not if she knew that he’d appreciated Gina’s marinara sauce more than he’d appreciated Gina and, once he’d realized that, he’d decided to learn to make it for himself so that he could enjoy his pasta without the complications of an unhappy relationship.

“Why don’t you pour the wine?” he suggested.

She found two glasses in the cupboard and did as he suggested.

He finished dicing the tomatoes he’d peeled and tossed them into the pan, then added some spices and stirred everything around again.

“It smells good already,” Erin told him.

He washed his hands and dried them on the towel that was hanging over the handle of the oven door before he turned to take the glass of wine she offered to him. “It will taste even better,” he promised.

Her brows rose up again. “Cocky, aren’t you?”

“Confident,” he corrected.

When he stepped toward her, Erin felt an instinctual urge to retreat. But the counter was at her back, leaving her with nowhere to go.

His lips curved, slowly, seductively. Her heart hammered.

She had no doubt that he had reason to be confident. She knew enough about his background to know that he’d been born into a powerful and influential family, but he’d also achieved his own success. And men like Corey, men who wore success and self-assurance as comfortably as the designer labels on their backs, drew more than their fair share of female attention. Which made her wonder—what was he doing with her?

She wasn’t oblivious to her own appeal, but she wasn’t an heiress or a supermodel, and she didn’t doubt that Corey had dated women from each of those categories—and a few more. She also guessed that he was a man accustomed to getting what he wanted, and the look in his eyes left her in no doubt that what he wanted, at least right now, was her. And though she had no intention of giving in to the desire that surged through her veins, she couldn’t deny that she wanted him right back.

His gaze dropped to her mouth, and she knew that if he kissed her again, right here and right now, she would be lost. She put a hand out—a desperate, wordless attempt to hold him off, at least long enough for her to gather her wits about her—and realized she was holding her glass of wine in it.

“Well, then,” she said, lifting her glass a little higher. “We should toast to dinner.”

Amusement crinkled the corners of his eyes as he tapped the rim of his glass against hers.

“To dinner,” he agreed, “with new friends.”

She sipped her wine without tasting it, all too aware of his closeness and the intensity of his gaze on her.

“I should set the table.”

“There’s no rush,” he assured her. “The sauce needs to simmer for about half an hour.”

Half an hour?

It wasn’t all that long, really, but somehow, it seemed like an eternity. Because the more time she spent with Corey, the more difficult it was to ignore the attraction she felt.

Her immediate response to him had been purely physical—the first time they met, she hadn’t known him well enough for it to be anything more than a hormonal response to a good-looking man who practically oozed charm and sex appeal. But the more she got to know Corey, the more she found herself actually liking him.

Despite the attraction that zinged between them, she felt comfortable with him. Comfortable enough to laugh when he teased her, to respond in kind when he flirted with her and to enjoy the conversations they shared as much as the silences that sometimes fell in-between. Yeah, she was definitely starting to like him, and the combination of lust and like was a lot more difficult to ignore than a purely hormonal reaction.

But when they were alone together, as they were now, the pleasure she felt in his company grew into more, and she wasn’t completely comfortable with that.

“Speaking of the sauce,” she said, needing to break the spell that had woven around her like a spider’s web, invisibly drawing her closer to him. And just like a fly caught in a web, she knew that it would be dangerous to let him get any closer.

“What about the sauce?” There was a hint of laughter in his voice, amusement sparkling in his eyes.

“Don’t you need to stir it…or something?”

“Or something,” he agreed and lifted a hand to trail a finger down her cheek.

Her pulse pounded, her breath caught.

Corey’s eyes stayed locked with hers.

“You’re a bundle of contradictions, Erin Castro.”

She didn’t dare ask what he meant, or maybe she was afraid that she knew. As clearly as she could read the desire in his eyes, she was sure he could see the same want echoed in hers. But she’d told him that she didn’t want to get involved, and she’d meant it.

“I’m not trying to be,” she told him.

He held her gaze for another minute before he stepped back. “I know. And that’s why I’m going to focus on my sauce and let you set the table.”

She exhaled slowly and turned to set her wineglass on the counter. As she reached into the cupboard for the plates, she assured herself that she was grateful he’d backed away.

Grateful and relieved.

And more than a little disappointed.

Half an hour later, they were seated at the table enjoying hot pasta, warm bread and crisp salad.

“You were right,” she admitted. “It tastes even better than it smells—and it smells fabulous.”

