A man of honor always protects the woman he loves

“I’m suggesting you protect me by giving my child a father and a name. In return, as your wife, I will be unable legally to say anything that might implicate you. I think this is a fair trade.”

Maybe it was. It just wasn’t the way he wanted her. And Cord didn’t know if he could settle for less. She reached out to touch his forearm, and something like lightning sizzled across his conscience.

Maybe Tessa was thinking straighter than he was. Maybe her idea was a good one. His pride stood in the way of his seeing clearly, because he so badly wished Tessa would see him as a real husband, a lover, a friend.

But at least you’d have her, an eager voice prompted. Under your roof for good is a step closer…to having her forever.

Dear Harlequin Intrigue Reader,

Sunscreen, a poolside lounge—and Harlequin Intrigue: the perfect recipe for great summer escapes!

This month’s sizzling selection begins with The Stranger Next Door (#573) by Joanna Wayne, the second in her RANDOLPH FAMILY TIES miniseries. Langley Randolph is the kind of Texan who can’t resist a woman in trouble. Can he help unlock a beautiful stranger’s memories…before a killer catches up with her first?

Little Penny Drake is an Innocent Witness (#574) to a murder in this suspenseful yet tender story by Leona Karr. The child’s desperate mother, Deanna, seeks the help of Dr. Steve Sherman. Can Steve unlock her daughter’s secrets…and Deanna’s heart?

Dr. Jonas Shades needs a woman to play his wife. Cathlynn O’Connell is the perfect candidate, but with time running out, he has no choice but to blackmail his bride. Each minute in Jonas’s presence brings Cathlynn closer to understanding her enigmatic “husband” and closer to danger! Don’t miss Blackmailed Bride (#575) by Sylvie Kurtz.

Bestselling Harlequin American Romance author Tina Leonard joins Harlequin Intrigue with a story of spine-tingling suspense and dramatic romance. She’s created the small town of Crookseye Canyon, Texas, as the backdrop for A Man of Honor (#576). Cord Greer must marry his brother’s woman to keep her and her unborn baby safe. But is it fear that drives Tessa Draper into Cord’s arms, or is it something more than Cord had hoped for?

Indulge yourself and find out this summer—and all year long!

Sincerely,

Denise O’Sullivan

Associate Senior Editor

Harlequin Intrigue

A Man of Honor

Tina Leonard

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

As a child, Tina Leonard cut her teeth on Alfred Hitchcock black-and-white TV shows, enjoying late-night summer episodes with her stepmother, Judy. To this day, Tina has an affinity for the old, scary movies—the hokier, the better! Tina in person is a self-avowed chicken, however. The only brave thing she has ever done is scare a large rat away from an open car door! She eschews the blood-and-guts movies and books, preferring instead more psychological bogeys, and believes fervently that the most compelling part of any good romantic mystery is the timeless and magical love between a man and a woman.

Books by Tina Leonard

HARLEQUIN INTRIGUE

576—A MAN OF HONOR

HARLEQUIN AMERICAN ROMANCE

748—COWBOY COOTCHIE-COO

758—DADDY’S LITTLE DARLINGS

771—THE MOST ELIGIBLE…DADDY

796—A MATCH MADE IN TEXAS

811—COWBOY BE MINE

829—SURPRISE! SURPRISE!

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Tessa Draper—The father of her baby is gone. Are her growing feelings for his brother real or caused by the danger that surrounds them?

Cord Greer —Protecting Tessa is second nature, as is hiding the love that burns in his heart.

Hunt Greer—Two strangers claim he’s dead. So why are they still looking for him?

Nan Ashley—Cord’s neighbor treats him like a son. Now she wants Tessa for a daughter.

Hester Draper—Tessa’s mother has nothing good to say about anyone. Will becoming a grandmother melt her cold heart?

Sheriff Grimes —A cop on a mission or a crook looking for an easy arrest?

Colonel John West—Hunt’s mentor was a second father to him.

Salvador and Rossi—Their code demands a life for a life.

Eleanor—Tessa’s new puppy is darling, but no watchdog.

Many thanks to my father, Tom Sites, for his military advice and plotting assistance.

Also my mother, Sylvia Kalberer, who liked this story from the get-go.

Lisa and Dean, I love you. Thanks for always being supportive of “Mumsie.”

To Denise O’Sullivan, thanks for believing in this book from the start, and Natashya Wilson, more thanks than I can possibly give you for helping me make it what I wanted it to be.

Contents

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Epilogue

Prologue

For each man must look into his own soul

—John F. Kennedy, Profiles in Courage

The north Texas night was colder than most, stinging Cord Greer’s face as he went out into the February storm to get firewood. Sleet-driven wind slashed across his cheeks, but he merely lowered his black Stetson a little more and tried to ignore the chilling sensation that had been bugging him for the past two hours.

Something was wrong. He could feel it as surely as the ice storm gripping Crookseye Canyon. What really had his skin creeping was that he’d only had this feeling once before, when his brother, Hunt, had been in a car crash. It was as if Cord had felt the impact himself that night. Hunt walked away from the crash, but Cord could still remember the peculiar sensation that he’d been right there in the car with his brother.

Tonight he’d felt another kind of impact. This one closed over him with dark fingers of dread as his soul experienced a rending, a tearing of one half from the other.

He shook it off, telling himself the storm—and too much time alone on his ranch—was making him imagine things. Being half Navajo didn’t necessarily make him a mind reader, as some people seemed to think. But he did feel deeply, a trait he’d had all his life.

Taking an armload of firewood inside, he tried to force his mind off Hunt’s latest secret assignment.

Ten minutes later, the knock at his front door came as no surprise. Though he’d been dozing in the recliner in front of a crackling fire, his mind had been waiting. He got up reluctantly, bracing himself for what he knew he would hear.

Opening the door, he stared at the two men standing in the bitter black night. Framed by the yellow light from the porch lantern, they looked serious and official.

“Mr. Greer?”

Official-looking identification flashed at him, which Cord ignored. He kept his gaze fastened on the men instead, nodding once.

“We regret to inform you that your brother was killed tonight while on a sensitive assignment. Though we can’t divulge more than that at the present time, you may rest assured that your brother, Hunt Greer, died an honorable death.”

He let a moment pass. “You’re positive it was my brother?”

“Yes,” the tall man assured him.

The fools. Whom did they think they were kidding? Hunt wasn’t dead. Cord had felt something strange, an odd passing through his soul, but not the disconnection he would feel if Hunt was dead. He waited, his jaw tight.

His silence appeared to unnerve the smaller officer. “We would like to inform the fiancée.” He checked his paper. “She should be notified. Regretfully, we don’t have her location.”

You never will, Cord vowed. He wouldn’t allow these two lame excuses to go to Tessa’s door and frighten her out of her wits with their lack of emotion. Regret to inform you. She was carrying Hunt’s child, and the shock these unfeeling clods would give her could cause harm.

“I’m sorry,” he said with a shrug. “I’m not aware of her location myself.” He told the lie easily to spare her the pain.

The men shifted. “You don’t know where your brother’s fiancée is?” the taller man asked, his voice edged with surprised disbelief—and obvious disappointment.

Cord noted the foreign accent, possibly Mexican, Spanish more likely. “No, I don’t,” he said softly, his voice clear and hard as the ice forming on the streets. “My brother and I weren’t close.”

He shut the door. Oh, he’d known where Tessa was almost every time she rendezvoused with Hunt after he completed his assignments. Cord had pleaded with Hunt not to take his fiancée to places that teemed with unrest, pointing out that he risked her life as well as his. Should some subversive foreign faction ever figure out Hunt was breaking their codes and moving equipment and people in and out of high-risk positions, he would be at risk. Tessa might even divert his attention, getting both of them killed.