He twirled his fork in his own pasta. “I’m glad you’re enjoying it.”

“Are you kidding? This is one of the best meals I’ve had since…” Her words trailed off.

Since she’d come to Thunder Canyon, she suddenly realized and felt a pang of sadness thinking of the family she’d left in San Diego. But she’d had no choice. Not if she wanted to find the answers to the questions that Erma had planted in her mind. And she did want those answers. She needed the answers in order to understand who she really was.

“Since?” Corey prompted.

She forced a smile. “Since I can’t remember when,” she told him, keeping her voice deliberately light. “Really, this is amazing.”

He took a slice of warm bread from the basket, tore it in half. “Do you want to talk about it?”

She swallowed another mouthful of pasta, then wiped her mouth with her napkin. “Talk about what?”

“Whatever’s on your mind.”

She reached for her wineglass. “There’s nothing—”

He touched a finger to her lips, halting the automatic denial. She set her glass back down, nearly sloshing wine over the rim.

“If you don’t want to talk about it, say so, darlin’,” he told her. “But don’t tell me there’s nothing because it was obvious when I got here this morning that there was something bothering you and I can tell that your thoughts are wandering again.”

She wondered if she’d been so obviously preoccupied or if he was more intuitive than she would have guessed. Either way, she couldn’t imagine telling him what she’d been thinking. She couldn’t imagine telling anyone about her suspicions, though she knew she should probably talk to someone before she took the next step.

Right now she had no idea what her next step was going to be, how to follow-up and find proof of her theory. Sure, she’d considered approaching Grant and saying, “I think I might be your sister.” But as hard as she tried, she couldn’t imagine how he might respond to such an announcement, except that she was confident he would not throw his arms around her and say, “Welcome to the family.”

At the very least, he would be cautious; more likely, suspicious; possibly he would even question her sanity. All of which would be understandable reactions to such an unexpected claim, and all of which reaffirmed for Erin her decision to stay away from the resort today and avoid any chance of crossing paths with her boss.

But as much as her actions had been motivated by self-preservation, she couldn’t deny that she was glad Corey had shown up and taken her mind off of the situation—at least for a while.

“I was just thinking that I was glad I played hooky today,” she told him, because that was true.

His eyes narrowed, as if he knew she wasn’t being completely truthful with him, but then he smiled. “I’m glad you played hooky today, too.”

“Unfortunately, I can’t keep playing hooky, which means that I have an early morning.” She pushed her chair away from the table and stood up, taking her plate and cutlery to the dishwasher.

“Is that supposed to be my cue to take off?”

“Yes, it is,” she said, but with more than a hint of reluctance.

She really had enjoyed her day with Corey—and she’d appreciated that he’d been able to take her mind off of her worries when nothing and no one else had done so.

“I’ll head out as soon as the kitchen is cleared up,” he told her.

“You cooked dinner, so I’ll take care of the cleanup.”

“That doesn’t seem fair when I made the mess.”

“It’s more than fair, considering the delicious meal I just ate.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.” More importantly, she was worried that if she didn’t get him out of her apartment as soon as possible, she might change her mind about wanting him to go.

“All right then,” he relented. “But only because I have some early morning meetings myself that I need to prepare for.”

“Meetings? I didn’t realize…I thought you were just in town for your brother’s wedding.”

“I would have come just for the wedding,” he agreed. “But as it turned out, I had a business opportunity come up in the area.”

“Then you’re going to be staying in Thunder Canyon for a while?”

He leaned closer. “Do you want me to?”

More than she should, and that was not an admission she was willing to make to a man who was all too aware of the effect he had on the female species. Instead, she only said, “I’m sure your plans have nothing to do with me.”

His smile, slow and sexy, made her heart bump against her ribs.

“Don’t be too sure, darlin’,” he said in a tone that was as slow and sexy as his smile and shimmered over her skin like a caress. “While it’s true that some new opportunities have come up, I’m not sure I would have been so willing to hang around if I wasn’t also tempted by the possibility of spending some more time with you.”

“I told you—” she had to look away to break the hypnotic effect of those espresso-colored eyes “—I’m not looking to get involved with anyone right now.”

“Yeah, you told me,” he agreed. “But your kisses say some thin’ totally different, darlin’.”

“It was one kiss—and it never should have happened.”

“My mama might have raised me to be a gentleman,” he said, “but she also taught me to never back down from a challenge.”