Nonsense, Hunt had laughed. Tessa and Hunt, two people who lived life to the fullest while Cord stayed on his ranch, watching after his cattle and tending a few crops. Hunt was an adventurer, and Tessa had caught his fever. “Having her with me sharpens my focus,” he’d told Cord. “I’m knife aware when she’s there. She makes every moment that much more defined.”

Cord had turned away, but not in disgust at his brother’s selfishness. He’d completely understood. Tessa was the kind of woman any man would want to protect, to give all his heart and soul.

She’d stolen Hunt’s heart the first time he met her—and then she’d stolen Cord’s.

Chapter One

“Who is it?” Tessa called as she rubbed sleep from her eyes. Running a fast hand over her hair, she cautiously waited at the door. Who could be knocking this late at night?

“It’s Cord, Tessa.”

Her heart plummeted with dread the moment she heard his deep voice. There was only one reason Cord would show up on her doorstep without calling, only one mission that would bring him to her house despite the hour.

Hunt. She’d been fearing the worst, and clearly, the news Cord had about his brother was too serious for a phone call. Swallowing tightly, she opened the door to stare at him.

His darkly handsome face was drawn and worried. “May I come in?”

“Of course.” She stepped back, drawing her robe tightly around her with fingers that clenched the soft velour lapels for nervous support.

Closing the door behind him, he said, “Tessa—”

“Cord. Please. Just tell me. Don’t try to spare me.” She was speaking too fast, but Tessa couldn’t stand the tension knotting her insides.

“Two men came to my house tonight. They claimed they had news about Hunt, but…” He squinted at her as he considered his next words. “I had the strangest hunch they were really looking for you.”

“Looking for me?” She sank into an overstuffed chair covered with a bright tropical fabric and motioned Cord to sit in the wicker chair across from her.

“Their story was that they had come to tell me Hunt was dead.”

“Oh, no!” Even though she expected the worst, hearing it shattered her. Tears instantly burned her eyes.

“Wait.” He held up a hand. “Tessa, I can’t quite put my finger on it, but there was something off about their story.”

“What do you mean?” She could barely push her voice through her stiff lips. Her entire body seemed frozen, unable to move.

He got up, moving pantherlike to look out every window in the den of the small, three-bedroom house. What he thought he might see in the darkness, Tessa didn’t know.

“They had ID. They had the right uniform. They almost said the right words. Almost.”

“Almost?”

“Almost, if I wasn’t already inclined to be cautious because of Hunt’s work. Almost, if they hadn’t followed up their song-and-dance routine by asking me where to find you.”

She shook her head, puzzled, trying to follow Cord’s words and yet unable to think through the blinding haze of sadness.

“They said they wanted to inform you that Hunt had died an honorable death while on a sensitive assignment. You know, the usual clichés.”

Pain flowed through her every nerve ending at hearing the blunt words. “But if you don’t believe them—if you think they were really looking for me…” Panic rose inside her. “Are you suggesting someone wants to use me to flush Hunt out?”

“I don’t know. And I don’t want to get ahead of myself before I get some answers out of the military.”

He waved a hand dismissively but not with much emphasis, and Tessa realized he was exhausted. Her gaze sought the clock; it was nearly midnight. Cord would have gotten up at about four in the morning to check on his cattle. “You’re tired,” she murmured.

Cord sent her a sharp, assessing glance. “I’m not tired.”

She knew better. “Did you just find out?”

He shook his head.

“Why did you wait so late to come tell me?” He studied her, every inch of her, and Tessa’s eyes widened under his scrutiny. “Tell me. I have to know everything.”

“I told them I didn’t know where you were.” He hesitated, watching her. “I didn’t want them to follow me here.”

“Oh.” Tessa felt something inside her begin to unravel. Her strength, perhaps. After all the months of worry about Hunt, Cord was trying to tell her as gently as possible that not only were they not going to find out that Hunt was alive, but also that the worries were about to intensify. Unconsciously, she ran a soothing hand over her rounded stomach. Somehow, somehow I will take care of this child. I will not be afraid.

When Cord’s weight suddenly filled the space beside her, Tessa felt her eyes begin to overflow. He put his arms around her in the most unobtrusive, supportive way—and she allowed her head to sink against his broad chest. “I have to hear everything you’re thinking.”

“Not tonight you don’t. I can worry for both of us tonight, and in the morning, when the shock wears off some, I’ll fill in the rest of my hunch. Possibly I’ll have more concrete information then.”

“All right.” She had no strength left to insist. All her strength was needed to nurture the child growing inside her.

“I want you to come stay at the ranch tonight.”

She jerked away from the warm shelter of his arms. “Why?”

“I’d just feel better if you did.”

She sensed something deeper, something hidden in his request. “There’s no need to worry about me. I’m fine here.” The watchful depth in his granite eyes struck her. “You’re not telling me you think I’m still in danger, are you?”

The near hysterical question hung between them.

“You told them you didn’t know where I am! How would they find me?”

Cord stood, picked up his hat, settled it on his head. He gave her one long stare that shook her with its protective purpose. “I’ll understand if you don’t want to stay in my house, but I think you should go to your mother’s, at least. My gut tells me you shouldn’t be alone.”

What exactly was his concern—her safety or her sanity? “My mother’s house is not an option,” she snapped, angered because he knew as well as anyone that her mother was disgusted by her free-wheeling relationship with Hunt Greer. He’s never going to marry you. You’re making a fool of yourself, running all over the world after him. You just wait, Tessa Draper. You’re going to find yourself right back here in Crookseye alone and that spy boyfriend of yours will never remember your name.

The memory of her mother’s harsh words made Tessa shiver despite the velour robe she wore. Since July, when Hunt had disappeared, she’d worked in Dallas at a friend’s shop. That employment ended when her friend had to close her business. Now more than seven months pregnant, Tessa had decided to come back to the tiny house she owned, to spend the remaining days of her pregnancy in quiet solitude.

She had no place else to go. It was doubtful anyone would hire her at this late stage in her pregnancy. It would be peaceful, at least, in her little house in Crookseye Canyon.

So she’d thought.

Periodically, Cord had called to check on her unobtrusively. She knew he hoped his brother would return to her safely. This apparently was not to be the case, and now the months of waiting had come to a disturbing resolution.

“If you get your things, I’ll carry them to the truck. The snow’s getting deeper, so wear boots and warm clothes.”

Tessa tensed as Cord’s gaze flicked to her melon-size stomach, not quite hidden beneath her robe, the months of her pregnancy no longer quite as camouflaged by her height. She knew he was right. The Greer ranch was a large spread, the house much nicer than her cottage. There would be more warmth there than in her poorly insulated cottage. There would also be security, and that was Cord’s intent. To conceal that, he was trying to keep her focused on mundane tasks, on everyday, normal, routine life like packing warm clothes. Cord couldn’t know that even the snow was a painful reminder. There had been no snow in Spain when she’d last seen Hunt. It had been pleasantly warm, a flirtatious day of laughter and happiness in a seaside café and…

Tessa bowed her head for an instant. Cord was worried for her safety, and because of his brother, he was determined to protect her.

The secret she held inside made her feel that she was taking advantage of Cord’s protective caring. On that last day in Spain, she had been in wonder at her pregnancy—and abjectly torn because she knew she didn’t want to marry Hunt.

She loved him, but the minute she’d learned about the baby, her whole outlook on life had changed. She’d grown up, matured with shattering clarity. She wanted for her child what she had never had. Security. Love. A childhood free of worry. She had decided to tell Hunt she was returning home. For good.

“What makes you think they wouldn’t look for me at your house?” she asked softly, forcing herself to focus on the present.

He shrugged. “First off, I’m just going with my instincts tonight, Tessa. I don’t know that they weren’t telling the truth. I just didn’t feel that they were.” He rubbed a palm over his chin in a scrubbing motion. “All I do know is that if some stooges are looking for you, they can find you here and they can find you at my place. But they’ll also find me—and my father’s prized collection of rifles, any one of which has a sight on it that can target a deer’s tiniest hair at hundreds of paces.”

Great. She’d never even held a gun, much less needed anyone to protect her with one. Tessa reluctantly rose to her feet. Hunt had said many times that if anything happened to him, Cord would look after her. She had taken his statement to indicate his strong feelings about their relationship. Despite Hunt’s top-secret job, she had always felt secure with him on many levels.

Faster than a lightning strike, he’d disappeared, leaving her alone in Spain. With worry, with doubt, with fear.

Tonight, his brother wanted to protect her.

For the sake of her child, she had no other choice.

“I AM FREEZING MY ASS OFF,” the short man complained. “Do we have to squat in this tree house all night?”

“Until the cowboy comes back.” The tall, quiet man lowered night-vision goggles. “No one goes out at midnight without a reason.”

“He could be looking at his cows. Stinking cows. I hate stupid cows, and I hate this cold!”

“You hate everything.” Vehicle headlights in the distance caught his attention, and he lifted the goggles back up to his face. “Mira.”

Rossi, his short companion, hunkered down beside him, squinting intently into the darkness at the ranch house. “Señor Vaquero is back?”

“Sí.” The word was rich with satisfaction. “And Sñnor Cowboy has the missing lady with him.” Lowering the glasses, Salvador chuckled, pleased with this new move. “Fácil. What an easy game this is going to be.”

THE BITTER FEBRUARY COLD melted away as soon as they walked inside Cord’s sturdy, five-bedroom house. There were plenty of rooms for the two of them to spread out and feel comfortable in separately, he told himself. Having Tessa under his roof would give him peace of mind on one level; on another more primal level, he would burn in a physical hell. The torment was necessary if he wanted to assure himself of her safety. For Hunt, Cord would face his own demons. And for Tessa and the unborn niece or nephew she carried inside her. Duty called a man in different forms. He would answer this call although the cost would be painful.

She stood in the center of the living room, watching him set down the hastily packed overnight bag he didn’t want her carrying. Her face was strained, her blue eyes so big in her pale face that Cord instantly wanted to hold her. Wanted to comfort her. The words, “You are the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on,” sat on his tongue like a rock, never to be spoken.

The burning began.

“Let me show you to your room.” Gruffly, he motioned her to follow him down the hall.

His room, Hunt’s room—not the right place to put her in case Hunt never returned—two smaller rooms and then a final room that could be used for housing help on the ranch since it had a separate bathroom all its own. The walls were sunshine-yellow, painted many years ago by his mother. There was an old four-poster and a nightstand of oak. A brass lamp sat unlit on the nightstand.

“I guess it’s not much,” he said reluctantly. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine,” she replied too quickly. “It’s…if you can show me where the sheets are, I’ll make the bed. I’m tired and I know you could use some sleep.”

He doubted he could sleep. Not with Hunt missing or dead, not with Tessa in his house. Silently, he reached into the hall linen closet and pulled out some white sheets that he handed to her. “Towels are in here, grub’s in the kitchen. I hope you’ll make yourself as at home as possible, Tessa. I’m not a very good host and wouldn’t know when you might be hungry.”

“I can find the kitchen,” she assured him. “Right now, I just want to change and go to bed.”

“Good night, then.” He backed away from her. She waited for him to disappear down the hall, so he did, feeling slightly as if he’d escaped a desperately awkward moment. Sighing, he went to stoke up a fire in the fireplace. Outside, the wind howled like a coyote looking for its mate. The eerie sound sent prickles along his arms. He stoked the fire harder, sending flames shooting up the chimney. He heard Tessa close her door. With a deep sigh, he put the poker down and threw himself into the leather recliner in front of the fireplace where he’d been dozing before the strangers came to inform him of the death of his brother, which they so greatly regretted telling him.

Just before they’d asked about Tessa.

Do military personnel stand on the porch to tell you you’ve lost your brother—or do they ask to come inside to deliver the bad news? Do fiancées make it on the regret-to-inform-you list? Maybe Hunt had listed Tessa on some paperwork as a next of kin, but Cord had a feeling that wasn’t likely. His brother hadn’t been one to settle down or to think long term, particularly about women—not even Tessa. It had been a relationship of fun and easy attachment, though Hunt certainly cared deeply for Tessa, more than any other woman he’d ever known. But not enough to make it to the finish line of marriage. It just wasn’t Hunt’s way.

The whole incident seemed surreal, out of place. It rankled in his mind like a cocklebur, raising question after question. Tomorrow he would call the base to find out where he could get some honest answers.

He focused his gaze on the hot, crackling fire. As the wind shrieked outside, he waited.

For morning.

Chapter Two

Tessa awoke without remembering falling asleep. She had lain in the darkness, thinking. Remembering Hunt. Remembering how much fun they’d been having that afternoon in Madrid. She had been about to tell him about the baby. He wouldn’t be happy; she knew that. There was no room in Hunt’s life for a permanent hearth. His job was his life, and she was an extraneous part of it. He loved her in his own way, and she’d been satisfied with that.

Until the baby.

She could just hear the venom her mother would spew when she learned that her daughter was unmarried and pregnant. Folks in Crookseye who had known her since she was a baby would pity her. Classmates who’d gone to school with her and the Greer boys would gossip.

Hunt would have offered to marry her if she’d had a chance to tell him. She’d worn a cheery cotton dress and sandals that last afternoon. A sea-green ribbon tied around her blond ponytail kept the slight breeze from blowing her hair into eyes that must have sparkled with expectation for the wonder inside her body—and her eyes would have held sadness for the breakup she knew was inevitable. Her body hadn’t revealed any of its secrets—the pregnancy was too new.

Closing her eyes, Tessa had sighed inwardly. Although she remembered the confused panic that had swept through her when she realized she’d been left high and dry, there always followed a tidal wave of relief that she hadn’t uttered the four, life-altering words: We’re having a baby. It was painfully obvious now that the complications could have been disastrous.

Stranded in Spain, she’d had no choice but to call Cord. By phone, he’d immediately purchased her a ticket for home and told her to get on the plane. There had been firm instruction in his tone, but there had also been concern over Hunt. Cord plainly did not believe that Hunt would have abandoned her. It was possible that no one was after her now, but Cord tended to be very overprotective.

She liked that, more than she would have thought. In fact, she tried not to think about Cord and his gentle strength. He reminded her of a shepherd keeping constant vigil over a flock. Hunt was the breeze blowing to the far corners of the earth. No one and nothing could hold him. In contrast, Cord was unshakable, unfailingly steadfast, an invincible fortress that would always be there.

Of course she’d been attracted to Hunt. She didn’t want to live and die never having strayed from the spot where she’d been born, the place where people looked down on the Drapers. Perhaps there was also an aura of excitement, of danger, with Hunt that had lured her. Passion in places where he spoke the language of the locals in different countries.

The baby kicked restlessly inside her.

She got to her feet and dressed. Making the bed, she told herself it did no good to let the ghosts of the past shape her destiny forever. To raise a child, she had to find a real job. There was very little she would be able to do in Crookseye Canyon, but she could talk to Mrs. Ashley, who lived next door to Cord. Mrs. Ashley was the nosiest of neighbors, but she had the brightest of hearts. She owned a beauty shop in town and perhaps she needed help. That would put Tessa front and center into where the gossip was hottest, but there was no way to run from what her life was going to be. She preferred to face it head-on and gainfully employed.

Opening her bedroom door, she noted the silence in the cool, dark hallway. Maybe Cord had already left to feed his livestock. She crept down the hall to go into the kitchen, only to pause as she glanced into the den.

Cord was sleeping in the recliner, in front of a fire that was now mostly smoldering ash. A long rifle lay across his lap. Tessa’s heart rate suddenly accelerated. She forced back the scream of anger and frustration and fear. A man was protecting her with a loaded rifle, and she was pregnant by a man who was missing.