“That wasn’t a challenge,” she said.

“Wasn’t it?”

“No,” she insisted vehemently, desperately. “It was a state ment of fact.”

He smiled again. “We’ll see about that, darlin’.”

“And stop calling me darlin’.”

“My apologies…Erin.”

The way he spoke her name made it sound more intimate than any words of passion that had ever been whispered between lovers in the dark. She fought the urge to shiver. She refused to give any outward indication of the effect of his nearness on her.

“And the reason I said ‘kisses’ is because there will be more,” he told her.

“That’s quite an assumption to make,” she said.

“I know.”

His lips curved, just a little, before they covered hers.

It was a gentle kiss this time—teasing, testing. As if, despite the previous kiss they’d shared, he was unsure what her response would be this time.

Erin had no doubts. She was sure that she could—would—resist.

Her certainty lasted all of about two seconds. Because in the moment that his mouth first brushed against hers, every thought of protest, every ounce of resistance, simply melted away in response to the heat that churned through her body.

The sciences had never been her forte, but she did understand the basics of simple chemistry. And it didn’t get much more basic than the rubbing of a man and a woman together resulting in physical attraction.

She knew there were exceptions to the rule. Trevor had been one of those exceptions. However, Corey was the poster boy for the rule. And in his arms, Erin was nothing more than a reactant.

She had no free will, no ability to control her own response where he was concerned, and no desire to be anywhere but in his arms.

Already the feel of his mouth on hers was familiar, his flavor addictive. She’d wanted this—wanted him—from the first, and the knowledge shook her. Or maybe it was the kiss that made her tremble.

Chapter Six

She’d said their first kiss never should have happened, and maybe she was right about that. But at this point, Corey thought that attempting to deny the attraction between them would be like closing the barn door after the horse had gotten out. And the desire that raced through his veins reminded him of Lucifer racing across the field, sampling his taste of freedom. Heady and reckless and desperate for more.

He desperately wanted more of Erin.

All of Erin.

He already knew how it would be between them, how she would feel, her naked body beneath his, moving against him, willing and eager. How she would wrap herself around him; how he would sink into her warmth and softness.

He could picture it clearly, and the details were so vivid and real, they made him ache.

But somewhere beneath the passion he tasted on her lips, there was something else. Just a hint of uncertainty, a touch of wariness. He could make her forget all of her doubts. He could simply keep kissing her, touching her and enticing her to the point that her desire overwhelmed any lingering reluctance. But he knew that they would both have regrets if he did.

No, he wouldn’t take her to bed until he was certain that she wanted him as much as he wanted her. So instead of letting his hands roam over her and touch her as he craved, he contented himself with holding her. Even when her arms lifted to link behind his head and her body softened against his, he held his own raging desire in check and continued to kiss her.

Just tasting.

Testing.

Tempting.

Except that he wasn’t just tempting Erin, he was tempting himself, too. And because there was a definite limit to how much temptation he could endure, he gently eased away. Slowly. Reluctantly.

Her eyelids fluttered, opened, revealing beautiful blue eyes clouded with confusion.

He brushed his thumb over the curve of her bottom lip, moist and swollen from his kiss, and felt her tremble again. He dropped his hand, realizing he was venturing a little too close to the edge of his limits.

“I’ll be seeing you again,” he promised.

And then, before he could forget his resolution not to take more than she was ready to give, he turned and walked away.

As Erin closed and locked the door at Corey’s back, she was more confused than ever. And considering how confused she was when she arrived in Montana, that was saying something.

She desperately wished she had someone to talk to about her feelings for Corey, but who?

Erika was probably the best friend she had in Thunder Canyon, but she was a newlywed who certainly didn’t need to be troubled by her friend’s romantic woes, not to mention that she was married to Corey’s brother.

Haley was the first friend she’d made in town, but as a waitress, part-time student and volunteer counselor at ROOTS—an organization she’d founded to help troubled teens—Haley had more than enough on her plate. And on top of everything else, she was in the midst of her own romance with Marlon Cates.

Erin was pleased that her closest friends were blissfully in love. She wasn’t so pleased that their happiness left her to figure out this situation with Corey on her own.

She really didn’t want to get involved with him, but she had a feeling he was right—she was already involved. And now that she knew he was planning to stay in Thunder Canyon, at least for the short term, she would have to figure out how she was going to deal with him.