“Good morning.”

Cord’s eyes had suddenly opened to assess her from head to toe, while she was still trying to gather her wits so she wouldn’t succumb to the black-edged hysteria. “Is it?” she asked numbly.

“The wind has died down,” he said, rising from the chair. He settled the rifle on a buckhorn rack and stretched his long, tall body. “That’s something to be grateful for.”

Something inside her snapped. “I don’t care about the wind! I care about you sleeping in a recliner. You were really afraid someone might break into the house, weren’t you? You didn’t want them getting down the hall where I was! You slept right here!” She flung out a hand to indicate the chair in front of the fireplace. “Cord, I…I’m scared.” The tears she hadn’t let herself cry before pricked at her eyelids. “You shouldn’t have to change your life because of me. This is not your problem. If I leave here, you can—”

“Tessa. Stop,” he commanded.

She did, halting her disjointed rambling.

“My brother is missing,” he said quietly. “That changed my life. It doesn’t matter how or why right now. It matters that it’s a fact. I don’t know whether anyone is after you or not. I’m just overly suspicious because I have a brother in a dangerous job. But he would want me to look after your well-being. And his child’s.” He took a deep breath. “I think we’re better off trying to pull through this situation together. Have you ever thought about that? I need you as much as you need me. You and that baby are all of Hunt I have if those goons were for real and he’s dead.”

She’d never thought of it that way. “I’m sorry.” Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to calm down. “I didn’t mean to be selfish. I think the gun…startled me.”

He nodded. Silently, he took the rifle off the rack on the stone wall, unloaded it, put the shells in a box and locked everything in the gun cabinet. “There.”

She smiled hesitantly. “You’d think I’d be used to them, growing up in Crookseye Canyon.”

Shrugging, he said, “It doesn’t matter. It upset you, so I’ve put it away for now.”

For now.

She looked away.

“We don’t know what’s going to happen, Tessa. Let me make some calls. Hopefully, someone can give me the full story.” He stared at her, and Tessa was struck by the kindness in his eyes. There was compassion and deep concern. “In the meantime, do you mind sticking fairly close to the ranch today? Until I do enough checking to satisfy myself that those jokers last night weren’t genuine?”

“But if they were, then that means Hunt is d—”

“Don’t think about it.” His voice cut harshly across her words. “Knowing would be better than not knowing, but let’s not say it until we get confirmation.”

“Okay,” she said softly.

They held each other’s eyes for a moment.

“Would you mind making some toast while I put in some phone calls?”

She shook her head quickly, grateful for the chance to feel she was reciprocating his care of her. “I can burn toast with the best of them.”

“Great. I like charred bread. I’ll be in my office.”

He went into a room off the den, and Tessa looked at the back of him as he exited. Strong, capable. Both the Greer men had a lot of admirable qualities.

Hunt hadn’t loved her, though.

Intuition had told her a long time ago that Cord felt more toward her than brotherly. It was in his standoffish posture, in his discomfort when he was in the same room alone with her if Hunt went to do something while all three of them were in the house. It was the way she caught him watching her every once in a while, his eyes on her as if he was gazing at a fascinating, desirable treasure. His gaze would slip away guiltily if hers ever met it. She pretended not to notice. It was easier for everyone that way.

But it made the situation all the worse now. She wanted Hunt to be alive for the sake of their child. Deep inside, she knew Cord would consider it his obligation to raise Hunt’s child in the place of its missing father.

Tessa didn’t want that to be the case. She didn’t want to be an obligation. She didn’t want the people of Crookseye to laugh at her and her child because there was no father, and she didn’t want to succumb to the caring in Cord’s eyes. The truth was, letting him into her life would be taking advantage of him.

No matter how desperate her circumstances became, she would not allow herself to cross that line. There were all kinds of different honor codes: Hunt’s was for his country; Cord’s was for his family and homestead.

Tessa’s was for her child. This baby wasn’t going to be raised in the shame that had been her constant childhood companion. She would be proud of her child. She would be a loving mother. She would give this child the emotional security she had never known. She might have to raise her baby alone, but she would give it every last soul-nurturing ounce of what she had wanted all her life.

Love.

THUMP! NAN ASHLEY HIT Cord’s office window with a flying newspaper, dead on, the way she did every morning at this time to announce herself, but still he nearly shot out of his boots. His ears, straining for the slightest suspicious sound, screamed danger! with the heavy thud of noise against the pane. He cursed under his breath. Not at Nan, who tried so hard to unobtrusively care for him, but at the situation that had him so edgy.

He got up to open the half glass-paned, half wood door, letting in a burst of frigid air. “Howdy, neighbor.”

She stamped her snow boots on the raffia doormat outside his office. “Scared ya, didn’t I?” Her round, wrinkled face was rosy with delighted mischief.

“Yes, ma’am. This time. One day, I’m going to scare you. You’ll be surprised when a newspaper gets fired right back at you.”

“Ha.” She shrugged off his facetious retort and handed him the plastic-wrapped newspaper she always brought him although he rarely had time to read it. It was her excuse, her way of checking up on him. She glanced at him from head to toe. “Didn’t see your truck leave this a.m.”

“I…” He glanced guiltily at the doorway. “I overslept.”

“Hmm. Not like you. You ailing?”

“No, ma’am. Not in the least.”

“You ought to be eating a good breakfast every morning, Cord. At least a milk shake.” She sniffed the air warily. “What’s that smell?”

“Ah…”

Tessa walked in, not noticing Nan standing behind him, and extended the plate. “Cord, here’s your burned toast.”

Nan peered around his shoulder at Tessa—and then her offering. “Damn right,” she said laconically. “Didn’t your mother ever teach you to toast bread, child?”

“Hello, Mrs. Ashley.” Startled, Tessa glanced at Cord, who shrugged. “I don’t suppose I’ve got much talent in the kitchen.”

“I’d say. On the other hand, it takes a special kind of woman to burn bread.” Nan’s gaze went from the plate to Tessa, to Cord and back to Tessa.

“Special?” Tessa repeated.

“Yep. Your attention was specially focused on something else.” She eyed Cord shrewdly. “Heard from Hunt?”

He didn’t dare glance at Tessa. “Hoping to soon.”

“Well.” Her alert gaze moved over each uncomfortable captive again. “Let me know if you do. I’m going to be working half days at the beauty salon starting today, so I can whip up a meal or two should you be needing it.” Her tone held nothing but kindness, no intended slight to Tessa.

“I’m sure we’d enjoy that. Why are you slowing down your work schedule?” He wanted her to focus on anything except Tessa, and right now, Nan’s gaze wasn’t missing a thing.

“My knees are bothering me, Cord. And I’ve got more money than I know what to do with anyway. I keep the shop just so the gals’ll have a place to work and the customers’ll have a place to gab.”

“I could pick up your extra half day,” Tessa said eagerly, shocking the hell out of Cord.

“No!” he automatically vetoed, his tone stern.

Both women stared at him as if he’d taken leave of his senses.

“I mean,” he began again, intensely aware that he was between two women and had sounded way too male, “I mean…perhaps that isn’t the best idea, Tessa.”

She blushed, clearly misunderstanding his concern to be about the baby. “Cord, it’ll be fine.”

Nan’s brows rose over cherry-dark eyes not quite hidden enough beneath wrinkled eyelids as she awaited his response with great interest.

He cleared his throat. “I’d rather you didn’t work right now, Tessa.”

The elderly woman’s eyes fairly bugged with mischievous glee. She slapped Cord on the shoulder with a hefty whack that made his arm burn almost as hot as the skin on the back of his neck. “Why, you old son of a gun! Aren’t you taking your brotherly duties a bit too seriously, Cord? Tessa’s her own woman, aren’t you, honey? And I’d love to have ya, but I need me a chauffeur more than anything. It would save my knees tremendously ’cause driving’s what’s really killing me. You can drive me to the salon and then back after we put in the morning hours. What do you say?”