Sure, she could just continue to ignore the attraction she felt, but her attempts to deny the feelings he stirred inside of her had already proved futile. All he had to do was touch her and all of her resistance melted away. And when he kissed her…well, just the memory of his kisses, the masterful seduction of his mouth on hers, made her sigh.

She’d been attracted to other men before, and she’d had a few relationships in her twenty-five years. She’d also had her heart knocked around a few times, and that wasn’t an experience she was eager to repeat. Of course, she’d been younger then and more naive, and she’d learned from her mistakes. She didn’t lead with her heart anymore, she didn’t believe everything a man told her (and she was especially skeptical of declarations of affection made while naked), and she wasn’t ever again going to stay in a relationship with someone because she didn’t want to hurt his feelings by telling him that there was no zing in the relationship—which is what had gone so wrong with Trevor.

Of course, lack of zing wasn’t a problem with Corey. The problem was too much zing. So much zing, in fact, it was interfering with the normal, rational functioning of her brain.

What she needed to do, if she wanted to ensure that her hormones didn’t overrule her head, was establish boundaries—and make sure that the man in question was aware of those boundaries. Because Corey Traub with his dark, bedroom eyes and slow, sexy smile and slower, sexier drawl was a cowboy who had undoubtedly left a trail of broken hearts all across Texas, and she had no intention of being his latest conquest. Even if the thought of being conquered by such a man held a certain undeniable appeal.

Which made her again consider that instead of ignoring the attraction, she should embrace it; instead of establishing boundaries, she should obliterate them. So long as they each knew what they wanted from the other, why shouldn’t they enjoy being together?

Maybe it was foolish to think that she could indulge in a casual no-strings affair when she’d never done so before. Or maybe that was just another reason why she should go for it. When she’d made the trip to Thunder Canyon, she’d done so knowing that the journey would bring changes to her life. Meeting Corey had given her another opportunity to make another change.

She’d never known anyone like him—he was larger than life, a man strong enough for a woman to lean on, a man she wanted to be with. He didn’t strike her as someone who did anything by half measures, and she knew that if she ever made love with him, it would be a spectacular experience.

What worried her was the possibility that he would seduce not just her body but her heart, and that when he was gone she would be left with only memories of the time they’d spent together and her heart in pieces.

Because he would go. She knew that. He had no more intention of staying in Thunder Canyon than she did—but she wasn’t ready to pack up her bags just yet.

And although heading back to San Diego held a certain appeal, she knew she couldn’t do it. She couldn’t go back to her old life and pretend that everything was as it had always been. She’d come to Montana because she needed answers, and she wasn’t going anywhere until she had them.

After another restless night, Erin got up Tuesday morning and readied herself for work as if it was any other day. Because her dreams had been mostly centered on Corey, she hadn’t come up with any revelations about how to tell her boss about the possibility that he could be her brother. Instead, she decided to act as normal as possible, as if nothing had changed.

But she found herself making excuses to walk past his office, trying to catch a glimpse of him, trying to figure out if there was any familial resemblance between herself and her boss. She had two brothers, and she loved both Jake and Josh, but there was just something about Grant Clifton that had appealed to her from the start.

A man didn’t rise to the position he was in without having a fair amount of drive and ambition, but he wasn’t ruthless or hard. Her own experience had shown her that he was a fair and compassionate employer; according to his friends, he was loyal and steadfast; the love he obviously shared with his wife of three years proved he was faithful and devoted; and when he talked about his mother and his sister, he demonstrated that he had a strong sense of family.

Was it possible that she might be part of his family? If so, would he grow to care about her as he obviously cared about Elise? Of course, if it turned out that Erin was his sister, it would mean that Elise was not.

How would he deal with that revelation? Would he resent Erin for bringing it to light? Or would he accept that she was as much a victim of circumstances as everyone else?

“Is everything okay?”

Erin realized that she’d been standing in front of the reservation computer for several minutes without inputting any data. She looked up at Carrie and managed to smile. “Sorry. I don’t know where my mind is today.”

“I think I know,” her coworker teased, nodding her head in the direction of the counter.

Glancing past her, Erin saw Corey standing there, and her heart gave that all-too familiar jolt.

“What’s he doing here?”

“Looking for you,” Carrie told her. “And honey, if you’re not interested, feel free to give him my number.”

Erin felt her cheeks flush as she moved past her coworker to the counter.

“Are you here to see if I was playing hooky today?” she asked him.

“Nope. Just to see you.”

“Any particular reason?”

“You were on my mind. In fact, you’ve been on my mind since I left your house last night, a detail that did not go unnoticed by my associates at the meetings I had this morning.”

She wasn’t sure how to respond to that, so she remained silent.

“This is where you could say that you’ve been thinking about me, too,” he prompted.

She didn’t think his ego needed the boost of hearing the words, even if they were true. But she folded her arms on the counter and dropped her voice, as if making a confession. “What if I tell you that, as I drove to work this morning, I was thinking about playing hooky again because it’s much too beautiful a day to be cooped up inside?”

He leaned closer, so their faces were only inches apart. “Did you think about playing hooky again with me?”

“A girl has to have a few secrets,” she teased.

“Something tells me you have more than a few.”

It was an effort to keep her smile in place as his words struck a chord. He was right. She had more secrets than anyone in Thunder Canyon knew, more than anyone would possibly guess. And the longer she stayed, continuing to perpetuate the myth that she was just a California transplant looking for a change of pace, the guiltier she felt. She’d made friends with the people in town, listened to their confessions and hopes and dreams.

But she hadn’t told a single one of them her real reason for coming to Thunder Canyon. Not even Erika, who had chosen Erin to be the maid of honor at her wedding. And now Erika was married to Dillon, and Erin was fighting her attraction to Dillon’s brother, who happened to be good friends with Grant Clifton, who might be Erin’s brother. There were too many strings connecting all the players in the drama of her life, and they were getting all tangled up.

She’d been dishonest with so many people. Even if she wasn’t guilty of telling lies, she certainly hadn’t volunteered the complete truth. And she couldn’t help but wonder what they would think of her when they found out. Would the people who had become her friends understand why she’d been silent about her true purpose for coming to Thunder Canyon? Or would the truth cost her those new but treasured friendships?

Her mother tried to instill in all of her kids the importance of being honest. If you tell the truth, she’d pointed out to them, you won’t ever forget what you said. Erin understood the importance of the message and she’d tried to live her life accordingly. That had changed when she came to Thunder Canyon.

No, she admitted to herself, it had changed when she’d said that she was quitting her job in San Diego because she felt as if her life had stagnated since graduation and she wanted to explore some other opportunities. Her parents had been supportive—or tried to be. They’d also been hurt by her decision, but not as hurt as she knew they would be if she’d told him she was going to look for a family that Erma had told her was in Montana.

And that one little lie had led to more little lies. Since coming to Thunder Canyon, however, she’d been guilty of so many deceptions and half-truths she wasn’t sure she could even remember them all. And she feared that those half-truths were going to come back to haunt her.

Maybe she’d believed they were necessary. Maybe she still did. She couldn’t imagine how the tightly knit community would have responded if she’d slapped the newspaper clipping down on a table at The Hitching Post the first day she’d arrived in town and proclaimed that she was related to some or all of the persons in the photo.

Instead, she’d taken a more subtle approach. She’d gotten to know the residents of Thunder Canyon and asked some discreet questions about the families in that faded picture. Unfortunately, the responses she’d received to those inquiries had told her little. And although there was no shortage of skeletons in the closets of the residents of Thunder Canyon, she hadn’t heard any murmurs about anyone losing a baby more than twenty-five years earlier.

And then, by sheer luck, she happened to be nearby when Grant Clifton pulled a picture of his sister out of his wallet. Coincidentally, that sister was born on the same day in the same hospital as Erin, and she had some similar features to each of Erin’s brothers.

But Erin still didn’t know what to do now, how to verify her suspicion that someone at the hospital had somehow mixed up those two babies.

A hand waving in front of her face jolted her out of her reverie. She looked apologetically at Corey. “Sorry.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to talk about it, darlin’?”

She could hardly deny that her mind had been wandering again, so she only shook her head. “No, I’m not sure. But it’s not something I can talk about. Not right now.”

“Will you keep me in mind, when you can?”

She wouldn’t have blamed him for feeling dissed by her lack of attention, but he seemed more concerned than offended, and she was touched by his offer. “I will,” she promised. “Thanks.”

“So why don’t we talk about your lunch plans?” he said. “Do you have a date with Stefan or can I steal you away for a little while?”

“Why are you so determined to take me to lunch?”

He shrugged. “It’s lunchtime, I’m hungry and I enjoy your company.”

“How could any woman refuse such a gracious in vi tation?”

“Stefan was booked, wasn’t he?”