“Yes,” she answered.

“No!” Cord insisted. “Tessa—”

Nan elbowed him and flashed a genuine, teasing smile. “It’s okay, big brother. I won’t let her do anything that might harm the baby. You can rest easy on that account. There’s no heavy lifting at a beauty parlor, Cord. Just a lot of gals having some fun and talking too much over curlers and coffee.”

Thunderstruck, Cord and Tessa stared at the gnome of a woman.

“How did you know?” Tessa’s hand instantly went to her stomach.

Nan peered at the mound not quite disguised by the faded jeans and baggy sweater. “You’re not exactly incognito, though I can tell you’ve tried hard to be. And Cord’s macho routine is a dead giveaway.”

“I’m not being macho!” He merely wanted to make certain there were no bad guys waiting to chase Tessa down. She seemed to have forgotten all about his nighttime visitors.

“Your mama know you’re staying here, honey?” Nan stared pointedly at both of them.

“Actually, I’m not really staying here—”

“Yes, you are,” Cord said firmly. “Until the situation is resolved.”

“It’ll take a couple of months just to resolve the situation, I reckon,” Nan put in. “Hester’s gonna have a fit if she finds out you’re here.”

At the mention of her mother’s name, he saw Tessa’s face take on unhappiness like a sinking ship takes on water. “Hester doesn’t have to know.”

“Nope. She won’t know from me.” She patted Cord’s shoulder conspiratorially. “You’ll make a fine uncle, Cord. You’ve always had that family instinct. It’s the Irish in you, I suppose. Herding the flock together. Keeping the clan secure.” She shuffled out the door, pulling a plastic rain bonnet from her coat pocket. “It’s misting, and that might make the roads a little slick if it gets any colder. It’ll sure as shooting make the ladies’ hair fall, so I’ll probably get a ton of cancellations this a.m. Come over in fifteen, Tessa. Cord, we’ll probably just start easy today with two hours, and if the roads get bad, I’ll get the little pre-bundle of joy right back here.”

She never even looked back for his confirmation. Together, Tessa and Cord watched the elderly woman make her way across the gravel driveway to the open field that lay between the two houses. Once she gained her own yard, Cord swung the door shut.

“Tessa—”

“Don’t ever tell me what to do.” Her large eyes were full of blue fire, her skin flushed along the cheekbones with anger. “Please, Cord. Mrs. Ashley is offering me an opportunity I don’t intend to pass up. I need a job. I know I said I’d stick close to the house, today at least, but I won’t be alone, and it’s just a short drive into town.”

He stared at her, suddenly starting to understand the hasty jump at employment. “Tessa, I’m just worried—”

“I know you are. And I appreciate that. But please try to understand that both of us are worrying right now.” She put her hands on her hips. “I don’t think you understand that I’m going to be raising a child alone. Even if Hunt isn’t d-dead—” she hesitated after forcing the word out “—he might not be able to help me with the baby. She’s offering me a chance I just can’t afford to pass up.”

“Tessa!” Cord couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Surely you don’t think I wouldn’t provide for my own blood.”

“I know you would.” Her voice was full of quiet determination. “You want to provide for me right now and I’m no blood relation of yours. But, Cord, I can’t go from one brother to the other just because there’s a child involved. I have to stand on my own two feet.”

He recoiled from the meaning in her words. “God, Tessa, I…”

They looked into each other’s eyes for a long moment. He nodded once, his heart tearing. Somewhere in his subconscious, maybe, just maybe, he had been relishing his role of stand-in man in Tessa’s life. Sure, he owed it to Hunt to take care of his girlfriend, but she was Hunt’s girlfriend. Not his. And she never would be. The tearing went further than his heart and deep into his soul.

“You’re right,” he said quietly. “I may be trying to hold you too tightly because of Hunt. I may be overly suspicious because I got spooked last night. But I won’t interfere in your personal life again, Tessa.” He swallowed, avoiding her gaze. “You are your own woman in my eyes.”

Before she could reply, he strode out the door, heading for the barn.

So she couldn’t see that there was more than brotherly concern in his eyes.

Chapter Three

Cord waited until he saw Tessa walk across the field to Nan Ashley’s house before emerging from the barn. He went into his study through the back door, watching out the window until Nan’s car pulled out of her driveway and pointed toward town.

Sighing, he picked up the phone and dialed some numbers. Tessa had unfortunately been right. He had been overbearing in his role as protector. He had basically forced her to come to his ranch for his own feelings of security. He had asked her to stay close to the ranch today to ease his own fears.

He bowed his head as the phone rang at the other end. Tessa had made it as clear as the glassy icicles hanging from the eaves that she wanted to fly solo, regardless of whether Hunt ever returned to her. She wanted to find her own way in the world.

He understood that desire. He simply wished her way in the world led to him.

No one answered at the military base. Frowning, he considered his two options: Call again later, or go looking for answers.

Putting on his Stetson and grabbing up his keys, Cord locked the door behind him. Tessa would be with Nan at the beauty parlor for a few hours; knowing she was safe gave him unworried license to leave the ranch.

“THIS IS GOING TO WORK OUT very well for both of us.”

Tessa smiled at the pleased note in Nan’s voice as she steered the vintage sedan into town. “I’m so glad you needed help.”

“I’d say you’re the one who needs help,” Nan pointed out wryly. “Cord looked like he swallowed a rock when you asked me for a job.”

He had looked dismayed. Tessa guiltily shoved the memory aside. “Cord’s got enough to do without watching out for me.”

“Could be he wants to.”

Tessa shook her head at the pert reply. “Cord considers it an obligation on his brother’s behalf.”

“Because of the baby?”

Tessa started to shake her head again but realized the baby likely had a lot to do with his vigilant watch over her last night. “Partly,” she admitted reluctantly, not willing to divulge that Cord had received unwelcome news last night from men he didn’t trust. That was a confidence she wouldn’t share with anyone until Cord could determine whether he had reason to mourn his brother or not.

“You know, Tessa, from where I’m sitting, it seems you’re in a bit of a pickle.”

Tessa sighed.

“When do you plan to tell your mother?”

“I’m not. Not right now.” Her answer was sharp.

“I suppose it’s too much to hope that a grandbaby in the picture might soften Hester up.”

Tessa pressed her lips tightly together and shrugged at the pain-inflicting words. Nan didn’t mean to pry at old, never-healed wounds. “Where I’m concerned, my mother is never going to believe there is any good in me. A grandchild out of wedlock will certainly clad her opinion in iron.”

“Oh, gal.” Nan settled her rain bonnet more firmly onto her hair. “How long are you staying at Cord’s?”

“I don’t know.” The question was startling. “I didn’t mean to stay there last night, but he insisted. He felt it was in my best interest.”

“Oh?” Nan jumped on that information.

Tessa struggled to think of a way out of her accidental admission. “I think he was worried about the ice storm the weathermen were predicting for today.”

“Pooh. TV weathermen are just props. Gives the viewers a break to see someone with a smile on his face. Not that those guys know beans about what they’re forecasting.” Nan waved that away. “Ice storm’s coming tonight. I’ve been keeping an eye on the Farmer’s Almanac, and there are several clues in the woods around my house and Cord’s that make me think it’s tonight, tomorrow night at the latest. And when it comes, it’s going to be a doozy!” She sneaked a glance at Tessa. “You’d best stay at the ranch a few more days.”

Tessa parked in front of Nan’s Beautiful Woman salon. Turning off the ignition, she faced her new employer. “There is nothing going on between Cord and me.”

“Oh, I believe you.” Nan nodded sagely in perfect understanding. “But would it hurt if you gave it a chance, honey?”

Tessa stared at Nan. “What do you mean?”