“Until four-thirty,” she admitted.

“Then he won’t be putting his hands on you today,” Corey noted.

It was the hint of smugness in his tone that prompted her to tease, “Not until this afternoon.”

Erin retrieved her purse from her desk and came around to the other side of the counter.

“How does DJ’s Rib Shack sound?” Corey asked her.

“My mouth is watering already,” she told him.

He reached for her hand and was pleased when she didn’t pull hers away. It was a small thing, but it meant a lot to him because it proved that she was starting to feel comfortable with him.

“But we might have some trouble getting seated,” Erin warned. “We have a conference group that booked several large tables for lunch there today.”

“Are you forgetting that DJ is my cousin?”

“Does that family connection trump a group of fifty-five paying customers?”

He winced. “Well, I’m sure he can find a couple of chairs for us in the kitchen.”

Erin laughed.

He liked to hear her laugh. She seemed so serious most of the time, as if there were heavy issues weighing on her mind. But when she laughed, it was like the sun breaking through on a cloudy day. The soft, sexy sound seemed to burst out of her, and her beautiful blue eyes danced and sparkled.

“For DJ’s signature rib sandwich, I would happily sit in the kitchen,” she told him.

As it turned out, DJ did manage to find them a small table on the opposite side of the room from the conference guests and with a fabulous view of the resort property. Be cause they both knew what they wanted to eat, he took their orders so that he could get it into the kitchen before the conference group started clamoring for its food. Corey ordered a beer and Erin, because it was the middle of a work day, requested a soft drink.

“So tell me,” Erin said, “how you manage to have so much free time when you’re supposed to be in town on business.”

“I’m my own boss. When I first started out, I worked more than my share of eighty-hour weeks to ensure my business was successful. Now I have the luxury of being able to pick and choose my jobs and the hours that I’m going to work.”

She eyed him over the rim of her glass. “Why did you start your own company instead of going to work at Traub Industries?”

“I did work at Traub Industries, as all of my brothers and my sister did. But, although the experience was memorable and I certainly won’t complain about the opportunities the company has afforded me, making a career in the oil business wasn’t what I wanted to do with my life.”

“So who does run the company?”

“My mother took over at the helm when my dad died, and she’s still the CEO. My brother Ethan is the CFO. My stepfather is on the board of directors.”

“So it really is a family business.”

“I guess it is,” he agreed.

She tilted her head. “Are there issues between you and your stepfather?”

“No. Not really.”

“Which is it—no? Or not really?”

“Peter’s a good guy,” Corey said. “And he makes my mom happy. It’s pretty amazing to think about the fact that he was willing to marry a woman who was on her own with six kids.”

“But—” she prompted.

He didn’t say anything.

“But he’s not your dad,” Erin finished for him.

“No, he’s not. I was so young when my dad died that my memories of him are pretty foggy, but it was still hard to accept anyone else trying to take his place. It’s only recently that I’ve realized Peter made his own place—and I’m glad it’s with my mom.” He shook his head. “But it seems that we’re always talking about my family—tell me something about yours.”

“The Castros aren’t nearly as interesting as the Traubs,” she said.

“That’s an opinion, not a fact,” he chided.

She shrugged. “Okay, my parents are Jack and Betty. My dad’s a harbor cop and my mom is a high school history teacher. I have two brothers, Jake and Josh, both of them older. Jake is a cop in New Orleans and Josh is a perpetual student. He’s currently studying geosciences at Princeton.”

“And what do your parents think of your decision to move to Montana?”

“They’re trying to be supportive. They understand that I needed to make some changes in my life. They just wish I didn’t have to make them so far away.”

“It could be worse,” Corey said philosophically. “You could have gone to New England.”

She smiled. “Which is what I remind them whenever they start complaining about how far away Thunder Canyon is from San Diego.”

“Do you get home to visit them very often?”

“Only once since I moved here,” she admitted. “I’d hoped to go back again for Thanksgiving, but that doesn’t look like it’s going to work out now.”

“It’s hard being away from family, especially at the holidays.”

She nodded. “I don’t think I’ve ever missed a major holiday with them.”

“So why don’t you invite them to come here?”

She seemed startled by the suggestion. “I can’t believe I didn’t think of that.”

“Sometimes it takes someone from the outside to see the possible solutions to a problem.”

“That’s exactly what you do, isn’t it? Companies hire you to come in and determine what’s not working, and you fix it.”