“Simply that love can grow in the rockiest soil if all the other conditions are right. Cord would make a fine husband and father. You’ll be a fine mother and could be a wife he’d be proud of. After all the years of searching, you could finally have a real family.” The elderly woman put a hand over Tessa’s briefly. Nan’s skin was warm, wrinkled and imparted caring, which felt like heaven to Tessa’s starved heart. “But you’ve got to allow yourself to be open to being loved, Tessa. If you push it away all your life by looking in the wrong places, you never will find it. You deserve to be loved, Tessa.”

She couldn’t look at Nan any longer. It was a benediction to hear that someone believed in her—and yet Tessa wondered if Nan’s faith was misplaced. “We’ll be late,” she said miserably, hoping to get the good-hearted woman off the subject of handsome Cord. She just couldn’t think of him too much. It would be wrong, wrong to fall into his arms when she was pregnant with his brother’s child.

“One of the perks of being companion to the boss lady is that you’re on my time,” Nan said cheerfully. “I get to work when I feel like it.” She opened the door, carefully setting her snow-booted feet onto the paved road. “I won’t bring it up again, Tessa,” she suddenly said with a backward glance. “I certainly don’t mean to make you uncomfortable. And I sure am going to like having a driver.” She gave Tessa an irrepressible grin.

Tessa doubted that Nan would be able to stay off the subject of Cord, but she knew the woman meant her no harm. Like the horse that was led to water but did not drink, Tessa did not have to fall in love with Cord.

It was as simple as that.

“SEÑOR COWBOY IS LEAVING.” Salvador put down his field glasses and looked at Rossi.

“He is guarding her.”

Salvador pulled a warm knit cap over his bald head. “She would have been upset last night when he went to her with the bad news about his brother.” He sent his companion a shrewd look. “It is all proceeding according to plan.”

“I hope so. I don’t want to freeze out here for days. Killing them both would be easier.”

“We won’t have to be cold much longer. If she is going to walk to the old woman’s house, she will be in the open and that is so easy, like—” Salvador snapped his fingers “—like that.”

“It’s daylight,” Rossi protested.

“What’s the difference? If he is out with his cows, he cannot hear her. The old woman would not be any trouble, either.”

“Could be yes, could be no.”

“Come on.” Salvador was impatient with Rossi’s lack of awe for his brilliant plan, which so far was working like a clock. Smooth, unhurried—and on time. They could snatch the girl and drag her out of the country quickly.

That would bring the enemy known as the Hunter out of hiding. Salvador smiled grimly to himself as he pulled on brown leather gloves. Or a brother for a brother would be a fair payment.

All he needed was the woman to bring the Hunter into the open again. The woman might not betray her lover willingly, but he could think of ways to make her do what he wanted.

CORD DIDN’T EVEN MAKE IT past the MP at the gate.

“I’m sorry, sir,” the regretful MP told him. “I can’t let you in without instructions.”

Cord ground his teeth. The kid was all of twenty-two, and this morning Cord was feeling every day of his thirty years. This young, crisply uniformed MP knew nothing about war while Cord had a war waging inside him. “Can’t you call someone? My brother’s old CO, Col. John West? I just want some answers. I only want to know if he’s dead or alive, for crying out loud. Is that too much to ask?”

“Try calling for an appointment, sir,” he said respectfully. But firmly.

Cord sighed, realizing he’d gotten as far as he was going to.

“I’m just doing my job, sir. I hope you find out what you need to know.”

The MP’s eyes held concern for an instant. Just doing my job. Well, Hunt had just been doing his job when he disappeared without a trace. And Cord was doing his job taking care of his brother’s pregnant girlfriend. He sighed through the pain in his heart, nodded at the MP, then circled his truck around to the exit. He couldn’t fault the MP for doing such a conscientious job. Hopefully, the military would be just as diligent in turning up his brother’s whereabouts.

All he could do was return home and place a few more phone calls. By then, he trusted he’d have figured out a way to convince Tessa that she was better off under his roof until Hunt was found.

THE TRUCK LEFT the base while the MP watched, his eyes no longer sympathetic but focused. He reached for the phone and dialed a number. When the call was answered, he recognized the voice. “Colonel?”

“John West speaking.”

“My orders are to call you if anyone should ask to see you. Civilian Cord Greer was just here. He is trying to locate his brother.”

He heard a sigh at the other end of the line. “Why?”

“Said he wanted to know if his brother is dead or alive, sir.”

“That will be all, Lieutenant. I’ll take care of this matter from here.”

THE LAST THING TESSA expected was to find herself in a salon chair under Nan’s ministering fingers.

“You need a day of pampering,” Nan told her firmly.

“I need a job,” Tessa protested as her employer gently pressed her head back into a sink.

With determination, Nan picked up the squirter and began rinsing Tessa’s hair. “Nothing like a new do to a lift a gal’s spirits.”

“My spirits are fine. It’s my purse that’s lighter than air. I really need a job, Nan.

“You’ve got a job. Relax.” Nan kneaded her scalp with soothing digs. “You’re too keyed up.” She leaned down to whisper in Tessa’s ear, “And stress isn’t good for the baby.”

Tessa gave up and closed her eyes. If she had to be a prisoner of Nan’s interference, at least it was in a beauty-salon chair.

I wonder if Cord likes my hair so long. Her eyes snapped open at the stray thought.

“All this blond hair is like sunshine in winter,” Nan told her. “Wasn’t that a poetic turn of phrase?”

Tessa closed her eyes again, unwilling to reward the woman’s romantic penchant.

“Relax,” Nan commanded her in a firm voice. She massaged the skin behind Tessa’s ears and above her neck.

Tessa could feel herself slowly succumbing. The languor was magical and enticing. What would it hurt to enjoy this for just a moment?

It would hurt. Because you like the idea of looking pretty for Cord—and that’s wrong.

“Men go crazy for long blond hair,” Nan stated blithely. “Yours has natural highlights. I bet Cord will just about drop his teeth when I get finished with you. You’re going to be sexy, gal!”

Tessa struggled not to jerk her head out of the basin and leap away from Nan’s mind reading. “It doesn’t do me much good to be sexy when the father of my child is…in another part of the world, does it?” She made her tone purposefully forbidding to force Nan onto the proper track. Away from Cord.

Nan hummed benignly as she scrubbed. Tessa wanted to snap at her to stop, to quit being so bent on seeing her fall for Cord, but she set her teeth and refused to encourage the woman any further. Any protest she offered would no doubt become ammunition for Nan’s cause.

“Now, then. You’re as clean as a fresh canvas. Let me help you,” Nan said, easing her up from the basin, “and get you over there, then I’ll get started. When I’m done with you, Tessa, no man will be able to resist you.”

Great, Tessa thought. Unfortunately, the only man who should resist her was the only one who would lay eyes on Nan’s handiwork.

“Look at these puppies!” a lady called as she came into the salon. “I wish you’d look at the puppies my Bertha is about done nursing!”

Several women peered into the basket. “Oh, they’re adorable,” someone said.

Tessa read a magazine and concentrated on Tom Cruise pushing a stroller with his wife beside him. The picture of domestic harmony made her a little envious. Would Hunt want to push their baby’s stroller? She found it difficult to imagine where Hunt was concerned.

Not so difficult to imagine it with Cord.

“Here, Tessa.” Nan’s voice in her ear suddenly alerted Tessa to the object being placed upon her gown-protected lap. “This is what you need to cheer you up!”

The black-and-white-spotted puppy went back to sleep in her lap as if it hadn’t been removed from its bed in the basket. “I can’t keep a dog,” Tessa said though she desperately wanted to pat the chubby animal. “Take it away, Nan.”

“Nonsense.” Nan ignored her. “A dog will give you some of that stability you’ve been searching for. You can start building a home with such stability.”

“With a man who isn’t mine and a dog that isn’t mine.” Tessa’s voice was wry as she relented and picked up the puppy. Its eyes were closed, but its plump body was warm and soft.