“I offer suggestions,” he clarified.

“And if a company doesn’t take your suggestions?”

“People don’t often ignore advice that they pay for, but it’s always their choice.”

The waiter brought their lunches.

Erin plucked a curly fry from her plate and bit off the end. “How long does it usually take—your review and analysis?”

“Are you trying to figure out how long I’m going to be in Thunder Canyon?” he teased.

“I’m trying to make conversation,” she retorted, but the flush in her cheeks confirmed his guess.

“Well, the answer to that question is that it varies depending on the complexity of the problems. Is the company simply looking to improve its bottom line, or is it teetering on the edge of bankruptcy? Is it a mom-and-pop operation or an international conglomerate?” He picked up his spicy barbecue chicken sandwich and bit into it.

“So it could be weeks or months,” she guessed.

He nodded, chewing.

“Do you enjoy it?”

“I enjoy the challenge.”

“Is that why you’re here with me now—because I turned you down the first time you asked me to dance?”

“You’re here with me,” he pointed out. “And if you’d accepted my original invitation, the only thing that would have been different is that we would have shared our first dance sooner.”

“First dance?”

He grinned. “Yeah, I’m counting on there being more.”

She smiled back, not protesting his assumption this time. Then her gaze slid away, caught by something across the room. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw that it wasn’t a “something” but “someone”—her boss, Grant Clifton. But it wasn’t the direction of her gaze that bothered him so much as the brief glimpse of yearning that he read in her eyes.

Then she focused on her plate again, and Corey was left to wonder if he’d just imagined the longing he thought he’d seen. He hoped so. He sure as heck didn’t want to think that she was lusting after a man who was his friend, her boss and married to boot.

However, it would explain why she’d been resistant to his overtures. Not that he thought he was irresistible, but in his experience, most women were flattered by his attention and often sought him out, and he’d been trying to figure out why Erin seemed impervious to his legendary charms.

He’d considered the usual reasons—she was just getting over a failed relationship, she didn’t like the color of his hair or his eyes, she thought he was too tall/too short or too young/too old, or she just wasn’t attracted to him—although he’d discarded that possibility after their first kiss because he knew that a woman couldn’t kiss a man the way she’d kissed him if she didn’t feel at least some degree of attraction. It had never occurred to him that she might be infatuated with her boss.

“How’s your sandwich?” Erin asked.

“Great,” he said, and picked it up again.

They chatted casually as they finished their lunches. He noticed that Erin was both attentive and entertaining, her focus never again wavering. Maybe he had imagined the look she’d sent in Grant’s direction. Maybe she’d actually been looking at someone else’s lunch—or their dessert. He’d dated a lot of women who looked enviously at the cheesecake on someone else’s plate but refused to order their own.

“Dessert?” he asked her.

There was still a handful of fries on Erin’s plate when she pushed it aside, shaking her head. “I couldn’t eat another bite.”

“Not even a tiny slice of pecan turtle pie?”

She sighed wistfully. “As much as I love DJ’s pecan turtle pie, I know they don’t serve tiny slices.”

He flagged down their server and ordered a slice anyway, asking for it to be boxed so Erin could take it home.

The cake was delivered along with his credit card slip, and Corey slid the dessert across the table to her.

“I really don’t need the three thousand calories in this box,” she told him. “But I’ll say ‘thank you’ anyway, knowing that I will savor every last bite while I’m watching American Idol tonight.”

“What do you watch on Fridays?” Corey asked, as they headed out of the restaurant.

“Nothing in particular.”

“Then how about catching a movie with me?” he suggested.

“What movie?” she asked.

“I don’t even know what’s showing,” he admitted.

“I would have expected you to find that out before you decided you wanted to go.”

“I just thought it would be fun to go to a movie with you.”

“I don’t like horror flicks,” she warned him.

“You could snuggle up to me during the scary parts.” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

She laughed but shook her head. “All the parts are scary parts, and I’d have nightmares for a week.”

“Okay, no horror flicks,” he promised.

“And I’m not big on sci-fi, either.”

He nodded his understanding. “Aliens can be pretty scary.”

Her gaze narrowed. “Are you mocking me?”

“Of course not,” he said, but his lips twitched as he tried not to smile.

“Just for that, you have to buy the popcorn.”

“It would be my pleasure,” he told her, and he meant it.

She eyed him warily. “What are we doing, Corey?”

“Setting up a date.”

“Is it that simple?”