“They could be—if you take them. Sometimes we have to reach out in life to say yes to the things we want. Nobody’s going to shove security down your throat, Tessa. You have to accept that you want it before you can have it.”

The puppy sleepily opened its eyes, staring into Tessa’s gaze with absolute trust. With absolute patience.

“I wish you’d look at what a fine pup my Bertha had. You won’t find patience and calm in just any old dog. Bertha took such good care of her entire litter that they are all like that!” the owner boasted.

“I don’t think I’m up for housebreaking,” Tessa said, her tone uncertain as she tried to think of rational excuses to say no to this shaggy dog that appeared to have all the signs of becoming one big Border collie. “You’ll probably want to go out at night. I bet your owner is overly touting your serene disposition. Are you an every-hour-on-the-hour needy hound that’s going to keep me up all night?”

“Give you practice. We’ll take him,” Nan said, taking the woman by her elbow and leading her to the front of the beauty shop.

Tessa saw Nan give the woman some money. Unhappily, she looked back into the puppy’s troubled eyes. “You just cost me money I don’t have.”

The puppy yawned, its tongue pink and tiny.

“Oh, dear. You are cute.” Reluctantly, she gave herself up to the dog’s charm and held his warmth under her chin. Breathing deeply, she smelled the warm puppy fragrance. What if it was all that easy? What if the dreams of a secure future for her child were so near her grasp that all she had to do was reach out—then hold on to them the way she was holding on to this bundle of fur? She settled the puppy on her lap, and it curled itself up next to the roundness of her stomach. A baby and a puppy.

Parts of a family. But not the whole picture she had in her dreams.

SALVADOR PEERED INTO the bedroom window where the woman obviously slept. Her robe and gown were neatly laid on the bed in the sparsely furnished room.

“What if she does not stay here again?” Rossi asked.

Salvador shook his head, memorizing the location of the furniture in the room and the placement of the window. “She will. He will not let her go. He is suspicious, I think.”

Salvador enjoyed knowing he was getting to the man in the black cowboy hat. He was like one of the villains he’d seen in many American movies. The bad guys always wore black hats. Salvador was not the bad guy. The cowboy was, because his brother had gotten Salvador’s brother killed. It was a matter of honor to avenge his brother’s death.

“That could mean trouble if he is suspicious of us.”

“No,” Salvador said softly. “That’s good. It means he will keep her here where we can keep an eye on her just like he does.”

Chapter Four

Cord felt as if the rug had been jerked out from under him for the second time that day when he walked inside his house and saw Tessa.

She was beautiful. Like a model, only better, because she was real and standing in his den.

Location was a problem. He wanted to carry her to his bedroom and pull her jeans off so fast the zipper would split. Her sunshiny hair was pulled up into an elegant fall of curls that curtained her shoulders in gold. It was a stunning hairdo, but it made him think about removing whatever was holding her hair so he could run his fingers through it to his heart’s content. That was not a possibility.

The squirming black-and-white puppy in her arms was actually a surprising relief. It gave him something to focus on besides Tessa.

“Is that a stray?”

“No.” She looked down at the puppy, patting it with adoration. The puppy licked her chin, enthusiastically returning the affection.

“Nan decided I needed a dog. And a new do. She said a dog and a new do would…”

She hesitated and Cord waited. But he already knew what Nan was trying to do. In her kind way, she meant to comfort Tessa for the perceived lack of husband in her life, the lack of a father for her child. Nan didn’t know that Hunt might return if he could. If something hadn’t gone terribly wrong. Cord made himself smile, but it felt more like a grimace. “Make a new woman out of you. I know. She’s always trying to make a new man out of me.”

Her eyes watched him as she considered his words. “When did she take it upon herself to become your guardian?”

That jolted him. He’d never thought of his elderly neighbor in that way—he was the one who did the guarding. “Nan and Mom were friends. They swapped newspapers in the morning, shared a cup of coffee, talked about the things two ranch girls have in common. When Mom died, Nan continued the paper swap with me.”

“It must be hard to lose a friend,” Tessa said softly. “Perhaps she feels that to break the routine would be to say goodbye for good.”

“I can understand that.” He reached out a hand to cover the pup’s soft back, feeling the delighted wriggle of loose puppy skin. “She still has a key, so sometimes on Sunday nights I come home to a loaf of banana bread baking or a stew in the Crock-Pot. Always warms me up.” He suddenly met Tessa’s gaze over the puppy, and she hugged the dog closer to her protectively. “I got a lot of dead ends today,” he admitted.

“We knew it wouldn’t be easy to find out anything.” Her blue eyes widened with soft inquiry. “Would you please take me home?”

His heart dropped into his stomach. “I will if that’s what you want.”

“I think it’s for the best.” She swallowed, snuggling the dog to her chin. “I have my furry friend here for companionship. So…I’ll be fine.”

He knew that. Tessa would be fine no matter what. She was a survivor. “What did you name it?”

“Her name should be Spoiled Rotten. But I’ve decided to call her Eleanor.”

“Eleanor?” He choked back his startled laugh of surprise.

She peered at him narrowly. “Are you laughing at Eleanor and me?”

“Absolutely not. Wouldn’t dream of laughing at two such beautiful ladies.”

She glanced down at Eleanor. “Don’t say that,” she whispered.

“Why not?” He lifted her chin with two fingers and a thumb. “You are.”

“Cord—” she pulled away and stepped back a pace “—I know you’re sincere, and there’s nothing a woman would rather hear more than she’s beautiful. But I don’t want to complicate matters. The worst thing in the world that could happen to me at this point is if I found myself in love with you. And I could, I think, fall for you,” she added, her voice soft and haunted. “I’m afraid of what would happen if I did. I would never know if I was so vulnerable I jumped at what you’re offering. So please, don’t tell me I’m beautiful because I’m having a real tough time right now.”

Her eyes filled with sparkling tears. Cord’s heart seemed to shatter. “I understand” was all he said.

“Do you?”

“More than you can probably believe.” He closed his eyes. “But stay another night, Tessa, until I’ve got a better idea whether the coast is clear or not. The morning might bring some word of Hunt.”

“Do you really want it to?”

“Yes,” he told her definitively. “My feelings for you won’t change, but I’d have my brother back, and that’s more than I’ve got right now.”

She stared into his eyes. “You’re a good man, Cord Greer. You put everybody else first.”

“Not always,” he countered. “Not always. Tonight, I’m putting myself first. Stay,” he asked again, his voice husky.

She nodded once, almost in slow motion, as if she wanted to change her mind even before she agreed to his request. “If you promise to get some sleep tonight.”

“Deal. But you have to make me some more toast in the morning.”

“You didn’t eat it.” She refused to smile at him.

“That’s why I need a second chance.” He really needed a first chance with her, but fate apparently didn’t mean for that to happen.

“Okay,” she agreed shyly. “But I can’t rely upon your charity for much longer.”

“Tessa, the last thing I regard you as is charity.”

“It is if you’re eating my cooking with a smile on your face.”

He laughed, taking Eleanor from her hands. “Eleanor, eh? All right. Ellie.” Come on, you crazy dog, with your big brown eyes and sweet temperament. You managed to get into her life a whole lot quicker than I ever did, you lucky pooch. “Let’s see how strong you are when you’re confronted with cold snow.”

Tessa followed behind, watching the pup skid on the icy patches. It kept her from focusing on the tall man in front of her, his back turned so she could stare at the broadness of his shoulders, the dark, well-trimmed hair just showing under the cowboy hat. Hunt was every bit as handsome, just not as filled out with corded muscle from working cattle and riding every day. She forced her mind to stop the comparison. It would do no good to start dwelling on how sexy this cowboy looked.

“Nan mentioned that she likes to walk in the woods out here. I suppose that’s safe for her to do?” Tessa didn’t think she’d go very far in the densely grown forest of black and gray bare trunks and branches reaching up into the winter-white sky with gnarly fingers. Shorter skirts of pine trees fringed the taller, naked trees, obstructing the view. It somehow seemed lonely beyond the open field, the woods an overgrown encroachment.

“Safe enough. Nan’s a big fan of stargazing, and she likes to do some bird-watching.”

“I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to find my way out. Or that I’d step on a snake.”

He chuckled, shooting her a wry glance. “I’m sure there are snakes, but they’re more afraid of you than you are of them.”

“I don’t think so!”

He grinned now. “Poison ivy in season would be more likely to get you. But you’d find your way out of there soon enough. Hunt and I used to play in the woods all the time, so Dad marked the trees well. Dad even built us a tree house where we used to bring our knapsacks of lunch. Mom used to call us home by banging on the triangle.” A soft reminiscent laugh escaped him. “One night, we insisted we had to sleep in the tree house, and we carried out sleeping bags and a lantern. Hunt and I spent the whole time telling each other ghost stories, each one more fantastic and scary than the last. In the middle of the night, Dad came out, silently climbed the ladder, then jumped onto our sleeping bags roaring like a mad bear. You never heard two boys yell so loud.”

His thoughts were far away now, dwelling on a tree house only he could remember, and Tessa felt a sharp twinge of sadness for the happy memories that might be all he had left of his brother. She had known Hunt as a lover in their adult years and as a schoolmate in their younger years, but Hunt and Cord shared a special, deep bond of brotherhood. They were very close, despite the fact that they’d chosen very different life paths.

“Did you stay outside the rest of the night?” She tilted her head to look up into his eyes.

“Heck, yeah.”

She raised one eyebrow. “Very brave of you boys.”

“Not really. We made Dad sleep with us for the rest of the night. At the crack of dawn, Mom brought us biscuits to eat and our fishing poles. She said she could hear our banshee yelling clear to the next county, and if Dad was going to scare the pants off her boys, he could darn well take us fishing to make up for it.”

Tessa loved the story. It was everything about family she dreamed of but lacked. “Take me out to the tree house, Cord.”

He looked at her. “Maybe someday.”

She sensed his reluctance but wasn’t sure of the cause. Just the same, she didn’t push. They were uncomfortable enough with their situation as it was.

“You’ll want to keep an eye on Ellie, though. I wouldn’t go too far into the woods where an owl might mistake your pup for a snack.”

“Cord! Are you teasing me?”

He smiled but shook his head quite seriously. “No. There are lots of owls. They’ve been known to grab a bite during the day, so you’d best keep an eye on her.”

“I’m getting her a leash! We can start leash training today! No owl is carrying off my dog.”

Cord nodded. “That might be the best idea.”

Ellie didn’t seem inclined to do much walking in the snow. Mainly she hovered by their feet, sniffing.

“The last thing I need is a dog,” Tessa murmured. “But once I held her, I knew my heart was lost.”

Cord tightened his jaw, his eyes on Tessa.

Suddenly, Ellie looked toward the woods. She gave a sharp, interested bark. It wasn’t very loud, but it was enough to make Tessa smile with joy.

“Gosh! That’s the first time she’s made a peep!” Tessa gazed proudly at the puppy. “I didn’t even know what she sounded like.”

In the next instant, Ellie was off toward the wooded acreage, her paws scrambling to keep up with where her head wanted to go.

“Ellie!” Tessa ran after her.

Cord hollered, “Ellie!” overtaking Tessa, but he was no match for the puppy as it disappeared into the trees. Night was falling, shrouding the thicket in shadows. It was impossible to see the black-and-white puppy anymore. They could barely hear her tiny barks.

“I’ll go get her,” Cord said. “Stay here.”

“No. I’ll go with you.”

“You don’t know your way around, Tessa. You’ll definitely get lost, and that’ll be two of you I’ll have to search for.”

She stared at him stubbornly. “Cord Greer, it’s my dog. Nobody appointed you my guardian, and my dog isn’t a duty you raised your hand for. Either you take me with you, or—”

“Or what?”

“Or…I go in looking for her as soon as you’re out of sight.” She raised her chin. “She’d come to me quicker than you. She barely knows you. I’m not sure she would trust you.”

“Trust isn’t what she’s thinking about right now. She smelled a squirrel or a skunk and she’s gone investigating. But that’s no reason for you to be out in the cold, Tessa. Her curiosity will be over soon enough. Stay here.”

His tone brooked no argument. Tessa knew that all of Cord’s arguments made sense, far more sense than her running into a forest where she could easily lose her way. “All right. But I still think you need me to help you search.”

“One little puppy doesn’t need a search-and-rescue team. I can handle it. Trust me.”

“I do,” she said softly. “I’ll wait right here.”

He nodded. “If I don’t come back in ten minutes, go home and get warm. Put on a kettle of tea.”

She pulled her jacket collar more closely to her neck and tucked her hands into her cuffs so her hands joined beneath the fabric, warming each other.

“Don’t be stubborn. Go get warm.”

“I will,” she promised.

“If she comes back to the house, ring the triangle.”

“Okay. Hurry and find her before an owl—”

He touched a finger to her lips. “I’ll be right back.”

A second later, he had disappeared into the gloomy, leafless woods. Tessa held her breath, biting her lower lip, and told herself that Cord had tramped through the trees many times. Even Nan was accustomed to walking in the woods.

It was safe for a man and a lost puppy.

THE PUP GAVE A LITTLE YIP when its scruff was grasped securely. She was airborne, her paws scrambling helplessly before she was tucked inside a jacket, zipped securely against a warm chest. The smell of the man was not one she was used to, so she struggled, but there was no hope of escaping.

“Why did you do that?” Salvador demanded. “We do not need a damn dog.”

“He’s cute,” Rossi answered. “And warm. He is not hurting anything. I’ll let him go when we are finished here.” With one finger, he rubbed the soft muzzle poking out of his jacket.

“Shh!” Salvador listened intently. From somewhere, a man’s voice called urgently, followed by a whistle meant to entice a dog to return. “Señor Vaquero.”

“Sí. Guess he is looking for you.” Rossi touched the tip of the dog’s cold nose. “But you are not going anywhere.”

The crackling of leaves under heavy boots silenced Rossi and Salvador. Beneath the tree house, they could hear the big man’s steps halt.

Salvador winked at Rossi, picking up a large rock that he used to jab his cigarettes out against. But Rossi shook his head, frowning.

Salvador shrugged, letting his hand relax though he still held the rock. Rossi tended to think his actions through, while Salvador could be impulsive, sometimes to his detriment. He felt very impulsive right now. His hand twitched. Rossi ever so slightly shook his head again.

The footsteps moved on. The cowboy headed south, calling for the puppy.

When they could no longer hear him, Salvador put the rock down. “Why not? It would have made me happy.”

“Because the girl is waiting. She will send for help if he doesn’t return soon, and we will never be able to snatch her and get away before the police come.”

Salvador nodded reluctantly.

“On the other hand, we have got her little friend. And you,” he said, giving the puppy a tickle around its ears, “are the reason she will come looking for you herself tomorrow. When you don’t go home.”

In the distance, a triangle was rung vigorously.

“Coming!” the cowboy shouted from not too far away.

Salvador and Rossi looked at each other, slight smiles on their faces.

“As usual, you are the levelheaded one.”

Rossi kissed the puppy. “This dog doesn’t smell like a dog. Smell him.”

“No.”

“Smell him,” Rossi urged.

“It is not a him. Do you not know the difference between a girl and a boy?”

“Smell her, then.” Rossi shoved the puppy under his nose.

Salvador took an unwilling sniff, then inhaled deeply. “Perfume. Woman’s perfume.”

“Her perfume.” Rossi tucked his treasure back inside his jacket. “Tomorrow, you get close enough to smell it on the code breaker’s woman.”

Soon the hunt would be over.

The revenge could begin.

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