“For now.” They were back at the reception desk, and as much as he wanted to linger, he knew she needed to get back to work. “I’ll give you a call to let you know what time on Friday.”

“Okay,” she agreed. “Thanks for lunch.”

As she started around the counter, he caught her hand. She looked up at him, questioning, and he bent his head to touch his lips to hers. It was a quick and easy kiss that was over before she could think to protest about the inappropriateness of him kissing her at work.

“It was my pleasure,” he said, and walked away with a smile on his face.

Chapter Seven

He called her on Wednesday, ostensibly to discuss the movie schedule for Friday night. They talked for more than an hour.

They went to the local theater on Friday to see a romantic comedy that Erin had expressed an interest in. Corey grumbled about “chick flicks” throughout the drive back to her condo, but she’d heard him laugh out loud at different parts of the film so she knew he was only teasing.

Because she’d missed work on Monday, she agreed to cover Carrie’s shift Saturday morning. She planned to spend the afternoon catching up on the chores she’d neglected during the week—most notably her grocery shopping and housecleaning. But Corey’s truck was in her driveway when she got home from the Super Saver Mart, and when he asked her to go horseback riding again, it sounded a lot more fun than scrubbing her shower.

Afterward, they picked up a pizza and a bottle of wine and took them back to Erin’s. As she sat beside him on the couch, watching the flames flicker in the fireplace, she found it hard to believe that she’d only met him a week earlier. So much time seemed to have passed since then.

Sunday morning she awoke to find the snow blowing outside of her windows and decided that the near-blizzard conditions were reason not to venture out of the house. But Corey had no similar qualms because he came over shortly after lunch with some movies he’d rented, and they spent the rest of the afternoon snuggled together on her couch, munching popcorn and watching the original Star Wars trilogy. Because, despite her admitted lack of appreciation for the sci-fi genre, he somehow managed to convince her that the George Lucas masterpieces couldn’t be so simply classified, and she soon found herself deeply engrossed in the movies.

As the final credits of The Empire Strikes Back scrolled on the screen, Erin’s stomach began to grumble. Glancing at the glowing numbers on the DVD player, she was surprised to realize how quickly the afternoon had gone and it seemed natural to invite Corey to stay for dinner. Though she hadn’t consciously thought about it while she’d been grocery shopping the day before, she’d picked up all the necessary ingredients for her mom’s famous enchiladas and Corey seemed pleased by her invitation and happy to eat with her.

After dinner, they tidied up the kitchen together, but when Corey suggested that he should head out, Erin was the one to protest. She wanted to know if Leia succeeded in rescuing Han, to which Corey reminded her that the movie was about a lot more than a romantic subplot. But, of course, he put the third movie on.

It was late by the time he finally said good-night, and several inches of snow had fallen. Erin cringed at the sight of the white stuff covering her car and her driveway, but she decided to ignore it until the morning. Corey wouldn’t hear of it though and, after locating a shovel in the garage, insisted on clearing her steps and driveway. Although she appreciated not having to do it herself, she wasn’t sure how she felt about his insistence on taking charge.

Not that she was really surprised—she’d instinctively known that he was the type of man who liked to be in control of any situation—but she didn’t want him to think that she couldn’t take care of herself. She prided herself on her self-sufficiency and independence. She didn’t really want to battle with him over clearing snow, but she wanted him to know that she was capable. However, as she watched Corey clear her driveway, effortlessly tossing shovels full of snow aside, she had to admit that there were worse things than having a strong, handsome man around to perform such chores.

When he finished shoveling, she invited him to come back inside for a cup of hot chocolate to warm him up. He declined the drink but did come back inside to kiss her goodbye, and she couldn’t deny that the heat they generated between them was—

She jolted as his ice cold hands slipped under her sweater and splayed against the bare skin of her back. Corey laughed and reached for her again, but she stepped away.

The wicked light in his eyes made her heart pound with anticipation; the sexy curve of his lips made her knees weak. She dodged around to the other side of the table, he feinted to the right and caught her when she turned in the opposite direction.

They were both laughing when her cell phone chimed.

Corey frowned. “Who would be calling at this hour?”

“It’s a text,” she said, reaching for the phone to check the message. “From Grant.”

His hands dropped away and he reached for the jacket he’d hung over the back of a chair.

“Carrie called in sick for tomorrow, so he just wanted to give Trina and me the heads-up that we’ll be on our own,” she explained.

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